A Warrior Christmas

by Gabelman, Teresa

  Chapter 7

  Tessa sat looking at the tree. She missed Gramps more and more as the days went on without him. This was his favorite time of year. His stroke had been so massive that there was just no coming back from it, and he’d been ready, tired of the fight and wanted to be let go, so that’s what they did. Tearfully and regrettably, they’d let him go.

  “Hey.” Raven sat next to her. “I have to work rounds tomorrow night. I forgot Charger had to leave town for a few days.”

  “Oh, okay,” Tessa said, then realized Raven seemed really upset about the fact. “Well, I could use some hot chocolate. Everyone is out or in here, so let’s go to the kitchen.”

  “Sounds good.” Raven stood, following Tessa to the kitchen. Once they had their hot chocolate, they sat down at the table. After taking a sip, Raven glanced at Tessa as she settled her drink on the table. “Listen, I just want to thank you.”

  “For what?” Tessa asked, surprised. Staring at Jared’s daughter, she couldn’t get over the resemblance and how she hadn’t seen it before. Well, to be fair, she’d been seeing Raven through the eyes of a jealous woman and that always distorted the real picture.

  “For accepting me,” Raven replied honestly. “Not many women in my life have done that. They are either intimidated by me or think I’m going to take their man.”

  Guilt sliced through Tessa since she’d thought the same thing. She felt ashamed of that fact now. “Well, I have to apologize because I was one of those women thinking you wanted Jared.”

  “Yeah, I know, and that’s still gross.” Raven made a gagging sound. “But seriously, I totally understand since my father was keeping secrets he shouldn’t have been keeping. And well, he was doing it thinking he was keeping us safe, and I’ve forgiven him. Have you?”

  One thing she definitely liked about Raven was her blunt, to-the-point personality. It was refreshing. It took a lot of soul searching for Tessa to admit she had forgiven Jared. “I have with all my heart.”

  “Good.” Raven nodded, then gave her a sly look. “Because the women he brought around before you were toxic bitches.”

  Tessa laughed, shaking her head. “Well, thank God you like me.”

  “I do.” Raven also laughed. “He seriously had bad taste in women after my mom and before you. You can tell him I said that.”

  “Oh, I definitely will.” Tessa grinned at having some ammo against Jared about past women in his life. “Listen, Raven, if you ever need anyone to talk to, I’m here.”

  Raven nodded, her eyes welling with tears, but none fell. “Funny you should say that.” Raven sniffed, then chuckled. “I want to ask you something, but you have to promise me not to say a word to anyone, especially Jared.”

  “Not a word to anyone, I promise,” Tessa replied, taking a sip of hot chocolate, hoping it wasn’t something bad. She really didn’t like keeping things from her mate, but a promise was a promise.

  “I think I want to leave the Dark Guardians,” Raven whispered, then actually looked around the empty kitchen as if making sure they were alone.

  “Okay.” Tessa nodded, her voice low also. “But why would that be so bad?”

  “It’s not bad, but…” Raven frowned. “…that’s not the issue, really. I want to become a VC Warrior.”

  “And that would be bad?” Tessa questioned, tilting her head as she tried to understand what the problem was.

  “Yes, and no.” Raven sighed, pushing the hot chocolate away. “It’s complicated. We take an oath. I’ve taken the oath, and well, it does make the Guardians look bad. I don’t want to do that to Charger.”

  Tessa heard her words, but she saw the flare in her eyes when she mentioned Charger’s name. Things were becoming clear. “Well, I think if that’s what you want to do, then you should do it,” she hedged, keeping a close eye on Raven’s reactions. “I’m sure Charger would want you to be where you want to be, where you’re happy. It’s not like you’re not going to be doing good.”

  “I don’t think Charger will be happy about it.” Raven tapped her nails on the table in a nervous tempo. “Then again, maybe he will be.”

  “And why is that?” Tessa didn’t want to pry, but that’s exactly what she was doing. “I mean, I’m sure you’re an asset to his team and he doesn’t want to lose you. I get that. Does he have feelings for you?”

  Raven looked at her wide-eyed, then burst into laughter. “Ah, not a chance in hell. He’s panting after that girl, Vanessa, or whatever her name is. You know, the puny girl with white hair who’s scared of her own shadow.”

  “I know who Vanessa is.” Tessa tried not to grin, but a smile tipped the corners of her lips.

  “Sounded like a jealous bitch, didn’t I?” Raven sighed, putting her face in her hands. “I’m so messed up, Tessa.”

  “You’re in love with Charger,” Tessa whispered, then sighed when Raven kept her face hidden but nodded. “But I thought you were with Val.”

  “He’s just a boy toy.” Raven’s muffled answer reached Tessa’s ears.

  Tessa choked on her hot chocolate, spluttering it across the table. “Boy toy. Damn, Raven.”

  “Well, it’s a mutual understanding. No-strings-attached kind of thing.” Raven shrugged. “A girl has needs, ya know.”

  “Yeah, I do know.” Tessa snorted. Being around all these sexy men all the time did something to a woman’s libido for sure. And Val was one hell of a good-looking man. She narrowed her eyes at Raven as a thought occurred to her. “You got with Val to make Charger jealous.”

  Raven nodded, finally removing her hands. “I was sick and tired of seeing him parading all these women in and out. So I decided what was good for him was good for me.”

  “Does he know how you feel?” Tessa asked, feeling sorry for her.

  “Oh yeah, he knows,” Raven spat out, anger coloring her words. “I poured my heart out to him. When he didn’t say anything, I stripped and stood bare in more ways than one. My heart and body for him to see.”

  “And…?” Tessa prolonged the word, anxious to hear while afraid of what Raven was about to say.

  “And he took me to his bed, but before things got too far out of control, he stopped, threw my clothes at me, and said it would never happen.” This time, a tear escaped her eye. “It was so humiliating. Still is. Every time I see him, that moment runs through my mind like an old, fucked-up movie.”

  “Did he say why?” Tessa wanted to smack the shit out of Charger for doing that to Raven. The asshole.

  “No, but I figured it out.” Raven angrily swiped at another tear. “At least I think I did. It’s my father. Charger and he are friends, comrades and well, I know he wanted me that night. Believe me when I say I know when a man wants me, and he definitely did. His conscience got the better of him, and that’s that.”

  They remained silent, both lost in thought. Tessa had never really paid attention to how Charger reacted around Raven. But she hadn’t been around Charger that much. One thing she knew was Raven’s heart was broken. “Is he your mate?”

  She shrugged again, something Tessa realized Raven did when she didn’t really want to answer honestly. “I don’t know.” She frowned. “What I do know is I have never felt this way about anyone else in my life. If I don’t get away from him and the women he brings in constantly, I’m either going to go insane or kill one of them.”

  “And what about your boy toy?” Tessa glanced at her with a cocked eyebrow. “Does he know?”

  “Yeah, he knows.” Raven bit her lip. “Tessa, the Guardians are a different breed than the Warriors. Though the Warriors used to be a lot more… ah, crazy, they’ve calmed down somewhat. The Guardians are still all sex, booze, women, men, and killing. Don’t get me wrong, they’re good, but very extreme when they’re bad.”

  “And you want out.” Tessa knew what she meant and didn’t blink an eye. Who was she to judge?

  “I need out.” Raven’s look was absolutely pitiful, a cry for help.

  “Then get out.” Tess
a gave her a nod. “I will be behind you every step of the way. And I’m sure the VC will be honored to have you. And well, Charger can go fuck himself now, can’t he?”

  Raven snorted a laugh. “Damn, woman, you got feisty on me.”

  “You haven’t seen anything yet.” Tessa reached over and hugged Raven tightly. “It’s his loss, Raven. He’ll regret letting you go.”

  “I seriously doubt that, but yeah, it’s his loss.” Raven pulled away and smiled at her. “Thank you. It’s nice having a female on my side.”

  “I’ve got your back. Now, when do you want to do this? I can set up an appointment with Sloan.” Tessa was ready to go to bat for Jared’s daughter. She just prayed he was too.

  “As soon as possible. I don’t want to lose my nerve.” Raven grimaced. “Isn’t that sad? I can face down a demon without a second thought, but going against Charger terrifies me.”

  “Yeah, well, you don’t love the demon now, do you?” Tessa answered, then grabbed her phone. “Who do you want there?”

  “I want them all there because if someone has anything against me leaving the Guardians and joining with the VC, then I want to hear it from their lips. Charger included.” Raven’s voice became stronger, as if ready for the battle. “Charger gets back tomorrow night. And I want you there.”

  Tessa sent off a text to Sloan, then looked up at Raven. “I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”

  Chapter 8

  Bonnie frowned at the expensive-looking restaurant they were walking into. “Hope you’re paying,” she whispered at Bishop, who opened the door for her. Damn, he was such a gentleman. Why in the hell couldn’t he be the one?

  “Mr. Valentino, nice to see you.” A man in a suit walked up, addressing Bishop. “Your brother is waiting for you.”

  “Thank you.” Bishop guided Bonnie, his hand on the small of her back, as they followed the man. She saw Viktor, who looked surprised when he saw her.

  Viktor stood while Bishop pulled out her chair. Bonnie sat and felt so out of place she wanted to hightail it straight out of the restaurant. As soon as they parked and she saw the place, she had used her magic to dress appropriately. Jeans and a bulky bright-green coat just wouldn’t do for a place like this. “Thanks.” She looked up at Bishop with a half smile as she sat down.

  “You’re late.” Viktor glared at his brother, then glanced at Bonnie. “How are you, Bonnie?”

  “Good,” Bonnie replied, then smiled at Lacey. “How’s the book coming along?” Lacey beamed at the mention of her book, then frowned at Viktor.

  “Well, it’s going well. When this guy here lets me work on it.” Lacey touched Viktor’s arm and laughed. “It’s nice to see you again, Bonnie.”

  “You look beautiful, Lacey.” Bishop winked at her, gaining a growl from Viktor.

  “Why, thank you.” Lacey blushed, then rolled her eyes. “You always do that.”

  “I know.” Bishop laughed, seeming to enjoy driving his brother insane.

  “So, you two an item now?” Viktor looked from Bishop to Bonnie.

  “Oh, hell no.” Bonnie snorted as Bishop grinned, shaking his head. “We found that out tonight, didn’t we?”

  “Yeah, we did.” Bishop laughed, then ordered a drink from the waiter.

  “I’ll have what he’s having,” Bonnie said to the waiter, who gave her a wide-eyed glance. “Thanks.”

  “That’s a pretty strong drink, Bonnie.” Bishop eyed her.

  “Well, when you’ve lived with my father for years, you learn to appreciate those strong ones.” Without missing a beat, Bonnie replied, “Don’t worry. I won’t get drunk and take advantage of ya.”

  Lacey laughed, and Viktor grinned at her. “Speaking of your father.” Viktor turned serious. “Any word?”

  “Not a peep. I’ve tried to reach out to him on the dark web—”

  “Alone?” Bishop frowned, seeming unhappy with that news.

  “Ah, yeah. Lacey set me up with her computer guy, so we’ve been trying.” Bonnie glanced over at him. “What, do you think he’s going to come through the computer screen? Chill out. It’s not my first rodeo, Warrior.”

  “Still, you shouldn’t be doing this alone.” Bishop didn’t sound happy at all, but Bonnie wasn’t going to go calling a Warrior every single time she tried to do something where her father was concerned. She never had them in the past and had survived.

  “So to answer your question, no.” Bonnie looked back at Viktor. “But that doesn’t mean he isn’t out there planning something big.”

  Bishop finally stopped glaring at the side of her head. “Tell Viktor your feelings on the demons.”

  “I don’t think they are controlling anything. Orjyll is not going to chance a demon taking over his plans. He may have a few here and there doing things, but overall, I think Jezebeth showing up has nothing to do with Orjyll and everything to do with Charger.” Bonnie threw that out there and waited for Viktor’s reaction.

  “I think she’s right.” Bishop nodded. The waiter came and took their order, but as soon as he left, Bishop continued. “I’ve had these feelings for a while. Charger shows up, and so does Jezebeth. Think about it. If demons wanted to take over the world, they would have fucking taken over the world. We both have had our dealings with them, and most demons don’t want the world. They want to cause chaos and without humans, there is no chaos.”

  “I know my father better than anyone,” Bonnie added, looking between all three of them. “He doesn’t share anything. No way is he going to bring on someone as powerful as Jezebeth, who can take him out with a flick of her finger. We are wasting our energies on demons who may not have a hand in this at all, other than their normal routines.”

  “I’m sorry, but this is absolutely crazy.” Lacey shook her head, exacerbated. “We humans really don’t know what is going on in the world, do we?”

  “No clue,” Bonnie answered with honesty. “Demons want to keep it that way. I’ve had my fair share of demon interactions. Never once did Orjyll trust them, but a few he did use, and those were the ones who wanted something from him. Trips in and out of Hell. Orjyll had the means and the dark witches with those powers.”

  “I think we need to talk to everyone and focus our energies back on Orjyll. He’s used the demons as a distraction. That’s my belief,” Bishop said, his voice grim. “And we’ve played right into his hands.”

  “Dammit!” Viktor said after a moment of silence. Then he looked at Bonnie. “Is Kira even close to being ready for this battle?”

  “No.” She shook her head. Even though Kira was the most powerful witch now that she had her mother’s powers combined with her own, she wasn’t ready to use them properly. “But I will make damn sure she will be. That’s my goal, but we need to stop chasing shadows, and I’m afraid that is just what we’ve been doing.”

  “You know we’re right, brother,” Bishop said, his voice low and stern. “We can’t let this bastard win and so far, that’s all he’s been doing.”

  “Call a meeting with everyone, ASAP,” Viktor said, then put his arm around Lacey. “The quicker we get this taken care of, the safer everyone will be.”

  “I’ll drink to that.” Bonnie picked up her whiskey on the rocks and downed it in one gulp. She didn’t even make a face. She glanced to see them all staring at her. “What?”

  Their dinner came without her explaining to them that she could drink four more of those without it fazing her. Probably not something she should brag about, but sometimes, numbing one’s body and mind from the shitshow of life had its benefits.

  The food was amazing, and she actually did find herself ordering a few more drinks. Feeling relaxed, she smiled contently as they made small talk. Suddenly, a nagging feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. Sitting up straighter, she slowly looked around. Magic. She felt it. Someone was here, and she had a damn bad feeling.

  “Get her out of here,” Bonnie said low and slow, hardly moving her lips. Before she could warn them again and put a protecti
ve field around them, she stood, knocking her chair over. As she turned, the large knife was almost to her, but she threw her hand up—the knife stopping inches from her heart.

  “Son of a bitch!” Bishop shouted as he grabbed the knife, his eyes searching. Everything happened so fast that none of the other customers knew what was happening until Bishop spotted the son of a bitch. With deadly aim, he threw the knife that was meant for Bonnie. It hit its mark, sending the man falling forward, taking out tables.

  The restaurant erupted in mayhem as everyone got up at once and took off for the door. Bonnie prepared herself because something wasn’t right. Magic was still here. Her eyes searched as Bishop headed for the man who lay screaming on the ground. Viktor grabbed Bonnie, bringing her beside him and Lacey.

  “That’s not him,” Bonnie said, searching the room. She pulled away from Viktor, trying to get a better view. She honed her senses, trying to pick up where the magic was coming from or, better yet, who the magic was coming from. Grabbing a chair, she stood on it and that’s when she saw her. A woman staring at her with a mocking smile.

  Bonnie made sure Lacey had protection from magic since she was human, but she left herself open to draw out whoever was there. Before she could leap off the chair and go after the witch, she realized her mistake too late.

  A sudden pressure hit her square in the chest, and she flew backward off the chair and sailed toward the large window. Closing her eyes, she called upon her powers just in time as her body smashed through the glass window in slow motion. Pieces of broken glass hovered around her like crystals. As she floated, her eyes met that of the witch who gave her a taunting finger wave before she disappeared from her sight.

  Just as she hit the concrete, she released herself from her magic and jumped up. Bishop was barging through the window toward her. People surrounded her, but she fought them off.

  “She’s getting away.” Bonnie tried to pull away from Bishop, but he wasn’t having it.

  “Dammit, Bonnie.” Bishop forced her to look at him. “Are you hurt?”