Survival, a YA Paranormal Romance (The Guardians of Vesturon Series, Book #1)

by A.M. Hargrove

  However, Maddie had reached a point where she wanted to do something significant for them in return. Cooking them a big dinner came to mind. She could surprise them, and it would also give Zanna a break. The only obstacle in her plans was that she didn’t really know how to cook. But how hard could that be? She could always turn on the Food Network and follow their instructions. That’s exactly what she decided to do.

  Off she went in search of ideas and recipes. She turned on the TV in the kitchen and decided to try a recipe from Rachel Ray’s “30 Minute Meals” show.

  Surely, Maddie thought, I can do this.

  Her dish of choice that night was going to be pretzel-encrusted chicken. The kitchen had all the ingredients in stock so she began to get everything out that the dish required.

  Maddie painstakingly crushed the pretzels and added the extra ingredients. It called for a dash of cayenne pepper but when she opened the bottle, she lost her grip, it flew up in the air and landed with a plop right on top of the crushed pretzels. Unfortunately, about half the bottle ended up in there. Not knowing what to do, Maddie figured there would be no harm in just mixing it all together. She was unaware of what cayenne pepper was so she continued to prepare the chicken and the rest of the ingredients.

  The recipe called for pan sautéing the chicken in several tablespoons of olive oil, or EVOO, as Rachel called it. Since she was making two pans, she decided she would need a lot more oil than that, so she poured a healthy dose of it in the pan. She put it over the medium high flame to heat up. When she thought it was hot enough, she added the chicken after she had coated it with the pretzel mixture.

  Next, she transferred the cooked chicken to the oven while she prepared the second batch. She decided to add a bit more oil and waited for it to heat up. Something caught her attention, and she realized she hadn’t started cutting up the vegetables she was going to make. She headed for the sink to begin that task. Several minutes later, she heard a popping noise, turned around and saw that the pan was in flames. Maddie was in a state of pandemonium not knowing what to do. Luckily, the alarm system deployed and everyone started arriving in the kitchen. By this time, the flames were simply out of control. Therron grabbed a fire extinguisher and hosed down the fire.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  Maddie was in a daze, not believing what had just happened.

  Therron came up to her and grabbed her arms saying, “Maddie, answer me! Are you okay?”

  She shook her head and nodded, “Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks for getting here so quickly. I guess I’m not very good in the kitchen.”

  “What happened?”

  “I think my oil started on fire. I was going to chop the vegetables, and then next thing I knew, there were flames coming out of my pan. Oh, do you think the chicken in the oven is all right?”

  “Here, let’s check.”

  Everything seemed to be okay in the oven, but the stove top was most definitely out of commission. Zanna came in next and started wringing her hands and jabbering like a crazed person. Neither Therron nor Maddie could make out a word of what she was saying. They finally calmed her down enough to find out that she was just upset she wouldn’t be able to make dinner that night.

  “Oh, Master Therron, what am I going to do?”

  Maddie piped in smiling, “Zanna, please don’t worry. I have chicken in the oven. That’s what I was doing. I was going to surprise everyone by making dinner. I’m sure it will be enough for everyone.”

  Maddie was oblivious to the looks passed between Therron and Zanna. They would never hurt her feelings by telling her cooking was positively atrocious. They would get through dinner somehow.

  * * * * *

  That evening they were seated at the dinner table, and Maddie came in and placed the chicken on the table. Zanna followed her with the rest of the dinner. The kitchen was still a mess, and it would be necessary to hire some construction workers to come in and repair the damage. A new Viking range was on the way and should be delivered in a few days.

  To everyone’s shock, the chicken looked very tasty. After they were all served, they began to eat. Rykerian was the first one who began to cough. Therron quickly joined him, and then Tesslar, and soon they were all struggling to breathe. Hands were frantically reaching for water glasses and several of them jumped up to get refills and ice.

  As soon as Rykerian could speak, he offered, “Gee, would anyone like seconds? No? How about a fire extinguisher for your throat?”

  Maddie blurted out, “Oh, I am so sorry. I didn’t think it would be that hot!”

  “What in the Deity’s name was in that?” wheezed Sharra.

  Maddie explained in between coughs, “When I was mixing up the pretzel mixture, the cayenne pepper slipped out of my hand and landed in the crumbs. I couldn’t remove it, so I just figured I would mix it in. I didn’t know it would be that hot, I swear!”

  “Maddie, if I didn’t know better, I would think you were trying to kill us. Perhaps kill is too harsh. How about maim us?” Tesslar sputtered.

  “Oh my gosh, you know I would never do that on purpose.”

  Rykerian added while still trying to breathe normally, “Alrighty then, Maddie. How about no more Food Network for a while? We need to get the kitchen back in order before Zanna has a heart attack, and we all die from cayenne pepper toxicity. Right now, I am up for hunting down a block of ice to lay my blistered tongue upon. Anyone want to keep me company?”

  “You all, please don’t be mad at me. I can’t stand it!”

  “Maddie, my dear, we are not angry with you; we are just wounded and need to soothe our burns. Honey, you put a new twist on heartburn,” Rykerian said, nearly incoherently.

  They all stood up and grabbed their dishes to carry into the burned up kitchen. Someone wanted to know if they should give the chicken to the raccoons, since they had been seriously pesky lately, but everyone voted that it would be considered animal cruelty. They were afraid of PETA catching wind of it.

  As they were finishing up with the dishes, Maddie commented to no one in particular, “That truly was awful, wasn’t it?”

  She received a resounding yes, and then the laughter and comments started. They all agreed that it was good thing Rayn could cook because they would have a serious problem if he didn’t. They also mentioned that thankfully Maddie would always be around a full time caretaker so her family would never have to worry about inadvertent poisoning.

  Therron opened the refrigerator to put something away and exclaimed, “Would anyone care to tell me why there is a shoe in here?”

  “Please don’t tell me that is dessert!” Rykerian exclaimed.

  “Oh thank God, I have been looking for that darn thing everywhere! I must have stuck it in there by accident,” Maddie tried to explain.

  “You think?” Therron retorted.

  “I think I need to, oh maybe go for a drive,” Maddie began.

  “No!” they all said in unison. Maddie could barely get one of the sports cars out of the garage, much less take it for a spin. She always went for Rayn’s Reventon, and no one had any great desire to ride with her right now. She was on a major bad luck streak, and the last thing they needed was to tell Rayn his new baby had been demolished.

  “What?” Maddie asked.

  Rykerian volunteered an explanation that consisted of how worn out she must be after the stress of the fire, and that her frazzled appearance was evidence of her anxiety. She probably just needed to relax and maybe take in a movie on the big screen here. They all exhaled a gigantic sigh when she agreed and left the room in search of a movie to watch.

  “Sweet Deity above, help us, and quickly please,” Rykerian begged. “How are we going to make it through this? I hope this house won’t be in shambles by the time this whole mess is resolved.”

  “We must be patient with her. She was never instructed on many of these areas, and she really does try,” Sharra suggested.

  With heavy sarcasm, Rykerian added, “And we
are going to accomplish that, how? Have any good ideas you’d like to share, besides locking her up and throwing away the key.”

  “Calm down, Rykerian,” Therron admonished. “I think we need to make sure she is accompanied at all times with anything she does that involves any type of machinery or appliances. With a constant chaperone, we may be able to head off another disaster. Are we all in agreement?” Everyone adamantly nodded, so that would be their plan.

  Chapter 6

  Three days later, a terrified Zanna came running through the house screaming for Master Therron. She found him on the lower level in the security room, running surveillance checks.

  Several minutes later, after he effectively calmed her down, he tried to decipher what she was babbling over. Finally, he was able to deduce that Maddie had tried to take over the cleaning of the kitchen, and she had effectively overdosed the dishwasher with dish soap, not dishwasher detergent. There were suds and bubbles everywhere, and Zanna was at her wits end in trying to deal with it all.

  Therron headed up to the kitchen to find Maddie trying to scoop up all the bubbles with a bucket. She was covered in bubbles from head to toe, as was most of the kitchen. It was impossible to take in the scene without laughing. He immediately left the room, much to Zanna’s dismay, and came back with both a pictograph recorder and camera. He had to capture this moment for Rayn. He was having a difficult time holding either of the devices steady, as he was in stitches, honest to God stitches. He hadn’t laughed like that since before Rayn’s departure. He could not wait to send him these images of Maddie. His amusement expanded when he realized Maddie had no clue whatsoever that he was in the kitchen, much less recording all of this.

  “Maddie, what in the Deity’s name are we ever going to do with you?”

  “Therron, help me please. I can’t stop these bubbles from coming out. They’re everywhere,” she despaired.

  “Oh? I had not noticed. But, I think it would help immensely if you would just turn that darn thing off.”

  “That’s a brilliant idea except I don’t know how.”

  Therron made his way over to her, slipping and sliding, and pushed a couple of buttons. The dishwasher stopped running, but that didn’t solve their bubble problem. Maddie was frantically trying to scoop all the mess up, but it seemed the more she bailed, the worse it became. Her eyes had a wild look about them. Therron realized they would accomplish nothing this way, so he scooped her up in his arms and carried her out of there.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Getting you out of here. We need to let the bubbles settle a bit, and then we can clean up the mess. You look like you are about to have a breakdown.”

  “Well, I just wanted to get it all cleaned up before any of you found out. I know when Rykerian and Tesslar hear about this, they will give me a hard time over it.”

  “Maddie, dear, I cannot believe you have not figured out that nothing that takes place in this house can be kept a secret.”

  “Geez, I know. Can’t a girl hope a little?”

  They reached the den and Therron set her down in a chair. He picked up her feet and took her shoes off, as they were still bubbled up. Then he rolled up the bottoms of her jeans, because they were sudsy as well.

  “Better?”

  “Yeah, thanks. But, how are we going to get that cleaned up?”

  “Do not fret over it. I will take care of it. Promise me something though? Will you just stay clear of the kitchen for the rest of the day?”

  “Therron, I was only trying to help.”

  “I know, and we all appreciate you, even when you do not try to help. Right now, however, Zanna is a bit senseless, so it will be easier on her if she has that room to herself. Okay?”

  After he received Maddie’s agreement, Therron headed back to the kitchen. He knew, with Zanna’s help, they could make short work of the cleanup.

  Chapter 7

  Lucaren Sartorius had tried to contact his friend Thorgar all week. Thorgar was supposed to have called him after his meeting, but he was long overdue. Lucaren was extremely worried; it was not like his friend to miss a call. If anything had gone awry, it would have grave implications for everyone. He finally decided to contact Dergan Calderon. Maybe he would have some idea of what happened to their friend.

  Dergan had not heard from Thorgar either. They both began to think something had happened to him. They teleported to Thorgar’s home to see if he was there, but there was no sign of him. There was, however, a letter addressed to the two of them on a table on his terrace. They opened it and it read:

  Dear Friends:

  If you are reading this, then I have either disappeared or met an untimely death. I wanted to leave this letter for you in the chance this would happen so I could apprise you of what has transpired.

  Under duress, I made a deal with Voldruk Monteveldo, High Elder of the Council. The deal was to send incriminating data files and evidence to the Yarrister’s compsystems on Earth. The files included false information about the Firstborn, Rayn. It was necessary to embed the files in their system—which was why I needed your assistance. Voldruk wanted these files to be discovered so Rayn would be removed from ascension as Great Leader of Vesturon.

  Voldruk did not tell me why he wished this, but I have surmised that he bears a deep hatred for Rayn.

  When these files were placed in the Yarrister system, their security was disrupted for several days. I am not sure if that security has been placed back online, but if it has not, and you have such a desire, it is possible to remove the falsified files.

  I can only assume that Voldruk is responsible for my demise. Tread carefully with him, for he wields great power and will stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

  Lastly, I hope you do not think too poorly of me for my involvement in all of this. Voldruk coerced me as he threatened my sister and her children. He told me he would see to it that one of her children would experience a horrific tragedy. I could not bear to see that happen, so I agreed to help him. He is aware of your involvement, but I did not tell him of anyone else’s. I am sorry to have gotten you involved, and I hope you will find it in your hearts someday to forgive me.

  Your faithful friend,

  Thorgar Teldoge

  After Lucaren and Dergan finished reading, they both looked at each other with horror. This was much worse than they had originally thought. The only thing they knew to do at this point was to seek out the Guardians and put it in their hands. They both feared for their lives as well as their respective families. They decided to keep this information to themselves for the time being, until they could formulate another plan.

  Chapter 8

  The next afternoon, Sharra and Maddie prepared for their night on the mountain.

  They packed their gear for their overnight trip. Maddie could barely contain her excitement as they headed out to transfer to the mountaintop. They teleported and began setting up their camp for the night. The plan was to wait until after dark to contact Rayn.

  The night was divine, crisp and clear with the stars winking their magnificence. There were millions of them scattered haphazardly across the sky, giving the night the appearance of sparkling diamonds. The full moon cast a golden hue across the landscape, bathing everything in its luminous glow.

  Maddie felt like she was experiencing a dream world, with the beauty of everything surrounding her. Again, she strongly felt Rayn’s presence. She knew with her soul that he was thinking of her. She projected her thoughts out to him, hoping to reach his mind. She couldn’t wait to feel him beside her.

  Sharra had been sitting cross-legged on a pad when she arose in a fluid motion. Maddie looked at her graceful movements and thought how beautiful she was. She glided like water sliding over stones. Her long, midnight tresses swung around her as she moved.

  Sharra was exquisite. Her eyes had taken on their elliptical shape with their color changing to neon blue. Her face had high cheekbones that created slight hollows beneath them, but it was
her smile that was what stood out the most. It was heart stopping. She looked like a Greek goddess, Maddie thought.

  “Sharra, do you know how attractive you are? Don’t take this the wrong way, and I hope you don’t think I’m weird or anything, but I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone as beautiful as you. I know your brothers don’t sit around and tell you these things, but I just wanted you to know. I’m not blowing smoke up your skirt either.”

  “Well, thank you, Maddie, even though I am not wearing a skirt. I appreciate your compliments. It is nice to hear something like that after all the teasing I get from the males. But they are good brothers and I think they try,” she said as she added another log to the fire. “But seriously, Maddie, I think my looks are just average compared to yours.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding, right? You are perfect. Any girl I know would die to look like you.”

  Maddie couldn’t comprehend her thoughts on this. Sharra was the most stunning girl Maddie had ever seen. She would turn heads in any setting…she was the epitome of beauty and elegance and her looks could run circles around anyone.

  “You are too kind. I think you are trying to grease me up a bit, because you are about to talk with your Rayn.”

  “Um, Sharra, it’s ‘butter you up.’” Maddie figured she would spend the rest of her life correcting Sharra on her slang.

  “Yes, well that too. Anyway, enough of this, I think it is time for you to talk with your male. What do you think?”

  “Definitely!”

  Sharra grabbed Maddie’s hands and dragged her to the pad where they both sat down. They sat directly across from each other and Sharra continued, “Okay, Maddie, let us begin. If this works, we will have about one hour before I will have to break it off due to exhaustion. Remember, please keep all, personal thoughts to yourself,” she said with a big grin.

  Sharra closed her eyes, and Maddie watched her intently. Unexpectedly, Rayn’s thoughts burst into her head, leaving her breathless. She was hit with a succession of, “I miss you…I cannot wait until we are together…how are you…I think of you constantly.”