Laura Jo Phillips (39 page)

“The feet of Riata’s spirit now carry her to the next world,” Trey said from where he knelt beside the Healer’s motionless body.

“May her journey be quick, her destination filled with the peace and joy she has earned,” Garen replied solemnly.

“Saige is alive, but barely,” Val said.  “I am not certain what that weapon did to her, but I do not think she will live long without help.”

“Where are the Lobos?” Lariah demanded.  “They must perform the mating ritual at once.”

As Lariah finished speaking they all heard the staccato pounding of the Lobos racing toward them like the sound of a stampeding herd of cattle, followed moments later by the sight of the three gigantic black and white striped wolves as they topped a low rise.  They did not slow down until they were nearly upon them.  Faron transformed as he ran, not fully retaking his human form until he slid to his knees beside Saige.  Val stepped away as Ban and Dav joined their brother.

“How bad is she?” Garen asked, once Faron had a moment to use his magic on her.

“Bad,” Faron replied, his voice strained. 

Garen kissed Lariah quickly on the forehead and carefully handed her into Trey’s arms.  He then knelt down beside his grieving friend.

“Faron, look at me,” he said, his voice gentle but firm. 

Faron looked into Garen’s eyes, his face haggard with fear for Saige. 

“You must inject Saige now,” Garen said.  “You have no choice.  You must do this if you wish to save her life.”

Faron’s eyes widened as he realized that hope was not lost.  He turned to his brothers.  “Yes,” Dav said, Ban nodding at the same time.

“Do this now, then we will transport all of you to the ranch,” Garen said.  Faron nodded as he moved into position near Saige’s head, Ban settling on her left, Dav on her right.  Dav and Ban each lifted one of Saige’s wrists to their mouths and kissed the tender skin before turning their determined gazes to Faron.  Faron lay down, his head beside Saige’s, his mouth near her neck.  He focused for a moment to extend his mating fangs, then looked to his brothers. 

“Now,” he said softly just before he lowered his mouth to Saige’s neck and sank his fangs into her tender skin.  Ban and Dav sank their fangs into Saige’s wrists at exactly the same moment, then all three of the Lobos remained motionless.  When instinct told them enough, they all slid their fangs out and licked the tiny wounds they had made, their saliva primed to heal for just those few moments for that purpose.

Faron’s head came up with a snap as he heard a soft gasp of pain from Lariah.  The intensely focused expression on her face confirmed his fear.  The Princess was in labor.  To make matters worse, they were far from the ranch, and soon they would have to complete the ritual with Saige.  He glanced over and saw that Riata was still lying on the grass not far away and he frowned.

“Is Riata unconscious?” he asked.  He hoped not as they would need her help with both Lariah and Saige.

“No my friend,” Garen said softly.  “Riata is lost to this world.  She now travels to the next,” he said.

Faron’s heart filled with sadness.  Riata had been a truly kind and gentle being, and the world would be a sadder place without her presence.  And, on a more practical side, without her healing, what were they going to do?

“Let us get to the ranch first, then we will figure it out,” Garen said, easily guessing Faron’s thoughts since they were the same as his own.

Faron nodded as he rose to his knees and carefully picked Saige up, cradling her gently in his arms. 

“Faron, I will carry Saige, and Val will transport you at the same time,” Garen said. 

Faron released Saige into Garen’s arms reluctantly, knowing that he would never have handed her over to anyone other than his Prince.  Garen spun around and vanished.  Faron hurried to Val, who placed a hand on his shoulder and a moment later, they vanished as well.

“You ready, little love?” Trey asked Lariah, who gasped as a new contraction began.  She nodded quickly, wanting to be in her own home more than anything right then.  Trey kissed her gently, held her close to his chest and spun in place, disappearing before he had turned half way around.

While they were gone, Dav went to inspect the two male bodies lying nearby.  He realized at once that Saige had taken them both out and felt a rush of pride in her.  They were easily three times her size and weight, yet she had made short work of them.  One of them was dead, the other injured.  Dav had no doubt whatsoever that Saige had left one alive for a reason.  That was all that prevented him from killing the man where he lay.

A soft popping sound announced Garen’s return, followed a moment later by Val.  Dav explained to Garen what Saige had done, and both men agreed that the one still living needed to be kept alive.  Hopefully, he would have some answers for them.  Then, Garen transported Dav back to the house while Val took Ban. 

Moments later, Trey and Val returned.  Val lifted Riata’s body carefully and with great respect, noticing only after she was in his arms that she had been dropped onto a large angular boulder with a sharp edge down the center of it.  That is what had broken her spine and killed her.  Trey lifted the two human males by the backs of their shirts.  Just as he was ready to leave, Val spotted something metallic on the ground where the glittery being had stood.  He lowered Riata back to the ground and carefully inspected the area.  He pocketed a small square object with several buttons on it, and tore a piece of his shirt to wrap his other findings; several small pieces of what looked like charred skin but smelled strange, as though they were part flesh, part plastic.  He put the wrapped items in his pocket and bent once more to retrieve Riata before transporting back to the ranch.

Val and Trey placed Riata on the bed in the guest room she had been using for the time being, and dumped the human male’s body in an area of freshly turned earth that Pater had just prepared for a vegetable garden not too far from, or too close to the house.  The living human they turned over to Ric who was standing guard over the house, along with every other hand on the place. 

“Be careful with him,” Trey said.  “It may be that he and his friend have explosives planted in them.  If that is the case, and they are detonated, we don’t want anyone else harmed or any buildings destroyed.”

Ric nodded, pulled a length of rope from his pocket and tossed it to another ranch hand.  “Tie him up,” he ordered shortly.

“Tiny?” Trey asked, bracing himself for bad news.  Suly had told them over the vox that Lariah’s beloved dog had been drugged and injured.  He did not want to have to be the one to break any bad news to Lariah about her dog.”

“He’s okay,” Ric said, much to Trey’s relief.  “The drug has mostly worn off and he seems fine.  I think he landed badly on his shoulder when they shot him because he has a limp, but that’s all.”

Trey nodded.  He wished beyond anything that Doc was there, but he was still at the Katre’s ranch at the far end of the continent, helping with a sudden outbreak of a mysterious illness infecting the local cattle. 

Trey asked Ric to keep a sharp eye out for anyone or anything suspicious, then hurried into the house, anxious to check on Lariah.

Chapter
32

Lariah insisted on seeing Tiny before doing anything else.  Garen considered arguing with her about it, but changed his mind when he realized that Lariah would not relax until she was able to check on the dog personally.  He crossed the bedroom and opened the door to the patio, hoping that Tiny was there.  The dog leapt to his feet immediately and hurried inside, going directly to Lariah, his tail whipping back and forth with obvious relief to find she was well.  Lariah spent a few moments communicating with the dog in her own special way before sending him to go lay down on his bed near the patio door.

“He’s okay,” Lariah said as she watched him curl up on his bed and sigh as he rested his huge head on his paws.  “He fell on his shoulder when they shot him with that dart, so that’s sore, but otherwise he was mostly just worried about me.”

“I am very glad that Tiny was not seriously injured,
sharali
,” Garen said.  “But right now, I am more interested in you getting into that bed.”

 “No, I want to take a shower first,” she replied.  “And I want to wash my hair.”

Garen opened his mouth to argue with her, but she jumped in before he had a chance to say a word.  “I have only just begun labor Garen,” she said reasonably.  “I have hours of time.  Besides, I am not going to be able to relax until I get the smell of Darleen’s trunk off of me.” 

“Darleen?” Garen growled.  “What has she to do with this?”

“I’m not sure exactly, but she was with the two men who drugged us and put us in the trunk of her ground-car.  She told them that Saige and I were wanted unharmed, but that she didn’t care what they did with Riata.”  The last was said with a trace of bitterness that Garen had never heard in Lariah’s voice before. 

“I am sorry,
sharali
,” Garen said, gathering her close in his arms. 

“So am I,” Lariah said softly.  She shook her head against Garen’s chest.  “Before Darleen left she told the men to wait for the pick-up, but she didn’t use any names.  We don’t even know why that man wanted us, let alone who he is.”

Garen gave Lariah a careful squeeze.  “We shall discuss that matter later,” he said.  “Right now we must focus on other things, like getting you in the shower.”  Suddenly Garen was glad of the excuse of the shower to divert Lariah’s mind.

Lariah nodded and stepped back.  “Yes, I really must have a shower before anything else,” she said.  The way she said it made Garen realize that her need for a shower was more psychological than physical. 

“Come then,” he said as he guided her into the bathroom. 

After a quick shower, during which Lariah was allowed to do no more than stand motionless and let Garen do the washing, he helped her into a clean nightgown and combed her long hair for her while she sat in a cozy chair by the fireplace in their bedroom.  The slow, repetitive motions of the comb sliding through her hair relaxed both of them.  By the time Val and Trey joined them, her hair was braided neatly and she was just finishing another contraction.

“They are coming closer together already,” Lariah said when the contraction ended.  “I don’t think it will be much longer.”

Garen, Trey and Val looked at each other helplessly.  Without Riata or Doc, they weren’t certain what to do. 

Lariah had a sudden urge to get up and move.  She used the arms of the chair to help herself to her feet, all three of her men rushing to her immediately, trying to convince her to stay in the chair.  She ignored them and began walking slowly across the room. 

“Lariah, you need to sit down,” Garen said. 

“You need to lay down,” Trey insisted. 

“You need to stand still,” Val added worriedly.

“No, I need to move,” Lariah said as she reached the far end of the room and paced slowly back.  The feel of the thick, soft carpeting against her bare feet felt exceptionally good to her for some reason.

“Okay guys, listen up,” she said, glancing up to be sure she had their attention.  “We are going to have these babies, and that is all there is to it.  Riata is not here, and that makes me sad, but right now we need to focus on our children.”

Garen, Trey and Val focused intently on her, watching her carefully as she walked.  “You guys told me that my body is shifter, and will do as it must to insure that the babies are born without getting stuck, or anything else horrible, right?”

 “That is correct,” Garen said with a nod.

“All right then, there is nothing to worry about.  When they come, you three will have to make sure that their airways are cleared so they can breathe, and you will need to cut the umbilical cords.”

Garen swallowed hard, but nodded again.  He was fairly certain that gutting a man without benefit of his dracon claws would be easier than what Lariah so casually suggested, but he wasn’t going to admit that to her.

“Little love,” Trey said as she turned around at the far end of the room and began walking toward them again.  “Would you please lie down now?”

“I will in a bit, Trey,” she said, her mind on other things. 

“Riata and Suly had things prepared for this,” she said as she turned again and paced away from them.  “Blankets, towels, some things they borrowed from Doc and sterilized, I don’t know what all.  We are going to have to ask Suly where those things are and get them in here and set up.”

“I will ask her in a moment,” Trey said,  “but first, don’t you think you should lie down?”

Lariah frowned as she turned back toward them.  “No, I do not want to lie down,” she said.  “Why do you keep asking me that?”

“Because you are in labor and it just seems like you should be lying down,” he explained weakly.

Lariah turned and paced back across the room again.  When she turned back she was smiling.  “Trey, love, I promise you that the babies will not just fall out of me,” she said.  “In fact, it is going to take some effort to get them out, so don’t worry.  Walking actually eases the contractions and is good for me right now.”

Garen and Val both looked at Trey with expressions of surprise, which Trey did his best to ignore.  When they started grinning he shrugged his shoulders.