Rhys groaned as he lifted his head from the corner of her neck. “Thank you, William, we’ll be down in a few moments.”
“Remind me again to smack Triton when I see his watery ass,” Mari grumbled as she sat up on her elbows.
“I’ll hold him for you.” He smiled as he jumped up.
* * * *
Mari smiled as Olivia concentrated. “That’s it, Livi, now put your hand out and concentrate on making the energy into a ball on your palm.”
“It’s hard.”
“I know, but I also know you can do it. Think of a ball or sphere.” Mari grinned when a small orb the size of a golf ball appeared. “Open your eyes, Livi.”
“Oh wow, I did that?”
“Yes. Now the more you practice the easier it will be to call the energies forth, and the bigger you can make them. When needed they can become a weapon.”
“Mari?”
“I feel it.” Turning, her eyes narrowed as she scouted the area around the river where they sat. “Livi, get away from the water for me.” Backing up, she kept Livi behind her. “Call for your father, Livi, call now!” Backing up she pushed Livi further back as a creature sprinted out of the river. “What the hell? It’s a Kappa.”
“A what?”
Mari kept her eyes on it as she bowed deep. “I am guardian of this land, why are you here?” Mari gasped when it ignored her and charged at them. Bringing her hands together she conformed the energies around her, just as she’d shown Livi a few moments ago, and let a sphere the size of a baseball go, hitting the reptilian-like creature right between the eyes. Hers widened as it shook off the hit and came at them again. “Run, Livi!”
“Daddy’s coming. I won’t leave you, Mari!”
“Livi, run!” Mari yelled as the Kappa flew right over her head, pouncing on Livi and knocking her to the ground. The child screamed and transformed into her wolf self and ran away from the Kappa as it tried dragging her to the water. Mari’s powers were kicking up. Streaks of lightning coursed through her as she tackled the Kappa from the side, oomphing as they went flying. The damn thing was so stocky she couldn’t get it to tip onto its side as its webbed feet slid across the ground. Mari grunted when the Kappa renewed its efforts to get to Livi after she’d sent up a howl. “You stay away from her!” Mari shouted as she lifted her hand, gripping its beak-like mouth. If she could tilt the beast’s head to the side, the water from the lily-pad-like bowl on top of its head would spill and render it immobile. Mari growled as the Kappa flung her back, knocking the breath out of her as she landed hard. Her head swam as she felt it crawling up over her. She screamed when the beast swung, ripping the front of her jeans to shreds in an attempt to rape her. “No you don’t!” Mari yelled as her blood heated. She lifted her hands to its chest as Livi yelled for her in the background. Her hands had just started burning through the Kappa’s scaly skin when it disappeared. Gasping, she moved her head to see Rhys tilting the Kappa’s head, emptying the water.
“Mari, are you alright?” Drake asked as he knelt down next to her side.
“Yes. Livi?”
“Fine. She’s getting dressed.” He smiled before walking over to Rhys.
“What happened?” Triton asked.
“It came up out of the water and charged us. I tried bowing and it ignored me, going after Livi first. It tried dragging her to the water and then she wolfed up and got away as I tackled it. The damn thing was too strong for me to overpower physically and it tried to…”
“Rape you,” Triton said as he laid his shirt over her stomach and private area. “Why didn’t you transform or power up?”
“I was. He has burns on his chest from my hands.”
“You know what I mean, Mariwen Gawain!”
“I haven’t transformed in centuries,” she whispered, noticing Rhys and Drake staring her way.
“You haven’t…Gods woman, you’re not out fighting a human to survive! You’re smack in the middle of an Other Kin war! What the hell would you have done if we hadn’t arrived in time?”
“I was handling it!” she growled, sitting up. She kept his gaze.
“Yeah, you handled it really well! I’m ordering you to tell Rhys who you are, maybe then you won’t hold back when you need your powers!”
“You are not my Prince! I don’t take orders from you, Triton!” Jumping to her feet, she held the shirt up as a cover. She growled at him, the beast within her wanting to fight.
“You feel her wanting to come out; your eyes are glowing and your skin is heating.”