A Warrior's Choice [Warriors of the Light 18] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove)

by AJ Jarrett

  “You grew up quite nicely.”

  Kevin whirled around at the sound of that familiar voice. Behind him was Hale. He was sitting on an empty gurney smiling at him, his long legs dangling back and forth. Something dark on the floor caught his attention and he looked down to see Barry’s lifeless body on the floor. His throat had been slashed, blood pooled around his body on the floor. He looked back up in horror at Hale. In the twelve years since he’d seen Hale last, he’d gotten bigger. His black hair was longer, shaggy around his ears. His skin was just as pale and his cold dead eyes held nothing but the promise of pain in them.

  “Hale,” Kevin whispered. He darted a look over at the door. As much as he wanted to kill this fucker he knew he wasn’t a match for Hale. He’d be dead before he even pulled his gun from his holster.

  “Don’t even try it.” Hale jumped down from the gurney and walked toward him. “I’d be on you before you even reached the door, Kevin.”

  Hale stopped in front of him. Only an inch separated them. They were so close Kevin could smell the coppery scent of blood on Hale’s breath.

  They were the same height now but Kevin still felt small. Like the teenager he’d been when Hale killed his parents. Small and weak and unable to do anything to stop the bad things Hale wanted to inflict on him.

  Kevin did his best not to show his fear. He stood to his full height and pushed back his shoulders. There was nothing he could do about his racing heartbeat though.

  “That’s better.” Hale reached out with his left hand and grabbed the back of Kevin’s neck. Kevin stiffened when Hale’s hand squeezed. “Look at you all grown up. Sexy as fuck. Love the dark smoldering eyes and hard body. I can see why Kayson wants you so much.” Hale chuckled. “I bet you wish you could rip my throat out right now.” Kevin didn’t show an emotion on his face but yes. He wanted to do just that. “I see you found my present.” Kevin tore his gaze away from Hale’s. He didn’t know what Hale was talking about. “The body.”

  “Barry?” Kevin glanced over to where the deceased coroner’s body lay on the floor.

  “Oh no.” Hale shook his head, his eyes never leaving Kevin’s. “The other one.” He smiled. “The one missing a few body parts.”

  Kevin’s eyes widened. He wasn’t sure why he was so surprised. Hale was a monster. Killed without emotion. But Kevin did have one question. Why here? How did he find him?

  “Man, that guy was hot,” Hale kept talking. “Sucked cock like a pro and rode my dick like a fucking cowboy on a bronking buck. He loved it. He never even asked me to stop as I drained him dry. I kinda think he got off on it. Stupid human.” Hale’s face pinched in an expression of disgust.

  “Why?” was the only thing Kevin could manage to say. He had a million questions but it took too much energy to form words. Kevin wasn’t proud to admit it but he was deeply terrified. He felt like that scared kid he’d been twelve years ago.

  “Why kill him?” Hale shrugged. “Why not? He’s a number in a long list of useless humans. But he did serve a purpose.” Hale stepped even closer, their chests rubbing together. “His death got your attention, didn’t it?”

  A cold chill tingled down Kevin’s back. His stomach felt as if it were going to drop out of his body.

  “You did this on purpose?” Kevin asked.

  “Of course I did. Granted, I could have just slipped into your home and taken you, but what fun would that be?” Hale slammed his lips against Kevin’s forehead. Kevin winced as the sharp teeth dug into his skin from the pressure of the kiss. “I realized that my trusted friend Kayson was up to something. So naturally I had to find out just what that was. You see, Kevy, Kayson hasn’t been the same since he met you. I figured out that you must be someone of great importance to him so when he started sneaking away at night and I caught him smiling I knew something was going on. I could smell you on him.” Hale leaned in and sniffed around Kevin’s neck, moving up toward his ear. “And I thought to myself,” Hale whispered, “what better way to find Colby than by taking you.”

  “No!” Kevin shouted. He raised his hands and shoved at Hale’s chest. He caught Hale off guard and the man stumbled back a few feet. Kevin whirled around and headed for the door. He was almost there when something hard and solid hit his back. He fell to the floor in a tangle of arms and legs. He wrestled with Hale but it was no use. Kevin was flat on the floor with Hale straddling his hips. Hale used one hand to pin Kevin’s hands to the floor above his head.

  “Oh, how I love it when you guys fight back.” Hale bent down and licked up the side of Kevin’s face. “Makes me hard.”

  “Get off me.” Kevin bucked his hips but he couldn’t shake Hale. The man was just too strong.

  “Sorry, but I can’t do that.” Hale pulled his hand back and Kevin braced himself as the man’s fist slammed into his face. He felt as bone crunched under the power blow. “You, my friend, are a way to get to my mate.” Hale swiped his hand down the side of Kevin’s quickly swelling face. His sharp nails sliced through his skin like a hot knife through butter. Hale held up his hand to his mouth and licked at the blood covering his long claws. “Colby would do anything for a friend. He risked being caught twelve years ago because he wanted to save you. I bet he’d do it again but first we’re going to have a little fun.”

  Hale dove down, burying his face into Kevin’s neck. His teeth bit through his skin, burning as he sucked the blood from his body. Kevin felt all his strength slip away from him. His body went limp and his eyes began to droop. This was not how he wanted to die. He had so much to live for.

  Please god, don’t let this be it.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  A loud thud woke Kayson from his nap. He hadn’t even been aware that he’d fallen asleep. He set the book that had fallen to his chest on the side table and stood up. He stretched his arms above his head and yawned.

  He glanced out the window to see the sun was still out. Only a few hours must have passed.

  Kayson walked toward the open door and headed down the hallway. He heard footsteps above him and assumed Hale must be back. Kayson didn’t think he’d get that lucky. Hale would run off for days and when he took his little trips alone sometimes it could be months. Kayson never questioned Hale before. He knew the sadness that plagued his friend. To be without one’s mate was a torture worse than death. It was probably one of the reasons Hale was losing his grip on reality.

  “Hale!” Kayson called out. Kayson stopped at the steps and looked up the staircase but saw no movement.

  “My oh my,” Hale’s cheerful voice said from behind him. Kayson turned to look at him. “Why am I not surprised to see you here?”

  “Hale.” Kayson stared at Hale. Something seemed different about him but he wasn’t sure what it was.

  “Like the outfit.” Hale’s gaze roamed up and down his body from head to toe. “Makes you look more human. But I’m guessing that’s what you were going for.”

  “What are you talking about?” A spot near Hale’s mouth caught Kayson’s attention. It was blood. He took a deep breath and the familiar apple aroma had the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end.

  “Did you really think I didn’t know what you were up to?” Hale asked. A smile still curled his lips but his voice had turned cruel. “My most trusted warrior and you thought you could fool me.”

  “Hale, what have you done?” Kayson’s chest began to heave up and down as his heart beat out of control. He didn’t like this.

  “All these years I thought you were my friend.” Hale wandered into the living room, his back toward Kayson. “Always there to get me whatever I needed. There to clean up my messes. Someone I thought I could trust.”

  “Hale!” Kayson shouted. His fear was quickly being replaced by anger.

  “You’re no better than the rest, are you, Kayson?” Hale turned around. No emotion on his pale face.

  Kayson raised his foot to take a step closer to Hale but froze. An intoxicating scent tickled under his nose. It was faint bu
t it didn’t have to be strong in order for Kayson to know who it belonged to. He turned back toward the stairs but a hard shove to his back sent him flying into the wall beside him. Kayson rolled to his side and looked up to see Hale standing above him.

  “I was wondering how long it would take you to notice I had your sweet little mate with me.” Hale brought his foot back and kicked Kayson square in the jaw. His head flew back, hitting the wall behind him. The plaster cracked and crumbled over his shoulders. “I bet you want to see him, don’t you?” Kayson tried to sit up but Hale kicked him in the chin again. “Don’t get up, Kayson. I’ll be right back.”

  In a flash Hale was gone. He too had the power of teleportation. A gift he’d gotten from Athena.

  Kayson’s face screamed in pain but he ignored it. If Hale had Kevin then he needed to move fast. He had just sat up when he heard a mumbled cry. Kayson looked up to see Hale holding Kevin up by his neck. The left side of his face was swollen and blood dripped down the right side. A huge gash marred his neck and blood drenched his shirt front.

  “No!” Kayson climbed to his feet. “Let go of him.”

  “Kay,” Kevin whispered softly. His left eye was swollen shut and his right one stared at Kayson.

  “You’re not exactly in a position to be giving me orders, now are you, Kay,” Hale said in a mocking tone. “I’m so disappointed in you, Kayson. You of all people know how I’ve longed to be reunited with my mate and here you have a way of doing just that.” Hale moved his hand, shaking Kevin from side to side like a rag doll. Kevin cried out in pain. Kayson saw the blood run down Kevin’s neck from Hale’s sharpened claws digging into his skin. “This worthless bag of skin and bones could have helped me get Colby back.”

  “No,” Kevin shouted. He raised his arms but they fell uselessly to his sides. “I’d rather die than help you find Colby.”

  “Very well.” Hale reached up with his other hand, preparing to break Kevin’s neck. “If I have to live without my mate then so should you.”

  “Stop, please!” Kayson cried out, his voice breaking from the strain he put on it. “Don’t hurt him. I’ll do whatever you want. Just please.”

  “Why should I believe you?” Hale dropped his left hand. He pulled Kevin closer to him and licked up the side of his neck, drinking Kevin’s blood.

  A ball of fire grew in Kayson’s stomach. He didn’t like seeing anyone touching his mate, let alone drinking his blood. In that moment, he wanted to kill Hale. Rip his head from his body then stomp the remains to ash into the ground.

  Kayson teleported to Hale, shoving Kevin to the ground and wrapping his hands around Hale’s neck. Hale wasn’t expecting that and he barely had time to react. They fell to the floor, Kayson on top. He kept his left hand clenched around Hale’s neck and slammed his right fist into his face over and over again. The satisfying crunch made him smile. He wanted to do to Hale what he’d done to his mate.

  Kayson could hear Kevin’s shallow breathing from behind him. He wanted to get to his mate and help him but he had to take care of Hale first. Teleporting Hale anywhere was no good since he could come right back. His mind was racing with ideas when Hale vanished from beneath him. He shouted to the heavens when his fist hit the hard wood floor. He felt as his bones shattered on impact.

  “I can respect how much you want him.” Kayson turned at the sound of Hale’s voice. Hale had a knife in his hand, standing over Kevin’s body. “But if I can’t have what I want then neither can you.” Hale pulled his arm back and stabbed the knife into Kevin’s chest.

  It was as if it was happening in slow motion. Kayson was moving but it felt as if he was in a body of water. His movements were slow and weak. He was helpless to do anything but watch as Hale slid the blade into Kevin’s chest.

  “No!” Kayson screamed as he barreled into Hale. If his mate was going to die then he didn’t care if he died, too.

  Together until the end.

  * * * *

  Kevin reached up to touch the knife lodged in his chest. He wanted to laugh. It hurt like a bitch but Hale had missed his heart.

  The sounds of snarling and fists hitting flesh had him glancing to his right. He saw his Kayson fighting with Hale but he was unable to help. His body was weak and numbed and Kevin wasn’t moving any time soon.

  Kevin lay back on the hard floor. The sounds of fighting around him grew softer and his body felt light. Everything inside him screamed to fight. To get up off that floor and help Kayson but he just couldn’t do it. All the fight that had burned in his belly for the last twelve years was dwindling away to smoldering ash.

  So, this is how I’m going to die? Kevin’s eyes drifted closed and he welcomed the comfortable numbness overtaking him.

  “Fuck me.” Kevin cracked open his eyes to see Kane hovering over him. “This is so not good.”

  Kevin just stared up at Kane. He looked so much like his brother. It might not be Kayson but if he was going to die at least he could stare at a face that was so similar to his mate’s.

  “Tell him.” Kevin gasped for breath. It was getting harder to speak. “Tell him that I loved him.”

  “Oh no.” Kane lifted Kevin into his lap. “You are going to tell him that yourself.” Kane puffed out his cheeks, his black eyes gleaming. “I know this might not be what you want but we don’t have many options left. Just please one day consider forgiving me.”

  Kevin didn’t know what Kane was talking about. It took too much energy to even think right now. It wasn’t until he felt the sharp sting of teeth in his neck that it hit him. Kane was turning him.

  Is this what I want? Kevin asked himself as he felt what little blood that was left in his body being sucked out. Kevin never considered becoming a vampire. His brother had begged him several times over the years to allow himself to be turned but Kevin was happy being a human. But as he closed his eyes and fell into the darkness there was only one thing he saw. A beacon of light within the nothingness, Kayson.

  He wasn’t ready to leave Kayson behind. They had only just begun. If becoming the very thing he feared most meant he got to stay with Kayson, then so be it.

  * * * *

  “I’m going to kill you.” Kayson snarled into Hale’s face. Spit dripped from his fangs. Never in his life had he wanted to kill someone more.

  “I’d like to see you try.” Hale laughed and his body twitched. A look of confusion flashed over his bloodied face. “What the fuck.” His body trembled again. “No!” Hale screamed so loud it hurt Kayson’s ears.

  “Having a little trouble there, buddy?” Kayson looked over his shoulder to see Kane’s smiling face. “Hey, brother.”

  “Kane.” Kayson stared at his brother but didn’t let go of Hale. He could feel the vampire struggling beneath him. “What are you doing here?”

  “Saving your ass and your mate’s.” Kane’s cheeks flushed a bright pink. “Speaking of your mate, I have to tell you something.”

  “He’s dead.” Kayson’s voice was somber. He’d watched as Hale stabbed Kevin. He’d lost his mate and now he had nothing left to live for.

  “No, he’s not.” Kane patted him on the shoulder. Kayson’s eyes widened. “I’ll explain about that later but first we need to get the fuck out of here.”

  “We can’t just leave him.” Kayson looked down at a snarling Hale. “He’ll follow us.”

  “See, that’s the thing.” Kane glanced down at Hale. “He can’t.”

  “What!” Hale shouted and shoved at Kayson but he held on. Kayson punched him in the throat, which caused Hale to gasp for breath.

  “I’ll explain it all to you soon but first let’s get out of here.” Kane had to forcibly remove Kayson’s hands from Hale’s neck. The need to kill was still too strong for him to let go. Kayson could still see Kevin’s swollen blood covered face and it made him see red. “It’s okay, brother. Let go.” Kane helped Kayson to his feet and wrapped his arm around his shoulders. “Oh, by the way, Hale, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but your mother kil
led herself so that means no more teleporting for you. Bye now.” Kane finger waved to a shocked Hale then they vanished into thin air.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  “What do you mean she killed herself?” Ares asked Kane.

  It had been two days since the battle in Hale’s home. Kayson had healed from all his wounds but Kevin was still asleep, hadn’t woken from the change in his body. They teleported to Matt and Wes’s house after the attack and from there they left. They’d teleported everyone to Ben and Miles’s home in Nebraska. Matt, Wes, and Kevin had to abandon the lives they’d been living in Shreveport. Kayson hated that they had to do that but it was the only way to stay safe.

  Hale had attacked Kevin and he would have died had it not been for Kane. Kane did the only thing he could do to preserve Kevin’s life. He turned him into a vampire.

  Kayson could see the guilt on Kane’s face over what he’d done. To turn someone without permission was prohibited but to bite another person’s mate was unthinkable. Kayson had thanked his brother many times in the past couple days for saving Kevin’s life but Kane still felt as if he’d betrayed Kayson. Kayson didn’t see it that way at all. Kane gave Kevin a second chance at life.

  The only thing they had to worry about now was whether Kevin felt the same gratitude. Kevin wasn’t a fan of vampires even though his brother was one. Hale had killed his parents and it was something Kevin still struggled with.

  “She’d been acting weird the past few days.” Kane rubbed at his forehead. “I just assumed it was just more crazy ramblings from Athena. Since Hale brought her back she’d go on and on about her greatest love and her baby. I just thought she was talking about Hale. Then two days ago when all this went down she had a moment of pure lucidness. It was scary.”

  Kayson was sitting next to his brother. He reached over and covered Kane’s hand with his. His brother had told him about what happened that night. Kane had shown up for his shift. He was sitting outside Athena’s cell playing on his phone. It was then that Athena started to talk to him. She’d told him that she needed a favor from Kane and in return she’d do one for him. Humoring her, Kane had agreed.