The Silvia Saga: Boxset

Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Dara

The next couple of weeks are filled to the brim with training. Most of my sessions are with Jolie, channelling and practising magic. I am absolutely exhausted. Every day is exactly the same. Sleep, train, eat, train, repeat.

I groan and turn over in bed as the guys and Jolie’s voices filter through my closed door. Their voices are getting louder and louder.

What on earth can they be arguing over this early in the morning?

I sit up, pushing the sheets back as Jolie says, “Let’s go in right now and discuss this with Dara. After all, she has to be involved in this as well. It’s not right keeping stuff from her.”

I am so glad that Jolie has my back.

They all enter, and Blair comes over and sits next to me on one side of the bed. Oliver follows him and sits on my other side. Declan drops onto the end of my bed, giving me some space, and Harlan, as usual, towers over me ready to hit me with the news.

Declan moves forward on the bed. “Dara, we have heard news from town that James has sent out even more slayers in search of one of your stones. Based on the description of your dream, it is the emerald stone that you will find first. I hate to be the one to say this, but we need to move out at first light. We can’t let the emerald be taken by the wrong hands. It is rightfully yours, and you must be the one to claim it first or I hate to imagine what will happen if he finds it.”

I sit there with my mouth open. Already? I thought I would have more time to prepare. I am not ready for this—I can’t do this. My breathing becomes shallow. I need more time to train.

Blair places his hands into mine, trying to calm me. It works slightly, but I am still a mess. I can’t believe it. Reality has landed, and I need to step up and fulfil my destiny. I fall back against my pillow, letting out a loud sigh, and take some calming deep breaths. I need to relax and prepare myself mentally for what is about to happen.

“I thought I would have more time to prepare. I just don’t think I am ready to fulfil my destiny yet.” I pause, looking at each of my warriors. “But I know I have to, and I will do everything in my power to find it first.”

The room falls silent for several moments.

Harlan catches my gaze. He smiles wide, and my belly practically flips inside me. Oh, wow, I need to see that more often. He is breathtaking.

Oliver shifts beside me, pulling my body close to his and giving me a tight side hug. Blair places a soft kiss on my forehead, and Declan places his hand on my knee, giving it a little squeeze.

They all have my back; I’m not going into this alone and that in itself takes so much pressure off. Just as my father supported me when he set this up. He had faith in me and knew I wouldn’t disappoint him—that I would need to step up for the sake of Silvia’s future. I am doing this not only for him, but for Anna and Albert, and most of all, for my warriors. I keep feeding positive thoughts into my mind because if I don’t do that, I would literally be dying from all of the negative thoughts that threaten to arise.

“All right,” I say confidently, with every ounce of strength I have. “Let’s do this. It’s now or never. I won’t let James near or hold my emerald. It’s mine,” I growl.

I jump up out of bed and head to the bathroom. Peering back over my shoulder at my warriors, and pride shines in their eyes. They believe in me and that gives me all the motivation I need. “I’ve got this. I won’t let you down,” I mentally tell them all. They nod in agreement and move out of my bedroom, giving me my last chance of privacy before we leave.

Hopping into the shower the hot water on my back relaxes me instantly and I exhale. I don’t know when I will have another one, so I cherish this moment. I wash every inch of my body while mentally preparing for what’s to come. It’s time to get out and get ready. To say I am not scared would be flat-out lying. I am absolutely shitting myself, but the voice inside my head keeps repeating positive thoughts.

As I come out of the bathroom, there’s an outfit on the bed. There is a note sitting on top that reads:

To Dara,

We believe in you, and together we will retrieve what is rightfully yours.

All our love,

Your warriors xoxo

PS – You’re going to look totally hot in this. ??

Happy tears threaten to fall as I clutch hold of the letter. My beautiful warriors knew just what to say. I bet that last bit was Oliver—typical of him. I look back at the outfit they have picked out for me.

Skinny-leg army-style pants and a matching T-shirt with a zip-up jacket—all in the same army pattern, allowing me to blend into the forest. My faithful shoes are there, a reminder of home. I wonder what Kayla would be up to right now. Is she still looking for me? Or has she moved on? I wish I could send her a message telling her I am okay and that she doesn’t need to worry. She is probably beside herself. Most of all, I wish she was here with me now, giving me one of her little pep talks. God, I miss her. I let a lonely tear fall down my cheek. After quickly wiping it away, I start to get dressed.

The warriors will be back up soon to tell me it’s time to go. I dress and head over to the full-length mirror. I put my hair up into a messy tight bun, and I check myself out. Everything fits perfectly as if it was made especially for me. I look like I am about to head off to war with all of my army gear. I smile to myself, thinking about what Kayla might say. I bet it would be something along the lines of, “Fuck, Dara, you off to kill some sons of bitches or what?” I laugh out loud. Yes, that’s exactly what she would say to me right now.

A knock startles me and I place a hand on my heart as someone enters. Harlan. He closes the door behind him and walks over behind me. Oh shit. What have I done? I am preparing to get yelled at when he surprises me by lightly laying his hands on my shoulders from behind. I look up into the mirror and watch him, confused.

He takes a deep breath. “Look, Dara, I am sorry for the way I have been acting around you. I just want you to be the best you possibly can be. I know I have come across as a tough-arse, but you drive me crazy. You’re like me—completely stubborn and like to be in charge. You don’t take shit from anyone, just like I don’t. I think that’s why we have bumped heads. Before we head out, I wanted to tell you that I am so proud of you and how far you have come in such a short time. You still have a lot to learn, but it’s time to retrieve the emerald. Trust me. It won’t be easy, but I believe we will complete this mission, together.”

My mouth is open in disbelief. It must have taken a lot for him to be so honest with me. I have never seen this side of Harlan before, and I would be lying if I didn’t say it turned me on. I turn around, roughly grabbing hold of his hair, and pull his lips toward mine. I allow him one second to pull back if he wants to.

But he surprises me when he closes the distance between our lips. His kisses are rough and demanding, just how I imagined them to be. We both fight for dominance. He opens his mouth, letting my tongue collide with his. He grabs hold of my arse, lifting me up, and I wrap my legs around his waist. My back is slammed against the wall, making it shudder. I am so turned on. I break our mouths apart and continue to kiss and suck along his neck. His moan in my ear tells me he likes it rough.

The tension that was building over the past weeks is released on each other between kissing, sucking, and biting. As Harlan nibbles down on my ear, probably drawing blood, I push farther into his erection, teasing him with my sex. My body feels alive, and need pours through me. I moan.

The door flies open and bangs into the wall, breaking us apart.

Harlan jumps away from me, and I fall down the wall. I look past Harlan to see Oliver there with his trademark smirk on his face. Of course, it’s Oliver. He’s making a habit of this.

What the hell is wrong with me? I have made out with not only Blair, but Oliver and now Harlan. I’m turning into a complete slut. I lower my face, trying to hide from both of them.

Harlan’s hand grabs my chin as he pulls my face up to meet his. Oliver is standing next to him. Both look me straight in the eye.

“Don’t ever feel guilty for what you have done. Do you hear me, Dara? Never. It’s okay to have feelings for all of us. We feel it too. Remember our chat? We are happy sharing you. I know that probably doesn’t sound good, putting it that way. What I am trying to say is just go with the flow. We will not judge you. You just do what you feel is right. Do you understand?” Harlan growls.

“Yes, but what about Declan?” I ask as it’s nagging at the back of my mind.

“Don’t worry about Declan. He will come around in his own time. He’s just a bit reserved. He can hide his feelings well. Not like us,” Oliver confirms while winking at me.

I blush. God, Oliver does things to me. Each of the guys has a different effect on me. My gentle Blair, my playful Oliver, my rough and tough Harlan, and my silent, thoughtful Declan, who I am still trying to figure out. But together they are all the total package. My warriors, all mine. I smile to myself, how lucky am I to have four amazing men to protect me.

Declan chooses that moment to walk in. “I hate to ruin the party, but Father has returned with Elijah. They want everyone to come downstairs,” he explains while rubbing the back of his head. Did he overhear our conversation? I hope not. Sounds like we have more pressing issues to face.

We head down, following Declan. I am anxious to hear what they have to say. Everyone is gathered around the kitchen table with a map laid out in front of them. As we enter, they go quiet.

“Dara, this is Elijah, a good friend to my sons. He has news from the kingdom. He knows what the slayers’ next moves are,” Albert explains, pointing to the maps.

I look up to check Elijah out. Jesus, he is smoking hot. Shoulder-length blond hair that’s up in one of those man buns. What is it with the guys in Silvia? Have they all been hit with the hot stick?

I glance over to Jolie who’s got lovesick puppy eyes looking straight at him. I don’t bloody blame her for having the hots for him.

I focus my attention back on Albert, who is pointing out areas on the map. “From what Dara has explained of her dream, we anticipate that the emerald stone is located here. It will take a good day’s hike to get there. We need scouts to go out ahead of us to make sure the path is clear and behind us at all times and on each corner. I want a protective barrier around Dara. She is the final key to the emerald. Only she can retrieve it. It’s connected to her alone. Boys. Jolie. You will need to be the inner circle and protect Dara at all costs. Is that all clear?” Albert asks, taking charge.

Now I know where Harlan gets it from. We all nod in agreement.

“Now, once Dara has linked with the emerald, we need to get her back here as soon as possible. We are still unsure of what the emerald will do to her or how it will affect her. So, we need to make sure we have an exit plan in case the worst happens,” Albert explains, marking points on the map and clarifying the exit plan to the guys.

I zone out, focusing on my own mission and what I need to do.

“How are you doing, Dara? Are you ready for this?” Albert asks me which gets everyone looking in my direction, waiting for my response.

I take a deep breath, calming myself. Lifting my head high, I confidently say, “Fuck, yes. Let’s retrieve what is rightfully mine.”