“No, I haven’t. But as Thea guessed, I think her wards over our lands also prevent me from sensing the outside world as much.” Cullen was silent a moment before speaking again. “I could leave the wards, go further out for a night and see if anything happens.”
“But then that would also leave you open to being found by Esson, wouldn’t it?” Niall asked the demon.
“Yes, it would. Which is why I have never suggested it before or made any effort to leave.” He looked around the room. “I wouldn’t do anything to harm you or the little ones.”
Gris nodded at Cullen. “Niall, you’re going to entertain the princesses?”
Niall laughed. “They’ll be spoiled rotten and then tossed into their beds.”
“Daddy, we ready swim!” Asha called to her father as Keyne escorted the little girls into the dining area. She wore her mermaid bathing suit—turquoise background with a red-haired mermaid in the center. The straps were a ruffled purple as was the skirt. Her sister was close behind in a pink suit with confetti sprinkles scattered over it and a white cat with a purple bow on the front.
“Are you now, Moppet? I guess I should run and change then?” Niall asked her. Asha and Naza nodded their heads emphatically. He turned to the others, “I’ll be right back, and then you can all be on your way.”
Chapter Four
Gris
Gris stood. “How about we clear the table up while we wait?” He started to take the plates, scraping them onto one plate and stacking the others. Once the plates were stacked, he carried them to the kitchen. Cullen followed with the serving dishes.
“Gris, I’m not sure what we’ll find,” Cullen said. “Have you thought of talking to Thea? She found this place and created the wards. Maybe she has an idea of what we might be looking for.”
Gris set the plates down on the counter. Not answering right away, he started to rinse the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. He always struggled with how much to tell the group, especially when it came to talking with Cullen. He wanted to trust the demon and even though he’d done nothing to warrant distrust, it was the nature of a Guardian to be on the opposite side of demons. Yes, they both loved Rose. But could Cullen be fully trusted to not turn?
He turned to look at Cullen.
“I’ve thought to, but I’m afraid that there might be someone listening in. She’s due to bring supplies in later this week, so I thought I’d ask her then. Why? Do you sense something?”
“No. My dreams have been . . . oddly silent. Is there something blocking them? Has something about Thea’s magic changed? In the past, my dreams have let us know how to avoid the demons that roam the area. But now . . . now I fear that I’m of no use.”
“Cullen, you know that isn’t true. Maybe when you first brought Rose back, we didn’t trust you. But over the last couple years, your actions show you only care for Rose’s happiness.” Even as he said the words, he wasn’t sure how much he believed them. Something held him back.
“I know, but I want to feel useful. I don’t have the savings that you all had to help with funding this. Niall still works his channels and keeps funds coming in. You cook and keep us all healthy, Rose has the girls, and Keyne . . . well, what does Keyne do?”
“Hey, I do plenty here, Demon Boy!” Keyne said as he brought the last of the things from the table into the kitchen.
“You look pretty, you keep the girls happy. I guess that’s a lot.” Cullen turned with a grin on his face.
“Watch it, Demon Boy! I hear that Holy Water isn’t too healthy for your kind.” Keyne glared at him.
Gris started to laugh at the antics of the two. The way they acted you would think that they hated each other, but Keyne was the first to advocate for Cullen to stay with them.
“Keyne, don’t get him started. The last time you two got into it, he went right through you. It was days until you could get enough strength to be corporeal again. Cullen, you were cold for a week.”
The two men looked at each other and grinned then looked to Gris.
“No! Oh, NO!” Gris said, walking backwards from the demon and ghost.
“What? A big strong Guardian afraid of a little ghost and a demon?” Cullen asked.
Gris just turned and ran. The last time that Keyne and Cullen had ganged up together, it had ended with Niall covered in mustard and ketchup. Laughing like a hyena, Keyne chased after Gris.
Chapter Five
Rose
Gris ran into the bedroom, panting as if he had run a race.
Rose looked up at him and laughed. “You look like you just ran a race.”
“Worse. Have you ever tried to outrun a ghost who can zip through walls?” Gris asked. At that very moment, Keyne pushed his head through the wall and waggled his eyebrows at Gris.
“Rose, have we ever asked Thea how to exorcise a ghost?” Gris asked.
Rose just looked at her two mates and shook her head. “Oh no, you aren’t pulling me into this.”
Keyne pushed himself through the wall and lunged at Gris, catching him around the neck with his arms. “Ever kiss a ghost, Gris?”
And Keyne planted the biggest, wettest, coldest kiss Gris had ever felt on his neck. He turned to hit the ghost, but only found empty air as Keyne sped back through the wall.
Rose couldn’t help but laugh. Keyne was the one who always brought laughter to the house, keeping things from getting too serious when everything felt like it was going to explode at once.
“Hush, Gris, you know you love him,” she said, going to Gris and wrapping her arms around his neck.
Gris touched his forehead to hers. “Yeah I do, even if he and Cullen together are like teenage boys on steroids.”
Rose giggled at the image he brought to her mind. “At least, they’re better looking than the teenage boys I knew. No pimples, and they know how to shower. Now we best get back out to the others. You know the girls will be upset if they fall asleep without kisses from all of us.”
“Rose, did you see where Naza went in the woods?” Gris asked.
“I think she went to the south side. Honestly, I thought she was hiding in one of the forts you built,” Rose said. Great mom moment there. Not knowing where your child is. It was so easy to think that they were safe there, that the borders Thea put up would prevent anyone from coming in. But there were other dangers beside just magical creatures. The borders didn’t protect from the animals native to the forest.
“When I called her, she came from the south. It was probably about five minutes that I was here before calling,” Keyne said.
Rose just hung her head. Naza and Asha were little whirlwinds, and at times, it was hard to keep up with them. Lately, she had been so tired, and the sun had felt so good that she had started to drift off lying in the sun.
“Muisje, we don’t blame you.” Gris stopped walking and turned to Rose.
She looked up and saw the love shining from his eyes. She was tempted to tell them there but knew it wasn’t fair to Niall. No, she would wait till later tonight.
“I know. But they’re my babies. I should know where they are.”
Keyne looked over at Rose. “When I was not much older than the girls, I was shopping at the mall with my mom and sisters. You would think that with two older sisters and my mother, someone would have always had eyes on me. But they were looking at a sale rack. I got bored and wandered off. The store two doors down was a pet store, and they had some puppies. I climbed into the pen with the puppies and fell asleep. I don’t know how no one noticed me in the cage, but I woke up much later to find the mall frantic. All that to say, it happens to every mother. Little Mouse, you’re a great mother.”
Rose leaned into Keyne and soaked up the love. “Thanks.” She kissed his cheek. “We better get into the forest and see if we can figure this mystery out.”
Cullen led the way down a small deer path. “I can’t imagine Naza going very far in the time frame you said, so why don’t we spread out from here. Keyne, can you use your
seeker ability to find clues? Rose, maybe if you touch the various trees you can sense something? If they are sentient, maybe their thoughts will drift through.”
“What do you mean by sentient?” Rose asked.
“I doubt that there are any here, Thea would have made sure of that, but some trees have spirits in them. Some are not so benevolent. I doubt that we would find it here, but a Jinmenju tree would not be out of the ordinary for this area.”
Cullen, Keyne, and Rose all stared at Gris. “A what?” Rose asked, her voice shaking. “That sounds like a not so nice tree.”
“They are more disturbing than anything. They are solitary trees that grow in remote, mountainous areas like this. They bear fruit that appear to have faces on them. When someone comes near the tree, the faces on the fruit will talk to you,” Gris told them. “Rose, if one of the trees is here, you should be able to sense it, even if it isn’t bearing fruit.”
“Okay, I’ll try.” She hadn’t used her gift to try and sense sentient beings before. Besides her mates, she had only used it with Esson in his office before being captured. While in the demon realm, her powers had been muted, and with her mates, she didn’t need to try to use her gift.
She walked to a tree and set her hand on it. Nothing. Her forehead crinkled as she concentrated. Shaking her head, she walked to another tree and tried again. From tree to tree she walked, trying to sense anything. All she got was a headache. In defeat, she sat down on the ground.
“Nothing. As far as I can tell, these are just simple trees,” she said, rubbing her sore head.
“I can’t sense anything here, either.” Keyne said, frustration lacing his voice. “Whenever I try to focus, it feels like there is just an empty space. I’m not sure if it is because I don’t have a specific thing we’re looking for or what.”
Cullen returned from his search. “I didn’t get anything either. I can’t sense any demons around here.”
“Hey guys?” Gris called. “I think I’ve found something.” The trio followed Gris’s voice to where he had been searching.
“Remember how it rained yesterday? Well, I think that might have helped us find a clue.” He pointed to the ground near the tree he stood at. In the wet dirt was a clear imprint of a large and small foot.
Rose gasped. “Someone is here.”
Gris nodded. “Or was. I saw a few small footprints in the occasional mud leading from the meadow. But I cannot find another adult footprint.”
Cullen frowned. “How far out did you walk?”
“About ten feet. There were a couple of mud splotches, and the only thing I could see was Naza’s footprints going back to the meadow.”
Keyne looked up into the trees. “What if . . . ?”
Rose looked at him. “What if what?”
“I am just thinking aloud. But what if someone or something is using the trees to travel?”
They all looked into the branches and saw what Keyne saw. The large tree branches met the next trees, creating a latticework of roads. If you were careful, you could move from tree to tree without touching the ground.
“Do you think that someone’s been watching the girls? How‘d they get in here? Didn’t Thea ward the area from air and ground entrance?” Rose asked, more questions bubbling up as her fear that they’d been found took over.
Gris grabbed Rose’s hands. “Breathe, Muisje. This doesn’t mean anything. We need to talk to Thea and have her come see what she can sense. In the meantime, we keep the girls close to the house. Thea’s due in a few days with our supplies.”
Rose took a deep breath. After being captured by Esson twice, and hearing his plans for her girls, she feared it happening again. Naza and Asha were the embodiment of prophecy, and if Esson had his way, they’d end the world.
“I want to get back to the girls. I need to see them,” Rose said, turning and almost running. It didn’t matter that she knew they were safe with Niall. She had to see them, touch them, to reassure herself that they were safe.
Chapter Six
Rose
Three days later, Rose still didn’t feel safe letting the girls go near the forest. Instead, she kept them near the house playing in the pool and hot tub or running around the house. The men took more trips into the forest, checking for signs of intruders, but as far as they could tell, they were safe. Then, Thea showed up.
“Rose,” a gravelly voice said as Rose ran and hugged Thea. The small Brownie never failed to instantly calm Rose. Thea pushed Rose out to arm’s length and looked her over. “I see. Have you–?”
“No!” Rose interrupted her. “Shh,” she said quieter. “I haven’t said anything. We’ve been a little stressed out, and the timing never seemed right. Plus, the girls always seem to be there, and I don’t want them knowing.”
Thea nodded in understanding. “How about I take the girls for the night? You and the guys can have the master wing to yourself, and you can talk with them.”
Rose lit up at the idea of having all four guys to herself for the night. It was rare for them to all be free at the same time, and with the twins’ room so far from the master, one of them always slept in the main wing.
“That would be great. I think Keyne is on twin duty tonight, and the rest of us need to talk to you while they’re occupied. But first, how about we get some muscle to carry the supplies in?” Thea agreed to the plan, and Rose felt for the guys along her bond. Since the girls were born, she had been able to sense the guys more and been able to . . . well, pull on the bond. It wasn’t exactly what she did, but she didn’t know how to explain it. All she knew was that when she did it, the guys would come. They told her that they felt this need to find her.
“The guys should be here soon.”
“So, your bond is still strong?” Thea asked her.
“Yes, though I haven’t felt like any new skills have developed. I don’t understand what the concern was. All I can do is sense people’s thoughts when I touch them and shift into a mouse. Please explain to me how useful a mouse could be.”
Thea laughed at Rose. “I think you could be surprised at how useful being a mouse can be. But being secluded as you have been for the past couple years, you haven’t had much use for your talents.”
“Well, we did try using my ability to sense thoughts differently this week.”
“Oh?”
“Naza says the trees talk to her. We don’t understand what she means, so I tried to use my sense of thoughts to see if any of the trees were sentient. But unless they can mask their thoughts, I sensed nothing.”
“I can guarantee that there are no sentient trees here. Ortheus and I personally walked the whole forest. You are safe here,” Thea said.
“Thea!” Niall shouted, swooping down and picking up the small Brownie to swing her in a circle.
“Put me down, you big neanderthal.” Thea laughed.
Gris stepped up and pulled Thea out of Niall’s grasp and set her gently down. “The cavalry has arrived.”
“You mean the pack mules,” Cullen said, hanging back from the rest of the group.
Thea laughed at their antics. “How about you get all this food up to the house, and then we can talk?”
“Um, Thea, this looks like less than our normal three-week supplies,” Gris said as he looked over the boxes that waited for them.
“It is, but we can talk about that later,” Thea said, turning to Rose. “Shall we?”
Rose hooked Thea’s arm in hers and led the group. “Yes, lets! I need some girl time. All this testosterone wears on you after a while.”
“I pity you, four hunky males to look after you,” Thea said drolly.
“Hey, it’s a hard life. And you’ve never had to deal with Keyne and Cullen when they get going. Those two would make a saint’s hair turn grey,” Rose said.
Thea laughed and shook her head. “I can only imagine.”
Rose stopped in front of the house and looked at it as if seeing it for the first time again. Thea had found the house for them
when Rose had been captive in the demon realm. The guys knew that she’d been nearby but couldn’t get through the portal to the demon realm. Cullen had forsaken his post as Esson’s right hand demon for his love for Rose. He’d fought and killed the demons that had chased them as they fled. Then, on the way across the portal he had saved Rose from the Kappa, a monkey/mermaid-like species that took captives to the bottom of the lake to drink their blood.
It took quite some time for Cullen’s true personality to come out. At first, he was afraid that they’d send him away or kill him. But as he realized that as long as his love for Rose overrode everything, he was safe, he started to open up. Rose had known that he had a gentle side, but she hadn’t seen the fun-loving prankster until one night when Keyne had started a food fight. The memory of that night still made her laugh.
They sat outside enjoying dinner by the pool. The twins had just started to eat table food. Keyne set a plate of peas and potatoes in front of each of the girls. Niall and Rose were talking, not paying attention to the girls.
“Girls, no throwing your peas,” Keyne said.
Rose looked over at the girls just as Asha picked up her potatoes in a small tornado and plopped them on Keyne’s head. The look on his face made her smile, and a small giggle escaped. She looked over as a loud guffaw broke the stillness. She looked back as Keyne smirked, an evil look on his face, picked up the ketchup and squirted it towards Cullen, hitting him square on his bare chest. The splotch of ketchup on his chest made Rose feel uncomfortable, but the look of shock on his face was hilarious, making her laugh.
With lightning fast reflexes, Cullen grabbed the mustard and squeezed it, pointing it at Keyne, but Keyne dropped to the ground, and the yellow stream of mustard shot over him and hit Niall in the face.
Niall half yowled, half shouted, jumping into the air and shifting into his cougar form. Yowling, he looked at the two culprits, his tail swishing. Cullen and Keyne shared a look, and they both emptied their bottles at Niall.
Cherish (The Guardian Series Book 3) Page 2
