Stolen Warriors

by S. Dalambakis

  “Finley, can I come in? Please.”

  I almost tell him no until I hear the softness and the plea in his rough voice. “Yeah.” I move so that I’m sitting up in the tub, my arms crossed over my chest. A second later the door opens and Obsidian walks in. He puts the lid of the toilet seat down before sitting on it. He doesn’t say anything at first, or even look at me. His hands move to his knees, gripping them tightly.

  “I’m sorry.”

  I whip my head up, meeting his eyes. I was not expecting that. “Wh-What?”

  “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking earlier, and I said things that I’m not proud of.”

  My mouth opens and closes like a fish. “Wow.”

  Obsidian runs his fingers through his hair then over his beard. “Look, I’m not good at this. I just wanted to apologize for being an ass earlier. Having a mate is new to me and I’m fighting all my instincts. Just give me some time to adjust. You’ll need to be patient with me,” he says as he looks over at me. I owe him an explanation and an apology as well.

  The water sloshes as I stand up. Obsidian growls at the sight of my naked body. I step out of the tub and reach for a towel hanging on a nearby rack, wrapping it around my body. I hold out my hand. He places his big one in mine. I lead him out of the bathroom and into the bedroom, pushing him onto the bed. I walk over to my bag and rummage through until I find some clothes. Standing, I let my towel drop to the floor, enticing another growl from Obsidian. I dress quickly before turning to him.

  “I’m sorry as well. I didn’t handle what you said any better than you delivering it. I’ve been on my own for so long, never having to account for my actions to anyone. This will take some time for me. You’ll have to learn to be patient with me too. Eventually, we’ll work this out.” I move and sit next to him, grabbing one of his hands. “We’ll take this one step at a time. It won’t happen overnight, but I promise to try.”

  “I promise as well.”

  “Good.” I squeeze the hand that I’m holding. “I’m tired. We’ve had a long day and, from what I understand, a long journey ahead of us. Let’s go to sleep.” Obsidian nods. He stands, pulling me with him. “Where are Verkor and Stolas?” I ask as he leads me over to the other side of the bed. I watch as he pulls back the covers.

  “They’re close by. They were giving me time to apologize,” he sighs. “They chewed me out after you left. Which I completely deserved.”

  I climb into bed and watch as Obsidian walks to the other side of the bed, joining me. I roll over on my side, facing him.

  “Will you tell me something about yourself?” I ask as he settles in. Obsidian turns his head toward me.

  “What do you want to know?” He folds his hands over his chest.

  “I know hamrammrs are rare. Why?” I nuzzle against the pillow, getting comfortable.

  “Yes, there are only a few dozen of us left. We’re hunted and killed because people fear our strength and ability. We’re not like other shifters. If by some chance we’re not killed, then we’re used as lab rats, and experimented on. They don’t understand, and what people don’t understand, they fear. They either try to kill it, or try to find out how it works. I had to keep what I was hidden. I took the job of bounty hunter because it kept me on the move. That’s how I lived for years. Always looking over my shoulder. I did something in that time that I’m not proud of.” He sighs, moving his hands behind his head, and stares at the ceiling. “Then, I meet Stolas and Verkor. It changed everything. I no longer wanted to run and hide, and I knew I needed to make a stand, to show I wasn’t someone to mess with.”

  “How did you three become friends?” I say between a yawn.

  “We have a mutual employer. We were sent on a few jobs together. Individually, we’re strong, but combined we’re formidable. Jobs go easier and faster when we’re together. I was surprised how well we worked and got along. Especially, me because it’s hard to trust people when you’re a hamrammr. I’m not the friendliest person to be around.” I chuckle and yawn again.

  “Were there times you almost got caught?”

  I nod. “Some of my tattoos cover those scars. That is a story for another day.”

  “What kind of jobs do you do?”

  “Bounty hunting, recovery. Occasionally, we’ll do jobs for the devil and the angels.”

  “Who do you hunt, what do you recover, and what kind of jobs for the devil and the angels?” I move my hand, resting it under my cheek.

  “We hunt people on the run from the law. What we recover varies. Sometimes it things like family heirlooms; other times, it’s photos or information that’s being used to blackmail someone. As for the devil, well let’s just say those jobs are questionable on whether or not they’re legal. Now, the angels are completely different. They’re jobs are always on the up and up. God forbid they do anything wrong.” Obsidian moves his hands behind his head. “We try to not hurt people, but we don’t always get what we want.” I nod my head in understanding. There was a job in which I ended up having to kill the mark. I didn’t want to, but it was either him or me. I chose me.

  “Then why do they hire you guys?” I ask, genuinely curious.

  “Because they know we’ll get the job done. Plus, they can claim they didn’t know if we do the job by the books or not. They like to play and act good, but secretly, they don’t care how you get the job done, just as long as you do. They can play blind to it all later.”

  “Are fallen angels real?”

  “Yes. They lose their wings if they forsake God.”

  “How do they do that?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve never seen it done and I haven’t asked exactly what they have to do or say to forsake their God. Stolas might know simply because he is their opposite.”

  “Hm. I’ll have to ask him,” I say as I yawn.

  “You can ask him in the morning. Get some sleep, we have a long journey ahead of us.”

  I try hard to fight the sleep that has slowly been tugging at me the entire time we were talking, but I can’t. My eyes start to drift close; the image of Obsidian lying next to me is the last thing I see before everything goes black.

  Obsidian

  I stare at Finley, listening to her take deep even breaths. The urge to reach out and touch her, to gather her in my arms and hold her close is so strong. I had to put my hands behind my head just to keep from doing that. I can’t believe I almost messed this up for all of us. Finley’s right, we haven’t known each other long. Everything will come together as we move forward. Sometimes my animal side gets the better of me. It’s hard not acting on my instinct, but Finley is strong-willed. It makes her the perfect mate for me. My animal side would not accept anything less.

  Finley scoots closer to me. Her head goes to my shoulder, a hand on my chest, and a leg goes over mine. I stay perfectly still, waiting for her to settle back down. Once she has, I slowly move my hands from behind my head, placing one around her body, pulling her even closer to me. My other hand rest on top of hers. She sighs, snuggling into me. I smile. God, she feels good in my arms and against my body. The door to our room opens. Stolas and Verkor walk in with bags in their hands. They both pause when they see us on the bed.

  “I take it you fixed things?” Verkor whispers. I nod, not wanting to chance my voice waking her.

  “Good.”

  “Just to give you a heads up, Creed is pissed that he got swindled. He might cause problems tomorrow,” Stolas says.

  “If he does, we’ll deal with it. He can’t go back on his deal,” I say quietly. They look at Finley then nod. They move quietly around the small, sparse room. I watch as they go through their bags, pulling out some rolled fabric. As they unroll them I realize that they’re sleeping bags. We’ll have to pick up a few more in the morning. “Remind me to get a couple more bags before we take off tomorrow.” There aren’t many places to bed down from here to the castle. There will be a few nights that we’ll have to sleep on the ground by a fire.

  “I wonder ho
w Finley will take the journey?” Stolas states, as he unrolls and sets up his bag.

  “She’s seems strong. We’ll make sure she’s as comfortable as she can be. We’ll have to ask her if she’s done anything like this before. If anything, we learned earlier not to underestimate her,” Verkor voiced.

  “Does anyone else get the feeling that this is about more than just money?” I ask. They nod.

  “The question is... what?” Verkor replies.

  Chapter 7

  Finley

  I wake up in a snuggly cocoon of warmth. I try stretching but something heavy is holding me in place. There’s an arm around my waist with a hand splayed between my breasts. Opening my eyes slowly, I take in the ray of light streaming in from the window, casting a soft glow around the room. The soft sounds of deep breathing are the only thing that can be heard. The arm around me tightens, pulling me closer to the body behind me. A heavy leg is thrown over mine. I feel a nose and hear deep inhale from Obsidian who has buried his face in my neck. I try not to giggle, but it tickles and the sound escapes my lips.

  “It’s too early for this,” Stolas groans from the floor.

  I try to move to look over the side of the bed, but Obsidian isn’t letting me move an inch. “You have to let me go.”

  He nuzzles my neck, and I smile. My big, bad hamrammr is a cuddler. It’s cute. “Not yet.”

  “But I want to see if they’re snuggling.”

  “We’re not,” Verkor replies. There is a rustling sound, and Verkor pops into my view, wearing nothing but boxers and a six pack of abs that I would like to run my hands, tongue, and lips over. He stretches and releases his wings. Unfolding them, he shakes them, and sighs. I can’t help but stare at his wings. The sun light is hitting them just right, making the teal sheen glow. He looks magnificent.

  “You got a little drool,” Stolas points to the corner of his mouth. “Here.” When did he sit up?

  “What can I say? He looks amazing.” Verkor sends a beaming smile my way and winks. I clench my thighs together, because damn that was hot.

  “Could you not do whatever it is you’re doing, Verkor? Finley is getting turned on and it’s hard enough not to rip her clothes off as it is. You’re making it worse,” Obsidian mumbles against my neck. I clench my thighs harder, because now I have the image of Obsidian doing just that, ripping my clothes off, and man is it hot.

  A deep inhale is followed by a low growl. “You’re not helping either,” Stolas directs at Obsidian.

  “How about we start the day because we still have to stop and make a few purchases before we leave. We also have to make sure Creed is keeping his word and readying some horses for us,” Verkor interjects. “Come, Finley,” he holds out his hand as he steps over Stolas to reach my side of the bed. “I got you a riding outfit.” I try and move but Obsidian won’t let go. I feel his arm tighten, and his lips on my neck before he rolls over, releasing me. I place my hand in Verkor’s and he helps me up. He gathers me up in his arms the moment my feet are the floor. He leans down, placing his mouth right next to my ear. “Once we get to the castle, you’re going to be mine... in more ways than one. Because unlike Obsidian, once I get you in my bed, there’s no way I’m not fucking you until you scream my name.” He leans back, placing a chaste kiss to my lips before pulling away. A pair of snapping fingers enter my view.

  I smack at his hand, but he just laughs and walks to his bag. I stare at his ass as he does. As if he senses me, he looks back over his shoulder, catching me. “Like what you see?” He smiles.

  I shrug my shoulders, smiling. I’m not the least bit repentant. He has a nice ass. There are these two little dimples on either side of his spine. “Yeah. You got a problem with me looking?”

  “No, just checking.” He winks, turns back to his bag, and starts looking through it.

  These men are too sexy for their own good. It’s going to be a long journey. “What do we need to get at the market?” I ask, completely ignoring the sexual tension that is now floating around the room in waves.

  “I need to get us a couple of sleeping bags like Stolas’ and Verkor’s,” Obsidian answers. I glance back at him, seeing he has propped himself up on the backboard of the bed. “There’s going to be a few nights where we’ll have to sleep outside,” he continues.

  “That’s fine. Is there somewhere we can procure a tent?”

  “We’ll look at the market, but sellers can be quite vicious when it comes to selling them. They’re hard to come by here,” Verkor states.

  “Why?” I ask confused, turning back to face him.

  “No one in their right mind would brave the harsh winter nights here. Plus, the dangers that lurk in the woods,” Verkor responds.

  “Is it really that bad?”

  “Yes,” Verkor states. “There are dangerous predators. Most will leave us alone, but others might edge closer to our camp, looking for food.”

  I rub my temples. What the hell have I gotten us into? “No doom and gloom talk before breakfast. I can’t think on an empty stomach.” I don’t want to think about what he said.

  “Well, get your ass into gear and we’ll go eat,” Stolas replies.

  The promise of food gets me going. That’s one thing I don’t joke about. I move around the bed to my bag. I have to walk past my half naked fae and hellhound. I run my fingers across their bare chest as I go. The second my hand falls away and I’m facing away from them, a smack lands on my ass. Turning, they’re both looking at me with their hands behind their backs. My bet is on Stolas being the one who did it.

  “I’ll get you back. Just you wait.” I give them an evil smile. They look at each other, and visibly swallow. A change comes over Stolas. He grins as he looks at me.

  “Bring it on.”

  Stolas

  “I’ve never seen a woman wolf down food like that and look sexy doing it,” I say as we walk the market.

  “You know Stolas, you’re kind of perverse,” Finley states. I shrug my shoulders and grin. She’s not wrong, but I think a lot of this is due to the fact that she’s my mate. I’m sure almost anything she does I’m going to find attractive. “Is that a hellhound thing, or a you thing?”

  “It’s a me thing, but only when it comes to you.” She shakes her head, but smiles.

  “What is your role in the trio? Verkor brings the magic. I assume that Obsidian is the muscle, but what about you? All of you are so different.”

  “You’re right about the other two. I’m our best tracker. My hellhound nose is better that Obsidian’s.” We sidestep some fae who are in an agreement about prices. “My hearing is also better than theirs.” She nods. “When we started working together, it just clicked. We’re good at what we do because we all bring something different to the table.” I place a hand on Finley’s arm, guiding her around a few of the more crowded stalls.

  “Hellhounds come from hell, right?” She looks at me from the corner of her eye.

  “I was born in hell. Everyone in my family was. My brother still works there. He’s a guardian of one of the gates to hell. My sister works in a different level, gluttony. My parents are retired and like to travel to different realms. They are pushing for us to settle down. They want grandpups.” I let go of her arm when there’s more open space.

  “It sounds like you have a loving family.” There is longing in her voice. I run my hand up and down her back.

  “I do. They’re going to love you. They’re your family now too.”

  “Are they going to be mad that I’m not a hellhound?” Worry tinges her voice.

  “No, love, they’re not. They only want me to be happy.” Stopping us, I grip her chin, making her meet my eyes. Such sadness staring back at me. I need to change that. “You make me happy.” I kiss her. Just a brief passing over her lips. She sighs, and I feel her body relax. I pull back. There is still sadness in her gaze. I’m going to have to work hard to get rid of it and make sure it doesn’t come back. My hand falls back down to my side. “Let’s go, Verkor
is moving ahead of us.” We turn, walking after Verkor. I nudge her with my shoulder, smiling down at her. She nudges me back.

  “Wait,” she pauses, holding up her hand. “Did you say one of the levels of hell? As in, the nine levels of hell are real?” I laugh. We move forward.

  “Yes, the nine levels of hell are real, and Lucifer lives in a castle in the pits.” Her eyes widen.

  “Holy shit,” she whispers.

  “It’s not as bad as it seems. I’ll take you some time. You’re going to love it. I guarantee it’s nothing like you picture it.” She nods, but seems lost in her own thoughts for the moment. She shakes her head then turns her gray eyes to us.

  “One thing, and one place at a time. For now, let’s get what we came here for. I have a hundred questions I want to ask, but I’ll ask them later. Where are the stalls with the sleeping bags and tents?” she asks.

  “A few more down,” Verkor responds as we make our way through the throng of people. “I’ll pay for a couple more sleeping bags since Obsidian isn’t here.”

  “Leaving him to deal with Creed and our horses problem wasn’t the best decision,” I state.

  “Neither was leaving you to do it, Finley. That’s what Creed really wanted. He was insisting that you come down. He was almost refusing to give us the horses unless he saw you. As if we would let that happen,” Verkor responds. Finley hunches her shoulders.

  “Yeah, sometimes that happens. The magic affects everyone differently. Some get attached, some get mad, and some want payback,” she says softly. “It’s why I don’t like to stick around.” We stop in front of the same stall that we were at yesterday. I walk over to Finley, wrapping her up in a hug, while Verkor buys what we need.

  “We won’t let anything happen to you.” I kiss the top of her head. “Think of us as hired help.” She chuckles. I step away.

  “Not likely,” she smiles. I am happy to see the smile on her face. She turns and starts looking at the items around the stall.