Her Mythical Warriors (Book One)

They traveled through the forest, for hopefully the last time for a while. Talking and getting to know their new friends. A cry in the sky had Akira looking up, and she sucked in a shocked breath when she saw the magnificent creature.

“I think he’s lonely,” Jules said with a chuckle, then whistled.

The magnificent bird flew down to them and stopped in front of them, his wings flapping in the air as he stood straight up, his stomach bared to them. Akira wanted to touch him. But she was afraid the bird would bite her finger off.

“Don’t be afraid of him,” Julianne said with a smile. “He won’t harm you. Not as long as you don’t harm me.”

Akira smiled and moved to touch the bright red feathers of his wings. Wolfric took hold of her arm, and she turned to him with a smile.

“It’s okay,” Akira assured her Wolf Warrior.

Wolfric did not look convinced, but he was not going to stop her again. She nodded to him, then moved closer to the large bird.

“You are so beautiful,” Akira breathed as she reached her hand out to touch the bird.

The magnificent creature puffed out his chest as if he had understood her. When Akira’s fingers touched the feathers on the bird’s wing, a spark shot through her arm. Not a painful one. It was more of a fireball than a bolt of lightning. She pulled her hand back, then reached out again. The feel of his feathers was incredible. Fiery and soft.

“He likes you,” Jules said with a grin as she joined Akira before the fire-colored bird.

“I’ve never seen a Phoenix before, let alone touched one,” Akira said with excitement.

Jules chuckled, “I have had him since I was a child. He’s my mount and second-best friend,” she said, then looked at Levi. “Next to my prince, of course.”

Levi smiled at Jules, his heart skipping a beat at her calling him her prince.

“What is his name?” Akira asked.

“A-roo-sh,” Jules said with a smile.

Akira nodded. “Fits him.”

“How in the world do you fit on him?” Darius asked, watching them.

Jules looked at the Pegasus and chuckled.

“She can shrink, remember,” Akira said with a roll of her eyes.

Darius snorted. “Right,” he said, then turned from them.

Akira caught the light hint of pink in his cheeks. He was embarrassed because he had forgotten.

The Phoenix shifted his body, and Jules smiled.

“Does he want something?” Akira asked, watching them.

Jules nodded. “He wants to go for a ride.”

Before anyone could say anything, Jules popped into her Fairy form and leaped onto her Phoenix. The creature made a joyous sound, then took off into the sky.

“A-roo-sh is a very active Phoenix. It is rare for him to stay still for more than an hour,” Levi said with a grin, then whistled into the sky.

Akira sucked in a breath when a large Dragonfly swooped down to them.

“Sorry,” Levi said with a chuckle, “I can’t leave my best friend out there alone. We will be close if you need us.”

He saluted them, then popped into his Fairy form and jumped onto his mount.

“A fucking Dragonfly,” Malique mumbled.

Akira smiled. Honestly, she was not surprised.

“Let us get going. They will keep up,” Wolfric said.

Wolfric lifted Akira into his arms and looked at his fellow Warriors.

“I don’t know about you two, but I’d like to get out of this fucking forest.”

Malique and Darius nodded, and the three Warriors took off at a speed that was not normal.

Akira hid her face against Wolfric’s chest as they ran through the forest. She did not want to watch everything zoom by; she knew she would throw up on her Wolfie. And that would be more embarrassing than anything she has ever done in front of her wolf.

They traveled at that speed for a few hours before Wolfric came to a sudden stop, making the other two bump into him.

“What’s wrong?” Malique asked, looking at his friend.

Wolfric did not look at Malique. He handed Akira over to him, then slowly crept toward a large tree that looked to be hundreds of years old.

“He either saw something or smelled danger,” Darius whispered.

“Well, he can spot things others can’t; with that shadow magic of his,” Malique mumbled.

Akira watched as Wolfric made his way to the tree. When a giant, odd-looking wolf jumped out of the shadows, Akira screamed, and Wolfric shifted into his pure white wolf.

~⚔~

“Jules!”

Julianne turned and smiled at Levi on his Dragonfly mount.

“Everything okay?” Levi asked as he pulled up next to his best friend.

Jules nodded. “Just fine.”

He snorted, “it’s not like you to fly away like that.”

She sighed, “I know. I hope they’re not angry with me.”

He laughed. “Who could be angry with you?”

She smiled and turned her head from him, her cheeks turning bright pink.

“Seriously,” he said, laying his hand on her knee. “What’s wrong?”

“I—I don’t know. I just….”

“What?” he whispered. “What has you tongue-tied?”

Jules sighed. How can she tell him that she felt the bond between him and the Havent?

Levi frowned. “Jules.”

The way he said her name made her body vibrate. Why can’t he be a normal Fairy? Why does he have to be the Crowned Prince of the Fairy Kingdom?

“Jules!” Levi said with agitation when she did not answer him.

Julianne looked at her best friend. That is all he will ever see her as—a friend.

She shook her head. “Nothing.”

Levi scoffed, “there is something….”

“Do you like her?”

Levi blinked. “Who?”

Jules snorted, “the girl.”

Levi grinned. ’She is jealous.’ He liked that thought.

“I don’t know,” he said with a shrug.

Jules squealed with agitation. “What do you mean, you don’t know?”

He shrugged again. “I like her as a person. She is cool. But I think her Warriors would kill me if I….”

Jules punched him in the leg, giving him a dead leg.

“Ow,” he growled, rubbing his leg.

“Jerk,” she said, then pulled her Phoenix away from his Dragonfly.

Leviasen chuckled as he pulled his Dragonfly to follow her. He easily caught up with her Phoenix and leaped from his Dragonfly to behind her on her Phoenix. He wrapped his arms around her and placed his chin on her shoulder.

“She’s nice, pretty, and I do feel a connection.”

“I knew it,” she grumbled.

He smiled—he liked this side of her. He has never seen it before. Well, that is not true. He saw it once before. Last year at the ball when his parents made him dance with the princesses.

He had caught her watching him from her post. His heart had nearly pumped out of his chest at the look on her face. As if looking at him with another woman was tearing her heart to shreds.

“I do feel a connection with her. But it’s not what you think.”

Jules turned her head and looked at Levi.

“Oh? Then why do I feel sparks flying off the two of you?”

He turned her to face him and leaned his forehead against hers. “You’re jealous,” he accused.

She sputtered, “am not.”

Levi chuckled, “if you say so.”

“Levi.”

“Jules.”

She took in a breath when his lips leaned toward hers. She closed her eyes. She had never seen him like this before.

A scream had Levi’s head shooting up. He looked around, then looked down.

“Looks like this conversation is on hold,” he said.

Levi helped Jules to turn back around on her Phoenix, then leaped back to his Dragonfly. They swooped down to see what their new friends had gotten themselves into.

~⚔~

Akira stared at the giant wolf. If you were not this close to the beast, you would not see that it is a wolf. The body was made of thick roots, and a snake’s head hissed from its shoulder. She blinked as images flashed through her mind. When she had discovered she was a Havent and would be looking for her Warriors with Wolfric, she had researched all kinds of creatures and remembered this one.

Akira doesn’t know what kind of creature he is, but his name is Fenrir. She remembers the story of how they had kept him imprisoned, how they had tricked him, and how he had turned into this beast before her because of it. Once upon a time, he had been a beautiful wolf, like her Wolfie. Only more deadly and a spark of evil in his heart. But still, they did not kill him. They only trapped him and betrayed him.

Akira frowned. She knows what it is like to be betrayed. “Don’t kill him!” she shouted with her Havent voice when Wolfric went to bite the beast in the neck.

She was not sure if that would have done anything anyway, with all those tree roots.

Wolfric stopped in midair and fell to the ground.

‘Whoops,’ Akira thought, slapping her palm to her forehead.

Malique and Darius looked at her, their eyebrows raised.

Akira sighed and told them who the wolf was. “So, you see, if the Gods won’t kill him, then we shouldn’t either.”

“Then what do you expect us to do?” Malique asked.

“Trap him,” Akira said, then turned back to find Wolfric limping. “Oh no. I did that!” she hollered.

Akira pulled away from Malique and ran toward her wolf.

“Akira!” Malique and Darius shouted after her.

Akira ignored them. She had to get to Wolfric, he is injured, and it is all because of her.

“Akira!”

Akira looked up when she heard her name being called from above. Jules and Levi hovered over them on their mounts.

“I need to help Wolfric!” Akira called up to them.

Jules looked at the giant wolf, which was a hundred times bigger than Wolfric, and nodded.

“We’ll distract Fenrir,” Jules said.

Akira blinked. “You know who he is?”

Jules grinned. “Of course I do. Now go help your Warrior,” she said, then dive-bombed the root-covered wolf.

Akira started running for Wolfric again and called out to him when he moved to jump at Fenrir again. Wolfric turned to the sound of Akira’s voice and grunted. She was running at him, Malique and Darius behind her. They are stronger and faster than her.

‘Why aren’t they stopping her?’

Then he remembered how much power she had over them. Fuck, she had stopped him in mid-jump.

“Wolfie,” Akira cried out as she skidded to a stop before the large white wolf.

“You shouldn’t be here, Akira.”

Akira shook her head. “You fell and hurt yourself because of me,” she said with a sniffle as she touched his shoulder.

The amber glow from her hand made his muscles relax, and he felt his bones pop back into place and heal.

“Thank you, little one. Now go.”

Akira sneered at him. “I’m a fucking Warrior too, Mr. Hotstuff!”

Wolfric’s wolf blinked at her, then a wolfish grin spread across his face. “I won’t argue with that, but you don’t know what you’re up against….”

“Do you?!” she demanded.

“Uh….”

She had him there.

Akira told him who they were dealing with and that the Gods would be very unhappy if they killed the wolf.

Wolfric grumbled. Okay, so she knows what they are dealing with.

“We can use this,” Malique said with a grin as he held up the magic rope.

“We will have to leave it behind,” Akira said, looking at Malique.

Malique shrugged. “I can get another piece once we get back to our realm.”

Akira nodded. “He will be able to get out of it, but we will be long gone by then.”

A screech had them turning to the giant wolf.

Jules and Levi were normal size and fighting Fenrir. Their mounts helped by keeping the wolf distracted. Nothing they did harmed the wolf, but he was getting angry, and an angry wolf, especially one with so much rage already in his bones, was not a good idea.

“A-roo-sh! NOW!”

The large Phoenix swooped down and burned the snake’s head before it could attack Julianne and Leviasen.

Akira screamed when Fenrir’s wolf head chomped down on the Phoenix.

Jules shrieked as she watched the wolf toss the dead Phoenix off to the side.

Akira broke down and fell to her knees. What has she done?

She got her new friend’s Phoenix killed.