A Long Walk Home Ch. 19

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JazCullen
JazCullen
6,485 Followers

Rafe released Rhianna into Caleb's waiting embrace and rolled his eyes at Gard and Rayne. "Now you understand why I don't want that man as a member of my pack. I would resign as Alpha five minutes after he joined."

The warmth and easy banter between these powerful people was unmistakable and spellbinding to Rayne. They teased each other confidently; secure that the bonds that tied them together were unbreakable. They were family and their relaxed demeanour in front of her was showing her she was family too, even though she didn't know them very well.

"He protests too much," Demetri laughed with a wink in her direction. "He loves me really."

"Ignore my husband, Rayne," Mara sighed with mock exasperation. "Everyone else does. I, unfortunately, do not have that luxury as I married the fool." She squeaked loudly as Demetri patted her backside teasingly, his laughter filling the room.

Rhianna laughed too, leaving Caleb's arms to cross the room to them. "You've met Demetri already. You should listen to Mara. She's the only one of us who has any control over that troublemaker."

Her alert gaze flickered over the couple and then she smiled slowly. "You've mated," she sighed softly. "I thought you had but wasn't sure because Gard is hiding you within his bond. You are welcome to our family, Rayne."

Rayne didn't know what to say, a little in awe of the tiny woman who meant the world to her mate, who also clearly meant everything to the other people in the room. Despite the fact only Rafe and Gard had a clear bloodline link to Rhianna Armand, the others seemed to surround the other woman, enclosing her within a strong protective barrier.

She was the heart of these people. It was the only way to interpret the intertwining relationships in the room. She was a queen even though she studiously avoided picking up that mantel in this incarnation.

Rayne felt an overpowering urge to sink to her feet before Rhianna and pledge her last breath to her. Without Anakatrine she would be dead. She owed her life to the soul that lived within the woman before her. Lavender eyes flashed with power for a moment and Rayne saw a queen come to life within Rhianna Armand.

"Will you rise for me, Sarayne?"

Gard blinked in surprise shooting his sister a slightly concerned look even as he rose at the same time his mate did. His arm slipped securely around Rayne's waist, his posture protective.

"Brother mine, would you believe I would harm that which you hold in your heart?" Anakatrine asked softly, her gaze turning to him.

The feeling of power within the room was high, everyone suddenly still and watchful. Unlike before, this was not a brief glimpse of the former queen. Anakatrine was completely in control and her power literally vibrated within the room. Caleb moved quietly, coming to stand at her back, his hands moving to rest of her shoulders as everyone held their breath.

"My Queen has always held my heart in her hands and been generous with her love and devotion of it. I have no fear she would do any less this time," Gard answered formally, slipping easily into the ways of the past.

Anakatrine smiled softly, reaching up her hand as her brother lowered his head to her. She traced his cheek lovingly her lavender eyes pulsing with power.

"Never has a queen had a more perfect Guardian," she sighed softly. "Always have you been the most loving of brothers. I have been blessed to have you protect me, my Guardian, but know now that task has ended.

Beside you stands your mate. She is love and compassion, a healer of souls. She has walked through fire, alone and afraid, searching endlessly for the other half of her soul. She has brought joy to your heart and for that she will forever have my love and protection. She thinks to kneel at my feet when in truth I should kneel at hers in gratitude for all she has given you."

Anakatrine turned to Rayne, her hand coming to lie gently against her cheek as her power continued to pulse within the room.

"I looked upon you as a babe and I knew in that instant you were our future, Sarayne," she continued. "I knew the consequences of my choices; I knew what I was sacrificing to ensure you lived. While I regret the pain those choices caused I do not regret the outcome. Because you live, our children will have someone to guide them and help them grow. My brother will have his life's mate and the joy of his own family."

Her eyes twinkled suddenly as she looked at Gard for a moment before returning her gaze to Rayne. "I see he has already blessed you with child," she mock whispered, suddenly looking less of a royal queen and more of a teasing sister.

"What?" Rayne squeaked, shocked eyes turning to her mate who looked equally as stunned. The memory of the heated magic shuddering through her body suddenly came to mind and her hand dropped to her stomach protectively. She searched deep within herself and felt the tiniest of flickers of life.

Tears filled her eyes as she looked back at Gard who was slowly dropping to his knees beside her, his hand reaching tentatively forward to press on top of hers. He closed his eyes and reached out, feeling the same flicker of life.

His child was within her body! It was astounding, miraculous, so completely terrifying. He turned stunned eyes to his sister, accusation in them even as joy filled his soul. "Did you do this?" He knew he hadn't used his magic on Rayne that day but magic had flowed between them.

"I know you think me all powerful, brother mine, but even I am unable to create life," Anakatrine sighed softly, leaning into Caleb's embrace with a faint wistful note in her tone. "There are only two people who were capable of creating this child within and I certainly was not one of them."

She turned suddenly and glared up at her mate. "And don't you think for one moment you're whisking me off across the globe in the near future. I will be present for this birth, Caleb Cullen or so help me, you will rue the day I ever came back into your life. I hope we are totally clear on that."

"As my lady commands," Caleb laughed softly, hugging her tightly to his chest as her joy flooded through their mate bond. He felt sorry for Rayne and Gard. His woman was going to be in their shadows until the poor child was finally born, determined not to miss another birth.

Gard rose cradling Rayne close to him, unable to believe how his life had changed so much. From being alone for so many long centuries, now he had his sister, his new pack, his mate and a child on the way. The wealth of emotions within him was hard to contain.

"Thank you, Sarayne," he whispered inside her head, all his love in the depth of his words. He couldn't speak any further, was too overcome by his emotions. He could tell she felt the same way as her own emotions travelled down their mate bond and her eyes shone with tears of happiness.

"We're having a baby, Gard," her stunned voice echoed in his head.

"That we are, Kitty," he laughed, smug satisfaction lacing his tone as well as pride and deep love. He pulled her down beside him on the sofa, peace in his heart as the others all moved to sit too, their teasing voices in the background as he concentrated fully on his wildcat. He could feel her tension leaving her as she accepted that she was now part of his family, that she had received the blessing of his sister and his friends.

Gard looked around the room and knew that all within were linked to him, despite the lack of blood ties between them. His gaze settled on Rafe and the sibling rivalry he'd felt was suddenly no longer there.

The huge Alpha turned his head as if compelled to do so and met his gaze. Rafe smiled as their eyes met, a silent acknowledgement that he too was ready to share the love of their sister with no further animosity between them.

A sudden thought occurred to him and he stifled a gasp of surprise. If he had died along with Anakatrine and Callain all those years ago, his soul would have reincarnated into the body of the man before him. He would have been honoured to share that connection.

Anakatrine was no longer present in the room and Gard wondered when he would next see his queen. He knew she would come forth when needed but had the feeling it would be a long time before she was called on again. Rhianna was perched on Caleb's lap, leaning against her mate's chest as his arms circled her protectively. This was her time, her life and family to love and protect. And it was only right that Annie was the one to live in this time.

"So, now the pleasantries are out of the way we should get down to business," Caleb announced, his tone turning serious. "We've decided to keep this to family only for reasons we will explain later. Rafe, you can decide who you want to tell once you know everything. We trust your judgement."

Rafe nodded, ceding the floor to the vampires. His ego didn't require him to be in control just because the attack had been against his pack. He trusted everyone in the room and knew they would give their lives to protect his people.

Mara sat up from her lounging position in Demetri's arms. "We've investigated quietly among our people and can confirm the attack was not centrally planned as we'd already suspected. No one appears to know who orchestrated the attack but the feeling is it's definitely targeted from Europe and beyond. If there is an individual directing some splinter groups we have no idea. It could just as easily be a group effort.

The only thing we could glean is that surprisingly the attack has been taken seriously among our people. Some of them are ambivalent and don't care, but the majority have taken it as a direct attack against both the Ancient Council and the ruling Council. They may not be willing to open arms and embrace Weres but they do object to our laws being violated."

The news was surprising to Rafe but also very welcome. It lessened the risk of a concerted attack by the vampires and also meant his current defensive plan was on the right track.

"Do we have any idea what they hoped to achieve with the attack?" he asked. "They came with some semi-automatic weapons so they obviously wanted to try and incapacitate the vampire element of the pack. They knew they were facing Ancients but appear to have no concept of just how powerful an Ancient is. The impression I got was they were looking to slip past the vampires and get to us directly."

Mara frowned. "They could have been trying to get to the hybrid children or they could simply have wanted to try and reach a high ranking wolf in the pack. We hold the Vampire/Were Council meetings in secret locations. If they wanted to target The Council it would be easier to reach us during one of those meetings than at the Council chambers. A high ranking wolf would know the locations and could be tortured to give up the information."

Rafe stiffened, not having considered that possibility. His eyes turned to Rhianna who was also sitting up, her body tense.

"Call Jared immediately," she said quietly. "We assumed the attack was something to do with the children. If it wasn't then the next attack could happen at the Hanlon compound. They are part of the Were Council."

"Connor is still here," Rafe said tersely, falling silent for a moment and then turning back to his sister. "I've alerted Aaron to inform him so he can let Jared know instantly. Chances are the attack is more about the children but it's better to be safe than sorry. Jared and Millie will need to know about what we're discussing here."

Caleb agreed. "Doesn't Dayton need to take Freya to meet the rest of his family? Now might be a good time for them to do so. There is no harm in having an Ancient visit the Hanlon pack for a few days."

Despite the seriousness of the situation Rafe found himself smiling. His brother-in-law never ceased to amaze him the way he quickly took in a situation and came up with an instant solution. "We'll need to inform Dayton and Freya as well then," he said. "They've already suffered at the hands of these vampires. I won't send them in blind, Caleb."

"Of course you won't," the vampire answered swiftly even though he was still rather perplexed about just how Freya Eriksson had suddenly become a vital member of the Armand-Hanlon pack. She was the last person he had ever expected to change her ways but it gave him hope that she had. If Freya could come to love the wolves then just about any vampire could.

Rhianna's warm approval suddenly flared through their bond, her love shining brightly. She always seemed to know when he was battling with a problem and coming to a conclusion which she agreed with. His woman was truly remarkable and he thanked everything that was holy that he was blessed to have her in his life. His arms tightened around her and he bent to brush his lips against her hair.

"We wanted this group kept small because of what I'm about to propose next, Rafe," Rhianna said quietly. "It's not because we don't trust our friends. It's just the way it was in the past and it worked well that way."

Gard's interest was immediately piqued and his attention focused fully on his sister, trying to work out what she was about to say. His mind drifted to the past and he suddenly smiled a very slow smile, pride for his sister coursing through him.

"The Praetorians," he breathed softly, earning a soft smile from Rhianna as the words escaped him.

"Yes, Gard, it is time to call The Praetorians back into service."

Rhianna turned to Rafe, rising to coming and stand before him. "Long ago when there was only The Guardian to protect Anakatrine, a group of protectors were formed to assist with his task. Their identity was kept a secret and they lived in the shadows. They were the most deadly fighters of our kind, silent assassins of all who would threaten the royal hierarchy. They were The Praetorians and they served me well until I disbanded them in my wisdom, turning our people over to the first vampire Council."

She took a deep breath wondering if things would have been different if she hadn't made that decision. She shook the thought from her head acknowledging the past couldn't be changed. She could change the future though; she could protect their most precious treasures.

"It is time to reinvent The Praetorians," she announced. "Only this time their task will be to protect the children. Only the most trusted vampire will be inducted into their ranks. Their identities will remain a secret and they will be tested by the triumvirate before joining. Our magic will determine if they are worthy of the task asked of them. The pack will never see them, neither will the children. They deserve a chance to live normal lives full of love and happiness.

To ensure that, the Praetorians will never see the children either. They will be given their true scents as a way to protect them. Which is why you will need to instil in the children that they show their true scents should they ever be away from the protection of their pack and family and find themselves in need. It will be the only way The Praetorians will be able to defend them should the worst happen."

Rafe mulled over her words trying to work out whether it would better just to allow the children to know about their secret guardians. Annie made sense wanting them to have normal childhoods, to feel safe and secure but what if one of them didn't obey him and masked their scent when in danger?

Rhianna smiled. "You can always command them when they're old enough," she said and he shot her a startled look wondering if she'd just read his mind.

Her expression was so innocent that for a moment he thought she actually had and then he smiled too. No, she just knew him so well and how his mind worked when puzzling out something. "Will a brief burst of their true scent be enough for The Praetorians to track them, Annie? What happens when they mask their scent again? Will their guardians be able to follow the new scent?"

She nodded. "Until the children reach maturity and are deemed responsible enough to leave the pack on their own, their identities will be protected from everyone, including The Praetorians just in case one slips past us who means them harm. The Praetorians will be able to track by scent from a distance but be close enough that they can be there instantly should there be a need. There will always be a minimum of three of them to protect each child. We may slip up with one bad apple getting through but I doubt we will with three.

Rayne, as much as we all would prefer not to, can you enhance the children's teaching on shadowing? It is a good defence mechanism for them with only a few of us able to breach it. I will look into deciphering a way for their parents to also be able to see past it."

Rayne's growing respect and awe of the petite redhead blossomed. She didn't know her new sister very well but looking into her soul and sampling her emotions was enough to tell her that she could love the other woman as fiercely as her mate did. She had no idea why she'd ever worried about Gard's close relationship with his sister.

"That makes sense, Annie, though if you can find a way to settle their parents' worries it would be best. Ashleigh and Nors almost died when Liam shadowed himself. They need to be certain they can protect their young."

"So will you and Caleb be running these Praetorians?" Rafe asked, coming to terms with what was needed to protect his pack and feeling stronger knowing this shadowy group would be in place even if they would never see any actual evidence of it.

His sister turned to look at her mate and shook her head as Caleb quirked an eyebrow at her in query. He had left this up to her, to decide what she needed to feel comfortable with the protection of her family.

"No, that task will be left up to someone else," she finally answered turning back to her brother. "I have faith that between us we can come up with someone who is strong and dedicated whose loyalty will be unquestioned when given the task to head The Praetorians. It will mean that your existing defences will need to be kept up for a few months or so. Naturally, we will assist with whatever you need, Rafe, until such times as we have sufficient Praetorians to protect the children."

Demetri stirred, rising silently in one graceful movement, his wife moving with him as if they were one being instead of two. "I know exactly who to ask," he said quietly, his expression serious. "I will need to go out of town for a couple of days to track him down though. Mara will need protection while I'm away."

His wife shot him an irritated glare and rolled her eyes. "Mara is perfectly capable of taking care of herself," she muttered under her breath.

Demetri sighed dramatically, his lips twitching in a smile at her peeved tone. "Yes dear, but you know I'll only imagine someone is intending to harm you and then I'll get pissed. And we all know what happens when I get pissed, so don't argue with me about this woman. My peace of mind is preferable to the other option."

She grinned up at him, pulling his head down for a kiss as his expression told her he wouldn't be swayed on the matter. Despite his autocratic ways she couldn't help the thrill that ran through her at his over protectiveness. Sometimes it was just perfect to be a woman so loved that her man turned feral at just the thought of any harm coming to her. She wouldn't let Demetri know that though otherwise she'd never get to do anything without him dogging her every footstep.

"Fine, I'll stay with Caleb and Annie while you're out of town and I will not go to the Council chambers without an escort from either Alexei or Andrei. Satisfied?"

His smug smile was enough to make her mutter a very unladylike curse deep within even as she burst out laughing and kissed him again.

JazCullen
JazCullen
6,485 Followers