Lycan Warrior

by Anastasia Maltezos

  “We…we just accept our fate?”

  “Is it so hard to care for me?” he asked.

  “Well, I…I like you, so the Universe and its legend must know what it’s doing,” she quipped.

  A hint of a smile softened his handsome features. “Like. That is how you feel about me?” He paused. “Fascinating.” He tightened his hold around her.

  “Why are you surprised I like you?”

  Malek raised an arrogant brow. “I know you burn with desire for me. I know you yearn for my touch as I yearn for yours. I know you sense me one hundred paces away and feel what I feel. I am not sure I would use like as the word to describe what we feel.”

  “Don’t knock it. It’s what people feel when the compassion begins, the caring, the warmth. Like enhances the attraction and passion. And then comes lo—” Katya froze at what she was about to say.

  “Love?”

  Her gaze wavered under his dark, penetrable stare. “Y-yes.”

  “So you think you may grow to love me?”

  “You’re making fun of me.” She wished they could drop the subject.

  His expression was serious. “I do not jest about things like this.”

  Thunder rolled with the ferocity of a thousand lions roaring in their tent and she stiffened under him. “I…I think the Gods want us to stop talking about this.

  “I think not, but it is late and we need to go to sleep.” Malek rolled over on his side, taking her with him, as he pulled the cover over their bodies. His strong arms clasped around her.

  She was surprised. “Together?”

  “My one will not sleep alone.” He closed his eyes.

  After a short while, his breathing evened and she realised he was asleep.

  It took her a long time to fall asleep. She lay in his arms, sated and warm, wondering how she was going to tell him she was barren.

  Chapter Six

  The next day, Katya woke up to an empty cot. Malek was gone. She glanced around the tent and saw the bread and cheese on a plate for her by the basin. She knew Malek had placed it there and she was warmed by his thoughtfulness. She ate quickly, washed herself, and dressed in her trousers and shirt before she went outside and saw the guards packing up the camp.

  She saw Malek striding toward her and her face warmed. Katya still was unable to believe he was her one.

  “We leave within the hour,” he said abruptly. “If we travel without stopping, we can make it past the mountains before dark. Mount Trotus will be a half day’s ride after that, so we should make it to the waterfall by tomorrow morning.”

  She frowned. Was this the same man who had made mad, passionate love to her last night? The man who spoke of their souls and how they’d been connected since the birth of time? She was irked he could dismiss it so easily.

  “Ten of my men are staying here with you. I will be travelling to Trotus with my remaining guards and you will wait for our return tomorrow night.”

  “There are traps in the woods at the base of Trotus. Traps made with silver. You’ll be killed!”

  “I have survived many battles in two hundred years. Fear not for my safety.” He then turned away.

  Katya grabbed his arm and he gave her a questioning look. “No! I have to come.”

  His jaw tensed as he glanced down at her hand. “I cannot risk your safety. You will remain here. Ortega and my men are under strict orders to guard you with their life.”

  Worry lined her brow. “Malek, I know the terrain. I must go with you.”

  “You will remain here.”

  She knew arguing with him was futile, so Katya nodded, thinking she wasn’t going to give up that easily.

  She turned to walk away, but his hand on her arm stopped her. The look in his eyes took her breath away. His expression wasn’t aloof or cold. There was heat in his eyes. Heat, warmth, affection. Slowly, he lowered his head and kissed her. Malek withdrew before she could catch her breath.

  “You worry about me,” he said. “That is good.”

  * * * *

  Malek and his men reached Trotus’s base just before sunrise. The waterfall was just ahead and there were no signs of Lycans from Balkathan’s lair. He knew Balkathan’s Vampires were asleep since it was almost sunrise. He paid attention to the area so when he returned to the castle he could map out the region to the king.

  A noise snapped his gaze to the left and he motioned with his hand to his guards behind him to remain silent. He saw three Lycans walk onto the grounds just as the sun rose. He couldn’t make them out. A rustle behind him made his hair at the back of his nape rise. He turned around, astounded to see Katya. He released a soft, yet angry growl.

  “What the devil are you doing here? I specifically told you to remain at the camp,” Malek whispered angrily.

  “I’m here to help.” Katya pointed to his left. “Just there. Once the sun rises, you’ll see the entrance.”

  “Do not change the subject.”

  “I’m not.” She released a frustrated sigh. “Look, I appreciate how serious you’re taking your role protecting me, but you fail to acknowledge one fact.”

  “What is that?” he asked tightly.

  “I was imprisoned here for two years and survived. I think I can survive a scouting trip—Oh look! The sun’s rising. See how the light penetrates that range of leaves by the large oak tree. In a second you’ll see it’s not leaves, but a shadow—the entrance to Balkathan’s caverns.”

  He looked to where she was indicating and narrowed his eyes. “I see it.”

  “The sun will move for a few more seconds and then the entrance will disappear, making it look like leaves again. Rumour has it, Balkathan has a witch working for him who cast a spell on his entrance to guard his lair.”

  “How do you know all this?”

  “I was here for two years. I overheard a lot from the guards.”

  There was a rustle on the left and they all crouched down.

  “Damnation, Katya! Ortega is probably combing the hills for you.”

  “Don’t worry. I left him a note. He knows I followed you here.”

  He tossed her a hard glare. “And that makes it better?”

  “No, but at least he’s not worried. He knows I have you to protect me,” she replied cheekily.

  Frustrated, he glanced back at the guards by the entrance and grew cold. The morning sun now lit upon them and he made them out clearly, one in particular who made his breath catch.

  “Malek, is that…is that…” he heard Falk whisper hoarsely behind him.

  “Aye.” Malek said in a strangled voice, peering at one of the three Lycans.

  “Who?” Katya asked.

  “The tallest one with the dark hair,” Malek replied grimly.

  “That’s Gar, Balkathan’s chief guard. Malek, he’s the one who helped me escape. The one I told you about,” Katya said.

  Malek didn’t have time to react to this astonishing piece of information. Slowly, he pulled his sword from his belt. “Prepare for battle, Falk,” he said with dead calm. “I’m bringing my brother home.”

  Katya gasped. “Your brother? Gar is Garrek?”

  “Yes. Falk, keep her here by force, if you have to.”

  “Aye, sir.”

  Then Malek moved forward and his men followed him. He ignored the outraged gasp of Katya behind him, knowing Falk had grabbed her by the arm to stop her from following him.

  Malek kept his gaze fastened on his brother. He was just a few paces away, the thick brush of trees hiding Malek’s approach. It was now or never, he thought. An opportunity like this might never arise again.

  He vaulted through the air and stopped before Garrek who quickly recovered from his surprise and raised his own sword.

  Malek heard his men around him fighting Balkathan’s Lycans. No one had shifted, yet, all fighting in their human form, the clanking sound of silver swords disturbing the quiet morning. Then the unthinkable happened. A stream of Lycans exited the lair’s entrance and joined the battl
e. Malek and his men couldn’t keep up as they were slowly being outnumbered.

  “I am your brother, dammit! Can you not remember me?” Malek roared as he raised his sword to shield his body from Garrek’s swing of silver.

  “My brother is dead,” Garrek said.

  “I am alive, you fool. Look at me!” He heard Katya scream and his heart jolted in fear as he turned to the spot where he’d left her with Falk. “Katya!” he roared.

  She wasn’t there.

  While he fended off his brother’s attacks, he cast a fearful look around him and spotted Katya in her She-Lycan form fighting off two massive wolves. Damnation! She is going to get herself killed!

  “Malek, there’s too many of them!” Falk yelled. “We must retreat.”

  Malek knew Falk was right, but he had to save Katya, and he had to bring Garrek back home. He turned to Garrek, but his brother was nowhere in sight and two other Lycans were advancing on him, growling and snapping their jaws.

  There must have been thirty of Balkathan’s men fighting his band of ten. Two silver arrows pierced the air and killed the two Lycans ready to pounce on Malek. He turned and saw Falk readying another arrow.

  “Malek, they have Katya!” Nolan yelled.

  Cold dread filled his limbs as he looked at the entrance. Two Lycans were dragging Katya in her She-Lycan form into the lair, Garrek standing over her with his sword pressed against her neck.

  “No!” Malek roared.

  He was about to spring forward, but Falk grabbed him and dragged him back, saying hoarsely, “Malek, we cannot win this battle. We must retreat.”

  “No, dammit!” Malek growled, about to pull himself out of Falk’s arms, but Nolan appeared and held onto him as well.

  “Sir, you cannot save her now. It will be suicide,” he said. “We must return with more men.”

  Malek had never felt more helpless in his life. He couldn’t save his brother. And now, he couldn’t save Katya.

  “Malek,” Falk said quietly. “Katya is a great warrior woman. She will survive until we return for her.”

  Malek knew Falk was right. They needed more than ten guards to rescue Katya. Balkathan had a huge army and they needed all the reinforcements they could get.

  “Move out!” he barked “I want to return within two days!”

  “Aye, sir.”

  * * * *

  She stood before Balkathan, staring at him with hatred emanating from her soul. A guard strode in and tossed her a tattered shift and she stared at it, slowly reverting to her human form. She put on the shift to cover her nakedness.

  “I have always known you were my granddaughter, Katya.”

  “You had your wolves rape me.”

  “Your child would have my blood. I would have an army of super soldiers. It was unfortunate after many matings, you could not a produce a child.”

  “Bastard. You left me in that cell to die. I went mad.”

  “Again, unfortunate, but you escaped, my resourceful little girl, didn’t you?”

  “The king will know of your lair and kill you.”

  “No, he will not. As I said, it is unfortunate you could not produce a child for me, but it is of no matter. It has always been my daughter I’ve really wanted by my side, my powerful, strong, unique daughter.”

  She gasped.

  “Surprised? Oh, I’ve known where Eve was since the beginning, even when she disappeared to the Orient for two hundred years. Do you really think I would let her out of my sight? Now, she is half vampire, half Lycan. She will be a force to be reckoned with.”

  “She’ll kill you. She’ll never turn to your dark side. She’s always known you were insane. That’s why she disappeared from your life three hundred years ago and went into hiding.”

  “Of course she will rule by my side, my silly child. Now, that I have you again, she will come for you and I will have my powerful daughter back.”

  “Bastard!”

  “Silence! Be happy I didn’t kill you myself for failing to live up to my standards.” He looked at Garrek. “Take her away!”

  Chapter Seven

  It had been almost two months since she’d been in Balkathan’s lair and she stiffened as she walked through the dark, dimly lit tunnels. The air smelled stale and filthy. She winced at the memories rushing forth. She heard whimpers and sobs along each dark prison cell she passed. She had to do something. Gar grabbed her arm and stopped her. Surprised, she realised she was in front of her old cell, the one she’d shared with the other women until she’d been sent to isolation. He unlocked the chain and opened the gated door, shoving her inside.

  She stumbled into the darkness. There was a small candle lit at the side of the room and it took her a moment to gather her bearings. She heard a wrenched sob to her far left and felt arms go around her.

  “Katya! You’re back!” cried Elizabeth.

  Katya breathed with relief. She was alive! She hugged her and grabbed her face, casting a shrewd look around her pretty blonde features. “Are you okay?”

  The girl’s face crumpled as she nodded. “Everything is the same. They took Juliet away yesterday. She is with child.”

  Katya gritted her teeth. Damn it! She looked around the cell as the other women came forward, sobbing and crying, their faces gaunt and hollow from lack of nourishment. Katya tensed. They had to get out of there now.

  “Stand back, wenches,” Garrek said, coming toward them.

  With dismay, Katya eyed the neck brace he was holding. He was going to place it on her and once he did, all hope would be lost. “Please! You helped me once. Don’t you remember? Help us.”

  “I remember nothing. Now, all of you stand back!”

  “You’re Garrek, Malek’s brother! Not Gar. Please remember.” She caught a flicker of recognition on his face as soon as she mentioned Malek’s name, but it disappeared quickly and his expression was cold again.

  Katya thought fast.

  She gave the women a frantic look, knowing her eyes were turning amber, and she whispered urgently, “We outnumber him.”

  Without another thought, she shifted in her She-Lycan, catching Gar by surprise, and sprung to him, pushing him to the floor. Katya grabbed the neck brace from his hand and wrenched it from his fingers.

  “Hold his head down!” she yelled to the women. “Quick, before he shifts!”

  Elizabeth was the first person who fell to her knees and grabbed his head. Garrek’s eyes were turning amber and he growled. Katya panicked. She had only seconds to secure the brace around his neck. The women fell over his body to keep it down. Katya thanked God they were Lycan who possessed great strength.

  She fumbled with the brace around his neck and snapped it in place. She was breathing hard.

  His eyes reverted back to their human dark colour and he snarled. Garrek wasn’t stupid. He knew his shift would kill him. The women fell back, sobbing with relief.

  Katya couldn’t believe they had done it. Now, was the hard part, leaving the underground caverns. She shifted back to her human and released a ragged breath. Someone, she wasn’t sure who, shoved a filthy shift on her naked lap, and she clutched it numbly as she stared into Garrek’s dark, cold eyes. Katya blinked. His eyes were so much like Malek’s, so dark they were almost back, with thick lashes and prominent eyebrows.

  “You may want to kill me now, but once my mother clears your mind, you’ll thank me,” she said.

  Elizabeth gasped. “You know him?”

  Katya nodded, staring into his cold, empty eyes. “He is my one’s brother.”

  “You met your one?” cried one woman.

  “Oh, Katya, that’s wonderful news,” cried another woman.

  “Who…who is he?” Elizabeth asked.

  Katya shoved the shift over her naked limbs. “It’s a long story. First, we all have to get the hell out of here.” She looked down at Garrek. “Sorry about this.” She then grabbed a small boulder and hit him over the head with it, knocking him out. The women gasped. “We can’t ha
ve him ruining our escape. We’re too close to freedom.” She looked at Gweneth and Holly. “You two are the strongest. Together, you two carry him, and the rest of you follow me closely behind. Elizabeth, stay right behind me.”

  Elizabeth’s eyes swelled with tears. “Are we really getting out of here?”

  Katya swallowed the lump that lodged in the throat. She wiped an errant tear from the girl’s cheek. “Yes. Stay close. We move now. Maya, blow out that candle. I don’t want anyone noticing the cell is empty until we’re as far away as possible from here.”

  They weaved slowly through the dark corridors, heading toward the exit. Surprisingly, the tunnel was deserted. She stiffened when she saw two of Balkathan’s men standing guard inside the exit. She couldn’t sense their Lycan so she guessed they were Vampire. Luck was on their side because it was sunrise and they had to sleep.

  “Stay hidden!” she told the women behind her. “They’re vampire. The sun has already risen and they will have to change positions with Balkathan’s Lycans. Our only chance is if the entrance is unguarded even for a few seconds.”

  “I’m scared, Katya,” she heard Elizabeth whimper.

  Katya slid her hand behind her and grabbed the girl’s hand, holding it tight. “We’ll make it. I promise.” Inwardly, she prayed she was right.

  They waited for what seemed forever until the guards turned around. “They’re here,” she heard one of them say. She turned to the women. “We go now as fast as we can. As soon as I move, follow me.”

  Katya gritted her teeth. She prayed they had a one-minute window of opportunity. She watched the vampire guards leave and waited a split second. The Lycans were on their way, she realised, hearing their footsteps down the long, dark tunnel. They had to get out now, before the Lycans took their posts.

  “Now!” she said urgently as she tightened her grip on Elizabeth’s hand and ran.

  She heard the women following behind her and she ran past the entrance, squinting at the rosy hue of the rising sun. She bolted out of the entrance, wishing she could take a moment to smell the fresh air, and ran past a thick tangle of trees towards a clearing past the falls. They just had to make it over that small hill. She trained her ear behind her for any signs of Lycans following them and heard nothing.