Curiously, none of the guys seemed to even bat an eyelid at the suggestion they were not human. I seemed to be the only one struggling with learning that I was not only a supernatural creature—which, let’s be honest, was kind of obvious—but a totally different species altogether. Something I’d never even heard of.
“In a nutshell, your kind is capable of almost limitless magic, but it all comes at a price. Your physical form can only contain so much magic at any one time, so the Ban Dia sought out Guardians, or dionach, to act as a sort of magical backup generator. They searched the Earth and chose the most prime examples among human men—the strongest, smartest, fastest men they could find—then they imbued them with their own ancient magic, effectively creating the first supernaturals. When a Ban Dia expends a huge amount of magic, she can then pull from her dionach to refuel.” He paused to squint at me. “Are ye still with me, girl? You’re awful pale there.”
“Yeah,” I squeaked, then cleared my throat. “Ah huh, keep going. Just... processing.”
Vic nodded at me. “Righto. So back in the beginning of time, when the Ban Dia discovered they could use human men like this, like battery packs, there was a power struggle. Several of the originals tried to amass as many dionach as they could to gain control of people or land or whatever. Wars are silly. Anyway, it quickly became clear that three was the limit. No Ban Dia was ever able to bind more than three Guardians to her, which kept a balance of power.” He quirked his scarred eyebrow and looked pointedly at my group of six men. Austin had slipped back in silently at some stage and was slouched against the door, looking bored. I knew him better than that though, and the tightness around his mouth told me how tense he was.
“Since then, the relationship between Ban Dia and dionach has evolved into more of the normal sort of relationship between a man and woman. Or, three men and a woman, as it is.” Vic continued, “You’ll be capable of incredible magic, but you’ll also need to recharge.”
“And by recharge... you mean...” Wesley blushed in a sexy sort of way as he asked this, and Vic chuckled.
“What do ye think I mean, lad?” The scarred man grinned as Wesley blushed a little deeper. “I’m just teasing ye; it doesn’t always have to be sexual. Once you get good at what you’re doing, really get a handle on your magic, then you’ll be able to pull with just simple skin to skin contact. Until then, though, intimacy is the easiest way.”
“So you’re saying that three of us are Kit’s guardians, then? Her dionach?” Caleb spoke up for the first time with a really damn good question. Was I going to have to choose? Or did fate decide for me?
“No.” Vic shook his head, and my heart plummeted. If not them... then who? “I’m not saying three of you are. I’m saying all of you are. I can feel her magic on all six of ye. Exact same way I feel Bride on Nicky and Lachlan. If I were a betting man, I’d guess it was—” He cut off with a hiss, clutching his hand to his throat.
“Victor?” I exclaimed. “Are you okay? What’s happening?”
“Roadblock, I presume?” Wesley murmured, frowning with thought.
Victor shut his eyes tight and took a few deep breaths before re-opening them and looking over to Austin.
“Didn’t I send you to fetch Annaliese and Nicky?” he asked, and Austin glared back at him.
“They were nowhere to be found.”
“Hmmph, typical. Hiding out until I bear the brunt of this.” Vic’s voice was husky and rough like he’d swallowed acid. “Yes, boy. Roadblock.” He nodded at Wesley.
“Magic?” Caleb asked, with a strange look on his face.
“Magic,” Vic spat. “Bride doesn’t want people knowing her business. Her secrets are her secrets, so she placed a geas on us, her dionach, which prevents us speaking them. Over time, mine has worn thinner than the others, but it’s still very much there. Probably why Nicky sent you to me.”
A rapid pounding at the door interrupted whatever Caleb had been about to say. Probably a good thing too, as Caleb’s hand in mine was clenched tight in an anger I didn’t quite understand. “Sorry to interrupt, Vic,” a young man puffed, letting himself in when Austin moved away from the door. “We heard you were back. We need help. One of the pups isn’t waking up from the tranq dart, and she’s struggling to breathe...”
“Make yourselves comfortable. I’ll be back.” Vic heaved his huge frame out of the chair and threw his deep hood back over his head.
“Wait,” I struggled up from my seat. “What are you going to do? Do you have the ability to heal, too?”
Vic paused on his way out the door, turning back to me. “Aside from being a shifter and a dionach, I’m also a doctor. Between magic and medicine, I’m as close as these pups get to a healer, but no one can heal the way the Ban Dia could before the plague.”
“But didn’t Bridget heal the three of you? Back at Blood Moon?” I followed him as he strode out of the house and into the street. I knew he’d looked familiar, but the scarring had thrown me off until just then. He was definitely one of the patients from Blood Moon, which meant maybe Lachlan was the other one.
“Aye, but we’re her chosen dionach. She had to heal us to make us immortal like herself. She didn’t manage to escape the plague unscathed and lost her ability to heal except in the case of her dionach.” He paused in the middle of the road and looked down at me, then glanced to the six men following us. “You think you have what the rest of your people lost?”
“I think it’s worth a try.” Despite the shock of all I had just learned, a kid’s life was in danger, and I possibly held the power to save her. Surely I needed to at least try?
Vic squinted at me for a moment, his scarred skin rippling in a peculiar way, before grunting a noise of agreement. “Very well then, let’s try.”
2
The little kid lying in her single, princess bed was instantly recognizable as the one Simon had held hostage when we’d spoken in the middle of the battle. My heart clenched with guilt seeing her sobbing mother hovering beside the bed, and I knew without a doubt I needed to help them.
This whole thing was my fault. They’d lived in this isolated shifter community for who knew how many years, and within hours of my arrival, they were being drugged, abducted, and killed.
“Well, if you’re going to try, do it quickly,” Vic prompted me, and I stumbled forward a couple of steps to reach the little girl’s bed. “Can you work around me if I check her vitals?”
“I think so.” I had no idea. The only times I’d ever actually made my magic work had been for Cole and Vali, both of whom had been on the edge of death and, based on the info dump Vic had just provided, probably were also my Guardians.
“Kerri, it might be good to give us some space?” Vic gently suggested to the girl’s mother, and the stricken look she gave us both made my chest constrict.
“What? No! I’m not leaving her here with my girl!” The woman spat the words with a venomous glare towards me. I didn’t blame her.