Their Warrior Luna
Chapter 115

Cassius:

“Adoria!” Lennon yelled out, and then all the colorful beauty lighting this place turned black again.

Even in the pitch-black darkness, Knox and I ran in the direction that Lennon had once been, and then a sick rip echoed around us, and it was like the lights to this place had been turned on again. Bright white lights danced around the room like a laser light show, and at the center of those lights was Lennon and the creature who had dragged me to hell all those years ago. Lennon had jumped in front of her to save us; the beast had torn through Lennon’s abdomen and been trapped there. The thing’s head whipped wildly as Lennon sucked the evil b***h into her like a sponge after water.

The creature was wailing and screeching, but Lennon looked like an angel with her arms spread wide and long loose curls falling down her back. Her eyes were looking to the sky, and I don’t know what she was seeing, but I had never seen anyone seem more at peace, and that scared the s**t out of me. My feet wouldn’t move an inch, and I grasped Knox like he could keep the pain from ripping me away. I knew I was feeling everything Lennon felt, and that killed me.

The lights were fading now. The creature was gone, and the gaping hole she had torn into Lennon was dripping b***d around her feet. Knox and I ran to her; he tore his cloak off and wrapped her in it. He picked her up into his arms and cut a portal. I still felt so confused. I didn’t help her; I couldn’t help her. Instead, she saved us. That thing was after me, and it took her to get to me, and I was too blinded by her existence to keep her safe, and now I don’t even know how to help Knox help her.

Knox:

The minute she stepped in front of the thing attacking us, she had done the one thing I had tried so hard to keep from happening. She nurtured the bond. It might have been different if she had sacrificed herself to keep Cassius safe. But she did it for me and Cassius, and when she stepped in front of that thing, she gave us the ultimate act of love. She was so willing to ensure we were safe that she was ready to die to make sure we were. I grabbed my chest, fighting the urge to fall to my knees, when our bond snapped in place, thriving between the three of us like one of us had stepped on a land mine.

I spaced out… when I came to, she was in my arms, wrapped in my cloak. The fabric was sinking into her wound, mending it from the inside out with its magic. I tapped into my soul hoard and gave her a continuous feed. Finally, I stepped through the portal I didn’t recall creating and laid her on a bed in the pack hospital. I was sure she would die from the poison coursing her veins and the extent of her injuries, but with the help of my cloak, her wound was almost nonexistent. I can only hope that the souls I was feeding her would help filter the poison from the creature’s soul out of her.

Lennon:

I knew I was dreaming again when I felt the grass on my bare back and smelled the earth and wildflowers. I was just shocked back to life, though, so this may not be a dream. Their loss wrapped me in grief for a second. If I’m dead, I have lost the only people I have ever truly cared for. I sat up, letting my eyes adjust to the heavens I had found myself in. My hair wrapped wildly around my body and under my back in the warm breeze. The red tone of my hair was almost blinding under the warm sun. Peace… that’s what this place is.

“You are not dead, daughter. Just sleeping.” My head snapped up, looking for the melodic voice that had called for me. But I couldn’t replace her.

I stood to my feet, embarrassed by my nakedness. The urge to cover myself was overwhelming.

“Don’t worry, daughter. Embrace your skin. It is as beautiful as the flowers in the field and the birds in the sky.” I looked around for her again until my eyes settled on the forest. A path carved through the thick foliage was calling to me. Begging me to enter. I was at the tree line when her voice called from behind me again.

“Not yet. But soon, you will be ready.” I turned to see the woman dressed in greens and browns. A goddess.

“Are you the sun?” I scrunched my nose up when she chuckled at my question.

“No, daughter. I am Mother Gaia, and you, sweet girl, are the last of my direct descendants. I have seen your struggle. I have witnessed your pain. The moon and I have been whispering, and we think we have a plan. Do you want to hear it?” I nodded at her, still fighting the urge to cover myself.

“Good. Let’s get started.” I turned back to the entryway, and from it stepped a woman of pure grace with a fearless attitude.

“Lennon, I want you to meet Queen Penthesilea. She is a brave leader of women. The moon and I think she will be the perfect person to train you in your spirit. Despite your battle today, your body is fighting a war against the creature who wants to roam freely. If she breaks free from the prison you created inside of yourself to keep her, your mate will suffer.” What does she mean, mate? I don’t even know who it is.

“I haven’t found him yet.” I hung my head feeling a pain in my chest.

“Yes, dear, you have. You have found him, and then another found you.” Her words confused me, but I turned to the queen to change the subject.

“How do I keep Adoria from breaking free?” Her head lowered to look me in the eyes.

“You die.” Her words were more confusing than her mother’s.

“I am already dead.” I made sure to speak the confusion across my face because how can you be dead and then die again?

“You only died physically, daughter. Your spirit is thriving. But unfortunately, your spirit can die as well. If you choose to keep her trapped, your spirit will die. But, on the other hand, if you choose to free her and fight, you will have an eternity with your mates.” She never took her eyes off me, and I could see deep in the honey-brown orbs that those were my only two options.

“Fight. I want to fight.” My heart was beating against my ribs like a raging drum, but I knew that was the option. Even if it wasn’t for the mate part, I might not even like the guy. The rejection is still on the table. But I can’t live my life in nothingness. I need Knox’s snarky a*s comments, and I need Cassius’s calling me Red with a smirk on his face because he doesn’t know I love how he looks at me when he says it. I need Harley and more drunken nights shooting arrows, and I need Fallon to teach me how to dance and have fun. I found the family I have always dreamed of, and fighting for that feels effortless.

“Come then. We will begin.” The foliage opened for the queen, and when her feet entered the forest, the beating of drums started welcoming her home.

We walked for what felt like an hour. Deeper into towering trees, vines of blooming flowers, and plush grass under our bare feet. We went down a stone-carved staircase, and before us was a wooden door as tall as ten men surrounded by forest stones. She quickly pushed the doors, letting them creak and g***n, opening to a place that was unlike anything I had ever seen.

“Hakuna Matata,” I mumbled in awe of the rushing waterfalls and crystal blue waters. Flowers of so many different kinds, you could spend the rest of your life still discovering new ones. Healthy fruits hung from the trees, and everything seemed too perfect to exist. Too beautiful to disturb with touch.

“Welcome home, Lennon. The warriors here are some of the most skilled women in existence. If you choose to stay, you will be welcome; if you decide to leave at the end of your training, we will feast the day you leave. You will learn everything you need to know to be a fearless warrior here. When and if you leave here, I am certain that you will end any battle bathed in the b***d of your enemies with a smile on your face!” Her words forced me to stand a little taller. She clearly doesn’t know the range of my fighting abilities…. my nonexistent fighting capabilities. I laughed internally, thinking of Cassius and Knox trying to teach me to spar. Something tells me this will be a long journey, but life without them isn’t worth it.