by Adrian, Lara
The blonde Atlantean remained in the cabin below for most of their journey. But by nightfall, as the craggy shoreline of the mainland drew nearer, Tamisia emerged to join them on the deck.
Her lovely face was still miserable with contrition. “You didn’t have to do this for me. Neither one of you.”
“We wanted to,” Brynne assured her, feeling no animosity for the woman, only sympathy. “Lazaro Archer will see that you have somewhere safe to stay in Rome until you’re settled. We didn’t want you to be all alone.”
Zael had made the arrangements after telepathically connecting with Jordana to explain the situation. As the Order’s command center in Rome was the closest, Lazaro and his Breedmate, Melena, now waited to meet the boat personally in Athens when they arrived at the docks.
On shore, the black-haired Gen One Breed male stepped out of a large SUV with the curvaceous redhead who shared his bond. There was another Breed male with them. Massive, intimidating, there was no question the scowling male with the shaved head and glyph-covered arms was a warrior.
Lazaro and Melena introduced themselves, both of them pleased to hear that the alliance with the colony had been accepted. If Jordana had told them the circumstances of Tamisia’s ousting from the colony, neither of them gave any indication to make her feel uneasy.
Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the behemoth who stood behind them. Unfriendly didn’t even begin to describe his forbidding demeanor. But Lazaro and his Breedmate seemed to trust the male implicitly.
“Trygg will see you to the car, Tamisia,” Lazaro informed her. “Melena and I will be along momentarily.”
“Thank you,” she said, then turned to Zael and Brynne, remorse glistening in her sky-blue eyes. “I don’t know how to repay you.”
Zael touched her shoulder and gently shook his head. “There is no need. Take care of yourself, and maybe one day the three of us will meet again.”
“I would like that very much.” She smiled at Brynne. “I wish you both every happiness.”
Brynne clutched her hand and gave it a tender squeeze. “The same to you, Sia.”
She headed off, looking more than a little anxious as she followed the big warrior back to the waiting vehicle.
Lazaro ran a hand through his ebony hair. “I hope your friend doesn’t scare easily. I would’ve brought one of my other men along, but I’ve lost one of my team to family obligations and a new Breedmate, and another is gearing up for a covert mission. Trygg’s not much of a people person.”
Zael grunted. “Don’t worry about Sia. She’s never met a male she couldn’t charm.”
“She’s never met Trygg,” Melena said, smiling wryly. She glanced at Brynne. “Congratulations to you and Zael on your mating. I’m sorry—I’m trying not to stare, but it’s difficult. It’s not every day that Lazaro and I get a chance to meet a daywalker or an Atlantean.”
The Rome commander’s mouth quirked. “Not to mention how rare it is to meet the diplomatic envoys for the Atlantean colony.”
“Thank you for the well wishes,” Brynne replied. “As for our diplomatic role, I imagine Zael and I will be seeing much more of you both.”
“And the Order in general,” Zael added. “This alliance is a partnership between our people, but I hope you and the rest of the warriors understand that beyond any formal agreement, you also have my friendship. And my service, should you need it—whether that’s in battle against Selene or any other threat we have to contend with.”
“That is most appreciated,” Lazaro answered. “Unfortunately, it seems Opus Nostrum isn’t about to give us any rest. It will be a damned good day when we finally take the bastards out.”
“Let’s hope it’s soon,” Brynne said. “If there’s anything Zael and I can do to help make that happen, the Order needs only to ask.”
“You honor us well,” Lazaro replied with a formal bow of his head.
The phrase was tradition within the Order, one of the highest praises bestowed on its brethren. That he said it now, to Brynne and her Atlantean mate, was a compliment they both would aspire to be worthy of from this day forward.
The Rome commander gestured toward the vehicle Tamisia had entered. “And you have our word that we’ll make sure your friend gets whatever she requires while she’s with us.”
“Thank you both,” Zael said as the two men shook hands.
Melena pulled Brynne into a brief hug. “I so enjoyed meeting you.”
“The pleasure is mine,” she replied, smiling as she drew back from Lazaro’s mate. “May I ask you a personal favor?”
“Of course, anything.”
“When you speak with the Order again, please tell my sister I am well, and that I hope to see her soon.”
“But not too soon,” Zael interjected, a grin tugging at his mouth. “Brynne and I have a blood bond to celebrate. I plan to keep her all to myself for as long as I possibly can.”
They said their goodbyes, watching as the SUV rolled away into the gathering night.
Zael’s eyes glimmered as he took Brynne’s hand and led her back onto the sailboat. She couldn’t wait to be back on the island. Back in her Atlantean mate’s arms, and back in his bed.
Their bed.
In the home they would make together.
And, if they were so blessed, in the home where they would one day start a family of their own. The wish took root so firmly, it swept her breath away.
Because it wasn’t only her wish, she realized.
She felt that same hope shining in Zael’s heart too.
It was in his blood, in the bond that now connected their hearts and their futures.
He pulled her into his embrace, his mouth coming down on hers in a kiss so passionate and filled with emotion that it shook her to her marrow.
“Yes, I want it, too,” he murmured against her lips. “I want it all with you, Brynne. Forever.”
And when he pressed her down onto the deck with him to lie beneath the blanket of stars, she knew to the depths of her soul that she was already holding the future in her arms.
She was for the first time in her life—and forever—right where she belonged.
~ * ~
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Thank you for reading Defy the Dawn. I hope you enjoyed Brynne and Zael’s story!
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* * * * *
Turn the page to begin reading the final volume in this collection:
Claimed in Shadows
CLAIMED IN SHADOWS
In this pulse-pounding new Midnight Breed vampire romance novel from New York Times and #1 international bestselling author Lara Adrian, passion explodes between a daywalking member of the Order and a fiery female warrior whose shadowy past will test the bonds of both duty and desire.
As the son of a formidable Breed warrior, Aric Chase has been devoted to the Order all his life. With his training completed, all he needs is one successful mission before he can join the fight to destroy the Order’s chief nemesis, Opus Nostrum. His rare ability to daywalk lands Aric an assignment in Montreal, where he learns he’s to be teamed with another new recruit, a beautiful, but tough-as-nails Breedmate named Kaya Laurent.
Independent and driven, Kaya wants nothing more than to become a full-fledged member of the Order. Having grown up in squalor and neglect on the streets of Montreal, she longs for the close-knit family she’s found during her training to be a warrior. Eager to prove herself, she is thrilled to be given the chance at a key operation—even if she must share the mission with an
arrogant, far-too-seductive Breed male who’s practically Order royalty.
Their unwanted partnership soon erupts into a desire neither of them can resist. But when Kaya’s past reaches out from the shadows to call her back, she must decide between protecting a dark alliance that could shatter her dreams of joining the team and a truth that could not only forfeit Aric’s faith in her, but bring the enemy right to the Order’s door.
~ ~ ~
“The moment (this book) dropped into my kindle I dropped everything to read it and I finished it one sitting, unable to put it down. It’s a fast-paced, action-packed, exciting, intriguing, fun, sexy and romantic addition to the Midnight Breed series, and I loved it!.”
—Escapist Book Blog
“There is just something about this series that never lets me down when I NEED a phenomenal paranormal fix. I’ve been an avid reader since the very first book and when I say the Breed world keeps getting better, I truly mean it. Read it as a stand-alone or read it as part of the overall series, just READ THIS BOOK!!!!”
—The Sub Club Books
* * * * *
CHAPTER 1
Impatience prickled in Aric Chase’s veins as the bullet-proof black SUV sped through London’s early evening traffic. Mathias Rowan was behind the wheel, the Order’s team commander for this city looking as grim and on edge as Aric had ever seen the Breed warrior.
Rowan’s comm unit buzzed with the third incoming call since they’d left the command center heading for Heathrow airport. “Give me the status,” he demanded over the wireless receiver.
“Two dead humans, another close to it,” advised one of the Breed warriors of his patrol squad, his deep voice grave on the speaker. “It’s a damned bloodbath down here, Commander. We ashed the Rogue who did it, but you know as well as I do that the bastards tend to run in packs.”
“Yeah, I know,” Rowan muttered. “Keep me posted, Thane. Tell Deacon and the rest of the team to do whatever it takes to contain this situation. If we need to enforce a curfew on the human civilian population to keep them safe and out of our way, don’t think Lucan Thorne won’t call for it.”
The seasoned team leader had a right to be concerned. In the States and abroad, the Order had been fighting one disaster after another during the past twenty years since mankind learned about the Breed’s existence, but nothing like the relentless hits they’d been taking in recent weeks--the worst of them courtesy of a shadowy terror group calling themselves Opus Nostrum.
Their members hid behind layers of anonymity, but their work was making headlines all over the world, starting with an attempt a couple of weeks ago to detonate an ultraviolet explosion at a peace summit between Breed and human dignitaries from the Global Nations Council. That plot had been thwarted by the Order, but Opus’s failure to take out the Breed members of the GNC, including Lucan Thorne, its chairman and the Order’s founder, had made the group even bolder, their attacks more brazen.
It had only been a few nights ago that they had delivered a staggering blow in this very city. Because of Opus Nostrum, London’s JUSTIS building, headquarters of the powerful branch of law enforcement comprised of both Breed and human officials, was now a pile of smoldering rubble. More recently, in Washington, D.C., Opus loyalists embedded as security detail inside the GNC office had opened fire during a daytime meeting, killing every human member of the council before turning their weapons on themselves.
Now, Opus had apparently added Rogues to the mix. The Order had good cause to suspect the recent uptick in Bloodlust among Breed civilians was narcotic-induced. It wasn’t the first time someone had decided to make blood-addicted monsters out of Aric’s kind, but by God it would be the last.
Opus Nostrum had to be stopped. There was nothing Aric wanted more than to be part of the team that made that happen. He only needed to earn the chance.
And that meant getting back to headquarters in D.C. where the real action was.
As if he could guess the direction of Aric’s thoughts, Mathias Rowan glanced at him. “You sure this is the life you want?”
“Are you kidding? It’s the life I was born for.” He grinned. “Surprised you’d ask, considering how long you’ve known my father.”
Rowan grunted. “True. Don’t take this the wrong way, but there are times I worry you’ve got too much of my old friend Sterling Chase in you. I’ve never seen a new warrior so eager to get his hands dirty in the field.”
Aric shrugged. “I’ll take that as a compliment, sir.”
A wry male chuckle sounded from the backseat. “You take everything as a compliment, daywalker.”
Smirking, Aric pivoted to offer a one-fingered salute to his best friend and fellow warrior, Rafe Malebranche. “Credit where credit is due, man, that’s all.”
Ordinarily, he might have egged Rafe on with reminders of their various exploits and conquests, the usual dick-measuring and ball-busting that their fathers, Chase and Dante, had also built their friendship on back in the day. But tonight Aric checked the impulse.
He and Rafe weren’t alone in the vehicle with Mathias Rowan. The two comrades had an unplanned companion en route with them to D.C., a meek female who’d been huddled close to Rafe since they departed for Heathrow.
“How are you holding up?” Aric asked her.
She gave him a weak nod, but glanced up at Rafe as she spoke. “I’m all right. So long as I don’t think too much about what happened, I suppose I’m all right.”
Her name was Siobhan O’Shea, and she had been the reason they were there in the first place--or, rather, her murdered flat mate, Iona Lynch, was the reason.
The dead woman had been a potential key witness for the Order in its pursuit of Opus Nostrum’s members. Unfortunately for her, before Aric and Rafe could intercept Iona Lynch and bring her in for questioning, someone else had made certain she could never tell her secrets. Now that promising lead on Opus was severed and the Order had an unwanted ward to look after.
Not that Rafe seemed displeased with the idea.
Siobhan leaned against him as the vehicle rounded a corner, contact he didn’t appear to mind at all. The soft-spoken, pretty Breedmate had been brutally assaulted along with her friend, but thanks to Rafe’s ability to heal with his hands, she didn’t carry so much as a scratch on her. In the time since she’d been in the Order’s keeping, Rafe had somehow slid into the role of her personal protector.
“You’re safe now,” he assured her. “I gave you my word, remember?”
Her answering smile was soft, but uncertain. “I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for me. I only wish you could’ve saved Iona too.”
So did everyone else in the Order, considering all of the information they might have been able to squeeze from her. But the woman had been too far gone even for Rafe’s incredible gift.
The weight of that fact seemed to settle heavily on Siobhan now. As she struggled to hold back tears, Rafe stroked her pale hair and murmured quiet words of comfort.
Aric wondered what other comforts his friend had been tempted to provide her.
Not my problem, he thought as he turned around in his seat. And better him than me.
As much as Aric enjoyed female company, he didn’t have the time for romantic entanglements, nor the interest. He had his eye on another prize--a warrior team of his own to command one day--and nothing was going to stand in his way of earning it.
Not even the lethal brotherhood of Opus Nostrum.
Least of all, them.
Commander Rowan’s comm unit buzzed with yet another call as they arrived at the airport and made their way to a private hangar where one of the Order’s fleet jets waited, fueled and readied for the eight-and-a-half hour flight back to headquarters.
“Lucan Thorne’s calling,” Mathias said as he put the SUV in park. Instead of talking on speaker, he disengaged it and brought his comm unit to his ear. “Rowan here.”
He glanced at Aric while the Order’s leader spoke on the other end of the line. �
��We’re at the hangar now. They were just about to board for D.C.” Mathias listened for another moment before holding the phone out to Aric. “He wants to talk to you.”
Aric took the device from him with a mix of unease and curiosity. “Yes, sir?”
“Change of plans,” Lucan said. “I need you to make a stop in Montreal before continuing on to headquarters. I’ve already informed the pilot.”
“Montreal,” Aric considered aloud. “That’s Nikolai and Renata’s turf.”
The Russian-born warrior was one of the Order’s elder members. Niko and his Breedmate had met in that city years ago and since settled there to head up the command center in Montreal. The formidable couple was expecting the birth of their first child any day now, although based on the all-business tone from Lucan, Aric doubted this abrupt redirect had anything to do with a social call.
“Niko knows you’re coming,” Lucan said. “You’ll be briefed on the details of your mission once you arrive. Say nothing to anyone else until then.”
His mission.
Holy shit. How long had he been waiting for this moment?
Finally, the chance to prove himself the warrior he knew down to his marrow he already was.
Would Lucan test him with a seasoned Order member like Niko? Or would they send him on patrol with one of the Montreal warrior teams first, make him work his way up from the bottom?
He could hardly wait to find out.
“Yes, sir.” A smile tugged at the corners of Aric’s mouth as he answered Lucan’s command. “Hell yes, sir.”
CHAPTER 2
The vampire lurked behind her in the darkness, concealed by the dense forest parkland. With the moon obscured by heavy clouds, the only light was the distant twinkle of Montreal, which sprawled in the valley far below Summit Woods.