Also, she had a meeting to prepare for. Patrick Mulholland from the shifter pack was meeting up with Kelton to check up on how the boys were doing and Kelton wanted all the information she could lay her hands on with regards to their progress. Luckily, Kelton was going to meet him alone. She just didn’t have the time to spare to go, even though she would have loved to have seen Patrick. He was a breath of fresh air and always fun to be around.
It was such a difficult situation for them all. Caleb and Rees had been stuck with the warrior mark and now they were training with people that they didn’t know and didn’t have anything in common with. It was sure to be a hard journey for them. Luckily, they seemed to be settling in better than expected.
Who knew what the future would hold? They were clueless as to how this would all turn out in the long run. The shifters spending their lives away from the pack to defend the Lamia Matris would be difficult for them. They would somehow have to juggle their lives and their warrior roles, which wouldn’t be a piece of cake. Typically, the warriors give up about eighty per cent of their time to protect the Matris, having very little time for a private life. This was something Kelton and Patrick would have to sort out with the boys.
Obviously, Patrick’s worry about his two young pack members was totally understandable. He and Kelton had known each other for a number of years, which was a huge benefit in this situation. At least his boys were with someone he knew and trusted. Not that it would stop him worrying, though.
Kayleigh liked Patrick. He was a good guy, down to earth and told you things straight. He didn’t hold anything back. If there was something he wasn’t happy with, he’d speak up without hesitation. So far, things were working for them. Which was lucky because see a Master Warrior and a pack Alpha going head to head wouldn’t be a pretty sight. They both had the boys’ best interest at heart, but it was inevitable that they wouldn’t always see eye to eye on how things were going. Kayleigh wasn’t looking forward to that at all.
She used the key that Kelton gave her to unlock his office. He would be along as soon as he wrapped up training and got showered. He needed a couple of things to take with him. Of course, he could have got them himself, but she was always happy to help out, no matter how full her workload. He was the love of her life and she would do anything to make things easier for him.
“I don’t like this.” Patrick said.
They were sitting in an old diner in Brandestowen, the rapidly cooling coffee in front of them was all but forgotten.
“You think I do? Nothing like this has ever happened before. We were shocked enough when a female of our kind got the warrior mark, but this? I didn’t see it coming. None of us did. Believe me, we’re trying to make the best of it for all concerned.”
“I know you are. This is so fucked up, that’s what it is. I can’t do a bloody thing about it.”
“But, what else can we do? The boys are settling in better than we expected them to. We can only work with what we’ve got. You tried to keep them from fighting with us and that didn’t work out so well. What else can we do? This is it.”
Patrick shook his head. “Nothing. That’s what so frustrating. I’m sorry. I know you’re doing your best, but I’m feeling a little helpless here. Not a good feeling for an Alpha.”
“I can imagine.”
“You know what’s worse?” Patrick thumped a hand down on the table. “I’m not just thinking about what’s happening now. I’m thinking about their future. Their lives. Are my boys going to be with, protecting your lot for the rest of their lives? Where does that leave the pack?” Patrick’s eyes were getting darker and dark, but he was managing to hold in his rage. He didn’t want to rail at Kelton, but he needed to vent. His anger wasn’t directed at his friend as none of this was his fault and he was helping in the best way he could. He and the warrior were trying to make the best of a bad situation, but in Patrick’s mind, it still wasn’t good enough.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen yet. You know how strong the call of the mark is. We’ll have to all wait until after the training is complete to see what happens next.”
“But now? What about now? What about the pack?”
“We’ll have to make arrangements for them to come home for a visit. I know how strong the connection is between you all.”
“But, will a visit be enough?”
“It’ll have to be. There’s not much else I can do. They need to train.”
“They need their pack.”
There was a dark silence between them as they both tried think of a solution, both coming up blank.
Patrick looked at Kelton thoughtfully. “You were going to try and work around it with that girl, the one that got the mark. How did that go?”
“Aisline?”
“Yeah, her.”
“Well, she opted to fight so we didn’t need to try and work against anything.”
“So, we don’t actually know what we’re doing with my boys? We’re just winging it?” Patrick snapped bitterly.
“Look, we’re winging it the best we can. This is unprecedented. This isn’t an easy situation for anyone, you know. I’m doing the best I can.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. The boys are doing great. It’s taking a while for the older one to settle in, but he’s getting there. They seem to be making friends, which will make things easier for them both. We’re doing the best we can.”
Patrick nodded. “I appreciate it.”
Kelton leant forward in his chair. “It’s all going to shit. I don’t mean the boys. They’re doing great with their training and are going to be important members of our team. But, today we received word from one of our other academies that there is a possibility that another two females of our race have received the mark.”
“Two? Two more females? Why is this happening now?”
Kelton shrugged. “It’s not something that anyone can explain.”
“But why is there such a large time gap between the death of your leader and the marks appearing on these people? It makes no sense.” Patrick didn’t understand anything about the magic of the mark, but he was willing to learn. He had to learn in order to help Caleb and Rees. The more he knew about it, the more he had something to work with. Knowledge is power, as they say.
“Actually, there hasn’t been much of a gap between these latest marks showing up from what I was told. We’ve no idea why Aisline got her mark more or less straight away, or why the others are only recently appearing. Apparently, if it’s true, the girls received their marks at the same time as your boys. The academy is waiting to hear more news on them. The last thing I heard was that the girls were abroad with their mother and are heading home.”
“So, they’re on their way back?”
“Thankfully not to us. We’ve got more than enough to deal with at the moment. But, the warriors are keeping me up to date with any information they receive, so when I find out more, I’ll let you know.”
“So, do you think that the boys were different because they aren’t Lamia? What about the girls? Are there any more of them? Have you heard anything about them?”
“These are the only one’s we’re aware of at the moment. As of yet, anyway. Anything could happen. Yeah, there could be others out there, not knowing what this mark is or what they’re fighting against. Take Caleb and Rees for example. If you had not known me personally and trusted me to take good care of them, what would you have done? Would you have known to contact the Sons?”
Patrick thought about it for a moment. “Probably not.” He and Kelton had been friends for years, meeting up every so often to catch up and chill out. He had gotten used to seeing Kelton with the warrior mark covered up whenever he was out in public, but he knew it was there and what it stood for. If he didn’t know, he dread to think what could have happened to his boys. He saw the struggle they were going through, the uncertain emotions and desires.
Their friendship had grown several years ago. Patri
ck had been consulting with Bartholomew over some security issues. At the time, the Mortuorum had been causing some problems for the pack, moving into territory they shouldn’t have, and Patrick had come to the Sons to see what could be done about it. He was the Alpha, the pack leader, and he would do all that he could to ensure their safety, even talking to the bloodsuckers. Liaising with the vampires had seemed the only course of action at the time, and ended up being a fortuitous meeting.
Kelton was definitely one of the good guys. Before speaking with Bartholomew, Patrick never thought that he would have ever voluntarily spent time with a fanger, but with Kelton, he could happily overlook that fact. Kelton was cool.
“So, to be honest with you, we’ve no idea what’s happening out there and what we do know, we don’t understand. You feel me?” Kelton was as frustrated about the whole thing as Patrick was. The call about the possible other two females coming into the scene had been playing on his mind. If there were two more out there, there was possibly more. And, now that the mark was hitting the shifters, there was no telling where this was going to stop.
“Tell me, how are they doing? Really? You’ll see through all of their bullshit. How are they coping with the changes?” Patrick was immensely worried about his boys. Being surrounded by the vamps was sure to be taking a toll on them. They were pack. Pack was what they were used to. This was so far out of the ordinary for them that it was unthinkable. Patrick wasn’t sure how he would handle it himself. Sure, he was friends with Kelton, but that was through choice. Being thrown in with them, working alongside several hundred of them and protecting their people was a whole other deal.
“I promised you that I would be keeping a close eye on them and I have. Rees is doing brilliantly. He’s working with Verynai and the reports I’ve been getting are glowing. He’s not letting any aspect of the training phase him. He’s getting in there with the other boys, training and socialising. He seems to be adjusting well, especially considering the circumstances.”
“And Caleb?”
“He’s getting there, I can tell you that. But it’s clear that he’s very bitter about the whole situation. He’s breezing through the training and physical side of things. The rest will come with time. He’s already making progress with the other guys. It’s just going to take him a little more time that his brother.” Kelton was watching Caleb especially closely. The boy was fragile, despite his harsh exterior. He didn’t want this situation to destroy him beyond repair.
Patrick sighed. They were doing better than he expected, but he still worried. Unfortunately, with Caleb, that was pretty much as he had expected. “Keep watching over him, please. I know he can be a handful, but he’s a good kid.”
“I don’t doubt that for a second.” Kelton nodded and sank the end of his stone cold coffee.
He’d always loved this old place. It was Matris owned and he’d been coming here since he was a young boy. The lady who ran the place, Jean, always slid him an extra piece of pie when he wasn’t looking. He loved being here. It was his one place of peace.
“I need to get back. Sorry to cut this short.”
“It’s understandable. You’ve got a hell of a lot going on at the moment.” Patrick shrugged on his leather jacket. “How’s Kayleigh?” He always asked after her. She was a beautiful person, inside and out. Kelton was a lucky dog to have her.
“She’s good, thanks. She’s the one who is mentoring Aisline, which is keeping her busy.”
“I can imagine after what happened to her, the poor kid. Tell her I was asking after her.” Patrick held out a hand, which Kelton shook.
“I’ll try and arrange something for the boys to come home for a few days.”
“Appreciate it.” Patrick nodded.
They didn’t share another word and Kelton watched as Patrick walked out of the old diner. People moved out of his way, not that he could blame them. Patrick was a tall man, well built with tattoos, leather and a badass attitude. He was a menacing sight to behold.
Within moments, Kelton heard the roar of Patrick’s Harley. Following his lead, Kelton left the comfort of the diner. He needed to get back out on the streets. He was taking some time away from training to take a stint out doing the real business. Even though he loved training the young guys, the need to get out there on the streets was strong and he couldn’t stay cooped up in the academy for long.
He was meeting up with a couple of the other warriors in five minutes. They had a lead on a Mortuorum nest. Kelton could feel the blood pumping around his body in anticipation.
Clearing his mind of what was happening back at the academy, he had to make sure to concentrate on the here and now. Tomorrow would come fast enough and he’d be back at the academy, putting the trainees through their paces. Tonight, he was going to relish the hunt.
Chapter Seventeen
It had been a bloodthirsty night. The Mortuorum had been out in force and the Sons had a blast cutting them down to size. Kelton couldn’t wait to get back to the academy to wash the stench of evil from his skin.
It had also been one of the most productive nights they’d had in a very long time. The information with regards to the nest had been spot on the money. The warriors had not had quite so many bodies to dispose of in a long time. The rescue mission to get Aisline back had been an out of the ordinary event, but this bloodbath tonight had come close in regards to death toll. All the warriors that had been out with Kelton were on a high as they sped back to the academy in a convoy.
This was what it was all about. This was the life of a warrior. Sure, Kelton loved training the recruits almost as much as he loved being out in the field, but this was what he had been born for. Seeing those young minds and bodies develop into the strength and determination of a warrior was a wondrous thing to behold, but nothing beat actually going out there and taking down the enemy, making a difference in their world. That was what it was all about. Ridding the world of the enemy and making it a safer place for all to live.
Dawn was already peeking over the horizon as they wound their way along the country lanes outside Mason. Training would have already wrapped up long ago, giving the students some time to wind down before lights out. At least that meant that Kelton would be able to head straight to his suite of rooms that he shared with Kayleigh. The report that he’d have to write up about the nights events could wait until the morning.
As he headed up the convoy of cars that headed up the long tree covered driveway, Kelton frowned. There was some kind of light and activity centred at the front of the mansion. He sped the car up. He couldn’t tell from this distance what was going on up there, but he had a gut feeling that it wasn’t going to be anything good. So much for getting a shower and an early night.
Slamming the car to a halt, Kelton jumped out of the car, hearing the screeching of squealing tires behind him. The last thing he had expected was to be confronted by a group of angry bikers on their return. The anger that emanated off of them was like a solid red mist.
“What’s going on here?” Kelton asked in an official tone, looking around at the shifters. He couldn’t see Patrick among them.
“What’s going on?” One of the shifters closest to him sneered. “Keeping our boys hostage, that’s what’s going on, fanger.”
Kelton glared at him. Patrick’s pack was one of the largest in the country, if not the world. He knew many of the pack members, but unfortunately, he didn’t recognise anyone in this crowd. That didn’t bode well.
The guy in front of him, who was clearly acting as a spokesperson for the rest of the group, nearly matched him in height and frame. Nearly, but not quite. Not that it would have mattered, anyway. Kelton refused to be intimidated by anyone. Hell, he was standing there in front of the group and he was still covered in his enemy’s blood. He’d already had a hell of a night and this was not how he had expected it to end. This shifter in front of him may look all badass in his leathers and his Harley, but Kelton looked lethal.
“Holding who hostage?�
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“Our boys.”
“Are you being serious?”
“Yeah, asshole. I’m deadly serious.” The shifter stepped forward. “When you don’t let them have any contact with their own kind and force them to stay here with you bloodsuckers against their will, then that is a hostage situation. You get me?”
Kelton had to bite back a very inappropriate burst of laughter. “No one is stopping any of the boys at this academy from contacting their family. Caleb and Rees can contact their families and pack members any time they choose. Only tonight I was discussing with your Alpha about arranging the opportunity for them to return home for a visit. But, they are here to train and learn, just like the rest of them.”
“Bullshit.”
“They have received the mark of the warrior. This is the only way that they can fulfil the urges that it generates. It was their choice to come here. They and your pack master made the decision.”
The shifter mumbled something unintelligible. Warrior Kelton wondered for a moment if Patrick was worried about dissension in the ranks of his pack. He hadn’t mentioned anything earlier in the evening. This little outburst wasn’t something he would have sanctioned and he was sure to be pretty damned unimpressed about so many members of his pack going behind his back like this.
“Well, we’re here to see them.” The shifter demanded.
Kelton stood his ground. “As I said, they are not being held hostage here at the academy. But, they do have to abide by the same rules as the rest of them. We have specific visiting time. And now is not the time.”
“We are here to see Caleb and Rees and you ain’t gonna stop us.” The shifter growled.
“I won’t stop you, if you come back at a more appropriate time. They have just had a full day of training and they are sure to be exhausted. Now is not the time for this.”
Dawn of a New Age: A Sons of Satrina Novel Page 19