The Immortal Warriors Boxed Set: Books 1-11

by H. T. Night

  “Oh, really? Did it get messy?”

  “We did what we had to do as far as terminating guards that were in our way, but something else happened out there. It was weird even for me.”

  “Okay, then what are we talking about here? Define weird?”

  I looked at Tommy and grinned. I decided to transition for only the second time, ever, into a werewolf and show him what I was talking about. I actually wasn’t used to it, so I closed my eyes and concentrated. Suddenly my eye level changed and I had quickly turned into the white wolf.

  “Holy fuck! Are you kidding me?” Tommy gasped.

  I transitioned back to my Mani form. “I was attacked by a werewolf and he bit me during Donya’s rescue.”

  “Where was there a fucking werewolf?”

  “He was one of the guards that refused to die.”

  “You have got to be kidding me? That’s all we need is for terrorists to be immortal.”

  “He wasn’t immortal for too long. I disposed of him rather quickly.”

  “Not that quickly. He bit you and turned you into a Carni.”

  “That’s what I’m not sure about. I had never been in the predicament I was in. I’m not sure if I always had the ability to turn into a werewolf and didn’t know it, or if the situation just called for it. I was in a tiny hallway and I could turn into an eagle. After a while, I had no choice because the werewolf was smothering me with his body in the cell block hallway.”

  “And you just transitioned.”

  “Yep.”

  “Into a werewolf?”

  “Yep.”

  “You did say he bit you right before it happened?”

  “Yes, he did.”

  “That’s interesting. You’re obviously still a Mani because you’ve been flying around.”

  “I’m still as much Mani as I have ever been. I guess, in reality, I am now Mani, human and now Carni.”

  “Just thinking about it makes my head spin.” Tommy stared at me in disbelief. “It’s like your DNA was thrown in a blender with a bunch of other weird creatures. I wonder if there are more?”

  “What?” I asked. I didn’t like him looking at me like I was a freak show.

  “I’m just blown away by what has happened to you over the past two years.”

  “You’re telling me. You know, I never asked for any of this.”

  “Maybe not. But the Triat sure as hell is giving you a message.”

  “What message is that?”

  “That your calling is near. They are making you as strong as you can be.”

  “I guess so.”

  Tommy stared at me with a puzzled look and said, “So you have known about this for a month and now you finally tell me?”

  “To be honest, I have been so busy with the kids and that whole thing with Donya, I almost forgot about it.”

  “So, what now?” Tommy asked.

  “Starting tomorrow, I want you to train me as a werewolf. I noticed there are times you’d rather fight as a man and then there are times you prefer to be the wolf. I want to have those same instincts and decision-making skills.”

  Tommy looked at me and said, “I wonder if we can communicate in reverse.”

  “Huh?”

  “I can communicate with you when I am the werewolf. I wonder if you can communicate with me when you are one.”

  “I guess there is only one way to find out.” I transitioned into the white wolf again. I looked at Tommy and thought, ‘You are such a tool.’

  Tommy looked at me and sent me a telepathic message: “A tool, huh? Well, you drive a pickle wagon on the way to your job at the meat factory.”

  I transitioned back. “We are bonded for life, brother.”

  “That we are.”

  Chapter Twenty-two

  The next month was all about two things: fatherhood and friendship.

  Twins were rough. We no longer had the team of nurses looking after them, but we did have a nanny who should have her own reality T.V. show. She was the real Superdupernanny. Her name was Linda, and she knew babies like I knew fighting. Speaking of which, there was a brotherhood unlike anything I had ever experienced among my friends and army. Love and togetherness were in the air. My days were made up of feeding, changing diapers, and rocking my two boys to sleep. And... my nights were dedicated to training my troops. My job was to make every man as skilled a fighter as Tommy and me.

  Speaking of Tommy, he and I worked and worked on my werewolf abilities when no one was around. I was hesitant to tell too many people about my new gift. I hadn’t even shared it with Lena yet.

  It was nice knowing that my kids were in excellent hands. Lena was turning out to be a remarkable mother in her own right. She had incredible instincts when it came to the boys. I noticed something right off the bat. She treated Jason a little more gently than she did Joshua. It was hard not to treat the kid like a delicate figurine in a glass menagerie. I had to go out of my way not to look at him as this little mini demigod. I know that’s sacrilegious, but this kid healed both his parents less than an hour after he was born. Jason was always smiling and giggling, and seemed to be the perfect baby. Joshua, on the other hand, was a little pill. I loved the kid, but he was grumpier than Tommy is with a hangover after a night of partying.

  I still had my engagement ring in my front pocket at all times. Each day, I had secretly put it in my new set of clothes. I didn’t want Lena to find it, and the best way to do so was to keep it on me.

  Our love life had gotten back to normal. That was an exceptionally awesome added bonus to my life because I had a strong appetite for love, to put it most respectfully. Our love, however, was about to take a turn. I had put together a sensational night to pop the question to Lena.

  I wasn’t sure how we were going to do it. I’d have Yari marry us if I had to. Nonetheless, tonight was going to be the night I was going to ask her to marry me. I had set up a pretty elaborate evening with a couple of twists and turns. Everyone was in on it.

  Linda stayed with the kids, and I told Lena we were going to have a date night. But we weren’t going to drive. This was going to be a Lois Lane and Superman evening. It would be Superman 2 with a gothic edge. Superman 2 was the romantic movie where Superman confesses his undying love for Lois Lane and wants to be human. Well, in my case, I was both superhero and human and I already confessed my undying love. Now it was just time to close the deal with a ceremony.

  Lena put on a long, beautiful white dress. It was a long, Gothic gown that made her look as if she were an angel. Lena’s hair had grown out over the year, and she reminded me of Christine Daaé from Phantom of the Opera.

  I was getting ready in the upstairs bathroom. I was spiking up my hair. I didn’t see the point because I was going to be flying all night. But, I liked to look superb, even if it was for five minutes.

  Lena stepped into the bathroom at the same time I plucked a nose hair out of my nose.

  “Very sexy!” she teased.

  I looked at Lena and was taken aback. It had been a while since she had been that dressed up and she looked phenomenal. “Not as sexy as you look in that white gown.”

  “That’s only because you weren’t around when I plucked my nose hairs earlier,” Lena said, winking at me. Lena walked over to me and nestled her body into mine. I looked at us both in the mirror. “We are a pretty cute couple,” I said.

  Lena smiled. “We are cute parents.”

  “That we are. Did you check on the boys?”

  “Superdupernanny put Jason to bed, and she is rocking Joshua. Joshua was fussing something awful.”

  “He is a little shit, isn’t he?” I joked.

  “Stop it. He’s five weeks old.”

  “I know. He is just so needy, and he never says thank you.”

  “Well, neither does Jason.”

  “Jason doesn’t have to. He’s perfect.”

  “You know you’re going to need to watch that as the boys get older.”

  I smiled at Lena. “I
know, it just makes me happy and breaks my heart in the same instance. I know he’s the one the Deity told us about.”

  “I know.” Lena looked at me and squeezed me tightly around my waist. We both knew the calling was about Jason. He obviously had a supernatural touch on his life. I think we both were refusing to think about what the Deity claimed would be his fate.

  “You ready to go?” I asked.

  “Sure am. Let’s get out of here before Joshua makes so much noise that I have no choice but to rock him.”

  I took Lena’s hand, and we quickly went into my room. I looked at my clock on the wall, and it read 7:00 p.m. All the guys were ‘in place’ to make this an unforgettable night.

  I opened the trap door to my bedroom and grabbed Lena around the waist. Then we hopped out through the door and took off in the night sky.

  As we flew, Lena asked, “Where are we going?”

  “You’ll see!” I flew toward San Bernardino.

  “Do you think we should transition, so we’re not noticed?” Lena asked, concerned.

  “We’ll be all right,” I said, as I made my way toward Cal State San Bernardino.

  “Where are we going?”

  I looked down at the main street that led up to the school. Right smack in the middle of the street was a gigantic white house. It was the frat house where I saw Lena jump through the window two years ago. Lena and I landed on the sidewalk in front of the house.

  “Is this some kind of joke?” Lena asked, not seeing the positive significance of the location.

  “Lena,” I said, “even though the circumstances were not ideal, this is where I fell in love with you. Fighting for you on that night linked you to me forever.”

  Lena wasn’t sure what to think, but she saw how seriously I was taking the moment. So, she gave in and concentrated on my words.

  “Follow me,” I said. I took Lena by the hand, and we went around back where she had jumped out of the window. Right below the window, where she landed, was a dozen yellow roses. We walked over, and I handed her the roses that were wrapped in baby’s breath with a nice, big yellow bow. “Lena, here is where our friendship started. Here, is where you came into my life. This might not have been ideal, but that night was necessary for both of us to find one another.” I handed the roses to Lena. “These yellow roses are a symbol of our powerful friendship that has been crucial through this journey.” I leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips.

  “You’re something else, Josiah Reign.”

  “Well, we’re not done yet. Hold on to your roses.” I grabbed Lena around her waist, and we were off back into the night sky. This time, I flew much higher. I flew high up into the San Bernardino Mountains. We flew past the Flatlands and made our way closer to Big Bear.

  We were now making our way to the infamous cliff area. The place where I had turned into Mani when Hector bit me. It was my third bite from a third vampire. We flew high up into the San Bernardino Mountains, making our way to the infamous cliff.

  We landed softly on the exact spot where I had turned.

  “What are you doing to me, Josiah?” Lena had no idea what to make of this experience.

  On the cliff were a dozen white roses. I picked them up and them to Lena. “We have a strange, but powerful history. What can I say?” I looked at Lena and sighed. “This is the exact spot where my life changed forever. Right where we are standing is where I entered your world forever.”

  “It wasn’t my world yet,” Lena corrected me.

  “You may not have been a Mani in physicality. There was one thing that I have understood over the past few months. Some Mani were meant to be vampires, from the day they were born. It was only a matter of time until they met their true identity. Their change was only a step in their evolution. We were both born with Mani sensibilities. It’s what brought us together. It is what draws us to each other. I think it’s the part of you that I fell in love with first.”

  Lena looked at me with tears in her eyes. “So, what exactly are you doing? What is all this? Bringing me to the frat house and now here?”

  “Well, I brought you to the place because right here among these trees, and the top of this cliff is where our lives truly began.” I wrapped my arm around Lena from behind and moved her body in a position where she could see below the cliff. “Right below us is where I made a decision to fight for you. Ultimately, I fought for us. I stared death in the eye and had no choice but to jump. I had no idea that I was the great white eagle. All I knew was I was coming for you. I was coming to protect you.”

  I grabbed Lena around the waist, and we dropped down the cliff in a slow, smooth glide. I held up our flight before we hit the ground. We landed at the exact spot where I had killed Atticai and saved Lena. There was the last set of a dozen roses. These roses were red, as a symbol of love and blood.

  I handed her the roses, and she was speechless. I lay Lena down in the exact position that she was in when I sucked her neck. Her white dress flowed over her body with her hair flowing backward in my lap. “You did have less hair then, but you’re more beautiful now than I ever remember.”

  I leaned over and kissed her neck. Lena closed her eyes. I took a little nibble from her neck for good measure. Then I reached into my pocket with Lena lying in my lap. I pulled out the jewelry case and flipped it open with the same hand in one slick motion. The box popped open with the diamond ring finally exposed in front of Lena’s eyes.

  Her eyes popped open as she caught her breath. “Oh my God!”

  “Lena, you and I have had quite the journey. There is nothing I want more than to love you every waking moment of the rest of my days. Lena, will you become Lena Reign and marry me?” I hadn’t anticipated her response. I knew this is what she wanted, and in my heart, it is what I always wanted. This is my first ‘One Love’ and my destiny.

  Lena calmly looked up at me and said, “If I say yes, will I have you all to myself, or is this something I’m going to have to share?”

  “Lena, for now, our family needs to share my love. You will have to share my fate. My fate is in the Triat’s hands, and it is bigger than my own will.”

  “Is it bigger than your family?” Wow, she was making this difficult.

  “Lena they are one and the same. My fate and my family are one. My destiny is in hands far greater than any single decision I can make. What I can promise you is that I will always be the person you hold at night. I will always be the man of your life. I promise you, now and forever, that my heart is yours. My love is for my family...”

  “Okay... Okay. Of course, I’ll marry you!”

  “Yeah?” I asked.

  “Yeah,” Lena confirmed.

  I gave Lena the longest, most passionate kiss that I had ever laid on her lips. Here we were, in the exact spot where both of our lives took on epic scripts. We sat out there together and loved on one another until it was too cold for her.

  Lena and I gathered the roses. We made it back to the house where all our friends threw us a little party in honor of our engagement. Thank God she said yes. That would have been embarrassing. The party went on long into the night and everyone celebrated.

  The next couple of days were all about Lena. I took a couple of days off from training and just focused on her and the kids. It was a nice time just to be with my family. But I knew it wasn’t going to last long. I knew Krull was on the horizon.

  Chapter Twenty-three

  So, here I was with my dinky army. An army so small that I would need a biblical miracle for us to have any chance against Krull’s thug army.

  I’d woken up early in the evening and made my way downstairs. Everyone in the house was up. It was comforting having so many people here in the house, but most importantly, I loved knowing that my two boys were downstairs waiting for their daddy to rock them.

  I went into the nursery, which was my evening ritual when I woke up. I rocked and held each boy for about 30 minutes. Joshua was extremely fussy. His bright blue eyes always seemed as if h
e was up to something. Considering he was only six weeks old, I’m pretty sure that was only in my head.

  Jason, however, had a way of giving off comfort and peace. The child was a ball of healing. Holding him each day seemed to restore my soul.

  I was finishing my time with Jason, when Lena came in the nursery. There were two rocking chairs set up in the room, and I was already sitting in one of them. She picked up Joshua out of his crib and sat in the other rocking chair that was adjacent to mine.

  I stood up and scooted my rocking chair next to her. Here we were, two half humans and half vampires, rocking their kids as if we were some metropolitan couple. In my case, it was even weirder because I was also a werewolf.

  Lena smiled at me and began nursing Joshua. Jason tended to reject Lena’s milk, but Joshua drank enough for the both of them. Lena put a blanket over Joshua’s head and covered her breast for modesty reasons, because who knew who would pop in on us? She rocked back gently and said, “When I took Economics with you during my senior year at Eisenhower, I would have never had guessed that in less than five years you and I would be engaged under these circumstances.”

  “We had Economics together?” I asked, laughing. “I knew we had Home Economics, but not actual Economics.”

  “You never noticed me. I sure as hell noticed you. You were my little obsession. You were everything I hated: popular, a jock, and you seemed extremely full of yourself.”

  “You should have talked to me. You would have realized I was quiet because I had a tragedy in my life.”

  “I know that now, but then... it used to make me so mad that you wouldn’t even look in my direction.”

  “I was going through a hard time my senior year. I could barely function, let alone notice the cute Goth chick checking me out.”

  “It didn’t matter that you ignored me. It made you hotter,” Lena giggled. “Girls are so stupid. A guy ignores us, and all it does is make us think about him harder. Then when girls have guys tripping over them, we want nothing to do with them.”