The Dark War: The Dark War, Book 1

by Angela Addams

  Once we were in the truck, doors closed, I let out a long breath and massaged my temples.

  “You gonna tell me what the fuck happened in there?” Wyatt asked, his tone rough.

  “He’s a seer.”

  Wyatt’s eyes shot open wide. “No shit?”

  Seers had been the target of many massacres over the years. Their gift was hard to hide. From what I had heard, a seer had this inborn need to reveal the truth they found. You can imagine in times where ignorance ran rapid, if someone was telling you things about yourself that only you knew and they were scarily accurate, you’d probably freak out and want to get rid of the threat. They could get into your head, pull memories out, manipulate if they wanted. But mostly, they just told the truths we didn’t want to face.

  The seer genes had been weeded out over the years. They were an endangered sub-species within the witch bloodlines. They were also creepy as hell. I shivered. The memory that Drake had awakened ran through my mind in a horrific loop. Destiny and Leila had walked into a trap. They’d died brutally. Should it have been a warning to us? Was that what Drake meant?

  Your father, he wasn’t wrong.

  “He got into my head. Made me see things…” I choked on my words, cleared my throat. “We have a problem with my bounty. A big problem.”

  I filled Wyatt in on what Drake had told me. Ivana was a hybrid. She could walk during the day. She took blood from witches and made herself a super-supernatural. I told him about the memory, about the Dark War.

  “I need to update the Council. They may already know about the Strix involvement, but I think they need to know about this new hybrid creature. Chances are she isn’t the first and won’t be the last,” Wyatt said as he drove us back to the motel.

  “She has a partner apparently.” It was full night now, the stars not even visible with all the city lights. I tilted my head against the window, forehead pressed to the cool glass.

  “Great.” Wyatt tapped the steering wheel. “How are we going to find her? We have no trail for you to follow.”

  I dug my phone out of my pocket. “There is one more location that Billy sent me. Another vampire hideout, not exactly a den but…”

  Wyatt growled. “Not tonight.”

  I shook my head. “I’m not interested in a suicide mission.” Not to mention I felt totally and completely drained. Drake’s intrusion in my mind had zapped me, hitting me with that kind of sorrow was more debilitating than a punch to the face.

  He pulled into a fast food drive-thru. “We eat, we go back to the room, we sleep.”

  I nodded. Too exhausted to argue. Hoping that sleep would erase the horrid feeling in my gut and take the flood of memories back from where they had come, locking them away once again. “We have less than twenty-four hours to get her.”

  “Kali.” Wyatt sighed, shook his head. “Never mind.”

  I looked away from him, staring out the window once again. The Dark War was coming and we were not prepared. No one was.

  I knew what he was going to say. We needed to go home. But I didn’t see the difference between dying in Massachusetts or dying here. I did, however, see a difference between dying before I got vengeance for the Curtis family and running home. The Curtises deserved justice, especially if it was possibly the last thing they experienced on Earth.

  Chapter Sixteen

  When Wyatt pulled up to the hotel room we sat in silence, the rumble of his truck vibrating through me like it was trying to bring me back to life. I sucked in a deep breath, steeled myself against my surging emotions.

  Damn Drake, damn him to hell. I’d spent a long time burying those memories. Hadn’t even taken pictures of my sisters with me when I left. And now I had Destiny in my mind as vividly as if she were standing right next to me.

  “Why don’t you go in? I’m going to call the Council.” He turned the keys and the truck died into a slow, sputtering silence that almost enveloped me completely.

  I nodded, not even caring that he was getting rid of me, keeping me out of the Council loop. Fuck them. What did I care anyway?

  I hopped out of the truck and forced my shaky legs to walk to the room. With a quick twist of the key, the door opened and I walked in.

  The maid had left the light on for us, its weak bulb sending rays of soft beams toward me. The bed was cast in a ghostly yellow glow and my eyes were riveted on it. Sleep. Oblivion.

  I stood there, staring at the lamp, minutes ticking by. I felt lost again. And alone. Tears burned the back of my eyes. I’d run like a coward when my sisters died. Maybe if I had believed Dad, maybe if I had stayed…

  But no. How would that have helped? This war was coming and I didn’t think anyone could have stopped it. My sisters’ deaths were still for nothing.

  Wyatt came into the room and closed the door. I felt his breath hot against the back of my neck a few seconds later. “You okay?”

  He laid his hand on my hip and I closed my eyes, leaning into his touch.

  “Kali?”

  I wiped the tears away with the back of my hand then turned to face him, tilting my head up so I could see his eyes. “Help me forget, Wyatt.”

  He frowned down at me, hands coming up to my waist. “It won’t change anything.”

  I shook my head, not sure what he meant. Not caring what he meant. I lifted my hands to cradle his face, thumbs rubbing across the stubble there.

  He didn’t wait for more of an invitation, his lips came crushing down onto mine with fierce passion, his tongue darting into my mouth, delving with purpose and I responded with everything I had.

  With his hands on my hips, he backed me up until my legs hit the edge of the bed. I smiled against his lips. This was what I needed. His touch was a comfort and for the first time since he’d crashed back into my life, that didn’t terrify me. He shifted his hands and pushed down, easing me back until I lay on the bed, then climbed up so that he was hovering over me, resting his weight on his forearms. Still poised over me, he leaned down and captured my lips once again, teasing my tongue until my body coiled with want and my heart raced into a frenzy of desire. I reached up and placed my hands on his shoulders, snaking my legs around his hips so that I could quickly roll him under me. I pressed my crotch against his, feeling the hard bulge of his dick through his zipper, giving me something extra to rub against. He arched his eyebrows, a smirk playing on his lips.

  I reached down to the bottom of his shirt and slowly began to raise it, my hand skimming over the smooth flesh of his rock hard abs as I pushed the shirt higher and higher. He helped me yank it out from under his massive back, and over his head, then tossed it behind me so that I could run my hands over his beautiful body. His muscles flexed beneath my fingers, and I lowered my lips to taste him. He arched into me, letting out a low groan when I flicked my tongue against his nipple.

  He pushed me back and tugged on the bottom of my tank top. I quickly pulled it off along with my bra, my jeans and socks, and—of course my knives—loving the way his eyes played over my skin, leaving a trail of heat where ever they roved. I got his pants off in record time as well, tossing them into the pile of discarded clothing on the floor.

  All that separated us was the flimsy cotton of my panties and his boxers. His huge erection prodded my sex. He stared up at me, lust blazing, making me shiver. He slid his hands up my thighs, over my hips, to my waist, the sensation leaving hot currents of desire.

  For a split second, his eyes flickered with uncertainty. “Are you sure you want this, Kali?” His voice was thick.

  I lowered to kiss him again, sliding my tongue easily into his mouth, leaving no room for question. He moaned and ran his hand up to cup my breast. He pushed it up and broke from my lips, using the hand on my waist to move me until I was hovering over him, then darted his tongue out to taste my budding nipple, sucking it into his warm mouth to roll along his teeth. I tilted my h
ead back in ecstasy, pushing forward and arching into him to give him better access. He pulled hard, his tongue twirling around one last time before sliding his lips to the other breast to repeat the attention.

  He moved his fingers to strum the nipple he’d just left, the cool air and his rough touch teasing me to the edge of control. I arched into his hand when he molded it to my breast, smoothing his callused palm over my sensitive skin, squeezing me in a firm hold. It felt so right that he was touching me, so incredibly perfect that I cried out, rolling my hips against his dick, delighting in the friction of his erection against my aching clit.

  He pulled his lips away from my breast and stared up at me, trailing his fingers down to slip into my panties, searching and finding the sensitive nub. His thumb taking root there as his fingers continued on to spread my folds and glide along my pussy. I stayed on all fours, hovering over him and rocked against his touch, my body vibrating with want. Wyatt always played me just the right way. He always made my body sing.

  I thrust against him when he slid his fingers deep into my sheath, his thumb still circling, rubbing away any remaining control that I had. My body coiled with a building orgasm, the pleasure so intense that it was all consuming.

  “Wyatt.” I moaned as I reached down and urgently pulled his cock from his boxers. Rock hard and pulsing, he bucked into my hand, seemingly just as impatient to get things going.

  I had a fleeting thought of needing a condom, there and gone when he uttered his next words.

  “I need to be inside you, Kali.” His voice was guttural, his tone urgent. He pulled his hand free. His fingers sliding out of me, hooking on the crotch of my panties then pulling it to the side. Wyatt and I had never used protection and I wasn’t about to start now. I wanted his flesh on me, in me, in every possible way. I’d deal with whatever consequences came from that later.

  I arched my back when he entered me fully, his cock stretching me out, filling me in a way that I hadn’t felt in a very long time.

  He groaned again as he pushed further in, encasing himself to the hilt. I slowly rocked on top of him, my pussy growing wetter to accommodate him, my body throbbing for more.

  He wrapped his hand around my waist and pressed me down so that my breasts brushed his chest, our skin sliding together to create even more delicious friction. With a low moan, I started a slow ride, continuing the rhythm that he had begun with his fingers, building my orgasm up and up. Each thrust ground my clit against the base of his cock and stoked me into a frenzy of pleasure.

  With my skin touching his, sliding over his chest, rubbing against him, I marveled at his sculpted body as he tensed and released, moving with me. He was so big, so lean, his bulging muscles moving smoothly under my fingers. I rested my hands on his chest, my fingers playfully flicking his nipples. Different from how I remembered but the same. I knew his body like I knew my own, and yet this muscle and sinew, bulky and strong, made my pussy throb all the more. He had always been deliciously irresistible, now even more so.

  My excitement only intensified when he arched into me, increasing our speed and his force, his bucking becoming wilder and less restrained. I met his thrusts by pushing my hips down, grinding into him, caught up in the rhythm, my body shattering with each stroke, my breasts bouncing, pussy clenching. He gave a brutal yell, his penis growing rigidly hard, pulsing with his release and a moment later, my own orgasm ripped through me. I let my head fall back in abandon. My climax exploding, my pussy gripping his cock, intensely spasming as lights danced across my vision.

  I collapsed down next to him, panting and smiling. He reached over and pulled me toward him. I nestled into his side, one leg draped over his hips and sighed contently.

  “That was…”

  “I know.” I smiled into his skin, then gave a little kiss to his shoulder. “It was.”

  He heaved a deep sigh and we lay in silence. The light from the lone lamp cast eerie shadows all over the room. It was nice to be held again. I hadn’t realized how much I missed being touched and pleasured and then cherished afterward. I smiled contently as I listened to Wyatt’s steady breathing and to his racing heart as it slowly calmed.

  “Wow.” He sighed. “Haven’t felt this rejuvenated in a long time.”

  His powers, the ones he used for healing, replenished the best when he tapped into the biggest source of pleasure. Sex. I smiled. He’d always said I gave him the best jolt.

  “Just like old times.”

  He squeezed me, kissed the top of my head. “I did miss you, Kali.”

  A twinge of guilt came with my next thought and I blurted it out without pause. “What about Ally?”

  Your girlfriend. The woman you tossed me aside for.

  Bitter thoughts, angry thoughts, threatened to pull me under. I shoved them back.

  Don’t ruin this. Not yet.

  He ran his fingers through my hair. “Our relationship has been over for a long time.”

  “Oh.” It was all I could say. My traitorous heart bounced like a happy kitten.

  “I haven’t been living with her for some time. Been working for the Council on a few different jobs. Was pretty close to here when the call came to retrieve you.”

  Retrieve me. Ugh. Like a fucking dog. I reached up, wrapped my fingers around the amulet and gave it a tug. “I thought you said my dad gave this to you.”

  Wyatt covered my hand with his, the amulet pulsing with magic against my palm. “He did. Seven years ago.”

  I pushed myself up so I could look down at him, eyebrows raised. “Seven years ago?”

  Wyatt smirked. “Yeah, about a year after you left.” He shrugged. “They took my powers and I went a little ballistic. Your dad gave me the amulet. Told me to use it whenever I was ready to right the wrongs.”

  “But you didn’t.”

  Ouch. He had a means to find me for years and never did. It hurt more than it should have.

  He gave me one of those looks, the ones where he said “come on” without actually saying it. “Would you have wanted to see me then or would you have blasted my balls off before I had a chance to say hello?”

  Okay, he had a point. I would have shot first, never asked questions. I’d needed time too. Besides, we both knew he wasn’t the type to come chasing after me.

  “So.” I lowered my gaze to his lips, licking mine in the process. “We making up for lost time or what?”

  With one quick flip, he had me on my back, my wrists entrapped in one of his hands, his fingers deeply entrenched in my pussy, thumb pressing firm on my clit.

  “Lost time and then some.” He growled, then nipped my earlobe. “Remember how I used to make you scream, Kali?”

  His words made me shiver, his fingers pumping me hard, making me writhe against his hand.

  “Remember how your pussy wept for me?” He withdrew his fingers, lifted them to my lips, offering a taste. He bent his head and licked the tips, my juices, his come gleaming as he lapped away.

  I nodded, then sucked his fingers into my mouth, tasting what was left, savoring the cream he’d inspired, and what he’d given me in return.

  With eyes locked on his I smiled, ran my tongue up one side and down the other. “Yes, and I remember making you scream too, Wyatt. Scream with steaming hot jets.”

  He growled low and long before crushing his lips to mine, his hips wedged between my legs, cock firmly encased in my pussy seconds after that.

  He consumed me, always had.

  And when he was done, there’d be nothing left.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The sun’s rays slanted through a small slit in the hotel’s crummy drapes with the muted glow of early morning. My mind was tugging at me annoyingly. I was still on a job and I was getting distracted. As much as I would love to stay in bed with Wyatt for the next week, we needed to get some work done.

  I pushed myself up and r
an my hand through my hair. Wyatt groaned as he stretched his arms over his head then laid his hand on my lower back, the warmth of his touch sending a shiver of budding desire through me once again. I fought to tamp it down this time though. We needed to get a move on.

  I reluctantly pushed myself to the edge of the bed and turned my head to the side to catch him in my periphery. “I’m going to take a quick shower then I think we should get moving. Daylight’s burning.”

  Wyatt yawned as he pushed himself up I caught a glimpse of the sheet tenting in a very obvious display of where his mind currently was and smirked, realizing it wouldn’t take much to distract either one of us from getting to work.

  “And hopefully so are the vamps…frying that is.” He chuckled.

  I stood and headed to the bathroom, half expecting Wyatt to offer to wash my back or something, like old times.

  “I’m going to go grab us coffees and something to eat.”

  I sighed with disappointment. As much as I knew it was time for work, my body was craving something different. He’d missed me and, even though I would never admit it to him out loud, I’d missed him too. Craved him like an addict, I should say. Always had. Probably always would.

  I plastered on a smile and glanced over my shoulder at him. “Sounds good.”

  Twenty minutes later, I was clean and dressed, checking my messages as I waited patiently for Wyatt to return. My phone was about to die. I was surprised that it had lasted this long without a charge. I’d need to stop by a cell store and pick up a new charger at some point. The idea of being without my phone was like losing the use of a hand.

  A car door creaked open and I peered out of the window to see Wyatt exit his truck with a greasy bag of something—no doubt delicious—and a tray of coffee. Seeing him coming toward me gave my heart a little bit of an extra kick of excitement. He was so dangerous for me. My body was a traitor that ached for him in every way possible.

  I’d fallen in love with him the moment I’d first seen him. Well, okay, that wasn’t exactly true since we’d known each other from childhood. But I’d fallen in love with him in that moment when I first saw him. We had been teenagers, constantly competing with one another, him the golden boy, me the rebel. Him excelling, me fucking everything up in general. There had been that moment when he’d attempted a difficult spell, his brow furrowed, jaw set. The spell had clicked, the power of it knocking me back a step. He’d looked up at me, triumphant, his violet eyes burning with intensity. There had been a spark at that moment. I’d known he’d felt it too. And then, despite our differences, we were together. More than friends. It was magical all in itself.