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“No, he can’t. The king can’t leave the shadow realm or it will cease to exist.” It’s true, wethink, but it’s a hell of a lot more complicated than that.
“So, he’ll have to get me back there if he wants me?”
“Yes.”
I sigh. None of this is good news. He not only knows about her, but he’s decided he wants her for himself, he’ll have every troll and monkey in his army hunting her like a Christmas goose. Probably using his powers to a level he never has before. The only way to save her is to convince her to mate with us, to perform the bonding ritual, not that she seems to understand the practicalities of that point.
Or that we don’t like trying to push her toward the mate bond because it’s a smart move. That’s not what being together should be all about.
“And how did you guys become the official army to stop this guy?”
My gut clenches. “That’s… complicated.” And painful.
She seems to realize that I’m done talking. And, for once, drops the topic. She goes back to hunting moon shards as we come across more, and come see more warriors hunting for them too. Yet every time another glows near her, the warriors stop their own searches and begin to trail her with awe in their eyes.
Before night has even fallen, the forest is crowded with warriors who are all watching her. She’s the new toy for a bunch of warriors who haven’t had anything to play with but themselves for a mighty long time. And they all want her.
But it’s more than that. In the years that we’ve been protecting this world, all we’ve experienced is loss. Our numbers are a fourth of what they once were, and we carry every death in our hearts. At times it feels as if we’re protecting a world that doesn’t even know or appreciate all we had sacrificed for it. So, to watch this woman ease some of the burden from our shoulders… it’s like watching hope take flight within all our men.
I overhear someone say, “She hasn’t accepted the mate bond yet.”
Another responds. “Why not?”
“No idea, but it means she hasn’t been claimed. No one could blame us if…”
I turn around and punch the asshole square in the face. He hits the ground and looks at me with wide eyes, wiping the blood from his nose. The man he was speaking to stares at me like I’ve grown another head, and a growl slips from my lips.
Multiple warriors move away from me.
Onyx signs. “What’s wrong?”
I sign back, while Phantom watches me. “They think that since the mate bond hasn’t been completed, she can be claimed by anyone.”
Onyx and Phantom’s eyes narrow.
Flame holds up his hands as if in surrender. “We would never.”
“Oh?” I say, and there’s a threat in my voice.
Ann is suddenly in front of me. “What’s wrong? What happened?”
“Nothing,” Phantom snarls, his hands in fists.
But it doesn’t matter how much we intimidate the other males, if Ann decides for some reason to pursue something with them, we can’t stop her. Even the thought of it makes me sick, and something inside of me twists like a knife. I feel a desperate need rise inside of me.
“Everyone go ahead, we’ll be there in a moment,” I snap.
The other warriors look from Phantom to me. I know Ann is changing something inside of me. Normally, I don’t give orders. My brother does. But when it comes to Ann, I can’t seem to just wait and see if Phantom will do what I feel is best.
“Go,” Phantom says, and the men quickly obey, not going far, but giving us just enough space to talk.
“Ann, you have to listen to me.” I take her by the shoulders and turn her toward me so she can see how important this is. “You can never venture out without me, Phantom, or Onyx.”
She shimmies her shoulders as if she’s either dancing or she’s trying to break free from my hold. The scowl says she isn’t dancing. I let go and cross my arms.
“For my safety?”
I nod and she rolls her eyes. I hate that. “Yes. For your safety.”
