Scarred Warrior: (Dark Warrior Allaince Book Four) (Dark Warrior Alliance 4)

by Brenda Trim

  “Things might seem really dark right now, but it’s going to work out and I’m so excited to have another new sister join our home. You’ve already fit right in so stop worrying about that. You’re one of us now. Back to the issue of Kadir, I wouldn’t say that he wasn’t aware of Shae’s status,” Elsie countered. “Remember what happened with the Rowan triplets and their mates?”

  Shae had no idea what the queen was talking about. As far as she knew the Rowan sisters enjoyed the nightclubs and were a fun, lively part of the party scene. Something big had to have happened to the triplets if they were now mated. She hadn’t been super close friends with them, but had hung out with them on occasion and worked with them when they came in the bank.

  Zander’s eyes went wide. “Shite, you’re right. Kadir managed to give Cele the identity of Isis and Suvi’s mates so she could torture them. But, why keep Shae and the others locked up in their lair? It still doesna make sense.”

  “It does if your aim is psychological warfare. To incite mates against one another,” Elsie explained, making Shae’s blood turn to ice in her veins. Those evil bastards were using her as a pawn. She would kill herself before giving them the satisfaction of harming Gerrick.

  “I see where you’re going with that, a ghra. But, it doesna explain why he kept them so long. I doona think his only aim is to pit mates against each other. I guarantee he is taking advantage of our distraction and is planning something bigger. I think that’s the only reason he took the risk and attacked Shae again.” Zander sat forward, leaning his arms on the large conference table, deep in thought.

  “That sounds like the fucker.” She felt Gerrick’s anger and how much effort he was putting into keeping a lid on it. “Problem is we have no clues as to what else he may have planned. Do you think he’s working with Angelica?”

  “I have no doubt he added to Angelica’s darkness, but she has her own agenda. Kadir may expect certain things from her in return, but she is too much of a narcissist, after her own power to ever really meet his demands. She plays by her own rules and always has,” Jace added with a heaviness that spoke from experience. Cailyn, Jace’s mate and Elsie’s sister, slid her arm around his back offering him respite from his inner turmoil. Shae found she was immeasurably jealous of their closeness and affection. She hadn’t known she wanted that, but at that moment she wanted nothing more. Problem was that a gulf stood between her and Gerrick and the gulf’s name was Evanna.

  Sighing, Shae glanced at Gerrick and watched him pick up a piece of garlic-sausage pizza and take a huge bite. His powerful jaw worked, drawing Shae’s eye to the pulse pounding in his neck. She was suddenly ravenous and grabbed a piece of pizza, hoping to curb her bloodlust.

  “I agree with Jace. Angelica represents a host of other dangers. Whether or not this is his plan, we can’t ignore what’s right in front of us. Our priorities should be to discover a way to decrease the amount of venom in Shae’s system. There is no way I will tolerate my mate suffering for a minute longer.” Shae swallowed hard at Gerrick’s declaration. She’d never been anyone’s anything and now she was Gerrick’s Fated Mate and Elsie’s new sister. She only wished the demon wasn’t a huge black cloud on what should be the happiest time in her life.

  “The last thing I want to be is a pawn in Kadir’s game, but I can’t even go back to my family’s home until I get a handle on my rage. As much as I hated being thrown in those cages to fight, it was the one thing that centered me and allowed for coherent thinking, at least until they bit me again. And, I can’t stomach the thought of hurting anyone else, especially, someone I love. That’s why I came back here. I need help,” she admitted, feeling more vulnerable than she ever had in her life.

  Much like her mother and grandmother, she’d always been a capable, self-sufficient female who solved her own problems with ease. It didn’t sit well with her that she couldn’t solve this one on her own.

  She understood enough about the mating compulsion now to understand that it had caused Gerrick to say and act the way he had. It hadn’t come from a place of love for her, but she trusted that he would do anything to keep her from being locked in a cell and forgotten about.

  “You came to the right place, Shae. If there is anyone that can help you, it’s Zander and the others. I wouldn’t have survived the transition without them. And, don’t forget that you belong here more than I do,” Jessie told her. The honesty of the female’s words shocked her. The female truly didn’t feel as if she belonged, but saw the way Shae fit as Gerrick’s mate. With that remark, Shae finally found that elusive commonality with Jessie. They’d both been torn from their lives and were struggling to find their place in the realm.

  “While I can’t feel anything more than an annoying buzz, you actually hear them speaking. Have you considered that you are the clearest link directly to them?” Jessie finished, tucking her blonde hair behind an ear.

  “I never thought of it that way, but what good does that do us? I want to cut the link.” Hunger for blood was making her cranky and she grabbed a second piece of pizza.

  “Maybe we should play reverse psychology and use his tactic against him,” Zander suggested. “He wants to maintain a direct link to you then we turn that on him. We reverse that connection and use it to find their new lair.” Shae sat up straight with the excitement in Zander’s voice. She could be useful again, rather than a burden and she liked the sound of that.

  Gerrick bristled with annoyance and snapped, “No! We aren’t using her, it’s too risky.”

  “Och, Gerrick you are no’ thinking clearly. You’re too close to the situation to see this objectively. I can see how much the mating compulsion is affecting you. Before, you would have been the first one to agree to this proposal. I understand your objections. Shite, I doona want the lass hurt, but this is the closest we’ve ever come to ending the bastard.”

  “Would you place Elsie in the same position?” Gerrick countered, trying hard to keep the bitterness out of his voice. Through their bond, Shae felt the amount of respect Gerrick had for Zander and how difficult it was for him to resist ripping off the king’s head.

  Suddenly, Zander’s power surged in an invisible explosion that felt like razors against Shae’s skin. The Vampire King was well and truly pissed, she thought. “Leave my mate oot of this. Need I remind you of your oath, warrior?”

  “Why? You aren’t leaving mine out of it. And, that’s a low blow, Liege. I’m the most dedicated warrior you have and you know it,” Gerrick countered, coming precariously close to insubordination. Unsure what she could do, Shae placed her hand on his thigh and gripped the muscle. Gerrick shuddered under her palm before some of the tension left his body.

  Elsie stood and placed her hands on Zander’s shoulders. Knowing the touch of a mate calms, she realized it was the most effective way of holding the king back at that moment. “Stop. Don’t you see what’s happening? He’s coming between us and now we aren’t even focusing on helping the females anymore. We cannot afford to have an internal war right now. Save your pissing match for another time.”

  For the first time since she’d met the petite female, Shae understood why the Goddess had chosen her for queen. Elsie took command of the entire room with ease and everyone listened to her immediately. It was amazing to see a group of the strongest males in the realm sit to attention as if they were striplings who had been scolded by their mother.

  Shae turned to Gerrick and captured his gaze. “I know you’re worried for me, but I have to do this. Trust me,” she said, placing her fingers over his lips when he went to argue. “I feel like the only way I’ll be normal again is to have a hand in bringing him down. I’d like to face him and be the one to eliminate him, but I’ll settle for being involved in his demise.”

  She could see the struggle in his ice-blue eyes. He grabbed her hand and placed a gentle kiss to her fingertips before he brought it to his chest. The chemistry between them was explosive and had her melting in her chair. She needed to be careful or t
he entire room would know how badly she wanted her mate. “If you do this, don’t think you’re going alone. And, if you get hurt, I’ll never forgive you,” Gerrick promised and she felt like she’d just won a huge battle with his concession.

  “If I get hurt I’ll never forgive you, warrior. Aren’t you my personal bodyguard now?” she teased, hoping to lighten the mood. The slight uptick at the corner of his mouth felt like another victory and made her core clench with need. It was easy to forget that sorcerers had a predatory nature, but Gerrick was also a Dark Warrior. They didn’t bend or compromise, especially with the task of protecting others and he was protecting what was his.

  “I’m going to enjoy guarding your body, Red,” Gerrick husked, tugging her into the line of his body. She was awkwardly, half-sitting on her chair, but wouldn’t have moved if the building was on fire. She needed the closeness of her mate. Not only did he ignite every nerve ending in her body until she was on the razor’s edge of arousal, but he quieted the demon’s voice in her head.

  “Before the two of you start tearing off your clothes, can we get back on track and figure oot how we are going to locate the demons through Shae?” Zander said, humor lacing his tone.

  Shae half-listened as the warriors threw around ideas and made plans. She was too focused on the way Gerrick played with her hair, wrapping it around his finger. And, she lost complete focus when he ran his hand over her thigh. The thin cotton fabric wasn’t enough of a barrier and she moistened under his caress. He was either an amazing actor or he wasn’t aware of how he was ramping up her desire. He not only followed what was being said, but participated in the discussion. She couldn’t have repeated anything that had been said in the past five minutes.

  He turned his head slightly and gave her that smile of his that drove her insane with lust. The fiend knew exactly what he was doing to her. Two could play at that game, she thought, and her hand traveled across his abdomen, feeling the quiver of his muscles, before she stopped right above the waistband of his leathers. The last time they had been together had been a fast and furious experience and she wanted more of him. The discomfort in her mate mark heightened with each passing day, especially, when she was aroused. Right now, it was a blazing inferno.

  He grabbed her hand and placed it on the table. She smiled as she thought about how she got to him as much as he did her. He may carry the ghost of a female, but Shae would be damned if she played second. Whatever the Goddess did to make it so, Shae was Gerrick’s Fated Mate now and he needed to accept that fully. There was no other way forward for them. Remaining mired in the past would only taint their future.

  Determination set, Shae tuned into the conversation. “...I’m not sure I can help, but maybe between the two of us, we can pinpoint the direction, kinda like a compass,” Jessie added, looking directly at Shae.

  She had no idea what had been said, but she was grateful not to be the sole focus of the conversation. “That’s a great idea. If we add Cami, that’s three of us,” Shae suggested, guessing at the direction the conversation had taken.

  “Aye, ‘tis worth a try. Shae, Jessie and Cami will guide us in what I hope is no’ a wild goose chase. We leave at dusk,” Zander said in dismissal.

  Everyone left the war room in a flurry of conversations. Shae proceeded to the exit when Zander waylaid Gerrick. A Dark Warrior she had only met once on the night of her recuse stopped her in the large entryway. Santiago Reyes was a wolf shifter and Orlando’s partner at the Seattle Police Department.

  Sweat beaded on her spine from nervousness. What did the Dark Warrior want? What if Bhric and Rhys hadn’t gotten to the Fae fast enough and the humans found the body? To cause information about the Tehrex Realm to leak to the human population was a death sentence. Surely, she hadn’t survived thus far only to be killed now.

  “I just need a quick minute with you. Don’t worry, you’re not in trouble,” he hastened to reassure her.

  “I’m not sure what more I can tell you than I haven’t already said, but okay.” She crossed her arms over her chest and waited to hear what he had to say.

  “It’s not really what you can do for me, but what I can do for you.”

  “That sounds ominous,” she quipped.

  He chuckled. “Look, I heard what you said about your temper and the outlet that the fighting cages gave you. Be at this location in two nights at midnight if you want to find another channel for that anger. I know you don’t want to hurt anyone, but rage has a way of making those decisions for you.”

  “You sound like you’re speaking from experience,” she said, accepting the business card from him. One side was printed with his SPD information and the other had a hand-written address that she recognized. It was way out in the boondocks beyond the suburbs of the east-side. This area was well known as being a great place for shifters to run safely because it was heavily wooded and sparsely populated.

  “Be there if you want to learn more,” he instructed, ignoring her statement. He tipped his head to her and walked off before she said another word. She tucked the card into the pocket of the borrowed sweats as Gerrick came up behind her.

  “What was that all about?” he asked, eyeing his fellow warrior as he climbed the stairs with an animal’s grace.

  “Honestly, I have no idea. He didn’t really say much,” she prevaricated, following him up the stairs. She didn’t think Gerrick would agree with her going to the middle of nowhere on a vague recommendation from another male. It didn’t matter that they’d fought side by side for centuries, the mating compulsion made males insanely protective of their female. Gerrick wouldn’t want her in any risk whatsoever. The sentiment should have given her hope, but it didn’t. She understood he was helpless against the impulses. The reality was that he had closed himself off to love long ago and she wanted the fairytale…his body, heart and soul.

  “We’ve both had a rough couple days and you need to get to bed before you fall asleep standing up,” he muttered.

  “I’m not tired,” she whispered on a yawn, but fatigue had her drooping. He picked her up and carried her up the stairs. Electricity zinged through her the second they touched and had her surging awake between one heartbeat and the next.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Rhys O’Morda, cambion and Dark Warrior, stopped sprinting and braced his hands on his knees, catching his breath. The presence was back and it was beginning to annoy the hell out of him. He’d begun feeling as if he was being watched about six months prior, but had never been able to find anything. It was as if he had an invisible stalker, a shy one at that.

  He stood up and wiped the sweat from his brow and glanced around the park. It was early morning and numerous humans had started their day by getting in a run, as well. Even though experience as of late told him he wouldn’t see anyone there, he was still disappointed when he detected nothing. Stretching his legs and back, he considered going for another ten miles. The twenty he’d already run hadn’t been enough to take the edge off his sexual needs. He should have gone to Confetti Too and hooked up with a willing female, but he was tired of that same old game.

  His fellow warriors teased him incessantly about his sexual exploits and Rhys knew they saw him as little more than a sex demon, but there was so much more to him. He didn’t blame them for their preconceptions and honestly hadn’t tried very hard to dispel them. He lived his life to the fullest, loved to have a good time and loved flirting with the females. Still, he’d tired of the same old pursuit over a century ago. The others would have scoffed at him if he’d admitted how jealous he was of everyone finding their Fated Mates. Truth was, Rhys longed to find his other half. Typically, he would seek female companionship when his sexual need could no longer be curtailed by physical exercise, but he was never truly satisfied.

  Rhys was twisting his torso when the air around him shimmered. He went on instant alert and glanced around the clearing. What the hell was going on? Could the demons have found him? And, if so, what would they want with him? The mornin
g sun was cresting the horizon which told him it was unlikely a demon. Thank the Goddess neither the archdemons, nor their skirm, were able to go out in the sunlight, but he didn’t relax his vigilance.

  An opaque veil surrounded him, muting the world around him. Three red-winged figures appeared inside the veil and stood shoulder-to-shoulder facing him. What the fuck? He’d heard stories about angels, but had never faced any, let alone three male angels. Pissed off angels, if their facial expressions were anything to go by.

  “I didn’t know there was going to be a party in the park this morning. I’d have brought some of my hey juice had I known,” he quipped, hoping against hope that they had a sense of humor.

  “I told you he’s an imbecile. We should behead him now and look elsewhere for Illianna,” snarled a male with black hair and even blacker eyes. Okay, so no sense of humor. Rhys inched his hand to the side of the veil and when electricity zapped his fingertips, he knew he was in trouble.

  “Don’t bother, mongrel. There is no way out of our net until we get our answers,” declared another male with brown hair and green eyes.

  “Well then, I guess I’ll need those questions.” Rhys worried the humans were going to notice this little scene. It was hard to miss three massive angels with red wings, but no one seemed to pay them any attention.

  “Where is our sister Illianna?” spat the last male who had blond hair and brown eyes.

  Rhys’ eyebrows lowered in confusion. “I have no idea who you are talking about. I don’t know any Illianna and I don’t think I’ve ever slept with one. What does she look like? I assume she’s an angel,” he replied wracking his brain. Surely, he hadn’t fucked an angel and not known it. He didn’t think they could hide their wings.

  “She’s nothing like us. Her wings are gold to befit her station and her hair is nearly the same shade. Her silver eyes reflect the world to you and she has the sweetest heart of any living being. She went missing over a century ago and we haven’t been able to get hints of her location until tonight when our searches led us to you. What have you done with Illianna?” With that, the angel with black hair took a step forward and grabbed Rhys by the throat. Rhys wasn’t a small male, but these angels towered over his six-foot-two-inch height. And their wings made them seem more massive than even Bhric. Rhys gulped, suddenly more worried about being trapped by three pissed off angels. Whoever started the rumor that angels were sweet and loving creatures hadn’t met this bunch.