The Shikari Box Set

by Dora Blume

  Chapter 17

  Sloane walked into the kitchen, surprisingly well rested. She thought with the coming day she wouldn’t be able to sleep. Mike and Erik were in the kitchen, drinking coffee and leaning intently over blueprints of the building they planned to invade today. She wasn’t interested in joining them until she had at least one cup of coffee in her system. She needed the rush of the caffeine in her blood before she was functional in the morning. She grabbed a cup and leaned against the counter watching them. They were both so intent that they hadn’t even noticed her presence. She studied the planes of Mike’s face, the hard jaw line that only became soft when he smiled. Now his lines were taut as he was focused and intense. She liked the soft Mike better, and she figured it would be awhile before she saw the lines of his face soften into that wide smile that melted her heart. She would never admit that out loud but in her private thoughts he lit her up inside. After she finished her first cup, she joined them at the table.

  “So, do you two have everything figured out?” She playfully mocked their intense conversation.

  Erik gave a very serious answer, “Yes, I believe we’re all set.” He didn’t look up to see her smiling and shaking her head at him. He took everything far too seriously.

  Mike smiled up at her, “Morning love.” He turned, and she walked into his arms easily. She reached up to kiss him. His lips tasted of cinnamon and coffee. When she withdrew her lips from his, her heart skipped a beat as she saw the hard lines of his face soften as he smiled at her. He gazed down at her, eyes filled with desire and for a moment they were the only two in the room. She turned, still wrapped in his arms, and looked at the blueprints on the table.

  Mike pointed to an entrance, “This is the south entrance that you were referring to, correct?” His breath was warm on her neck.

  “That’s the one.” She said then leaned to point to the opposite side. “Bryant will be standing here.” She pointed to the spot he was standing in her vision.

  Mike was all business, “Currently, the plan is to walk in, quietly, unnoticed with Jessie so she can freeze the room. Then you and Erik are heading toward Bryant who will probably flee in this direction.” He moved his hand across the map indicating another exit. Sloane nodded.

  Sloane was quiet a moment as she thought, “What if Erik heads off that Exit and I enter with you guys, that way we have him covered from both sides?” She placed her arm over the one Mike still had wrapped around her.

  Erik rolled his eyes, “Yes, that was the plan. If you would just wait and listen.” he huffed.

  “Okay, okay, I’m listening, Mike please continue.” She patted his hand and leaned her head back, he gave her a light kiss.

  Mike continued. “Okay, well you figured out the other part. We’ll have people at every exit to make sure no one gets out as a demon. We want to take care of them here.”

  “Do we have enough people for that?” She asked.

  “Yes, we will have at least two to three people at each exit. We’re meeting them all at the pub at three to let them know where they’ll need to be. Ashley and I will be covering Jess when she walks in to freeze the room. When we give the order, the others will come in through the other exits. Shaundra has shown Jess how to separate the demons from the students and they’re going around instructing the others today. Jess left about an hour ago to meet Shaundra. You’ll be coming through the door with us but again your focus will be Bryant. You can help us in the meantime since I know you will, anyway. When Bryant runs, you follow him and cover him from this exit. Erik will head him off and there will be a van parked, here.” He indicated the street outside the door where Erik will be entering.

  “Got it. Anything else I should know?” she asked.

  “Nope that’s about it. You two will be focused on Bryant. Are you ready for that?” He asked. He turned her around to study her expression. Placing his hand on her face he stroked his thumb over her cheek. She smiled and stared, longingly into his eyes. They were together last night, and she wanted him again, right here, right now. His concern touched her.

  “Yeah, I’m ready.” She looked over to Erik who suddenly looked drawn and weary. “Are you?”

  He was slumped over the table which was an unusual position for him, he hardly ever slumped. “As ready as I can be I guess,” he said quietly.

  “I need a better answer than that Erik. You have to be ready or he’ll work us.” She knew this would be much harder for him. Bryant taught him everything. As far as Sloane knew, Erik was closer to Bryant than anyone. She sighed for her brother who was hurting. She reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Her voice was soft and soothing. Being the older sibling, she felt a certain need to protect Erik even though he’d proven to her he didn’t need protecting.

  Erik lifted his head infinitesimally, “I’m working on it.” He snapped as he stood up quickly causing the chair to fall back. He reached down to pick it up and threw it against the table and stormed out of the room.

  Sloane watched him with a troubled look. She took a step in his direction and Mike placed a restraining hand on her shoulder. “Give him time to deal. He’ll be ready by tonight just give him this time to figure it all out.” He slid his hand down her arm and took her hand. He lifted it to his lips and kissed her palm.

  Sloane looked into his eyes. “What if he doesn’t, Bryant will use it? He’ll use any weakness against us and considering he’s our father he knows them well. Erik’s more than anyone. I just hope he can handle it so we can do what needs to be done.” She looked back at the door where Erik had left. She sighed heavily.

  Mike moved and wrapped her up in his arms. “He’ll be ready, he knows what he’s facing, and he can handle it.” Mike kissed her head and inhaled the coconut scent. Mike was confident his friend could handle Bryant. Mike whispered as he stroked a hand over her hair. “Don’t worry love, everything will be fine.” She looked up at him and he kissed her. His kiss started a gentle reassurance but quickly turned to an intense need. When his lips finally left hers, it was only so he could move down her neck, wanting to taste more of her. Pulling her shirt away, he kissed her collar bone. His fingers moved to unbutton her blouse to reach her breasts. Drawing his calloused thumb over her nipple, Sloane bit her lip stopping a moan from escaping her lips.

  She bit her lip letting it go slowly as he toyed with her breast. “You know when people say fine it’s usually to reassure themselves.” She tangled her hand in the back of his hair while his tongue was doing marvelous things to her nipple. “Are you in need of reassurance?”

  He stilled and raised his head to look into her eyes. She could be far too perceptive sometimes. “Yeah, maybe I am.” He stared into Sloane eyes, memorizing the different cobalt and grey shades. The fire in her eyes was unmistakable.

  She put both hands on his face and smiled. She moved to kiss him again. She shivered, remembering her blouse was open when a cold breeze cascaded over her breast. She slid her mouth up to nip his nose. “Don’t worry everything will be alright.” She hugged him, holding him against her. He laughed and she could feel the tightness in his chest against her own. He reached down to pull her shirt back over her chest, smiling.

  “We have a while until we meet the others what shall we do today?” She smiled up at him.

  He swept down and scooped her into his arms. “I can think of a few ways to pass the time,” he winked at her. She giggled. “Was that a giggle, did you just giggle like a schoolgirl, Sloane?” His eyes lit with playfulness.

  “No, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t giggle.” He dropped his head and nipped her breast with his teeth, she giggled again.

  “Oh love, I beg to differ. That’s the sweetest sound I’ve ever heard.” He whisked her out of the room in his arms. They had a few hours to kill, and he wanted to spend every one of them making her happy.

  ***

  Erik paced his room; he needed to get it together. He told them he was
fine going after Bryant but something deep inside him stirred. His father was his mentor, taught him everything. He flashed to a memory in the training room, he was in his early teens. His body had grown so abruptly over the last year that he was trying to get comfortable with his longer limbs. Spending hours on the mats, perfecting his flips, with and without various weapons trying to get used to his changing body was grueling. His father walked in and stood at the back by the door, arms crossed watching intently. Erik became nervous when his father watched him. He landed a hair off when he flipped and stumbled forward to catch himself. When instinct sent his hands forward, the sword went with him, slicing his forearm. He locked his lips shut to stop from crying out. Bryant was not one to accept weakness in any form, especially from his son. His father walked calmly over and handed him the handkerchief from his pocket.

  “Here, put pressure on the wound.” He said.

  Erik nodded, unwilling to unlock his lips for fear of a sob escaping. He needed to be a warrior in front of his father, always. He held the fabric tightly to his cut until the bleeding lessened.

  His father watched him. “Do it again,” he said sternly.

  Erik’s mouth dropped open, shocked. “What? Right now? I’m still bleeding.”

  “You’ll have many battles in which you will need to fight through the pain, my son. Use that pain inside of you to drive you further. Let it fuel the man you are meant to be. Now do it again.” He was commanding in his speech.

  Erik walked over to the sword and picked it up, his hand shook but he gripped the handle tighter, forcing away his weakness. He centered his feet and used his momentum to flip again. This time he landed hard and centered. He grinned at his father.

  Stoic, Bryant said, “Again,” commanding.

  Erik couldn’t help but smile remembering his father’s lesson. He carried it with him into battle. There were so many lessons Bryant taught him over his lifetime. Swallowing hard, he couldn’t believe his own father betrayed them. There had to be an explanation. Something more at play here that only Bryant knew. He paced his room, thinking. Erik thought hard about his father. He was true to the order, even after everything that happened with his mother. There was no way Bryant would betray them. Something else had to be going on, and Erik was determined to find out. He knew Bryant better than anyone which meant he knew there was more to it than Bryant working for the demons. Bryant would die before he willingly helped demons. He reached for his phone, there was one call he needed to make and it couldn’t wait. He dialed, Bryant picked up on the first ring.

  “Start talking, you know more than you’re letting on and I’m going to need one hell of an explanation, right now.” Erik listened, mouth dropping at the news his father relayed. “Well, my plans for tomorrow definitely changed. Okay, here’s what we’re going to do.”

  When Erik finished, he headed back to his father’s study. He knew the information to contact the order would be in his desk. Finding the information, he paused and drew a heavy breath. He feared more of the order could be working with the demons. Taking a deep breath, he needed to trust the order, and the ways in which he grew up. The order was the foundation of the Shikari and without them he didn’t know what they stood for. He scanned the sketches and his letter and sent it off to one leader he knew he could trust, not including the plans for that evening. The order could worry about the others. He would find out more when this was over. He would take his father’s place in communicating with the order to uphold the ruse Bryant cooked up. Erik never thought that he would take that role as long as Bryant was alive.

  Jess walked into the study, “Hey, I saw you step in here, are you alright you look a little pale?”

  “Yeah, I’ll be fine, just sending the sketches to the order, so they know who the demons are just in case.” He spoke so mechanically that Jess stopped and stared. Erik was usually much more animated.

  “In case of what?” she asked.

  “In case something goes wrong tonight. They should know who the other demons are.”

  “Are you kidding, what could go wrong with me around?” She tried to joke with him, but his lip thinned in a hard line. “Wow, you really are messed up.” She was surprised; he usually took her humor quite well, but right now he just looked drawn and tired. “Did you get any sleep after I left?” They’d spent a few hours last night talking about the past. She wasn’t sure she was ready to start again with Erik, especially when he left her the first time. She understood at the time and agreed with him but inside her heart was breaking. She wasn’t ready for that again. She loved him but she’d spent the last year trying to get over him. She still hadn’t. It hurt to know that he would put his duty before her. She wanted to be someone's first priority, not their second. She understood because she’d been raised as he had, duty before love always. Erik wanted to start again, but she questioned if it would last after this battle was over. She had to be sure before she let him in again.

  “A bit,” he answered trying to sound less monotone but failing.

  “I doubt it, you need to take a nap or something? We need you tonight, so you have to pull it together.”

  “What do you think I’m trying to do here Jess?” He sighed heavily and looked to the floor. He wanted to tell her the truth, it was weighing on him already. He knew he could trust Jess over everyone but he didn’t want to burden her with this. She needed to be ready for tonight and he would do nothing to distract her from their duty.

  “I think you’re looking for a distraction, but that will only prolong the inevitable. You need to deal with it. Your father betrayed you, shit happens, time to move on and crush the bastard. Get angry with him. If you walk up to him looking like you do now, he’ll know that he’s won before the battle has even begun.” She walked over to stand in front of him. She reached a hand up and placed it on his whiskered cheek.

  Erik nodded, he looked to the floor then met Jessie’s eyes. It was going to be hard to lie to her, but he needed to keep up appearances, even with her. He swallowed hard, ready to put duty before love, yet again. “You’re right, but I don’t know how to get past it. I don’t know how to hate him,” he uttered, which was the truth.

  “Think about something you really hate.” Jess said staring him square in the face.

  He turned his head to the side, out of her penetrating gaze. “How will that help?”

  “Just trust me, something you really hate, not just dislike but something that turns your insides.”

  Erik thought a minute, he wasn’t sure he hated anything, except demons. He was silent for too long and Jess spoke up. “Okay, fine, if you don’t hate something think about what Bryant did. He didn’t just go behind your back and rally with demons, but he did it despite you. Made you believe that he was helping you kill them when he was using you for information. He needed you to keep doing his dirty work, and you were his puppet. Through his betrayal, he made you into the perfect little toy. You could do all the heavy lifting, thinking the whole time you were doing the right thing, while you were helping demons, and you didn’t even know it. Did you ever think that the demons he sent you to kill were the ones she wanted killed? The woman leader was probably calling the shots the whole time, and he used you to carry out her will. So, if you don’t hate him for betraying the order, and everything we believe in, everything you believe in. Hate him for using you for her.” The last word was filled with so much malice that she said it between clenched teeth.

  Erik hadn’t thought about it like that before. He hadn’t even thought of the fact that the missions his father had sent him on, could be to help demons, even now. He bit down on his lip so hard he tasted blood. The fire in his eyes was noticeable. His father better not have sent him out to help demons even if he was just doing it to get information on the inside.

  “There, now you’re ready.” She smiled, knowing she could make him angry, but at what expense. She didn’t want to hurt Erik, but she knew he needed to be ready to fight and he wouldn’t be ready to fight Bry
ant if he was still the little boy who loved his father. He needed to be the man who had been betrayed by his own father. Now that she looked into his eyes, she saw the malice he needed to defeat him.

  She felt his masculine side. It called out to her, and she licked her lips before stepping back. She took a steadying breath. It’d been a while since she’d been this close to Erik alone and it stirred feelings in her she’d tried to bury. She’d kept her distance when they were talking last night and it’d felt more like close friends catching up. Right now, she wanted to grab him, clear the desk, and claim him right here, right now. She knew it wasn’t the time for that and she needed to figure out where he stood in the long term with her. When he looked at her she could see desire and longing, but she needed to know there was more to it. Her heart would break if he walked away again.

  She took another tentative step back to steady herself. Blood rushed to her cheeks. Erik looked at her and arched a brow. She needed to leave before her hormones took over and she did something she’d regret. She turned on her heel and left him to think about what she’d said. By the time he went to the meeting, he would be more than ready to do whatever it took to defeat Bryant. She was sure of it.

  Chapter 18

  Jess walked into the kitchen to find the others. It was getting close to the meeting time, and she wanted to make sure they were all ready to go. Mike was leaning against the kitchen counter with Sloane wrapped in his arms. He was leaned over nuzzling her neck and moved up to whisper something in her ear. Sloane giggled at him and moved her head back to kiss him.