Kindred: Book 1 A Realms of the Otherworld Book (16 page)

“Well that’s not something you see every day.” Torin says.

“A, that was kind of hot.” Tolin replies with his usually cheeky sense of humor as he claps Alaric on the back.

“Tolin, that’s enough.” Alaric retorts as he pulls me close to whisper in my ear, “That was totally hot, mo grá, but let’s not do that again any time soon. Okay?”

“I think it may be time that you guys start utilizing hand guns while in the Mortal Realm. What do you say, Elf Man?”

“I think you may be right, Ash.” He says as he moves back to his seat and I slide off his lap and we both buckle in. Everyone’s tired and I begin to shake as the adrenaline rush is beginning to ebb. Alaric takes notice and pulls me back into his chest and whispers, “You were so brave, my little warrior princess, thanks to you and your quick thinking and wicked aim we’ve lost them. Relax and see if you can sleep.”

My favorite water sprite takes flight from the front leaving her bobble head post and comes to hover in front of me, with a serious look on her face. She reaches her tiny hand out to touch my cheek, “You are stronger than you know, my lady. I am honored that you call me friend and I will stand by your side no matter what comes our way. I have seen how you connect to the Tree of Life and I believe you are meant to save the realms.” Then with a midair curtsy she cracks a smile, “You’re going to kick some serious ass once the Guard trains you and I’m going to have a front row seat!”

“Jas, what am I going to do with you?” I smile at her, “Us girls together, girl power?” I ask.

“Absolutely, you, me, and Lexie with the help of these guys.” See smirks. “Seriously though, Alaric is right you need to get some rest, you’ve barely slept since your awakening.” She turns and flies back to her place on the dash and proceeds to lie down. I’m not sure that is such a good idea, what if we come to sudden stop or swerve and she’s asleep?

“Lexie?” She turns and I can see that she is also getting sleepy, “Is there room for your legs if you open the glove compartment and keep it open for Jasmine so she can lie down? That may be a more secure place for her to sleep.”

“Good idea, there’s plenty of room. Come on Jas, in you go, I’ll even make a bed for you with my scarf then we can get some sleep, hopefully with no more excitement for the night.” Lexie is handling all this like a champ and I can’t be more proud of her.

Turning my attention back to the guys beside and behind me I find that they’re caught up in their own conversation and my mind drifts back to moments ago with me staring back at my enemies. I have never had enemies before. Mom taught me to be kind and fair but also to be prepared. Thinking back on all the self-defense classes and the archery and firearms training, I always thought that was Mom’s way of making sure I could handle any situation. Now I know that she was preparing me for what was to come. She insisted that Lexie and I train together telling Audrey it would be good for us. Now that I know the truth of who I am I know without a shadow of a doubt this was her way of helping us prepare for when the time came. I shiver as I realize that time is now and there is no escaping my destiny. Alaric tightens his hold on me and asks, “You okay?”

With wide eyes I look up at him, “I just realized that there is no escaping my destiny. I have enemies. I have never done any harm to any living thing. Ever. Before this is over I will not be able to say that, will I? Target practice is one thing but someone could have been hurt back there and it will be because of me.” I swallow back my guilt at possibly causing hurt to someone I have never even laid eyes on. I feel my eyes prick and try to blink back my tears. Alaric cups the nape of my neck and pulls me towards him to kiss my forehead and then looks down at me.

“Mo grá, you did what you had to back there. I assure you that the Fomorians in that vehicle were not hurt. They are very hard to injure or kill. You chose to shoot out the tire instead of going for the windshield, by doing that you chose to give us the best chance we would have to get away without causing direct harm to someone else. I’m so very proud of you. I know that you have been thrown into all this very quickly and haven’t even had a chance to come up for air. Once we get to Faerie I will be better able to protect you and give you time to adjust. You and Alexia both are going to need that time and hopefully our days will fall into a more normal routine. I promise that we’ll work hard to make sure that you both have the skills you’ll need for what is to come. Just know this, you did very well tonight. You acted bravely in the face of danger and handled yourself with confidence and honor. I embrace my duty to you as Guardian and your kindred. Your destiny is my destiny and we will do this together.”

In that moment I know that I love this male with all of my heart and soul, he is my elf man and I’m never letting go. I look down to see that he has entwined his fingers with mine and I look up shyly thru my lashes and whisper, “I love you. Thank you, you always seem to know what to say to calm my fears.” With a heavy sigh I lay my head on his chest and listen to the rhythm of his heart beneath my ear and it calms my racing thoughts.

“Rest, Declan is making really good time and we’ll be to our destination shortly.” He pulls me close and rests his chin on the top of my head and then whispers, “I love you too, Ashlinn Ryllae Elan.” I shut my eyes and listen to the beat of my kindred’s heart and the low male voices around me as they make plans and strategize as I drift off to sleep sheltered from the world in my kindred’s arms.

Chapter 20

(Ashlinn)

I wake to Alaric’s gentle touch as he pulls me into his arms to carry me to a rustic but charming cabin in a wooded area. Through my sleep blurred vision I can tell that we’re in the mountains of Tennessee. A fog has settled over the trees and mist hangs heavy in the air. Above us in the clearing I can make out the full moon thru the clouds that shroud the mountain. “What time is it? How long did I sleep?” I ask.

“It’s four in the morning and you only slept a couple of hours, we’re going to take about fifteen minutes here and then we head out on foot. It should take us about an hour to an hour and half to get to the top of the ridge to the dolmen portal. Do what you need to do to prepare for the next leg of our journey.” He says as he puts me down inside the front door of the cabin. “Declan is pulling the Hummer into the garage out back and closing up there. We need to secure this place before we head out.”

“Wait. Where’s Jasmine? I saw Lexie make her way down the hallway but I don’t see Jasmine.” I say with concern.

“Damn, I bet she’s still sleeping in the glove compartment of the Hummer, I’ll go…” He trails off as I hear Jasmine’s irate voice before she comes into view.

“You would be sprite killer! I can’t believe you were going to lock me up in that metal contraption. I would’ve died in there! It would have become my coffin! I’m so completely traumatized I can’t breathe.” At this point she’s so upset she’s hyperventilating and her flying becomes erratic. I’m certain she’s going to crash. I can tell that Declan is beside himself and keeps apologizing over and over to no avail. Jasmine’s on a roll so I decide to intervene.

“Jasmine, just calm down we were just coming back to see to you. I would never leave you behind. You know that you’re my very first bestest friend from Faerie and no one can ever take your place. Come on over here I need to tinkle before we head up the mountain to the portal. What do you need to do before we take off?” My question takes her off guard and she instantly stills. “That’s better. Even though you’re tiny in stature I believe you to be my big sister.” I say with a grin “Can you oversee the guys while I’m in disposed. I’ll be right back. Time is of the essence and we need to leave here in under ten minutes.” I look over to my kindred and he is watching in fascination as I take control of the situation. Jasmine acquiesces. Lexie comes into the room her unruly auburn hair braided around the side of her head in a French braid that wraps around her head and rest on her front left shoulder. No doubt she wants the heavy unruly mass off of her neck for the trek up the mountain.

“What did I miss?” She asks surveying the room.

“I could have died!” Jasmine starts in again in that shrill voice but with a sharp look from me she says quietly, “Your kindred, that’s what happened. I’ll tell you about it on our way up the mountain.”

I then busy myself by going to take care of business and then readjusting my pony tail. I need to wrap it up so I go out to meet Alaric in the front room as he asks me if I’m ready to go. I look over to the brothers and ask, “I want my crossbow. Is it readily available?”

“We thought you might want it, your weapons are on the table.” Tolin says with a grin and a nod. I walk over and set about securing the brown leather holster around my hips and my thigh and sling the crossbow over my shoulder secure in its holster. Lexie has done the same and we look ready to head out. I look around at Alaric’s Guard, my Guard and they’re all sporting their weapons of choice. TNT have at least four swords strapped to their backs and hips. Nemus has a couple of short swords strapped on and hang from his hips. Declan carries a staff, two short swords are strapped to his back and two to his hips and there are multiple throwing knives strapped to his chest. Alaric has his short swords strapped to his back, long swords secured to his hips and throwing knives are strapped to his chest. Damn, we look like we could be walking into that video game Warcraft.

Alaric secures a sealed container of water to his hip as he says, “Time to head out.”

I’m nervous and it probably shows as I grab a canteen filled with water and attach it to my belt loop as I ask, “Do the Fomorians know of this portal?”

“I’m not sure, so we need to get a move on.” Alaric says as we step back out into the early morning cover of night. They secure the cabin and lock up and we begin our trek up the mountain through the woods. About forty minutes into our hike we hear a distant engine of a vehicle and we pick up our pace. We’re all panting by the time we make it to our destination. The sun is on the horizon and I can see the night sky is slowing succumbing to the morning rays of dawn. In this moment as I look out over the tree covered mountains as the mist clings to the trees, in the early morning dawn, I take in the beautiful scenery and hope that this is not the last time I see this realm, my home. Time creeps by as we wait for the sun to rise and in the distance I can hear our foes coming for us as they make their way thru the forest not even trying to quiet their approach. I pull Alaric close and say, “Lexie and I can use our crossbows to cover us as you open the portal. Hopefully we can delay their approach.” He nods with a grim look on his face.

“Nemus, I need you to open the portal. I stand at my kindred’s side.” Alaric says as he tosses the small bottle of water to Nemus and takes his stance next to me. The sun continues to creep up on the horizon as Declan takes his stance next to Lexie. Tolin and Torin take up their stance on either side all with weapons drawn and ready. I see Jasmine hovering over Nemus’ shoulder as the first rays of the morning sun light rise and hit the entry way. Nemus opens the container and tosses some of the water into the portal and the opening begins to shimmer, then fully opens.

Alaric bellows, “Everyone in!”

Nemus and Jasmine are first to enter then Tolin and Torin, then Declan and Lexie. I look at Alaric and smile, “I’m going home.”

About that time the Fomorians break thru the trees about fifty yards down the slope and without thinking I take aim with my crossbow as we back our way to the portal. I’m getting my first look at my enemy and I’m shocked to realize they are not at all what I expected, the two men staring back at me are quite handsome, yet determined. I have to shake myself from my thoughts, knowing that our time is short. We continue to back up and I begin to fire off shots meant to slow them down long enough for us to get into the portal. Just as we are about to step through and escape from this world to another an archer breaks through the tree line and takes aim. The next thing I know my left shoulder is impaled making me stagger backward. Alaric roars and quickly releases two throwing knives in their direction taking the archer down while pulling me to him and through the portal just as it begins to close.

For a moment I can’t breathe, I feel like I am being sucked through a vacuum and I start to panic but as quickly as the panic takes root it fades as we emerge on the other side and the glimmering of the dolmen fades as the majic dissipates. The pain in my shoulder takes hold and it feels like it is on fire but I look up at Alaric and smile, “See that wasn’t so bad.” I say. Inwardly I cringe and think this is not going to end well as my vision begins to fade. The last thing I see is his handsome face twisting in concern as cradles me in his comforting embrace and then its lights out.