Bonded Spirits: Book Three Read online

I watched as the tiny woman’s breasts swayed as she fanned herself with a hand. I knew things could get interesting in a hurry with a sexed-up fairy queen in our party. My first instinct was to reach out and grab her. I didn’t want her to end up doing something to injure herself. I placed her inside my leather chest armor where she immediately went about pleasuring herself… loudly.

  I realized I wouldn’t be able to keep her quiet, but she was the least of our worries at the moment. I shifted my attention back on the ship and watched as Striker moved up and down along the deck, laughing loudly. I wasn’t going to let him escape this time. I promised my bonded they would get their revenge, and I’d do everything in my power to make good on that promise.

  While I scanned the rest of the area with my Sight, a bright light drew my attention down to the ground. Below our feet was a giant ball of swirling spirit. I opened my eyes and turned my head to Alysain. “Do you know if these cities have tunnels or sewers underneath us?”

  “Sewers? Not in a city as small as this. Only the slurry channel.” She pointed to a hole in the ground, where a building once stood. “There are many small holes like this one that lead down into that where they toss the scraps and innards of all the fish they catch, after they filet and clean them, before sending them on to the Capitol.”

  “Could a large creature, or several people fit in the channel?”

  Gwen nodded. “Oh yes, it’s quite large. Although, I’m not sure how one would get in there. Besides, I don’t know why anyone would ever willingly go into one. I can only imagine the stench inside one of those things.” She peeked over the wall for a second before dropping back down. “Look toward the bottom of the nearest ship where it meets the water. You should see a covered grate. That’s where it empties out into the sea.”

  I leaned over the wall and spotted a barred archway that led out to the sea. I dropped back down and nodded. “I saw it. I think I may know where the rest of the townspeople are. Are there any other ways in?”

  Alysain looked past me and pointed toward the foundation of what used to be a small shed. “That’s the city loo.”

  “The city shitter?” I shook my head and cringed at the thought. There’d be a good chance those poor bastards would die down there before I’d crawl my ass through a tunnel filled with piss and shit from an entire city that subsisted on nothing but fish and beer. “I’d rather take our chances with the grate.”

  “It’s right in view of the ship, there’s no way we will get the grate open without them seeing us.”

  I glanced back up to the forest and couldn’t see any sign of the goblins, but I knew they were waiting for my signal. My gut told me that I was going to need all the help we could get to take over that ship.

  My ears were still ringing from the explosions earlier, so I had to rely on my Sight to navigate our path to the ship. While we prepared to attack and make the final run to the ship, I turned toward Alysain. “I know you’re probably going to say yes to this no matter what, but I want you to be honest with me.”

  She furrowed her brow. “What?” She stretched out the word as she eyed me cautiously.

  “Is your wing truly healed enough for you to fly without pain?”

  She stared into my eyes. “Yes, it’s sore, but I promise you, I can fly without it hindering me.”

  I held my gaze for a few seconds, and after she didn’t falter, I nodded. “I need you to create a distraction.” I paused and scanned the area. “Also, do they have any special abilities that I should be aware of?”

  “I’ve heard that dhampir have the ability to teleport. Although, that skill should be limited to their home island of Darkholm. After the Great War, along with humans losing the ability to cultivate, dhampir lost the ability to teleport while in Aurilon.”

  “Okay, if you see anything different, let me know as soon as possible.” Alysain turned to launch into the sky and I stopped her before she could, holding her arm. “Please be careful. I’ll never forgive myself if you’re injured again.”

  She smiled and leaned forward, pressing her soft lips against mine. Her kiss tasted like cinnamon and sent shock waves through my body. She held a hand on my arm and nodded. “Thank you for caring about me, I promise I’ll be careful.”

  “Stay high enough out of their reach, but close enough to hold their attention.”

  “I can do that. Good luck.”

  I watched her raise up into the dark sky and within seconds she was circling high above Striker and the security detail he’d borrowed from the King’s Guard.

  Gwen and Isobel both gave me a knowing smile as I watched Alysain maneuver above the ship. I shook my head and gave them a small smile. “I don’t want to hear it.”

  As soon as the shouts started, I hurried along the wall and rushed down the first set of stairs I came across that led down to the docks.

  As I reached the bottom of the stairs, I used my Sight to look up at the large wooden transport ship. It appeared most of the crew were still inside. The ship reminded me a little of the Black Pearl. We approached from the aft of the ship. The only guard I saw was at the gangway plank in the center of the ship. Although, I knew there were more not far away.

  I led the others over to the heavy slurry gate leading out to the sea. I glanced inside but couldn’t see anything, but when I used my sight I knew there were at least fifty men, women and children crammed inside, most were likely fearful for their lives as their world exploded above them. I shifted to Isobel’s side. “I will need to use one of your swords.”

  The wolf-woman nodded and handed me a cutlass and I handed Dahlia the spear I’d been carrying.

  I waited near the grate for any signs of movement inside. Finally, knowing I couldn’t wait any longer, I called into the darkness. “Whoever’s there, if you’re able to fight, now’s the time. Pick up your weapons and join me. If you want any hope of saving your families, fight with me!”

  There was no response from the entryway behind me. If they didn’t want to fight for their lives, then they could die as cowards. I started forward and paused as a heavyset teen, only about eighteen years old, stepped up to the grate with a huge silver sword held in his right hand. His eyes blazed with hatred as he kicked the grate open. His features were immediately recognizable. He bore a striking resemblance to who I was sure was his father, Sven.

  The guards on the ship were beginning to shout and I knew that if they looked over the side of the ship that they would see us. As soon as I thought it, a man called out. “Striker! Down by the slurry grate!”

  A moment later I heard Striker’s voice cut through the darkness. “Kill them all!” The sounds of boots thudding against the wooden dock let me know that we only had a few seconds.

  I turned toward the young man. “What’s your name?”

  The man met my eyes, a determined look on his face. “James.”

  “James, come here, take this spear. It will be much easier for you to wield than that sword.”

  James nodded and hurried over. Dahlia handed me the spear and I gave her my cutlass. After exchanging weapons with him, I sliced through the air with his sword. The first of the attackers reached us and I met them head on. I was impressed with how sharp the blade of the sword was, as it slid through both attackers with little resistance. I held it out in front of me and nodded. “Maybe I need to give swords another chance.”

  James plunged his spear forward in a third guard that had already taken severe damage from Isobel. “It’s silver. Was my father’s.”

  With renewed determination, brought on by James’s silver sword, I swung and took out as many dhampirs as I could reach, pushing us toward the pier. I paused as several attempted to flank us. “James, stay behind me. Follow my lead.”

  I stepped onto the sturdy wooden dock, using the wagons and crates scattered about to my advantage. Occasionally, a body flew over our heads as Alysain dispatched the other dhampir one by one, lifting them high in the air and dropping them like a sack of bricks.

  W
e moved together as a group and pushed our way toward the ship. Several additional residents of Necross, emboldened by our actions, left the slurry grate and joined us as we moved forward.

  I heard the griffon in the sky above the city. She was cursing and laughing at Striker as he and his men tried to shoot arrows at her. I never expected the type of language that came from her, and tried to keep up with the vast selection of curses she slung at them. She was way too high and fast for them to have any chance of hitting her, though. She completed several revolutions and then swooped down to help us cut through the growing number of dhampir and King’s Guard. The sharp talons on her feet sliced through our attackers with ease.

  As the fighting intensified, I closed my eyes and tried to block out the overwhelming amount of tainted spirit that was trying to flow into me. It felt like small pinpricks on my skin as each strand tried to find its way in. I fought it off with everything in my power. No matter how badly I wanted to absorb it all, I knew it would be extremely dangerous.

  To add to the tainted spirit that I was trying to fight off, it appeared Jun was still struggling against the tainted spirit as well. I opened the flap on the inside of my chest armor and saw that the fairy queen was still furiously rubbing one out. She stared straight at me while she kept her fingers busy. If we’d not been fighting for our lives, I would’ve stopped to enjoy the show for a bit longer.

  Alysain stepped forward and flapped her giant wings, sending a powerful gust of air toward the oncoming attackers, and knocked several of them onto their backs or into the water.

  The attackers continued their march forward as I retrained my focus on one of the nearest guardsmen. Alysain leapt up and dragged one of her clawed feet down, starting at the man’s face down to his balls. A torrent of blood spilled onto the pier and the man fell motionless at our feet. The griffon turned and faced the remaining guardsman, and a look of terror rose to his face.

  He looked as if he were about to piss his pants. “Fuck this,” he said and retreated back down the pier.

  Dahlia and Gwen rushed after the man, catching him as he was about to jump off the pier. Dahlia wrapped the man’s head in vines and Gwen plunged a knife into his throat, killing him almost instantly.

  After several minutes we were bloodsoaked and out of breath. Several of the villagers from Necross did not survive the intense fighting, but the rest of our party remained unscathed. We’d taken out at least forty dhampir and guards in a matter of minutes.

  Striker’s voice rose from the deck of the ship. “On me!” Seconds later Striker appeared on the dock with several large dhampir men and women at his side. Each of the dhampir were different from the next. A woman with antlers, a man with curved horns, and two other women with wings walked at his sides. Their expressionless faces and slightly purple skin gave them a slightly dead look.

  Behind them the rest of his escort followed, and was composed of at least twenty King’s Guard.

  I peered into my pocket and glanced down to the fairy queen. “We could probably use a little help.”

  She stared back up at me, licked her lips, and pulled her finger out from between her legs. “As you wish.” She shot out of my pocket and released a stream of glittering dust in her wake. She beelined toward Striker and as she reached him, an explosion of blindingly bright colors filled the sky.

  I took advantage of the distraction and motioned for our group to move forward. Each of my bonded immediately engaged the dhampir at Striker’s sides, while Alysain and Jun worked together to take out as many of the King’s Guard from behind as they could. From the amount of bodies flying off the dock into the sea, I could tell they were doing an excellent job.

  Striker laughed and pulled a knife from a sheath on his hip. “I’m guessing you’ve figured out who you really are by now.” He spit on the ground as the chaos ensued around us. “And now you know why I must kill you.” He laughed again. “Not that I haven’t been wanting to do this since the day I met you.”

  It was at that moment that all the hatred I built for this man over the past couple of months came pouring out. Before I could stop myself, I activated my charge and released all the tainted spirit that had invaded my core. I smashed into his chest with such substantial force I swore I was going to explode through his body.

  Striker flew backward and landed hard on his ass. Before he could scramble up to his feet I activated my charge again. A sickening crack rang out as my knee connected with his forehead, and fresh blood rose to the wound. Striker stumbled but quickly regained his bearings.

  Gwen remained locked in combat with one of the elf dhampirs and slammed her knife into her attacker’s neck. At the same time, she kicked back with extreme force as Striker came within reach, landing a direct shot on his balls and sending him back to the ground.

  Striker let out a groan and stood again. A quick glance around told me that we’d successfully taken out every dhampir and King’s Guard. Gwen and Dahlia were the first to join my side, followed by Isobel, Alysain, and Jun. The fairy queen was still completely naked, but had blood splatters covering most of her body.

  Striker stepped backwards, trying to catch his breath. He called out, not realizing he was the last of his crew remaining. “What are you waiting for?! Attack them!” He coughed and took another step back. “I said attack them!” When nobody moved forward he stole a glance behind him. Instead of his band of merry men, he was greeted with a row of angry, armed goblins, and a dragon woman with a spear pointed at his back.

  Chapter Sixteen

  My bonded flanked the man, and I kept my eyes focused on him to ensure he didn’t even think about getting away.

  Striker straightened and nodded. “Well, you’re too much of a pussy to kill me. That’s nothing new. Imagine what they’ll say if you let me get away, yet again.” He laughed and shook his head. “I’m not sure who you’re more like, your pathetic excuse for a Whitehall father, or your whore mother. It’s a shame your brother isn’t here still so he could watch and see what a bitch you really are.”

  He took another step forward and I could feel the tainted spirit refilling my core. Tendrils of tainted spirit were already peeking out from my wrists as if anticipating my next move. My mind flashed to my brother. I knew Striker’s game by now, and I wasn’t going to let him get in my head.

  “Striker, it ends now.” I stepped forward, only a few feet away from one of the most evil men I’d ever met.

  Striker laughed louder and held his arms out to his sides. “At least let me get my dick sucked by one of your whores before you…” I didn’t let him finish. I’d heard enough. I closed the gap between us in half a second and had my hand closed around his throat. His eerie laugh faded and he clawed at my hands in an attempt to free himself. Several tendrils shot out of my wrist and surrounded his head, holding him in place as I clamped down tighter. I turned to Isobel. “I promised you revenge.”

  Gwen and Dahlia each grabbed one of Striker’s arms, ensuring he’d not be going anywhere. Isobel’s grayish-blue eyes flashed red as she walked forward slowly. Her gaze locked onto Striker as if he were her prey. With a quick lunge forward, she sank her blade into Striker’s heart, leaving the blade inside his chest.

  Striker’s eyes widened and I released my grip on his throat. He stared at me open-mouthed as he struggled to breathe. As I took a step back Isobel grabbed her sword out, spun and sliced his head clean off. His body fell to the ground and his head rolled to a rest a short distance away.

  I’d never find out what Striker knew of my parents, but at least the son of a bitch was dead. That was all that mattered. He’d never be able to hurt my bonded again. I looked up and everyone's eyes were trained on me. I let out a long breath. “I don’t think he’s going to survive that wound.”

  Gwen moved next to me and wrapped an arm around my back. “Fuck that guy.” She kicked her right leg and smashed her hoof into Striker’s decapitated head, sending it flying off the pier and into the water.

  As I led the o
thers across the docks and toward the ship I heard Gwen, Isobel, and Dahlia, replaying the battle we’d just had, and how Isobel finally got revenge for her father, and the rest of her family that had been tormented by Striker. It filled me with a sense of pride that they were so happy for each other. Even Mona chipped in and replayed what she’d seen from the forest while waiting for the goblins.

  I turned to Alysain who flew a short distance above my left shoulder. “Will you take Jun and scout the deck of the ship? I want to ensure there aren’t any stragglers.”

  Jun flew down and landed on my shoulder. “Sorry about my actions during the fight. The tainted spirit flowing out of them was just too much to handle.” She turned her head down and blushed. “I told you it does crazy things to me.” She flew up so that her mouth met my ear. “I like it, though. I was envisioning you deep inside of me. I came four times while I was in your pocket. Your scent, your muscles, mmm…” she trailed off and shook her head as if clearing her mind of the thoughts that were undoubtedly rising once more. “What I’m trying to say is... be ready. When I get the chance, I will fuck you.” Her eyes flashed dark violet as she shot up into the air.

  I watched her small naked body dart up toward the tall masts of the wooden ship and, while intrigued, I couldn’t envision the logistics of how that could possibly work. Regardless, the vivid mental images took a bit for me to shake out of my mind as I continued up into the ship.

  The group of goblins headed toward the dock, led by Fapplejack and Fap’zak. The mechanical-legged Fapplejack looked right at home as he directed the others to collect a variety of tools, lines, and large sacks that had been staged for loading by the dhampir.

  Fapplejack turned to me with an excited expression plastered across his face. “You have no idea how badly I’ve wanted to return to a ship, Logan sir.”

  He looked like he was conducting a complex play, and he was doing it well. I hadn’t had much time to sail when I was younger, so I was glad that we had some capable sailors along with us.