Her Mythical Warriors (Book Two)
Chapter Thirty-Eight: Fig Tree Grove

The group walked for what felt like days but were mere hours.

“Water; must have water,” Akira croaked, holding her hands to her throat.

Wolfric chuckled as he pulled Akira against his side. “Here,” he said, handing her a water canteen.

Akira smiled up at him as she took it from his hand. She took a swig of it and handed it back to him.

“Are you dying, little one?” Malique questioned as he walked beside her.

Akira smiled up at him. “Nah, I’m all good now. My warrior saved me.”

Malique grinned.

“Fig trees?” Darius said from a few hundred feet ahead of them.

“Really?” Wolfric asked, intrigued.

The group caught up to Darius, and Akira sucked in a breath.

“I haven’t had figs since that day, mom and I….” Akira stopped talking. Though it was a happy memory, she still had trouble thinking of her mother.

“It’s okay,” Wolfric said, squeezing her side. “I miss her too.”

Akira smiled up at her Wolfie. She knew Wolfric and her mother had gotten close—as friends and potential mother- and son-in-law. Her mother wouldn’t have called Wolfric for help if she hadn’t trusted him.

But in the end, it caused her mother’s death… But she will never blame Wolfric. He was helping, and the Gods were the ones who took down the plane, not Wolfric…

Another reason she was angry with the Gods. First, they hide her and make her suffer a horrible life. Then they take her mother from her, the only person outside Wolfric who loved her.

Until she found her warriors and friends… It was hard to hate the Gods when they also brought her this wonderful group of friends; no—she looked around at the others. Family.

“Akira?” Malique asked, watching her.

Akira looked at her vampire and smiled.

Malique smiled back, “thought we’d lost you there for a moment.”

Akira nodded, “I was thinking about how lucky I am to have all of you.”

Malique pulled her against his chest. “We’re the lucky ones.”

Akira smiled and leaned up, kissing him gently on the lips. “I meant everyone. I have never had a family outside my mom and Wolfric.” Akira turned in Malique’s arms and smiled at the others. “You are all like family to me, and I wouldn’t trade you in for anything.”

The others smiled at her.

“We think of you as family, too,” Julianne said.

Akira grinned and moved out of her vampire’s arms. She pulled Jules into a hug and held her close.

“Anyone else hungry for some figs?” Darius smirked.

The group nodded, and they headed toward the grove of fig trees.

“Hope nothing pops out at us,” Akira whispered.

Memories of the hickey marks last night popped into Akira’s head. Why—she doesn’t know.

Everyone stopped and looked at Akira, making her walk into Wolfric’s back. Well, more like his butt—which, really, she didn’t mind. He has a perfect ass…

“Why would you say a thing like that?” Julianne asked. “Are you trying to jinx us?”

Akira looked at her friend and shrugged. “I honestly don’t know.”

The others looked at each other, then started walking again. Akira felt bad for taking away the excitement of fresh figs.

They stopped at the first fig tree, and Wolfric reached up to snag one. He picked it and handed it to Akira. Akira looked at it for a moment, then took a bite. She moaned as juice slid down her chin. It was juicy and had a thousand different flavors. Figs in any realm were worth stopping for.

“Good?” Wolfric asked, a glow in his beautiful eyes.

Akira nodded enthusiastically. “Delicious.”

The others picked some of the fruit and ate a couple, packing the rest in a bag for later.

“Let’s get going,” Wolfric said as he took a bite of his fig.

They continued through the grove, looking at the trees as they passed. Each one was full of deliciously juicy figs.

A noise in a tree had Akira pausing as she held the fig to her mouth to take a bite. She squealed when something fell from the tree. Wolfric pulled her out of the way as a creature landed on his head.

“Mmmm,” the creature said, looking down at Akira, “I couldn’t wait any longer to taste your sweetness again.”

Akira dropped her fig and stepped back from Wolfric and the creature on his head.

Wolfric growled as he tossed the creature from his head.

The creature laughed as he landed on his ass on the ground.

“You have come into my territory, and you don’t offer me a taste of your sweetness?” the creature asked, looking at Akira. “You eat my figs, but I cannot have more of you?”

Akira looked the red creature up and down. It had a large head, and when it opened its mouth to speak, she could see it had no teeth.

‘How does it eat?’ she wondered, then noticed the octopus-like suckers at the end of his hands and feet.

Akira almost threw up when she thought of the hickeys on her arms—they must have been caused by the suckers on this creature’s hands and feet.

“It was you,” she accused.

The creature grinned, “I already threw up my meal from last night; I would like to taste you again….”

“What the fuck is going on?” Wolfric demanded.

Akira looked away from everyone, including her warriors.

“Akira?” Wolfric asked, watching her closely.

Akira let out a puff of air. “I woke up last night and found hickeys on my arms. I thought I’d sucked on my arms in my sleep, so I healed them and went back to sleep.”

“Hickeys?” Darius questioned.

The group looked at the grinning red creature with a huge head, then at his hands and feet. Akira’s warriors growled.

“Stupid Yara-ma-yha-who,” Malique growled.

The creature and the others looked at Malique.

Malique shrugged, “I’m a vampire; I know other vampire creatures.”

The Yara-ma-yha-who jumped to his feet and into the nearest fig tree.

“Normally, they hide in fig trees and wait for someone to nap under one before they attack,” Malique growled.

The creature hung upside down from a limb and grinned a toothless grin. “I couldn’t resist her delicious smell. I had to have her.”

“You creepy little fucker,” Darius growled.

The Yara-ma-yha-who laughed. “Soo good; I must have more.”

Akira glared at the creature. He’d sucked her blood through the suckers on his hands and or feet while she slept in her warrior’s arms.

Wolfric growled as he moved toward the Yara-ma-yha-who. “You come near our Havent again, and I will take the roof of your mouth and split your head in half.”

Akira’s mouth dropped open. The image flashing through her mind made her want to puke.

The creature laughed. “I can’t promise anything.”

Akira watched the red, large-headed creature flip up into the tree. It climbed higher and higher, then jumped to the next tree. He didn’t seem to fear her warriors, but he was smart enough to run away from them.

Akira shook her head. The creatures they came across were getting stranger and stranger.

“Will he be back?” Julianne asked.

Wolfric snarled, “not if he wants to live.”

“He’ll stay away,” Malique grumbled. “If he knows what’s good for him.”

“Let’s get going before he comes back, and we have to watch Wolfric tear the top of his head off.” Stella took hold of Akira’s hand and started tugging.

Akira nodded, and the group left the grove of fig trees.

~⚔~

“Rabbit stew for dinner,” Wolfric said as he and Malique entered the campsite.

Nibbles hissed, making Akira look up at her warriors. She looked at Nibbles and frowned.

“Really?” Julianne asked the two warriors. “You hold up a dead rabbit in front of the Al-Mi’Raj?”

Wolfric and Malique looked at Akira and Nibbles and smiled.

“He’s not upset we caught a rabbit,” Malique said.

“He smells the other creature we brought with us,” Wolfric explained.

The two warriors turned and showed the others the large boar-like creature tired up behind them.

Nibbles jumped out of Akira’s arms and ran to the creature. Before anyone could take their next breath, the Al-Mi’Raj scarfed down the boar-like creature in one bite.

Akira smiled at her warriors, “thank you for thinking of Nibbles.”

Wolfric and Malique laughed.

“It has been a few days since he last ate. We figured it was time—before he ate one of us,” Malique chuckled as he walked to one of their bags.

Akira shook her head. “He wouldn’t eat one of us.”

“Maybe not you,” Wolfric said.

Akira smiled. “He wouldn’t eat any of you. He knows that would hurt me.”

“But anyone else better watch out,” Julianne chuckled.

Akira smiled at her best friend. “True.”

Nibbles licked his paws as he watched them.

“Bath time,” Akira told Nibbles, her left eyebrow raised. “You’re not coming near me with all that blood.”

Nibbles looked at Akira, then turned and hopped away.

“Where is he going?” Jules asked, watching the Al-Mi’Raj.

Akira smiled, “to find a pond to wash off the blood.”

“I found some potatoes for the stew!” Stella hollered as she and Fin entered the campsite.

Akira smiled at the trolls. “Good. Give them to Malique.”

Malique looked up at her with a frown. “Who says I’m cooking?”

Akira batted her eyes at him. “Because I asked?”

Malique scoffed.

“Maybe I should cook. I don’t want to be up with acid reflux all night,” Wolfric grunted.

Malique rolled his eyes. “That was only one time.”

“And I still remember the pain,” Wolfric grumbled.

The others laughed at the two warriors’ banter.

“And I’ll keep our beautiful Psychi company while the rest of you prepare dinner,” Niall said as he joined Akira on the ground.

Akira smiled at her Centaur Warrior. “Actually, I had a few questions I wanted to ask all of you.”

Niall pulled Akira against his side and kissed the top of her head.

“Ask away, little one,” Wolfric said as he pulled a knife from the supply bag.

“Cutting board,” Stella announced as she pulled the board from the same bag.

Wolfric smiled at her as she handed it to him.

Akira watched them and felt a deep warmth in the pit of her stomach. She loved how well they all got along. They were an odd bunch.

Fairies, trolls, a healing Havent (the last descendant of Brynhildr, a Valkyrie/shield maiden, and the great-great niece of Zeus), and her five warriors. A direwolf (one of the few descendants of Amarok, the largest direwolf in history). An Upir (vampire), a Pegasus (the last descendant of Medusa’s son—the original Pegasus). A merman (the grandson of a highly-powerful God), and Niall (a Centaur prince). Not to mention their pets, an overprotective Al-Mi’Raj, a beautiful re-hatched phoenix, and the fairy prince’s mount, an enormous dragonfly.

Akira smiled as she continued to watch Wolfric and Stella prepare dinner. Akira remembered Stella saying something about it being her favorite. Her grandmother made it often when they stayed with them all those weeks ago. She knew the twins missed their grandmother and brother, but they loved the adventure and wouldn’t return until it was over.

When dinner was ready, the group sat around the fire as they ate. When their tummies were full, Akira decided it was time to ask them a question that had bothered her for a while. Not in a bad way. It just made her curious. And maybe she finally had the answer.

“Do you all call me princess because Zeus is my uncle?”

Everyone turned to her in surprise.

“Well, I… I….” Zelious looked at the others for help.

“I call you princess because you’re my princess. You being the niece of a God helps,” Stella chirped.

“That is part of why we call you princess,” Zelious admitted.

“But there’s something else about you we don’t understand yet,” Darius said.

“There’s something I really don’t understand,” Leviasen grumbled.

Julianne looked at her prince. He has been fighting the connection between himself and Akira for a long time. And she knows it’s because he doesn’t want her to feel left out or fear there’s something between him and Akira. But him hiding it made it that much worse.

“Levi,” Jules whispered, “you need to tell them.”

Levi shook his head, “I don’t need to put a wedge between us….”

Everyone turned to the fairies.

Jules felt their eyes on her and swallowed. “Levi has something to tell you.”

Every eye turned to Levi, and he gave Jules a look she knew she’d spend the rest of the night making up for. But this needed to be out in the open.

Besides, making this up to him may actually be fun.

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