Guardian [New World Book 6] Page 11

  “Ally had a baby shield. Once a child turns four, or sometimes shortly before or after, the shield is gone. A warrior can shield any child up to the age of twenty-one as long as she is female. It’s how Taz healed you. He pulled you into his shield until you were healthy.”

  “What about boys?” She thought she knew the answer.

  “Around the same age as the female children, a male develops the same armor you saw on me. Castian and Tonan males grow very fast, we need to because we are warriors. By the time we are six we can hold our own on any battle field. We are immortal, indestructible. The bond between families is strong. A brother can shield a sister, his mother, his warrior mate’s female, not to mention his own female mate.”

  “But you said your friend died.” Another lie for sympathy?

  The sadness on Roam’s face was enough to tell her he spoke the truth. His pain was real. “When a warrior mates, he mates for life. If his mate is killed, she takes too much of him to survive without his shield up. Slay chose to be with Tia in death.”

  “How can you possibly know this?”

  Roam suddenly looked up. He pulled her into his arms, his shield went up. “I’ll answer anything you want, later. Don’t be afraid, Jinx. I swear on my life nothing will harm you.”

  Jinx screamed when a black hole appeared. It looked like the same hole that the Castian had taken her sister in. She cried out, beating at his armor. Roam scooped her up and strode into the hole. Jinx couldn’t breathe. They were suddenly on a massive space ship. Everywhere she looked armored Castians walked. Many stared at her. They looked like the black sea of death.

  * * * *

  Roam strode straight to Cobra with Jinx hiding in his arms. Her terror could be scented by the closer warriors. Cobra looked at the female then dismissed her. His taloned hand rested for a moment onto Roam’s shoulder.

  “We all mourn your loss,” Cobra said.

  Sadness engulfed the hanger. Loss of life devastated them all because they could feel Roam’s emotions.

  “How?” Roam asked.

  “The Gorgano. As we speak, Rask is coordinating a battle plan. I’ve already sent the other ship home, we returned early to retrieve our warriors; the situation on Earth is growing steadily worse. Only the colder continents aren’t in imminent danger. The bastards attacked Bagron once I reached Earth. The rogue Tonans and Gorgano are working together. We were lucky Slay and his mate were our only losses. I have come to bring my warriors home.”

  “Scarlet?” Roam asked.

  “The child lives, she wasn’t with her parents when the tragedy occurred. She is going to need you.” Cobra peeked closer at Jinx. “You have done well.”

  “There are others, Cobra. I’ll take you to them. My warrior mate is expecting us.”

  “Your warrior mate?” Confusion radiated from his leader.

  “I had to warrior mate with another to keep six females safe. They all fear us. Including the Tonan warrior I warrior mated with.” Roam held out his curled white talon. Cobra raised an interested eye in response.

  “I always wondered if a Castian could warrior mate with a Tonan. I guess I have my answer,” Cobra said.

  “He’s a good warrior. He kept his little family safe on Earth for the last five years.”

  “Five years? How the hell did he get there?”

  “That’s a long story, best suited for a different time. I need to get my little female somewhere she can feel safe.”

  “Take her to your cabin. We’ll be ready to move out when you return.”

  Roam pressed Jinx closer to his chest and leaped at the ship wall. His talons and claws found easy footing as he scaled high into the ship void of stairs or elevators. Every time Jinx stole a peek of her surroundings her heart raced faster, she gripped him tighter. Roam needed to get her settled, he needed to get to his room and take down his shield. Her terror was hurting his soul.

  The button on the door before them was all but smashed into opening by Roam’s fist. He strode directly to his bed and set Jinx down. Her face ducked to hide from him.

  “Come now,” he chided. “My little hellion can’t possibly be afraid of me.”

  “I’m not afraid,” her tone sparked with defiance. “You’re too ugly to look at.”

  “I hope you mean when shielded.”

  “You know that’s exactly what I mean.”

  “I’ve dropped my armor.”

  Jinx peeked at him. “How can you be under all that black shit?”

  “That ‘black shit’ is actually inside of me.”

  “Now what happens?”

  “I have to go and get Taz and the others. I feel a sense of panic from Taz. My misguided warrior mate is having thoughts I may have abandoned him and stolen you away.”

  “Have you?”

  Roam grinned at her. “You have no idea how I’ve longed to have you in my bed.”

  “I’m on your bed, not in it.”

  “I have to go.”

  “No,” she cried out.

  Jinx sat there looking lost. She was afraid, but to give her credit, she was handling the situation very well. After all, she had sex with a man only to find out he was a hated alien, then kidnapped on top of it. She was on a space ship going, in her mind, God knows where. Plus every warrior on the ship was male. Roam could smell hormones in overdrive just from having Jinx on board.

  “No one will come in. The warriors respect you are mine.”

  “Yours?” she squealed in outrage.

  “Mine.” Roam leaned in to give her lips a fast kiss. He then armored himself and walked out the door to her heated protests.

  Chapter 8

  Jinx stayed with Skylar in another cabin on the ship on the first level. Taz refused to allow Haven to leave his sight. Surrounded by Castian warriors, Taz was once again the rabid protective bear. Skylar was now twenty-one, but her sister was only thirteen. After seeing the massive Castian warriors in droves, Haven clung to Taz. She loved him no matter what he was; he had been her father for five years. Roam didn’t want Jinx to be all alone, but she refused to stay with him. Skylar volunteered. The young woman felt more annoyance with Taz than anything else, feeling he should have trusted them. In Skylar’s eyes, he was too important to her not to forgive. Aunt Greta had merely snorted when Taz revealed his secret; she had suspected all along.

  Jinx gazed out the window of their cabin. The ship hovered over the ground. Jinx was told the planet Bagron was beneath them; they would depart soon. Two beautiful suns lit the world beneath in breathtaking beauty. Trees that appeared to reach the heavens were in vast numbers. Jinx had never seen anything so different. Skylar sat close to her. They each marveled over a planet teaming with life. Magnificent creatures they were assured were simple holograms roamed beneath.

  “Look, it’s a mammoth,” Skylar squealed and pointed.

  A band of horses ran free in a frenzy to move from under the shadow of the ship. A massive black stallion led the herd. Jinx wondered if they were a hologram, they looked so real. A knock on the door had both women jumping to their feet. The door slid open and Roam and Taz stood there.

  Jinx was still torn; she had refused to speak to Taz the entire week. He looked so sad when he gazed at her. She had missed him. For four years, he had always been there, in sight, watching over her. Thankfully, neither male was shielded. She couldn’t bear to look at the warriors when they appeared so hideous.

  “I’m sorry, Jinx. Please don’t hate me,” Taz said.

  Jinx didn’t hate him, he had hurt her. “Why did you say nothing?”

  “The night I found you, your body was broken, but not as broken as your spirit. You hated Tonans and Castians. Like a Castian, a Tonan can sense emotion. We have an essence that seeps into a female in distress making us become part of them. I felt your emotion, your terror and anger. I knew I couldn’t let you see me in my shield. After a while it was too late. Your hate was too great.

  “And so, like Haven and Skylar who were mere children at the
time I kept you in the dark. Even knowing who and what I am, you still battle.”

  “A Tonan killed my dad,” Jinx whispered. “A Castian stole my sister.”

  “It wasn’t this Tonan or this Castian, Jinx.”

  A woman stepped from behind Roam. Jinx thought her heart would stop. “Jade.”

  They were in each other’s arms. “I thought you were dead,” Jade said as she cried.

  “I thought you were dead.”

  “A Castian warrior, my mate, saved my life four years ago. I swear, Jinx, he went back to find you but you were gone. I thought the Tonans had taken you. Daddy was dead. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you,” Jade said.

  “You mated with the alien that stole you?” Jinx was incredulous.

  “This place is like nothing you’ve seen before. It took time to get used to Rand. He’s a good mate. I love him. You’ll love him, too.”

  “He stole you from me.”

  “He saved my life. In the beginning I hated him. When I realized how kind he was I told him about you. By then it was too late. Taz tells me he found you and moved you.”

  Jinx looked at Taz. So many emotions were storming through her thoughts. If she forgave him, she would have to forgive Roam.

  “It was my idea to keep the truth from you,” Taz said. “Please don’t keep judging all Castians and all Tonans for what happened that horrible night. There is so much for you here on Bagron.”

  Jinx looked at her sister, someone she thought she would never see again. She hadn’t changed at all in the four years they had been separated. She didn’t want to feel the hurt. Taz moved closer. Jinx hadn’t gone near him on the ship, she was too afraid to. She knew once he came close it would be too difficult to be angry. She had every right to be pissed with them both.

  She buried her face against his chest. She couldn’t condemn every Tonan for one Tonan’s actions. It wouldn’t be fair.

  “I’m sorry, Jinx. I should have trusted you. But you were so hurt, so scared, all of you were. I only wanted to give you a safe haven in hell.”

  Jinx believed him. If she had known he was a Tonan, she would have run far and fast away from him. There would have been no hope for her. She had needed the family to survive. Jinx knew she was a strong woman, but even strong women need someone sometimes.

  “No more deceptions,” Jinx said. She pulled back and open-handed, whacked his chest. She hurt her hand. Taz smiled and tapped his chest.

  “You do realize there’s a shield under here right?”

  Jinx rubbed her fingers. “I get it,” she said grumbling. “Now what?”

  “You are coming home with me. I’m afraid you’ll need your own place though. Our home is about mid-way in the hive,” Jade said.

  “Hive?”

  “Well, it’s what I call it. The unmated women are on the first floor. Mated women have mates who can shield them while they climb. It’s a very interesting feeling being held by a powerful warrior,” Jade said.

  Jinx went red when she noticed Roam’s intense gaze. Something told her he wasn’t nearly finished with her.

  “It’s time to settle everyone in,” came a deep voice. Jinx knew immediately who the approaching Castian warrior was.

  Jinx gazed up at Cobra when he came into the cabin. Going from having only one man around to having too many around made Jinx a little nervous. They sure don’t make any small Castian warriors. Cobra was gorgeous. He had been nice to her, making certain she and Skylar were taught how to use the replicators. The food was entertaining to say the least. Jinx didn’t know what most of it was, but everything she had eaten so far was delicious.

  Clothing was a different matter. All of the women wore a tank top of sorts leaving their shoulders bare. Her short knee-length pants clung to her ass, hips and thighs. No other warrior was allowed near them except for Roam, and Jinx wouldn’t talk to him; only Skylar communicated any needs. Cobra insisted it was because his warriors were in must. Not exactly dangerous but highly unpredictable, and Roam seemed to have his under control. Especially the young ones Cobra claimed were four hundred years old.

  Four hundred?

  That had been a hard fact to wrap her head around. When the women went out of the cabin, Jinx marveled again at how big the ship was. The floor and walls were made of a very soft material, sponge-like. Instinct made her grab Taz’s hand when she was faced with gazing at over fifty warriors, most shielded.

  Roam’s armor covered him as he stepped between Jinx and three other warriors. “This female is mine,” he practically growled.

  Jinx would have rebuffed the statement but her mouth was open wide. All three warriors conceded immediately. Next on their gaze list was Skylar who stood shaking with her knees knocking. It was Taz who shielded next.

  “This one is like my daughter.” Jinx always knew how protective Taz was but to really see the guy in action was spooky.

  Again the warriors backed off, but it didn’t stop them from turning their attention to Jade.

  “I wouldn’t boys,” Jade said. She smiled cheekily. “My tiny little warrior will knock you on your asses.”

  That had all the warriors giving Jade a wide birth. Jinx looked at her sister who stood away from the group, appearing very calm around so many massive warriors.

  “Jade?” Jinx said.

  “I’m pregnant,” Jade announced. “No one but my mate and his warrior mate can get too close. Which is why Rand didn’t oppose me coming aboard. I couldn’t wait for his shift to end. I had to see you when Roam put the call in you had been found.”

  As Jade started walking, Jinx gasped. A green glow was tattooed onto her sister high on her shoulder blade. Jinx grabbed her arm and studied the mark.

  “It’s the same tattoo that glows on my mates cheeks,” Jade said.

  “They brand you?” Jinx was incredulous.

  Jade laughed. “It doesn’t hurt; it was actually kind of fun. Besides, it keeps the other warriors from following me around like puppies, not to mention immortality. If I’m hurt, Rand knows it immediately, he can heal me.”

  Jinx looked around. “Where are the others? Macey and Greta, Haven, Ally?”

  “I already took them to my new dwelling,” Taz said. “Roam and I had our hands full. When unarmored, Haven finds the warriors to be, and I quote: “Dangerously handsome eye candy.””

  Another black hole appeared and Jinx hesitated. A hand squeezed hers. It was Roam. His warm, moist hand was strong. Even though she hadn’t spoken to him, he pled his case with her every chance he got, whittling away at her reserve. She wanted to like him again. Hate was such a tiring emotion. He had been doing what Taz asked. She wouldn’t get the answers she sought if she kept turning him away.

  Jinx squeezed his hand back, took a breath, and walked with him into the portal. It was like stepping into a wonderland. The trees were so high she couldn’t see the tops. The ground beneath her feet was as soft as it had been on the ship. Everywhere she looked were warriors. Castians. Tonans. She was terrified, she was awestruck. In this environment, they looked so natural.

  A massive mound before them in the shape of a beaver dam loomed. It was the size of a baseball stadium. A handsome dark-haired, dark-eyed warrior approached Jinx smiling. Jade was crushed to his chest.

  “Rand, this is my sister Jinx. Jinx, this is my mate.”

  “I guess you’ll be staying with us for a while,” Rand said. “Don’t worry about the height; I’m more than capable of shielding you both at the same time.”

  Jinx heard a low growl come from Roam’s throat. He looked none too pleased. “Jinx we need to talk.”

  “Now?” Jade squealed in protest. “I just got her back.”

  “Jade is right. We can talk later.” Jinx could see Roam’s disappointment.

  Rand immediately scooped up his wife under one arm and Jinx under the other. Jinx was pressed close to his side. She couldn’t move. Rand on the other hand was vaulting the side of the hive so fast it made her head spin.

&n
bsp; “Jade?” Jinx whispered.

  “You’re safe,” Rand said. “Is my warrior mate ever going to love you.”

  Not if Roam has any say.

  * * * *

  Jinx knew Roam wouldn’t take no for an answer. She could have told Rand he was treading dangerous water. By the time the armor dropped Roam was standing in front of them, keeping a respectful distance between himself and Jade. Jade was none too happy.

  “What is so important you can’t give me time alone with my baby sister?” Jade demanded.

  “I’m in love with her,” Roam said.

  Jade gave a dramatic sigh. She took Rand’s hand and pulled him away. “Looks like Terek will have to find himself his own mate.” She looked back at Roam. “You have two hours. Then me and my baby shield are coming for Jinx. Trust me, you don’t want to piss off my little warrior. And when mommy is pissed, warrior baby turns into a blasting machine. Your ass will be real friendly with the ground by the time he’s done.”

  Roam’s armor went up. Jinx looked over the side of the floor. It was a long drop to the ground. As she was wondering how Roam would get her down she screeched when he tossed her over his shoulder. Definitely a less pleasant way to descend.

  Roam moved fast, even faster than Rand. When they reached outside, he was still on the go. Other warriors gave him a wide berth. Jinx clung tight, though she needn’t have bothered. There was no way in hell Roam would drop her with the grip he had on her. He moved in a zigzag pattern from tree to ground to tree. When he finally stopped, the hive was gone from sight. When he set her on her feet, Jinx gazed around in wonder. In the distance were six mammoths, they frolicked in snow. It had to be a hologram; the weather in her immediate surroundings was warm. The air clear. His planet really was a paradise.

  Taking her hand, Roam dropped to one knee. “I love you, Jinx.”

  He had said it before. The problem wasn’t that she believed him, she did. The problem was trusting him. She had given herself to him under false pretenses.

  “It hurts worse when the ones you love are the ones who disappoint you,” Roam said. “That’s why it hurts so much. Everything I am is right here before you. I want you for my mate. I’m Castian, a warrior. All I can offer is all of me. Immortality, protection. I will be the most faithful man in your life. I will never do anything to make you feel you can’t trust me. You can laugh, but you weren’t the only virgin in the cave. You run through my veins. My soul has tasted yours and I will die of starvation if you choose not to let me in again.”