Barbaric Tendencies (Ciara Steele Novella Series #2)

by Banks, Catherine

  Jeff looked at me in shock. “You really did kill that werelion!”

  “He threatened me and Eric. I warned him and he laughed at me. It wasn’t my fault.”

  Dagda rolled his eyes. “And what of your prior Sensei?”

  I grimaced. “I didn’t mean to kill him.”

  Dagda nodded his head. “We all have to deal with our barbaric tendencies. Yours just need to be reigned in so that you can point them at certain people when we send you on assignments. Come. Let’s begin.”

  Kevin cleared his throat. “Excuse me Sir, but I thought she was going to rest for a week?”

  Dagda shook his head. “We need to send her out soon. She trains now.”

  I sighed. “Alright, let me get changed.” I walked to my dresser and pulled out sweatpants and a t-shirt. I pulled my shirt off and Dagda hissed. I frowned at his reaction and turned my back to the mirror. My back had five claw marks from my shoulder to my butt, where the vampire had sliced me. “There go my chances of ever being able to wear a backless dress.”

  Dagda walked towards me and ran his fingertip along one of the scars. “This should have been healed when Warrior bound you to him. Did you say his true name?”

  “I don’t know all of his names. And no.”

  Dagda shook his head. “Well it may be too late.”

  Kevin smiled. “I like them. It makes you look more like a badass.”

  I rolled my eyes at him. “Great. Now I just need one over my eye and then I can frighten children away.”

  Dagda turned me around to face him and I instinctively covered my breasts. He smiled in amusement. “Still modest? That’ll change in a few years.”

  I shrugged. “I try.” He pointed to another two scars on my side where the vampire had stuck me with his dagger. “Great. Just great.” Now Eric won’t have to want me because I’ll be too hideous.

  I pulled on my shirt and pants and walked towards the door. Dagda followed me with my guards taking positions in front and behind. Dagda frowned. “You’re angry.”

  “Yes, but I’ll get over it.” Some day.

  Dagda walked quietly beside me to the training room and stopped when we got inside. I looked across the room and saw what he was looking at. A vampire boinking one of Jared’s tigresses. Yes I said boinking. The vampire hissed at us and the tigress smiled at me. Dagda smiled at me. “Lesson one. How to channel all of your hate and anger and the earth’s in to a purpose. Don’t kill her. Just apprehend her.”

  I looked at the vampire. “I don’t think he’s done.”

  Dagda smiled wider. “I’ll take the vampire.” Dagda looked at my guards. “You three guard the exits. Don’t interrupt.”

  Dadga and I walked toward the mating couple and I whistled. “Wow you tigresses really will do anything for catnip.”

  The tigress snarled and snapped her teeth at me. I clapped my hands lazily. “Impressive. I bet that looks even scarier when you’re not taking it from behind.”

  Dagda raised his hands and I felt a warm summer breeze brush past my face. The vampire stopped and pulled away from the tigress. She whined at him, but he ignored her, pulling his pants up and walking backwards. The tigress turned on me and snarled. “It’s not bad enough you keep our alpha from us, but you won’t even let me finish?! You bitch!”

  I shook my head. “No, I think the vampire really just didn’t want little furry blood suckers from you. Might make his reputation look bad if people found out that he slept with one of Jared’s rejects.”

  The tigress’s legs tightened and she launched herself at me. I pulled my aura up and around me to form a shield and watched as she bounced off of it landing on her butt. “Ow. That looked like it hurt. Need a hand up?”

  She snarled and charged at me, her hands turning in to paws and her claws extended. I yawned and fanned my mouth as she clawed at my shield. I focused on the feel of the earth beneath me and its rage and anger and pulled that in to me. One purpose, force her in to submission. I dropped my shield as she swung again making her stumble forward into me. My foot connected with her stomach and my right fist connected with her face making her stagger. She changed in to an orange tiger and roared at me.

  “It’s so much more impressive when a male does it.”

  She pounced at me and I ran. She followed close on my heels as I ran to the sword rack and grabbed a spear. She snapped at my legs as I swung around the rack then smacked her on top of the head with the shaft of the spear. Her head bobbed for a second then she shook it trying to focus again. I took my chance and jumped on to her back putting the spear under her chin. She was large, but much smaller than a male and I had a lot of practice wrestling with Jared. I pulled her chin up with the spear shaft and as predicted she stood on her back legs. I got my feet on the ground and pulled her all the way over. She hit the ground hard and I had my spear point at her throat before she could shake the dots from her vision. I felt warmth against my back and the vampire screamed for two minutes before turning to ash. Dagda wiped his hands and walked over to me. “How do you feel?”

  I smiled. “Invigorated.”

  He took the spear from me and tossed it aside. “Sheba go to Martin at once for punishment.”

  I stared in shock at the tigress. “Sheba? You mean the alpha female of the tigers? Oh shit.”

  The tigress growled, but obeyed Dagda and left the room. Dagda smiled like a proud father. “You’re ready. You’ll go on your first mission tomorrow at dawn. I believe your purchases arrived a few minutes ago so pack well. You will meet the rest of the team and get your assignment at the stables. Good luck.”

  I curtsied to Dagda and watched as he walked away. “How can the vampires think they’re more powerful than the sidhe when the sidhe can produce sunlight and scorch them all?”

  Jeff smiled. “Because only a few can do that and those have been bought off by the vampires.”

  “Well we better get back and pack. You know I don’t think I’ve had a full lesson in the past month. I always end up killing someone or finding something bad. It’s beginning to worry me.” Shawn opened the door for me and we walked to my room. I opened the door and smiled. “My stuff!” I ran to the piles of weapons and clothing and groaned happily. “Oh, I’ve been waiting for you!”

  I grabbed the magic duffle bag Kheelan had had and opened it. I stared in shock at its contents before pulling it slowly out. A three foot long sword sheathed in silver with a red bow and a note. I opened the note and smiled.

  “Thought you might like a better sword than the ones the Dwarves had. This is Ryu, one of my personal swords. Don’t lose him. If you come across a situation you can’t handle speak his name and he’ll help. Be careful.

  ~K.A.”

  I took the sword out of its sheath and the men took a step back. The sword was the perfect weight, perfectly balanced and magic. I swung Ryu a few times and smiled. “Thank you.” I changed in to the black cargo pants and black corset top I bought from the Dwarf Emporium and started loading myself up. The sword strapped easily to my back and I practiced drawing it a few times to get the feel for the angle I had to draw it from to avoid slicing off my hair. I searched through my purchases and found a belt with two built in gun holsters and slipped it on then found a matching pair of Sig Sauers. I strapped the wrist sheaths on and slipped the four silver knives that went with them inside. Shawn, Jeff and Kevin were busy organizing their own weapons and outfits so I started packing my bag. I grabbed the small handheld flashlight off my desk and put it in one of my pants pockets in case of dark rooms. I hate the dark so I always keep flashlights nearby. I found the right type of silver ammunition for the Sigs and packed my side pouches on my pants full of the clips. I spotted the boots I had purchased and slipped my feet in to them lacing them up then slipping silver needles in to the sides in case of emergency. You can never have enough silver when fighting wereanimals, plus pointed objects of any kind work great on vampires. I finished packing my bag and sighed happily.

  Kevin turned to
me and I gasped. He looked amazing! He wore a tight black shirt that made his chest look even bigger and hugged his abdominals. His arms looked massive without any sleeves and his pants hugged his legs making it look as though they might tear if he flexed too hard. He had two swords on his hip and black combat boots. I looked at Shawn and Jeff and realized they were all wearing the same outfit and all only had two swords. “Is that wereanimal uniform?”

  Shawn nodded his head. “Yes, it’s easy to tear if you know the places for changing yet bullet proof and strong to protect against swords. And wereanimals hate guns, the powder messes with our sense of smell.”

  I nodded my head. “I’ve heard that before. But what about bows and arrows?”

  Jeff scoffed. “That’s fairy stuff.”

  I smiled. “Axes?”

  “She doesn’t get it does she? Axes are dwarves.”

  “I’d use anything I need to,” I said honestly.

  Jeff flexed his fingers and claws popped through his skin. “Got built in daggers right here.”

  I laughed and rolled my eyes. “Show off.” Jeff picked up his bag then held his hand out for mine. “I can carry my own bag.”

  Jeff said, “Just let me carry it.”

  Arguing gets you no where with preternaturals so I handed him my bag and started towards the door. Shawn stepped in front of me and said with a deep frown, “I go first.”

  Now it was getting ridiculous. “I’m not porcelain! You’re going to have to let me fight on this mission anyways.”

  Kevin stroked my back with his hand trying to calm me down. “He’s just being cautious. Let him walk in front of you to the Stables, that is all he wants.”

  Shawn walked out the door not waiting for my answer and I followed him. The urge to stomp my feet the whole way was hard to fight, but I didn’t think it would make a good impression the first time out. None of the men talked as we walked to the Stables and my nerves were on edge with Kheelan being gone. I poked Kevin’s arm and he frowned down at me. “Have you heard anything from Warrior?” I asked quietly.

  Kevin shook his head. “No. Why, is your skin crawling?” I nodded my head and Kevin sighed. “Try to ignore it. I told him he shouldn’t leave, but he wouldn’t listen to me. If it becomes too much to handle just tell me.”

  We exited the compound and walked towards the Stables. Three men stood outside the Stables glaring in our direction. Martin was standing in front of the door smiling at me. “Hello Ciara. Are you ready?”

  I nodded my head. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

  Martin pointed to the first man on his right. He was tall, bulky and frightening. His eyes and hair were dark brown almost black and seemed to meld with his dark skin. He stared at me and I could feel his age weighing on me like a ton of bricks. I opened my third eye and stared in shock at the ogre face that was transparent over his human one. Ogres are not nice. They would sooner eat you than talk to you and it looked like this one was no exception. Martin cleared his throat pulling me from my trance. “As I was saying that’s Hugo. Don’t worry he knows he can’t eat you.” How reassuring.

  Martin turned to the man on his left and I felt the hairs on the nape of my neck stand up. Human. I hadn’t ever gotten that feeling of evil from a human before, but he was emitting it like stink from a skunk. He had military buzzed hair and camo pants on. He looked like your typical American soldier except for the bloodlust in his eyes. He looked me up and down slowly and bared his teeth in what I guessed was supposed to be a smile. Oh yeah, we were going to be great friends. Martin obviously didn’t like him either because he was short. “That’s Brad. He’s human, but he’s stealthy.”

  Martin finally turned to the last man who stood just behind him. “And this is Magnus, our sorcerer.” Magnus was normal looking, a face you would forget five seconds after you met him. There was nothing remarkable about him and yet he bothered me more than the ogre or the sociopath. Akio trained me to trust my instincts so I made a mental note to keep an eye on him.

  Martin pulled out a photograph and handed it to me. “This is your first assignment. His name is Josef and he’s been evading us for two months now. He’s a werelion with a temper, but he’s incredibly smart. He has figured out a spell that blocks his smell, which makes it difficult to find him. We spotted him yesterday in the United States in San Francisco, California. You are to bring him back alive if possible, but dead will do. He’s quick and smart Ciara so don’t underestimate him. You’re safety is still a concern of ours so point him out and let the men take over.”

  I avoided looking at him so he wouldn’t see my irritation. “Sure, no problem.” Not that I wanted to risk my life, but did they really have to treat me like a porcelain doll?! Ugh! Well there’s one way to earn their respect. I would find this guy and take him down myself. Martin walked away without another word leaving me alone with my new force. “Alright, let’s get on the plane.” Brad, Hugo and Magnus stayed where they were staring at me. I ground my teeth together and glared at them. “Don’t play macho with me boys. I’m in charge because I’m the one who can See him. Now get on the flippin’ plane.”

  Hugo turned and walked inside the Stables without uttering a word. Brad walked towards me and I felt Kevin tense. I turned and smiled at Kevin trying to let him know it was alright for the crazy human to walk towards me. Kevin looked at Shawn and Jeff and nodded his head. They both took a step away from me to give Brad more room. He walked forward and looked me up and down like I was a display in a store. “So, you’re the Seer, huh? I thought you’d be bigger.”

  “Why would I need to be bigger?”

  He shrugged. “You took down a male werelion and the head weretigress. Not many humans could handle that. Of course you’re not really human are you? No. You’re a freak.”

  I laughed once. “You’re one to talk. I’ve seen your kind before. Your package is too small so you try to make up for it by being tough, but that backfires because you’re just plain nuts and you end up chasing all the girls away and the only way for you to get some is rape. It must suck to be that much of a freak. You know I almost feel sorry for you.”

  His lip raised in a snarl and Magnus cleared his throat. “Let’s get this over with. I’d rather not be stuck with you all for too long.”

  Kevin said, “Preaching to the choir man.”

  Kevin extended his hand towards me, but I ignored it walking past Brad slowly to taunt him. I know I know you’re not supposed to taunt the psychopaths, but what fun is that? Everyone finally got on to the plane and got their baggage stored. Kevin and Jeff sat beside me with Shawn sitting across from me. I watched all of the preternaturals faces tense as the plane took off in to the air. I tapped Kevin’s shoulder and held out my hands palms facing each other. “Slide?” Kevin nodded his head and we played the children’s hand game slide the rest of the way to San Francisco. As the plane started to descend I felt a sudden sharp pain in my stomach that made me double over. Kevin pushed the other men off the couch that we had been sitting on and laid me down. The pain was slowly easing until there was none left.

  “Damn him. What the hell is he doing?” Kevin asked with a growl.

  Magnus arched an eyebrow in question. “He?”

  I sat up slowly and looked at the other men on the Force. “I might as well tell you all since you’re in this with me. I’m bound to a sidhe named Warrior. It was done in an emergency to keep me alive after five master level vamps attacked me, but apparently he’s in a fight right now.” I turned to Kevin and whispered, “Jared and Eric.” Kevin’s eyes widened in shock and I whispered, “Later.”

  Brad growled, “Great! Not only do we get stuck with this girl, but she’s damaged. Wonderful.”

  Jeff growled, “Stop talking idiot. She’s not damaged. The sidhe she’s bound to is in a fight which means that she feels part of the pain that he is having inflicted on him. And ten to one that she could take you down before you drew blood.”

  Brad opened his mouth to answer and Shawn cleared
his throat. Everyone looked at him and he just pointed to the open door. Kevin nudged me past everyone and on to the tarmac. Two dark SUV’s waited on the tarmac for us. Jeff snorted and rolled his eyes. “SUV’s are so cliché.” The tarmac was hot on my feet making me pick up my pace toward the vehicles. Jeff climbed in first to ensure the vehicle was safe for me then Kevin and Shawn climbed in with me. The others piled in to the other vehicle. The drivers refused to look at us and drove toward the destination, Pier 39.

  Kevin rubbed my shoulder. “It’s just a coincidence.”

  Shawn asked, “What is?”

  Kevin looked at me and I nodded in permission. He went in to extreme detail about the vampire debacle and forced me to promise not to use the restroom by myself. Apparently he thought I might fall in a toilet this time. Stupid overprotective preternaturals. Kevin started probing me for answers about Jared and Eric so I described my vision and where Kheelan was and that I assumed the pain was from their fight.

  Jeff frowned. “No offense Ciara, but I wouldn’t challenge an alpha and the sidhe Warrior over you. I’ll protect your life with my own, but I’m not going to be stupid about trying to win your heart by challenging them.”

  “It’s ridiculous anyways because Warrior isn’t more than a friend and Eric is out of the question. I can’t be someone’s I can’t even see,” I muttered.

  Shawn sighed and rubbed his temples. “She’s very stubborn about trying to keep up this lie.”

  The car stopped saving Shawn from my tirade, but I gave him my best evil scowl. It earned me a smile. Note to self, work on evil scowl. Jeff climbed out then waited for me. I inhaled deeply. “If only this actually smelled like the ocean and not scum I’d be in heaven.”

  Brad smiled at me from across the pier. “I could arrange a trip to heaven for you.”

  I smiled back at him. “Too bad I can’t do the same for you. Although I hear hell is pretty warm this time of year.” I opened my mouth to make another come back when I Saw him. I focused on my third eye trying to get better clarity from so far away then remembered that the earth intensified my vision when using it’s energies. I inhaled, drew out my shield and my vision sharpened. Josef was standing at the end of the pier looking through one of the sight seeing devices at Alcatraz Island.