Her Mythical Warriors (Book Two)
Chapter Nine: Don’t Turn Me Away

Akira leaned against a tree outside the cave her Wolfie had been held in, Nibbles asleep in her lap. Her hand unconsciously stroked the Al-Mi’Raj’s fur. Thoughts of her wolf continuously ran through her mind. She’d told him not to go outside the cave alone. He’d promised her he would be safe.

And now—now he’s gone. Akira may never see her Wolfie again. A tear slid down her cheek.

“Akira?”

Akira looked into the concerned eyes of her new best friend. She’d never had a friend before, let alone a best friend. That is, except for Wolfie…

Julianne sighed as she sat on the ground beside Akira. “He will be okay. You know that, right?”

Akira shrugged at her friend’s words.

Jules nudged Akira gently with her shoulder, “don’t give up on your warrior….”

“I haven’t,” Akira whispered.

Julianne nodded, “good.”

“You ladies ready?” Malique asked, stopping before them. He watched a tear slide down Akira’s cheek and sighed. “We will find him, little one.”

Akira looked up at her vampire and forced a smile. “I know,” she whispered as she slowly got to her feet, trying not to disturb Nibbles.

“Let’s head out,” Leviasen said, walking past them.

“Want a ride?” Malique asked with a smile, turning his back to Akira.

Jules took the sleeping Al-Mi’Raj from Akira’s arms and nodded to the vampire.

Akira nodded and jumped onto Malique’s back.

Malique started moving with the others. They had a while yet to find their missing warrior. If anything happens to him, he swears he will destroy every person or thing involved in his friend’s capture and demise.

~⚔~

Wolfric opened his eyes with a groan. He was still in wolf form, and the collar was still around his neck. But he wasn’t in the cage this time—he was on a pelt. Wolfric sat up and looked around. He was in a tent, on a—by the Gods, he’s on a pelt in a large dog bed! Like a fucking pet! Wolfric growled as he got to his paws.

“Ah, you’re awake.” The man who had paid a high price for Wolfric sat across the tent from him.

Wolfric hadn’t noticed the man a minute ago.

“Now, are you ready to talk?” the man asked.

Wolfric bared his teeth and sneered.

“Suit yourself,” the man said, hitting the button.

Wolfric growled as pain shot through his body. The darkness took longer to take over this time.

~⚔~

Wolfric woke alone this time. He knew because he felt out for anyone else in the tent. Wolfric opened his eyes and looked around. He was still lying in the dog bed. What was up with these idiots? Do they not know that shifters of any kind cannot speak? They can communicate with each other through their minds, but that’s about it.

Wolfric slowly got to his paws and looked around. He wasn’t chained to anything. He guessed his “master” figured he couldn’t run if he had this collar around his neck.

Wolfric paused when a familiar scent hit his nostrils. No, they can’t be here—they need to go…

“Akira,” he called out in his mind. “You need to get out of here. Please, love, go.”

~⚔~

Akira froze when she heard Wolfie in her head.

“What is it?” Darius asked, turning to look at her.

“Wolfric,” Akira whispered. “He just talked in my head.”

“That’s good,” Malique said, watching her.

Akira looked at her vampire. “He told me to get out of here,” she whispered.

Darius shook his head. “That’s not happening.”

Zelious nodded, “agreed.”

“Talk to him,” Jules said, taking her friend’s hands in hers. “Tell him we’re here to rescue him.”

Akira nodded and closed her eyes. She hasn’t had to talk to him yet. She has always been within a speaking distance from her Wolfie—she’ll give it a try.

“Wolfric,” she said, her heart full of joy. “You’re okay.”

“Not totally.”

It worked! Wolfric can hear her!

“They have this collar on me that prevents me from changing or escaping into the shadows. And it’s connected to a device that shocks the hell out of me….”

“We’re here to rescue you,” Akira assured him.

Wolfric sighed in her mind. “You and the others need to get out of here. All of you are worth a lot of money—they will sell you….”

Akira growled in agitation. “They will have to capture us first!”

Wolfric chuckled, “you can’t fight them all….”

“Let us figure that out. Please don’t send me away. I couldn’t live knowing I could have saved you.”

Wolfric sighed, “if anything happens to you or the others….”

“Then you know how we all feel right now,” she said, her heart pounding in her ears as she spoke to her wolf.

It had been days since she heard his voice, and it felt like heaven.

“Akira, you don’t know what this place is. You and the others are in great danger if you stay here,” Wolfric warned her.

“I’m not leaving you here, Wolfie. I can’t,” Akira said, almost crying at the last two words.

“What’s going on?” Malique asked, watching Akira as she spoke to their missing warrior.

“He wants us to get away from here. He says that the people here will sell us….”

“Shit,” Darius cursed.

Everyone looked at the Pegasus.

Darius shook his head and looked past the trees in the direction they figured Wolfric and his captors to be.

“If this is what I think it is, the Gods have been looking for them for a long time. They have sold many mythical creatures, including a few Demigods.”

“How are they getting away with it?” Julianne asked, a shocked look on her face.

“They travel fast, and the Gods miss them by a millisecond,” Darius grumbled.

“But how do they beat the Gods?” Akira asked.

Darius looked at her. Their eyes caught and held. “We suspect they have stolen powers, strong enough to be from a God or Demigod….”

“We’re getting Wolfric out of here, no matter the cost,” Akira practically growled.

“Hey, those footprints. They were big enough to be from either a Giant or a Jotnar. If they have powers of a God, a Jotnar would explain that,” Julianne said, watching her friends.

“Jules has a point,” Akira said, looking at her friend.

Julianne grinned and nodded.

“She does. Why hadn’t we thought of this before?” Darius grumbled.

“But why would a Jotnar work with any being below them? And I don’t mean in height,” Malique wondered out loud.

“Money,” Akira whispered. “Wolfric said that we would all be worth a lot of money. The Jotnar got money for Wolfric….”

“And Wolfric would be worth a lot. He’s not only a shifter but a direct descendant of Amarok, the most powerful dire wolf in mythology,” Malique said, his eyes open wide with worry for his friend.

“Not to mention him being a Shadow Walker,” Darius said.

“One who has not fallen prey to the shadows,” Akira whispered.

Julianne nodded in agreement. “Right.”

“And each of us is worth as much as Wolfric,” Malique reminded them.

Not that any of them needed the reminder.

“Except for me,” Akira said, looking toward where they knew her wolf was being held against his will.

Malique, Darius, and Zelious looked at each other. Akira was worth more than any of them put together. Not only was she a powerful Havent, but who wouldn’t want to own Zeus’s niece?

Darius looked from his brothers to Akira, then back again. That may be their one salvation. If anything happened to Akira, the Gods might come to their rescue. But he would never put Akira at risk, not even to save a fellow warrior. So, they need to come up with something else.

“What if Akira checked the area out through the eyes of one of those?” Julianne asked, pointing to the sky.

They looked up to find a large falcon circling the area.

Akira grinned. “I can find where they are, how many guards, and which tent is holding my wolf.”

“Nice one,” Leviasen said, smiling at Julianne.

Jules smiled back; her cheeks flushed a pretty pink.

Akira closed her eyes and concentrated on the falcon above them. She felt the connection the moment she connected to the bird. Akira opened her eyes and saw what the bird saw.

“I can see tents,” she said, blinking.

Akira switched to another bird when the falcon flew past the area she was looking for.

“Is there a bird closer?” Jules asked.

Akira nodded and pushed herself into another bird—one perched on the roof of a small lean-to building. She watched through the bird’s eyes as creatures of all kinds were dragged around by leashes and chains, all having strange-looking collars around their necks. That must be the collar Wolfric told her about.

“It’s horrible,” Akira almost cried. “So many slaves, we must put a stop to this….”

Akira screamed and fell to the ground, her eyes closed, her body shaking.

“What the fuck?” Malique cursed as he and the other warriors rushed to Akira’s side.

“Akira,” Darius said, pulling her into his arms.

Akira stopped shivering and cried against Darius’s chest.

“What did you see?” Jules asked.

“Someone shot the bird I was spying through,” Akira said.

She took in a deep breath and let it out.

Julianne frowned in understanding. “She felt the bird die.”

“Did they discover you?” Malique asked, running his hand down her back.

Akira shook her head, “no. I think they were hungry.”

“I think from now on, you should use birds flying overhead,” Darius said, kissing the side of Akira’s head.

“Don’t think that would matter,” Zelious said, sitting beside Darius on the ground.

Darius nodded in agreement, “true.”

Akira pulled out of Darius’s arms and looked around at her friends.

“I didn’t find him, but I don’t think that will be hard to do once we’re inside.”

“Unless there’s another gigantic wolf there,” Leviasen chuckled.

“Let’s get ready,” Darius said, getting to his feet.

Akira nodded and let him help her to hers.

“Tell us everything you saw,” Malique said, looking into her bright amber eyes.

Akira nodded and told her friends the horrors of what she’d seen.

~⚔~

Wolfric huffed out a puff of air as he laid his large head on his paws. No use in trying to escape with this stupid collar around his neck. His “master” hadn’t returned yet, and he hadn’t heard from Akira in over an hour. He hoped she left. But he wasn’t going to hold his breath.

“Good, you’re awake.”

Wolfric looked up at his “master” and snorted.

“So,” the man said, moving closer to Wolfric. “Are you ready to tell me your name?”

Wolfric sighed and laid his head on his paws again. He wasn’t going to waste his energy with this moron.

“I see.” The man shook his head. “I honestly didn’t want to do this, but if it will get you to talk.”

Wolfric’s head came up when he heard a shuffle outside the tent. A man walked in, dragging the water nymph from the auction behind him. A chain was wrapped around her wrists, connected to the collar around her neck.

“If you don’t tell me your name, I will pay to have this woman’s head ripped off,” the man said, an evil grin spreading across his face.

Wolfric held back a whimper. He can’t do what they ask, even if he wants to save this nymph, which he does. But…

“Don’t worry, wolf,” the nymph said, smiling at Wolfric. “I know you can’t do as this man says. I won’t hold a grudge….”

“Shut up!” the man holding her chain yelled, yanking her toward him.

The nymph sneered in the man’s face, and the man backhanded her, sending her back a few steps. She would have fallen to the floor if not for the chains.

Wolfric snarled and moved to attack the man. His “master” cleared his throat and held up the box. Wolfric stopped but didn’t take his eyes off the man who’d hit the water nymph. These people were disgusting and didn’t deserve to live.

The nymph grinned, “don’t worry, your furry little paws about me. He will get his. They all will.”

Wolfric looked at his “master” and then at the man holding the chain connected to the nymph. She was right, but who was going to end them?

A loud noise outside got everyone’s attention.

“Stay!” the moron said to Wolfric as if he was an obedient pet dog.

Wolfric looked from the tent opening his “master” had exited to the nymph still being held by the man and his chains.

She winked at him, and he watched with wide eyes as she transformed into a puddle of water.

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