Hope's Heart

Chapter 4 Part 2

Wulf did not take his eyes off Inara. “Is it always like this, Dad?”

“No, it isn’t. Yes, it is similar for all pairs, but it normally doesn’t happen this fast and isn’t this strong. Inara is different. Because of what she is, the gods created a mate that could protect and keep her in the light. Because of that, the bond is strong. Your soul knows she is vulnerable now and must be held firmly in the light when her awakening begins.”

Steve looked at Inara and saw it: her skin was shimmering and shifting, and delicate silver and gold scales erupted. “GODS DAMMIT! She’s changing. It is too soon, we aren’t ready.”They all ran inside and stopped just feet from her, “Her Dùsgadh has started. Look at her scales, though. They aren’t only silver. There are gold ones, too.”They gathered and watched her as her skin rippled and sweat formed over the scales.

Art knelt beside his daughter and looked at the scales just below the top layer of her skin. “I’ve never seen one of our people have more than one color before, have any of you?”

“I have heard of it in legends, but no, I don’t think anyone other than maybe Drogoth has seen it.”Mal’s voice showed a hint of envy as he looked at his niece’s scales. “It makes sense, though, didn’t Janthair have both?”

They heard a low, primal growl erupt from Wulf’s chest. “Devlin is here.”

“The bastard can’t take a hint.”Art immediately started barking orders, “Wulf, Kole, you two take Inara to her room, but don’t wake her. Mal, Paxen, find Sajah, go around front, and come in behind him. Gary, Steve, you’re with me; Sara, Beth, you and Sally go upstairs and guard Inara’s door. Put up the strongest wards you can.”

As Art walked past Wulf, Wulf touched his shoulder and said, “He isn’t what he seems, Art. He wants to turn Inara to darkness; I can feel it. He is, at the very least, a servant of Aridynk.”Art nodded, and everyone jumped into action.

When Kole and Wulf reached Inara, Kole bent to pick her up and heard a low growl from Wulf. Kole stepped back and put his hands up. Wulf bent and gathered her gently in his arms, and she snuggled close to his chest. “Dàil, Kole, I’m sorry, this will take some getting used to.”

“Yeah, no s**t, you won’t even let me touch my baby sister.”And with that, they took her upstairs.

When Art heard her bedroom door close, he answered the door with Gary and Steve behind him. As soon as he saw the others fan out behind Ari, he said, “What are you doing here, Devlin? Inara said to stay away from her.”

“Mr. Stone, I only wish to see Inara so that I may apologize to her for Friday.”

“Stay the hell away from my daughter and my whole family.”

Ari hissed, revealing his true face, and said, “We have what we need, and soon she will be ours. The light will be extinguished, and you won’t be able to stop us.” After his ominous statement, he vanished, leaving behind a sinister laugh that reverberated in the air.

Ari lost control for a brief moment, and his true face was revealed to everyone present as he hissed menacingly. “Prince Artemis, you cannot protect her forever,” he declared. “When the time comes, you will be powerless to stop us. We will gain our prize.” With that, he vanished into thin air, leaving behind only the sound of his maniacal laughter echoing in the atmosphere.

**********

After his second attempt failed, he returned to his office more determined to get her. “They have all gathered at her home. We need to attack soon before Jorge arrives. He will have Drogoth with him once he is here; there is no way I will get her before they leave for home.”

Victor nodded and left the room. Once he was back in his office, he opened a portal to their home. In a matter of minutes, demons begin streaming through. Once they are all through the doorway, and he closes it, he starts giving orders to Karius, the darmul leading them. “The chosen one is here, and her powers have begun to awaken. On this piece of paper is the address of her home. Several seasoned and skilled warriors protect her. Prepare your legions for the order to attack.” Victor walks into Ari’s office. “They are preparing for the attack, sir. I will port them there as soon as you give the order.”

Ari’s lips curl with a slight hint of a smile, “How long will it take them to prepare? If he hasn’t arrived, we have little time until Jorge arrives.”

“Merely hours, sir, they should be ready to attack soon. Karius is a very effective and skilled general.”

“Very well. Inform me as soon as they are ready.” With that, Ari dismisses Victor. Victor left the room with his doubts beginning to surface again. Victor never wanted to harm anyone in this world, but with Ari sending demons to try to retrieve her, there was a definite possibility of harm coming to someone in this world.

*********

Art was suddenly tired as he walked up the stairs to his daughter’s room. He slowly opened the door and walked in. “You were right, Wulf, but I suspect Ari Delvin is not a servant of Aridynk but the monster himself, which would explain why she saw him in her nightmares last night. It would also explain her visions of the war and him at its center. He knows her true self is awakening.”Art sat on the edge of her bed and gently brushed a stray lock of hair from her forehead. He heard the growl from Wulf and laughed softly, “Put a sock in it, son. She’s my daughter.”Wulf opened his mouth to say something, but Art put a hand to silence him.

“Art,” Sara looked at Steve and Beth and took a deep breath, “With what just happened, is there any way we can do the binding ceremony now? I don’t think we can wait. We have no choice. To save our daughter, we must bind her and Wulf before we leave here.”

Art momentarily thought and nodded, “Yes, I believe so, but we must ask Drogoth to be certain. He will have to do it, but unless we do the Dùsgadh ceremony first, I believe the bond can still be broken. Aridynk would have difficulty with it, but he could do it.”He looked at Wulf, knowing how he would react to what he was about to say, “Aridynk would have to bed her to break it, but he could do it unless her true self were awake. Without the strength of her dragon, she wouldn’t be strong enough to resist him; she could be turned.”The last statement gained the reaction Art suspected it would. Wulf released a fierce growl, making everyone’s blood run cold in terror. His eyes glowed like silver fire, and silver scales erupted from his skin.

“Gods, I have only seen one other bond this strong, and that male killed another that tried to seduce his mate.”Mal let out a low whistle and shook his head.

Wulf sank to the side of Inara’s bed and absently ran his hand up and down her arm as if it were habit. “Whose?”

He felt Sara’s hand on his shoulder, “Mine and Art’s honey.”

Kole looked at his father in shock. “Dad, you killed someone?”

Mal looked at his sister and took a deep breath. “Yes, he did. He killed his brother. The bond was awakening between the two of them. Jarren knew that. He believed the gods had made a mistake not pairing her with him; he was, after all, the next in the bloodline, and she was the daughter of the King and Queen of the Ascended, so he tried to seduce Sara. When that didn’t work, he tried to r**e her to destroy the bond. Your father caught him, and his dragon took control. Art saw red and acted, not even knowing what he was doing, and he killed his brother with his bare hands. Art would have been put to death if Steve and I hadn’t been there and seen everything and spoken up for him.”

Kole looked at his father as his mother wrapped her arms around him and looked at Wulf, “Mom, contact Seanair now. We have to do the ceremony before Wulf is put in that position. Yeah, granted, it would be no loss if he killed Aridynk. It might make things easier, but he shouldn’t have to make that choice. Plus, we don’t know how strong Aridynk is. As far as we know, he could kill Wulf, which could also kill Nara.”Art looked at Sara and nodded.

Sally ran into the room, her lip was bleeding, and she was pissed, “Riley, the f*****g little s**t, just hit me and took off.”

There was a collective string of swearing from everyone in the room, “Dàil, we shouldn’t have left him alone. Sara, contact Father, Wulf, Kole, Mal, and Steve. You can stay here with Inara. Gary, Paxen, Sajah, you come with me. Sara, once we leave, ward the house so only we can get in.”And with that, Art, Gary, Sajah, and Paxen headed out after Riley. As they went out the door, Ron pulled up, “Ron, stay in the truck; you’re coming with us to find Riley; he took off. You’re early. We weren’t expecting you for another couple of hours, wasn’t your retirement party tonight?”Art quickly looked around and saw that Riley’s bike was gone. They all got in Ron’s truck and started looking.

“Yeah, it was, but I told them my cousin needed me, so we did it before my watch was over.” Ron just shrugged.

It only took about ten minutes of driving around when they found Riley on a street corner talking to some slimy-looking man; they assumed he was buying drugs. “Ron, with me, the rest of you stay here.”Ron was still in his police uniform since he had come over straight from work. When the snake saw Art, he threw something at Riley and ran. Art spotted the bike and called to Gary, “Gary, take his bike home, and when you get it there, make sure it won’t run. Riley, get your ass in the f*****g truck now.”

“Go to hell, Dad. I ain’t leaving; this is my home.” Art growled at his son, and when he still refused to get in the truck, Ron put him in a sleeper hold, knocked him out cold, and carried him to the truck. Paxen got out so they could put Riley between him and Sajah. They headed back to the house. Art got on his phone, “Yeah, we found him……... Yup, I’m pretty sure he was buying drugs……… Yup, be there in five to ten.” He hung up and looked back at his son. “When we get back to the house, Ron, bind him to the house so he can’t leave again until we leave for home.”

“Yes, sir.” Ron was a lot like the other men. He had deep blue eyes, the color of an early night sky, with silver flecks in them that made his eyes look like a sky full of stars. His hair was a light brown, with the sides and back shaved, while the top was kept long, but not like the other men's, due to the regulations of his job. His skin was the color of fresh-cut oak, he was about six feet three inches tall, and just like all the other men, he was muscular and built like a linebacker. He was about five or six years older than the rest of the guys, and unlike the others, he didn’t join the military. He decided to join the police force instead. Today was his thirty-sixth birthday, and he retired from the police force after fifteen years. He had done the paperwork for retirement about three months ago, and today was going to be his last day. Boy, did he go out with a bang. His final act as a cop was raiding The Dragon’s Lair. There they took down three big-time dealers and one big-time pimp, and somehow the place caught fire during the raid and burned to the ground.

They got to the house, and Gray quickly removed the starter relay, then disconnected the spark plugs on Riley’s bike and locked the relay in the toolbox of his truck. They carried Riley, still unconscious, inside. When Ron saw Sally’s fat lip from him hitting her, it took all his self-control not to strangle him. After Art dropped him on the bed in one of the guest rooms, Ron quickly cast a binding spell that left him paralyzed and unable to even get off the bed.

They all headed upstairs, but Paxen and Gary stood guard over Riley. Art walked into his room, where the communication stone was. They used to contact home; Sara spoke to his parents, telling them about the Riley situation. He heard his father as he spoke, “Sara, child, there is something you haven’t said yet. What is wrong? Your voice is filled with great fear.”

“She was waiting for me to get back, Father. We cannot wait. You, Mother, and Drogoth must come now.”

“Why, son, what has happened since this morning?”Sara told them everything.

Art spoke again, “They have found her already, and the bond between her and her mate is awakening. We must bind them now or lose them both to the darkness.”

His mother’s soft voice was heard, “Who is it, leannan? Who is her mate?”

Art and Sara looked at each other. Sara took a deep breath and spoke, “Her mate is Wulf.”

They heard the fifth voice, “Forgive me for listening in, sire, but if her mate is Wulfgar Shadowsoul, no wonder the bond is so strong and developing quickly. Their family, like yours, has the blood of an ancient.”Drogoth was silent for a moment. “We can be there within the hour. We will travel by um………. magical means.”

They all laughed when they heard Art’s father groan. “A portal, gods, I hate portals.”

Art’s mother spoke again, “We will see you soon, son. Let her sleep until our arrival. We will have dinner, and after dinner, we will do the two rituals.” The communication ended.

Art stood, kissed his wife on the cheek, and went to Inara’s room. “My parents and Drogoth will be here within the hour.”He touched Wulf’s shoulder, “You stay with her son. The rest of us will fix dinner and prepare for their arrival.”Art and the others began to leave the room when Art stopped and closed the door. “We need to keep a close eye on Riley. I just have a bad feeling in my gut that he will betray us all and cross over to Aridynk’s side.”The men all exchanged looks.

Kole looked at his baby sister, who seemed so small and vulnerable. Then he looked at his father and said, “We can’t say anything about this to anyone but Seanair. If Mom finds out, it will kill her, and I don’t even want to think about what it will do to Inara.” They all looked at Inara, sleeping peacefully, and said, “Agreed.” They left Wulf and Inara alone in the room.

Once the door was closed, Steve whispered a quick spell and warded it so no one with evil in their hearts could enter. They all headed downstairs. The men went to the backyard and discussed preparations for leaving while Art grilled the burgers. The women came and went, setting the tables and bringing out the rest of the dinner supplies. Before they knew it, nearly an hour had passed, and they all felt the magic. They watched as the air shifted and shimmered. They saw the palace’s throne room in their home city as the portal opened. They watched as George, Vera, Gale, George’s brother, and Drogoth emerged through the portal. They had to laugh as George and Gale began mumbling about how much they hated portals. George turned to his old friend, “You enjoy subjecting me to that dreadful way of travel far too much, old man.” Drogoth just smiled and shrugged. Everyone else began laughing all over again.

George Stone looked exactly like his son, except he had silver hair, and he wore it like Wulf, shaved on the sides and back with the top braided, and the braid fell nearly three-quarters of the way down his back. He had a full silver beard, was missing his left eye, and wore a patch that made him look like Odin himself. Vera looked like a Norse goddess with long, light auburn hair that fell to the top of her thighs. She usually had part of the side braided and wrapped around her head like a crown. She had dark amber eyes, a shapely hourglass figure, full, firm breasts, a tiny waist, and full, round hips. She was about five feet eight inches and built like a Norse Valkyrie. Her face was angular but soft. Her nose was petite and straight. She had high cheekbones, a strong jaw, and full lips.

“Shall we have Wulf wake Inara?”

“No, let her sleep a bit longer, Sara, so that we can talk, and Drogoth can make the necessary preparations for the Dùsgadh and binding.”After Vera finished speaking, they all sat down, and Art told his parents everything that had happened. The three sat quietly for a few moments, processing it all.

“So Janthair himself appeared to her, in the form of her companach anam?”Gale was having a hard time accepting everything that had happened to his great-niece; everything was happening so fast, making his head spin.

“Inara is having premonitions of Aridynk and the war? You say he is here on Earth and knows who she is?” George leaned forward in his chair and rested his elbows on his knees as he studied his son’s face.

“Yes, she said when he touched her on Friday, she had a vision of death and destruction with him at the center of all of it. Here he is going by the name Ari Devlin.” Art answered his father, and George could tell how concerned Art was for his daughter. “If so, not only is Inara vital to the light in the war, but he is also. Only the gods and the ancients can reveal his part to play in all this.”Drogoth spoke softly, more to himself than to the others. Then he said to the others, “Aw, the potion is almost complete. In about half an hour, it will be ready.”

“Drogoth, how are you going to do this? Is it safe for you to do it here?”You could hear the concern in Art’s voice as he looked the older man in the eyes.

“First, we must do the Dùsgadh. Yes, it will be safe. She will not fully change until she is back in our world, or at least she should not, but then again, sire, nothing is happening with this as it should. We will then perform the an deas-ghnàth ceangailte, the binding ritual.”

“Will Aridynk be able to destroy the bond once we do this?”Sara sounded tired, and her voice was barely louder than a whisper.

“No, since they are both from ancient blood, there will be no way for Aridynk to sever the bond unless they do not, what's the english word, consummate their union. Forgive me, that is not fully correct. The bond could be severed if Aridynk can get her pregnant before Wulf does.” Everyone was sitting there looking at him in shock at how casually he had commented. He looked at them all and shrugged, “I thought it was obvious.”

Once that was all said, they all sat and talked about what had happened since they had all been together about six months ago for Christmas, both here and in their world. “You are returning home at a good time. The summer solstice festival begins in five days; this year, it will be a joyous occasion for our people. Our entire family will be there for the first time in twenty-one years. The people will rejoice at the return of our champions.”Vera looked up at her granddaughter’s bedroom window, “And they will celebrate the union of their princess.”

“It is time, Your Majesty, to wake her.”