Mystik Warrior: (Dark Warrior Alliance Book 2)

by Brenda Trim

  John slashed Jace’s arm and Jace responded by slicing John’s cheek. At that moment, he heard Cailyn cry out John’s name and he swung his head around, making eye contact with her.

  The distraction was all John needed to sink a blade into Jace’s back. He felt the titanium nick his heart and cursed before jumping away. Jace fought hard as they scuffled and felt the blood pour down his back. His power waning and John now had the advantage with his strength leaking with every beat of his heart. Jace didn’t have the time needed to heal. John swiped up a sword from the ground and Jace’s heart sank when he realized he was done for. Normally, beheading an immortal was difficult, but right now it would be easy for John to end Jace’s life. He had no more power than a human male while John had the strength of a demon coursing through his veins. He may have lived for over seven hundred years, but wasn’t ready to die. His life had just begun.

  He looked back to Cailyn and saw the tears flowing from her eyes. “I love you,” he whispered.

  *****

  Cailyn watched in horror as John drove a knife into Jace’s chest. As she had watched them fight while she made her way to their side, she noticed how John was more agile than she had ever seen him.

  John hadn’t hesitated in injuring Jace, but she saw Jace holding back. Jace typically fought with vigor and confidence and she hadn’t once seen him pause. Through her connection to Jace, Cailyn felt his debate and knew he didn’t want to kill John because of her.

  She foolishly had held onto the idea of a man whom was safe and comfortable. She wasn’t at risk of losing her heart or anything else if she stayed with John. If she lost him, she would move on and be fine, but if she ever lost Jace, her life would be over. To acknowledge that she loved him would be giving up everything to him. He owned every last cell in her body and would literally change them when they mated. He wanted centuries together. She’d known this the entire time and had been afraid of opening herself up. She had been a fool. Now, she wanted to run into his arms, proclaim her love for him, and accept his mating claim.

  Jace whispered that he loved her and she saw the acceptance of his death in his eyes, sparking anger in Cailyn that roared from her mouth. She ran as Jace’s knees gave out and he toppled to the ground, his eyes never leaving her.

  She looked away from Jace when she saw John’s arm rise. The glint of silver from John’s sword sent her heart racing with determination to save her mate. Putting all her love for Jace into her legs, she flew across the space, and without hesitation, she plunged the knife she was holding into John’s chest. She must have missed his heart because he snarled at her, revealing bloody fangs. She didn’t have time to stop and think, he was going to kill her and Jace, so she pulled the blade from his chest and shoved it back in.

  She had loved this man, and had wanted to give him a chance at a cure, but she wasn’t willing to sacrifice Jace for it. Pouring all her anger at the demons into her force, she shoved the blade deeper. She cried out and snatched her hand back as flames flashed and John turned to ash. He remained an eerie ash statue for a timeless moment, and the look of betrayal would forever be etched in her mind.

  “Jace,” she cried out as she sank to her knees by his side.

  “Shijéí,” Jace murmured.

  She grabbed his hand and brought it to her chest, looking into stunning amethyst eyes that never failed to captivate her. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in the crook of his neck, careful of his wounds. His warm, masculine scent soothed her, and the steady beat of his heart reassured her that he was going to live. She clung to him for several long moments as she let the tears flow. He cooed words in her ear and kissed the top of her head. Her heart broke as the enormity of the situation hit home.

  She had killed John.

  *****

  Mackendra slunk through the back alleys and ducked behind a greasy dumpster to hide from the vampire she was following. Last week, she had been on patrol with Stitch, when they heard the vampires talking about kidnapping women. Since then, every SOVA member had been trying to discover more information about vampire activities while they researched missing persons’ reports. They had increased nightly patrols, but unfortunately, they revealed nothing. There hadn’t been one vampire sighting, and everyone was burnt out.

  Stitch had called it an early night, making her promise that she would do the same. She had every intention of going home, she really did. In fact, she was headed that way when she hit pay dirt. A lone vampire was stalking the shadows through her neighborhood east of downtown. Instinct had her reaching for her blade to end this parasitic creature. Her first instinct was always to strike without hesitation, and it took all of her will power not to attack. She said a prayer and followed it, hoping he would lead her to the missing women. Finding these women was more important than vengeance right now.

  She peered around the edge of the dumpster and noted the guy had stopped moving to sniff the air. Shit, she hoped the rotting trash hid her presence and she flattened against the wall. That familiar dump of adrenaline preceded her racing heart and rapid breathing. Normally, she used this extra dose of energy to beat the super powered leeches, her legs crouched automatically, ready to pounce. She slicked her sweaty palms down her black fatigues and forced herself to stand straight. Don’t move, she repeated over and over as she clamped down on her muscles. Sweat poured down her spine as she stood there for what seemed like an eternity.

  She waited while the footsteps carried danger away from her. Gingerly, she made her way from behind the trashcan and down the alley. She was forced to pick up her pace or risk losing him when the vampire disappeared around the corner. It was hard to be quiet when her combats boots were loud as thunder.

  She came up short when she noticed that he had stopped and was looking around. He clearly wasn’t aware of her as he resumed his sure-footed pace through the buildings. She was curious as to why he was in the midst of downtown.

  The streets were relatively empty save for a few stragglers. She wanted to shout to the drunks stumbling from the bars and the people leaving work that a killer walked among them. But they were safer not knowing the danger that lurked nearby.

  She kept her hand on her blade beneath her jacket. The vampire all but flashed his fangs as he passed several people. The guy was hungry, and she would slash him before she allowed anyone else to become his victim. They reached the outskirts of Pioneer Square and he ducked into an old warehouse. Curiouser and curiouser.

  She looked through dusty windows and when she was satisfied that she wasn’t walking into a room full of bloodsuckers, she cautiously followed him into the building. The large room was mostly empty except for stacks of crates and empty aluminum buckets. Cobwebs covered every square inch of the place, and she swore she felt spiders crawling up her legs. She hated spiders almost as much as she hated leeches.

  Several sets of footprints in the dirty floor lead her to a door that was barely hanging on its hinges. This was a highly traveled area, and she almost turned back to return with reinforcements during the day. The thought that women were suffering at the hands of these creatures kept her moving forward.

  She crouched her five foot nine inch frame and ducked under the door. She refused to ring the dinner bell by moving the thing. On her hands and knees, she found herself at the top of a flight of stairs and stopped, listening for several long moments. She heard several different male voices talking. She slowly stood from her crouch and heard a rip. She looked down and saw the tear on her black t-shirt. She loved the snarky saying, ‘Friday, my second favorite F word,’ and she made a mental note to order another one.

  One stair at a time, she descended into what she realized was Underground Seattle. It was a frightening thought that these parasites were living in close proximity to a popular tourist attraction.

  When she reached the bottom stair she paused and noted the majority of the voices were coming from the left so she slipped into the right corridor so as not to be seen. Through dim lighting, t
he area appeared to open up to a bigger space that was under construction.

  Voices approached and she inched backwards slowly, bumping into something. She reached behind her and ran her hands over an object, finding scaffolding. She hid against the leg of the structure and breathed in the stench. She held her breath and waited until the voices retreated.

  A faint scream at the end of the passageway caught her attention. She debated turning back or proceeding. There were an unknown number of vampires and she was alone with one weapon. Going forward was definitely a stupid move. Another stronger scream sounded, and made the decision for her. That was a woman’s voice, and from the sound, Mack bet that she was in trouble. Mack surmised that she had been living on borrowed time since surviving her own attack years ago, and she’d be damned if she was leaving another to face a worse fate.

  Forward it was. Several feet down the hall, purplish-blue light shone through the glass squares, illuminating from up above. She recalled the story behind these skylights, and how they had been installed during the rebuilding after the Great Fire. She had walked over the sidewalks countless times, but would never have guessed at the evil that lurked beneath.

  Something scurried over her shoes and she bit down on her fist while shudders wracked her body. Fucking rats, the only thing she hated more than spiders. She took a deep breath through her nose to calm her nerves which was a mistake. The full scope of the smell slammed into her - rotten meat, feces and urine. No wonder there were rodents close by.

  She continued on, passing several boarded up and burned out buildings. Sobs and feminine voices sounded from a room ahead. She slowed her steps and tried to listen for any of the vampires.

  “Who’s there? We can hear you,” a woman whispered.

  “You aren’t one of the demons. You don’t smell like them. Whoever you are, please help us,” a small female voice pleaded, bringing tears to Mack’s eyes. That bloodsucker hadn’t been lying.

  Without thinking, she rushed into the room and stopped dead in her tracks. Several things hit her at once. A lone bulb illuminated three large metal cages that took up most of the area and there were a dozen women locked inside. The bars were three inches thick and there were no visible locks on the doors.

  The women were disheveled and filthy, their clothing tattered and two of the women were naked, huddled in one cage together. What she could see of their flesh was bruised and riddled with injuries. The moment she walked in, all but the two naked women rushed the bars and gripped them, shoving their faces through the gaps.

  “Help us. Please let us out before the demons come back,” cried a short blond woman.

  Mack was stunned speechless. The woman had fangs that cut into her lip when she spoke, and unbelievably were healing before her eyes. Her gaze flew to the woman’s dirty, battered face. She wondered why their other injuries weren’t healing. “Who are you? Are you vampires like those guys out there?”

  One of the naked women, a lithe redhead stood and approached the bars of her prison. “No,” she spat. “We aren’t vampires and neither are they. They are skirm and were created by the big ugly demon. How are you here and not being turned by them too?” Skirm, Mack turned the term over in her mind. She had heard it before, from that detective Elsie brought to tell her about Ellen’s death. He had told her that she had been fighting skirm, not vampires.

  Another female called out from the back of the third cage. “I don’t care why. Just get us out of here.”

  Mack watched them closely and realized they were nothing like the vampires she had encountered. These women weren’t slavering to suck her blood and were definitely victims of these creatures. “I’m here to help you. Tell me how to open these cages,” she uttered while searching the room for a lever or switch.

  “You have to leave, they’re coming and will turn you if they find you,” warned the redhead. They locked eyes and she gasped at the glowing jade green that stared back at her. Mack hadn’t heard anybody approaching, but the fear in her eyes told her to trust what she said. “Please tell the Dark Warriors and the Vampire King where we are. They are the only ones that can help. No one else can defeat these demons. Don’t bring your human police back here unless you want them to die. Go, now,” the redhead urged.

  “I can wait and try to get you out. I don’t want to leave you here,” Mack argued.

  Mack could see the fear and desperation in her eyes. There was no telling what these women had been through or how long they had been down here. It’d been too long, and they’d been through too much for Mack’s liking. Her stomach knotted with the possibilities. “I don’t want to stay here any longer, but there are too many of them for you to handle alone. I won’t be responsible for them getting another victim. Go,” the redhead ordered, and pointed back down the hall.

  The other women began clamoring and rattling the bars causing a ruckus. Creating a distraction, Mack realized. “I will come back for you. I promise,” Mack vowed before she ducked back into the hall and hid out of sight. She watched as an enormous black dog with glowing red eyes loped down the passage alongside a vampire that was arguing with what could only be described as a demon. She hadn’t felt fear like this since she was attacked by a vampire herself. There was far more danger lurking in the night than she ever realized.

  The moment the coast was clear she inched her way back into the hall and continued to the exit. She tried to ignore the taunting and snarls that came from the direction of the captive women, but the sounds of a whip and screaming almost had her turning back.

  She forced her legs to carry her in the opposite direction, and she carefully made her way back onto the street. As she made her way home, she thought of the redheads parting words. She was supposed to find Dark Warriors and the Vampire King. Her mind reeled with the possibility that what she believed were vampires were actually skirm, created by a demon, and of all things, she needed to trust the vampires. She would never trust vampires, leaving her with a dilemma…how she was going to rescue these women?

  *****

  Jace sat at the big oak table and listened to the warriors talk while they enjoyed the snacks Angus had brought in to them. It had been a week since the battle, and the buzz in the compound was finally winding down.

  Jace still had heart failure when he recalled the sight of his mate flying overhead on the back of a black dragon. A feeling he and Zander shared, and had talked about many times.

  “Thank you, Angus,” Jace said tersely. He still hadn’t forgiven the male for bringing his mate to the battle. Zander had been a breath from ripping the shifter’s head from his shoulders when Elsie stopped him. She had given the dragon a direct order that he wasn’t able to ignore, especially given that Elsie had had one of her premonitions that they needed to be at the battle.

  Angus inclined his head and left the room. The visiting warriors hadn’t returned to their compounds because they were still convalescing. Thane looked much better, and was finally able to join them for planning. He had been close to death when Jessie had placed herself between him and danger. The male was lucky to be alive. Kyran’s leg had healed but left him missing a chunk of skin and muscle. Hellhound bites, Kyran learned, were far more painful than skirm bites. Jace was monitoring the injury closely to see if he was able to rejuvenate any of the missing flesh.

  They had been outnumbered, but their awareness had given them an advantage. Without the previous encounter with the fury demons, they would not have been prepared. Also, Jace hated to admit it, but they wouldn’t have won the battle without the dragon. Angus’ flames and teeth took out a large number of demons, and allowed them to gain the upper hand.

  The prophecy had come to pass that night when Cailyn killed John. He had been bleeding out on the ground when John came at him, clearly intending to kill him. Cailyn had stabbed John, killing him. Jace knew how hard that had been for her, and he also knew she did it for him. That had warmed his heart more than she could ever know. She had been inconsolable though, but he had been a
ble to comfort her while the others wrapped up the battle. Breslin and Angus cleaned up the grizzly scene with their fire and the humans still had no idea what had really ravaged Woodland Park and nearly destroyed the zoo.

  Jace shook off his maudlin thoughts and looked over at Cailyn where she sat next to him. She had been healing ever since that night as well. Her physical injuries were minor and gone with one of his healing touches, but her emotional scars were taking their toll, and he felt helpless. He was the realm’s most powerful healer, but he was unable to take her heartache away. He wanted to see her smile and hear her laugh again. He wanted the light to dance in her eyes.

  He grabbed her hand where it rested on the table and he laced their fingers together. She gave him a half-smile and went back to staring into space. They’d spent every moment together since that night. They made love, slept and talked endlessly, but the shadows never left her eyes. He needed to do something.

  Nerves overwhelmed him as he got down on one knee and turned her chair to face him. He had never felt for anyone the way he felt for her. She gaped at him and swallowed visibly.

  He pulled the little black box from his pocket. “Shijéí, I love you more than I thought possible. I was broken and unworthy, but you believed in me. You are intelligent and caring and devoted, and I want to spend the rest of eternity with you. Your soul has kept me alive for over seven centuries and I don’t want to spend another minute without you. Marry me, and mate with me. I don’t want to lose you in mere decades. That isn’t enough time with you.”

  He flipped open the box and presented the antique ring to her. Tears brimmed in his eyes and burned as he held them back. All the emotions that he had never experienced before Cailyn rose to the fore in a jumbled mess. His chest constricted, he loved this female and wanted to be her everything. The room had gone silent and he felt every eye on them.