Rogue Warrior: (Dark Warrior Alliance Book Seven)

by Brenda Trim

  Tori nearly sprang forward to help the male as he climbed the steps while holding the heavy bucket, but surprisingly he managed the task with grace and balance. He set the bucket on the top of the tank and slid the flap aside.

  "I wish A would get rid of those damn things," Von muttered, shaking his head in irritation.

  The male looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. "A will get rid of you before the stingrays, and you'd be smart not to forget that." With that the servant turned back and scooped up something from the bucket while placing the other hand in the water.

  The stingrays swam to the surface. Chuckling at their reaction, the male brought his other hand into the water, and Tori noticed what looked like shrimp swim from his palm. Some of the stingrays swam after the food while others fought to take what was still in his hand. He did this several times, paying attention each time he brought more to the tank to which ones had already eaten.

  She was mesmerized as she watched him nudge the greedy ones away to give others a chance. It was one of the coolest things she’d ever seen. It made her want to go home and put the image to canvas.

  "So," Von said, back to business the minute the servant left the room. "What's your answer?"

  Picking up a pen and pad of paper from the desk, she scribbled down the highest fee she'd ever requested and turned it back to him. "That's my price," she said as if it didn't matter to her one way or another. She held her breath, knowing the price was astronomical.

  Von looked down, swallowed hard, and set his jaw. "Done. Here's all the information we have on him." He pushed a manila folder sitting in front of him across the desk to her.

  She nearly told him she didn't need it because she already knew everything in it, but that would have tipped her hand. She was thorough when she researched someone and had better connections than this slime.

  "I'll let you know when the job is done, but I don't make a move until two-thirds of the money is deposited into this account," she informed him, writing down an offshore account she had specifically for her cases.

  "You'll have your money by morning," he promised and stood, extending his hand.

  Ignoring his offering, she turned on her heel and left the office, anticipation bubbling beneath her skin. Her dreams were within her grasp, and she'd have her vengeance for Miguel's death. Life was good.

  CHAPTER TWO

  As Santiago walked into the West precinct, the tight ball in his gut unfurled fractionally. Work was the only thing left in his life that meant anything. It had been a long fucking month since he'd left Zeum and been turned away by Hayden, and his anger hadn't dissipated in the least. It was appalling that the leaders of the realm had their heads so far up their asses.

  At least his captain had been understanding and given him the time off he needed. After a brief stint in an upscale hotel, Santi had admitted it was time to find a place of his own, which had proven to be more difficult than he’d thought.

  The realm had individuals who dealt with the human community when a supernatural wanted to purchase a home. Santi was one of the few supernaturals that dealt with humans on a regular basis, so he didn't choose to use the realm realtors, but he did have to address specific needs. With his preternatural senses, he had to consider things like insulation, ventilation, and lighting.

  Eventually he settled on a loft downtown away from most supernaturals. He’d had enough of that bullshit to last a lifetime. The process and paperwork had been a bigger headache than he'd anticipated, but he was finally settled into his place.

  Rounding the corner that led to his desk, he was greeted by some colleagues that he didn’t really know. Guess that’s what happened when you were gone for a month. He stopped in the break room and grabbed a cup of coffee so strong it could peel paint off the walls.

  Bracing himself, he approached Orlando, who was sitting at his desk across from Santiago's. Immediately, Orlando's head snapped up, and he pinned Santi with a look he couldn't decipher.

  Dropping into his worn office chair, Santiago set his mug on top of the desk and leaned back in his seat. There was a moment of awkwardness between them that had never been there before, but they were still partners at work and couldn’t avoid each other. "What have I missed?" Santi asked.

  Orlando's eyes went wide and then narrowed as he dropped the papers he'd been reading. Santiago glanced around, sensing the storm brewing within Orlando. It was early morning and they were surrounded by the hustle and bustle of a shift change; all of the other detectives arriving for the day. Most were just getting settled and going over files, but the din in the room was still loud.

  "So that's how it’s gonna be? You're just gonna walk in here and act like nothing’s happened?" In a rare show of anger, Orlando pulverized the pencil he'd been holding.

  At one time, Santi had known his friend inside and out, but now it felt as if they were strangers. Santiago hadn't expected to come in and have the male welcome him with open arms, cracking his usual jokes, but he'd held out hope that his closest friend would understand.

  "Yeah, I've been a little busy. You know, finding a place to live. You want to talk about what happened at Zeum? About how I was wronged?" Santi challenged, unable to curb his anger. "Of everyone in the compound, I thought you would have understood my position, and had my back. You know better than the rest the utter destruction drugs can have on a community. That's not happening on my watch. Not when I have the power to stop it."

  Orlando grunted his frustration and sat forward in his chair, his deep green eyes holding Santi’s as he pulled out his switchblade. "I'm not denying that your intentions are good, but," Orlando lowered his voice, looking to make sure no one was listening to their conversation as he proceeded to flip the small weapon in his palm, "you handled the whole Miguel thing wrong. I hate that he was selling drugs, but the bottom line is that you ended his life, Santi, and that’s bullshit."

  He couldn't believe Orlando was against him as well. How could the male not get it? Santi sat there seething as Orlando continued. "I didn’t intend for him to die, O. But, his death will save hundreds of lives so it’s not a bad thing. He put the realm in jeopardy of discovery and was an integral part of innocent lives being lost," Santiago defended. For him, it was justified, even though he felt terrible about the male's death.

  In fact, he hadn't been able to stop thinking about Miguel or his sister, Tori, over the past month. The female had consumed his every waking and sleeping thought. It was slowly driving him insane. If not for the situation with her brother, he would have sought her out weeks ago.

  "Even if you're right, no one can go around killing people. The laws are clear, and we must abide by them like everyone else. You need to stop being such a fucking asshole and come home. Do your time and get back to work, we need you." The sincerity in Orlando's tone was impossible to ignore. The flipping stopped and Orlando set the blade aside on his desk.

  "Zander could waive the punishment if he wanted. Sending me to the dungeon for what happened is ridiculous," he spat.

  Orlando shook his head. "You can be such a douche bag. Do you have any idea what you've missed?"

  Curiosity peaked at Orlando’s words even as Santi shook his head in response. He had wondered many times what was going on with his fellow warriors. Had Rhys made it back from Hell? How were Elsie and the baby? Had anyone else found their Fated Mates? Was Bhric still drinking a gallon of whiskey every day?

  "Well, let me tell you, dickhead. As you know, Rhys went to Hell to get the Triskele Amulet. Well, he died trying to retrieve it, but was saved by his Fated Mate, who happens to be an honest-to-Goddess angel. The Triskele Amulet, as you knew it, is gone. Zander nearly killed Elsie's first husband, because he was assigned as their daughter's Guardian Angel." So Elsie had been right about having a baby girl and Santi couldn’t help but wonder what she looked like. Did she take after Zander or Elsie?

  "They had the baby?" Santi asked. "What's her name?"

  "Yeah, they named her Isobel, which is
where Rami comes in. Rami is Dalton, Elsie's dead husband who is now an Angel of Retribution. And, get this, Isobel is the amulet. She was born with the mark of the Triskele on her lower back and the power of the Goddess emanates from her. The demons fucking surrounded Zeum, but that piece of shit Kadir finally met his match when Isobel dealt him his final blow. It was a fucking mess. We needed you there to help us through all of it, not out playing vigilante, wreaking more havoc.”

  Santiago recoiled at that. Vigilante? Not fucking likely; he was on the side of right. "Well, you can blame Zander for that. He's the reason I wasn't there to help."

  Orlando leaned across the desk so they were only inches apart and Santiago got a closer look at the male. The white-blond hair had grown out from its typical buzz cut, and there were dark circles under his emerald green eyes. The tension in his shoulders told the story of long days and nights, doing double duty as a Dark Warrior and a detective; something Santi used to understand all too well.

  "You have no one to blame but yourself, Santi. You need to can the holier-than-thou attitude. Get your head out of your ass and own up to the fact that you fucked up. You had no right to inject that male like you did."

  "I should have known that you'd end up just like them. You can all fuck off," he said, standing up and heading to the captain's office. He needed a new partner.

  *****

  Tossing back his sixth beer, Santiago glanced around the human dance club he'd been frequenting over the past month. One of the benefits of living downtown was being within walking distance to a variety of bars and clubs. It was a piss-poor substitute for Confetti Too, but he wasn't about to go the realm club where the Dark Warriors hung out.

  From where he sat on at the end of the bar, he had a clear view of the entire establishment. The place wasn't huge, one bar and a small dance floor, but it was jam-packed with sweaty bodies. The DJ that had set up in the corner clearly had a preference for eighties music. Santi appreciated some of the big-hair bands from that time period, but he preferred hard rock over this lame-ass music.

  He chuckled as he wondered what percentage of the crowd had even been alive when the music had been made. Most of them didn't look older than twenty. Not that he was complaining. The beer was cold and it beat sitting alone in his loft. He'd never been lonelier in his entire life, but he wasn't physically alone and that was the only thing keeping his wolf in check.

  He was an outsider amongst the crowd. As a shifter, he didn't belong in this world, but he needed to get used to it. He wouldn't be accepted by any pack in Seattle after Zander had essentially blacklisted him. His wolf howled in his head, needing contact.

  The strain was wearing on him; he was going to have to find another pack of sorts soon or his wolf would take matters into his own hands. He heard Austin, Texas, was nice this time of year. He could get a job with the police department there and settle with the local canine shifters.

  Shaking off that train of thought, he motioned to the bartender to bring him another beer. As he waited, he acknowledged there was nowhere he could go where the cloud of Zander's edict wouldn't follow.

  "Thanks, Jake," he murmured as a bottle was set before him.

  "Sure thing. Anything else I can get you?"

  "I’m good," he murmured, focusing on the happy couples on the dance floor.

  *****

  Tori entered the club thinking there was no way Santiago would hang out in this joint. The image didn't fit with the male. For starters, it was a human club where there were a hundred different colognes and perfumes competing with sweat, smoke, and alcohol. The stench floored her and she wasn't an animal at heart. She couldn't imagine a shifter being able to tolerate the atmosphere.

  Santi had proved to be a difficult male to track down. Something had happened after Miguel's death and he had left the Dark Warriors. During her investigation, she’d discovered he worked for the Seattle Police Department, but he hadn't been there in the past month either. It was as if he'd upped and disappeared.

  She finally caught a break when she uncovered a real estate agent who had helped him buy a loft in the area. Now she was methodically checking every restaurant, bar, and club in the largely human area of town. Her back itched where her wings were hidden. She hadn't hidden them this much, or for this long since she'd woken as a Valkyrie. One more thing she was laying at his feet, she thought as she twisted and cracked her back.

  Just as she was about to turn to leave, she finally spotted him and lost the breath from her lungs. He sat alone at the end of the bar. Females all around him were doing everything they could to get his attention, but he didn't see any of them. His black T-shirt molded to his torso like a second skin, giving her a clear view of the muscles cording his chest. Tilting to the side, she noted that his jeans appeared to be just as fitted.

  The last time she had seen him he'd been wearing loose slacks and a long-sleeved button-down shirt. Not that he hadn't looked good then, but this… this was exactly the type she was attracted to.

  He was beefy and muscular, and his baldness gave him an edgy look that was irresistible. His chocolate-brown eyes weren't focused on anything in particular, and she couldn't help but remember when they had been focused on her.

  His gaze had seen right to her soul. She suppressed the shudder rippling through her body. She couldn't be this attracted to the male given that he had killed her brother. She needed to focus so she could exact her revenge against him.

  Sauntering in his direction, she kept her gaze on him as she approached. A smile tilted her lips when she saw his body go tense before he zeroed in on her.

  "Detective," she murmured, keeping some distance between them as she stopped near his barstool.

  "Tori. What a surprise," he muttered, taking a swig of his beer.

  She swore his scent and body heat wrapped around her, pulling her close. "I'm full of them. What are you doing in a place like this?"

  He reached over, picked up one of her hands and brought it to his mouth, placing a kiss on the back. Electricity surged from the place they touched, and her body ignited as if he'd kissed far more intimate areas. Without releasing her hand, he replied, "I could ask you the same thing."

  "Me? I come here all the time," she teased, smiling at him.

  His smile was broad and she could feel the tension leaving his shoulders. "Dance with me."

  She tried to back up, but he wouldn't let her. "That's not a good idea. Let's sit and talk."

  Standing, he pulled her into his embrace, leaning his head down so they were inches apart. He smelled of beer and his breath was hot as it puffed softly against her face. "Talking is overrated. I'm a male of action."

  Before she could reply, he was pulling her through the crowd. Her heart raced in her chest as the salsa music registered. He found a small open spot and stopped, tugging her flush against the hard line of his body.

  And then he began to move. She didn’t expect this wall of muscle to be so smooth and graceful. Had to be the shifter in him, because he was a fantastic dancer. There was nothing sexier than a male who could groove his body and look good while doing it. He pulled her close, let her go, and twirled her only to bring her back to his waiting arms. Goddess, he had all the right moves.

  She relaxed and followed his lead. She'd never swayed her body in such ways and had no doubt she looked like a fool, but it was going to serve its purpose. Besides, it was fun and she was getting better with each song. Santiago was a pretty good teacher, as well. The next thing she knew, a slow song came on and he pulled her flush against him.

  It felt so good to be pressed to him, and her mind went blank for several seconds. All she could do was wrap her arms around his neck and stare up into his fathomless eyes. Tiny electric shocks zapped everywhere their skin connected, forging a bond between them. She felt it like a hot brand to her flesh.

  Lost to the pleasure of being in this male's arms, her head fell back and she closed her eyes as he kissed his way across her cheek, and down her neck. His erec
tion pressed against her stomach, and she couldn’t ignore that he felt well-endowed.

  “Goddess, you smell so fucking good. I want you, dulzura."

  She couldn't help but laugh. "Usually I get dinner before I'm propositioned." Sweat beaded her body and she felt his warm tongue lick across her skin, shooting sparks of arousal to her core.

  "They have peanuts at the bar. I'll grab some on our way out," he replied with a chuckle, his lips continuing their assault. Moisture pooled as her desire strengthened, making her ache for him. She had never allowed herself to get lost in a male. Never had her body taken over and driven her actions like it was at the moment.

  All sound disappeared except her ragged breathing. What he was offering couldn't be a better setup. This would be the perfect opportunity to take him out. She could leave with him, and once alone fulfill the contract. Von had been riding her hard for the past month, and the only thing that saved her reputation, and probably her head, was that Santiago seemed to have disappeared and hadn't been bothering Von’s dealers.

  She shook off her body’s demands, clearing her lascivious thoughts, and finally broke his seductive spell long enough to disentangle his grip. This male had killed her brother. No matter how sexy or good a kisser he was, she couldn't be with him. It made her sick to her stomach that she’d so easily fallen into his trap.

  "I need to go. See you around," she tossed out as she spun around and pushed her way through the crowd.

  "Wait, Tori. Don't go," he called, but didn't follow her.

  She felt his eyes on her backside as she exited the front door. Standing outside, she gulped fresh air for several seconds. With a last glance through the window, she met his glowing brown eyes before she walked away. She needed to regroup and develop a better plan. This man was far too dangerous for her to let her guard down for even one second. If she did, he might get a permanent hold she’d never escape.