Page 4 of Vampire's Promise
“This is your challenge, so your choice,” Gwen said.
“How about an old-fashioned fight? No weapons allowed.”
She shrugged. “A girl fight it is then. By the way, I am Gwyneth, but everyone calls me Gwen.”
“I am known as Varda.”
“Well, Varda, now that we have made our acquaintances.” She dropped into a fighting stance. Legs parted, knees bent, fists up, and Varda mirrored her. She had to wonder if this female had any inkling of who Gwen really was. Her fangs should have been a giveaway, so perhaps she didn’t care? No matter, she was looking forward to a brawl and releasing some pent-up anger.
The power that ripped open the atmosphere indicated Marcus was in the crowd. She sure as hell hoped he wasn’t planning to stop her, or she would kick her brother’s ass as well. Gwen managed a glance at her brother from the corner of her eye and his smile said he was not here to interfere. Good.
Varda made the first move. Lowered her head and ran, likely expecting to make contact with Gwen’s gut, but Gwen was freaky fast and simply side-stepped. As Varda swept by, she reached out and grabbed the female’s long ponytail and snapped the valkyrie’s head back. She had hoped to catch her off guard enough to send her to her ass. Varda was too quick to recover, however, and grabbed Gwen by the arm and dug her claw-tipped nails into flesh where she laid open a large gash. Gwen hissed through the pain, then sent healing cells to stop the bleeding.
“Come on, sister. Show her who you really are,” her brother Marcus egged on.
Anger riled her and still having hold of the female’s hair, she gripped Varda’s head with both hands and brought her knee to make contact with Varda’s chin, sending the valkyrie intothe air. Varda hit with a loud humph, landing on her ass. Her opponent’s eyes glowed with anger as she jumped back to her feet. In a flash, Varda was gone, and Gwen knew the valkyrie was going to try to sneak in behind her. Her senses flared out as she spun in a slow circle, ready for the attack. She didn’t have to wait long. Varda flashed back on Gwen’s right side and laid a powerful punch to her cheek, which sent her reeling into the crowd of people. Someone caught her and shoved her back into the open ring of bystanders, where she flew back at Varda with a high kick to the stomach. The valkyrie coughed while doubled over and Gwen took advantage of her opponent being down by digging her nails into the female’s shoulders and bringing her knee up to meet Varda’s nose. The crunching of broken bones let everyone know she had been successful in her attempt. Backing off to give the valkyrie a moment to breathe, or at least heal her nose, was a mistake Gwen should have never made. She allowed her compassionate side to overrun her warrior’s instinct, and it was enough to give Varda the second she needed to once again flash away, but this time, she came back with a weapon. With sword swinging, Varda came at her and nicked Gwen’s cheek.
“Oh you bitch!” she snarled. “Where is your honor?” When an immortal cheated at a fight, it brought them great dishonor.
“Fuck honor. I like victory,” Varda yelled, her steel swinging in the air.
Gwen wasted no time in calling up her own sword, and the two females filled the night with clashing steel. Varda threw everything she had into the fight and kept coming at Gwen like a wild animal. That was when she realized the valkyrie was out for blood. Maybe even a decapitation which was about the only way to kill a guardian or most any immortal.
Sister, I don’t trust this valkyrie. Heed your instincts.Marcus had slipped into her mind.
Neither do I now that I see what she’s about.She would trust her gut from here forward. A swing of her blade met Varda’s, and it seemed they were well matched, as neither could make contact with flesh. It was time to stop playing around with Varda and end this game before an innocent ended up hurt. Gwen flashed, came in to Varda’s right. Flashed again when the valkyrie swung. Appeared at her left and every time Varda swung, Gwen flashed away, leaving Varda screaming in a fit of rage.
“Are you afraid to fight me?” Varda screamed, and that’s when Gwen decided it was time to make her final move.
Flashing one last time, she came back in above Varda, swinging down to land on the female’s back. The move was so unexpected that she took the valkyrie down with ease. Grabbing her hair, she jerked her head aside, then sank her fangs into Varda’s neck and pushed a compulsion. The valkyrie had no choice but to comply. Her body softened under Gwen and after a couple of pulls of blood, she released the now much more subdued female. Getting to her feet, she brushed herself off and scanned the crowd. Next to Marcus stood Chaval and Gwen smiled, realizing she no longer felt broken-hearted when looking at her long-time friend. She understood they were not fated mates, but still held a special bond from growing up together. As she started toward them, she stopped. A pull she never expected to feel, one she had prayed for, caused her to swallow the lump in her throat as she turned her head to scan the crowd behind her. Before she could find him, the sensation disappeared and the pain it left in her chest made breathing difficult. Her pulse was still pounding and the blood rushing through her veins drowned out the surrounding noise.
“I will deliver this one to her holding cell until she cools off,” Chaval’s voice pushed through her fog and pulled her back to the surrounding reality.
She offered a nod. After coming back from his hiatus, Chaval had accepted an offer to help round up any immortals who broke human or immortal laws. Aidyn, their king, had worked with the human government and it was decided that some immortals had to be held in check. Chaval was a Sumari warrior. A half demon, half fae who held more power than most immortals other than the gods. He was perfect for the job of the enforcer. Grabbing the valkyrie by the collar, he lifted her to her feet, then vanished.
“Brother, what are you doing here?” She hugged Marcus, still feeling a bit off by the pull she had felt a moment ago.
“Your niece has been asking when you are coming to see her. She is excited to tell you about school.”
“I am such a bad aunt. I will come soon, I promise. How is she getting on?” Since Ariana was the oldest guardian child, her parents had decided it best for her to attend school, so she had children her own age to hang out with. Problem was, the guardians didn’t have such an institution, since there had been no children born to them in centuries. Ariana was the first, which made her a very special girl indeed.
“She is doing well. I think sending her to the Draki school was an excellent choice as was moving back to Vandeldor.”
“I’m happy you guys made that decision. It’s nice that the Draki and guardians are back home, and the children can have a normal life again.” Vandeldor had been the home of the guardians and dragon shifters since the beginning of time. While some from both sides lived in the mortal realm, many had moved back home.
“Also, if you ever visited, you would know that Lucan and Sabin are expecting their first child.”
“What wonderful news!” Lucan was one of her brethren and Sabin a demigoddess who had been Lowan’s sister. It had been Sabin who had helped destroy her brother and, after all the couple had been through in their life, they deserved thishappiness. “I will come home soon, I promise.” She pulled her brother into a hug.
He squeezed. “I plan to hold you to it.” Then he backed away and faded into the crowd. Once he was gone, she once again scanned those who still milled around her, knowing full well the man she was searching for was no longer there.
CHAPTER THREE
Kian stumbledinto a crowd of spectators who stood, mouths wide open and currency exchanged between hands, as they watched a fight between two females. He flared out his senses and detected that the crowd was a mix of mortal and immortal and then his gaze landed on the two females circling each other. Moving closer, his senses told him the black-haired female was a valkyrie. He was very familiar with the immortals. Netasis had brought them home on several occasions to talk of war and destruction. Valkyrie were vicious and exceptional warriors who showed no mercy.
The other female had him sucking in a breath as his gaze filled with her leather-clad beauty. She held a power in her own right, yet he didn’t recognize her species. She was immortal, that much was certain, and her skills were well matched to the valkyrie. He found himself rooting for the unknown female to win. As he watched, he sensed another being that matched the same signature as the unknown female in the fighting ring. Were they the same species? He surmised they were. Next to that male stood another immortal who Kian found fascinating. He immediately picked up fae and demon and thought it an odd combination. While he was schooled in fae, and had evenmet a few, demons were not common in his world. They were only stories in books and to have one––or at least a half one––in front of him made him even more curious. Perhaps he would inquire once the fighting was over. He found he also wanted to speak to the female. Especially after she flashed a pearly pair of fangs and sank them into her opponent’s neck.
When the female was done and he was busy making his way toward her, she ran to the man who had been watching and hugged him. He stopped. Something inside him twisted, and he found himself disappointed she appeared to already have a lover. While he still contemplated speaking to the immortals, he never got the chance to utter a word before something dark and angry slipped over him and ripped him off his feet. He spiraled and tumbled in a tunnel of suffocating energy that pressed on his chest until he gasped for air. When he managed to gain a breath, it was so dry it sent him into a coughing fit. Seconds later, he fell from a sky so bright it burned his retinas. His eyes watered and the pain was excruciating, but he kept them open so he might at least try to see where he was about to land. It was no use, though. All he could see through the blur of tears was a landscape of red that quickly rose to meet him before he landed. He hit on his left shoulder, dislocating it before bouncing to his knees, busting both kneecaps One more bounce into the air landed him flat on his back. The air knocked out of him and his broken bones already knitting back together, he groaned.
