Protector (12 page)

He moved quickly, surprising me as he held my hips. Everything darkened. One and a half seconds later, we were back on the beach, right back at our arrival point of earlier.

“Well, the rules will save your life–and my sanity.”

I leaned into him with an amused smile, delighting in the feel of him and the brisk sea breeze whipping my hair back over my shoulder. “I like this spot, and I like you. Thank you for the invaluable lesson.”

The gorgeous flecks of gold in his brown eyes brightened. “Then it was all worth it for that one comment alone.”

I danced over to our shoes. I tossed him his as I dropped to the ground and slipped my sandals on. There were people approaching, just over his shoulder. I recognized Silvie first. “You told the others to come?”

“Yes, I made the call. Zac was complaining in my head about his hunger and Belle swore the fresh fish and fries at the local shop here are to die for. We’ll build a fire as it darkens and have dinner on the beach. Do you like that idea?”

“I do.” Glancing now to where Zac had led everyone over the sand-dunes, I noted for the first time the sun beginning its descent. The day was disappearing fast.

Silvie bounced past the others as they neared. “Hey, Faith.”

My best friend had changed and wore a cute pair of navy blue shorts and a red singlet-tee that contrasted beautifully with its bold colors. Belle too had donned new clothes, putting the rest of us to shame in a long flowing dress of deep crimson. She appeared runway ready, but then she nearly always did.

Beside Belle I looked dowdy, particularly with my plain old discolored bike shorts on. “Throw me my skirt, Davio.” I held out my hand for it.

He fished it out of his back pocket and shrugged his wide shoulders. “It’s a tad wrinkled. I may have squished it. Badly.”

I frowned, because crumpled and underdressed was not any girl’s dream. It didn’t help my blood boiled–he was too close and not touching me. I sensed the change immediately.

Silvie sprang in beside me, knocking my arm. “Hey, sorry we’re late. Zac here couldn’t zap us over until Belle had provided a photograph of the beach frontage for him to match an image to. Who knew just how particular teleporting could be?”

“Me.”

“What?” Silvie snapped a wide-eyed look at me. “No, no, no. Don’t tell me you can move like that, too.”

“Yep. Let me take you somewhere.”

Only Davio abruptly intervened, taking my arm and intercepting any further movement. “No leaving on your own. I will not concede on reducing your security in this way. You will not be permitted to ’port whenever or wherever you desire. I have already given that order.”

Zac gripped both my shoulders and spun me around. “I don’t believe it. You’re only a Halfling, and this doesn’t make any logical sense. First, there’s forethought, then cloaking and now teleporting. Exactly how many strength skills do you hold? You kept your father’s status from us and now you’re obviously keeping more.”

My eyebrows shot up, but before I could formulate a response, Davio deftly pushed Zac’s hands from me. “Zac, you will not touch my mate unless I give you permission.”

Riled, Davio’s thoughts swirled, the odd one escaping his tight block. “Besides it being none of your business, just how many skills my mate holds is any man’s guess since the Dralion scum who fathered her is obviously one of their most highly skilled. Your job is not to interrogate my mate but to find and kill our enemy.”

My shoulders stiffened. Davio’d said
kill
before, but now his desire for instant death irked me. How dare he decide that? What right did he have? Or more importantly, why would my father turn up after eighteen years of non-existence only to give me a safe location should I wish to use it?

What was he after?

I had endless questions.

And very legitimate concerns.

I shook off Davio’s tight hold. I needed a moment.

Especially considering I had a mate who wanted to kill my father–a father I needed some answers from, and preferably, before he perished.

No, there was simply more to unravel here than what Davio saw.

I poked a finger into his pumped up chest. “Now aren’t we in a bit of a pickle. You want to kill my father, and I’ve decided I’m not going to let you. And if you do, I’ll be certain to never forgive you.”

There I went–standing up for myself.

Silvie’s mouth gaped open. “I’m sorry, Faith, but are you referring to the father who left your mother the day you were born? The father you’ve never cared to know? The very same father who slammed a baton against your head the first moment he returned? Have you gone crazy or something?”

I stalked toward her, grabbing her arms. “Let’s you and me talk.” I had never been more aggrieved in my life to see my best friend turning on me. She was the one who never wavered from my side.

And with the image of where I needed to go, I added the coordinates of my bedroom and flashed us there.

She gasped as we arrived, wobbling and lifting her arms either side to keep her balance. “Oh. Oh no. You have to stay within the protectors’ sight. You can’t go traveling about willy-nilly wherever you please.”

“Since when do we listen to Davio? He’s not officially our boss,” I rallied right back.

Turning her hands, she held them palms up. “Not your boss?”

From one darkened corner, Davio wavered into sight, joining us. “Don’t you ever go against a given order again, Faith Stryker.”

Crossing her arms, Silvie glared at him. “Then stop throwing them around. Ask nicely for a change.” She harrumphed and leaned against the wall behind her. “Jeepers, you have a lot to learn.”

I ignored them both as I tossed my crumpled skirt to the bed and stalked to my wardrobe. I needed something more appropriate to wear.

Only I couldn’t ignore him for long.

“You have to turn around,” I snapped, because obviously, I wanted to change, and I doubted he was leaving any time soon.

He released a harsh breath of air that whistled between his lips. “Change and then we leave. We need to return to the others. Immediately.”

“I just bet we do,” I sniped, grinding my teeth together as I thumbed through the dresses toward the back of the rack, being a little overly rough with the clothes I loved. Could he not move? I gave it one second. “Okay, you’re not far enough away. Go and kiss the wall. Five steps.”

He remained right where he was. “I swear there must be no other who has ever had to contend with what I’ve been given. This erratic temper of yours is appalling. I control mine, and you should be able to control yours.”

“Well of course I can’t,” I snapped right back. “Not only am I peeved at you, but as you so reasonably put it, I’m the daughter of Dralion scum, not to mention the only woman whose blood boils whenever she comes into close contact with you. So if you can’t tell, I don’t want to hear any more about you killing my father. It’s incredibly impolite. Now turn around as I’ve asked.”

He barely managed it before I yanked off my top and pulled out an ankle-length, spaghetti-strap dress. I dropped the indigo cotton over my head, yanking it down.

Davio groaned as he strode to the wall and slammed a hand against its painted surface, his face still turned away. “I didn’t mean you were scum–just that your despicable father is.”

Ignoring his terrible apology–if one could even call it an apology–I worked at taking a calming breath. Pulling out a pair of silver flats suitable for the beach, I lifted the hem of my dress and jammed them on. “How exactly did you follow me so quickly? Did you take a wild guess I’d come here?” I should at least have that answer since I wasn’t getting any others.

His arms rose and crossed against the wall as he pressed his forehead to its smooth surface. “I simply followed your telepathic airstream. Now are you dressed? I need to see you. I don’t deal well with antagonism, and it seems especially not from you.”

“Well that’s just too bad. Now explain the intricacies of following my telepathic airstream?” I was fired up and nowhere near settling down.

He took a deep breath. “Any teleporter can follow another’s airstream provided they do so within a second of their leaving. Any longer than that and it vanishes on the wind, becoming impossible to trace.”

I inched closer toward his broad back.

My mind stirred, demanding the mind-merge.

I snarled and gave in, reaching and allowing my mind to lock onto his.

He slumped forward into the wall and held onto his head.

“Faith.” He groaned my name, his voice swamped with relief. “I can’t explain, but I can feel when you’re connected to my mind. I itch for its return.”

As much as I hated his words, I needed him, too. “You can turn around,” I stated, although not nearly as sharply as I’d have wished.

He slowly swung around, his striking eyes zeroing in on me–then the door. The door?

“Kate’s coming.” He gave no further warning.

My door breezed open, my mother peering around the corner. She spotted Silvie first. “I thought I heard–” She stopped, catching sight of Davio right behind me. “And who exactly are you?”

All I could manage was a squeak of sound.

I had a man in my room.

Thank goodness, I had Silvie in here too.

When Davio bowed slightly as he introduced himself, appreciation rolled through me. “Ms. Stryker, I’m Davio Loveria. A friend of Belle’s. She sent me over here to collect the girls.”

“Collect the girls?” my mother asked as she crossed her arms. An eagle-like gaze turned on me. “I didn’t even hear you come home. Let alone hear anyone else enter the house.”

I stepped forward and lightly kissed her cheek, deciding to act my way out of this one. “I’m still staying at Belle’s. I used the back door, but I was coming to see you.” Or I would have after I’d finished arguing with Davio. “Anyway, Belle and a few other friends of ours are getting together at the Domain. Belle’s organized dinner and a fire on the beach.” I brushed another kiss to her cheek. “I can’t miss that.”

Her answer was a little slow. “No. I guess you can’t.” She squeezed my arms then looked at Davio. “I apologize for the terrible welcome. Please call me Kate. All Faith’s friends do.”

He inclined his head. “Thank you, Kate. We were on our way.”

“Yes,” Silvie said. “Belle has Zac and Viv with her. They’re new to town, Kate.”

“Oh right, then you shouldn’t keep them waiting.”

Silvie took my arm and propelled me through the door, out of the house and down the pathway without stopping.

She marched down the concrete footpath, speaking her mind the moment she could. “I can’t believe how childish you just were.” She turned, rather abruptly. “You are not in this alone. You have to consider the protectors. There’s a reason they’re here and even I can see how extensively we’ll need them. We have an unknown Dralion warrior to contend with, remember?”

I knew she was right. This definitely wasn’t all about me.

Biting my lip, I
ummed
and
arred
over the fact I needed to apologize, turning a little to catch sight of Davio five steps behind. Only I wasn’t ready to give into him so quickly.

Silvie groaned. “Oh, for goodness sake. Just take me back to the beach if you’re not going to see reason. At least Belle might be able to aid me in knocking some sense into you.”

“The beach sounds good.” Right now I would concede that much.

With the image fresh in my mind, I took us both there, just twenty feet or so from where the assembled fire-pit from which driftwood burned chased away the oncoming dark.

A swirl of wind at my back gave evidence to Davio’s following.

I didn’t turn around and look at him. I was still too peeved off with my runaway emotions. Not to mention his comment that I was the daughter of Dralion scum and that he planned to kill my father. How could he have said that? Because who knew if the man was scum or not.

Tugging Silvie across the sand, I stalked around the fire-pit and past Belle where she sat unraveling a large square of heaped newspaper.

“Ooo, that looks good,” Viv said, peering across the pit at Belle.

“Mmm.” Silvie licked her lips. “There’s nothing quite like hot fish and fries on the beach.”

“’Bout time you guys got back,” Zac groused as he reached into a bag and tossed us all a bottle of water.

Catching mine, I took a seat on one of the logs pulled up to circle the dancing orange and yellow flame. Silvie sat beside me, while Davio took hold of one of the large rounded logs and stepped back a few paces. He dropped it with a loud
thunk
, the distance a perfect five feet between us so we felt no pain. At least he was learning.

Inside I logged my small win. Sure, I felt a little bad. I knew he was only trying to protect me. Except those awful words of his kept reverberating through my mind. All I heard was, “You’re the daughter of Dralion scum.”

I met his gaze and unscrewed my cap, abruptly raising my bottle in a salute of resistance toward him.

He returned the gesture by lifting his own bottle, his gaze narrowed. “I’m not pleased. I do not care to fight with you.”