Page 12 of His to Protect
If that moon was full, andit sure as hell looked like it, then this was the next day. The daythey had planned to come at Gray, end his reign over the people ofXavier’s clan, and end that prick. It had to be done tonight so hecould retrieve his Nanny-ma’swairua.If not, then she would belost to them forever, and he would be sentencing her to an eternityin flux, and that was not going to happen.
Kaea took a deep breath, centeringhimself. All he had to do was wait for Xavier to come for him, andKaea knew without a doubt he would. They were mated, and he couldfeel him down the mating bond. He was pissed, enraged even, and hehad blood on his mind. Yeah, his mate was a monster, and he wascoming for him. He just had to wait it out.
A door he hadn’t even realized wasthere suddenly swung open, and a man with a glazed, insane look inhis eyes walked in.
“Oh, good, you’re awake. Ihope you are enjoying our accommodations?” The man sneered, andKaea knew he was looking at Clarkson Gray.
“I gotta admit, I’ve hadbetter,” Kaea said with a friendly smile that seemed to throw theasshole a little, and his smile slipped.
“Well, it won’t be formuch longer,” he snarled. “I knew the moment you came into town whoyou were. Your pathetic attempts to follow me amused me no end. Thenight I sent those two idiots out to kill Xavier, I watched fromthe shadows. I almost took you that night, but I had to wait untilthe moon phase was right. The woman who told me your family’ssecrets before I killed her hadn’t steered me wrong, so I knew itwas too soon. And now, I have you and we’ll be heading out underthe moon, when it’s at its highest, so I can add to my strength.”The man planned to take hiswairualike he had his Nanny-ma’s. “Then, I can take onthe other clans throughout the country until every one of them bowsto me!”
Kaea arched a brow. “That might be alittle difficult to do when you’re going to be practically drowningin your own drool.”
Clarkson’s gaze narrowed at him.“Explain.”
“You took mygrandmother’swairua, something that was never meant to be yours.” Kaea leveledhim with a look of disgust. “You’re not strong enough to handlethat much power. It will drive you crazy, and in the end kill you.Taking mywairuawill only hasten that last step into madness, and then yourmind will simply shatter. Leaving behind a pitiful shell of a man,drooling, shitting and pissing on yourself. Hell, Xavier and I justwanted to kill you, make it end quick, but this way it’s drawn out.You’ll suffer for years until your physical body finally gives out,locked in your own mind, completely aware of the horror going onaround you. Fuck, Gray, that sounds like the perfect end foryou.”
Clarkson roared, stepping forward toslap Kaea across the face, and the pain nearly dropped him to hisknees. When he saw the giant claw the bastard pulled back, he knewhe’d been cut deep. There was a flare of awareness and increasedrage down the mating bond. Xavier had felt that blow, and he wasnot a happy camper.
Kaea smiled, knowing it drove Graycrazy. “Man, you certainly know how to rile the monster, don’t you,Gray? Xavier is coming for me. He and I are mated.” Kaea tilted hishead to show the man his claiming bite, and reveled in the shockthat flickered across the man’s face. “And he is pissed. As infucked off to epic proportions, and he is coming foryou.”
Clarkson seemed to shake with rage,and his face turned a rather interesting shade of red. “Fulton! Getyour useless ass in here!” A few moments later a second man steppedinto the room. Kaea was surprised to see hatred in the man’s eyeswhen he looked at Clarkson. “You told me you killed that fuckingwhelp Xavier Mulligan.”
Fulton shrugged. “I lied.I knew I couldn’t kill you. You’ve got me locked down enough thatI’m unable to move against you, but there’s still enough of the oldme left to defy you. It took time and hurt like fuck to do it, butworth it in the end. And you sure as fuck can’t control Xav. He’sgoing to come here for his mate,” the man shot Kaea a look, “andthethreeof usthat are left are going to enjoying watching him killyou.”
Kaea gasped as Clarksonreached out, so fast the movement was not discernable, and snappedFulton’s neck. The man’s lifeless body fell to the concrete floor.Kaea had caught what he had said though. Now, there were only twobears left that stood in Xavier’s way. If he could end them, or ifthey were strong enough to disregard Gray’s orders like Fulton hadbeen, then they could get to Gray. Getting his grandmother’swairuanow seemedpossible, and it filled Kaea with hope and strength.
“Thanks for cutting melike you did,” Kaea said as he reached up to wipe blood over hispalm. “It saves me from having to find something sharp to do itmyself.” The roars and snarls of bears clashing outside the housethey were in filled the room. “There’s my Xavier now. I guess it’salmost time to end you.”
Clarkson shouted, a sound that morphedinto a roar as he shifted into a giant bear, one that looked to beabout the same size as Xavier. Drawing his rage around him, Kaeathrew out his palm, the one devoid of his blood, and called theflame to life. It erupted out of his palm as the bear started inhis direction, and with a snap of his fingers and the force of hiswill, he wrapped the fire around the bear, caging him in. The bearcame to a stop, roaring in displeasure as it tried to escape, buttoo afraid to step through the flame. The bear roared in rage, asound that was matched by Xavier outside bellowing inresponse.
A few moments later as Kaea fought tomaintain the barrier, the doors were ripped open, and Xavier stoodthere, covered in blood with the look of death in his eyes. Hisgaze locked with Kaea’s for a moment, and that look morphed intorelief.
“Kaea,” he breathed,walking toward him, but stopped suddenly after a few steps, hiseyes blazing blue. “You’re hurt.” His bear was very much there inhis tone. “I’ll fucking gut him.”
“No, baby!” Kaea calledout as sweat began to roll down his face. “We need to get himoutside. I can do this. I can.”
Xavier growled in displeasure, butmoved to help by throwing open the double doors to the cell, andallowing Kaea some room to maneuver the now irate bear out into theopen. Kaea moved him until they were completely bathed inmoonlight, and then turned back to Xavier.
“I need to drop thisflame, so I can call on the red fire.” Kaea saw a flash of fearflicker through his mate’s eyes. He’d explained the process toXavier, not wanting to hold anything back, so he knew. When Kaeacalled the red flame, he was pulling on his own life force,expending his own life energy to create the bridge that would drawhis grandmother’swairuato him.
Xavier gritted his teeth. “You’dbetter pull this off, mate of mine, or I swear to God, I’ll crossinto whatever realm you’re stuck in and smack your assred.”
Kaea grinned at him, despite thedanger of the moment they found themselves in. “We can’t have thatnow, baby, can we?” He drank in the sight of his mate, looking athim with such love and devotion in his eyes, it was almostpalpable, and perhaps because of the mating bond it was.
Nodding, Xavier shifted into his bearand got into position. When the huge bear swung his massive head inhis direction, Kaea saw that same gleam of love in his arctic blueeyes as he had in Xavier’s. He smiled at his bear, then nodded,recalling the fire that held the bear back, and allowing Xavier toget in and draw the beast into a fight. From the vicious way thetwo were attacking each other, he knew it was a fight to thedeath.
Taking a deep breath, hebegan to speak. “Whakataka te hau ki teuru.Cease the winds that blow from thewest.” He raised his clenched fist, still wet with his own blood,to the west. “Whakataka te hau ki tetonga.Cease the winds that blow from theeast.” He moved his hand to the east. “Ehi ake ana te ahikura.Let the red tippedfire come with sharpened air.” He opened his fist, and felt thekick of pain as the red flame of his life essence burned in hispalm. “Tihei mauri ora!My life force alive!”
As if knowing what was about tohappen, a bloodied and beaten Xavier stepped away from Gray as thered flame leaped forward, and struck the raging beast directly inthe chest. Kaea dropped to his knees at the pain that rippedthrough him. Gray was fighting with everything he had to hold hisNanny-ma’s spirit within him. But Kaea would not fail her, and hepoured more of himself into the flame. He could feel himselfweakening, and for a moment he thought it wouldn’t be enough, butthen the world around him filled with the comforting scent oflavender and vanilla. His Nanny-ma was coming to him; he could feelher—he could only hope he’d hold on long enough to keep her safe,and save himself.
The pain was immense, but he refusedto give up. He watched as Gray shifted into his human form, and thered flame began to consume him. His screams were horrific, but Kaeadidn’t stop. This man had taken too much from him, and too muchfrom his mate. He had to die! With one last push of force, he sentthe bastard to hell, and where Kaea had thought at some point hemight have felt guilty, he felt nothing but vindication, as thecharred remains of who Gray once was fell to the forestfloor.
“Pull it back, Kaea,”Xavier demanded from behind him. “He’s dead, and I can feel youslipping away. Pull the fuck away from him now!”
Kaea groaned as he fought for controland collapsed to the ground in a heap. His heart was beating tooslowly, and he felt like he was drifting. That wasn’tgood.
“Kaea!” Xavier cried out,and Kaea felt him rolling him over and pulling him into his arms.“What the fuck have you done? The mating bond is fading. Shit! Whatdo I do? What the fuck do I do!”
