Warrior Reborn

by KH LeMoyne

  “Look—” Jason started in.

  “No. Listen to me. Your willpower is commendable, but the skills you’re trying to harness stress your system. Speed will only bring you injury, and Briet as well.” He glanced in Tsu’s direction. “You need balance to handle the pressures being thrown at you.”

  And more evaluation by another member of the tribe as well. “I’m fine.”

  “Good. Then you can work in your session with Tsu and he will determine if you are physically ready for more. I’m aware of the pressure you are under from Briet’s attack and recovery. I can hear the increased speed of your heart rate, sense its effect within your arteries, witness the stress in the lines of your face, and the tension in your muscles. Learning to use your abilities and adapting within our culture is an added weight. You are not the first here to go through this process. You need the outlet that alternate instruction will provide.”

  Fists on his hips, Jason glared at Grimm. The man didn’t back down.

  “The process will strengthen your focus. Allowing you to use other abilities you will need to protect yourself and your mate,” added Tsu.

  The man’s voice, so tempered and reasonable, softened Jason’s raw disappointment at losing the opportunity to launch back into the dissemination of the samples.

  Frustration beat at him, but logic won out. These men had no reason to distract him. They had as much to gain from his discoveries as Briet did. Perhaps Grimm was right. The eerie dreams, bundled with his concern over her entering another day catatonic and unconscious, had started his day with a throbbing headache.

  Turen’s presence covered the question of who would keep Briet company. The baby’s light, unintelligible babble would provide sufficient stimuli to make up for his father’s quiet.

  Jason glanced at them by the bed. “She’ll enjoy having you both here.” He let out a quick breath of acceptance and turned back to Tsu. “Lead on.”

  Like Scrooge following his ghost, Jason tracked behind the silent master along hallways and corridors. Exiting into a floral courtyard, they walked along a neat, trimmed gravel path to a two-story circular building. The interior was a case study in the contrasts of whiskey-colored woods and sunlight, appearing larger than the exterior. Shallow windows divided several tiers of roof, gracing the wide interior with indirect lighting. Wooden slatted benches cordoned off sections of the floor. The center was open, the corners and lateral areas populated by equipment and displays of weapons.

  “There are pants and jackets through there.” Tsu nodded to a doorway at the far side of the structure. “You can leave your clothes there as well.”

  Not a request, but the master’s first command. Jason took a breath and followed the instruction, finding cubbies filled with clean uniforms for workouts. Marble shower stalls covered the remainder of the room. Leaving his belongings, he headed back to the main workout floor. Tsu waited for him beside a long wall of weapons and supplies.

  “Have you had formal training?”

  “Not much.” Jason took a deep breath. “Some judo but most of my experience has been team sports.”

  “Then you will begin there.” Tsu nodded to a punching bag hung in the corner and tossed him a pair of light gloves.

  Surprised to be directed to something familiar, Jason slid on the gloves, allowed Tsu to secure them with tape, and walked to the large black bag secured to a thick beam of the first level of ceiling.

  He steadied the bag. His hold centered his mind under the pressure of the leather. With a step back, he pulled his fists close to his chest and below his chin. Bending his knees, he tested his spring, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Comfortable with the motion, he let fly with his right fist. The follow-thru reverberated through his shoulder and down his spine. He ignored the jarring sensation and continued, waiting for ease to flow with his rhythm. His feet fell into a coordinate pattern, his hips cooperating with each lunge and jab.

  The combination of strikes and movement propelled images through Jason’s mind, replacing the bag in his visual frame of reference.

  Once. Twice. And again.

  Annie’s face appeared before the black leather surface and disappeared.

  He landed a series of angry blows in vengeance for her death.

  We’ll take care of her.

  The hit landed, his contact and snap so fast the bag barely moved in his replay of Hauer Gault’s promise.

  The screech of tires in the night rang through his head. Sheri Arnault’s death in Briet’s stead. With each image more punches flew.

  The face of the man holding Briet as she struggled against him at the reception.

  Again, one blow followed another. His feet danced, his body twisted for maximum impact on each throw.

  Briet’s body riddled with black web marks. Drugs tearing apart her cells, destroying a life he had yet to hold close enough.

  Swing and contact, the blows landed on the bag, the images an unrelenting taunt.

  At Tsu’s tap to his shoulder, he swung around, fists raised, only a split second to differentiate a body and not a bag before him. With one uncontrolled shake, he stepped back from the bag. Sweat stung his eyes and drenched his body. How long had he been at it?

  Taking the bottle of water Tsu offered, Jason drained it and then looked for his quiet new instructor.

  The man had moved to the middle of the exercise mat at the far end of the room, shirtless, shoeless, flowing black pants, and a long staff in each hand. “You are now ready to begin.”

  Like hell. “I’m exhausted.”

  “Yes, but your mind is finally clear.”

  Jason took the staff with hesitation.

  Tsu flipped his staff, grasping it with both hands, demonstrating the position. “Today you will only attempt to mirror my moves. Concentrate on the center between my hands, not the tips of the staff.”

  For several dozen repetitions, he translated Tsu’s actions into his own movements. Hardly a fluid effort. The other man flowed. Jason hacked and shuffled. But it did keep his body active and his mind engaged.

  Finally, Tsu stepped back and bowed, moving to benches along the side of the room. He flipped another bottle of water to Jason as he sat.

  “It is hard to be here, after being so still with Briet for hours? Especially with the scrutiny of so many concerned for her welfare,” said Tsu.

  Jason nodded. “Not an easy crowd to please.”

  “You are one of us, Jason. Whatever transpires between you and Briet, you do not need a pass of acceptance here.”

  “Easy for you to say. You haven’t royally pissed off her brother.”

  The teacher laughed, startling him. A wave of his hand let Jason know Tsu didn’t consider his concerns founded. “Ansgar loves his sister. He’s protected her for over two hundred years. His one focus has been on her happiness, not the painful steps it takes to build a strong foundation in a relationship. His concerns are his own, not yours.”

  “It’s not like I fit in here.”

  “You do not strike me as a man who requires approval. But, so you are clear on this, should you walk away from here tomorrow, forever you will remain one of us. You are mated to one of our people, even if you two do not remain together. There is not one of us who will not come to your aid should you have need. Even Ansgar.” Tsu shook his head with a smile. “He just might take a little longer responding.”

  Jason turned the water bottle in his hands. “I’ve found big commitments come with big price tags.”

  “Have you been pressured? Do not let the weight of souls distract you.”

  “What—do you mean?”

  Tsu hesitated with a prolonged silence. Jason waited with a sick feeling in his stomach. It had been too much to hope this was just about superpowers and mates.

  Tsu nodded once, evidently deciding to give Jason some truth.

  “With their birth, our children usher in souls and healing for mankind.”

  Holy proverbial shit.

  “It is part of our
reason for existence. The culmination of our covenant with our creator, and yours. One mate, one shared soul, and two children, each who will carry on a set of unique powers and bear the souls and salvation for humanity’s future.”

  Jason felt all his blood rush to his feet.

  “She didn’t tell me.” He could hear the crack in his voice and turned away from the man’s stare.

  “Would you?”

  He whipped back. “Would I what?” The words came out much harsher than he’d intended, but he felt like he was going down for the count.

  “Were the situation reversed, would you tell a woman you loved that her life was forever altered? She would bear your mark, carry children destined to save humanity, live for three to four times beyond her normal life expectancy, and take on powers she would not believe imaginable. How would you pose the conversation where you tell her that her whole life has changed because you love each other? That she is the only person for you ever capable of delivering on the burden your people carry.”

  Jason stared at Tsu and swallowed hard. “You did a pretty good job.”

  “I have nothing to lose.” Tsu raised a brow with a sarcastic look. “I’m not in love with you.”

  “She should have told me.”

  “Did she really not? I find it hard to believe, even burdened by the risk of your rejection that she wouldn’t have tried. If only to help you find your way. Briet is nothing if not compelled to help.”

  Jason stood and walked away, unable to meet Tsu’s searching look.

  She had tried. Maybe not the baby thing, or the mate thing, definitely not the soul thing. But he already knew she was one in a million for him. Her affection for kids—she made no effort to disguise how much she cared for them. He couldn’t lie to himself, as much as Tsu’s information felt like a huge weight.

  The slides of blood she’d encouraged him to view, planting them in his path, posing guidance disguised as random concern. The mark he’d insisted was bruising; she’d teased and cajoled him, helping him accept it until just the thought of her touching the mark made him hard. The unbelievable ability to move through space to her. His healing of her, and her of him. She’d been darned timid, but she had tried. In response, he’d shut her down.

  Would you? Tsu’s words rang in his mind.

  What would he do if the only woman he could love, if Briet, had rejected him for telling the truth?

  She knew how he felt about having children. She knew some of his reasons—no, he suspected she knew the whole truth. Yet, their children would mean everything to her people. Evidently, to his people as well. Never had she pushed her needs.

  “She feared she would not have the skills to help you embrace your changes,” said Tsu quietly behind him.

  Jason turned in astonishment. She wouldn’t. He felt so incapable and adolescent among these Guardians and she had fears?

  “At the risk of sounding repetitious, do not let history and destiny obscure what is important to you both.”

  The man sounded so damn calm.

  “I can’t disregard this information. It’s too important. Not doing anything is too—”

  Tsu shrugged. “As with anything, simple steps. You came here to her. Why?”

  Jason clenched his hand around the staff. The hard surface a reminder he wasn’t dreaming. Even through the whirl of confusion, his feelings in response to Tsu’s question were clear. “I love her. I would do anything to make sure she’s safe.”

  “She loves you enough to try to spare you.”

  Jason shook his head. “How does any of this work to build a strong foundation?”

  “Trust, in the face of confusion and doubt. Love, as an anchor of strength, not restriction. From where I stand, I would say those make a very good start. But this is up to you to decide.”

  “Am I interrupting?” Quan’s voice floated through the open room.

  “We are done.” Tsu bowed his head to Jason, his hands poised together below his waist. “You did well. You are welcome to return any time if you wish to learn more or just wish to use the equipment.”

  Jason bent his head in an involuntary sign of respect to his new teacher. Tsu left and Quan turned to follow her brother.

  “Quan. Do you have just a moment?”

  “Of course.”

  They looked so much alike, Jason thought. Brother and sister, both graceful and silent with a ripple of power bubbling just below the surface. “I wanted to ask you about Briet’s…coma?”

  Jason waited for the look of placation, but Quan merely nodded and said, “You talk to her and you want to know if she hears you?”

  He waited on her answer, surprised and a little unnerved she could anticipate his thoughts.

  “She is suspended in a dream world. My ability is to enter and influence the state of dreams. In her case, I hold her within the dream. Because of our connection, I’m aware of the stimulus she receives. It might make you feel better to know that she can not only hear what goes on around her, but absorbs the positive vibrations from her visitors.”

  The news did help, but seemed existential, even with verbal confirmation.

  “Do you control all dreams?” asked Jason. At Quan’s frown and shake of her head, he offered the question bothering him. “It feels like she’s talking back to me. In dreams.”

  Her eyes widened but then narrowed in speculation. “Perhaps your bond is close enough she is? In this state, thoughts, images, memories—all provide a high potential for communication. Difficult for someone untrained in the skill. But, Briet is tenacious enough to struggle through where another will not.”

  “Stubborn, your mean.”

  She smiled.

  Jason pivoted the staff in his hand, spinning it slightly in the mat on the floor. “So this is not part of our abilities—a mate thing?”

  She shook her head. “I suspect the connection in your dreams will end once she awakens. For now, she’s probably using any way she can to reach you.”

  “Thank you,” he said.

  She inclined her head to him and started away, only to turn back. “I just came from seeing her.”

  He waited.

  “The ring is very beautiful, Jason. Your promise, even more so.” The woman’s smile glowed with warmth and acceptance.

  ***

  Quan’s comment followed Jason all the way back to Briet’s room. Turen was waiting, Marcus splayed on the bed asleep, limbs wide and comfortable, his hand fisted in a bit of Briet’s hair. The woman and child looked for all purposes to be taking a nap.

  Turen disengaged the fist from Briet’s hair with an apologetic smile. “I think Marcus really likes the blond hair. The two of them have the same energy level, so she’s always a big favorite of his.”

  Jason clenched his jaw, not sure how to respond, but Turen didn’t wait for one. Merely scooped up the sleeping toddler and headed out of the room.

  He bent down to kiss Briet’s temple and crawled over her body to lie on the other side of the bed. Wiping his hands over his face, he mulled through the volumes of information his brain had accepted in the last several days. Two full days in the Sanctum and his body finally felt as fried as his brain.

  Not for lack of food certainly. Mia and Grimm brought meals, fruits, and drinks. But he had to admit Grimm had been right. He’d needed the workout. Finally, he felt pleasantly exhausted and numb.

  Well, almost numb. He turned and pressed his lips to the shallow dip above Briet’s collarbone. The touch, the flavor of her skin, was enough to fill his senses with his mate. What a term. Not his wife, though that sounded good in a covetous, possessive way. Not his lover, though he ached for her touch. Not his friend, though he also needed to hear her voice, her arguments, her logic, her wit.

  Mate, like a missing half. A shared soul. Exactly how it felt.

  “Given you’ve been working out with the master for years, you can probably whup my ass, hmm?” He rolled onto his side, elbow on the bed, his head braced in his hand as he brought her f
ingers to his lips. “The little girl you showed me in the dream wasn’t very good at following rules. You’ve never been good with rules, baby. Nothing gets your attention but your patients. Maybe it will give me a fighting chance to catch up with Tsu.”

  He kissed her palm, letting out a grumble of frustration at the lack of response. “I’m going to work on the samples tomorrow. I’ll figure out some way to break down the toxin. Hopefully figure out what killed Annie. Then we can work together on this DNA problem with the kids.”

  Grimm had assured him of her release from the coma on day four. Jason had pressed for details, concerned dehydration and lack of nutrition would hinder Briet more than keeping her high energy level sequestered in bed to heal. Now, even with an end in sight, the next day or two seemed endless.

  He was no closer to answers than after her attack. Granted, he’d adopted a new superpower life style and had dangerous new acquaintances. None of that had impacted his goal to resolve Annie’s death.

  “If your gifts are only offered once a generation how can Salvatore have enough of your skills to design such a toxin, much less tamper with DNA?” Jason ran his finger across her lower lip. “What does he gain by all this violence? Why you?”

  Rolling onto his back, he closed his eyes, her hand cradled against his chest. He didn’t have another thought before the gray swirled and swept him under. He let go of restraint, allowing himself to be drawn into another dream from Briet’s memory, her eyes his window.

  The vaulted stone room and tiered stone levels of amphitheater seating held at least fifty people milling about. At the perimeter were several robotic devices.

  Men and machines, all armed for full battle.

  The men, stern warriors, each imposing in their own right, stood tense for battle. The women, fierce beauties draped in white floor length robes, wore concern in their expressions, equal to their male counterparts. Everyone’s focus remained riveted to the front of the room. Weapons held at the ready, swords and staffs, each Guardian waited as if in expectation of a starting gun. The tension was palpable.

  The robots didn’t appear sophisticated in design, boxy and square, multi-leveled and multi-jointed. However, the middle chassis on each machine was open, with gun sights extended, leveled on the crowd of men and women.