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Chapter Twelve
Dressed in record time and flying out the door, Ranger ran right into the brick wall that was Jianna. Sidestepping to get around her, he was once again blocked by five-foot-eleven of well-toned muscle and angry Valkyrie.
Refusing to give up, he faked left then side-stepped right and almost made it past her before strong fingers grabbed the collar of his T-shirt, nails scratched the back of his neck, and he was jerked to a stop.
“Where the fuck do you think you’re goin’ without me?”
“To get Ellie.” Looking over his shoulder, he growled, “Let go of my shirt and get a move on if you’re comin’. I’m not waitin’ another fuckin’ second.”
For the first time he could ever remember, Jianna let go and fell into step without one word of complaining or telling him how to do it. It was a miracle and one he thanked the Heavens for. It was not the day for anyone to get in his way. Ranger would save his Mate and kill the person responsible for making her bleed. In that order. No questions asked.
Bypassing the elevators, racing down the hall, he hit the big, thick, metal emergency door with such force the loud thud echoed both in and out of the narrow, steep stairwell. Taking the steps three at a time, jumping from the seventh onto every landing, he was on the bottom floor and out the door as fast as his feet would carry him.
Pouring on the speed, Carrodoc supplying copious amounts of Dragon Magic, Ranger was in the meadow in less than a minute, growling aloud and mentally, "Open that fuckin portal, Old Man. Open it now."
Swirling light became a massive black hole from one second to the next, only the sound of Jianna's grunted, "Why the hell did you make me open one for you to get here if you could do it yourself?" Let him know the Valkyrie was right behind him.
He didn't answer. His entire focus was on Ellie. He'd mentally called till his brain felt like mush. He'd tried to use their Mating Bond to see through her eyes and only glimpsed darkness. He'd even attempted to meditate for about ten seconds, thinking he might be able to use their combined magic to teleport his Spirit to her location. Everything came back a big fat fucking waste of time.
Barely acknowledging the whoosh of warm, electrically charged air when the backside of the vortex closed, he tried again. Tapping into the momentous amount of energy, mysticism, and pure power of the Earth Herself, he telepathically called,“Ellie?”Waiting for less than a heartbeat, he tried again,“Ellie, honey, please answer me. Give me a sign. Do anything that will let me know you’re okay.”
Pulled back to the present when Jianna's hand landed on his shoulder, Ranger snapped his head to the side and glared as the Valkyrie reassured, "You know she's still alive. You would've felt her soul leave this Earth or heard your dear one take her last breath. The last beat of her heart would've driven you to your knees had she already passed away."
Grunting, unable to say anything for fear he would lose his shit on his old friend, Ranger nodded when she added, "I would also know. Ellie is a Warrior, a Celtic Witch of the highest order, one of the revered MacLeish Women. If I'm not mistaken, she is the return of the Heart of the MacLeish. I would've been called to escort her soul to Valhalla."
“Are you su-sure,” he choked out, needing to hear the words one more time.
"I am positive." Squeezing his shoulder before dropping her hand, Jianna went on, "Never doubt the power of your love and the bond you share. I saw it with my own eyes. It is nothing short of fucking amazing. Hold onto it. Hold on tight."
"I will," Ranger barely got the words out before the front side of the portal opened, and he stepped into the warm, dry air of the Chihuahuan Desert.
Spinning to the side at the sound of the chuffing of a horse, he was so surprised to see his brother, Zach, that Ranger scoffed, "What the hell are you doin' here? Where are the Twins? J.D.? Everybody?"
"They’re all on the Res with Granddad. I’m the only one outside the ring of ancient Cherokee magic who could hear you screaming like a madman for Ellie." Tapping his temple, the other Guardsman nodded. "Figured you might could use a hand." Nodding from atop his mare as he pushed the old, worn-out John Deere hat he always wore back on his head, the fourth brother of the MacAllen Clan nodded towards the other horses. "Brought each of ya' a ride, too. We can get to wherever we need to go faster this way."
Walking to his horse, Blaze, named for his bright red mane and the trouble they all had getting him to wear a saddle, Ranger couldn’t help but shake his head and force a smile. “How did you know Jianna would be with me?”
Giving the Valkyrie a wave, Zach used his manners, which was more than Ranger could be accused of at the moment, "Hey, Ji. How you been? Long time, no see. I knew you’d be right on Ranger’s heels after mom said he was at your resort.”
"Hey, Zach," Jianna replied with a smile that didn't reach her eyes before climbing atop the horse he'd brought for her. Patting the mare's neck. She grinned, "Beautiful girl. She's a little taller than Ruin, but I had to leave her back at Crimson Moon to help Merlin watch everything for me." Running her fingers through the horse's blonde mane, she nodded. "Oh, sorry, Zach, you know how I love animals. I promise I wasn't just ignoring you."
“No worries, we can catch up…”
“After we get Ellie,” Ranger growled, clicking his tongue and touching Blaze’s ribs with the heels of his boots.
Taking off at a gallop, knowing his brother and friend were behind him, Ranger opened his mind’s eye as wide as it would go. Following the bright light at the end of the Mating Bond he shared with Ellie, the Guardsman headed due south towards the cave she’d shown him over a year ago.
Around the wide base of the tall, flat-topped butte he knew so well – the one he and his brothers had named MacAllen Mesa, he took them through a valley of cacti and past a den of Coyotes that did nothing more than stare as two Dragons and a Valkyrie flew by. It never failed to amaze him how one predator quickly identified another who was bigger and badder. Just another wonder of nature. Something he and Ellie had talked about so many times on their long walks at the beginning of his investigation into the death of her parents.
Thinking of her and only her, Ranger held tight to their Mating Bond. His mind's eye never looked away from the bright white light, the one tangible thing he could hold on to, the reassurance that Ellie was still breathing, her heart was still beating…she was alive.
Stopping at the backside of the Guadalupe Mountains, he brought Blaze to a halt in the shadow of the highest peak of the same name and jumped to the ground. Tying the reins of his bridle to a large Rio Grande Cottonwood, Ranger turned towards Zach and Jianna, barely able to stand still while they dismounted.
Throwing a thumb over his left shoulder, Ranger growled, “The bastard has her in here. I’ll go around that way.” He pointed east. “Y’all go…”
"Fuck that," Zach spat. "There are more than two heartbeats in there." Taking a step forward, fidgeting with the bill of his hat, Ranger's adopted brother added, "You need to slow your roll. We gotta have a plan. At least know how many and who the fuck we're dealing with."
“No.”
