Her Mythical Warriors (Book Two)

A squeal vibrated through the sands, making everyone turn to the cabin. Nibbles ran through the bushes and jumped into Akira’s arms. They all chuckled as they watched the horned rabbit re-united with his mistress.

“I do believe he is happy to see you,” Julianne said with a bright smile. “Almost as much as I am.”

Akira smiled at her best friend as she cuddled Nibbles. The fact she was naked had not bothered her until she saw Levi and Fin turn from them, trying not to look at her.

“Wolfie,” she whispered, looking up at her wolf.

Wolfric grinned down at his Psychi. He had never been so happy to see someone as he was to see her. “Yes, love?”

“Can you take me to the cabin over there? Levi and Fin are having trouble….”

Akira chuckled when Levi harrumphed and walked away, his cheeks a dark red. Wolfric and her other warriors laughed.

“We lost your bags, but I’m sure I can find a sheet to wrap around you or something. It will be musty,” Jules said as she headed toward the cabin.

Akira smiled at her friend’s back. “No worries. Just something to cover me, so the guys stop huffing and groaning like I’m torturing them with a hot poker,” she said with a grin as she watched Fin kick a stone.

“I’ll be over there,” Levi said, pointing to a row of trees off to the side of the cabin.

The four warriors followed Julianne to the cabin—Akira still in Wolfric’s arms. Nibbles snuggled deeper into Akira’s arms, and she smiled as she rubbed the top of his head around the horn.

“He missed you terribly,” Darius said, watching Akira and the Al-Mi’Raj.

Akira looked at her Pegasus Warrior and smiled. “As much as you?”

Darius grinned and laid his hand on her knee. “I don’t think anyone missed you as much as I did.”

Malique and Wolfric growled at the Pegasus.

Darius looked at them innocently. “What? I was going to say—except for maybe your other warriors.”

Wolfric and Malique rolled their eyes, making Akira giggle.

Zelious watched the banter between the warriors and their Psychi. They got along so well that none of them seemed to mind that they shared the only woman they would ever love and one day would have to give up to her chosen mate. He smiled when Akira held the horned rabbit up to her face and scrunched up her nose, rubbing it against the rabbit’s. He’s never seen someone who could tame a beast as dangerous or as cunning as an Al-Mi’Raj.

Their Havent truly is special.

Not only does she have four Mythical Warriors, but she has tamed the untamable. And befriended fairies and trolls. He almost laughed out loud. Now he knows what a troll looks like. Well, the small, cute ones, anyway. He’s not sure if he wants to come across a giant troll. It may think him a fish and eat him for dinner.

“Zel?”

Zelious shook his head and smiled at his Psychi. “Yes, little one?”

“You looked lost in thought,” she said, watching him.

Zelious nodded. “I was thinking about you and how powerful you must be to have so many powerful beings around you. I knew you had to be, to be mine,” he said the last words with a mischievous smile.

“Do you know what we are?” Darius asked, looking at the new member of his Psychi’s warriors.

Zelious nodded and answered, “Pegasus, son of a demigod, direct descendant of Medusa.”

Darius stared at Zelious with wide eyes, then grinned and slapped him on the back. “You left out handsome and brave.”

Zelious snorted, making Wolfric and Malique chuckle.

Akira watched her warriors with curiosity.

“Upir, Mythical Vampire,” Zelious said, nodding to Malique.

Malique grinned and nodded to the merman.

Zelious looked at Wolfric, then down at Akira, and smiled.

“Dire wolf. Descendant of Amarok. Also, special for his ability to walk through the shadows. But not a full Shadow Walker.”

Wolfric blinked and stared at the merman.

“How do you know all of this about us?” Malique asked.

“Who are you?” Darius asked at the same time.

“I am Zelious Tsitak. Grandson to Neptune, God of the seas, among other things,” he said with a wicked grin.

Mouths dropped open as they stared at the merman.

“See, I told you she’s special,” Julianne said with a chuckle, holding a sheet up to wrap around Akira.

Akira’s mouth was still gaping open in surprise when Julianne covered her with the sheet.

“You’re serious,” Darius stated, not a question in his voice.

Zelious grinned. “Is there a problem?”

Akira closed her mouth and grinned, “not at all,” she said, holding her hand out to him. “What is another decedent of the Gods? Not like you’re the first or only.”

Zelious took her hand as Wolfric, Malique, and Darius looked at each other. If she only knew how close she came to that list.

“Let’s get her inside and dried,” Jules said, watching them. “She will start shivering soon….”

Everyone looked at the fairy, then at Akira.

Wolfric nodded and carried his Psychi into the cabin. He lost her once—he won’t lose her again. Not to a sickness he could have prevented.

Zelious pulled Julianne aside and whispered into her ear.

Jules listened to the merman, then pointed to the ocean as she told him a story. He nodded, thanked her, then turned and walked away. Jules watched the merman walk toward the water.

“Are you coming inside?”

Jules turned to Levi and smiled. She nodded, then hurried up the stairs and into the cabin.

Levi pulled Jules aside—out of earshot of the others. “What did he ask you?” he whispered into her ear.

“He asked me what happened and where the ship went down.”

Levi nodded. “And?” he asked.

“And I told him, then he turned and headed in the ship’s direction.”

Levi’s eyebrows furrowed. “Odd.”

Julianne nodded.

“What do you think he’s going to do with the sword?” Levi asked.

Jules’ eyes widened. She’d forgotten the merman had Akira’s sword. “Holy shit,” she whispered.

Levi nodded, “we should tell the others.”

Jules shrugged her shoulders. “Why? It’s not like he’s going to hurt them. He’s a warrior.”

Levi snarled, “so is Akira’s father.”

Jules’s cheeks paled. Ah shit, she’d forgotten about that.

~⚔~

Deep in the ocean, Zelious Tsitak circled the ship that had once carried his Havent and her warriors. Before a beast took them down and snuffed out the light of the most beautiful creature in existence.

‘Where is he?’ Zelious wondered as he searched the area.

The creature wouldn’t be far from his trophy.

A hand on Zelious’s shoulder had him spinning around, ready to punch someone square in the nose. But a hand clamped down around his fist, stopping him mid-strike.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Zelious asked, staring into the blue and brown eyes of the dire wolf.

Wolfric grinned and pointed to his mouth.

Zelious nodded, “oh, right.”

Wolfric let go of his hand; Zelious clapped his hands together and formed an air bubble. He placed it over the wolf’s head and watched him take slow, even breaths.

“I guess you can hold your breath for a long time,” Zelious said, watching him.

Wolfric nodded. “That I can. What the fuck are you doing here?”

Zelious grinned. “I’m a merman. I’m supposed to be underwater. What are you doing here?”

Wolfric scoffed. “I’m here to see what your ass is doing. You’re freaking Akira out.”

Zelious frowned, “it wasn’t my intention to scare our Havent.”

Wolfric sighed and reminded his new brother, “it’s in her nature to fear for our lives.”

Zelious nodded and answered, “true.”

“So. What are you doing here?”

Zelious looked back at the sunken ship. “I have a feeling of who did this, and I thought I would pay him a visit. Also, thought I would get your bags while I was here.”

Wolfric grinned. “Alone?”

Zelious smirked, “I’m a merman….”

“Yeah, yeah. The grandson of an all-mighty God. Isn’t your grandfather nuts?”

Zelious laughed and answered, “no more so than the other Gods.”

“Nothing so true has ever been spoken than those words,” Wolfric chuckled.

Zelious nodded. “So. Will you help me, or will I continue on my own?”

Wolfric grinned. “Do you think I’ll let you get all the credit?”

Zelious nodded and pointed to the shadows of the ship. “Can you pass through the shadows underwater?”

Wolfric laughed, “I can if I can breathe underwater.”

Zelious grinned and replied, “then it’s a good thing you can breathe underwater, my brother.”

Wolfric nodded with a huge grin on his face. “Looks like I can, then.”

Zelious pointed to the shadows and nodded. “I don’t want him to know there’s more than one of us.”

Wolfric nodded, “got it.”

Zelious watched the dire wolf swim toward the shadows in the sunken ship. Zelious looked around to ensure no one was watching, then headed toward the ship once Wolfric was hidden in the shadows. He couldn’t see the wolf, but he knew he was there… waiting.

Zelious smiled. He could have done this independently, but it was nice to have a partner to have his back. Plus, it will make things go quicker, and they can get back to their Psychi faster.

~⚔~

Akira held onto the sheet as she bit her nails, watching the ocean for the return of her warriors.

“You shouldn’t be out here,” Malique said, coming up behind her.

Akira sighed when he wrapped his arms around her. She laid her head back on his chest and looked out into the ocean.

“What do you think they’re doing?” she whispered.

Malique shrugged, “your guess is as good as mine, love.”

Akira sighed again. “I’m worried.”

He nodded and said pleadingly, “so am I, little one. But there’s nothing we can do right now.”

“Do you think Wolfie made it to Zel?”

Malique snickered, “I know he did.”

She turned in his arms and looked up at him. “How are you so certain?” she asked.

He grinned down at her as he moved closer. She giggled when his nose touched hers.

“Because I have known Wolfric long enough to know what he is capable of. Why do you think he’s the one who went after Zelious?”

Akira sighed and answered, “because he can hold his breath for a long time.”

Malique nodded.

“We only feared him going after you because of the strain we had all been through. Even knowing you were alive, we knew it was too dangerous after being in the shadows for so long,” Darius said, joining them.

Akira looked at her Pegasus Warrior. “I did that,” she whispered.

Both her warriors shook their heads.

A tear slid down Akira’s cheek. She caused her warriors so much pain because she’d wanted to find her fourth warrior. If she hadn’t been so impatient, she wouldn’t have died, and she wouldn’t have caused them so much pain.

“Stop doing that,” Malique growled.

Akira looked at her Vampire Warrior. “Stop doing what?”

“Stop blaming yourself,” Malique grumbled, wiping the tear from her cheek.

Akira sucked in a breath and let it out. “There’s something you need to know.”

He studied her face and nodded.

Akira turned in his arms and looked out into the ocean again. “But it has to wait until all of my warriors are in one place.”

~⚔~

Zelious swam toward the ship. If he’s correct, the one behind this is the same demon he has been hunting for over a hundred years.

But what to do with the sea dragon?

“Kill it.”

Zelious grumbled at the voice in his head. Of course, his grandfather has been watching. He doesn’t plan to kill something that’s almost extinct.

“Then exile the demon and lock away the Leviathan.”

Zelious rolled his eyes. At least locking the beast away saves other lives, and the world doesn’t lose one of the last sea dragons.

Zelious saw movement in the shadows and grinned. “Hello, Variathon,” he said, watching the shadows. “You have some explaining to do.”

A skinny, tall man with dark hair and eyes; stepped out from behind a billowing sail.

“Hello, Zelious,” the man said with a creepy smile. “Have you come to stop me from taking what is mine?”

Zelious snorted, “I came to see that you pay for killing a Havent.”