Exiled 01 - Nazaryth

by Lynn Hagen

  He wasn’t sure who they were, but every instinct in him said to stay the hell away from them. They looked like they were up to no good, and Theo didn’t plan on getting caught up in any plans they might have. He just hoped they weren’t stupid enough to be here in hopes of robbing the place. The tavern was packed with shifters and otherworldly creatures who would tear each one of those men a new asshole.

  Theo walked around the horseshoe-shaped bar and took a few more orders as he kept one eye on the suspicious men. Theo tried to focus his senses on the two strangers, but with this many people in the tavern, it was impossible.

  He grabbed a Budweiser from below the bar and then straightened to hand it to Knox when he noticed no one in the tavern was moving.

  His eyes darted around to see people in various poses, but no one moved a muscle, as if frozen.

  His eyes caught movement to his left. It was the two men who had been watching him all night. They loped toward him, hellfire grins on their faces.

  “So, you’re the one?” one of them said as they approached the bar. “You don’t look like much to me.”

  Theo wasn’t sure what to say. He wasn’t even sure he knew what the hell the man was talking about. What did he mean the one? He never saw either man before in his life, so he hadn’t a clue how to respond.

  He stood there stuck in a detached daze as he glanced at the people he’d known for years standing still as statues. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as his eyes darted over to the two men who stopped a few feet from the counter.

  “I think Nazaryth will comply when he finds out we have him,” one said to the other, as if Theo wasn’t standing right there listening to them. He caught the gist of what they were saying, though. They planned to use him to get at Nazaryth. Theo wasn’t sure what shit Nazaryth was caught up in, but he wasn’t going to be used as a pawn.

  Why did hot guys always have trouble at their heels?

  “I would suggest you come willingly. You really don’t want to piss us off,” one of the men said right before he shifted into the biggest fucking dog Theo had ever laid eyes on. There was no way this dog was a normal shifter or one of those pets humans kept. His canines were twice the normal size of what a dog’s should be, and his massive paws held claws the size of…hell, they were big and scary.

  Theo didn’t know what he should do. He tilted his head, studying the man’s face from behind the bar. “What are you?” he asked the one still in human form.

  “I work for someone who hates Nazaryth with every breath he takes. I can’t say I blame him. Nazaryth thinks he’s above everyone else, untouchable. He needs to be brought to heal. And you are just the one to make the great commander submit.” Somehow Theo couldn’t envision Nazaryth submitting to anyone.

  The man seemed larger than life, a force to be reckoned with. That was the impression Theo got when he had talked briefly to Nazaryth.

  The man seemed to ooze primal authority. Theo glanced down at the dog as it stood there growling at him. There was no way he could get past either of these beings if he made a run for the door.

  His heart was beating so fast that Theo feared it would explode in his chest as he stared at the dog’s big ass canines that dripped with saliva.

  “We are infernus incolae, hell dwellers, or more commonly known as the hounds of hell. We were summoned to teach Nazaryth a lesson.” The man walked a few steps closer, making Theo’s heart race harder behind his chest. Somehow he knew he wasn’t going to make it out of his tavern alive. The only consoling thought Theo had was that he would finally be with Dorian. He closed his eyes and nodded, resigning himself to whatever these two were about to do to him.

  “Wise choice,” the one still in human form said as he walked slowly around the counter, coming behind it to take Theo away.

  I love you, Dorian.

  Theo turned and followed the man, walking to the door with the dog at his other side. The large claws clicked on the wooden floor, reminding Theo of the sheer size of those claws and what sort of destruction they could bring.

  He felt regret that he would no longer be around his friends, never get to say good-bye to them, as they weaved their way through the still-frozen patrons to the front door.

  Theo’s head snapped up when the entrance door slammed open, a creature of utter beauty standing there. He was massive in size, and his skin was bloodred in color, reminding Theo of the sun setting in the horizon. The creature had eyes the color of whiskey and black hair, matching thick lashes surrounding his stunning eyes. But it was the fangs in his mouth that drew Theo’s attention. They gleamed in the tavern light, looking razor-sharp.

  The amazing creature’s eyes locked onto Theo as a loud growl rumbled from his vast chest. “A wise man knows when darkness is upon him.”

  Chapter Two

  Nazaryth was enraged when he saw Rythicam and Morbius walking Theo out of the tavern. So this was what the king had planned. He summoned the scum of the underworld to come after his mate? Even for Zephyr, that was low.

  “Step down, Nazaryth. You know once we are summoned, we complete our mission,” Rythicam said as he stepped closer to Theo.

  “It’s nothing personal.”

  Was he serious? “It’s very personal. Step away from him.” Nazaryth took a step into the bar, his wings clearing the doorway and then expanding to their full five-foot span. He knew Theo couldn’t see them, but the hounds were one of the rare creatures that could.

  Morbius shifted back into his human form, smirking at Nazaryth. He cursed under his breath knowing that the dwellers were now on the other side of the veil, being summoned here by the king.

  Getting them back where they belonged would be next to impossible now. They would keep coming after Theo until they had his zaterio in their clutches.

  That threat alone was asking for a major ass kicking.

  “Still so arrogant.”

  Nazaryth watched the two as he moved an inch closer to Theo.

  The hounds couldn’t be trusted, and Nazaryth wasn’t taking any chances with his mate. They had already tortured one of Pride Pack Valley’s residents. The doctor, Max, had nearly lost his mind until Nazaryth came in to fight the hound. Normally only Zantharians could see the hounds, but now that they were in the human realm, everyone would be able to see them. Not good.

  “Ah, ah, ah. Don’t even think about it. He agreed to come with us.

  We are not forcing him. Even if we were, you know you couldn’t stop us anyway,” Rythicam said with triumph in his voice.

  Nazaryth’s arms fell back as he roared loudly. What the hounds forgot was that the winged beasts didn’t follow the dwellers’ rules. If Nazaryth had been a hound, then there would have been nothing he could have done since Theo agreed. But he wasn’t.

  God love loopholes.

  Nazaryth pulled the serrated knives from the sheaths strapped to his thighs, flipping them upside down and lining them up with his arms. He circled around the hounds as he assessed Theo quickly. His zaterio didn’t look harmed.

  He knew why Theo had agreed to go with these two. Not too many creatures resisted the hounds. They were menacing and deadly looking as it was, but when they shifted, even angels pissed themselves. Nazaryth didn’t have that reaction to them. He knew them too well. Dealing with the hounds on occasion had dulled his fear of them, and there weren’t too many beings that Nazaryth feared.

  “Shift, Theo,” he commanded gently as his eyes darted between Rythicam and Morbius.

  Theo looked frightened as he stared at Nazaryth. “I–I can’t.”

  “Can’t or won’t, Theo?” Nazaryth asked as he tilted his head to the side, hearing the crack as he rolled his shoulders. He didn’t dare call Theo his zaterio in front to Rythicam and Morbius.

  If the king found out who Theo was to him, that Nazaryth had found his mate, the town would be flooded with hounds. The King of Zanthar—Zephyr deserved that title no more than a pig did—had played with the winged beast thus far. But if mates
started showing up, the king would call a full-fledged war against Nazaryth and his people.

  He had a feeling Zephyr knew, and that was why the hounds were here. To sniff Theo out and bring him back to the king so Zephyr could torture the truth out of the shifter. Nazaryth wasn’t going to let that happen.

  The winged beasts were scattered all over the world, trying their best to stay off of Zephyr’s radar. The king gave the other beasts no thought. His hard-on was for Nazaryth and his crew.

  Nazaryth glanced to his right, seeing one of the frozen patrons close by. His first priority was getting Theo out of here safely, but he didn’t want any innocents to be harmed.

  “Why are you so interested in this man?” Rythicam asked. “What makes him so special that you would fight us out in the open for all to witness?”

  Rythicam was trying to make Nazaryth admit who Theo was to him. Did the dog really think he was that stupid? He would never deny Theo to anyone. Nazaryth was proud that Theo was his. But admitting it to these two morons would be deadly for his zaterio.

  Nazaryth felt the sweat trickle down his body as the room came to life. He lunged, scoring Morbius’s skin with his knife as he kicked at Rythicam. His arm wrapped around Theo as he pulled his mate outside with him, the hounds close on his heels. Nazaryth had no choice but to sprint ahead and then leap, taking flight.

  Normally the beasts tried to stay on the ground. Having a human, or even a paranormal, spot them was never a good thing. All they would see was a man flying in the air. And for the people who occasionally spotted them, well, Nazaryth was sure psychology sessions were made for those people.

  “Oh my god, what are you?” Theo yelled as he clung tightly to Nazaryth. They were in a dire situation, but Nazaryth couldn’t help but take comfort as his mate wrapped his body around his. He finally had his zaterio in his arms, even if the man was scared shitless.

  He looked down to see Rythicam and Morbius shift and then try their best to follow Nazaryth on all four paws.

  Not gonna happen.

  Nazaryth veered to the right, away from his home, to throw the hounds off of his trail. No one, not even the king, knew the exact location of the winged beasts’ home. They could feel him within twenty miles of where he was, but the spells he placed all around the mountain they currently resided in would block out any revealing spell.

  “Is it too late to tell you that I’m afraid of heights?” Theo asked as he buried his face further into Nazaryth’s neck.

  Nazaryth chuckled. “A little, zaterio.”

  “What does that word mean?”

  “Mate.”

  Theo’s body became rigid. “Don’t call me that,” he said with contempt and pain in his voice.

  Nazaryth wanted to comfort the man, but at this altitude, that was impossible. He flew higher, reaching a ledge on a mountain that was in the opposite direction of his home. Nazaryth would rest for a while before heading toward the safety of his mountain. He needed to get the hounds off of his trail and make sure his mate was safe. They landed gently, Theo still clinging to him.

  “You are safe, za—Theo.” Nazaryth quickly caught the title before it slipped from his lips. He knew it would take time for Theo to get over the death of the man he loved. Nazaryth wasn’t sure how Theo had mated prior to him. A winged beast had only one zaterio.

  He’d never heard of a chosen one having the ability to mate someone else. It was very strange. He wanted to ask Theo if he was sure Dorian had been his mate, but he knew questioning him wasn’t a wise move at the moment.

  It also didn’t set well with him that Theo’s heart was with another, even if the other was no longer around.

  Theo released his death grip on Nazaryth, glancing around as he ran his hand over his beautiful black hair. “Uh, we’re on top of a mountain.”

  Nazaryth grinned as he looked around. “Very good observation.”

  Theo shot a glare at him before taking a step closer to the edge, craning his neck to see over the edge without actually getting close.

  “Although we’re on solid ground, I’d like it to be a little lower, please.”

  Nazaryth chuckled as he shook his head, enjoying the small reprieve he had with his mate. This was the first real conversation they shared, and he was enjoying it. “Not until the hounds have gone another way.”

  “What are you?” Theo asked as he walked away from the edge, eyeing Nazaryth suspiciously.

  “You cannot see them, but I have wings that span from my shoulders to my feet, fangs of a vampire, and the strength of one hundred men.”

  “So you’re a mutt?”

  Nazaryth bristled at the term. “I am not a mutt!”

  “You just said that you’re a vampire,” Theo pointed out. “With some kind of freaky-deaky wing thing going on.” Nazaryth growled low as he stepped closer, leaning in so there was no mistake about Theo hearing him. “I also drink blood to sustain my life and know every single erogenous zone on the male body.” He leaned back, but not before nipping Theo’s ear. He could hear his mate panting heavily as he took a step back.

  “W–What exactly are you again?” Theo asked as he swallowed hard.

  Nazaryth took a seat on a large boulder as he stared off into the mountains, the sun setting low over the horizon as he pulled one leg up and rested it on the large rock. “We are a race of vampires created by the gods to guard the King of Zanthar. The gods gave us wings to make us a little more palatable. When King Zephyr was appointed to the throne, I knew right away that he was pure evil. He also knew right away that I wasn’t going to sit on my ass and watch him ruin the race of Zanthar. He had all one thousand of the winged beasts exiled Nazaryth 25

  from Zanthar so he could rule any way he wished without interference.”

  Theo nodded his head, but his amber-colored eyes looked lost as hell. “So why didn’t you just kick his ass and get another king?” If it were only that simple. “When appointed king, a being is gifted with powers that make him superior to all others. We had no choice but to leave. And just to remind us that he hasn’t forgotten about the winged beasts, or me in particular, every one hundred years he stirs up trouble.”

  “And those things back there?” Theo asked as he pointed down toward Pride Pack Valley.

  “Those are hell dwellers, or hounds of hell. They thrive off of misery and chaos. Apparently Zephyr has found out that I have found my zaterio and has decided to send those hounds in to kill you.”

  “I’m not your mate!”

  Nazaryth ignored Theo’s outburst. He wasn’t going to keep arguing the point. Theo would soon find out that Dorian hadn’t been his true mate and that Nazaryth was. Until then, he planned on keeping Theo as safe as possible.

  As he gazed at Theo’s strong male features, he couldn’t help but wonder how Zephyr had found out about Theo. He had only had contact with the man twice. There should be no way the bastard knew anything about Theo.

  However he found out, Nazaryth knew his duty was to keep Theo safe, even if the man fought him every step of the way. The hounds were relentless and wouldn’t give up so easily. It just sucked that Nazaryth was going to have to tell Theo that he could never go back to his old way of life.

  Working in the tavern wasn’t an option any longer.

  “You ready to get out of here?” he asked as he walked closer to Theo. His zaterio watched him approach, his body coiled to run, but being on the top of a cliff, there really weren’t too many places the guy could go.

  Theo snapped his head around and looked back toward the cliff edge, fear evident in his amber eyes. “Do we have to fly out of here?” Nazaryth twisted his lips to the side and just stared at Theo.

  “That’s what I thought,” Theo said as he swallowed hard. “Can we do this as quickly as possible?”

  That request Nazaryth could deliver. He pulled Theo into his arms, relishing the feel of the man’s toned body pressed against his as he took flight.

  Theo breathed a sigh of relief when their feet finally hi
t solid ground again. He wasn’t sure where they were, but it was better than being higher than the damn clouds. He told Nazaryth that he had a fear of heights, but the man truly had no clue how much Theo really feared leaving the ground.

  He got dizzy standing on a damn step stool.

  It wasn’t a fact he advertised, but it was true nonetheless.

  “Where are we?” he asked as he looked at a deserted hangar, wondering if Nazaryth was nothing more than a nut job. There was nothing out here except rocks, trees, and more rocks. There wasn’t a house in sight.

  “Home,” Nazaryth answered dryly as he slid his hand inside his leather, and then the door to the hangar opened. Theo stood there stunned. There was no way that hangar should have electricity. Theo didn’t even see any wires running from the damn shed.

  “Come on, we need to get inside,” Nazaryth said as he walked into the interior of the hangar. Theo hesitated. Just because Nazaryth was some sort of weird vampire that saved him from that humungous dog, that didn’t mean Theo trusted him.

  Hell, it was Nazaryth who the dogs were after.

  If it wasn’t for this hot hunk standing in front of him, Theo wouldn’t even be in this mess. “Where exactly are you taking me?”

  Nazaryth turned around, his lips pulled back into a slight smile as he curled his finger in, walking backward into the hangar. “Come see, my sexy little zaterio.”

  “I’m warning you!” Theo was getting damned tired of correcting this arrogant bastard. There was no pull, only lust, and Theo was tired of clarifying who he wasn’t.

  “Then stay out there, and let the hounds find you.” The mention of hounds had Theo hurrying inside. Theo wasn’t really sure he was seeing things with his own eyes as he looked around. The inside of the hangar was what one would expect. The walls were rusty, the windows had a layer of dirt over them so that no one could see inside, and there was a layer of dust covering every inch of surface.

  What made the reality bizarre was seeing at least ten shiny, brand-new motorcycles lining one wall to Theo’s left, and two Hummers, sleek and black, next to them. There was even a small sports car. His eyes grazed over the hangar, seeing brand-new helmets lining one wall.