“No.” Caleb shook his head firmly. “After what they did, I couldn’t be part of that.”
“Why did they come here?” She’d never really got the full story. She didn’t think anyone really had. It had been a confusing time, one of hurt and confusion.
“I think the thing with Trey tipped them over the edge. They didn’t think that I should be forced to live with the fangers.”
“But wasn’t it your choice to stay here?”
“It was. Patrick understood the call of the warrior mark, but the others wouldn’t listen. They thought that Rees and I were being held against our will, no matter what we told them. They just wouldn’t listen to reason. It’s not our way to live outside of the pack and they couldn’t understand why we would do it.”
“So, they came to get you?”
He nodded again, not looking at her. “And someone got killed because of it.”
“That’s not your fault. You couldn’t control what they did”
Caleb stayed silent. It was obvious he was holding himself accountable. She felt so sorry for him.
“Caleb, it wasn’t your fault. You didn’t ask them to come here.” She could understand what he was feeling, but it was misplaced blame. And anyway, it had happened and he had to get over it either way.
“It’s so messed up.” He ran a hand through his hair. It was slightly longer than the rest of the male trainees and warriors, but the look suited him perfectly. Rugged. Rough. He looked like a badass shifter that fitted in with the warrior lifestyle perfectly.
“How are you finding it?” He asked suddenly, changing the subject and putting the focus on her.
Cala looked puzzled at the change in conversation. “How do you mean?”
“Without your sister. It must be hard.”
“Not really.” She laughed bitterly. “Rhian never made my life very easy.” That was an understatement.
“Yeah, she was a bit of a bitch.” Caleb chuckled. Rhian had been in his training group and she’d caused nothing but trouble, especially for Aisline. He didn’t like people that messed with his friends and Ash was one of the nicest people he’d ever met. She’d been the one to go out of her way to make him more comfortable when he arrived at the academy and he’d be forever grateful to her.
“A bit?” Cala shook her head. “Since she left, it’s like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.” She peeked over at him, “Does that sound really bad?”
He shook his head. “Not at all. She’s family and there’s nothing you can do about that. It’s the same with the pack. They’re my family, or they were. You can’t choose your family. Sometimes you have to move on and make your own mark in life.”
Cala looked at him, realising that they had more in common than she thought. They were both thrown into this new life, had chosen to turn their backs on their family to live their lives in a place full of vampires. “How do you do it?”
“Do what?” he asked.
“You fit in so well here. If I didn’t know you were a shifter, I’d say you were just like them.”
Caleb laughed. “I’m nothing like them.”
“You’re more like them than you think. At least you can hold your own here.”
He lost the smile and got serious again. “I heard about the warrior mark not being real.”
“Word travels fast around here, huh?” She hadn’t been sure if the gossip had spread, but she’d suspected. Usually, it would have been Denver who would have happily announced the news to her that everyone knew every aspect of her life, but seeing as he hadn’t said a word, she didn’t know they knew.
“Sure does. Are you going to carry on with the training?” He’d seen how difficult the training was for her and had heard from Rees how much she struggled.
Cala shook her head. “I don’t see the point. I wasn’t meant for that kind of life so why punish myself any further? I suck at the training.”
Caleb laughed along with her. He couldn’t deny what she was saying. He’d seen her struggling. “What are you going to do?”
“I’ve no idea.” Thinking about her future scared her. She’d had her life turned upside down when they’d landed at the academy, and she’d found out that it had all been a lie. It may have been a lie, but at least it meant she knew what she was going to do with her life. Now? It was all up in the air again. She was clueless.
“Don’t worry about it. There’s plenty of time to figure it all out.” Caleb rolled his shoulders and groaned. “Do you fancy going for a coffee? I think I’m seizing up in here.” He grinned.
“Sure.”
They crawled out of the hidey hole and stretched, grinning at each other. It had been a tight squeeze in there.
“You know you can come out here anytime you need? It’s a good place to get away and think.”
“Thank you.” She smiled, knowing that it meant a lot for him to share his secret space. It almost felt like they were little kids, just starting school and making friends.
She followed him back towards the main entrance of the mansion. It wasn’t such a hardship to spend time with Caleb. He knew what it was like to feel different. It was a shame they hadn’t done this before.
Thinking of all the time she’d hidden out in her room, hiding from Aisline and the rest of them, she knew it had been a waste. All it had taken was for Caleb to take the time to get her to talk and she was already feeling better.
As they moved through the reception area to one of the rec rooms, Caleb smiled back at her and Cala felt her stomach flutter. Going for a walk with him opened a whole new future for them, and it was a future that Cala was looking forward to exploring.
Chapter Twenty
“Come on! Get moving!” He roared at the trainees. They were doing brilliantly, but he wanted to push them that extra bit. They needed to be pushed and he hadn’t been able to attend their training sessions lately so he wanted to see what they’d been doing without him.
Kelton loved being back in this situation. Life was finally starting to feel a little more normal. He’d been back out on the streets, hunting down the enemy and releasing some of that built up tension. Now he was back to training the kids and he was happy to see how well they were coming on.
Life had been hectic. It was one problem after another. Hopefully this meant that things were finally starting to calm down. He could hope at least. The only light in his life at the moment was his family. It was the only thing getting him through the day.
Elias was growing at an alarming rate. He was so alert. It made him so proud to see him growing, kicking his arms and legs around like he was already in training. He was such a cute kid and Kelton felt his heart bursting with pride whenever he saw him.
If only he had more time to spend with Kayleigh and the baby and life would be perfect. He didn’t need this headache anymore and it was really getting to him.
Admittedly, it was a relief to get back into the routine of training and pushing the trainees to their limits. There was something comforting in the known.
When Elias was first born and Kelton had seen the tiny warrior mark on his temple, he’d been over the moon. For one, it meant that the boy was pure Matris, which was what Kayleigh had wanted. She hadn’t wanted the baby to be tainted with her past, but Kelton didn’t care. He’d have loved the little boy whatever happened. For two, it meant that he would grow to be big and strong like his father, a protector, a warrior.
Now, he wasn’t so sure. This wasn’t the kind of life he wanted for his son. He wanted him to be safe. To grow and have a family. Life as a warrior wasn’t safe.
He could now understand the worry the parents of the trainees went through. It wasn’t an easy life for anyone involved.
The only thing he could do now was to teach Elias as he grew, to do everything in his power to keep the boy safe. The thought of him growing and going out on the streets to face off with the enemy scared the living crap out of him.
Looking around at the trainees, he knew that his son w
ould be one of them one day. It was hard enough to think of these guys going out on the streets and putting their lives on the line without thinking of his son doing it in the future.
“Keep going!” He bellowed. They were all red hot and sweaty and Kelton was determined to push them to their limits. Each and every single one of them had it in them to be great, even Denver. The boy was a royal pain in the ass, but if he curbed his attitude, he’d make a great warrior one day.
Denver had never been easy to deal with. He’d seen it as soon as the boy walked in on his first day. He was cocky, arrogant and a complete ass, but the warrior mark made him something special. He had the ability and the drive, it was just the attitude that was the problem.
Jackson was a whole other story. He knew from the moment he saw that boy that he was going to do great things. He guessed it was like what Bartholomew had seen in him. Their leader at the time had taken him under his wing and pushed him until he thought he could give no more, and still he kept going. Jackson was the same. Kelton knew that he was hard on him, but the boy had so much to give and with the right training, he would eventually lead the warriors on to bigger and better things.
It was like looking in a mirror when he looked at Jackson. He was dedicated and determined and would make a tremendous warrior when the time finally came. The streets would be a safer place for him being out there.
Kelton could see much of himself in Jackson. There were a great many differences of course, but the boy had the most potential he’d seen in a long time. The warrior mark gave them the strength and endurance, but they needed an inner strength to go that extra mile. Jackson had that. Bartholomew would have definitely approved of him and encouraged him to his full potential.
Watching the trainees, he took great notice of each and every one of them. It made him smile to see Aisline was giving as good as she was getting. It had been a concern in the beginning, throwing a girl into the mix. He hadn’t wanted to let her participate in the sparring at first, but Aisline had something about her. She didn’t want to be treated differently.
Ash had been determined to train and to be as good as she could possibly be. He loved the inner strength he’d see in her and would be forever confused as to why her own family couldn’t see it. Her father was a spineless, gutless wonder who was piss-his-pants scared of the warriors. It was quite amusing to see him coming into the academy in his suit, thinking he was someone important. The guys soon put him in his place.
Now with Elias, he could understand the fear of the families of the trainees, but to abandon them completely? Kelton couldn’t do that. Aisline had no contact with the rest of her family and he hated the fact that they were ashamed of her. She was the first, and only, female warrior in their history! That was something to be proud of and they were blind if they couldn’t see that. It made his blood boil how they had treated her.
Seeing them now, Ash was battering Dylan. She may not have the strength of the boys, but she had speed and passion. Ash wanted this and she wanted to be the best. As their only female warrior, she had a lot to work to prove and she was doing that magnificently.
Each and every one of them had something special to bring to the table. It was easy to see as they developed over their training years what kind of warrior they would be and where their skills would be best suited. They still had a very long way to go, but when their training was complete, they’d make wonderful additions to the ranks.
“That’s time! Pack up your stuff and hit the showers.” Kelton had to bite back a grin when he heard the sigh of relief rise up amongst the trainees. It had been a hard session and they’d all sleep well tonight.
He couldn’t wait to grab a shower himself. He’d spent some time watching the trainees today, but he loved to get stuck in. Kelton would never ask the warriors to do something he wasn’t prepared to do himself. It gave them a good connection and mutual respect.
“Kelton? Can I have a word?” Verynai said as he walked into the room.
He was a sight to behold. The warrior was badass through and through. Verynai had a passion for tattoos and piercings and that made his appearance all the more menacing. A lot of the trainees looked up to him as to what they aspired to be, but body art was a personal thing.
Kelton had several tattoos of his own, but they weren’t just random designs. He had Kayleigh’s name inked across his chest. Next he was planning on getting Elias’ added to that. Also Cala’s. They were getting closer but it was slow going. However, she was his daughter and he would respect that. The ink would show that she was going to be a permanent part of his life.
“What can I do for you?”
“You’ve got some visitors.”
“Who?” The last thing Kelton needed was to be seeing anyone. He hadn’t been expecting anyone today and hoped to pop up to see Kayleigh and Elias as soon as he’d finished training. He was exhausted.
“You need to come down to your office. They’re representatives from the council.” Verynai didn’t look impressed. The suits certainly didn’t impress him. He liked dealing with the council as much as Kelton. They saw them as a bunch of pencil pushing pussies who didn’t know what it was like out in the real world.
“Just what I need.” Kelton rolled his eyes. “Any idea why they’re here?”
“Not a clue. They wouldn’t say anything to me.”
“I’ll go and grab a quick shower and be down as soon as I can.”
“I’ll let them know.” Verynai backed out of the room and left Kelton to get ready.
This was the last thing he needed. After a days’ training, all he wanted to do was spend time with the woman he loved and the baby. Dealing with the council was at the bottom of his list. He really could do without that headache right now.
He knew better than to keep them waiting and had the quickest shower in history. It was better to get it over and done with as quickly as he could. He didn’t have the time or patience to deal with them today.
Dressing in casual wear, Kelton refused to put on any airs or graces for them. What was the point? What did they know? They worked with paper and statistics. Reality was far from their minds.
Walking into his office without knocking, he saw four representatives waiting for him. It was only a small room and so many bodies in there gave it a cramped feeling.
“Gentleman.” He nodded in their direction before sitting behind his desk. “What brings you to the academy today?”
“Master Warrior Kelton.” One of them stood up to shake his hand. His name was Gregor Stephenson. He was one of the major pencil-pushers that Kelton tried to avoid at all costs. This man had a God complex and thought he knew everything about everything. Kelton couldn’t stand the deluded ass.
After shaking their hands, Kelton sat back down. “What can I do for you?”
“Well, I’ll get straight to the point,” Gregor said, straightening his tie, “We need an answer.”
“With regards to?”
“The leadership role. The time has come.”
Were they that stupid? That time had come and gone long ago. “I’ve already given you my answer.” Kelton couldn’t believe they’d come all this way to ask him that.
“We have been too long without a leader. The race cannot continue this way.”
“I told you that a long time ago. Then appoint a new leader.” He’d told them this over and over again. The council didn’t listen.
“You are the perfect candidate. Bartholomew taught you well.”
“To be a warrior, yes. To be a leader of the warriors, yes. To lead the race? That’s not what I want to do with my life.”
Gregor looked at him and smiled patronisingly, “It’s not a case of what you want to do with your life. It’s what you were born for.”
“I was born to be a warrior.” He pointed to his temple. “This mark shows that.”
“And you could be so much more.”
“I don’t want to be anything more.”
“You sound like a petulan
t child.” Gregor sneered at him. “Are you not man enough for the responsibility?”
Kelton laughed. This man thought he could belittle him? Not a chance. He knew it wasn’t best to wind them up, but they really were clueless. “I have repeated myself several times. I do not want to lead the race. I will not be accepting the position.”
“We need a leader.” One of the other men piped up.
“We need you, Kelton.”
“And that’s why you should have appointed one a long time ago. It’s not going to be me.”
“Bartholomew had such a high opinion of you.”
“Yes.” He replied through gritted teeth. “As a warrior. It doesn’t matter how many times we go over this, the answer isn’t going to change.”
Gregor sighed. “This should have been sorted out before now. Bartholomew died a long time ago and a leader should have been appointed.”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you but you’re all so pig-headed and wouldn’t listen! The race needs a leader and you’ve been waiting around for far too long. It’s not going to be me. I told you that. You just won’t listen.”
“Remember who you are talking to.” Gregor narrowed his eyes but Kelton wasn’t intimidated in the least.
He’d had enough of this. These men knew nothing about real life. They received their monthly reports and for some reason thought that was enough for them to be able to dictate to the warriors. Were they out on the streets keeping everyone safe? No. Were they risking life and limb? No. They were hiding behind their desks while everyone else suffered.
“I know exactly who I am talking to. Remember who you are talking to.” Kelton growled.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
Kelton shot up out of his chair and banged his fists on the desk. “I am the Head of the Sons of Satrina. I am a Master Warrior. A little respect goes a long way.”
“No need to get aggressive.” Gregor smirked, thinking that his position within the council would protect him from Kelton’s wrath. He was wrong. Kelton was close to losing his temper with this fool. He knew that knocking him out would cause problems, but the satisfaction may be worth it.
End of an Era: A Sons of Satrina Novel (The Sons of Satrina Book 4) Page 23