Defender (New World Book 7) Read online

  “They adore you. If you told them you are a Tonan they would still love you.”

  “They’ve seen too much death by a Tonan hand. If Jinx saw me after what she went through, she would be terrified of me. Her father tried to save her life and was ripped to shreds. She witnessed what happened. I saw him, he was a brutal mess. Her sister was taken by a Castian. He may return for Jinx, but I can’t risk leaving her alone. She would be better off dead than with a Tonan.”

  “But to die all alone…”

  “I won’t let them die.” His tone was vehement. Pain flickered in his eyes.

  “It wasn’t your fault you couldn’t save the boy, Jimmy. You didn’t know your shield wouldn’t allow you to heal him. How long will you beat yourself up over his death? It wasn’t your fault.” Macey ran her palm down his cheek.

  “The place we’re going has no others nearby. I won’t risk any men coming near you and I won’t allow any boys near either. I can’t save them. I couldn’t save the child, but I know that now. I don’t ever want to feel so helpless again.”

  “So you’re shutting us off?”

  “Yes. It’s the only way to keep you all alive.”

  “Taz.”

  Taz pulled her to his chest. “I saw three Tonans today. That’s three too many. I love you. I love you so much at times, I watch you while you sleep and can’t believe you’re my mate. I can’t believe my mate will have our babe. I have to protect you, Macey.”

  “You always have.”

  “Tonight, after the others fall asleep, we’re leaving. I can wake Jinx and all of us need to eat what we can. Pack what you think we’ll need in the duffel bag I brought back. I’ll find more of what we need once we settle.”

  “Everything will be okay.”

  “That’s my line.”

  Macey smiled and traced his frown with her finger. “It’s our line. We’re in this together.”

  * * * *

  “Am I sleeping?” Skylar asked as Taz lifted her into his arms.

  “Yes, my beautiful little sweetheart, in a way. You will dream sweet dreams until I wake you and you won’t wake until I let you.” He nuzzled her nose with his and she smiled.

  “I love you, Taz.”

  He knew she did. “I love you too, little one.”

  Taz dipped his head and gently buried his fangs into her throat. For hours, he searched his memories and there was one ancient memory his shield found. There was a potent drug in his possession that would knock a female out until he returned and gave her the antidote. If he didn’t return she would never wake. She would dream sweet dreams until her body expired.

  As Taz settled the teen into a nest of soft blankets he smoothed the hair from her face. The cave was deep in the underbelly of the earth. The surroundings were dark and dismal. He wouldn’t allow anyone, especially a child he felt was his, die in this tomb.

  “I’m coming back for you, my little one,” he whispered.

  Jinx and Greta were soon settled near Skylar. Taz went to Macey. Haven was asleep. He picked the child up.

  “My shield is going to put you both to sleep. I need to concentrate on getting us to where we need to be. The drug won’t hurt the baby. My shield would never harm our child especially since she has part of it.”

  “I don’t understand what you mean by baby shield. You said you’d explain it to me but all you’ve said is that nothing can hurt me.”

  “No male can get close to you. There are no males here so the shield has never been needed. Keep your arms at your side and trust me. I’ll show you.”

  Taz set Haven down. He picked up a rock and tossed it at Macey. She was startled but didn’t stop the rock. Before it got within a foot it was sent flying back at Taz, hard, zipping straight for his head with lightning speed. Taz caught it in his hand and chuckled. He went to Macey who stood stunned and he knelt. He placed his hand on her belly.

  “You are definitely daddy’s girl.”

  “You mean an actual shield?”

  “Yes, Macey. An actual shield. If the shield senses danger it goes up. Nothing can penetrate it, ever. It will guard you and our baby for at least four more years.” He stood and went to pick up Haven again. “When I settle you both, it will be in a place no one can find you.”

  “What if you don’t come back?”

  Taz could tell she hated to ask the question. “If I don’t come back Haven will never wake. She will die in stasis. There will be no pain. But you have a baby shield designed to protect you and the baby at all cost. I won’t lie to you, I never will. If I don’t return, you must dig your way out of the cavern. You won’t need food or water for five years or a little less. You can do it. But if I’m captured you won’t die. Others will search for you. If I’m killed you have five years or less to find our child a safe place.

  “When the shield drops, so will you if I’m dead. There is an alternative. I can leave you alone in a different place; the baby shield will protect you. But I can’t leave Haven with you, it’s too dangerous. Your shield will go up if you’re found and you won’t be able to pick the child up. Another Tonan has the capability to wake her. The drug is potent but there is a niggling in my thoughts there is a slim possibility some come out of stasis before they die. Haven might die alone and terrified if she is one of the rare few.”

  Macey clung to him. “I’ll stay with Haven. I can’t let her suffer for a single second. She’s mine too, you know. What was your mother’s name? Funny isn’t it, I met her and never asked you her name. You don’t really share much of your past. I know it was sad but maybe you could try to remember the first five years.”

  “Ally. My mother’s name was Ally. She was wonderful. She was kind and sweet and she made me brownies.”

  Macey took his hand and placed it on her belly. “Ally, this is your daddy and he will come back for us. And then he’ll tell us all about your grandparents.”

  Taz picked Macey up and he enveloped her and Haven. He stopped to breathe in a deep breath at the cave entrance. Macey and Haven were knocked out. He would have to backtrack across rough country and stay in the shadows as best as he could. He would need to avoid the enemy, which was everyone. Taz knew he had a warrior’s heart. It belonged to his family. What he did he would do for them. There was no other alternative.

  Taz began to run. He moved as a warrior possessed. He had to save his family; he couldn’t be caught. In eight hours, he had to get his mate and his little one to refuge. The time lapse would be faster going back. The travel would prove more difficult carrying Skylar and Jinx. And once retrieving Greta, he would be surviving on borrowed time. He couldn’t leave Macey unprotected for too long. Her baby shield was strong, but if a Tonan or Castian found her, they could transport her to their ship and lock her up. Macey would try and protect Haven, but Taz didn’t think she could. Not that she wouldn’t try, but the baby shield would only extend to keep Macey safe.

  Taz glanced up as a Castian war bird flew overhead. They wouldn’t bother with a lone warrior. They were after Krish’s ship. It was confirmed when the mother ships engaged in battle. Explosions rent the air, the battle was fierce. Still Taz ran. Pieces from the Tonan war bird fell to the Earth and Taz had mixed emotions. He shouldn’t abhor his own kind, and he didn’t really, it was the other Tonans.

  If the terrain was like his planet it would take Taz less time to get where he was going. There was one particular place where the ground was marsh and the trees looked dead. He battled the muck with his weight dragging him down. In places, he sank over his head. When he had done this alone it was easier, even the slight weight of Macey and the child was a hindrance.

  Taz found his niche and jumped from huge rock to rock scraping over moss. The overgrown foliage in places was already sliced by his talons as he followed a direct route he’d mapped out in his thoughts through heavily jungled terrain. He was able to find his way meticulously.

  The cavern was deep in the bowels of the ground. The one direct route he had to seal when he lef
t. It would require a precise cave-in each time he left, leading to a steep walk up, then freedom. If Taz didn’t return, it would take Macey years of digging to free herself from the initial cave-in; the rest of the journey would be tedious but not nearly time consuming. It couldn’t be helped. Without his protection they were vulnerable. Sealed in they would remain undetected. Taz didn’t want to leave Haven alone either; he was proud of how brave Macey was.

  As soon as he set Macey down, she stirred. Taz ran his fingers across her forehead and gazed down at her sweet face. Macey fumbled to sit up.

  “Maybe you should bite me the way you did the others,” Macey said. “If you die, we will all be together. You know we will. We’ve seen it with our own eyes.”

  “I know why you weep tears, little human female,” Taz said. “I cry a different way.”

  His hand touched hers and they laced fingers. He poured his emotions into her. She was right, he hadn’t told her much of his life. She deserved to know all of him. Every fear, every anger, every hurt, he suffered. Macey gasped. Taz’s emotions changed. Every act of blind fury, malice and rage he inflicted poured out. He never lied when he said he was cruel. He had been, he still could be. But not with her, never with Macey. Macey was crying. Taz scooped a tear. His emotions softened. Every ounce of his love flowed into her and he sensed his child. This, these emotions were because of Macey.

  “Everything I was and everything I am is what I’ve become. There is more love inside for you and our family than four hundred years of hating. You give me everything. You make my world a place I need to be. I will find you no matter where you are. I will always come back to you. I said once I liked me the way I am, it wasn’t a lie but I like this me better. Maybe I’m not such an ass after all.”

  Macey wrapped her arms around him and sobbed openly. Taz pulled her to his chest. He kissed her head and stroked her hair. The baby shield wouldn’t allow him to bite her the way he had the others. But he could feel her terror at being alone with a child and their baby in a dark cave. Taz bit her neck to lull her to sleep. When she woke he would hopefully be back.

  Taz settled Macey back after pulling a blanket from the duffel bag. Haven was in her arms beside her and he tucked them in. After a last look, he sealed them in and clawed his way to the surface and began again, racing to their old cave. The skies were dark when he made it back but the explosions of battle were unforgiving. Taz was right. There would be hell to pay up there tonight and every night until Tonans and Castians left.

  His shield was warning he needed to rest, there was too little sun to regenerate, but Taz couldn’t stop, he had to get to the others. The cave was bittersweet when he walked in. There were so many special memories. Down he climbed into the bowels of the earth where he enveloped Jinx and Skylar. He placed his hand on Greta’s forehead.

  “I’ve never had an aunt before. Somehow you know I’m different but haven’t said a word. You are blood family. I will be back, I swear it.”

  The journey was grueling. There was again little sun during the day to regenerate his shield and at night there was nothing. Taz was lagging. It took longer to climb from the cave where he sealed Macey, Haven, Skylar and Jinx together. Macey was awake, his daughter was restless and must have sensed her mother should be moving.

  “She may not allow another bite,” Taz said.

  “It’s all right. After you filled me with those emotions it was easier to connect with her the way you do. I had no idea she could feel fear. Poor little thing. So I’ve been singing to her. She’s settling. I can feel her excitement now her daddy’s back.”

  Taz ran his hand over her belly. “I will be back again before you know it, Ally.”

  They embraced for a few moments and Taz took off. There were Tonans on his way back Taz needed to avoid. The war between Castian and Tonan increased. Krish’s body had been found. Tonans were looking for Taz. Taz couldn’t be found, they couldn’t catch him or his family would die. Ally would suffer. Taz smiled with the name. He always called his mother, mother. He heard his father say ‘Ally’ on so many occasions. His child’s name was on his father’s lips. Taz loved the name.

  “My little Ally.”

  Taz felt his heart overflow with emotion. He was going to be a father. As long as he made it back. There were Castians he avoided. Large spaceships hovered overhead, battled, retreated and battled. After each explosion shielded Castians or Tonans fell from the skies to land and battle on the ground. It was tricky, but he managed to duck and weave his way through the foray. Tonans, Castians were everywhere. A strange vessel he’d never seen hovered and disappeared. Taz wondered if the word of humans had spread through the galaxy. If it had, there would be more threats. Taz would need to be cautious.

  The last leg of his journey was at hand. Taz was near exhausted. His shield gave off a larger warning he ignored. He might die. He was at his limit. He made a promise. No more lies. He may be Tonan but he wasn’t who he used to be.

  He stopped for a breath when he gazed down at Greta. Krish would have told him family makes you weak. He felt weak for a different reason. Greta’s slight body was a boulder and his arms felt heavy. It wasn’t a good sign. He was dying, his shield wanted to shut him down but didn’t because he held family. Taz climbed his way out of the hole and stopped to take a breath at the mouth of the cave. A dark shadow fell over him.

  “Let me pass,” Taz said. His words were weary.

  “I can scent how strained you are.”

  Taz knew it was a Castian. “I have no quarrel with you.”

  “Someone rip off your tail in battle?”

  Taz knew if he lied his tail would grow. He realized the Castian had no clue Greta was shielded. He also knew where there was one Castian there would be another.

  “Where’s your warrior mate?” he asked instead.

  A chuckle and another shadow fell across him. Taz wanted to groan. He would have no choice but to fight.

  “Is that worry I scent, Tonan?”

  “Yeah, I may have to break a nail, Castian lovers.”

  The scent in the air charged to fury. Castian males warrior mated but they weren’t lovers, it was how they fought, back to back. The connection between mates was strong. Taz scented these warriors were as young as him. If they were on Earth, they were looking for females.

  “Aw, did I strike a nerve?” Taz taunted. “Are you thinking with your cocks?”

  “Filthy Tonan.”

  Taz was attacked. The trouble with Castians was, they fought in pairs and never did see the unfairness of two against one. With the first strike to his shield Taz felt the power surge. He was protecting a female. If his shield fell, a Castian might disembowel her. It would be an accident Taz knew the warriors would regret. He hated the black bastards, but they wouldn’t hurt a female.

  Taz was attacked in two different directions. He spun high in the air, his claws rippling off both chests, sparks flying. When he landed it was behind a warrior and he swiped at the shield with all his might. For a second he broke through and the warrior gasped.

  “First battle wound, bitch?” Taz asked.

  Both Castians stopped and stared at him. “There’s something about you, Tonan. Something different.”

  The warriors circled one another. In Taz’s society scent meant everything. A warrior, both Tonan and distant cousin Castians, knew deception and honor. There was no deception in Taz. Only a deep desire to get to his family.

  “What are you hiding, Tonan?”

  “None of your dammed Castian business.”

  “Hmmm, it looks like a Tonan, walks like a Tonan, smells like a filthy Tonan, and yet it doesn’t.”

  A boom rent the air and all three covered their ears until their shields filtered the sound. The Castians looked at each other.

  “Another time, Tonan,” one said.

  “Gladly,” Taz replied.

  Both Castians took off into the night. Taz sighed with relief. With the threat gone, he staggered.

  “Shake i
t off, warrior,” he said aloud.

  Getting his feet under him to steady, Taz concentrated. After a deep breath he ran. Over the terrain, through fighting warriors he ran until he could barely breathe. He wouldn’t stop, because he knew if he did he would collapse. His course was set out for him. One favor Krish did by not allowing him to mingle with others often was no one could trail his scent. They could look for him, but they’d never find him. With Krish gone he became the needle in the haystack. The idea gave him renewed hope as his strength continued to dwindle. He could hide; his family would survive.

  Instead of taking Greta to the cave with the others, he settled her into another cave he’d found, one they could call home. It had a few blankets and items, but after he could generate his shield he could find more. He placed Greta onto a mound of blankets. He stumbled when he rose and leaned against the massive, feet-thick solid wood door he already made to pull across the entrance. Nothing could move it once he sealed her in.

  Daylight should be shining but it was a grey day. Rain began to spatter his body. His shield fell. Taz slumped. He couldn’t leave them alone any longer. He could feel Macey’s worry. Willfully he called his shield up. He clawed his way into the cavern, and dragged Macy onto his lap as his partial shield fell.

  “Taz?”

  Taz was finding it hard to breathe. His chin rested on her head. His chest heaved.

  “I can’t shield you. I don’t have the strength, but I’ll get you all out.”

  “Leave us, Taz. Find the sun.”

  “After.”

  Taz hauled her into his arms and stumbled from the cavern. He couldn’t seal it; he would need to return quickly. Macey struggled down from his embrace and helped him walk. His arm was around her shoulder. The rain was harder and beat at his tortured flesh. He was cold. His shield had nothing left to give him. With a mighty pull Taz yanked back the door to the new cave and his gaze never left Macey as he pulled it closed. He placed his palms on the door frame much in the same manner Macey had after battling the shed door. He rested his forehead on the wood.