Flutter (The Discover Series) (17 page)

Before I knew what was happening, the earth spun out and rotated beneath me, and I was tossed around in the air like a doll. I squeezed my eyes shut, and gasped when I felt the sharp edges of his teeth at the back of my neck. I heard the tear in my wet suit as his fangs penetrated the flimsy fabric. The minute I felt muscle and fur, I wrapped my arms and legs securely around him, and closed my fingers around fists full of his hair, holding on to him tightly as we came to a sudden halt. I flinched as my body was thrust roughly against hard muscle and bone.

The only sound to be heard was the violent rhythm of our breathing, which
was
a
perfect
symphony of
unison. I could feel the sharp rise and fall of his body against my chest. The thump of his heartbeat knocked against the inside of my wrist in time with my own. After a few seconds the beats slowed, but continued to keep in time with each other. I didn’t want to open my eyes, or move, or let go of him. He seemed perfectly content with letting me cling to him for however long I wanted, which was why I squirmed in protest when I felt myself being pulled away.

“Sara,” he said gently. “It’s okay. You’re okay.” The concern in his voice melted away my resistance, and I let myself be untangled from the wolf.

I waited until Andres had lifted me away, and my feet were planted securely on the ground, before I let my eyelids flutter open. Andres was peering into my face, his expression twisted in terror at what he had just witnessed.

“Sara?” he whispered. He was waiting for me to reassure him, or to freak out, whichever one he was leaning
toward
, I wasn’t exactly sure.

“Can you tell if anything is broken?” He asked.

I tried not to flinch when his hands gripped my upper arms, holding me upright in the process.

“I think-” My voice slipped, and I gritted my teeth to keep in the tears that so desperately wanted to fall.

“No,” I finally said when I was semi-sure I had my emotions under control. “No I don’t think anything is broken.” I hurt everywhere.

Although a PHD was also not one of my qualifications, I was pretty sure nothing had been broken.

“Are you positive? Can you stand if I let go?”

I nodded and his hands dropped away hesitantly. He continued to stare at me intently until he was satisfied I wasn’t going to collapse. He ran his hand through his hair, and let out a long and deep breath that I was sure he had been holding in. He placed his hands on his hips, turning his body from side to side, and I turned away because my head began to spin at the subtle swaying of his body, and I didn’t feel like spending anymore time on the ground.

“Do you think you can walk the rest of the way? It’s not far, but I can carry you the rest of the way easily.” Andres said.

My line of sight landed on the tops of the sharp rocks, which glistened menacingly under the moonlight. The realization of how close I had come to smashing into those rocks had the blood draining from my head, leaving my entire body feeling cold, and I shook visibly from the effects. I turned my head away from the terrifying sight, because my head began to spin again. I realized that Andres was staring at me, waiting for a response to a question that I couldn’t quite remember being asked.

I tried to be strong, I
needed
to be strong, but even as I pleaded with my body, I felt it happening for the second time tonight, and I was helpless to stop it. I could feel my muscles turning to jelly, and the ringing in my ears became deafening. I tried to speak, I tried to warn Andres what was about to happen, but my tongue felt numb and I couldn’t form words.

My knees gave out, buckling under my weight, and I waited for my body to absorb the pain from yet another fall, but strong arms encircled my body from behind, cradling me in delicious warmth. Familiar warmth. A shadow cast from the moon covered my face, and I tried to make out the figure, but my eyes fluttered, and my head fell backwards as I drifted into unconsciousness.

The last thing I remember hearing, before everythi
ng went black, was the howl of
My W
olf
.

Adan

I stared down at Sara’s wilted body in my arms.

I tried not to relish in the extreme pleasure I felt, having her so close to me again while her Watcher stood not more then a few feet away, seeming both surprised and unsurprised by my sudden appearance. Trying to drag my eyes away from her beautiful face, illuminated brightly under the moon light, was almost physically impossible for me to do,
but I didn’t know how long her W
atcher would allow me to continue to ignore him.

I hadn’t expected to show myself to either one of them this soon, but the overwhelming need to catch Sara as
she collapsed
,
had over-ruled that decision. When I lifted my head he was staring at me, arms folded across his wide chest, his eyes narrowed in my direction. His expression changed for a moment when he saw me, his eyes grew wide, and I knew he was wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him. He shook his head, and again I knew he was dismissing the possibility as quickly as he had considered it. He went back to scowling.

“And you would be?” He finally asked.

“My name is
…
Nicolas Sir.” I responded, hoping the lie was for the best. “I’d shake your hand, but…” I glanced down at Sara’s peaceful figure briefly before returning to his stunned expression.

“Nicolas?
...
Nicolas Delacruz?” He asked, the tone of surprise matching the look on his face.

“Yes Sir.” I was use to getting this reaction at the mention of my family’s last name.

“So your father would be…” His question trailed off.

“Alberto Delacruz, Sir.” I answered.

“And your brother would be… Adan Delacruz?” He asked, again his tone was surprised.

“Yes he would be, Sir.”

He didn’t say anything at first, but when he did his tone was sincere. “They are both great men. I’m honored to meet any part of the Delacruz bloodline.”

“Yes, they are, and thank you Sir.”

He merely nodded, and his posture un-tensed just a little. He looked down at Sara, and for a moment grief clouded his eyes, and I knew exactly what memory he was thinking of. It was gone seconds later, and he looked back at me, and his eyes narrowed once more.

“What exactly are you doing here Prince Delacruz?”

“Maybe we should take the Princess to the shed,” I suggested. Not that I was ready to let go of her, but it was getting colder, and I wanted her to be comfortable when she woke. “Then I will explain what I can, and my companion can explain-“

“The Light Fighter.” It wasn’t a question, it was an accusation.

I wasn’t confused by his tone; we both knew that I had screwed up by leaving Sara to nearly drown. I would take whatever her Watcher threw at me.

“Yes, Sir. He’s waiting back at our camp for you. He will explain everything once we’ve finished getting Sa- the Princess settled.” I silently cursed myself.  I needed to be more careful in the way I addressed her.

His only answer was a curt nod, before he took the lead and began walking toward the shed. I fell in line behind him. My steps were swift and polished as I climb down the mountain, and I knew she would be safe in my arms.

When we reached the shed he bent down, and unzipping a hidden pocket at the ankle of his wet suit, removed a small silver key. He started to insert the key into the lock, but stopped and turned to look at me.

“How did you get this open?” He wasn’t asking how I got it open without breaking the lock; he was asking how I got past the protection spell to get the lock open.

“My grandmother experiments with spells, Sir.”

“Hmp.” Was his only response, as he palmed the key and removed the lock, then held the door open. He stood back and I walked past him, drawing Sara closer to the warmth of my body when I felt her shiver.

Walking over to the small cot in the corner of the shed, I wanted to take my time releasing her, so I knelt down with slow preciseness. Laying her down, I removed my arms from underneath her, and lifted the cool blanket to cover her. A second later a flicker of reddish light danced along the walls of the shed, the colors casting shadows over Sara. Her skin shimmered, coming to life in the blazing glow.

The Watcher cleared his throat loudly, with obvious intent to interrupt my stolen moment with his Princess. I stood and tore myself away from the face that woul
d
forever haunt me. When I was fully facing Andres, he stood next to the small fireplace, casting his dark, looming shadow against the wall. The shed, not that I knew of many sheds with built in fireplaces, wasn’t very big. The Watcher, his Cimmerian shadow, and I filled up most of the small space. There was a second cot, with spare blankets underneath, on the opposite side of the room. Three totes occupied an area on either side of the room, and were labeled FOOD, CLOTHES, and MISC, in permanent marker. If I breathed in deeply enough I could still smell the harsh scent of the marker.

“Well your Highness, I’m waiting.”

At his mocking tone, my attention snapped back to the situation at hand. I needed to act like a Prince now.

“I was sent here to help find the Princess.” I said simply.

He snorted. “No disrespect your Highness, but
why
would they send the Prince of Wolves, and an inexperienced
Light Fighter
to come looking for the Princess? And how exactly were you able to find her, us?”

I gritted my teeth. What he really meant was: why did they send a bunch of
kids
to do this job
.

“I am 19 years old,
Sir
and haven’t been considered a child since the day I was born. As far as
Aaron
, the Light Fighter, he is exceptionally-“

“Strong?” He said. “Yes, but what good does that do, when he doesn’t know how to control the extent of his power?”

“In his defense Sir, Princess Sara had already started the defrosting process on her own and on you as well.”

He was taken aback by that. “What? Are you sure?”

“Yes Sir. When I, err we, found her, she was awake and distressed.”

His face twisted, and I knew he was feeling the trepidation I had felt too.

“Forgive me your Highness,” He said sincerely. “The Princess means a lot to me and my people.”

I let out a sigh, and my hostility quickly faded. He was worried about her, and that’s what made him act out of anger, which was something I could easily forgive.

“No apology needed. She means a lot to my people too, and I would never have purposely put her in more danger then she currently faces.”

I let myself glance back at her, but only for a second.

He was staring at me suspiciously.

“I am Andres Cortez,” he said with a small bow at the waist.

I nodded once. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr. Cortez. You’re a legend back home.”

His laugh was deep and rich, holding a tiny hint of his Spanish background. “A legend huh?”

“Yes, Sir.”

His laughter faded and he looked back at Sara. “She’ll be awake soon. I think it would be best, if you didn’t let her find you here like this.” He said, referring to my human form.

“Sir?”

“You’d have to be human not to feel the energy you give off, and
even
they
might be able to sense it.  Not to mention, the strong reaction she has
toward
you.” I opened my mouth to speak, but he cut me off. “I don’t know why she reacts to you as she does, but she does and since you won’t be accompanying us home, I don’t think it’s wise that she meet you. She is strong and extremely talented, but she isn’t aware of the world she comes from. I’m sure she feels the connection, but she doesn’t realize it for what it is.”

I nodded slowly, but didn’t say anything.

“Now, where can I find, what was his name? Aaron?”

“Yes Sir. He is waiting up at our camp, not too far from here.” I pointed in the direction of our camp.

“Great, more walking.” He complained, and I felt the corners of my mouth twitch. “And he’ll be able to fill in the rest of the details?”

“Yes Sir.”

“And the Princess?”

“I’ll watch her until you return Sir.”

He seemed reluctant to leave, but he needed answers. He nodded and walked toward the door and I followed closely behind.

“One more thing your highness,” He said, when we were outside.

“Yes Sir?” I stood there, hands folded behind my back.

“Stop calling me ‘
Sir’.”

This time I couldn’t help the grin that appeared on my face.

I watched as her Watcher walked off in the direction I had pointed him in.