My Eternal Soldier

by Krystal Shannan

  He cupped my face and captured my mouth, sweeping his tongue across the seam of my lips until I opened for him. Then he plunged it inside my mouth, taking me away from the worry and confusion. Only he existed in that moment. Only the feel of his mouth against mine, his scent surrounding me. He was my rock. He was what my life had been missing all these years, what my body and soul had wept for every time another couple kissed or embraced.

  The roar of engines coming down the road made him pull away. I cursed that we didn’t have time to make love again before we left. But that would have to wait. Charlie and her family needed me. I wouldn’t let them down just because I was a little horny.

  Two black suburbans pulled to a stop in front of the cafe. The dark-tinted windows rolled down to reveal Travis and Garrett in one and the two men I’d only met in passing, Jared and Alek, in the other.

  “Y’all riding the bike? The seats in here are gonna be a lot more comfy,” Travis said, patting the side of the vehicle. “Just leave the bike. The Pixies will put it away for you.”

  Killían nodded. “Let’s stick with two vehicles. The bike is loud. These SUVs will make less of an impression.”

  Worked for me. As long as we arrived where we needed to be, I was fine with it. I walked with him to the side door of the SUV Travis was driving. He opened it for me, and I climbed in first. The middle row was made up of two bucket seats with a third fold down seat in the middle. The back seat had a large black duffle bag. From the strong scent of gunpowder wafting my direction, it was full of guns and ammunition.

  Killían handed me the two dragon steel sheathed swords and climbed into the bucket seat behind Travis, closing the door behind him. The SUV started forward, only to jerk to a sudden halt.

  “What happened?”

  “We added another passenger to the caravan. Mikjáll just climbed into the other SUV. Apparently, he’s coming along.”

  “Who is Mikjáll?” Killían asked.

  “Miles and Eli’s kid from a long time ago. He escaped the Veil right after Diana did. Xerxes killed his wife. Doesn’t surprise me that he wanted to come along. He’s been itching for a fight ever since he arrived here.”

  “He’s Drakonae then?” Killían spoke again.

  “Yup,” Garrett answered. “Fire breather like his dad… dads.”

  “His name is of Elvin origin.”

  Travis shrugged as he put the vehicle into gear and began to move forward again. “Don’t know what to tell you. He’s a dragon, not an elf.” He laughed. “We have four dragons in town now. Xerxes has to be quaking in his boots. Haven’t seen any Djinn snooping around lately, either.”

  “Settle in guys. We have a good eight-hour drive before we hit the fence at the Mississippi,” Garrett said, rolling his head from side to side.

  “If you pull over a mile or so before, I’ll influence the guards to let us through without questioning you,” I added, leaning against Killían’s shoulder. The sun poured through the side window and bathed my face and arms in its warmth. It felt good to not fear the light again. My thumb rubbed over the new ring while I considered the agreement I’d made with Rose. Having a permanent solution to the sunlight was definitely a perk to the Protector position in the town. Still, something bothered me about the whole arrangement.

  It didn’t matter right now. All that mattered was rescuing Charlie and her family.

  “Don’t worry about the guards. Stop at Fort Stevens. I know the Commander on post there. He’ll radio ahead and let us in and out without any trouble,” Killían said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and pressing a kiss to the top of my head.

  I sat up, pulling away from him. “How?”

  Garrett turned in his seat and cocked an eyebrow as well. “You know TR soldiers personally?”

  Killían nodded. “I was in the army for thirty years. They are very friendly toward Others. It’s the local police departments that can’t get over themselves. Even though the republic is very clear that they are pro-Other.”

  “Some towns are worse than others. Most of the small towns could care less as long as everyone is friendly and respectful,” Travis added, catching my gaze in the rearview mirror. “The big cities like to blame their problems on us, but it’s no more us than it is humans. There are good and bad in every species.”

  “Very true,” Killían said.

  ***

  An hour later, we arrived at Fort Stevens, an Army base just south of the city of Fort Worth. Even though Killían seemed perfectly at ease surrounded by hundreds of heavily armed soldiers, Travis and Garrett were not so calm. Their pulses were speeding up, and sweat beaded on their brows.

  “We’ll just stay here while you go chat,” Travis said, not moving from the driver’s seat.

  Garrett rolled down his window as I climbed out with Killían.

  “Are you sure?” I asked, turning back to Garrett.

  The Lycan nodded.

  “Okay. Suit yourselves.” I wanted to meet the soldiers Killían said would help us. Seeing them face-to-face, hearing their tone of voice, listening to their heartbeat would allow me to trust their intentions. It would’ve been nice to have Garrett and Travis listening in to their thoughts, but I could understand their hesitation. Both of them had lost family members in the riots, and neither was fond of any type of authority — military or local law enforcement.

  Garrett had actually been in the Army before the Instinct drug hit the market in 2046. They’d lived in a neighborhood filled with pack members. A couple of kids used the drug and ran home after transforming in public. No one had been hurt, but the police overreacted and gassed the entire block. Their parents died that night. Both of them left Chicago, splitting apart and going their separate ways for years.

  Travis found his way to Sanctuary first, from what the Pixies had shared with me. And Garrett had arrived in town only in the last year. Both men helped organize the mishmash of Lycans that lived in Sanctuary, but both had refused to step into the shoes of alpha of the pack. It was customary to have a mate before taking on that role. Instead, an election had been held, and a strong alpha pair from Seattle had been given the alpha position for the wolves in town.

  Raven said plenty of the single Lycan females had shown interest, but without a magickal connection, no babies. Tradition mandated that an alpha pair had to be able to have kids.

  “Will they let us on base?” I asked Killían as the three men from the other SUV fell in step behind us. The gate was only a dozen yards away, but the sound of the guards racing heartbeats and heavy breathing were loud as we approached. They were nervous already, and we needed to be careful.

  Killían and I were obviously armed. Each of us wore one of the dragon steel swords. I’d lost the samurai sword I’d carried for years during the skirmish at the bridge. The dragon steel blade was a little heavier and longer, but it didn’t affect my ability to use it in the least. In fact, now I had a blade that would cut through almost anything.

  “Yes, as long as Commander Martins is on base. If not, I’ll ask for someone else.”

  “You used to live on base?” Jared MacKay asked from behind me.

  “Yes. This was home for a long time,” Killían answered.

  “Why do they all look like they’re going to wet their pants?” Alek asked, chuckling under his breath.

  “Because you three are giants,” I hissed, trying to keep from grinning.

  Killían was tall. Maybe six-foot-three-inches, but Mikjáll was almost seven feet tall like Miles and Eli. Alek and Jared were only a few inches shorter, both easily measuring in at six-foot-ten or so. Put that kind of height together with the large amount of musculature they displayed and the three of them painted a rather intimidating picture.

  Alek stepped up next to me and grinned. “I like being the scary one.”

  “I bet you do,” I answered, finally letting my mouth turn up into a smile.

  “We’re going to get your friends back,” Alek said.

  “Thank you.” />
  “I know you think Rose is a hard-ass,” Alek started. “But she also treats everyone in the town as if they were family. She would fight to her dying breath to save each and every one of us if that’s what it took.”

  “She is a hard-ass, though,” Jared spoke up from where he was walking with Mikjáll, still behind Killían.

  “She’s worth fighting for,” Alek said as we came to a stop a few feet from the guards’ gate.

  Four armed soldiers in green fatigues with the TR emblem on their arms stood at attention, blocking our way. Killían motioned for us to stay where we stood, and he approached alone.

  “I’m retired Master Sergeant North. I need to speak to Commander Martins.”

  “The Master Sergeant North?” One of the soldiers relaxed his stance. “The one that trained the twenty-third regiment?”

  “Yes, sir. That would be me.”

  “And they’re all with you?” The soldier pointed to us.

  “Yes. Please call the Commander.”

  “Oh. Of course. Yes, Master Sergeant, sir.” He bumbled through his response as he stepped into the guardhouse.

  Chapter Sixteen

  EIRA

  I listened to the soldier’s brief conversation with someone on the other line, who assured him that Killían was indeed who he claimed to be and to let all of us on base with him.

  The young man stepped out of the booth and saluted Killían. “The Commander is waiting for you at the field office. Private Tilman will escort you there if you will follow him in your vehicles.”

  “Excellent. Thank you.”

  The guard saluted again, and Killían turned around. We all walked back to the SUVs and climbed in. Travis and Garrett took the lead, stopping at the gate and rolling down all the windows so the guards could check the vehicles. They also used some sort of wand beneath the carriage of the vehicles, probably checking for explosives. Even though we’d been cleared, they were sticklers about their rules for entering the base.

  “I hope this little detour is worth it,” Travis growled as he followed behind Private Tilman, who was barely doing fifteen miles per hour in his Jeep.

  We rolled through the base, passing houses, barracks, and other buildings neatly arranged in rows. Groups of soldiers jogged past us, wearing brightly colored belts. Each group wore a different color. It was strange to think Killían had lived here. It seemed so… controlled.

  Finally, the Jeep ahead of us pulled to a stop in front of a one-story tan stucco building. Shots sounded from behind the building, varying from timed patterns to random fire.

  “It’s the gun range,” Killían whispered, laying a soothing hand on my tense shoulder.

  “I guess we all should go in,” Garrett said, unbuckling his seat belt.

  “It would be rude if you didn’t. Plus, the better they know you, the easier and more helpful they will be if they come across any of you again.”

  “Well, I guess introducing ourselves is a must then. A body never knows when it might need to haul ass across a border,” Travis added, jumping down from his seat and closing the driver’s side door. Alek had parked on our left, and he, Jared, and Mikjáll were already standing with Tilman, waiting for us.

  The seven of us followed Private Tilman through two glass double doors. An older soldier glanced our way. He left the two men he was talking to and headed straight toward Killían.

  “North! It’s been a long time. Wright said he bumped into you a few days ago on patrol.” The soldier extended his hand, and Killían took it.

  “It’s good to see you, too, Commander. Thank you for allowing us to interrupt your day.”

  “Lucky for us, it’s been quiet lately.”

  “Except for the SECR squads sneaking around.”

  Martins frowned. “Those damned sons of bitches just don’t know when to give up. But most of them end of disappearing without a trace. You wouldn’t happen to know where they go, would you?” He winked at Killían and then turned his attention to the rest of us. “Who are your friends? And are they wanting to join? I could use giants on my squad.”

  Killían stifled a laugh and pointed to each of us. “Commander, these are new friends of mine. Jared, Alek, Mikjáll, Garrett, Travis, and Eira.”

  “Nice to meet you all. Be sure and do let me know if you are ever in need of a job. North was a heck of a soldier, and any friend of his is a friend of mine.” The old soldier let his eyes rest on me last and remain for a few seconds, like he was contemplating saying something, but couldn’t decide.

  “You’re the gal he lost. Her name was Eira.”

  I nodded yes.

  “But aren’t you… I don’t mean offense, but aren’t you a vampire?”

  “I am now,” I answered.

  “North told stories of the Viking woman he loved and lost when we got him drunk. I remembered your name, but I knew he said you were human.”

  “You’re aware how old Killían and I am?” I asked, my eyes widening with surprise.

  “Yep. There’s not much in the way of history taught anymore. People like you who’ve lived it are the only real windows to the past. Even the black market doesn’t have a lot to offer. Most of the good books that survived the fires were snapped up by people with deep pockets.”

  It was true. Though I didn’t share that most people left in the US with deep pockets were Others. Those of us who were really old had money and assets stashed all over the world. Just because the US lost its grip with reality didn’t mean the rest of the world went crazy, too.

  “I’d love to stay and chat, Martins,” Killían spoke up, his words reminding the group of the purpose we’d been distracted from.

  “No, no. I understand. What is it I can help you with?”

  “We need passage in and out of the Vicksburg border gate. Some friends of ours are being held in Savannah, and we aim to go pull them out,” Garrett said, stepping up next to Killían and I. “Being able to drive in and out would really help us move faster.”

  “You know the SECR executes Others they’ve captured. I hate to tell you, but your friends are probably already dead,” the commander said with a grim sigh.

  He could be right, but I refused to believe it. I hoped instead that Xerxes and Manda were hanging onto them, waiting for me to come for them. I needed to believe they were still alive. That I hadn’t lost one of my best friends.

  “We have to be sure,” Travis said, moving up next to his brother. “Leaving them is not an option.”

  The older soldier nodded. “Using the gate isn’t a problem. I’ll radio ahead and let them know to keep an eye out for you.”

  “When we return, we’ll be coming fast,” I said, catching the Commander’s gaze.

  “Yes, ma’am. I’ll be sure everyone is looking out for you. Good luck. I hope you find your friends alive.”

  “Thank you,” I said. “Killían is lucky to have such loyal friends.”

  A smile spread across the Commander’s face. “I’m the one who was lucky to have North. He saved my life at least twice. He’s something with that sword of his. You know he taught his entire unit how to handle a sword. Even to this day, we still have basic sword training included in boot camp now. Of course, it would be better with someone like North running it,” he said, glancing to Killían.

  “That is something to talk about over a large bottle of whiskey,” Killían said. “Thank you for the help.”

  “I’ll have a medical team on standby just inside the gate in case you need help. Good luck and God bless.” Martins shook Killían’s hand again before we all filed out of the building.

  ***

  The highway flew past, mile after mile of brown grass and ice blue sky. The winter air held a chill, but nothing had fallen yet. The blue-grey expanse above us was clear and cloudless. The farther east we drove, the more the landscape changed from prairie to pine trees. I watched the wind dip and bend the tops of the evergreen forests as we traveled down the narrow two-lane highway.

  It was c
lose to sunset when we reached the TR border gate at the Vicksburg bridge. Emotions flooded through me, and I nearly wrenched the door off the hinge trying to exit the SUV. I could smell them. The bodies were still there.

  So much had changed since the attack.

  I’d found Killían. Agreed to become a Protector in Sanctuary. Made an ally in the TR army. What hadn’t changed was that my friends were still dead.

  “Eira,” Killían called. “Wait.” He touched my shoulder, and I melted into him. His lips pressed against my temple. “Let me talk to them first and make sure Martins’ message went through.”

  I nodded and gave his hand a quick squeeze before he left my side.

  The guys were climbing out of the vehicles, and several soldiers were coming toward us. Killían walked quickly to meet them, and I watched as he shook hands with one of them. They made gestures to the gate and the bridge. I could’ve listened to the conversation, but I was so distracted.

  My friends’ bodies lay exposed where those SECR bastards had killed them. They deserved a burial. Charlie wouldn’t want me to leave them like this. It wasn’t right.

  Travis and Garrett stepped up next to me. “Most of the soldiers are curious who we are. But those two Killían is talking to, they know. They spoke with the commander and will remain at this post until we return with our friends,” Garrett said slowly.

  “I never thought I’d see the day I was grateful to a human again,” Travis added. “But if they really are going to let us use the gate, it was definitely worth the stop. Moving a group of people over the fences or under them is hard, especially if we have anyone with injuries.”

  “I can’t believe he was so close all this time. For years, he’s lived only hours away from me.” The words fell from my lips without thought. My soul had cried for so long, and now we were together. However, we were about to go to a place that might steal him away from me. I couldn’t lose him again. I’d die first.