End of an Era: A Sons of Satrina Novel (The Sons of Satrina Book 4)

by Kristan Belle

  The shower felt amazing on her weary skin. Master Warrior Stetson had really put them through it and she was seriously feeling the effects of the work-out. They’d had it easy with the other warriors lately, but Stetson was a slave driver. All too soon, the water started to run cool and Ash jumped out before it got too icy.

  The hot water never seemed to last long enough in this place. The mansion was a wonderful place to live and it was actually a bit of a shame that the trainees and warriors were running around such an elegant place. They’d managed to iron out most of the kinks since they’d moved in, but the problem with the hot water remained the same. In the old location, the trainees had to share shower rooms, but here at the new mansion, most rooms had their own showers and the trainees liked to take advantage of that. Hence why the water didn’t stay warm for too long.

  Not that Ash used it for vanity purposes. She scrubbed clean quickly, knowing that the icy water was never far away. It wasn’t like she spent hours on her appearance. Make-up had no place here and her hair was always scraped back away from her face. This wasn’t the place to try and look good. It was a place to learn to battle.

  Roughly drying her hair with a towel, Ash dressed in a comfortable pair of yoga pants and a band tee. She wasn’t planning on doing anything more than eating before crawling into her bed to enjoy her Kindle for a bit before sleep overtook her.

  Walking down the stairs, Ash couldn’t believe how far she’d come since she’d first received the warrior mark. Aisline had always been the kind of girl that was always out looking for an adventure in life. This was way more adventure than she’d ever bargained for! Not that she’d change any of it for the world. It was a hard life, having to keep up with the rest of the guys and she was constantly exhausted, but coming to the Sons of Satrina academy was the greatest thing that had ever happened to her. This was the life she was meant to lead.

  She’d lost a lot to get to this point. Her family in particular. Her father kept in contact with her but Ash suspected that was more to do with the fact that he was scared of what Kelton would do if he abandoned her again.

  Lana was the only friend that she kept in contact with. She’d always hung around with the wrong type of people, according to her parents. They might have been right. They’d all dropped her like a hot potato the moment the mark of the warrior appeared. She hadn’t heard from a single one of them.

  Not that it particularly bothered her. She still had Lana and the rest of the guys she trained with. They were a loyal bunch and meant the world to her.

  And then there was Jackson. Admittedly, when she first came here, she’d been distracted by the amount of eye candy but didn’t think anything would ever come of it.

  Their relationship hadn’t had an easy start, neither of them wanting to admit their feelings and being scared of what the future would bring. In the end, they decided to go for it. It was going to be worth it in the end. Life always held risks. Theirs was just a little more obvious.

  Aisline smiled as she passed a group of older trainees on the stairs, but she didn’t stop to talk. None of the trainees knew what was going on and the warriors weren’t anywhere to be seen. Perhaps she’d be able to find out some gossip in the dining hall? The niggling feeling in her stomach wasn’t going away and she’d keep on going until she found out the truth.

  Ash was ready to fall asleep standing up and knew that she was going to have to make dinner a quick affair. If she wasn’t so starving after training, she would have given it a miss altogether, but the way her stomach was growling like a lion, that wasn’t an option. Luckily, the guys she hung about with were a rowdy bunch and their laughter and chatter would help to keep her awake.

  The crowd in the dining hall could be heard before she’d even opened up the heavy wooden doors. Smiling to herself, Ash was pleased that she got on with most of the guys she trained with. It would be a lonely life if she didn’t like the people she’d be working with for the foreseeable future. The guys helped to keep her going, always having her back and pushing her to work harder.

  Suddenly a bump from behind her had her stumbling forward.

  “Sorry!”

  Ash turned to see who’d bumped into her and smiled when she saw Cala. The poor girl looked like a frightened little rabbit caught in the headlights.

  “I wasn’t looking where I was going. It was my fault. I’m so sorry.” Cala stuttered.

  Life at the academy didn’t come naturally to Cala. The warrior mark was present but there didn’t seem to be any of the internal urge to fight and protect to spur her on. She tried, but training was clearly a struggle for her.

  She wished that Cala could have been in her training class. They would have had fun. Ash liked her a lot. Cala was a really sweet girl who was constantly over-shadowed by her domineering twin sister, Rhian, who refused to give up any of the lime-light to let Cala shine.

  Rhian was a bitch. A stone cold bitch. Aisline couldn’t stand the girl. It was a shock to see how different the identical twins were. At least Cala tried to do her best during training and adhered to the rules of the academy. Rhian couldn’t care less about any of it. She clearly thought that it was all a big waste of her time and refused to even try and participate in the training.

  It wasn’t just her lack of cooperation that bugged Ash. They had disliked one another more or less on sight. Ash was a happy-go-lucky kind of girl and would have been satisfied to leaving it at that and ignoring Rhian’s presence, but it wasn’t as easy as all that. Rhian had targeted her, pulling petty pranks and generally making a nuisance of herself. The girl lived for drama and her favourite source was winding Aisline up.

  Cala wasn’t like that at all. Ash could see how much she was struggling with her new life at the academy and went out of her way to help her try and settle in a little better, grabbing a coffee and a chat whenever she could get Cala away from her sister, which wasn’t very often at all. They were getting somewhere with their new fragile friendship, but the shadow of Rhian always lurked around them.

  “Don’t worry about it. No harm done.”

  Cala blushed. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

  “Honestly, don’t even think about it.” Ash smiled warmly. “Where are you running off to?”

  “I thought I’d go and train for a bit. I need the practice.” Cala lowered her voice and glanced around to make sure no one had over-heard her.

  “Do you want some company?” The last thing Ash wanted to do was more physical activity, but if Cala needed help, she’d be there like a shot.

  Cala shook her head. “Thank you, but it’s humiliating enough without having an audience.”

  “Well, if you need me, I’ll be up in my room after I’ve eaten.”

  “Thank you.” Cala smiled shyly before walking off in the direction of the gym.

  Moving into the dining hall, Ash grabbed a tray of food, not really caring what she was eating, before making her way over to their usual table. Sitting down next to Jackson, she smiled over at the rest of the boys.

  “Have you seen Caleb?” Dylan asked.

  Jackson shook his head. “Nope. He’s still MIA.” Even he was starting to get a little worried. Perhaps it was just Aisline’s anxiety rubbing off on him.

  “I didn’t even notice if he was at training.”

  “He wasn’t.”

  “I was too busy trying not to get my head smashed in. That was a one brutal session.”

  “You’re not kidding. It almost had me missing Kelton!” The table laughed.

  Ash lost her smile as Rhian made her way through the dining hall to their table. She really didn’t have the energy to deal with her bitchiness tonight.

  Rhian had made it her mission in life to drive a wedge between Aisline and Jackson. It was all a big game to her. It wasn’t really like she wanted Jackson for herself; she just wanted to relieve the boredom and cause some trouble. She took every opportunity she could to flirt with him, annoying the hell out of Ash even though she tried
not to rise to it.

  “Hello, Jackson.” Rhian crooned, blatantly ignoring the rest of the table.

  Jackson smiled, “Hey, Rhian. How are you?”

  “Better for seeing you. What are you doing after dinner?”

  “Sorry,” Jackson shook his head. “I’m busy.”

  “Surely you can’t be that busy.” Rhian flicked her hair behind her shoulder, her flirting beyond obvious as she drew attention to her neck.

  “Believe me, I am.”

  “What can I do to persuade you otherwise?”

  Ash could feel her blood starting to boil, but used all of her restraint to remain silent. After months of watching Rhian, she knew better than to rise to the bait. That was just what the girl wanted. Drama. She lived to make Aisline’s life a misery. Besides, she knew Jackson wasn’t interested in the witch, which made situations like this much more amusing.

  She couldn’t help but snort out a laugh as Rhian stood there trying to look all sultry. Rhian glared over at her before turning the charm back on Jackson.

  “I’m afraid there’s nothing you can do or say to talk me out of my plans tonight.” Jackson threw a wink in Aisline’s direction. “I’m spending the evening with my girl and nothing’s going to stop me.”

  Ash could have burst out laughing again at the expression on Rhian’s face. The witch didn’t know how to respond to that and promptly stormed off, red faced and angry. The sight of it brightened Ash’s spirits and she turned to Jackson expectantly, “So, when were you going to tell me about these plans? Or was that just something you said to get rid of the bad smell?” she laughed.

  “Don’t be such a bitch. It doesn’t suit you.” Jackson couldn’t help but grin at her.

  “Well, I can’t help it. She rubs me up the wrong way and brings out the worst in me.”

  “Don’t I know it.” Jackson rolled his eyes comically. “Anyway, it wasn’t bullshit for her sake. I thought we could chill out and watch a film or something, if you aren’t too tired.”

  Ash grinned, “That sounds great to me.”

  “It’s a date then”

  After they’d finished their meal, Jackson and Aisline left the others and walked hand in hand back up to her room.

  They spent a lot more time in her room. The only people that shared her corridor were Rhian and Cala, so it was a lot more quiet and private. Jackson shared a room with Trey, so you never knew when he or one of the other guys were going to burst in. They were always doing that, barging in unannounced. It didn’t make for a very relaxed, romantic atmosphere.

  The two of them hadn’t had much alone time of late. Ash could feel butterflies flitting around in her stomach. Sometimes it was so easy to forget that they were trying to build a solid foundation for their budding relationship. Their lives were so hectic during their training years that it made everything else so much more impossible. These stolen moments meant everything to them both.

  It wasn’t even like they could properly date. There was no going out to dinner or to the movies. They couldn’t leave the academy. Especially after what happened with the kidnapping, the warriors weren’t going to let her out of their sight. None of that made dating very easy.

  However, they managed the best they could. Sneaking a moment here or there, but it was never enough. She’d never felt like this about anyone before and she knew Jackson felt the same. That was why moments like this gave her butterflies.

  Shutting the door behind her, Ash sat down on the edge of her bed and flipped open her laptop. It wasn’t anywhere near as big as the luxury widescreen televisions that were downstairs in the assorted rec rooms, but they managed just fine. She would have stared at a blank wall if it meant spending time alone with Jackson. “What do you want to watch?”

  “Come here.”

  She turned to see him standing in the centre of her room and the pull towards him was magnetic. Nothing could have kept them apart. Within seconds, Ash found herself in his arms, not even aware that she’d crossed the room.

  “I’ve missed this.” She murmured.

  “I’ve missed you.”

  They melted into one another, losing themselves in a kiss that showed one another exactly how much they felt for each other.

  Jackson groaned into her mouth and Aisline felt her stomach clench. These moments were so few and far between that the heat between them increased instantly.

  Raking his fingers through her hair, Jackson pulled her closer, their bodies meshing together perfectly, it was as if they’d been made for each other.

  Ash ran her hands over his hard body, feeling every bump of his muscles, taut under her touch. His body had changed since she first saw him, and he had been big then. All that training was making him fill out and she knew he would be a formidable sight when they finally got out on the streets.

  Kissing him deeply, she felt something different this time. There was something more. It was something more this time. There was a distinct fever to their touch. Could he feel it too?

  Ash was still a virgin. It wasn’t something she was ashamed of. She just hadn’t found the right guy that she liked enough to go there. The guys she used to hang around with just didn’t do it for her. However, with Jackson, it was different. She’d known that from the first moment she’d laid eyes on him. It had taken them a while to get to this point, but everything in their relationship that they’d been through to get there had been worth it. She knew that what they had wasn’t something they were just playing at. This was the real deal.

  When she was growing up, her friend Lana had fallen in love with a different guy almost every week. Ash wasn’t like that. Sure, she’d always been up for a bit of fun and wasn’t entirely innocent, but she didn’t give her heart away to just any pretty face. Lana had been the one looking for the happy-ever-after and Ash hoped she’d find it. She had her own in Jackson.

  Jackson was different to any other guy she had met before. He would have never ever have thought to put any pressure on her to go faster or further than she was ready for. As her hands roamed over his body, she felt him shift under her touch. It wasn’t like her to be like this.

  “We don’t have to do this.”

  “I know we don’t.” Aisline breathed.

  “We can stop at any point.”

  “I don’t want to stop.” She kissed him deeply.

  Pulling back from the kiss, he lowered his head again to look into her eyes. He’d felt the change in this moment, too. “Are you sure?”

  “I’m totally sure.” Ash’s eyes didn’t waver.

  Lying in her bed, Aisline couldn’t keep the grin off her face. She thought that the first time was going to be a painful, messy disaster, but Jackson had treated her perfectly. He didn’t rush her, didn’t go too fast and constantly made sure that she was comfortable.

  It wasn’t like she read in the books or saw in the movies. Sometimes, they made sex into something unachievable, all romance and flowers, but she wasn’t dumb enough to think that could translate into real life.

  Ash was pleased to say, they had found their own rhythm. As nervous as she’d been, the time was right for them. She knew that Jackson would never do anything to hurt her and had treated her like a breakable piece of china, always making sure that she was happy.

  And the second time had been even better…

  “I can’t believe we waited so long to do that.” Ash giggled, slapping a hand over her mouth. She wasn’t the giggling kind of girl.

  Jackson pulled her closer and smoothed her hair back from her face. “The time had to be right.”

  “And it was.”

  They lay in silence for a few minutes before a knock on the door had Ash pulling the sheet up to her neck. “Who is it?” She called out.

  “It’s Dylan. Let me in.”

  Ash glanced over at Jackson. “Shit! What do we do?” She panicked.

  “Just tell him that you’re just got out of the shower or something.” Jackson whispered back, grinning like a loon. He clearly
thought that the whole situation was hilarious. She didn’t. She thought it was highly embarrassing to be caught out like this.

  “Shit.” Ash muttered again. “I can’t let you in right now. I’m not decent.” She blushed furiously, knowing that the words sounded even worse out loud than they did in her head.

  “Well, get decent and hurry up. We need to find Jackson and get to the medical suite.”

  Aisline’s eyes flew wide. “The medical suite? Why? What’s happened?”

  “It’s Trey. Hurry up and find Jackson. I’ll meet you over there.” And they heard his footsteps quickly die away.

  Jackson led Aisline through the large mansion, holding her hand tightly. He had a really bad feeling about this. Now he knew why Ash had been worrying all day. She’d felt the tension, but he’d dismissed it. He’d never do that again.

  They found Dylan standing outside the entrance to the medical suite, pacing restlessly and glancing over his shoulder at the closed door ever few seconds.

  “Where the hell have you two been?”

  Ash ran a hand over her hair, knowing that she looked a mess.

  “She came to find me. What’s going on?” Jackson asked, glancing at the closed door himself. Very rarely were the main doors to the medical suite closed, which didn’t bode well.

  “I don’t know, man. All I was told was that Trey’s been beaten up. Badly.”

  “What? Hell! Who did this?” Jackson demanded.

  Dylan shrugged. “Haven’t got a clue.”

  “Did it happen here?” Jackson asked. He knew that Trey had been sneaking off somewhere lately, but if this had happened at the academy, heads were going to roll. He’d make sure of it personally. The trainees were working together to build a bond that would extend out onto the streets, but if one of his so-called brothers had done this, he’d beat them senseless.

  “I don’t know, man.”

  All three of them turned as the door opened up to reveal a tired looking Doctor Phillippe. “What are you all doing out here?”