When The Heart Sings

Chapter 25

Serena's POV:

The other green giants tried to pull Darien off, but he turned to attack them before returning to pummel the leader. His snarls told the world of his towering fury.

The Tarulk warriors were swiftly backing up with scared expressions as my mate expressed his opinion of the scene he had seen when coming through the gate. I heard a groan to the side and looked over to see Alex trying to sit up. I went to shakily kneel by him, "Alex, are you okay?"

I didn't touch him since I knew it would pain him, and he looked like he was in enough pain already. He gingerly rubbed his bruised forehead, "I feel like I got run over by a tank. What happened?" His head suddenly shot up as his memory caught up. He gave me a quick look over as he struggled to sit up, "Are you alright?! Where's Darien?"

"I'm alive, although that is only because of Darien." I turned my head back to the fight.

Despite the odds being six against one, Darien clearly had the upper hand. He was uninjured, but the leader was getting a thorough beating. The five followers were all sporting injuries and all of their weapons were either scattered further away or broken. His rage had not abated any, and his opponents were simply trying to fend off the smaller furious man at this point.

Alex's jaw dropped at the sight, "Oh no. Did he lose control?"

"I don't know how to tell. He exited the gate just as that guy was about to kill me."

Alex tried to stand up, but collapsed back to the ground in pain, "This is not good. You have to calm him down."

I gave him an incredulous look, "How? I can't go near that fight."

Alex shook his head with a frustrated look, "I don't know. Try calling him back. If he listens to anyone, it would be you. However, step away from me before you call him, lest he attack me. He isn't thinking clearly."

I rose shakily to my feet before moving away from Alex. The bond was still pulling and twisting, although not quite as badly as before. I looked back at my mate, I hadn't realized just how fast he was.

He dodged or blocked every blow and attack they tried to land. The leader's face was no longer recognizable. He was closer to death than life from the numerous injuries and damage Darien had dealt out in the short span of time.

I called out softly, "Darien please come back to me..." I hoped he wouldn't get hurt if I distracted him.

My quiet words had an instant reaction. Darien immediately broke off his attack and came towards me. I barely had time to register his pitch black eyes or the green blood splattered on his clothing before he reached me and pulled me into a hug.

The bond eased up the moment he wrapped his arms around me. I relaxed against him, ignoring the blood in relief of him being here. With luck, the contact would also calm him down. My touch had always worked the best in the past, and I could already feel his muscles relaxing slightly despite his anger towards those green men. He was breathing heavily as he buried his face in my hair. How he didn't smother himself in it was beyond me.

I rested my head against a blood free spot of his shirt and whispered, "Thank you for coming for me."

His voice was deep and rough, "I will always come for you, my heart."

"Are you okay?"

"Do not worry. They did not even manage to touch me."

I was relieved. I didn't think I could bear to see him injured. He chuckled faintly, "I can sense your relief. It is endearing, although you don't need to worry so much about me."

He was like my knight in shining armor, only minus the horse, weapons, and armor.

I blushed, "Too bad, you are always on my mind."

He growled faintly in approval, "And you are always on mine."

He exhaled heavily before raising his head. I lifted my head to look up at him, his eyes were mostly blue, but there was enough black there to show that his temper was only a step away from snapping again.

"I don't suppose you can help Alex? He is too injured to stand."

Darien glanced over at Alex and blinked as he got a good look at him. Darien wrapped an arm around my shoulders and held me close as we walked towards Alex. Darien examined him in surprise, "You look like you got your ass royally kicked."

Alex sighed heavily from his seat on the ground, "I can definitely feel it." His shoulders drooped as he became more somber, "I am sorry, Darien. I couldn't protect her. I gave it all I had, but it wasn't enough. In the end, it took seven of them to overpower me and knock me out, but I wasn't able to stop Clair from getting to Serena."

Darien closed his eyes for several seconds, "It isn't your fault, old friend. What exactly happened?"

Alex looked pained, "Clair distracted me as she tried to get close to Serena under the pretense of apologizing for her past actions. Alfred and Tristan ambushed me and they managed to get my dagger away from me. Clair knocked Serena out with some sort of drug so the bond wouldn't alert you to trouble. I almost got to her before the others joined the fray."

Darien looked around the field with narrowed eyes, "Where is that group? I think I have to have words with them."

Alex shrugged, and Darien looked at me. I shrugged, "Clair took off for the hills as soon as we got here. Alfred is over there; they knocked him out when he tried to stop that green guy. The rest scattered."

Darien growled lowly at their cowardly vanishing act. He turned his head to the side, and his voice became almost hostile, "Do I know you?"

I leaned over to peer around Darien. The Tarulk that Clair had originally spoken to was cautiously approaching. He stopped some distance from us, "I am Michael. I am the captain of the fighters stationed at this waygate. I assume you are Darien?"

Darien regarded the man unhappily, "I am. Does it matter?"

Michael inclined his head, "Clair mentioned your power before she ran and I must say that I am stunned. She was right; your abilities really can win this war for us."

Darien spun towards the man with a snarl as he gently tugged me behind him. Alex struggled and managed to get to his feet, although he barely put any weight on his leg. Michael went pale at Darien's reaction and took a step back.

"I am NOT fighting your war. She is never going near the fighting." I put my hand on Darien's back, partly to calm him and partly so he wouldn't pull away to attack someone. His muscles were trembling as his anger tried to make a reappearance.

I whispered as quietly as possible, "Relax, he isn't strong enough to force you." I barely heard my voice, but I knew Darien would have no problems picking it up. From the way Alex glanced at me, he had also heard it. Why did these guys have to have such good hearing?

My reasoning must have made sense to Darien since he relaxed somewhat. Then again, Michael was now aware that Darien's opinion did not agree with Clair's words.

Michael decided to choose a different topic, "Please allow me to escort you to a guest room while you make your plans."

Darien nodded slowly before starting to follow him, holding me close to his side. We passed not that far from the green giants. The leader was still on the ground, and I wasn't sure if he was conscious or not. The other five recoiled slightly as Darien sent a glare at them. Alex managed to hobble along at our slow pace.