Elemental Goddess
by: Wizardtho
Chapter 80: Energy Theories and Protector Bonds
BPOV:
Having Major's permission, I looked toward Alice, only to see that she was mid vision. She grinned widely when her eyes cleared up, begging me excitedly, “Oh, can I? Can I tell everyone? Please?”
I shook my head, kissed her neck, then said, “Sorry, Sweetie. Not gonna happen. You and Edward can go find your partner wolves, though, then bring them front and center for the explanation.”
She pouted for a split second, then gave up and grinned, dashing off while practically dragging her chuckling mate with her.
Only a minute or so later, I stood in the middle of the field, Major holding me gently to him from behind, Alice and Edward mounted atop their partner wolves on either side of us. I let out a loud whistle to gain the attention of the entire field.
It wasn't a full second later that I had everyone's eyes on me. “I know I speak for everyone who witnessed that amazing pseudo fight, when I say that Aleksei truly did an incredible job. I was able to witness it both with my own vision, and through the earth's eye. That brought up an interesting question in my head, so to test out my theory, Edward and Alice will both be fighting with their partner wolves against everyone, in the same way as Major and Aleksei just did. I want to watch this battle through the earth's eye, to test that theory I have.”
I could see various degrees of curiosity and interest in everyone's eyes. I smiled as I turned from the field toward the tree. Jake was already laying down, so I sat back against his side while smiling widely at him. He gave me a big wolfy grin, so I whispered as I rested my cheek on his ribs, “You feel that I'm on the right track with this, too, don't you, Jake?”
A wink from him as his tongue lolled out was my confirmation. I chuckled, “I thought so. Let's get this show on the road, huh?”
I took several deep breaths as I caressed the grass through my fingers, then called out, “Only when I'm deep, Major. I want to see the whole thing through the earth's eye.”
He gave me a serious nod, then I closed my eyes to find that familiar grounding sensation pulsing toward my hands from the grass.
As soon as I slipped deep into the sensation, I found myself opening my eyes to look at the field. The myriad of bright white lights and mixed range of colors all over the field made the earth happy. I soaked up the feeling as the mock battle began.
Though I expected to see white sparks or tendrils and rose pink swirls reaching toward each other, since I hadn't seen the smoky blue in their wolves' lights, I was surprised to see very faint smoky blue becoming more prominent in the partner wolves' bright lights as the fights got going.
All of a sudden, I smiled widely as rose pink and smoky blue met with a brilliant clash, just before Edward quickly took down both a falcon and a panther in Seth's defense. Seconds later, the colors of Alice and Paul met in a bright tangle. Paul reacted so fast I almost didn't see it through the earth's vision. Three white lights flew through the air in random directions. I beamed while whispering to Jake, “Incredible... this is perfect... and their colored lights are becoming a stable hue now.”
I watched for several more minutes, while the colors would spark against each other and retreat, only for a wolf or vampire to come to their partner's aide. Then the lights would spark and retreat again, continuing the pattern. Not once did a protector or vampire fail to help their partner when the lights clashed, and not once did the lights not meet when someone was in need. It was a profound sight to watch, so it took me a while to finally call the fight.
When I did, I thanked the earth, returned to my own sight, then stood while giving Jake an affectionate scratch behind the ear. He grinned at me as I walked toward the field. Major met me, placing his hand tenderly on our sons, so I grinned, “My theory was right. The earth sees the protector bond.”
At his curiosity and everyone coming to gather around us, I smiled.
“There's a natural progression to it, though. Before, looking at partnered wolves through the earth's vision, I didn't see the smoky blue mixed with their colors. It was too faint. But as Alice and Edward were fighting with their partners, the blue in the wolves' colors got more prominent. It got to a certain strength, then stabilized. I could even feel Jake's light around me as I watched the fights. None of them are as vibrant as his, and they all have their own hues. When a vampire or wolf is in trouble, the colors that are mixed with the white of an ally spark out toward their partner. It's like an automatic reaction. They spark and retreat, then instantly the one in trouble is being helped by their partner.”
I had captured everyone's attention, but I heard some murmuring in the group. They were wondering how Major's fight with Aleksei made me think of this. “Again, it's a natural progression, but not once did the spark fail to happen when one or the other needed help, and every single time, that help came within a split second of the lights tangling and retreating. It's a good sign, everyone... but that also makes me want to put Char and Peter through a round with their partner wolves. Their bonds need to be at full strength. Anyone without a partner, it wouldn't hurt for you to try and get to know each other on a deeper level. I have a feeling that even if there is no protector bond to rely on, you will naturally find a battle partner to watch your back. I want every ally coming through this alive. Becoming a stronger unit will only help that want become a reality.”
I saw understanding and a bit of curiosity as everyone looked around at each other, and knew we were on the right track. It may take a while, but I had a feeling that the earth just helped us in a truly significant way.
I let out a relieved breath as Peter and Char hugged me, then Char kissed my neck, whispering, “You did good, Sweetness. It must be really something to see, when you're looking through the earth's vision.”
I nodded, humming, then said, “Yeah, it's incredible... beautiful... and it feels natural. I don't have a recovery time when I slip back into my own sight, really. I don't have words to explain it, but it's definitely a good thing. Are you two about ready to wreak havoc on the field with your partners?”
They both nodded, but Char gently and slyly caressed the side of my breast while whispering, “You okay?”
I smiled, gave her lips a tender peck, “Yes, My Island Oasis. Thank you for trying to keep me comfortable, but it's not quite time yet. I figured when you two finish your round, we'd head to the back yard, then Alice and Edward could cuddle up with us under the tree while our shifters eat. Everyone can get to know each other a bit more, and we can all get to know our new arrivals in their human form.”
Peter smiled before kissing my lips lightly, offering, “Sounds like a good plan to me. I'm interested in talkin' with Aleksei.”
Then his voice dropped so only the three of us could hear it, whispering, “Gotta make sure he's up to par, if he's gonna be our Major's shadow.”
I gave them both a tender smile, knowing they were being protective of our mate, then whispered back, “The earth and I already see it, but you're right. We'll get to know him, see if they continue to work that well together.”
I watched as Peter and Char both nodded, then felt as their alternate personas took over. It did wicked things inside me, but I knew that would have to wait a while more. Captain smirked at me, but just then, Leah and Embry came to a sliding stop at their sides.
Hmm, looks like the partner bond might flare when they change personas, too. I'll have to watch for that to make sure, because I've never seen them moving so quickly to get to us, yet I can sense that there's no trouble.
I relaxed back under my tree with Jake as my mates mounted their wolf partners, settling quickly into the earth's eye as I centered. Again, much as with Edward and Alice fighting along side of their partners, I watched as the partner bonds between my mates and their wolves strengthened.
It was pure destruction and chaos on the field during the fight, yet the earth and I both reveled in the raw power of my mates and their partners. Char and Leah were truly a tsunami of mischief and trouble as they caused several fights to break out amongst the 'enemy'. My Captain's destruction could only have been matched by Embry as they tore through the masses. The most awe-inspiring sight to both myself and the Earth, though, was the bonds strengthening, tightening, and sparking out to tangle with each other.
I knew then that my mates had chosen perfectly matched partners that day in the meeting clearing. Both the goddess in me and my vampire nature relaxed considerably at that knowledge.
As we all finally got ready to leave the training field, I noticed that not only were Alice, Edward, Peter, and Char all mounted on the backs of their partners -just like me, but that Aleksei seemed to naturally fall in line just to the right of Major. He was standing there talking to Jake, telling him everyone did exceptionally well today, as Aleksei quietly but proudly stopped to the right of my Major, only a step behind his location.
I smiled down at him. Major saw where I was looking to before he turned. He patted Aleksei's neck, asking, “Is your pack all ready? Let's get everyone back to the house, so that we can have the girls heat up a feast for them. I'm sure they must be hungry after all the hard work today.”
Aleksei dipped his head in answer, then stayed right along side Major on the way back to the house.
Once we reached the backyard of the main house, Peter chose to sit behind me, with Char to my left, Major to my right. Char was curled in the space against Jake's ribs, talking softly to my baby bump, Jake had his head near my side, and Major was planting kisses along my baby bump from the other side while I relaxed into the attention.
It had been a long day, so the downtime was doubly appreciated. I knew we had a lot to do still, though, so I made a loud whistle to gather everyone's attention once I made sure everyone was eating. It only took a quick few seconds for the backyard to fall silent.
“Firstly, I want to welcome the Russian tigers to our ranks. Once you all take the time to fill yourselves, we'll get the human meet-and-greet done, so that everyone will be able to recognise you in either form. In the meantime, Aleksei? Will you and your Beta join us for a few minutes? We'd like to talk to you a bit about Seattle while you eat.”
I saw a man who would nearly equal my Jake in height and build stand up, then take the hand of a beautiful female next to him. They both brought their plates, which were piled high with food, nodding their heads to us when they neared. I smiled, then said, “Please, sit with us.”
They both took spots near my feet, then Major leaned up enough to shake Aleksei's hand, offering, “Well done today. It was a pleasure havin' ya at my side out there.”
Aleksei smiled slightly as he nodded, then said in a thick Russian accent, “The pleasure was mine, Major Whitlock, I assure you. It is an honor to finally be in your company after all this time.”
I patted Jake's muzzle, slyly watching Aleksei for a second while making it seem like my attention was solely on Jake.
All this time? What does that mean?
There didn't seem to be anything but honesty in his expression, so I looked up at him, noting, “You seem to know a lot more than we expected you to, for your streak to start the journey here before the spell to call allies to me was even cast. You purposely let Jake track your progress here, then suddenly drop out, knowing Jake would become uneasy when you didn't check in at the proper interval. Then I cast a hiding mist over your streak in Seattle, and you bring us news of a package being delivered to the leader there. I'd like to hear it from your point of view, though, if you wouldn't mind sharing.”
Aleksei nodded as he finished the bite of food in his mouth, then smiled at his daughter. “This is Ekaterina, my daughter and Beta. She likes to be called Katja, though, which is the family nickname for her. My knowledge is yours, Goddess. You have but to ask, and it shall be offered freely.”
He placed his plate down in his lap, then held his hand out to Katja, only for her to place a heavy-looking journal into it from a backpack next to her. He handed it to me, then offered, “This is how I knew of when my streak needed to start our journey here, Goddess. It is the first-hand account of many generations of our tribe. Not only does it explain how I knew your Major before our arrival, but it explains much of our tribal knowledge of the prophecy.”
I looked at him wide-eyed, then touched the old leather cover reverently. “I will keep it safe, Aleksei. Of that I promise. Once I've read it's contents, it will be returned to your possession. Thank you for allowing me this much insight into your tribe.”
He nodded, then Major asked casually, “Ya knew me? How? I've never met ya before today in the clearin'.”
Aleksei chuckled, then said, “I apologize, Major... it is just that our legends include you by name. Each generation since the legend was foretold, has been hoping to be the one to live the legend, so to speak. It speaks of how one of our tribe would be Major Whitlock's shadow guard, an extension of him in battles of justice... to right the many wrongs of the supernatural world. Each generation of our tribal elders has scoured the earth in attempts to locate you... study you... and teach us to be the best we can be to aid your cause.”
I could feel my mates' shock practically rolling off them in waves, though their expressions never changed, but then I felt Peter's disbelief. Before I could figure out his game, he said, “Okay, prove it.”
Major raised an eyebrow at him, I guess from the feelings he was radiating. Aleksei just nodded his head to accept the challenge. “As you wish, Captain. Ask, and I will answer.”
Peter looked at me smugly, then stared at Aleksei while asking, “Does Major have any type of birthmark other than his elemental sign?”
I internally chuckled, knowing my Major's body as well as my own, then heard Aleksei reply without a second of thought, though with a considerable chuckle, “The shape of a cloud, just to the left of the dimple above his right ass cheek, with the letters I, P, and C inside it.”
I gasped slightly that he would know something so personal, but Peter frowned as Aleksei continued, “Your Charlotte's is a raindrop -the letters P, I, and J inside- located low on her right hip, just above the dip where her thigh meets her hip. Yours is what looks like a plume of smoke -the letters C, I, and J inside- located just inwards of the V of your lower abs, approximately 3/4 of the way down. The Goddess...”
He dipped his head reverently toward me, then continued, “Has a twisted tree limb, high on her inner right thigh, the letters J, P, and C attached to it like leaves. It is all in the journal, Captain.”
Peter didn't stop there, though, firing off his second question. “Did Major ever fail Maria durin’ battle in the Southern Wars?”
Aleksei scowled as he answered right away, “Never.”
Peter fired right back, and I knew I wasn't the only one shooting my head back and forth between the two, because we were gathering quite the crowd. “True or false. Did Major take out Nettie and Lucy for Maria? Why or why not?”
Aleksei nodded seriously, “True, though he only did so because she convinced him that they were about to betray her.”
Peter's frown deepened a bit, his voice containing a slight growl to it as he asked, “When did Major stop wantin’ to die?”
Aleksei placed his fork on his plate gently, handed it to his daughter, laid his hands on his knees palm up, then said without looking away from Peter, “When you and your Charlotte rescued him from Maria's clutches, Captain... which I am very grateful for.”
Peter thought for a long moment, then I felt a kind of light bulb go on inside his feelings. He kept a straight face, though, saying, “Final question. When did Jasper first make love to Bella?”
Aleksei took a few seconds longer to answer this time, but said surely, “The night of her 18th birthday.”
Peter's feelings overflowed with triumph as he belted out, “I knew I'd getcha at some point. Wrong answer. It was 4 mornin’s after her 18th birthday.”
Aleksei looked to Major for confirmation. When Major nodded, Aleksei bowed his head, “I apologize if I made offense with my claim. I was clearly misinformed on that subject.”
The crowd that had gathered around all started to disperse with whispers. I knew they were all doubly curious about the Russian Alpha's true purpose here now. Edward and Carlisle were both looking at Aleksei in a new light, so I knew that at least they were starting to understand his unofficial protector status.
Once the back yard was calm again, I said, “There was no offense, Aleksei, truly. Now, tell me about Seattle.”
Just then, Char caressed the side of my breast discretely as Major called over Alice and Edward. They made room, so as Alice and Edward situated in front of Major and Char respectively, I said, “Give them two minutes to settle in, then you can tell me how everything happened.”
Aleksei and Katja both nodded, then continued to eat like nothing was out of norm. Alice and Edward quickly settled into feeding after both kissing me chastely but tenderly, then I looked to Aleksei. He nodded to Katja, who offered, “I was the first to scent the enemy near our location. I alerted Father through the link, so he told us to use stealth until we knew whether they were friend or foe. We watched the interaction between the four and the European, determined they were not friend, then decided to see how much information we could gather before we came to you.”
Aleksei took over from there, explaining, “It was almost time to show our progress to our leader... your Jake... but knew if we backed away enough to do so safely, we would miss the opportunity to find out crucial information. I made the decision to go forward without the scheduled check. Without your mist, Goddess, we would not have been able to move in close enough to gather any intel. The pieces of jewelry... there was something about them that wasn't right. They made all of us very uncomfortable.”
I nodded, “We've already come across a few pieces from the same maker. All are enchanted, and all are purely evil. Do not let any of your streak touch them. They all need to be taken from the enemy, though, so make sure you have something like a cloth or gloves for protection when gathering them. They'll all need to be unbound from their purposes by the shaman before they can be destroyed.”
Aleksei nodded seriously, then gave Katja a look that said, “Please be careful.”
She smiled as she cupped her father's cheek, then said, “They plan to attack soon, Goddess. The flame-haired leader was using the moon cycle as a way for her army to tell time, saying something about the coming new moon being the time to strike.”
I nodded, “Yes, that is the night of the battle, which I was shown in a goddess vision. You gathered a vital piece of intel, though. She just received the jewelry. That means her army doesn't have long to get used to how they work before the battle. I doubt she'll let them wear the pieces 24/7 before the new moon, so they'll be hard pressed to get used to the effects before then. We were working on the basis of them already having time to acclimate to the pieces.”
Aleksei smiled, then said seriously, “That is several points for us then. If there is existing chaos in her ranks, it will make it that much easier for your Charlotte and her wolf to spread more during the fight.”
I smiled, kissed Char's neck as she chuckled her agreement, then wove a hand tenderly in both Edward and Alice's hair. Aleksei smiled at the sight before looking to my tummy. “They are growing well? They are strong?”
I grinned as Major said, “Yes. Strong and healthy, our sons. Jaiden and Preston are doin' well, and Mama is takin' such good care of ‘em.”
Katja beamed at that, mentioning, “They will be mighty, your children... strong and just leaders.”
I shook my head, then said, “Please, I don't want to know. I'm determined to let my babies be babies before they need to grow up and have their own destinies. They will already be born into an unstable time for our world. I don't want them to feel pressured by deeds they are supposed to do years in the future.”
Aleksei gave Katja a significant-but-loving look, so I knew he probably felt the same way when Katja was young. It warmed my heart, and I couldn't help but smile at my mates in return. We would give our family-to-be the best life and future we could offer them, but still guide them to be who they were destined to be.
Having Major's permission, I looked toward Alice, only to see that she was mid vision. She grinned widely when her eyes cleared up, begging me excitedly, “Oh, can I? Can I tell everyone? Please?”
I shook my head, kissed her neck, then said, “Sorry, Sweetie. Not gonna happen. You and Edward can go find your partner wolves, though, then bring them front and center for the explanation.”
She pouted for a split second, then gave up and grinned, dashing off while practically dragging her chuckling mate with her.
Only a minute or so later, I stood in the middle of the field, Major holding me gently to him from behind, Alice and Edward mounted atop their partner wolves on either side of us. I let out a loud whistle to gain the attention of the entire field.
It wasn't a full second later that I had everyone's eyes on me. “I know I speak for everyone who witnessed that amazing pseudo fight, when I say that Aleksei truly did an incredible job. I was able to witness it both with my own vision, and through the earth's eye. That brought up an interesting question in my head, so to test out my theory, Edward and Alice will both be fighting with their partner wolves against everyone, in the same way as Major and Aleksei just did. I want to watch this battle through the earth's eye, to test that theory I have.”
I could see various degrees of curiosity and interest in everyone's eyes. I smiled as I turned from the field toward the tree. Jake was already laying down, so I sat back against his side while smiling widely at him. He gave me a big wolfy grin, so I whispered as I rested my cheek on his ribs, “You feel that I'm on the right track with this, too, don't you, Jake?”
A wink from him as his tongue lolled out was my confirmation. I chuckled, “I thought so. Let's get this show on the road, huh?”
I took several deep breaths as I caressed the grass through my fingers, then called out, “Only when I'm deep, Major. I want to see the whole thing through the earth's eye.”
He gave me a serious nod, then I closed my eyes to find that familiar grounding sensation pulsing toward my hands from the grass.
As soon as I slipped deep into the sensation, I found myself opening my eyes to look at the field. The myriad of bright white lights and mixed range of colors all over the field made the earth happy. I soaked up the feeling as the mock battle began.
Though I expected to see white sparks or tendrils and rose pink swirls reaching toward each other, since I hadn't seen the smoky blue in their wolves' lights, I was surprised to see very faint smoky blue becoming more prominent in the partner wolves' bright lights as the fights got going.
All of a sudden, I smiled widely as rose pink and smoky blue met with a brilliant clash, just before Edward quickly took down both a falcon and a panther in Seth's defense. Seconds later, the colors of Alice and Paul met in a bright tangle. Paul reacted so fast I almost didn't see it through the earth's vision. Three white lights flew through the air in random directions. I beamed while whispering to Jake, “Incredible... this is perfect... and their colored lights are becoming a stable hue now.”
I watched for several more minutes, while the colors would spark against each other and retreat, only for a wolf or vampire to come to their partner's aide. Then the lights would spark and retreat again, continuing the pattern. Not once did a protector or vampire fail to help their partner when the lights clashed, and not once did the lights not meet when someone was in need. It was a profound sight to watch, so it took me a while to finally call the fight.
When I did, I thanked the earth, returned to my own sight, then stood while giving Jake an affectionate scratch behind the ear. He grinned at me as I walked toward the field. Major met me, placing his hand tenderly on our sons, so I grinned, “My theory was right. The earth sees the protector bond.”
At his curiosity and everyone coming to gather around us, I smiled.
“There's a natural progression to it, though. Before, looking at partnered wolves through the earth's vision, I didn't see the smoky blue mixed with their colors. It was too faint. But as Alice and Edward were fighting with their partners, the blue in the wolves' colors got more prominent. It got to a certain strength, then stabilized. I could even feel Jake's light around me as I watched the fights. None of them are as vibrant as his, and they all have their own hues. When a vampire or wolf is in trouble, the colors that are mixed with the white of an ally spark out toward their partner. It's like an automatic reaction. They spark and retreat, then instantly the one in trouble is being helped by their partner.”
I had captured everyone's attention, but I heard some murmuring in the group. They were wondering how Major's fight with Aleksei made me think of this. “Again, it's a natural progression, but not once did the spark fail to happen when one or the other needed help, and every single time, that help came within a split second of the lights tangling and retreating. It's a good sign, everyone... but that also makes me want to put Char and Peter through a round with their partner wolves. Their bonds need to be at full strength. Anyone without a partner, it wouldn't hurt for you to try and get to know each other on a deeper level. I have a feeling that even if there is no protector bond to rely on, you will naturally find a battle partner to watch your back. I want every ally coming through this alive. Becoming a stronger unit will only help that want become a reality.”
I saw understanding and a bit of curiosity as everyone looked around at each other, and knew we were on the right track. It may take a while, but I had a feeling that the earth just helped us in a truly significant way.
I let out a relieved breath as Peter and Char hugged me, then Char kissed my neck, whispering, “You did good, Sweetness. It must be really something to see, when you're looking through the earth's vision.”
I nodded, humming, then said, “Yeah, it's incredible... beautiful... and it feels natural. I don't have a recovery time when I slip back into my own sight, really. I don't have words to explain it, but it's definitely a good thing. Are you two about ready to wreak havoc on the field with your partners?”
They both nodded, but Char gently and slyly caressed the side of my breast while whispering, “You okay?”
I smiled, gave her lips a tender peck, “Yes, My Island Oasis. Thank you for trying to keep me comfortable, but it's not quite time yet. I figured when you two finish your round, we'd head to the back yard, then Alice and Edward could cuddle up with us under the tree while our shifters eat. Everyone can get to know each other a bit more, and we can all get to know our new arrivals in their human form.”
Peter smiled before kissing my lips lightly, offering, “Sounds like a good plan to me. I'm interested in talkin' with Aleksei.”
Then his voice dropped so only the three of us could hear it, whispering, “Gotta make sure he's up to par, if he's gonna be our Major's shadow.”
I gave them both a tender smile, knowing they were being protective of our mate, then whispered back, “The earth and I already see it, but you're right. We'll get to know him, see if they continue to work that well together.”
I watched as Peter and Char both nodded, then felt as their alternate personas took over. It did wicked things inside me, but I knew that would have to wait a while more. Captain smirked at me, but just then, Leah and Embry came to a sliding stop at their sides.
Hmm, looks like the partner bond might flare when they change personas, too. I'll have to watch for that to make sure, because I've never seen them moving so quickly to get to us, yet I can sense that there's no trouble.
I relaxed back under my tree with Jake as my mates mounted their wolf partners, settling quickly into the earth's eye as I centered. Again, much as with Edward and Alice fighting along side of their partners, I watched as the partner bonds between my mates and their wolves strengthened.
It was pure destruction and chaos on the field during the fight, yet the earth and I both reveled in the raw power of my mates and their partners. Char and Leah were truly a tsunami of mischief and trouble as they caused several fights to break out amongst the 'enemy'. My Captain's destruction could only have been matched by Embry as they tore through the masses. The most awe-inspiring sight to both myself and the Earth, though, was the bonds strengthening, tightening, and sparking out to tangle with each other.
I knew then that my mates had chosen perfectly matched partners that day in the meeting clearing. Both the goddess in me and my vampire nature relaxed considerably at that knowledge.
As we all finally got ready to leave the training field, I noticed that not only were Alice, Edward, Peter, and Char all mounted on the backs of their partners -just like me, but that Aleksei seemed to naturally fall in line just to the right of Major. He was standing there talking to Jake, telling him everyone did exceptionally well today, as Aleksei quietly but proudly stopped to the right of my Major, only a step behind his location.
I smiled down at him. Major saw where I was looking to before he turned. He patted Aleksei's neck, asking, “Is your pack all ready? Let's get everyone back to the house, so that we can have the girls heat up a feast for them. I'm sure they must be hungry after all the hard work today.”
Aleksei dipped his head in answer, then stayed right along side Major on the way back to the house.
Once we reached the backyard of the main house, Peter chose to sit behind me, with Char to my left, Major to my right. Char was curled in the space against Jake's ribs, talking softly to my baby bump, Jake had his head near my side, and Major was planting kisses along my baby bump from the other side while I relaxed into the attention.
It had been a long day, so the downtime was doubly appreciated. I knew we had a lot to do still, though, so I made a loud whistle to gather everyone's attention once I made sure everyone was eating. It only took a quick few seconds for the backyard to fall silent.
“Firstly, I want to welcome the Russian tigers to our ranks. Once you all take the time to fill yourselves, we'll get the human meet-and-greet done, so that everyone will be able to recognise you in either form. In the meantime, Aleksei? Will you and your Beta join us for a few minutes? We'd like to talk to you a bit about Seattle while you eat.”
I saw a man who would nearly equal my Jake in height and build stand up, then take the hand of a beautiful female next to him. They both brought their plates, which were piled high with food, nodding their heads to us when they neared. I smiled, then said, “Please, sit with us.”
They both took spots near my feet, then Major leaned up enough to shake Aleksei's hand, offering, “Well done today. It was a pleasure havin' ya at my side out there.”
Aleksei smiled slightly as he nodded, then said in a thick Russian accent, “The pleasure was mine, Major Whitlock, I assure you. It is an honor to finally be in your company after all this time.”
I patted Jake's muzzle, slyly watching Aleksei for a second while making it seem like my attention was solely on Jake.
All this time? What does that mean?
There didn't seem to be anything but honesty in his expression, so I looked up at him, noting, “You seem to know a lot more than we expected you to, for your streak to start the journey here before the spell to call allies to me was even cast. You purposely let Jake track your progress here, then suddenly drop out, knowing Jake would become uneasy when you didn't check in at the proper interval. Then I cast a hiding mist over your streak in Seattle, and you bring us news of a package being delivered to the leader there. I'd like to hear it from your point of view, though, if you wouldn't mind sharing.”
Aleksei nodded as he finished the bite of food in his mouth, then smiled at his daughter. “This is Ekaterina, my daughter and Beta. She likes to be called Katja, though, which is the family nickname for her. My knowledge is yours, Goddess. You have but to ask, and it shall be offered freely.”
He placed his plate down in his lap, then held his hand out to Katja, only for her to place a heavy-looking journal into it from a backpack next to her. He handed it to me, then offered, “This is how I knew of when my streak needed to start our journey here, Goddess. It is the first-hand account of many generations of our tribe. Not only does it explain how I knew your Major before our arrival, but it explains much of our tribal knowledge of the prophecy.”
I looked at him wide-eyed, then touched the old leather cover reverently. “I will keep it safe, Aleksei. Of that I promise. Once I've read it's contents, it will be returned to your possession. Thank you for allowing me this much insight into your tribe.”
He nodded, then Major asked casually, “Ya knew me? How? I've never met ya before today in the clearin'.”
Aleksei chuckled, then said, “I apologize, Major... it is just that our legends include you by name. Each generation since the legend was foretold, has been hoping to be the one to live the legend, so to speak. It speaks of how one of our tribe would be Major Whitlock's shadow guard, an extension of him in battles of justice... to right the many wrongs of the supernatural world. Each generation of our tribal elders has scoured the earth in attempts to locate you... study you... and teach us to be the best we can be to aid your cause.”
I could feel my mates' shock practically rolling off them in waves, though their expressions never changed, but then I felt Peter's disbelief. Before I could figure out his game, he said, “Okay, prove it.”
Major raised an eyebrow at him, I guess from the feelings he was radiating. Aleksei just nodded his head to accept the challenge. “As you wish, Captain. Ask, and I will answer.”
Peter looked at me smugly, then stared at Aleksei while asking, “Does Major have any type of birthmark other than his elemental sign?”
I internally chuckled, knowing my Major's body as well as my own, then heard Aleksei reply without a second of thought, though with a considerable chuckle, “The shape of a cloud, just to the left of the dimple above his right ass cheek, with the letters I, P, and C inside it.”
I gasped slightly that he would know something so personal, but Peter frowned as Aleksei continued, “Your Charlotte's is a raindrop -the letters P, I, and J inside- located low on her right hip, just above the dip where her thigh meets her hip. Yours is what looks like a plume of smoke -the letters C, I, and J inside- located just inwards of the V of your lower abs, approximately 3/4 of the way down. The Goddess...”
He dipped his head reverently toward me, then continued, “Has a twisted tree limb, high on her inner right thigh, the letters J, P, and C attached to it like leaves. It is all in the journal, Captain.”
Peter didn't stop there, though, firing off his second question. “Did Major ever fail Maria durin’ battle in the Southern Wars?”
Aleksei scowled as he answered right away, “Never.”
Peter fired right back, and I knew I wasn't the only one shooting my head back and forth between the two, because we were gathering quite the crowd. “True or false. Did Major take out Nettie and Lucy for Maria? Why or why not?”
Aleksei nodded seriously, “True, though he only did so because she convinced him that they were about to betray her.”
Peter's frown deepened a bit, his voice containing a slight growl to it as he asked, “When did Major stop wantin’ to die?”
Aleksei placed his fork on his plate gently, handed it to his daughter, laid his hands on his knees palm up, then said without looking away from Peter, “When you and your Charlotte rescued him from Maria's clutches, Captain... which I am very grateful for.”
Peter thought for a long moment, then I felt a kind of light bulb go on inside his feelings. He kept a straight face, though, saying, “Final question. When did Jasper first make love to Bella?”
Aleksei took a few seconds longer to answer this time, but said surely, “The night of her 18th birthday.”
Peter's feelings overflowed with triumph as he belted out, “I knew I'd getcha at some point. Wrong answer. It was 4 mornin’s after her 18th birthday.”
Aleksei looked to Major for confirmation. When Major nodded, Aleksei bowed his head, “I apologize if I made offense with my claim. I was clearly misinformed on that subject.”
The crowd that had gathered around all started to disperse with whispers. I knew they were all doubly curious about the Russian Alpha's true purpose here now. Edward and Carlisle were both looking at Aleksei in a new light, so I knew that at least they were starting to understand his unofficial protector status.
Once the back yard was calm again, I said, “There was no offense, Aleksei, truly. Now, tell me about Seattle.”
Just then, Char caressed the side of my breast discretely as Major called over Alice and Edward. They made room, so as Alice and Edward situated in front of Major and Char respectively, I said, “Give them two minutes to settle in, then you can tell me how everything happened.”
Aleksei and Katja both nodded, then continued to eat like nothing was out of norm. Alice and Edward quickly settled into feeding after both kissing me chastely but tenderly, then I looked to Aleksei. He nodded to Katja, who offered, “I was the first to scent the enemy near our location. I alerted Father through the link, so he told us to use stealth until we knew whether they were friend or foe. We watched the interaction between the four and the European, determined they were not friend, then decided to see how much information we could gather before we came to you.”
Aleksei took over from there, explaining, “It was almost time to show our progress to our leader... your Jake... but knew if we backed away enough to do so safely, we would miss the opportunity to find out crucial information. I made the decision to go forward without the scheduled check. Without your mist, Goddess, we would not have been able to move in close enough to gather any intel. The pieces of jewelry... there was something about them that wasn't right. They made all of us very uncomfortable.”
I nodded, “We've already come across a few pieces from the same maker. All are enchanted, and all are purely evil. Do not let any of your streak touch them. They all need to be taken from the enemy, though, so make sure you have something like a cloth or gloves for protection when gathering them. They'll all need to be unbound from their purposes by the shaman before they can be destroyed.”
Aleksei nodded seriously, then gave Katja a look that said, “Please be careful.”
She smiled as she cupped her father's cheek, then said, “They plan to attack soon, Goddess. The flame-haired leader was using the moon cycle as a way for her army to tell time, saying something about the coming new moon being the time to strike.”
I nodded, “Yes, that is the night of the battle, which I was shown in a goddess vision. You gathered a vital piece of intel, though. She just received the jewelry. That means her army doesn't have long to get used to how they work before the battle. I doubt she'll let them wear the pieces 24/7 before the new moon, so they'll be hard pressed to get used to the effects before then. We were working on the basis of them already having time to acclimate to the pieces.”
Aleksei smiled, then said seriously, “That is several points for us then. If there is existing chaos in her ranks, it will make it that much easier for your Charlotte and her wolf to spread more during the fight.”
I smiled, kissed Char's neck as she chuckled her agreement, then wove a hand tenderly in both Edward and Alice's hair. Aleksei smiled at the sight before looking to my tummy. “They are growing well? They are strong?”
I grinned as Major said, “Yes. Strong and healthy, our sons. Jaiden and Preston are doin' well, and Mama is takin' such good care of ‘em.”
Katja beamed at that, mentioning, “They will be mighty, your children... strong and just leaders.”
I shook my head, then said, “Please, I don't want to know. I'm determined to let my babies be babies before they need to grow up and have their own destinies. They will already be born into an unstable time for our world. I don't want them to feel pressured by deeds they are supposed to do years in the future.”
Aleksei gave Katja a significant-but-loving look, so I knew he probably felt the same way when Katja was young. It warmed my heart, and I couldn't help but smile at my mates in return. We would give our family-to-be the best life and future we could offer them, but still guide them to be who they were destined to be.