Amish's eyelids fluttered, her surroundings beginning to take shape. She slowly began to recognize where she was.
Yes. It was her room. In her cabin. How long had she been unconscious? It looked to be around mid-day.
She sat upright and rubbed her temple, trying to soothe her slight headache.
She looked at her skin. It was a little pink. Damn Serebutai Serpent could have killed her back in the forest.
Xander walked into her room.
"Lady Amish." he said with a charming smile. The male Alpha werewolf's long dark hair, deep brown eyes, and sturdy build would get him any female. But he had no mate still.
"I'm glad you're well." He said, coming to kneel beside her.
"As I am for you too." Amish said. "How long have I been unconscious?"
"Since you were brought in last night." Xander said.
That was a relief. Elves weren't fae's. Fae's healed far faster than they did. If another elf was in the position she was in yesterday, the elf wouldn't have survived.
"You're still unbelievably beautiful even when you should look rough." Xander said.
He put his palm on her face, gently pushing back her hair. His brown eyes staring into her blue ones.
Then he moved in to claim her lips, but she turned her face away.
He drew back, looking shocked.
"Is everything...okay?"
They had several flings in the past, drowning each other's ennui in pleasure. Xander always wanted to be around her. He was probably everything a female wanted, which earned her disrespectful glares from every unmated female wolf.
But something felt off...missing. It wasn't a deep relationship. It was based on beauty alone.
How much more miserable could I get.
Abel had really gotten in her head.
Abel, she realized. He had carried her all the way to the village.
"Abel." She said almost to herself.
Xander frowned.
"You mean the Mala's male friend?" He asked. Amish nodded. Xander's mouth curved in distaste.
"The insignificant human wouldn't give you to anyone when he came to the village. I would have beaten him to a pulp had it not been for the chief, Ava and the growling Malakai." Xander said, gritting his teeth.
He wouldn't give me to anyone.
"Even now the fool sits in your living room. He refused to leave." Xander said, then huffed a laugh. "He acts like you're..." Xander looked at her, his eyes looking like he understood something. "...his."
"I belong to no one." Amish said.
Then Abel walked in. His dark eyes met hers. He looked tired, as though he hadn't had any sleep. He stood at the threshold of the room.
"Who gave you permission to step in here human?" Xander asked with a growl as he stood up angrily.
"I thought I'd check on you." Abel said with a smile. His smile so endearing that she let herself smile the slightest bit at him.
"Leave at once." Xander said, taking a few steps towards Abel to close the distance between them.
Amish was already there. She stood between two of them.
"You would defend this...weakling." Xander said with a sneer.
"Go scratch your butt on a tree or something." Abel chipped back.
Xander growled as he tried to take another step towards Abel. Amish stretched her hand, stopping him.
"Okay no stop. Both of you." Amish said, glaring at Abel behind her. Then she turned her gaze back to Xander. "I think you should go." She said.
Xander gave her a confused look. Then he glared daggers at Abel. He scoffed and left the room. She heard her front door slam shut.
Amish turned to Abel, folded her arms and glared at him.
"Gimme a break, he's been nothing but mean to me since I got here." Abel whined, flailing his arms.
But then he groaned slightly in pain. Almost silently.
"What's wrong?" Amish asked.
"Nothing." Abel said with a smile that would probably deceive anyone else.
It wasn't nothing. She could see the strain in his face, how much he was trying to hide his pain.
"Where does it hurt most?" She asked.
"What?" Abel said, huffing a laugh.
She pushed his left shoulder.
"Ow." Abel whined. But that was just a slight hurt. Abel gave her a warning look. She didn't heed it.
She shoved his right shoulder. He groaned slightly, closing his eyes.
There we go.
"Dead gods!" Abel shrieked in pain.
"You're a fool." Amish said as she pulled his left hand and let him sit on her bed. Yes the ye juai's handcrafted such things.
He sat down with a groan.
"You should have let someone check you." She said, as she began stripping him of his shirt.
"They tried. But I wanted to make sure you were okay first." Abel said. She threw his shirt on the bed and looked to his face.
She was an elf of over six hundred years. She could handle things that only the village heads and some other strong subordinates could.
Yet this breakable human cared more about her well being than his?
She looked at his right shoulder. It was a shade purple. She glared at him, then flicked her finger at his head.
"Hey!" He said.
"This is very bad. You're not immortal so don't be stupid next time." She said.
A short while later, another elf came in with warm water and a cloth. She gently worked on his shoulder, much to his protests.
Occasionally, her eyes would trail down his body. For some stupid reason. Like she hadn't seen the bodies of more men than she could count.
But she was surprised to see him so fit.
He kept watching her with unwavering eyes.
"What?" She asked. She was now wrapping his shoulder with a cloth.
"So who's uh...Xander hot pants?" He asked.
She giggled at the ridiculous name he had given Xander.
"He's the alpha of all the werewolves in this village." She replied.
"I see." He said, his voice sounding a little down.
She decided to ask him the question she had been keeping to herself since he triggered it.
"What did you mean?...what you said back on the ship...?" She said.
Abel gave her a confused look.
"I said a lot of things." Abel said with a laugh.
"Just forget it." Amish said, finishing up with his arm and getting up to walk away from her own room.
He had probably forgotten anyways. It wasn't that important.
But then she was tugged back, pulled into a hug by Abel who was already on his feet. The impact must have hurt him.
"I see much more than you're beauty." He said.
It had the same impact as it did when he first said it.
"I see your strength, both physical and emotional. I see the pain you constantly hide, be it from your past or present. I see an immortal who wants something to hold on to before she slips into ennui." He said.
She felt herself go still in his embrace. He pulled back, taking handfuls of her blue hair and staring into her eyes.
"I see you Amish." He said.
Not once had any man said to her these words. She was always seen as a trophy, a beautiful thing not to be scarred by battle but to be given as a prize. Even her parents considered her as such.
"You're...you're just saying that." She said.
"You know that's not true." He said.
He leaned in and kissed her cheek.
"Thank you." He said, gesturing to his arm. "I'm going to go check out my cabin. It was formerly Garett's." He said as he walked to the door.
"I'll see you later Amish." He said as he left the room.
He always left her...he always left her wanting more of him.
******
Kai spent hours with the heads of the ye juai village the next day, at evening, in a cabin that seemed to be their meeting room.
There were two other humans present. A green eyed young lady named Sharaya and a sneer faced young man named Roudog. The village chief, a powerful male fae, explained that they were the survivors - including another girl not present - who accompanied Garett to the other side.
Abel was resting since his arm had just finally been fixed up. Kai made a mental note to go see him later. Katherine sat beside Kai, his anchor to sanity in all this madness.
The village chief took the required information of their journey from Amish's mind.
Kai, Katherine and Amish explained as much as they could, why humans would be needed in this battle. But the ye juai's were stubborn, contradicting every reason to bring humans.
Especially the troll named Gruff. His large battle axe gleamed as he unconsciously kept reaching for it while roaring disapproval.
In the end, nothing could be done about it. Garett and the true ruler of Arocelli had already left on their journey. Whether they would return in time...or even return at all, no one knew.
"So what now?" Katherine asked Kai after the meeting, when it was dark. She laid on Kai's chest in their cabin. His hand was draped over her. It had become a usual position. An appealing one.
"What do you mean?" Kai asked her.
"I'm sure you can see it in their eyes Guardian. They're like farmers with all the tools, but without knowledge of how to proceed. They don't know what to do with you...and we don't either. They've been in wars, but against humans with strategical thinking. If I'm right then facing these things are like facing wild animals on two feet." Katherine said.
She was right. All through the meeting, they dwelled on the past, brushing through the future with indecision.
No one knew what to do and it was terrifying. Kai only hoped that Garett would arrive soon. He always had a plan. Kai was just the brute.
Katherine looked up to his face.
"Are you okay?" She asked.
"I'll keep you safe. No matter what." Kai promised.
She leaned in and kissed Kai. Her lips were warm and comforting as he knew. But he'd never get used to it. She pulled back after a minute.
"You don't have to promise that." She said. "Things we're not prepared for happen in war. Not to talk of when it's against man - eating beasts." She said.
Kai hugged her to his chest. He didn't really care about the unavoidable in war. He'd burn the world down if he lost her.
She palmed the left side of his abdomen, where the snake had put its tail through. It was now sealed, only a small scar indicating there was an injury. But Kai doubted even the scar would stay long.
"You miss your sister." Kai said. Not a question.
"I don't know whether she's safe or not. I worry so much for her." Katherine said.
"Garett's with her. She'll be fine." Kai said. Because even though Viktor was better trained for protecting someone, he could never trust Esther's life in his hands.
Later that night, Kai left Katherine sleeping and wandered out. It was still early in the night so she must have been really tired.
He visited Abel, who grinned cheerfully every time, even in the face of this imminent threat. Roudog, his housemate, claimed that Abel would annoy him to death.
Kai just smirked at that.
He took a small tour of the village. 'Small' being the keyword. The village was for only a few people anyways since their kind had been massacred by humans.
"Malakai." Someone called behind Kai.
Kai turned to find a human girl standing behind him.
"Uh...hello." Kai replied.
"Cen." She said.
Cen. That was the name of one of the humans who accompanied Garett to the other side.
"You're Cen? Garett's friend?" He asked to be sure. For all he knew she could be a werewolf.
Although Kai didn't feel the usual werewolf energy that erupted from the other werewolves in around. Yes. He had begun feeling the energy of others.
Telling what they were before they approached him. Including pixies.
Cen nodded.
"How's Garett?" She asked.
Kai eyed her for a few seconds. There was something about this girl that seemed so familiar. No doubt she was from Mohja, her skin giving her away. But even then...Mohja was so large he couldn't possibly know her.
"Want to walk?" Kai asked the young girl. She looked to be fifteen or sixteen. She hesitated for a moment before nodding.
They walked slowly around the village.
"Garett was fine when I last saw him. But I don't know how he fares now." Kai said, being honest.
Cen's face was masked with worry before it changed to certainty.
"He'll be fine. He's even smarter now." She said.
"Yes. He'll be fine." Kai said.
They walked for a while more. Cen didn't talk much. In fact, he was sure a lot of people would take her for a mute.
Kai didn't talk much too. But their walk wasn't awkward. They spoke only when their curiosity gave in.
She had told him how she had been helping out in the village nursery. The ye juai's apparently reproduced rarely and that was why a kid was barely seen running around.
Cen seemed determined to protect them.
They parted later on, Kai heading straight to his cabin. He found Amish sitting before the door.
"Nice of you to visit lady Amish." Kai said.
"Shut up or I'll cut your throat." Amish threatened.
Kai chuckled as he sat beside her. They were silent for a long while before Amish spoke.
"I worry if he'll even make it back." Amish said, looking to the sky. Her blue hair illuminated by the moon and her ethereal blue eyes reflecting the fire that had been lit in the village square.
"I'm sure he will." Kai said.
"You know don't you?" Amish asked. She had clearly already figured out what was going on with Garett, or he told her.
"I don't know enough, and I want to hear it from him." Kai said.
After another minute of silence, Amish spoke again.
"You can't do what you did when you first absorbed the mala ball can you?" She asked.
Kai hated to admit it.
"No. I can't." He replied.
"It's not your fault anyways. You didn't have time to grow and train with your energy." She said. Kai turned to her.
"Energy."
"Yes. You must have begun feeling them. All ye juai's can feel the energy of others."
"Hmm."
"I don't think it's just that though." Amish continued. "Something has to be blocking you from accessing that level of power."
"Perhaps. I have little time to figure that out." Kai said.
"My advice to you. Don't let fear or anger be your trigger. You are so different from others in that your power is pure ye juai. Own it."
Own it, Kai repeated in his mind.
"If we make it through this, we're going to spar again." Amish said.
Kai gave her one of his arrogant smirks.
"You're on." He said.
There was suddenly a howl. A brown wolf came running in, then it transformed into a girl of about fifteen and crashed hard on the ground.
She was naked.
Kai sped in and came out with a blanket. Amish was already beside the girl. Amish covered the girl with the blanket while she rose up.
"What has you running in without control?" Amish asked as others had begun pouring out of their cabins.
Katherine was already beside Kai. Then surprisingly, a pixie stood upon Kai's shoulder.
The head of the pixie clan, Kai realized.
The wolf girl looked terrified.
"Well come on girl, speak." Amish pressed.
"They're...they're here." She said. "They killed Saf." The girl cried. "We didn't know they'd be there. We were just running. We didn't know..."
"Tell me who they are." Amish demanded. No doubt everyone already had their guess but just to be sure.
"They were so wild. They were so wrong." The girl looked into Amish's eyes. "It's the evil." She cried.
"The evil is here."
There were gasps all around.
"The evil has broken through the barrier." Some murmured.
Amish looked to Kai who had already pulled Katherine just a little closer to him. Then she looked to someone above him. Kai looked above him.
A troll stood behind him. The troll nodded as though it already understood.
"Take her inside." Amish said to no one in particular but a wolf and Fae led the wolf girl away.
"Ready Duff?" She asked the troll, coming to stand in front of him. In front of Duff.
Duff nodded again.
"What exactly are you doing?" Kai asked.
"He's going to throw me." Amish said. It seemed a grim joke before Duff actually picked her up from her waist and strengthened his stance.
"Wait what?" Kai asked
"I need to know their location. My eyes are keen, I'll spot them. Trolls are strong enough to throw and accurate enough to catch." She said.
"Human not know ways. Human not intervene." Duff said.
Then he stepped back, and with enormous force such that Kai saw the ground have spider web cracks, he threw Amish upwards. She flew straight to the sky, her form far above.
"What the hell? What if you can't catch her." Katherine asked.
"Instant death." The troll replied.
It was literally almost a minute before Amish's form began to drop.
Katherine simply turned into Kai's arm, covering her eyes from what was a possible blood bath.
But then Amish landed directly into Duff's hold, her hair rough from the wind current above.
Kai didn't know he had been holding a breath.
"She's fine." Kai whispered in Katherine's ear. Katherine turned back to Amish whom Duff had dropped.
"That was crazy." Katherine said glaring at Amish.
"Human worry too much. Human weak." Duff said.
Katherine glared at Duff with an 'I will kill you face' he had never seen before.
"Careful Duff." Amish said.
"Where are they?" Kai asked.
"Still far enough that we can prepare." Amish replied.
"Their count?" Kai asked again, wary of her answer.
Amish was silent for a few seconds, her expression grim. She looked around then back at Kai.
"It's a hundred of them to one of us."