Knights of White Bundle

by Lisa Renee Jones

  “So we’re talking an all-out war zone forming,” Sarah said, a chill racing up her spine at the thought of how many might die.

  “We’ll try to keep the battle away from populated areas,” he said, and eyed their food. “Right now, we better finish up and get on the road. I’d like to talk to this Caden person tonight. The sooner we get answers, the better.”

  Sarah nodded her head and reached for her burger. She couldn’t agree more. It seemed that everyone she cared for had somehow become linked to the destiny of a town called Nowhere.

  Adrian appeared in the back of the underground temple, a shrine to the royalty of the Underworld. Unbeknownst to those inside the temple, his Beasts surrounded the upstairs club, ensuring the property was secure from unwanted visitors.

  Low chants filled the air, evil enough to be downright sensual as far as Adrian was concerned. Caden Neil, a sorcerer dark enough to be murmured about in the Underworld, stood in the front of the room, speaking to hundreds of humans who wore long black robes, their hoods covering their faces. To the humans who followed him, he was “The Dark One” capable of inhuman acts no man should be allowed to perform.

  It didn’t surprise Adrian that Vars had chosen Caden to aid Allen’s efforts to free him. Century after century, Caden’s ancestors had made pacts with the Underworld.

  Caden called out to the room of eager listeners. “The Shadow Masters are delivering to us the ultimate power of a great Underworld leader,” he announced. “This leader will soon be with us.

  “He will bring wrath on those foolish enough to turn away from him. Bring wealth and pleasure to those who whisper his name with praise and devotion. Vars is the name of this great demon prince.”

  The chants changed to the name. “Vars, Vars, Vars…”

  Adrian ground his teeth. He wanted those chants to be for him, not for Vars. These people would know the truth of who had the power, he vowed, and they would know soon. He would take Vars’s legion of demon spirits and make these people, every last one of them, know his name. Right after he made The Knights of White wish they hadn’t raised a blade to fight his Beasts. Adrian would destroy the Knights just as he would destroy Vars.

  As for Caden Neil, he served the wrong master and for that there was only one solution—when this was over, Caden would die.

  He watched as the three Shadow Masters stepped forward, taking center stage, the ritual beginning. For six days, they would be treated as gods, worshipped, prepared, pleasured—the sexual magic feeding the stones’ powers, feeding the stones’ magic. By the end of day six, the stones would glow with energy, ready to transfer the souls of their masters into the vial around Allen’s neck. The Shadow Masters let their robes drop to the floor, all displaying the naked muscular bodies of thirty-year-old men, when none of them were a day younger than fifty. They’d bargained with their souls for a life of luxury, a life where youth never ended nor did the money and sex. They thought their life in hell would be the same, but they knew not what they were dealing with. They would live in a prison, sex slaves for the Underworld royalty, used to service their wants and desires. Three robed women stepped forward, untying their garments and letting them fall to the floor, displaying their sensual curves. Adrian leaned against the wall; his anger faded as he prepared to watch the orgy. Perhaps he’d even join in.

  He might not be a king in the Underworld, not even a prince, but here on earth, he could have anything, or anyone he wanted. He pointed at two hooded figures, knowing instinctively they were beautiful women. They turned to him, his magic controlling their minds. Their robes fell to the ground, lush curves, full breasts, displayed for his enjoyment. He pointed at a third female, drawing her forward. He would need more than two women this night, perhaps more than three. Because, yes, he could have anyone, anything, he wanted here on earth, but it simply wasn’t enough anymore.

  He drew the women close and then flashed them out of the room, refusing to take his pleasure in a place where Vars was being worshipped.

  Allen stood in the corner of the room, watching as the robes fell to the ground, watching as bodies pressed to bodies. He didn’t want to be aroused, didn’t want to be involved. But he was here, and he was aroused—and he hated himself for it. Hated how disloyal to Kate that made him. He’d not touched another woman since her death. Yet, despite his guilt, his eyes fixed on a particular woman as she rubbed her voluptuous curves against her partner’s body like a cat in heat.

  Caden appeared before him then, blocking his view, still wearing his robe, his short dark hair covered by a hood. His black eyes piercing as they fixed Allen in a stare. He and Allen were the only ones among hundreds who remained clothed.

  “The stones won’t work without feeding their power,” Caden proclaimed. “If you want your precious Kate back, forget your guilt and find pleasure.” He stepped to the side, giving Allen a view of the woman again, just in time to see the man fondling her breast, her long red hair spread over creamy-white shoulders. “If you want her, she is yours.”

  Caden narrowed his gaze on Allen’s features. “And you do want her. I can damn near taste your lust. This isn’t a game. This is about power. The power to give life to those stones. If you want Kate, then fuck the woman and do it well.”

  Caden snapped his fingers and the woman looked at him. She was too far away to have heard the snap. Allen knew Caden had somehow bidden her attention with magic. The gorgeous beauty stared at Caden for several seconds, and then smiled, pushing out of the arms of her lover and walking toward Allen.

  Allen damn near choked on his tongue trying to object, but no words would come. He glanced at Caden and saw the evil smile on his thin lips. He’d done something to Allen to silence him. And it was too late to object, anyway. The woman leaned into him and took his hands, filling his palms with her breasts. “Tell me what you want,” she purred, her lips brushing his jaw.

  “Kate,” he whispered in his mind, but as the woman started to rub against him, he found himself kissing the redheaded seductress, fighting an internal battle to push her away, to cling to Kate. But as seconds passed, so did his memories. All he could think about was here and now. Kate began to fade, and he fought the cries of his body for satisfaction. And when his robe came off and he could fight no more, he promised himself this was for Kate. This was to empower the stones. To bring back Kate. She’d understand. She always understood him. She was Kate.

  Chapter 18

  Caden was no place to be found. A visit to his house had found no one present, aside from the two armed guards outside the grounds, which sent a pretty clear message—Caden had something to hide.

  Now, near midnight, Max pushed open the door to the high-rise hotel room and tried not to think about the single bed the overbooked hotel had offered.

  Seemingly unaffected by the intimate setting, Sarah went straight to the bed and sat down, her scent lifting in her wake, taunting him with its sweetness. Max inhaled that soft smell despite his best efforts not to, his body warming, firing his desire to reach for her. They’d only just entered the room, and he was already fighting temptation. It was going to be one hell of a long night.

  Max hesitated by the closet, staring at Sarah as she reached for the menu lying on the bedside table. Thinking of what it would be like to be in that bed with her, naked, making love. His groin tightened and his gums tingled. Damn. His mating instincts were wildly out of control if a simple fantasy could make his cuspids start to emerge. He squeezed his eyes shut as though that would block the images playing in his head. But there was no blocking them. No hiding.

  He would not touch her, would not make love to her—absolutely would not claim her as his mate. Max murmured these words in his head as he tracked across the hotel room. Sliding into the chair behind a tiny corner desk, he cut his gaze from Sarah. Focus on work, he told himself. Focus on work.

  Trying to distract himself, he cataloged the room as he booted up his computer: blue drapes; blue floral comforter; tan rugs; and a nightstand by
the bed. Tight confined quarters. Intimate lighting perfect for making love. He ground his teeth and looked back at his computer. Work. He needed to get lost in work.

  Needed to get lost in anything but Sarah.

  “They have a twenty-four-hour menu that amounts to pizza,” she commented. “Is that okay?” He nodded stiffly and she asked hopefully, “Pepperoni?”

  He managed a smile despite the rage of desire pumping through his body. “My favorite.”

  “Excellent,” she said, her eyes lighting up as she reached for the phone.

  Max inhaled and turned away from her, trying to make the act of powering up his computer absorbing enough to block out his desire for Sarah. A feat that proved impossible as he listened to her talk on the phone, her soft voice sensual and far too arousing.

  When she finished placing the order, he could feel her attention, feel her eyes on him. But he didn’t look up, didn’t dare invite further contact until he’d reined in his lust. Only when the knock sounded on the door, to indicate their order had arrived, did he dare turn in Sarah’s direction and push to his feet. He made fast work of paying for the order and returned to set the pizza on the bed.

  And then he sat down at the desk and drew a deep breath, forcing logic into his mind. Finding Caden and stopping Vars were his objectives. These things were imperative if he wanted a future with Sarah, a part of his test—he felt it in his core. He had to pull himself together. Clarity came with those conclusions, and slowly the tension in his body eased enough for him to eat.

  The next hour was filled with remarkably comfortable silence; their fingers tapping the keyboards were the only sounds between them. On some level, Sarah seemed to sense, and even understand, his need to keep to himself. A good hour after they’d finished off the last of the pizza, Sarah straightened a bit and began tapping the keyboard more rapidly, explaining her sudden spike of energy as she typed. “I’ve been scanning these occult sites and several of them referenced ‘The Dark One,’” she commented, hitting a few more keys and then looking up at him. “After some digging, I found another reference—this one to ‘Caden—The Dark One.’”

  Max rotated in his chair to face her, his attention piqued. “Sheryl made it clear this guy is involved in the dark arts. That doesn’t seem surprising.”

  “Not until you hear the rest,” Sarah said. “There’s a reference related to Caden and some underground worship ceremony that is invitation only. I don’t have a location or any details, but—” she raised a finger, her voice lifting as she added, “here’s the kicker. It’s this week. I think Caden is more than a source of information. I think he’s the one helping Allen.”

  “It makes sense,” Max agreed. “And no matter how much Sheryl swore Caden would talk to us, the fear I saw in that woman’s face spoke a warning beyond her words.” Which brought him back to the need to find Caden. “He’s not going to be at work tomorrow. He’d be smarter than that. He’ll be in hiding until this is over.”

  Sarah nodded her agreement and started working on her computer again. “We have to find a location for the ceremony.” Her voice lowered to a murmur as she seemed to think out loud. “Maybe an occult chat room.”

  “I had a little success myself,” Max offered, drawing her hopeful gaze. “Caden owns a variety of businesses around the state, but most of them are here in Houston. They seem like obvious locations to check out for this ceremony. There’s a restaurant, an antique store, a large number of bars, and the list goes on. I’ll shoot the names to your e-mail so you can cross-reference them with the occult Web sites.” Sarah gave him her address and he punched a few keys.

  They worked on the list a good hour and ranked each of Caden’s businesses based on probable ceremony sites. They were ready with a plan of attack for the next day. “I think we’re set,” Max announced at last, the final outline of Caden’s business locations mapped out.

  “Finally,” Sarah said. Her gaze slowly lifted from the computer as she blinked a couple of times. Her eyes were heavy, weariness in her expression.

  “We should sleep a few hours while we can,” he said, worried about her ability to ward off another mental attack if she were exhausted.

  “Yes,” she agreed. “Sleep would be really good.”

  But neither moved. They sat there, silent, the implications of the one bed hanging in the air.

  Max’s body began a fast burn to arousal and he pushed to his feet, quick to distance himself from Sarah and temptation. He walked to the closet and pulled the extra pillow and blanket from the top shelf, aware that Sarah’s attention was on him. He didn’t look at her as he found a spot beside the wall and lay down, clothes and boots still in place, the blanket on top of him. Next, Max grabbed his cell phone from his belt and set the alarm for seven. That was only a few hours of sleep, but it had to be enough.

  In his peripheral vision, he saw Sarah clear the bed and turn to face him. “Please don’t do this, Max. You need some real rest. Share the bed with me.”

  He shut his eyes. “Turn off the light, Sarah, and go to sleep.”

  “Max—”

  His lashes snapped open. “This isn’t a debate. I’m sleeping here. Turn off the light.”

  Several seconds passed before she pounded the pillow and murmured, “This is crazy.” The light went out.

  No, it’s torture, he thought to himself as the silence fell again, this time laced with discomfort, with sexual tension.

  “Max?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m not afraid of you.”

  “You should be.”

  “I did a lot of thinking while we traveled.” A few seconds of silence. “You said Darkland Beasts have no soul, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “But you have a soul.”

  “A dark one.”

  “I lived those nightmares with you. I feel your feelings like I do the spirits. And no one would feel the guilt you do if they were evil. Evil people don’t care about anything but themselves. I imagine soulless, evil Beasts care even less. You care. You aren’t evil.”

  Max wanted her acceptance and her approval more than anything in that moment, and she was giving it to him. But he couldn’t take what she offered and it was killing him. There was a reason he’d tried to scare her away, and he couldn’t lose sight of that fact. He was protecting her.

  He had to make her understand. “You’ve seen my eyes, Sarah. You’ve seen how much they resemble the eyes of a Beast. I’m on the edge. I could hurt you. I could hurt someone you love. I won’t let you go through that again.” Frustration rolled inside, his words laden with emotion. “Why are you trying to make me human when I’m not?”

  “Because you are, Max. Immortal, yes, but still human beyond that. Just like Edward is. As was the friend I lost to that demon possession. We have to fight, Max. You have to fight.”

  Why couldn’t she just be scared? He’d given her every reason to be afraid of him.

  As if she read his mind, she added, “I realized something else today. When that demon took the people I loved, it destroyed a part of me, too. I forgot the higher purpose that is served when I use my gifts to help people. I’ve lived in fear and I refuse to do it anymore. I know what I feel when I’m with you. I know how comfortable I felt with Karen and Jag. Everything in my life has come back to right now, with you. Did you know the demon that killed my family had a connection to Solomon?”

  “What?” Max asked in surprise.

  “Yes.” She went on to explain how they’d hunted the demon, and how Solomon’s writings had helped her destroy it. “So you see, finding you has to be part of my destiny. That means you are supposed to pass this test and fight by my side. I feel it. I choose to believe it. I won’t let fear of history repeating itself make me hide. Not anymore.”

  Admiration filled Max. “I knew you’d find that purpose again, Sarah. And I know if I’m not here, you’ll make a difference in this war.”

  Her voice reached through the darkness. “You have to be here.
It was meant to be. Why else would we find each other if you weren’t?”

  He wanted to be here. He did. “Maybe I am supposed to see you through this battle in Nowhere and lead you to the Knights for protection and guidance. Or maybe I was just supposed to help you find your place in this world again, Sarah.”

  “Do you believe that?” she asked. “Because I don’t.”

  The truth was he didn’t know what to believe, but he knew he couldn’t risk her future for his. Maybe Sarah would do something great in this lifetime, and he had to make sure she survived to do it. There were so many possibilities he could think of, but he saw no point in sharing them with Sarah.

  The fact was he had to get them both through this present battle before he could look for a future with her.

  And he wasn’t sure he had enough willpower to resist Sarah if she kept trying to pull him closer—enough to fight his inner Beast and her. Now came the big question. How did he keep her at a distance, away from him, so he couldn’t adversely affect her destiny, without destroying her newfound purpose?

  He knew of only one thing that might work—the one thing that might show her they’d met too late. And that was the cold, hard truth he hated with all of his being. The truth about what he’d done, why he was being tested. “Sarah.” He hesitated, forcing out the words he’d spoken before, but now with the truth behind them. “I killed a man. I killed him.” His thoughts flashed back to that day. “He was trying to give the list of angelic bloodlines to the Beasts, so they could hunt them. Jessica, Des’s intended mate, tried to stop him. I saw him draw a knife—he was going to stab her. I charged after him, but I was too late. The blade had pierced Jessica’s side. And then I just lost it. I don’t know what happened. I blacked out. The next thing I knew, I was leaning over his dead body, a bloody blade in my hand.”