HeroRising (28 page)

Amaryllis gasped out loud while Lucian’s silent surprise
crackled down his spine. A warrior was never without his weapon, and for many
long years all that Bale was had been defined by the actions of his sword. Even
Ari, who held no knowledge of the
Llanos
ways understood the
significance of the gesture and rushed to his side.

“Bale?” she asked. “What are you doing?”

“This sword belonged to an angry and confused man. I am not
that man anymore. I am entrusting this sword in your keeping, Captain.”

DeWinter grasped the hilt and faltered with its full weight
when it Bale relinquished it, nearly dropping the heavy weapon. “Whoa. It’s a
lot bigger than it looks in pictures. Thank you, Bale. I’ll keep it safe.”

“Do we have an accord then?”

“Accord?” DeWinter scoffed. “You guys and your fancy talk.
Yeah. We have a deal.”

The pact was settled with a handshake then DeWinter was
overtaken by two bubbly women who peppered his cheeks with kisses while
avoiding the sharp edge of the blade.

“Lucian, pop the champagne,” Amaryllis ordered. “Captain,
you must join us for a toast. There is much to celebrate.”

“Ah, no thanks. I have the disappearance of a vigilante to
plan.” He gestured to Bale and Ari. “You all enjoy your
hair-ritual-whatever-the-hell-you’ve-got-going-on…stuff. When can I expect to
hear from the Chameleon?” he asked Lucian.

“I’ll contact him right away. You should be notified within
the hour.”

“Uh-huh. Right. Thank you for your assistance. I’ll just
leave you now and try to get to my car without anyone noticing that I’m
carrying a gigantic sword.” DeWinter covered the weapon with his jacket then
gave him a tight salute before exiting the apartment.

“Is it over?” Ari asked. “Really? That was it? You don’t
have to go to jail?”

Bale drew her close. “Are you disappointed?”

“No, just afraid to believe that the threat is over.” She
buried her nose against his chest and held him tight.

“Me too,” he admitted. He met his commander’s gaze. “Thank
you, Lucian. I am forever in your service.”

“I have plans for you, do not doubt that.” He smiled.
“However, the only thanks I need is for you to live a happy life, Balellanos.”

“I will.” His shoulders relaxed and he released an easy
sigh. “Starting now. If you don’t mind, please take your wife and return home.”

Lucian laughed. “Absolutely. Come, Amaryllis.”

“What?” she screeched. “I was just pouring the champagne.”

“Do not fret, your highness,” Bale said. “It will not go to
waste.”

“But Ari and I have so much to talk about. We need to plan a
party in their honor and figure out new living quarters. They should have a
bigger home. Lucian! Put me down. I haven’t even heard how he asked her about
bonding. Lucian.”

The princess pounded on her husband’s back as he carried her
over his shoulder. With a jaunty wave he left them in silence as Amaryllis’
protests echoed down the hall.

“Is that going to be us in a few years?” Ari asked.

“That’s going to be us now.” He dipped low and flipped her
onto his shoulders.

“Bale!” Her fingers dug into his backside. “Is this really
necessary?”

“No.” He picked up the open bottle of champagne on his way
to the bedroom.

As an afterthought he made a quick detour to the bathroom
and ripped down the shower curtain liner.

“Why did you do that?”

“I plan to use your body as a vessel. We might make a mess.”

“Might?”

He set her on her feet and dove in for a breath-stealing
kiss. When his lungs screamed for air, he raised his head with a smile. “We
will definitely make a mess.”

“Well hell, why don’t we just bypass the bed altogether and
lay everything out on the floor?”

“I like the way you think.”

Together they laid out the curtain and a few sacrificial
pillows on the carpet. Bale pulled Ari down to lie on top of him, drinking from
her lips as he slid the zipper of her dress down her back. One hand rested on
the warm skin of her spine while the other he used to cradle the back of her
head. The urgent desire to join their bodies together cooled as he took the
time to savor the weight of her body on his, the silkiness of her hair between
his fingers and the steady sound of her heart beating as he nuzzled her neck.

They were free to be as one now. Truly free.

Euphoria raced through him as Ari gasped, “Bale. Can’t.
Breathe.”

“Sorry.” He loosened his hold. “I’m just so…I…”

His eyes watered, blurring Ari’s beautiful face as she
lifted up to look upon him with adoration. “I know, Bale. I know.”

As lovely and intelligent as she was, she was wrong. Ari
would never fully understand—not even with their bond—the depth of his love,
gratitude and happiness.

He placed his hands on either side of her face. It took
several attempts for him to manage to squeeze past his constricted throat the
simplest of statements but nonetheless true and one he would never hesitate to
speak for the rest of his life.

“I love you.”

“Again, Mrs. Dubois.” Bale adjusted his grip on the padded
nightstick and nodded at the woman staring timidly up at him from the other
side of the blue exercise mat. “This time with passion.”

Mrs. Dubois worried her lower lip and pulled at the hem of
her t-shirt. “I’m trying.”

“No, you are afraid, and therefore do not follow through
with your actions. What are you afraid of?”

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

At five foot two, the plump fifty-year-old didn’t appear
capable of harming a piece of paper. Two months prior her bridge club had
joined his self-defense class after one of their own was mugged while doing
their holiday shopping. With her genteel Southern upbringing and doting
husband, she had been fortunate enough to never have to fight for her life,
which also made it difficult to inspire the warrior spirit within her.

He thumped on his chest. “I am here for you to hurt. For you
to grow strong. An attacker lives to hurt you. Your fear and pain is a drug
they feed on. The only thing standing between you and death is your will to
live. Will you fight, Mrs. Dubois? Or will you let a stranger steal you away
from your family?”

“I-I—” she sputtered. Her eyes widened with terror as he
stalked closer.

“I am your attacker. Fight or die. What shall it be?” He
grabbed on to her arm in a tight hold, but was careful not to snap the delicate
bones. “Give me what I want or I will hurt you with this weapon.”

“No!” she screamed and stomped on his foot while twisting in
his direction. Her knee connected to the inside of his thigh with enough force
to make him lose his grip.

She stumbled back and looked up at him with bright eyes and
a pink flush across her cheeks as her breath whooshed in and out.

He nodded. “Better. Not good, but better.”

“Thank you, Mr. Bale,” she said in a breathy voice.

“Go to the bag for ten minutes. I want you to treat it like
the scum that it is.”

“Yes sir.” She trotted off, slapping high-fives with her
friends as she passed.

He bent down to straighten the mat at his feet. “Who else
wants a go?”

“I do.”

Ari stood across from him with her feet apart and knees
bent, ready for action. She held out her hands and waved her fingers in a “come
and get me” motion as she waggled her brows.

As always, his world stopped when he gazed upon his wife.
The rest of the room faded away until there was only Ari and the love in her
smile. The sun in his universe.

He blinked hard to focus his vision and looked around the
room. “Where are the children?”

“On the gymnastics equipment with Roxanne.” She nodded to
the corner of the room.

Roxanne, their family friend, spotted five-year-old Lucas as
he swung back and forth on the uneven bars while his younger sister marched on
top of the toddler-sized balance beam. Gleaming red curls spilled from her
ponytail and bobbed about her tiny shoulders as she leapt with a grace far
beyond her three years of age.

Lucas laughed and his eardrum-piercing squeal bounced off
the walls of the community center’s gym, hitting a crescendo each time Roxanne
pushed him higher. The sound was perfection to his father’s ears, but little
Rosaline glared daggers at her brother before pulling her shirt over her head.

When Bale had first offered the self-defense classes, the
women Captain DeWinter referred to him had often come from situations where
they had already experienced a violent attack. His size and intensity had
frightened many of them from returning to his classes, but Ari, who had been
six months pregnant at the time, had convinced them to try again, and soon
became a fixture in all of his beginner’s classes. Once his students witnessed
the tenderness and love he felt for his growing family, he ceased to be so
scary and now they treated him as a loveable giant, except when he came at them
with a club. They knew it was time to get serious when the stick came out.

“Hey. Come on, big man,” Ari taunted. “Are you afraid to
come at me?”

He twirled the club in his hand and shot his wife a wink.
“Never. Tackling you is one of my favorite pastimes.”

“Ha ha. I’m serious. I’ve learned some new moves. Come at
me. If you dare.”

“Ooo,” the students cooed and gathered around the edge of the
mat to watch the interaction.

A smile flirted with his lips as he gave Ari his fiercest
stare, then with a battle cry that had made many a man wet his pants, he ran at
her full-bore with club raised in the air.

She lowered her stance and as his arm swung down she blocked
the blow with her forearm and followed it up with an upper-cut to the gut.
Using her momentum, she dug her shoulder into his stomach and knocked him onto
his back where she finished by punching him directly in his cup-covered groin.
The plastic diminished the blow, but it still caused him to suck in a harsh
breath while his eyes watered.

All the ladies gasped, and from the corner of his blurred
vision he saw Lucas cup his own groin in sympathy.

Ari jumped up with a triumphant crow and dusted off her
hands. “A fine warrior once told me to know exactly where to strike your enemy
and to not hesitate. Whatd’ya think?”

“I think he did not mean for his wife to use that tactic
upon him,” he wheezed. “Who taught you that?”

“Amaryllis.”

“I should have known.” He staggered to his feet and pulled
her in for a hug. Over the top of her head he addressed his students. “Ladies,
let this be a lesson. A larger opponent is not unbeatable. And if my own wife
will gleefully strike me in the balls, you should not be afraid to use your
full force on me. I am here to teach, and you are here to learn.”

Ari sputtered with laughter against his chest. “Admit it.
You’re proud of me. Just a little. I can sense it.”

“I am very proud of you, but you do know that I expect you
to pay appropriate homage to my manhood and apologize profusely in a manner of
my choosing.” He lowered his head and covered her smile with a kiss that
quickly blossomed into an all-out blaze that pained him to stop, however one
second longer and the cup was going to fail in hiding his erection.

“I will do all you ask and more. After the family dinner.”

Jesu.
He closed his eyes on a groan. The monthly
family dinner. As much as he loved his extended family, when his woman was in
his arms, his only desire was to spirit her away and make love all night long
until the children demanded breakfast at dawn. Not even Fiona’s
chocolate-mousse cake made up for missing a few hours of Ari’s kisses.

Huh. Now that was an idea. Chocolate mousse cake and sex
with Ari. Would anyone notice if he squirreled a few slices away to take home?

“How I wish I knew what you’re thinking.” Ari ran her tongue
up the side of his neck.

“I’ll surprise you later tonight.”

“Not even a hint?”

His cheeks bunched with his Cheshire grin. “We’re going to
need a new shower curtain.”

Ari’s laughter burst across his skin as Mrs. Jenkins waved
her hand at her face like a fan. “I don’t know if it’s all of this exercise or
watching you two together that makes my blood hot, but when I get home from class
Mr. Jenkins is always a very happy man.”

Heat singed his cheeks and he knew his face grew as red as
his hair. Whenever he was around Ari, he often forgot to see if there was an
audience before indulging in a public display of affection. “All right, ladies.
That’s class for this evening. I will see you next week.”

“Daddy. Daddy.” Rosaline ran up to him and lifted her arms
as she jumped. As always, he caught her mid-leap. “You okay? Mommy got you
good.”

“She sure did. When you’re older, she’ll teach you that
move. I can see it coming in handy in your future.”

“Cool. Wha-wha.” She sliced through the air with her pudgy
hands with ninja precision then giggled when he kissed her cheek.

Together he and Ari worked with the synchronicity that came
with years of practice as they bundled up the children in winter coats and
mittens and collected teddy bears, sippy cups and the stray Cheerio in
preparation for transport. With all the enthusiasm of a dozen small boys, Lucas
scurried around the couple, jumping on every piece of equipment to the door and
chattering nonstop.

“Dad. I need my sword. Not the plastic one either but the
wood one.” He swirled an imaginary blade over his head.

“Why?”

“Uncle Dhavin said he’d teach me how to fight like a
warrior.”

“That pansy-ass? I’m a much better swordsman than he.”

“Bale, language,” Ari hissed. “I swear, I’m going to have to
kick your ass to remind you not to swear in front of the children.”

“Yes, darling.” He bit his lip to hold in his chuckle then
sucked in a breath as a jolt of distress struck him in the chest.

Ari’s eyes widened, signaling she felt it too. “What was
that?”

“Keep the children inside.” He drew the hood of his
sweatshirt over his head and strode toward the door.

“Bale.”

“I’m only investigating. Keep your phone at the ready.” He
burst out onto the sidewalk and squinted up at the rapidly darkening sky and
the fine mist of rain that hovered in the air as finely as cobwebs.

His feet beat tracks to the parking garage and the source of
the emotion. It had been over six years since he last donned the mantle of the
Claymore, yet he still reached toward his hip for the sword he no longer
carried. He glanced down at his empty hand in confusion for half a second, then
continued on. The lack of weapon was not going to stop him from lending his
assistance.

Twin shots of adrenaline raised the hair on his arms as he
ran up the stairs to the second level and came to a halt at the landing.

“Mrs. Dubois?” he asked in disbelief.

A man lay sprawled facedown upon the concrete while Mrs.
Dubois kneeled on his back and tightened a plastic zip-tie around his wrists.

“Mr. Bale!” She leapt to her feet and ran to throw her arms
around his neck. “I did it. I did it, Mr. Bale. Just like you said. He jumped
out of the shadows and tried to push me into the car and I snapped. I screamed
then kneed him in the balls and flipped him to the ground. Oh, I can’t believe
I did it.”

While Mrs. Dubois clucked like a hen, the stranger lifted
his head in confusion and met Bale’s gaze. Bale bared his teeth with a silent
growl and feinted with his head. The man’s jaw dropped then he lay back on the
ground.

“Are you injured, Mrs. Dubois?”

“No. No. I’m just— I’m just a little shaken and wow. Wow. I
can’t believe I did it.”

“Bale?” Ari’s voice preceded the sound of her footsteps up
the stairs. “Is everyone all right?”

“Ari? What are you doing here? Where are the children?”

“They’re with Mrs. Jenkins.” She appeared on the landing.
Her red hair was a splash of light in the dark. “I figured you had everything
under control. I called 9-1-1 on my way here. They’re on their way.”

“Ari, oh Ari, I did it. Just like Mr. Bale taught me. See,
and I even used the zip-ties he told us to carry in our purse. You know, at
first I thought that was a crazy idea, but look. Look. Oh my. Thank you. Thank
you so much.” She hugged him again.

Ari smiled at him and her pride blossomed with a bonfire
glow to warm his heart. When the police arrived a few minutes later, they stood
to the side in silent support while Mrs. Dubois gave her statement.

“Look at that,” Ari spoke from the corner of her mouth while
they watched on. “Who needs the Claymore when the city has you teaching
everyone how to be their own hero?”

“It was up to Mrs. Dubois to apply the knowledge.”

“And it was you who gave her that knowledge. Your family
would be proud of you. Especially her,” she whispered.

Natalia might have been the motivation but Ari was the
compass, showing him the way to keep his vow while maintaining his soul. She
was the true hero.

He slipped his arm around her waist. “Thank you, Ari. For
believing in me.”

“You’ve made it easy.” She stood on her toes to kiss his
cheek. “I’ve just been privileged to watch you grow.”

“You are wrong. I am the privileged one to be on this great
journey with you,
liera
.”

“I do love when you say cheesy things like that.”

“I’m going to say a lot more later tonight.” He gestured
toward the police officers. “It looks as if they’re almost finished. Let’s
collect our children and go home. I need my family close to me.”

“I’m ready when you are.”

“Officer?” he asked. “Are we free to go now?”

“Sure. Thank you for your statement.”

“My pleasure.”

“Hey.” The officer stopped them as he turned. “Did anyone
ever tell you that you kind of look like that Claymore guy who ran around here
a while ago?”

He raised his brow. “No.”

“Huh.” He shrugged when Bale left his response at that.
“Well you do. At least, you look like the pictures I’ve seen.” He turned to his
partner. “I wonder whatever happened to that guy.”

Ari smiled slyly up at him while they walked toward the
community center. “I’ve wondered that too.”

“I know what happened.” He squeezed her side. “He went
home.”