Protector (13 page)

“Why do you switch your languages around when you talk?”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Sometimes you answer in Finnish or Danish or other languages.”

“That is just me.  Father made me learn them all so I figure I have the right to mix ‘em all up,” she smiled.  “Keeps the crowds guessing.”

“Crowds?” I raised an eye of jealousy.

“Singular. Crowd of one I guess,” she smiled just for me.   

Holding hands with this girl, legs toughing in a way that was even less intimate than when I had held her in her bed just nights ago was the last thing I ever thought I would do to spend my nights if asked.  My court would never believe it of me.  I was so out of character it was laughable.  Yet, nothing would take me from her, if she would have all of me.  When she saw the cruelties I face daily, would she still have enough feelings for me to see me still? 

Sitting still, neither of us wanting to move she asked, “Can I go back to your weapons room?”

“Of course.   Anytime Kissa.”

“Right now would be good, but I would rather be dressed better.”

I think you look ready now.

“For what?”

Anything.  But for now, you need to remember that you have to be ready in anything you wear.  Besides, where would you hide your knives without clothes?

She slapped my chest. 
You!
 

I eyed the shirt she had on knowing it was the same shirt as the other night from her room at my place.
  I am just saying.  That pink tank top combo you had on the other night wouldn't have hid much if I had been an intruder on that balcony.

“Yeah, and I had you.  I was safe.” 
Nej! ...insinuating I needed him.

“Ja. At least you admit that much.”  She liked me answering in her style. 

“But I can take care of myself.  My knives were not far.”
I don’t need anyone, right?

Absolutely no one will hurt you if I am there. 
Mina rakastan sinua.                             

Her face lit up with the shock of hearing her father
’s native tongue.  If I couldn’t tell her so easily in my language, I would go ahead and get it done in another.  I had said while she was unconscious.  I may be hosing myself.

  “Well, maybe I like the idea of being taken care of, but I like the idea that I am me also.  I am
me first.”  She avoided what I had said.  She hated it.

You are right.  I back you 100%!  And I hope I
didn’t scare you.
With my stupidity.

THANK YOU!  And you did, but I am adjusting in the quickest way I know how.

YES! I wasn’t a craphead after all. 
But I will be your sidekick anytime.  Just ask.

She twisted her hips to face me.  Perhaps her agenda had been different, but I pulled her to my lap like I had wanted for so long.  Days!  Months!  Years!

Chapter Twenty

Our time was over.  I heard him before he entered.  I
didn’t bother telling her.  I wanted her to belong to me and everyone know it.

“That
’s what I’m talking about sis!  Narly!”

She soared off me and landed haphazardly beside the sofa.

“Brother!” She intended it sarcastically, but it caught in her throat.

“Sister!” He returned the barely there love.

“Where did you go anyway?
Narly?
” She was awfully inquisitive about his whereabouts. 

“Since when have you cared where I go?  And you told me to find a new word.  Your wish is my command,” Szar bowed. 

“Since I never ever got to leave and you leave freely whenever you want.  Always have.”

“I was preoccupied with something insignificant to you.  Besides, you are a girl.”

“Nice assessment,” she scoffed.

I chuckled and she glared with her icy stare.  At me!   It was only my own sentiments.  I very much noticed that she was a
girl
.

Szar ignored us, “Your reputation was easier to taint.  And you seem to be popping up unsupervised as of late anyway.”

“Wrong answer you dang freaking moron.”  She took a deep breath and fisted her hands.  Holy language.  He could set her off so easily.  I hated to see her mad at me.

“I think it's time we go,” I walked with my arm around her waist guiding her to the balcony.

She was half turned like she wanted to actually fight the guy as she walked.  “We are not finished here, brother.  I’ll have my girl ass back here to have it out with you.” She yanked out of my arms.             

He stormed over to her.

I couldn’t decide what was the bigger threat, Stace the killer goddess girl or sister to Szar.  The look on her face just now was more menacing than her sparring face alone.

Is she as big a threat as the enemy says? 

“That's.  You have had your say.  I have lived with being your damn twin brother all my life.  I had to hear my whole life how you were the golden girl.   You had to be reserved, preserved, served, and without a worry in the world.  And now that the cat is out of the bag, you are pissed that you were left in the dark.  Sis, you have no idea how wonderful you had it living your lap of luxury life and not knowing what would happen.  I knew.  I friggin’ knew.  And now that I have the turn of the hat a little, you feel wronged.  I was wronged.  You are still the spoiled brat who wants her way.  And by the gods, you are gonna get it anyway.  Because that is the way the cards were going to fall.  I just want my life separated from you and in control of my own destiny.  Not yours.  Not his.  Not anyone’s but my own.  And you will stop telling me what went wrong in your life because it is you who ruined everyone else’s.”

I stood between them to keep their skin intact.  The words hurt though.  She may not be showing it, but she was dying inside.

“MINE. HOW IS IT MY FAULT?”

They took turns looking around me.

“Because dear sister everything has always been about you.  Why I was born, he was born,” he pointed to me, “Calum was born, and the other damned one you have not had the pleasure of.  We had to be here all for you.  We were just the afterthoughts.  You were the prized possession, the cynosure of our existence.”

Is he nuts
?  How could they only have been born for me? 

I cringed at her learning this way.  Szar was so hotheaded.  
He is right, Stace.  He is telling all truths, just in a very crude unconventional way.

“STOP.  YOU TWO JUST STOP TALKING WITHOUT ME.” 

Szar’s fists were balled up and looking for a place to expend the energy.  I knew it well.

She
didn’t even know she blew hot air in my face she was so angry.  I tried foraging into her mind for answers, but she blocked me somehow for the moment.

“Well, I
don’t want it.” Stace whispered under the still hot breath.

“Too late, sis.  It is all about you.  Or
didn’t you hear?  The only way to stop it is to off you and the whole thing falls to pot.  But then, father would off me for sure because his precious little goddess of the sun will drive him insane with grief and then there will not be a lord of anything anymore.  Heck, Cas here will off himself because he lost you and Calum probably already offed himself because you cut him loose.  Wait till you see the pining for you OTHER one.  He can follow suit. Then we will
all
be happily ever after.”

They were bobbing heads around my frame again like I was the obstacle.

“I do remember that your monologues used to bore me.  However, dear brother, your drama has run out.  All this offing each other could get messy and see as how I am the ruler of the both of us it seems, I will just have my way and let you lie in your misery.  If it is as you say, it will happen anyway.  So if that is how it is, then I will leave you to wallow in yourself pity.  When you are ready to work as a team on this, let me know and I will return.  I can’t help what I didn’t know.  You never bothered to tell me, did you?  So quit blaming me and blame
you-freaking-you
!”

She walked away so fast from the fight that I lost my sense of direction.  She made me crazy with this anger she held pinned up inside.  Her emotions were through the roof.

In the air away from the court, I attempted to defuse her, “Remind me to never ever cross you.”

She
didn’t smile or laugh.  She did bite me with her words, “You knew everything all this time.  I am trying not to be mad at you to, but I am the only one who still gets surprised with heart stopping shockers.   How did you cope with such a head full of what if’s?”

“I only did what was asked.  I had no way and still don
’t know if any of it will come to pass.  You are the only sure thing that has ever happened to me.”

Wrong, you were a Valkyrie turned Vampire. 
             

I told her more truths with the hurt she filled me with that was her own hurt too, “Your father knew our connection was strong because he caught me one time telling a few things that I couldn't have known.  After the connection we had at our births, the run-ins with the dreams, and my need to not stay to far from you, he met with Dr. Green to assure the course was still in motion.  That was the first time I realized that another person knew about you and me.  They've tried very hard to comply with what the mothers wanted.  And so far, Lee was the only monkey wrench in the box of truth mixed with lies.”

Lee Dyer.  The screwed up boy who was sent to protect
and
spy on her.  He was young, as was I.  He was misled, as was I.  I was told he was to protect her.  He never told me about having to search out her secrets and report them back.  That was how Borgon knew so much.  It made me angry to even think about the craphead her father allowed to be near her for her
safety
.  Look how that turned out.  He was consorting with the enemy.  He would be dead by now if it didn't mean it would hurt her.

I am the sun, the Hunter is the
stars, and you are element who pulls us either into day or night.  So you have the choice to become day or night.  That leaves Szar the ruler over this court. 

I continued out loud, “
If my dad hadn't changed me, either I would kill Szar or he would kill me.  Szar was insane with the fact that I could hear you, hear your dreams, know you without knowing you.  He was an overprotective brother just like he was a few minutes ago.  I stayed quiet because it is his place though his language around you is less than admirable.  It just wasn’t meant to be.  My father was a Valkyrie.  My father in this life took care of the problem.  He confronted Lord Hathown after he had changed me, told him the dilemma (that Hathown knew about anyway), and changed me to save both me and your brother.  Calum is a Hunter and would come into your life at the same time as I and one other.  At your coming of age.  That is now.  And for you...you are destined…you are a true goddess.”

“A what?”  She had heard it said, but now she was asking.

After a heavy sigh I told her, “You are the direct descendant of the mothers created by them and placed here, on earth.  They put you here.”  I closed my eyes in wait.  Damn Szar for doing this.  He did it on purpose because I let him see how close we had become so fast.  He probably called himself helping me out.

“I
’m a Valkyrie.  Knowing all this does not change who I am to me?”

“Essentially, but not really.  You are not human either.  And you can't…
die.”

“How in the he…how do you know that?” she was astounded at me knowing yet something else she didn
’t, or rather didn’t share
with me
.

“Because you told me.”

Land NOW.

At a meager thirty mph or so I landed us in the park below.  It was dark enough to stay hidden from any human sight.  If not, other devices could be used.  In front of her would be the hard part.  Erasing thoughts was exhausting.

She actually hit a tree with her delicate and deadly hands.  Now, I was the shocked one.

Blood trickled down her hand.

“I’m not Valkyrie.  Then why do I bleed?”  She held up her hand in my face.

My mind went blank.  I turned away from her.  I walked a good twenty steps away. 

Oh my God.  I just held up blood in your face.  I am sorry.

When I couldn't get the smell of her honey sweetness out of my head I walked further.  When it finally subsided, I saw her rubbing her hand in the grass trying to remove any trace of it.  After it was sealed I returned to her, held up her hand strenuously, and showed her the power she held.  The smell was on her, in her, on the grass inches from where I stood.

“You bleed Stace.  You hurt, you heal.  But it is more than that.  I've seen it.”

“When?” 
How did he know?
she thought. 
Did he look differently when he was hungry?

She watched me too closely still afraid of the Vampire in me. 

“Several times.  Calum knows now too.  So all of us do.  You can’t die with the exception of one removing your head,” I admitted.  Technically, but needed to be objectified.  Get it over with already.
You knew, didn’t you?

She nodded. 

“Once when you were thirteen you were sparring with your teacher and missed a parry.  He struck your head.  You went down so fast.  The doctors suggested you were in a coma.  After a week, you just got up and went back to your everyday routine.  Everyone was in so much awe they just called it a miracle and moved on.  But your father knew what it meant and he told my father one night while l silently pretended to sleep.”  

You don
’t need sleep.

How perceptive you are.  But I choose to sleep when I have need or want to.

The second time at the garden with the spy boy.  He hurt you, but couldn't finish the job to see with his own eyes if you healed.  I watched in silent desperation to make it damn well disappear.  Sorry for my anger and language. 
I paused and spoke aloud, “And the third is when you were there with Szar at the warehouse.  You threw the knife at me.  I saw the glass slice through your hand.  And in a minute it was gone.”

“But that doesn't explain how you just know,” she was completely taken aback.

I ran my fingers through my hair again wanting to retreat from the conversation, but in the end I told her, “Both times you told me in your dreams that it wasn’t real.  That they can’t hurt you.  And that your mother would protect you from death.”

“That is not possible.”

“But it is.  Don’t think I am crazy.  I couldn't tell you all this before.  You’d have thought me mad.”  No doubt, she was thinking it even now.

“I do now.”

See!

She smiled deviously, “I think you
’re insanely mad, that is.   And what is crazier, I remember those dreams.  Vividly!  But they were just dreams then and there wasn’t a gorgeous dark haired angel in my dream giving me shivers every time he looked at me.”

I was now the one taken aback with her blatant flirting and what it could mean, or what I
wanted
it to mean.  I have never seen this side of her until now, but then again she has not had the opportunity.  The thrill that shot through me at the idea that she was affected by me in such a way that made her react like she had never done before made my heart skip a beat and even crave my long time need for blood that she didn't seem totally disgusted by.  Not because of her, but the undying urge of what goes with the desires of my heart.  She didn’t need to know this yet. 

Yet, she was affected enough to act out of character for her...with me.

“What?” she asked now as if she had just forgotten what she had signaled with her little suggestive talk.

“Gorgeous huh?”
I smirked.

Oh don
’t go getting a big head.  You know you are gorgeous.