by Flynn Eire
If you did, thank you . Thank you for respecting me and other authors for their hard work, understanding this is our job, and while we love it, we do deserve to be compensated for all the hours, and hours, and hours we put into it.
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There is no such thing as a victimless crime. If you truly believe that, you’ve never been a victim. And the victims aren’t only the authors, but the fans who lose authors that quit over our constantly being stolen from and mistreatment. Mistreating the authors that write the books you like or read—not liking them isn’t an excuse for theft, it’s just extra weird then—that’s not a fan. Fans leave reviews to support. Fans send messages of love. Fans… Well fans are nice . Be nice.
There are lots of ways to fight eBook piracy, reporting the site even if you’re not the copyright holder is always a good option. If you want to help in the fight, Google it and you can see there are many ways.
Falcon has had a rough life, starting with parents who did too many drugs naming him Falcon Byrd. If that wasn’t bad enough, ample trauma happened that his gift comes out early.
Then again, the coven leader’s mate being slaughtered right before his eyes during his first mission didn’t exactly help… And things didn’t get any better on the extended assignment he barely survived. But it ended the moment the Quebec coven leader was killed and there was no one to report to. And yet, coming back to Wyoming makes it feel far from over, and finding a drunk ancient offering to jump him doesn’t help.
When Gaius stumbles across the gorgeous young warrior rambling about the way life was supposed to be and everything that went so wrong, he’s never seen a more beautiful sight. For once, it’s not about sex and fun, but something deeper. But can he convince Falcon that’s what he’s really feeling after saying something stupid to make him laugh and all the rumors flying around about Gaius at the camp?
1
“You’re really not going to say a word to me?” Tadzio muttered to Ellison as he went to open the plane’s door now that we’d landed.
Ellison ignored him and reached for the handle himself, the air around him freezing cold from his attitude. Which had made it a blast to ride on the plane with them, but I was just happy to get the fuck out of Quebec… Ellison not so much because of where we’d come back to.
Tadzio sighed as Ellison left with his rucksack, never saying a word. He glanced at me then, my heart beating in my throat he was so gorgeous, my crush on him not abating even after over a year away.
“Sorry this is your introduction to our camp. We’re really a good camp.”
I blinked at him, and he started frowning when I didn’t say anything. Then I grabbed my gear, shaking my head as I moved towards him. I paused when I reached him, meeting his pretty eyes. “I get why Ellison thinks you’re such an asshole. You are a selfish dick.”
Rage filled his eyes as I poured salt in his wound as he growled at me. “You don’t even know me.”
“I’m from this camp,” I drawled, walking out of the plane. I glanced back at him and his shocked expression, my crush dying in that moment, and it had been what had gotten me through too, too much. “We’ve talked dozens of times, mostly when you tried to get near Ellison. But that boat has sailed, dude. He’d rather see you dead than ever let you touch him again.”
“Why did you tell him that?” Ellison demanded after I climbed into the vehicle waiting for us, driven by a warrior I didn’t know.
“Because as much as your hate for him is valid, I can’t stand any more problems, El,” I mumbled, glancing out at the landscape. “Can’t we just have some time to breathe?”
He snorted. “If you think I’m staying here, you’re out of your fucking mind. I’m transferring the moment I can fill out the paperwork.”
“And go where ? Where do you think is better?”
I felt his gaze and had a moment to mourn the person my friend had been before meeting his cold, hardened eyes. “Falcon, I’d rather be anywhere but here, and if you were smart, you’d do the same and get out.”
“I might quit, but I don’t think any camp would be better,” I said under my breath, nodding to the driver who was intently listening. Ellison snorted that he didn’t care.
Yeah, which brought us drama. He might be completely right, but sometimes the reason people didn’t listen was his fault.
I thanked the warrior for the ride when he pulled up to the main building, and the guy gave me a nod, looking happy to be free of crazy. Yeah, I didn’t blame him, but he didn’t have a fucking clue how bad it really was.
“Hey, you made it,” Mark greeted us from the entrance. “I was worried. You wouldn’t ever message me back.”
“Fuck. You. Asshole,” Ellison sneered and pushed past him.
“What was that about?” Mark asked me, his eyes wide.
“You know, I’m more than Ellison’s sidekick. You greeted him, not me. Go fucking ask him,” I snapped, hating I always got dragged in. Or not noticed until I got dragged in.
Seriously, which was worse?
I went into ops and got my room assignment and key, shocked when Gilroy let me know I wouldn’t get my detail until I had a conversation with Alexander, as people didn’t fight for positions anymore. Ellison immediately asked for transfer forms, and I sighed as Gilroy gave them to him, completely shocked.
I dropped off my shit, at least glad someone had cleaned the room for me, and headed to get food, wondering where I’d be put. Did I get a choice? That sounded better than at the bottom and given whatever.
Walking into the cafeteria, I realized how bad things were going to be here too as I watched a heated exchange between Tadzio and Ellison, both of them idiots who couldn’t just let things go or not take the drama up a notch. Tadzio threw his tray at Ellison, hot soup and all, but Ellison didn’t even flinch in pain, both of us conditioned against a bit too much. I didn’t hear what Ellison said in response, but Tadzio punched him.
A good punch. One that connected hard enough to turn his head, but he didn’t go down.
Yeah, neither of us did anymore.
Tadzio stormed off, and maybe I was a shit friend for not checking on Ellison, but I knew he would just snap at me anyways. I couldn’t keep trying if he wouldn’t. We were both too broken for that.
Instead, I grabbed a to go container and loaded up, thrilled at the real food instead of whatever canned goods could be found. I added several pops and premade sandwiches before I got the fuck out of there, unwilling to get shit for Ellison or questions I didn’t want to answer.
I didn’t go to my room, either, deciding to venture out into the camp, elated to get the chance to spend time outside even if it was getting cold fast. I climbed up one of the obstacle course’s ladders, plopping down on the platform and spreading out my own picnic.
And bitching to no one about how much hope and faith I’d had in everything the last time I’d run this obstacle course as a pre-trans. I was equal parts hurt and traumatized and relieved to be out of that fucking hell. Tears hit my food, the relief it was really and truly over making my body finally give in to a year and a half of pushing down the need to let it out.
“You’ve got quite the mouth on you,” someone said from the ground. I glanced down and met the deepest, darkest blue eyes I’d ever seen. He studied me like I was interesting in that assessing and patient way only those with age could have. He was old, I could tell that, but I had no idea of age or range. “No response?”
“I’m not sure what you would expect from that sort of statement,” I admitted, noting the way he took a long sip of the bottle of booze he was holding. And how most of it was gone.
Since when did the camp allow heavy day drinking?
“You should put that pretty mouth to better use,” he said with a smirk.
I snorted. Was this guy for real? “You put your mouth to better use.”
“Deal,” he purred, and suddenly he was up on the platform with me. He kissed me, and I was so shocked at not only how fast he could move, but what he was doing, I froze. He growled when I didn’t react, and instead of backing off, he tried to deepen the kiss.
Which seemed to snap me out of it. I shoved him hard, and apparently he was inebriated because he stumbled off the platform and ungracefully landed on the ground.
He snarled up at me. “That was stupid.”
“So is this whole meeting,” I whispered, my fingers going to my lips. “You just stole my first kiss, drunk, like a fucking bad rom com. What the fuck is wrong with you?”
He rolled himself to sitting, blinking up at me. “What the fuck is wrong with you that you’ve not been kissed at your age? You’re an adult.”
“Well, better to be a shining example of one like you instead,” I snapped, gathering my food. It seemed my room was better after all.
“I like your sass,” he chuckled, finishing the bottle that miraculously hadn’t broken in the fall. “You have sass like him.”
I rolled my eyes. Great, just another fucking idiot, hung up on someone, paying me notice after they were rejected. Awesome. Just awesome .
Maybe Ellison is right and getting out of here is best?
The next day didn’t get any better. I showed up to my meeting with Alexander before lunch to talk about assignments… Only to find out Ellison was first.
Shit.
Sure enough, the door to Alexander’s office opened so hard it bounced off the wall.
“I am still speaking with you, Ellison,” Alexander snarled, hot on the heels of my friend.
Though I was rethinking being his friend with all he dragged me into. I always said that but never gave up for good. He might seriously push me too far into it soon.
“I said I don’t care. I put in my transfer. That’s how paperwork works.”
“No, I will not sign off on this until you explain yourself.”
Ellison spun around, and my eyes bugged out as he spit in Alexander’s face. “I don’t owe you any fucking answers, you bastard. I want anywhere but here. I think that says plenty about why I put in a transfer.” Ellison stupidly smirked at the death look he was getting from the top warrior, the guy in charge as Alexander wiped the spit off his face, taking note of the audience we had now. “You want to challenge me for the insult? Sure, let’s do that .”
“Ellison, you’re going too far,” I hissed, trying to intercept him against my better judgement.
He shook off my hand, giving me a look of disgust too. “Of course you wouldn’t take a stand. You’re such a fucking chicken. Why don’t you go guard the women and children, Falcon?”
I dropped his arm as if he’d burned me… And washed my hands of him. There were lines that couldn’t be crossed no matter what he’d been through.
Especially since I’d been through it too.
Lots of people followed after Ellison, who was pointedly ignoring everything Alexander shouted until he got to the challenge circle. He smirked up at the seasoned warrior. “What? Not going to jump in when someone calls you out? Better to make your shit decisions in private when no one’s watching?”
“What are you talking about, Ellison?” Dimitri demanded, storming over to the railing for the challenge circle with way more pre-trans than I’d ever seen at the camp following after him.
Ellison shot Dimitri a look of pity, which seemed to incite Alexander. “You’re a good guy, Dimitri. I’m sorry he fooled you too. I think I feel worst for you to be his—”
“Enough,” Alexander snarled, jumping down into the ring. “You leave Dimitri out of this. Whatever bullshit problem you have is with me .”
“Bullshit?” Ellison hissed, his fangs coming out, and the rage in his eyes I saw I felt in myself as well. We were valid in everything we felt.
I simply wouldn’t have done it as Ellison did. There were other ways.
Then again, we had tried all of them to get help.
Ellison went over to the swords and picked up two, tossing one to Alexander, which he easily caught. “This is how warriors challenge each other, right?” He waited until Alexander gave a slow nod, looking confused again. Ellison tossed the other sword into the middle of the circle for the large audience we now had to see. Then he met Alexander’s confused gaze with a hate filled one. “I have no idea how to use that thing. A few basic classes with Matteo doesn’t do shit. You still think you’ve done nothing wrong?”
“What are you talking about?” Matteo asked, horror in his voice. “You were to finish your training with the warriors who were sent to Quebec to help.”
“ What warriors? ” Ellison bellowed, meeting Matteo’s stare. “He lied to you. He sent us to die .”
“What?” Dimitri gasped, glancing between them. “That—he wouldn’t do that! You’re missing something, Ellison.”
“I’m not ,” Ellison snapped, looking back at Alexander. “You sent three barely trained post-trans into fucking hell and wiped your hands of them. There were no other warriors. They said we were warriors and stuck us there to protect a coven with an insane coven leader.”
“You went after the attack that wiped out half the coven,” Dimitri argued.
“And who told you that?” Ellison challenged. “Your mate ? We went in after one of the first attacks and were thrown at a fucking nuclear meltdown so the awesome, legendary Alexander could show how great he was that even his post-trans could handle it, right? That was the bullshit that was spread? Except I heard the truth. He wanted to get rid of the councilman’s son because he hates that councilman. We were just collateral damage, right, Alexander?
“ Except he got pulled out. A week in and the next attack came, and he got pulled out because his daddy was a councilman. That left two post-trans they gave the title of ‘warrior’ to handle the nest of zakasacs . What about us, Alexander? What lies did you tell yourself to justify what you did? We were the East Canada camp and council’s responsibility? Except we weren’t transferred under them, so they did shit.
“The pissing contest between you and the councilman and that council and camp left us with no one to turn to. We call here? Oh, shock, no call back. We call our council for help? Oh, they’ll give a message to East Canada. We call them? Yeah, they just laugh and tell us to go fuck ourselves because our great camp churns out awesome warriors, right? We can handle it. They didn’t care there were over a thousand people in that coven.
“They were more concerned about whatever you did to get back at a councilman and used his son in your bullshit. Except it didn’t work. And what did you care if hundreds of vampires got picked off, right? The attacks kept coming . The coven leader wouldn’t let us evacuate. He lost his ever-loving mind the moment his mate was killed. And that’s what we had as our leader. Some fled. God, I hope they fled and didn’t get picked off when they escaped the estate.
“But we don’t know because they didn’t send help. No, they’re either dead or saved their own skins. So it was two of us to fight as they attacked, again and again. It was two of us to hold all the scared and freaked out people together who gave up hope. If I had known that insanity would keep going on, go for almost a year and a half until the coven leader died, I would have killed him myself.”
There was a shocked gasp among the expanded crowd, rumors flying through camps.
“ Don’t you dare judge! ” Ellison roared. “Hundreds were killed because of his insanity and pissing matches. We went days with constant attacks, and then we’d get some reprieve, praying we’d killed enough to take c
are of the nest. A moment of hope it was over and we could really leave, get out of there.
“But no, then they’d come back with more, and another wave would die that we couldn’t save.” He spun to Alexander again, his fangs and claws out. “It should have been you. You should be dead for what happened. What you let happen. I hope you do and painfully because you are eviler than any zakasac , and at least they admit what they are, whereas you hide behind—”
I saw the punch coming, and some insane part of me acted, grabbing the railing for leverage, but Alexander was faster. Ellison didn’t even see it coming, so into what he was saying he was caught completely off guard and went down hard, knocked out.
I landed with a thud and dove between them, my fangs and claws out, hissing at Alexander. “I always thought it was a mistake until this moment. I believed it and didn’t listen to Ellison that we should run, that coming back here was suicide, as you’d have us done in since we were witnesses. But you just showed I was wrong; he was right. You did this.”
“I did not ,” Alexander seethed, taking a step towards us.
I braced for impact, but suddenly I wasn’t there; the drunk man I’d met out at the obstacle course darted in with Tadzio and got us away from him. I saw Ellison in Tadzio’s arms and couldn’t think of what to do since I was no match for the warrior or any of them.
“There needs to be a serious discussion, and I would suggest it go calmer than this one,” the man said firmly. “Helios can—”
“No, fuck no,” I cut in, fighting his hold to no avail. “You’re not siccing the fucking Wyrok on us to make us tell everything. I’m not going through that or telling! It wasn’t our fault! We shouldn’t have been there!”
The deep blue eyes met mine, and I saw pity. “I’m Wyrok too.”
We were so fucking dead. So, so fucking dead.
He relaxed his hold to say it, and I took a chance, breaking away from him as I dove for Ellison. I got him out of Tadzio’s arms and dragged him over by the alcove that held the weapons for the challenge circle. A scream tore from my lips as I let my gift flare, making all the metal move to block us, pointing the swords out so no one could get to us without getting cut.