Chapter 20 #2
“Ash, don’t!” he roared, ducking as the semi-shifted bastard lunged at him, his huge body blocking Race’s view. Race shoved him off—dammit, he couldn’t risk torching him with Ash so close.
Lightning snapped and crackled from behind the shifter, flaring in forks of white. A grunt echoed. Muffled groans of pure agony broke free. Then silence.
“Ash!” he yelled, his heart jamming in his throat as the guard leapt for him with a brutal strike of talons.
Race ducked, leaped, and flung out his hand. A ball of fire struck the guard in the chest as he swung his sword. The shifter’s head hit the grit before the body fell.
He spun for Ash, and his jaw unhinged.
Lightning crackled from her palms—godsfire bright—radiant enough to blind even a dragon.
She stood there like a warrior, her chest heaving while she watched the shifter convulsing on the ground. His talons and smoking wings flickered in and out, the asshole unable to control his shift.
“Ash!”
She snapped out of her trance, snatched up her fallen backpack, and raced across to him. Shouts echoed off the obsidian slopes as a wave of soldiers charged down toward them.
Ward-light blazed, a blinding white now, yanking at him, trying to rip him away from the crackling portal. He dug his heels in, one arm outstretched to his female. “C’mon, c’mon, Ash!”
She strained against the force dragging her back as well, every movement warped to a crawl.
Shit! “C’mon, heart-fire, you can do it!” he yelled, fighting the pull of the wards attempting to fling him out.
The soldiers drew closer, their bows raised, raining arrows toward them, all of it caught in slow-mo.
“Get her!” a voice roared. “Kill him!”
That flash of blond hair. Fuck! Flaeron. The bastard charged down the slope, face distorted with fury—then the ward force slammed into him and hurled him back.
“Come on, Ash!” Race urged.
She grunted, stretching for him, and her fingertips brushed his, slick with sweat—
Her beautiful eyes darkened with terror as she slipped back. “Race!”
No! With everything in him, he lunged, pain ripping through his shoulder, but he locked onto her coat’s sleeve. “I got you!”
He hauled her forward.
Together, they plunged through the portal.
They crash-landed onto the abbey courtyard in Romania, the humid darkness giving way to a blinding white world. Packed snow crunched under their weight, the bitter cold a shock after Lemuria’s heat.
With a thought, Race slammed the gateway shut, its hiss fading into silence.
“Ash!” He shot to his knees and turned to her. She lay next to him, curled into a fetal position, her hands still sparking. “Are you okay?”
“We-we made it,” she rasped, her teeth chattering.
Falling snowflakes dusted her soot-streaked face, her soft, golden beige eyes marbled with residual lightning. But her smile, though tremulous, made his own take form.
“Of course, we did.” He put a palm against her cheek, letting his warmth flow through her. “Did you imagine any other way?”
Another shiver racked her, and she half laughed, half groaned. “We must make quite the sight, uh? You, bloodied, me, soot-covered, like we dug our way out of a coal mine. Next time, I’m keeping the morvaen stone against my skin—less trouble.”
Amusement lit through him as he scanned her for any wounds. “But you did well, taking that guard down—”
“Of all the ways I figured we’d find you,” a familiar voice drawled, cutting him off, “ravishing a female in the abbey’s courtyard, in the snow, wasn’t one of them.”
Race groaned and hung his head. Of course, he couldn’t avoid the taunting bastard when he lived here as well. “Piss off, Dag.”
“You do know you have an arrow in your shoulder?” his fellow Guardian asked.
“What?” Ash’s eyes widened, and she scrambled to her knees to circle around to his back.
Race reached behind and yanked the arrow free, his teeth gritted at the sting. “Surface wound. I’m fine.”
He flung the arrow aside, rose, and helped Ash to her feet. She frowned at him, then turned and eyed his fellow Guardian curiously.
Dagan, with his whipcord warrior braids falling past his waist, was a sight to behold.
Just as well the Sumerian ex-god was mated, or Race might have to kill him.
A pale, redheaded female hurried outside, the faint scars along her jaw to her ear stark in the daylight. Relief lit her face when she saw him. “Race, everyone was so worried.”
“Shae,” he greeted. “Good to know I was missed.”
She laughed, and Dagan slipped his arm around her. “What happened?” he demanded. “Michael’s on a warpath.”
“Can’t talk now. I’ll be back soon. Ash, c’mon.” With a deep exhale, Race lifted his hands, mentally opening a portal—
“What are you doing?” Ash gasped. “Those guards will come through after us.”
“Different gateway.” He reached back and tugged her closer. “This one drops us on Long Island. Too far to dematerialize.”
“Dare I ask what guards?” Dagan drawled.
“Later. I need to get this settled with Michael first before shit hits any harder.”
“Race, wait.” Ash pulled back from him, frowning. “Have you forgotten already? I have to call Mum and Dad. They’ll be beside themselves by now.”
“Hell,” he grunted, pinching the bridge of his nose. He lifted his head. “Fine. Let’s be quick.”
“Oh, how gracious,” she said, her voice crisp. “My mobile’s dead. My charger and everything else are somewhere in the Himalayas. So, yes, let’s be quick.”
Shae smothered a laugh.
Race patted his pockets and cursed. “Dammit, I must have lost mine—”
“Use mine.” Shae offered Ash her cell.
“Ah, thank you so much.” She accepted it. “I’m Ash, by the way.”
“And I’m Shae. And this,” she stuck her thumb to her right, “is my mate, Dagan.”
Dag nodded, and Ash gave them both her wide, gorgeous smile. “Lovely to meet you both.”
Phone in hand, she moved to the forlorn oak tree, her fingers flying over the display. As the line connected, she glanced back at him, scowled.
Damn. Exhaling roughly, he closed the new portal and waited.
“Mum, it’s me. Where’s Dad?” she asked. “No, I’m fine, honestly.
I’m on a…a friend’s phone. Mine died…” She paced under the tree.
“I know, I know, I should’ve checked in.
I was camping in the mountains…” Her nose scrunched adorably as she tried to white-lie her way to avoid worrying her parents. She threw him a wry look.
His heart cramped as if a huge hand had wrapped around it.
“Three weeks?” She faltered to a halt, her gaze rushing to him, wide in shock.
Race stilled. Sure, time flowed differently between realms, but three weeks?
“Mum, I did say I needed time, but I’m fine really—hey, Dad. Yes, I am well, dressed warm, too.” She laughed. “Did some research, jotted notes about the climate, you know, hoping for answers to my problem. Oh, Janika…”
“So,” Dagan murmured, fangs flashing in a shit-eating grin. Damn vamp. “An English girl, the Himalayas, sounds like one of those films Shae loves watching—”
“Hey.” Shae lightly smacked his arm. “You watch them, too.”
“Only because you’re there.” He cast her a tender look, then those amused citrine eyes returned to Race. “So?”
“So, nothing.” He continued watching Ash’s soot-streaked face, haloed in falling snow.
Dagan laughed. “You can try and shut me out, but know that back at the castle, you’re in for a load of shit—the male who swore he never wanted a mate.”
“Still don’t,” he retorted, fed up with Dag’s nosiness, especially since he never butted into their lives—okay, maybe he did a little. But being the bastard he was, he refused to tell them anything. “Just need to deliver her to Michael.”
Dagan snorted, and Shae frowned at them. “Both of you stop before she hears you.”
Race’s gaze snapped back to Ash. She now sat on the bench beneath the tree, her gaze on them, her brow furrowed.
“This is a sight I can’t get over.” Dagan lowered his voice, not letting go of his grin. “She’s completely clubbed you over the head and won.”
“No,” Race said, watching Ash as she tried to pacify her parents a little longer before relenting. “I won. She just hasn’t realized this isn’t short-term.”
“Is she a psi?” Shae asked softly.
“Michael will have to confirm,” he murmured as Ash ended her call. “But I’m certain she is.”
Ash blew out a breath, misting the air white, and made her way back to them, tucking her hair behind her ear. “I hate lying to them. But if they knew the truth, they’d only fret.” She handed Shae’s phone back with a tired smile. “Thank you.”
“Later.” Race nodded to them. Time to get to the island and face his leader.
Exhaling roughly, he reopened the portal with a wave of his hands, took the backpack from Ash, grasped her hand, and stepped through the swirling gateway.
At least this transition should go smoothly, unlike every damn thing he faced in Lemuria.