She could hear him, along with his men, preparing for battle. “You better not get yourself killed, Rayne MacLendon! I swear I will kick your ass if you do!” she yelled, knowing damn good and well he could hear every word. She imagined his cocky grin and smug chuckle and felt the smile spread across her face. Argh! That man drove her mad! And she couldn't come up with one reason why that was a bad thing.
She felt reassuring warmth spread over her, the same feeling she got with Rayne’s arms around her. It was like he was right there with her. She could hear him outside the cave but she could not deny what she felt. With all the crazy shit she had been through and learned in the last twenty-four hours, nothing surprised her anymore.
CHAPTER NINE
They were all in place. Rayne knew his men could handle the hunters they could see ascending the hillside. They were coming just as he knew they would. Three separate lines of zealots covered in black from head to toe. They all appeared to be human, so he focused on each individually. “Finally!” He thought to himself. The magic practitioner was leading the group in the middle, heading straight to him. This zealot with his enhancement was using his magic to increase the hunters speed. The ones heading in Aidan’s direction seemed to be reluctant to move at the rate the magician was pushing them. They were actually attempting to dig their feet into the grassy earth of the incline. He wanted to yell out, “You should be afraid idiots.” But now was not the time for fun
Aidan was the fiercest Guardsman Rayne had ever seen, even more so after the loss he had endured. He knew from all the time they had spent together that Aidan felt he had nothing to live for, except his twin. His old friend fought without reserve, in dragon form he would rain destruction down on the hunters. Rayne appreciated the fact that they recognized the danger they were being pushed headlong into. It was almost comical to watch as they fought against the magic being poured into them. Some even stumbled in their attempt to slow their climb to the ledge where Aidan was waiting but the one wielding the magic propelled them on.
Rayne told Aaron and Lance that the leader of this pack was at the front of the group heading their way. The arrogant way he marched toward them, so sure of his superiority, was a dead giveaway. He was the one in charge. Well, he was in for a rude awakening. The two Guardsmen he was about to meet had trained together since they were old enough to walk. They knew what the other thought almost before he thought it and what move he would make almost before he made it. If they weren't such ignorant assholes, Rayne would feel sorry for the hunters as they marched to their certain demise but they’d chosen their path in life and it would end here, in death, today. If they weren't stopped they would just keep coming. There was no way he could excuse the fact that they'd come after his mate and his men but still the waste of so many lives was something he carried with him every day of his life.
“Take the wizard out first,” he mind spoke to Royce and Devon. “He’s enhancing their abilities. We have no clue if he’ll be able to disrupt our dragon magic. I don’t want to take any chances, not with Kyndel here. Fight to win.”
“We always do, Commander,” his men answered in unison.
Rayne felt Aidan take flight followed by the magic from Aaron calling his dragon forth. Lance stayed in human form for the moment. Apparently they had a game plan and he would not interfere as long as they took care of the enemy. But if anything went wrong, he would take it out of Lance’s hide.
Because they had been together so long and he was their Commander, as long as all of his men left their minds open to one another, Rayne could see and hear everything that was happening during the battle through their eyes. Dividing his attention between each of his men and what he was doing was a skill he had honed early in his command.
Devon was perched on the edge of their landing with his bow cocked. He was the best archer Rayne had witnessed in all of his one hundred and nineteen years. He let the string go. The arrow rang true but was repelled by an unseen force. Now he knew at least part of their game plan. The magician had erected some type of protection around the hunters. He looked down and saw that apparently only the group traveling with said wizard was protected as Lance’s sword ran straight through the hunter attacking him and Aaron’s huge talons had already beheaded two, ready to take another down. Lance had moved on to the leader but he was evading the Guardsmen’s strikes. Not to worry, Rayne had faith in his men. He returned his attention to the troop at his feet, while continuing to monitor his men.
“Call your dragon Royce, your magic is older and stronger, we need to take that bastard wizard down as quickly as possible. “ He sent directly into the powerful Guardsman’s mind.