Paladin (Book Two of the Elemental Paladins series) Read online

  To finally learn who and what she was and to be amongst her own kind, must be an unbelievable relief. Max soaked up affection like a sponge, having gone so long without any. The fact that all of his fellow paladins had fallen head over heels for her was like a balm to her lonely heart. So to see her brand on the man she loved? Well, Darius knew just how important that had to be to her. Treading carefully, he offered;

  “It’s not that I don’t like it, Max …” And it truly wasn’t. The sleeve was a thing of beauty. Axel had been correct in calling it artwork. It looked to be a series of black and grey lines interwoven in some sort of intricate pattern. The only hint of colour he could see anywhere was the druidic symbol for life. Given Ryker was a paladin of life, he figured that must be significant. Walking over to take a closer look, he could see the small rune was centre stage on Ry’s inner forearm, right where a typical coat of arms would be. A mixture of vines, branches, thorns, flames, and feathers swirled around and branched over his entire arm from wrist to shoulder. The complex shading seemed to flow like water. He could also make out six more druid symbols interspersed in the flames and vines – they were perfectly matched with Max’s own domain symbols tattooed on her back. He really wasn’t surprised. Ryker had discovered the seven druid elemental runes hidden in Max’s tattoo the night before and had figured out they were her Heraldry. She had instinctively melded them into her art without realising their significance.

  What did surprise him though, was seeing the shimmering pale purple, almost white quality of the life symbol. And as Ryker moved his arm, it seemed almost three-dimensional. It wasn’t large, no bigger than a twenty-cent piece, but the fact that it shimmered in the light and seemed to stand out from his skin, made it the first thing you saw. Reaching out his hand, he raised an eyebrow for permission. Ryker nodded and extended his arm out further. Darius tentatively ran his hand over the intricate vines and thorns.

  “Holy –” He barely managed to cut off his expletive as he jumped back, putting distance between him and the now moving coat of arms. The dark lines of twisted branches appeared to writhe in the wake of his touch. After a couple of seconds, they were once again still, bar for a couple of leaves settling as if they had been ruffled by the wind … or by someone shaking a branch. Ryker’s symbol for life had also glowed and it definitely looked three-dimensional – it wasn’t just a trick of the eyes.

  Darius knew he must look like an idiot – standing there, jaw hanging open, eyes wide, staring at Ryker’s inked skin like it was going to attack. But jeez, moving Heraldry was just not normal! It was almost as if … it was alive.

  “Cool, huh?” Max chirped happily, seemingly ignorant of his internal freak-out. “It’s almost as if it’s alive!” She finished, repeating his own thoughts back to him – which served to freak him out further. A Warden shouldn’t be able to hear their paladin’s thoughts until they bonded.

  “Darius?”

  “What?!” He didn’t mean to snap at the tiny female, but, well … Ryker’s coat of arms had been moving! At his abrupt retort, Ryker’s brows slammed down and he stepped in front of Max, his large frame completely blocking her from view.

  “Watch your tone, Darius.” The rumbled words were practically growled out and there was no mistaking the implied ‘or else’ threat in them.

  Darius winced. Yeah, Ryker would wipe the floor with him if he said or did anything to upset his new lover and liege. Still, you’d think he’d cut him some slack, given all the insensitive and harsh comments he’d been spewing the past few weeks. But Darius hadn’t gotten to be over a thousand years old by being stupid, so he wisely kept his mouth shut. Instead, he peered around Ryker’s body mass at Max. The adorable pout was gone and this time real concern shone in her turquoise eyes.

  “I’m sorry, honey. I didn’t mean to snap.” He held out his hand, which she immediately grabbed, and he kissed the back of it as was his habit in the past. “It just surprised me is all. Not only is your Heraldry encompassing Ryker’s whole arm, but, well, it moved! That’s not …” Seeing Ryker’s fearsome glare, he quickly amended the word ‘normal’ to, “… typical.”

  Quick to forgive, Max rolled her eyes. “Yeah, no shit. I figured that out when Ryker screamed like a girl in the shower this morning when it did its thing.”

  “I did not scream like a girl!” Ryker scowled and crossed his arms over his chest.

  Max merely snorted and made her way to the refrigerator, “Did so too.”

  Axel, who had actually been quiet for more than five minutes for once, snagged her arm and dragged her onto his lap. “I believe you, sweetheart. The man is easily startled, like a mumma grizzly bear.” He teased, ruffling her port-red hair. Ryker growled even as Max giggled and Darius couldn’t help but smile at the sound. Yeah, Axel really was an asset to the team and he had appointed himself Max’s overprotective big brother – if you ignored the constant flirting, that is.

  “I think your Heraldry is great! Completely badass! Puts all those other puny, non-moving ones to shame.” Axel continued.

  “Axel …” Darius began warningly. Talking about other Heraldry and Wardens in such an insulting manner, could earn one serious reprisals. Nothing like the public floggings and whippings of the past, but still …

  The fire paladin merely levelled serious blue eyes at him and Darius knew without a shadow of a doubt that Axel considered Max his liege. He would die to protect her and offer her loyalty and friendship to the end of his days. Darius felt the same way, he truly did. But he couldn’t help his concerns or his few reservations from forming front and centre in his mind. He liked things ordered and in control. Max was very … unordered. The mere fact that she was a Custodian was enough to rock him to his core. In time, he knew he would reconcile all this new and chaotic information, but he needed to be able to process, assess and act accordingly. So first up would be trying to pry some more information out of the tight-lipped Goddess, then it would be research time with the books.

  Before he could start asking anything, however, the rest of the household breezed into the room. They were at least fully clothed, although Lark and Beyden also wore workout gear. Cali’s long blonde hair was still damp and her loose summer dress was sticking to her – she rarely dried off completely after a swim before donning her clothes. And then there was Diana. The woman of his musings from ages past. She was fully dressed in designer jeans and a muted green singlet top. Her curly hair was as perfectly styled as curls could get, and she had a light dusting of makeup on. She was, as always, perfect.

  Darius forced himself not to linger on her visage longer than any of the others. He had become rather adept at it over the years. “Good morning.” He offered to all. A series of ‘good mornings’ followed as everyone made their way to the coffee machine, fridge or pantry. Paladins were big eaters. He noticed Beyden and Lark subtly eyeing Max as if she were a ghost. Clearly he wasn’t the only one to find the whole Custodian situation a little unnerving.

  “How is our little Custodian this morning? Still a Goddess?” Cali asked, cheekily. Apparently, it didn’t bother her in the slightest. How she could be so flippant about the whole thing, Darius couldn’t fathom.

  Max shrugged, “I guess so. Ryker explained a little about it last night; how the Druids were the original guardians of the world, born from Mother Nature herself to protect, guide and create the elements. But it became too much for the few Druids and so some humans were given similar abilities – the Wardens.” She buttered her toast casually as if she were telling a fairy-tale instead of recounting the most sacred facts of their history. “He also said the Druids – or Custodians – aren’t supposed to be so fleshy.”

  “Fleshy?” Beyden asked, confused.

  Max waved her toast around before pinching the skin on her arm, “Yeah, you know, fleshy, like skin and bones. They were like spirits or something. Given that I am indeed very fleshy, I’m not sure how I can be one of these Custodians. But, it does feel … more right. It always sounded a bi
t off whenever you called me a Life Warden. This doesn’t – it’s comfortable.” She ate her last bite of toast before continuing, “And apparently my Heraldry is different to other wardens, so I guess that’s more proof.”

  “Your Heraldry?” Cali asked, latching onto the end part of the conversation with interest. “Who’d you bond with?”

  “Who do you think?” Axel rolled his eyes, “My room is the closest to Ryker’s but I swear I’m moving bedrooms! I don’t think I can function if I keep hearing all those squeals and grunts bleeding through the walls every night.” He shuddered.

  Ryker merely slapped him upside the back of his head as he passed, flashing his new brand in the process.

  “Oh, wow! That is so cool!” Cali exclaimed, eyes widening. Turning to Max, she stated, “I want one!”

  “Okay!” Max squealed and bounded over to her friend, placing one hand on Cali’s left arm and one over her heart, before anyone could move.

  “No! Wait!” Darius cried out, trying to stop Max before it was too late. But the air had already started to charge with electricity as wind whipped around, lifting hair and rustling clothes gently. A pleasant warmth engulfed the kitchen and he saw Max’s eyes go opaque before they began to swirl with a rainbow of colours. Cali gasped as a series of branches, thorns, vines, feathers and flames began to swirl their way up her arm from wrist to shoulder. Darius watched in wonder as all seven of Max’s domain symbols began to appear against the black and grey tapestry. The whole scene was over in a matter of seconds and as Max removed her hands, he could see the shimmering, luminescent, somehow three-dimensional water symbol, centred and blue on Cali’s forearm.

  Darius pinched the bridge of his nose, his only outward sign of distress. What should have been a sacred ritual witnessed by the most supreme members in their society, had taken place in the kitchen with bare feet, sweaty bodies and saltwater hair. Yep, Max sure was a strain to his perfectly ordered world.

  TWO

  Diana watched in awe as Max casually bonded Cali to her as easily as if she were blowing out a candle. Typically, when a paladin wished to pledge their allegiance to a warden, they first submitted their application to the Local Warden Council. After ensuring the paladin’s bloodline, reputation and completion of training, the local council would then recommend the paladin to the International Domain Council. The IDC had the final say of who would be bound into what Order – although they did attempt to ensure a natural bond was present – the overall goal was creating a powerful Order. Once approved, a ceremony took place in front of the IDC, the local council in their area, and all other local paladins and wardens. Bonding ceremonies only happened twice a year and were a very big deal. Not only did the swearing of allegiance need to be witnessed, but the warden’s coat of arms, or Heraldry, needed to be observed and documented in the Chronicles. Max had just made a big boo boo as far as their councils and traditions were concerned.

  Casting a glance around the room, she assessed the various responses from her fellow knights. Ryker was resigned, Cali thrilled, Lark and Beyden appeared a little frightened and a lot awe struck, Axel was smiling indulgently, and Darius? Diana shook her head. The poor man was valiantly struggling to hide his reaction. She could only imagine what the whirlwind that was Max was doing to the staid, ordered psyche that was Sir Darius.

  Diana really wasn’t surprised to see the look of strain on his handsome face. It wasn’t really that obvious and others who didn’t know him so well probably wouldn’t have even noticed, but the lines around his clear hazel eyes were pinched and his nostrils were slightly flared. Diana had been studying his perfect countenance for hundreds of years and recognised the tell-tale signs of agitation easily. He had always been one of the handsomest men she had ever encountered. Too bad he was also one of the most stuck-up. Not stuck-up as in snobby or posh, but he was a rule-follower to the nth degree. He believed in duty and responsibility above all else, almost to the point of obsession. Most certainly to the point of sacrificing his own needs and desires in order to ensure every rule or law was adhered to precisely. As a result, Diana had gone centuries without ever knowing the intimate touch of the air paladin. Sure, she could have tried harder over the years, maybe taken advantage in his rare times drinking or in his time of grief. But she had meant it when she told him he would have to ask her.

  Prideful? Yes.

  Stubborn? Most definitely.

  But just as Darius had a personal code he followed, so did she; she didn’t beg for anything.

  But he sure was looking good this morning, she acknowledged. Dressed in their uniform of black cargo pants and a black tee shirt, newspaper spread in front of him and a cup of tea at his elbow, the man looked dangerous and sophisticated at the same time. How someone could pull that look off, Diana didn’t know, but he always somehow managed to do it. He was just so … fine. The instant attraction she had felt for him when she had first laid eyes on him eight hundred years ago in the Battle of Lisbon, still perplexed her. She had known who he was of course – every paladin and warden knew of the famous Magne brothers. His lineage was distinguished and could be traced back to one of the original wardens from the time of the Druids. His family line had been producing powerful wardens and paladins alike for centuries. Too bad it resulted in Darius being a pathological rule-follower.

  Even now, Diana couldn’t understand why Darius’s rejection of her that day had hurt so much. It wasn’t like she had known him then other than the magnificent way he had swung a sword. She flexed her hand in remembrance of the heat that had flared to life between them when their skin had touched. She hadn’t felt anything like it before nor since. And Darius had denied it. The big coward! She thought, silently. He couldn’t bend the rules for just one minute to consider the potential that had been standing in front of him. And here they were, thrown together again after eight centuries, and he was still ignoring the possibilities. All because of an esteemed family legacy in a society that had turned their backs on him because of one incident that had been no fault of his own. Their society needed a swift kick, Diana knew, and watching Max ooh and ahh over her new coat of arms, gave Diana hope that said kick was imminent.

  “Max, I think we need to have a little talk.” Darius’s deep voice was just as attractive as his face and had Diana shaking herself out of her stupor. Dwelling on the past never resulted in changing it, so why bother?

  Making her way to the table, she gave both Max and Cali an affectionate kiss on the cheek, “Congratulations, ladies. The Heraldry suits you both.” She then reached up and dragged Ryker’s face down to her level, before planting a kiss directly on his lips. “Good job, Boss-man. You snagged yourself a winner.”

  Ryker grumbled good-naturedly and a slight flush dusted across his smooth cheeks. Diana still found it strange to look at her Captain and not see that horrendous scar covering half his face. Although he didn’t look like a mass murderer anymore, he was still an imposing figure and Diana figured his bad boy rep would still be solidly intact.

  “Ryker, please.” Darius’s voice was now a touch sterner and had the Captain’s eyebrows rising. “We really need to address the elephant in the room.”

  Max’s eyes narrowed, “I know you’re not calling me an elephant, Darius.”

  Diana contained her snicker when Darius’s eyes widened in horror as Max questioned his wording. That man was just too easy. No doubt he was concerned about potentially offending a higher member of society. When was he going to accept that Max was different and she was always going to be different? Ryker was very clearly on board, despite having the deepest reservations at the beginning. Most likely because he was sleeping with her, Diana acknowledged, but still …

  “I didn’t mean to imply –”

  Max cut him off with a wave of her hand, “Relax, Darius. Geez, lighten up dude. You’re totally ruining my moment of triumph here.”

  “I’m sorry Max, but I’m going to be spending the day researching Custodians – if that is fine with you, Ry
?” He asked.

  Ryker nodded. “I was going to suggest the same thing. Thanks, man.”

  Darius smiled, revealing his even white teeth. The man even had fine teeth, Diana thought. “I was hoping you could answer a few questions for me.” He asked Max, politely.

  Max crinkled her nose, “Like what?”

  “Well, like your first memory. You said you woke up in Sydney as a teenager and couldn’t remember anything …” He trailed off.

  Max shifted a little uncomfortably now. Diana knew she didn’t enjoy sharing her past. She got the feeling there were many aspects to the complicated woman they had yet to discover and many things in her past that she wanted to keep private. Diana could relate, she honestly could. Everyone here had things in their past and most were yet to disclose those pasts to Max as well. But she also agreed with Darius. If Max was indeed a Custodian – she totally was – then they definitely needed to figure a few things out.

  “That’s right. Nothing.” Max confirmed. “I couldn’t even read. I told you that.”