Dream of Me (7 page)

“I have a business and friends back home,” Kieran simply stared down at her, unmoving. “Now you can see why I can’t stay here?”

“No.”

“No? Did you not hear me? I can’t stay — I have a life back home.”

“I said no. That is not a
real
reason for you to leave my side. I need you and I need you here.”

“Then I will find my own way,” she snapped out.

As she shoved past him with a glare, Kieran struggled not to grab her and shake her until her teeth raddled. Who did she think she was to deny him — her soul mate? She should deter to his wisdom, not rebel against it at every turn. He refused to stand for it. Spinning around he charged after her. The smooth line of her back and shoulders tightened with tension. She was aware of his pursuit of her, yet she refused to run from him. The knowledge made his chest swell with pride. This woman was no one’s prey. She was a fighter. Such a female would be worth her weight in jewels for any that wished her for a mate.

Not that any other would…

Regardless, he planned to grab her and take her back to his quarters at the stronghold and not let her out of his sight until this rebellion was settled between them. Just as his dark shadow began to overcast her, he paused. Everything inside him stilled as the air around him became thin. Beneath his bare feet the ground quaked and trembled. Trees groaned as their roots twitched deep within the earth. They were not alone any longer.

Lunging forward he tackled Elena onto her stomach seconds before a massive root shot through the air above them. The thick root hit the earth, sending a vibration through the both of them. Elena gasped in fear as she looked around them. The thick trunks of the trees twisted, groaning and creaking as their monstrous roots exploded from the earth and shot toward them. In a quick motion Kieran rolled the both of them out of the path of another striking root seconds before it hit the earth with a thundering echo.

Tightening his hands around her, he hissed into her ear, “When I tell you to run, I want you to head for higher ground. I will draw their attention.”

“Draw whose attention? What’s happening?” she asked fearfully as the roots drew back toward the trunks, bunching and coiling like snakes readying themselves to strike.

“Run!” he ordered. Leaping onto his feet, Kieran threw himself in the path of a dark root that shot toward Elena. Struck in the chest, he was thrown back against a tree. The black bark cracked beneath him upon impact. Glancing back he saw Elena turn and run as he told her to. But his relief only lasted so long. She came to a skidding halt as the dark tentacles shot in front of her, coiling around each other they blocked her path. From behind her, he saw more tentacles creeping near her, ready to snatch her.

Acting fast his wings thrusted him into the air towards her, unsheathing his claws he was seconds from slashing the sneaky abomination to ribbons. Before he could bring down his deadly hands, two thick roots coiled around each of his wrists, jerking him down to the cold earth as another wrapped around his throat, holding him immobile. He snarled at his confines. He needed to get free; Elena’s life depended on it. There was only one creature that could have spawned this dark magic —
Kelithians.

Turning around at the sound of Kieran’s snarl, Elena gasped in terror as she watched vines and roots coil around him like snakes. Jerking to the left and then the right, she saw more slithering closer to her. With the wall of roots and vines at her back and more in front of her, there was nowhere to run.

“Interesting display, Garmorian.”

Turning toward the voice, Elena jerked around as the wall that blocked her path drew away to reveal two smirking men. They looked human to her eyes. Both were fair skinned with short, golden hair. Dressed in what appeared to be dark silk tunics and dark leather trousers, she could see they were far different from Kieran. Around their necks and wrists were bands of gold that caught the light of the moon above. Turning their attention away from Kieran they both turned to their hard gazes on her. Meeting their gaze she could see their eyes were red with a dark pupil. Could they be the other race that he warned her about?

“This is the one?” one of them asked with awe. The second — whom she decided must be the leader — nodded his head with a faint smile.

“Yes. She’s the one we want.”

“Touch her and I will see that you die!” Kieran snarled, fighting furiously against his bonds without result. The fair looking men paid him no attention as they moved closer to her.

“What do you want?” she whispered to them, casting a fearful glance toward Kieran. She didn’t like the way they regarded her like she was a new, shiny discovery.

The second one held his smooth hand out to her with a soft smile, “Come with us.”

Shaking her head rapidly, she took a quick step back while keeping them within her sights. She didn’t like how these two where smiling at her. “I’m not going anywhere but home.”

“Take my hand,”
he repeated his voice more stern at her refusal. “My king desires to speak to you, nothing more. Perhaps we can even help you find your way home,” his voice softened. For a moment, she paused at his softly spoken words. A king? Could this king help her to get back to her home and back to her life? She couldn’t deny that she was tempted to find out.

“Elena! Don’t! They’re not what you think!” Kieran yelled, drawing her attention. Glancing over her shoulder at Kieran, she turned back to glare at the grinning duo.

“Release him,” she ordered, pointing a single finger at the ground to emphasize her point. The leader dropped his hand, narrowing his eyes at Kieran, he shook his head.

“It’s for our protection. His kind cannot be trusted.”

“I don’t care. Release him. Now,” she bit out. Her mistrust in these two was growing by the second. “If you want me to do anything you ask, you will do it,” she stated with a firm tilt of her chin.

Chuckling, the leader slowly shook his head at her. “I wanted to do this the quiet way, but I guess it will have to be the easy way.” Shrugging his shoulders, he turned nodding to the other with a secret meaning.

She gasped in fear as the first one rushed at her in a blur of motion, moving so fast that if she’d blinked she would have missed it. Suddenly both of her arms were twisted behind her back within the painful grip of the first man. She fought to free herself but there was nothing she could do to shake off his hold. Glaring at the other man before her, she met his hard gaze without flinching. She didn’t care what strange place she was in, she would not show fear to this bully.

“You will come with us and meet with King Zyaid as per his decree,” he said with a prideful smirk.

“Go to hell,” she whispered, redoubling her efforts to free herself. She fought against the intense hopelessness that weighed on her. Behind her she could hear Kieran struggling to break free. Unless Kieran was able to free himself from his unnatural bonds, she didn’t see a way out for herself. These two would take her to where ever they wanted and no one could stop them.

* ~ * ~ *

Snarling, Kieran ignored the choking hold of his restraints as he fought harder for freedom. He couldn’t let them take her. If Zyaid got his hands on her…
No
, he wouldn’t let that happen. He had to get free of their dark magic and save his mate. Nothing else mattered. His eyes jerked above at the sound of beating wings echoed above him just before someone dropped down beside him.

Instantly, he recognized the dark figure of his friend, Dajran. Brandishing his sword, Dajran slashed across the thick roots that encircled his wrists. Breaking free, Kieran slashed at the vine around his neck.

“Trying to have fun without me?” Dajran asked with a dark chuckle. “Here.”

Leaping to his feet he caught a second blade that Dajran tossed him to him. For the moment the attention of the two Kelithians was on Elena, leaving them unaware that he was free of his bonds. He wouldn’t give them the chance to use their dark magic again on him.

“Others are on the way.
Li’r
wants us to try and keep them alive for questioning,” Dajran whispered as they moved into the shadows and out of sight, slowly drawing closer to their enemy.

“They threatened my
sou’tali
,” Kieran hissed back with rage.

“Well, I did say
try
.”

With a hard thrust of his wings, Kieran shot himself through the air and across the distance to his mate. Landing on his feet, he held up his blade toward the taller one that held his mate captive. The two Kelithians turned to face him, one still held Elena with her arms pinned behind her, using her as a shield. Elena wasn’t making it easy on them either. She fought against her captor like a snarling beast, cursing and demanding that he release her.

“Release my mate or die,” he hissed out, his eyes glowed with fury that would only be quelled by the blood of his enemy.

“Amazing that you were able to free yourself, Garmorian,” the leader sneered. “Sadly we can’t stay long. King Zyaid requests the human’s company.”

Taking a threatening step forward, Kieran snarled, “I will see you dead before I let you take my mate.”

Rolling his eyes, the leader withdrew a golden dagger from his hip. The moonlight glittered against the polished metal with the tilt of the blade. “She comes with us or she stops breathing. Your choice.”

As he moved to lift the blade to Elena’s throat, she cried out in surprise as a rush of air flowed against her skin. Crying out in pain, the blade tumbled from the leader’s grasp as he clutched his bleeding hand to his chest. Her eyes widened as she saw a black arrow pierced through his hand. Another rush of air hit the back of her head before her hands were suddenly freed. Spinning around, her eyes watched as her captor slumped to the ground, a black arrow buried deep in his skull.

Eyes blazing red, the remaining Kelithian moved to pick up his fallen blade. If he couldn’t deliver the human as his master ordered, then he would make sure that the Garmorians couldn’t use her either. As his fingers gripped the blade, his actions were immediately brought to a standstill as the sharp edge of a sword was slid against his exposed throat. Flicking his eyes over his shoulder, he met the eyes of another Garmorian warrior.

“Drop it or I will cut it off, then we will see how you can call upon your magic then,” the warrior threatened. Smirking, he did what he was ordered. His vengeful gaze fell on the human’s startled one as her mate drew closer to her. “My king will come for you.”

This wasn’t over.

* ~ * ~ *

Rushing forward, Kieran came up behind his mate. Wrapping his arm around her waist he jerked up against his front. Quickly taking two steps back, he moved her shaking body away from the dead Kelithian as two more of his comrades dropped down from the sky above.

He nodded at both warriors as they stepped into the light. One of the warriors he recognized as Lowen wielded a large black bow, making it known that it was he that shot the Kelithian and protected Elena. Ushering his mate a safe distance away, Kieran braced her against a strong tree as he assessed her pale skin for wounds. His sharp teeth gritted together at the sight of dark bruises that had begun to circle her forearms. Her green eyes, still glazed with shock, watched every move of his hands. Cupping both of his hands over the bruises on her arms, he focused his healing energy on her.

The warm tingling against her skin was just enough to shake off the remaining shock that obscured her mind. Elena’s unfocused eyes jerked to his warm hands that lay against the tender skin of her arms. Her breath caught in her throat briefly at the sight of his hands glowing against her skin.

“How are you doing that?”

His eyes snapped up to her face at her softly spoken words. “All Garmorian’s have the gift of healing energy through their bond with their mates. See?” Lifting his hands from her forearms, Elena could see nothing now but smooth pale skin.

Not knowing what to make of his strange ability, she nodded, “Thank you.” Though it was a strange and slightly unnerving thing to see, it was becoming the least of her worries.

Looking off to her right, she watched as their three rescuers quickly went about their business. Grabbing her wounded attacker, two of them roughly bound his hands behind his back while the other dragged the body of the fallen one into the shadows. As they forced their bound captive to his knees, Elena flinched as he turned to glare at her. Darkness lurked in his red eyes that made her wary. Who was this king that he had spoken of and what had he wanted with her?

Another dark figure suddenly landed abruptly beside Kieran and her, causing her to flinch in surprise. Couldn’t these guys just walk like normal people? Raising her gaze to look upon the man in front of her, she instantly regretted it. Unlike Kieran and the others, this man actually terrified her.

He wore the same dark leather trousers as the rest of them with his chest bared, but unlike the others he wore strange metal plates over the tops of his hands with thick spikes protruding along the knuckles. His scalp was shaved except for the upper left side that had two inch wide strips of short dark hair, curling around the side of his skull. However the one thing that held her attention was his wings. They were the same as Kieran’s in size and appearance except for one thing — they were solid black, bearing dark scars crisscrossed across the leathery skin.