Fallen Warrior (The Fallen Cross Legion Book 3)

by Aliya DalRae

  Kyte nodded toward the wall. “Check it out.”

  The two males were unnaturally staid, which upped Martin’s curiosity level another notch. It took a lot to dampen their puckish attitudes, and right now they looked downright somber. He pushed his way through the crowd and got his first look at the board.

  Fan-fucking-tastic.

  Not only did he have to endure two hours of physical training this morning, but it appeared that, until further notice, there would be special training sessions with the Warrior, Viper. Something about a new threat to the Legion, but the announcement was vague. The others were discussing what kind of new weapons they would get to play with, which only made sense. Viper was the munitions expert, after all, but Martin wasn’t so sure. This felt bigger than a new gun or a variation on the M-bombs he’d created to counteract the Sorcerers’ magic.

  And for reasons that made no sense at all, it felt personal.

  Viper made his appearance then and shuffled them all into one of the classrooms off the north end of the training center. Martin selected a seat toward the back and soon had Oz and Kyte at his flanks.

  “What do you think it is?” Kyte drawled around the perpetual toothpick he held clutched in his teeth.

  Martin shrugged, and Oz said, “I don’t know but it better be big. I’ve got a new batch of Vampahol cooking, and I need to get back to it before it blows up.”

  Martin glanced at him, expecting to see a sign that he was joking, but the male looked worried. Great. Not only was that shit dangerous if you drank it, it would probably end up destroying their barracks. He started to say something, but Viper called them to order.

  “Quiet down. This is important. Starting tonight, you will all be required to undergo an additional two hours of training. To be clear, this will not replace your regularly scheduled drills, so don’t even think about showing up tired.”

  The news was met with a roomful of groans, but when Viper’s eyes sparked, everyone shut up.

  “This isn’t a joke. The Legion is now under a new threat. Not a potential threat, not a possible threat, an imminent threat. It could be tomorrow, or even next week. Maybe not for a year or more, but until it comes, we will train.”

  Oz threw his hand in the air but didn’t wait to be called upon before speaking. “So, what is this new threat?”

  Viper glared at him, but he answered. “What can any of you tell me about the Kurai Senshi?”

  “You’re kidding, right?” someone from the front called out above the rush of chatter that followed the Warrior’s question.

  Viper didn’t blink. He just stared at the guy who’d spoken. It didn’t take long for the rest of them to quiet down. A girl on the right raised her hand, and Viper nodded at her.

  “The Kurai Senshi are an ancient breed of Vampire. Well, maybe breed isn’t the right word. They were thought of as rejects, sort of the opposite of us. While our eyes spark, give off light as a reaction to emotion, the Kurai Senshi, or Dark Warriors, are controlled by the Shade. Their eyes turn black and they draw in all the light in the surrounding area. It’s said that they could even darken the stars and the moon.”

  Viper nodded. “That’s right.”

  “But sir,” the girl continued, “I thought they were a myth. One of those stories parents told their kids to get them to behave. You know, eat your vegetables, or the Kurai Senshi will come and take you away, that sort of thing.”

  “The Dark Warriors are and always have been a secretive bunch,” Viper said. “So much so, that most Vampires have never seen, let alone met one. If parents learned that their child held the Shade within them, they either abandoned them, killed them, or if they were brave enough, found a cadre of Kurai Senshi and turned the child over to them. It was, and still is, considered an embarrassment to have given life to a Dark Warrior. Most will never speak of the child again, as if he or she never existed. They pass it off as an unexpected death, a runaway, anything to absolve themselves of the shame. But I assure you, Nica, they are very real.”

  “But how are they a threat to us?” Kyte asked. “So, they don’t spark? So what?”

  Viper strode to the back of the room and drilled Kyte with a fierce look. “What they do is the exact opposite. Nica was right. They pull the light from the very air, leaving nothing, not even a drop of ambient light to draw from. As sensitive as our eyes are, we will be left completely blind. What will you do then, Kyte, when you are faced with an assassin who holds the very light of the heavens in his eyes, but has robbed you of the same? How will you combat that?”

  Martin looked back and forth between the Warrior and Soldier, mesmerized by Viper’s voice, terrified by his words.

  Viper slapped his palms on Kyte’s desk, causing every Soldier present to jump. He turned to the class and met each startled gaze with his cold, hard glare. “I’ll tell you what we do. Tonight, we learn to fight in the dark.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  M erlin stood outside the Soldier’s training facility, debating the wisdom of what he was about to do. Tas’s question the previous morning came too close to the truth. And while Merlin still agreed that hitting something could go a long way in helping him regain control of the Shade, he wasn’t convinced this was the place to do it.

  Maybe he should just go home, perhaps call Raven and see if he wanted to spar. The male still grumbled about Merlin’s assertions that he could take him out, threw out little challenges every chance he got. Maybe Merlin should just give him what he wanted. He knew it would be a good workout, but there was a downside. If Raven let his beast out on the Compound, Mason would kill them both. He didn’t want to think at all about what Jessica would do to them.

  But this wasn’t the way either. Merlin turned toward the path back to the manse but hadn’t taken two steps before Tas sauntered around the bend.

  The male was small for a Warrior, smaller even than Merlin’s six feet, but as he was turned rather than born Vampire, he was cursed to maintain the height he’d obtained as a human. Becoming Vampire had blessed him with other attributes, however, not the least of which being his ability to sense emotions and soothe situations that got out of control. That came in handy often, most usually when Raven’s beast threatened to go on a rampage. Now, it appeared Merlin was the one who needed access to Tas’s talents.

  His blond hair was pulled back into a tight man bun, and the broad smile he offered at the sight of Merlin lit up his face like a ray of sunshine.

  “Merlin,” he called. “You showed up after all. I thought maybe you wouldn’t after, well.”

  He offered his hand, and Merlin shook it, feeling trapped. If he left now, he’d never hear the end of it. He followed Tas through the door, the other male going on the entire time about Viper and the new training the Soldiers started that night, but Merlin wasn’t paying attention. His focus was immediately drawn to the pair of Soldiers grappling at the far end of the gym.

  Tas clapped him on the back and grinned. “You ready?”

  One of the males was thrown to the ground, and he lay there clutching his middle, trying to catch his breath as the other loomed over him. Martin let out a triumphant yell, beating his broad chest with a fist as he taunted the other male, his hard body glistening. Blond hair lay plastered to his forehead until he shook his head with another victorious roar, spraying an arc of sweat over the conquered Soldier at his feet.

  “Again!” he shouted at the other male, Osprey by the looks of it.

  “Always the teacher’s pet,” Oz grumbled, and Martin laughed, a masculine sound that made Merlin’s breath catch.

  “You ready?” Tas asked. For an empath he was surprisingly out of touch with the emotions Merlin currently tossed out like the first pitch on opening day.

  “This was a mistake.”

  Tas put a hand on Merlin’s shoulder and drew in a breath. “She’s here, isn’t she? The female we talked about yesterday?”

  Merlin nodded. There were a few females in the room, and it really didn’t matter
if he distinguished between them and Martin. Chromosomes weren’t going to change what was going on inside him, wouldn’t prevent him from getting lost in the Shade.

  Tas grinned. “You gonna tell me which one?”

  Merlin looked at his feet, at the walls, anywhere but at Martin. He knew the moment the Soldier saw him, though, felt it like a stun gun to the heart, and he couldn’t resist the call. He glanced up and the instant their eyes met Martin’s sparked. Distracted, he didn’t see the punch Oz threw, a solid hook to his jaw that sent him to the mats. As the other male crowed, Martin shook off the blow. He pushed himself to his feet again and glanced back at Merlin before returning his focus where it belonged.

  Merlin felt the Shade building inside him. The heat, the sweat, seeing Martin take a shot to the face sent a jolt of anger through him. He closed his eyes to fight off their inevitable reaction. He had to get out of there. Now.

  “I can’t do this,” he whispered, and turned to walk away.

  Tas grabbed his arm, preventing his escape, and said, “At least tell me who it is so we can work you in when she’s not here.”

  Merlin saw the wisdom in that, trusted Tas. Otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to answer. He stole a quick glance at the Soldier who had rocked his world off its axis, and felt the cuffs warming on his wrists. “The blond aristocrat,” he whispered, and headed for the door.

  “Wait.”

  Merlin looked back and Tas said, “We don’t have any females from the aristocracy in our ranks. In fact, the only noble we have is… ”

  Merlin pinned his gaze, and Tas’s eyes widened. “Oh, shit.”

  “Exactly,” Merlin said, and walked out the door.

  Chapter Fourteen

  N ox lay on the couch, his head in Rachel’s lap. Her long fingers raked through his hair, that gentle touch all it took to soothe the aches and pains that wracked his body.

  He’d been a Soldier for all of a couple months now, having proven himself in the battle with the ferals. His ordeal with the Primeval set him back a bit, but with Rachel by his side his recovery this time progressed in leaps and bounds. Who knew what the love of a good female could do for that sort of thing? He still had to pinch himself now and again to confirm it wasn’t a dream, that Rachel really was his and that theirs was the forever kind of love.

  The Link, that magical connection mated Vampires shared, should have been proof enough, but even that he struggled to accept as reality. Only her touch, her presence here with him, and her thoughts mingling with his in his head, kept his feet firmly planted on the ground.

  As she stroked him, soothed him, he told her about the new training Viper had implemented and what it entailed.

  “I’ve barely gotten the hang of fighting with my eyes open,” he said. “Now he’s throwing a blindfold over my good eye, turning out all the lights and beating me like I stole something. I swear, Rachel, this Bird Box shit is for the birds.”

  Rachel kissed his forehead and rubbed her fingers along his jawline. “I’ve faith in you, love. I know you’ll have the hang of things in no time.”

  “That’s just the thing.” Nox sat up and drew his female to him, nestled her close beneath his arm. “No time is exactly what we’ve got. I know we need to be prepared, that if the Kurai Senshi get a lock on Merlin, they’ll attack, and we have to be ready, but Christ on a kick stand.”

  “Are you rethinking your decision to join the Legion?” Her words were gentle, but they packed a hell of a punch.

  Nox shifted so he could see her expression. He found no allegation there, no judgement, but felt the need to explain himself nonetheless. “I’ll never regret joining the people who saved my life in an official capacity or otherwise. They could have killed me for the things I’ve done. We both know that, and if Primeval Magnus hadn’t been so fucking twisted, they might have. I guess we can thank his obsession with me for every breath I take, despite last month’s debacle. It’s just… I wonder if I’m cut out for it? All this war and hero shit?”

  Rachel pulled away from him and faced him full on. “What are you saying?”

  He dragged his own hand through his hair, missing the soothing feel of her fingers. “They make it all seem so easy,” he admitted. “The Warriors, even the Soldiers go through the drills, everything, like they were born to it. Sometimes I think, living as I did for so long, maybe I’m just too…”

  Her beautiful green eyes narrowed, and Nox grimaced. “Too what?” she said.

  “I don’t know.” He looked at his hands, turned them over to study his palms, then again to examine his bloodied knuckles. “Too soft, I guess.”

  Rachel’s eyes sparked and he knew when her Scottish brogue thickened that he’d said the wrong thing.

  “You listen to me, boyo. There’s nothing soft about you, and I would know as I’ve felt every bloody inch of you. Those males and even the females have been preparing for this practically their whole lives. For some of them, centuries. It’s more than luck that’s kept you alive all these years. Soft, my arse. What you lack in training you make up for in heart, in courage. There’s not a Vampire out there who could give more to the cause than you already have.

  “As for Magnus, it’s only a matter of time before he gets what’s coming to him. He deserves to be staked in the sun at the very least. The Consortium will reconvene soon, and when they do, it will be to hand down his punishment. There’s nothing they can do to him to fit his crimes, but I promise you, when he goes down, I’ll be there to make sure it happens.”

  Nox looked into his beloved’s face, admired the fire and tenacity she wore like a suit of armor, and he didn’t doubt a single word she said. Well, maybe the bit about courage, because that wasn’t something he could call upon at will. He would, however, always do what was necessary to protect his newfound family. If that was courage, then so be it. Otherwise…

  His phone rang.

  “Ignore it,” he said when she glanced at the offending device.

  “What if it’s Mason,” she said. “Or worse, Raven?”

  The thought of his brother needing him to calm his beast again was not a pleasant one. The mental connection they shared as twins made Nox the best choice for handling the situation when Raven lost control. Tas did what he could, but most often it wasn’t enough.

  Raven had come a long way the past few weeks in keeping his shit together, which was good. Last month’s plane crash had a profound effect on everyone who’d spent time floating in the Atlantic waiting for the sun to rise, but Raven’s change was the most dramatic. The baby would be here before they knew it and Jessica would have enough on her plate without worrying about whether or not her mate was going to have a meltdown over something stupid.

  “They wouldn’t dare,” he said.

  “Oh, but they would.” Rachel smiled and reached for his phone. She glanced at it, frowned and handed it to him. “It’s unknown.”

  Nox took the cell from her and sure enough, the number was blocked.

  “Wrong number?” Rachel asked, but they both knew better. Legion phones didn’t get wrong numbers. He let it go to voicemail, but less than a minute later the unknown number rang back.

  He exchanged a tense look with his mate before he answered. “Hello?”

  “Nox, is that you?”

  “Sasha?” He’d know that voice anywhere. Centuries of having her in his head, it was a sound he’d never forget.

  “Oh, Nox, I’m so glad you answered. I’m sorry to bother you, but I need your help.”

  Rachel, who could easily hear both sides of the conversation, looked like she’d sucked on a lemon with a vinegar chaser. When the Sorceress declined to join them on the flight back to Ohio, they’d both thought they’d seen the back of her. Apparently, they were wrong, and his mate was far from pleased.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, figured he’d sort out things with Rachel when he hung up. “Are you safe?”

  “Oh yes,” Sasha said. “Nothing like that. It’s just, well, I’m in town
as it turns out, and I was hoping I might be able to see you. It’s a rather long story, and one I’d rather not discuss over the phone. Could we meet?”

  Nox shrugged, lifted a “your call” palm in the air to Rachel. Her good nature got the best of her, as he knew it would, and she gave a begrudging nod. Not, however, before pointing between herself and Nox. Looked like she would be joining this little reunion.

  Nox gave her a nod, then spoke into the phone. “Sure, Sasha. When and where?”

  They arranged a time and place, and Nox said, “Great. Rachel and I will see you soon,” then hung up before the Sorceress had a chance to argue.

  “I’m sorry,” he said to Rachel and pulled her to him again. Her mood had predictably soured; however, he was not about to let that ruin his morning. The twins were in bed, his mate was in his arms, and she was the only one who could ease his aching soul. After the night he’d had, nothing was going to ruin his day.

  Chapter Fifteen

  M erlin beat feet from the training facility without a backward glance. He must have been crazy to think he would be able to train with the Soldiers without running into Martin.

  And now Tas knew. He reminded himself that he could trust the Warrior. Like the others, he knew when to keep things to himself. It felt odd, though, sharing that bit of information about himself with someone else. He felt… liberated somehow. Not that he was ready to go shouting from the rooftops that he was in love with Martin. That news bulletin wouldn’t do anyone any good, especially given that he couldn’t act on his feelings no matter how badly he wanted to.

  Still, someone else knew, and the world hadn’t imploded. Not yet, anyway.

  He landed at the tech lab and made short work of turning on the equipment. He should go home, try and sleep, but he was too worked up. When his computer sprang to life, he clicked on the Undernet tab and started a search for supernatural beings whose brain make-up might emulate that of a Sorcerer. The search came up empty, which was no surprise. There weren’t many out there who knew what a Sorcerer’s brain patterns “sounded” like. In fact, the only ones he knew of were on the Compound right here in Fallen Cross. Still, you never knew unless you asked. He pushed aside the disappointment and moved on to something else.