Arryn: Mystic Protectors Series

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locations, organizations, or person, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

WCP

World Castle Publishing, LLC

Pensacola, Florida

Copyright © Kathi S. Barton 2015

Print ISBN: 9781629892207

eBook ISBN: 9781629892214

First Edition World Castle Publishing, LLC, February 20, 2015

http://www.worldcastlepublishing.com

Licensing Notes

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews.

Cover: Karen Fuller

Editor: Maxine Bringenberg

Chapter 1

Boss watched the play between the men. It was something that He enjoyed more than He could have told anyone. Not that anyone wouldn’t have believed Him, but He doubted that they’d get it. He rarely had time to do much more than work and this was a treat, a rare one that He wanted to enjoy. When Kala sat beside Him, He nearly told her that He preferred to be alone, but knew that she’d stay anyway.

“She’s here.” Boss knew that so said nothing, but looked at her. “You said she was lost, but you never said that she was…what happened to her?”

“It will be her story to tell and not mine, I’m afraid. There is little I can tell you that you’d believe anyway. It is a story that hurts my heart.” Kala nodded and He turned back to the fields where the other protectors were. “You have sent her to see Judith, as I have asked you to do?”

“I have. She’s not overly thrilled about it, but she went. What can Judith do for her that we can’t?” Boss didn’t answer. “You said she’s wholly human, but she’s not, is she?”

“No. She’s human but not….” He stood up then and so did Kala. She was large with her and Riss’s children now, and He was going to have to have her rest soon. But she would fight Him on this, as she did everything. “Judith can see what others cannot. What the girl might not even be aware of. And what she is aware of has her hurting in ways that no one can heal but herself.”

Reyna Sharp was weighing heavily on His mind and heart. He was sure that everyone around Him could see that He was in pain, but not the reason for it. Michael might have an idea, but he’d never breach his promise to keep things he knew to himself. It was one of the many things that He loved about the man. And He was fearful that her mate would not be able to break through her pain to help her in time.

“Is she for Arryn?” Boss said nothing, but He had a feeling that Kala knew a great deal more than anyone. Judith and she could see right into the heart and mind of anyone. “She’s hard. Hurt and hard. I think she might be harder than even Judith or I were before You helped us with our truer nature. Not like Dusty, but maybe close.”

“I don’t know if perhaps we’ll be too late for her.” Kala said His name and He turned to look at her. “I have found her to be unwilling to accept things. And there were things that she has been told that I wasn’t aware of until a few days ago. The one person that should have loved her more than herself has betrayed her in ways that…I wish I could have been made aware of it sooner.”

“Is she going to die?” Boss nodded at Kala’s question. “How? And I’m assuming You mean her mother. What could a mother do to her own child that has hurt You so badly? And if You tell me it was in the name of what her future holds, I won’t believe You. You’re hurting too.”

Boss needed to talk. And in talking with this woman, His first of many wives of His protectors, He knew that she’d not judge Him. Perhaps she’d be angry with Him for a time, but she’d not be that way for long. As He stood there, Boss thought of the day that Reyna had been born.

“She was born of rape. Her mother had been brutalized and Reyna was conceived. It was never known to the people who cared for her which man had sired her. There had been so many.” Kala asked Him if He knew. “It was them all. She is a product of all of them.”

“And these men, did they live or have they paid for their crime against her mother?” Boss told her that they had not. “I see. And you are expecting her to take care of this for You? To bring these men to justice for You?”

“Nay, I do not see them playing a part in her life again. They do not…two of them know of her but they care nothing for her, and will not come into her life for any reason. The rest have no knowledge of her birth or her life.” Kala asked Him how many there had been. “Five. Three of them aren’t human, but that mattered little in the outcome. Their magic—some semi-powerful, some not—has become a part of the girl. It gave her a talent that I thought we could use here.”

“Yet you said that she’s human. I’m assuming that there is a difference with this that I don’t understand.” He told Kala that there was much she did not understand. “Yet you want me to help her.”

“I want you to care for her. Keep her from harm.” He turned to her then. “She is for Arryn as you have surmised, but he will…I fear that he will be hurt more from this child than by anything he did in his long life. She will not mean it, but he will be hurt by her…if things do not change.”

“You told us that she was lost. I guess I don’t understand that. What does her being lost mean to You?” He turned away again; the pain in His own heart hurt. “Boss? I can’t help her if You don’t tell me.”

“Her soul is no longer hers and she belongs to the underworld. A deal was made for it long before I was made aware of it. She has…I have failed her in this.” He turned to Kala to tell her the rest. “In a few weeks she will be taken to the underworld as a plaything. And once there, everything will be lost for her.”

“Who does she belong to?” He only looked at her and Kala knew. “We’ll get it back for her. Who would do such a thing? How could it be done?”

“Her mother, as you have guessed.” Kala sat down then. Her babies moved beneath her hand and Boss moved to put His hand there as well…to calm them, He told Himself, but it was for His comfort. “She gave her daughter to him when she was but a babe, still needing the bottle to feed. Her life—her mother’s life—was not a hard one, but her mind was not always calm after what they did to her. In a fit of…what I can only think of as madness, she sold her child to him in order to live forever. It has not served her as she’d hoped, I think.”

“Is there a way to get it back for her?” There was a way, but He wasn’t willing to speak of it yet. “Boss, You do know that once Arryn finds out what she is to him, he will do everything in his power to get it back for her.”

“I know this as well as you do.” He moved away from her now. “I would ask that you say nothing of this for now. I have things I must work out that only I can deal with. Should you talk to her again, watch her closely. Her magic, that of her sires, is coming to fruition and she will need help with it. I think she can control it, but there are times when she will be overwhelmed by it, too.” Kala nodded and Boss willed Himself to His office.

The pictures on His wall today were not ones that He normally held there. Images of the violent rape of Penny Sharp, mother to Reyna, were there for Him to see and to watch again and again. And He had, over and over, looking for a clue He knew was there. He’d not been able to find it, even after all these years, and not…well, now it was nearly too late to do much about it.

“You have spoken to Kala then?” Boss looked up at Michael…not only His right hand man, but His friend as well. When He nodded, Michael came into the room and sat down in the chair that had seated so many before today. “She will do much to help her. I think perhaps you should tell the others what You think as well. They can help You where no one else would.”

“I cannot tell them what I do not know for sure.” Michael nodded and said nothing more as He continued. “Her mother was not just in the wrong place at the wrong time, my friend, but someone planned this. There is something there that I am missing.”

“I believe You. But like You have said before, we cannot prove it so we must keep digging. The things in the underworld are not as easy for us to see, even when we know something has been done to one so young. How much time does she have left?” Boss knew right to the second, and didn’t look at the clock ticking down on the wall as He told Michael. “So little left.”

“I’m aware of that.” He looked at Michael. “I’m sorry, but I feel as if I have failed her. It was all I could do not to go to the girl and tell her how sorry I am for what I failed to do for her. I know not what to do, other than to have Arryn love her for what little time she has left.”

After Michael left him, Boss looked at the wall of frames again. He watched the images move forward, and feared that one outcome in particular would be the one that happened. The second one, this one more pleasing to Him, was something He only watched when in His deepest despair. That one not only had Arryn happy, but young Reyna whole as well. And with a family to love.

He reached for Reyna now, and saw that she was just arriving at the shop that Judith owned. He was happy to see that not only was Dusty there, but young Kip as well. He was very proud of the young boy, almost as much as He was of Kip’s new mother. As he moved closer to them in the shop, He listened for any sign that Reyna was going to be friendly towards the others, or whether she would remain as she’d been her entire life…alone.

~~~

Reyna, or Renie to most people who knew her, walked into the shop and asked to speak to a woman by the name of Judith. Renie knew that Judith was the owner of the place, but not what the hell she was doing there. But the presence…the feeling that they were not alone made her look around. It was then that a young man came to ask her if she was ready to be seated.

“I’m here to see a Judith Guardian.” He nodded but watched her. There was something about the young kid that made her squirm a little. “Are you going to draw a picture later or are you always this rude?”

“No. Rude would be what you are right now. I’m just trying to see what you have going on in your hair. Did you know that you have about ten shades of red going on there?” Renie lifted her chin and the kid laughed. “Yeah, that’ll get you far in life. I had the same attitude a while back. Got me nowhere but stuck with a demon that wanted to fuck me. What’s your excuse?”

“I want to be left alone.” Which was true. Renie had no use for people and would really like to be left alone. When the boy showed her to the table near the counter and left her, Renie looked around.

The hum of the computers around the room comforted her. She could have pulled her own out and lost herself in it, but the courts had told her that she wasn’t allowed to use it unless it was for business. There were ways for her to get around that, but for now she’d follow their rules. When a very beautiful woman came toward her Renie started to stand up, but she just stayed where she was. There was nothing these people could give her that she couldn’t buy on her own.

“You’re Reyna Sharp.” Renie nodded and told her to call her Renie. “Okay. I’ve been told that you can work on my systems for me. Get me up and running faster than anyone in town, as well as keep the place safe for people to use the Wi-Fi. And to also find out why I’m losing money hand over fist in the bank. They have no idea either. I checked.”

“I can do that. But you know that I’m here only because I broke the law.” Judith asked her what she’d done. “I didn’t take anything, but only pointed out the error of their ways.”

“You broke into their server and made it fuck up for an entire week. Then you sent an email to them and told them how to fix it. I believe that is the only reason you’re not in prison. Cyber-espionage is against the law, as I’m sure you’ve figured out.” Renie said nothing. She knew it was wrong before she’d done it, but she’d been bored and hurt, which usually got her into trouble. “How old are you? You don’t look to be much older than Kip.”

“I’m almost twenty-five. I’m just undernourished, the doc said, as well as I don’t get enough outside activity. Like that is supposed to be a diagnosis.” Judith said that she thought it was. “I’m fine. I have to work for you for six months. But I’m also to tell you that I don’t have that long.”

“What do you mean?” Renie looked away. “I can look if you don’t tell me. I have that ability to see what others might keep from me.”

“I’m going to hell.” When she stood up so did Judith. If she understood what was going to happen to her, she didn’t say. Renie asked her where she wanted her to go to work.

“Here or in the office. I know from Kala that you want to be left alone, so if you go to the office, it’ll be noisy and crowded. If you pick a table, no one will bother you. What do you need from me?” Renie told her. “All right. I’m assuming that you are aware that by me giving you my passwords that if anything comes up missing, I will own your ass and make your trip to hell seem like child’s play.”

“Bring it on.” Renie stared at the woman, who finally nodded and walked away. Judith had been in her mind, and while Renie knew that she could have stopped her from looking, she didn’t bother. There were only five more months of her life left as far as anyone knew, and she was tired of thinking about it all the time. In fact, if asked she’d tell them she was simply tired.

As soon as she sat at one of the bigger tables in the pretty little restaurant, Renie pulled out her computers and other things she’d need. The password and account numbers were brought to her, as well as a thick sandwich. Renie ate half of it and drank two of the bottles of water before wrapping up what was left and putting it in her bag with the last of the water. She had no idea when she’d take time for another meal like this one.

It took her less than five minutes to access all the accounts, and another five to get into some that Judith hadn’t given her. There was a great deal of money in the accounts, five of them that she’d found already, as well as her business and savings accounts. The woman had to be doing a hell of a job if her balance was any indication. When another bottle of water was put next to her, Renie opened it with a thanks but never looked up.

She was vaguely aware of people coming and going in the place. There were noises that made her think that a bunch of good friends were there. Laughter as well as the feeling of love entered into her head. Renie was aware of it all but never looked up. Her mind was nearly completely focused on what she was doing.