by Aliya DalRae
“And your mate, of course.”
Nox took a left turn and muttered, “Especially my mate.”
Sasha turned toward the window again, her breath leaving foggy imprints on the glass that faded within seconds, only to be replaced with a new layer of mist on her next exhale.
Way to go, Nox. Like all this new-and-improved wasn’t enough for her to deal with. “Look,” he said, trying to soften the blow. “Mason’s fair. He’s not going to allow you to be disrespected, especially since you’ve agreed to help us. He needs you, we all do, so you don’t have to worry. Nobody is going to give you shit because you’re a Sorcerer.”
She gave a brief nod to the window but remained silent until they reached the Compound.
Chapter Twenty-Two
M erlin sat on the floor in the middle of his meditation room, long legs folded in the lotus position, the backs of his hands resting on his knees, thumb to middle fingertip. He had yet to regain his calm after seeing Martin in the training facility, and had spent the last thirty-six hours dodging Tas and his imminent questions. Merlin didn’t know how to answer them, and so, like so much in his life lately, avoidance was the answer.
He opened his eyes and stared straight ahead at the low table directly in front of him. In its center an ornately carved wooden stand held a simple tantou, a dagger he’d carried with him for over a millennium. A long braid of hair, bound at both ends with thin leather strips, rested on a silk pillow in front of the stand. Seven candles surrounded the display, six white, one blood red, each burning brightly, providing the only illumination in the room. Seven glowing candles, one to honor each year Kioshi had graced his life.
Merlin closed his eyes again as the pain struck his heart. He felt the cuffs on his wrists warm, and knew if he opened his eyes, the candles would blink out, leaving him alone in the dark. Since that was the last place he wanted to be, he pushed the Shade down until the cuffs cooled, and the thread of control he barely maintained on a good day returned to his grasp. This had not been a good day.
When he opened his eyes again the candle flames flickered, then held steady. Reflections of light danced across the items on the table—hell, call it what it was—across the shrine he’d erected in Kioshi’s memory. Part of him knew that keeping these things did nothing to help him move on, but the rest of him understood their necessity. A thousand years is a long time, and it would be easy for him to forget the dangers lurking just outside the Compound’s perimeter. To forget that he was a hunted male, that at least one Kurai Senshi existed—Merlin had no doubt he still lived—who would stop at nothing to see him brought to Clan justice. The shrine served as a reminder of everything he had to lose and how easily it could all be snatched away.
Merlin focused on the red candle, on that single flame, an orange and yellow point of light with streaks of red that flared in the heart of the tiny blaze. His eyes shifted and the slash of light formed the background as another memory consumed him.
~~~~~
K atsuro would never forget the first time he laid eyes on Kioshi. The Kurai Senshi stood in precise rows, the most advanced in the front, closest to Takeshi Sensei, while the less accomplished of them, the newly arrived or those who struggled to improve, filled the very back row. Although Katsuro’s fighting had improved greatly, surpassing many in the three or four rows in front of him, Takeshi insisted he remain in the back. He said he would let Katsuro know when he was ready to move up. That was months ago, and while others with less skill skipped ahead, Katsuro remained in the beginners’ row.
It was a night like any other. As he did every night, Katsuro looked to Takeshi, hoping he would at least advance a single row, but the sensei pointed to the back. Katsuro bowed and took his place at the end of the row, mentally going over the things he would practice when this training session ended.
A commotion at the front of the square drew everyone’s eyes. Each night, groups of Kurai Senshi were sent out into the countryside, searching for supplies and more importantly for Chosen children, abandoned by their parents to either die or find their way to the Clan. It appeared that was exactly what this group had found.
He rode behind one of the senior Warriors, though Katsuro couldn’t name which one. The boy was thin, perhaps a few years younger than himself, but he had a strength about him. And his eyes, so full of fear, also held a glimmer of hope, a spark of kindness that Katsuro had seen only in Master Masaru’s eyes since he’d arrived the year before.
He knew what awaited the boy: the talk with the master, a decent meal, and a very rude awakening. As they rode by, Katsuro caught his eye, and he vowed then and there that he would not let this boy endure the same loneliness he himself had withstood. He would train with him, teach him everything he needed to know about living life as Kurai Senshi. He would do for that boy what no one had bothered to do for him.
The following day, when they lined up to practice blocks and punches, the boy was told to stand next to Katsuro at the very back of the group. They were not permitted to talk during training beyond their kiai, but he nodded at the boy and whispered, “After.”
The boy’s eyes grew wide, but he’d gotten the memo about silence in the block, so he merely nodded.
That was the first training session in which Katsuro felt alive. Afterward, he introduced himself to the boy, to Kioshi, and offered to join him for dinner. To Katsuro’s relief, Kioshi accepted, and from that moment on, they were inseparable.
They talked throughout the entire meal, comparing stories of how they discovered they were Kurai Senshi, how they found their way to this camp. Turned out, Kioshi was the same age as Katsuro, though the Shade first took him over two years ago, a full year before Katsuro’s own discovery. Like Katsuro, Kioshi’s family was less than pleased to learn they had birthed a Dark Warrior. His father blindfolded him and rode him around for days to confuse his sense of direction. They ended up miles from their home, where his father promptly pulled him from his horse, threw a small pack of rice cakes at him, and rode away at a pace as he led the riderless horse behind him.
“I did the best I could,” Kioshi told him over that first meal. “I was alone, lost, and I did what I had to do to survive. I tried begging for food, but the local humans didn’t take well to a boy wandering around in the night. The Vampires were even less accommodating, as they sensed what I was and were not inclined to help a demon. I survived on what I could find in the woods, drank the blood of animals to try and keep up my strength as I walked from village to town to hamlet.”
Kioshi took a large bite of stew, chewed and swallowed before he continued. “Animal blood doesn’t have the same components as human blood,” he said. “I thought about trying to capture a human, but I knew nothing about hunting blood prey that could think, and even less about altering their memories to keep myself safe. The animal blood didn’t work very well, and, as you can see,” he held his arms out to indicate his emaciated body, “I was nearly done for. If the Kurai Senshi hadn’t found me, I would have died.”
Katsuro nodded, completely taken in by the new Warrior. Despite his deathly appearance, Kioshi was a handsome young male. His long, black hair was now clean and pulled into a high topknot, and it was clear to Katsuro that with a few added pounds, the male would make a fine Warrior. Still, his eyes were what drew Katsuro in, dark brown and soulful. This was a male who would be loyal, someone he knew he could trust, someone he would protect from the ugliness the Clan often dealt newcomers.
Finally, Katsuro had someone he could call friend.
Chapter Twenty-Three
T he small town gave way to flat expanses of fields, row after row of tall plants laden with corn ripe for the picking or barren stretches of land recently stripped of their harvest. Sasha barely noticed. Nox’s words swirled in her head, an eddy of confirmation that the man she longed to claim as her father was, in a word, a monster. Perhaps she’d been premature, pushing her way into the middle of the race of beings obviously at war with the Fuhrmann family.
Once that occurred, she’d have to improvise, but she was nothing if not resourceful. And if she could be of help while she waited, she was happy to bide her time being useful of her own accord, and not because someone forced it upon her.
So lost in her head, Sasha was unaware that the car had turned onto a darkened lane. A moment of weightlessness lifted her belly as they crested the rise that sent them into a steep decline. Nox appeared to know what he was doing, so reached for the grab bar and hoped for the best.
When things leveled out, she was overwhelmed by the sight before her. The house wasn’t grand, nothing fancy about it, but it was huge, four stories tall with at least three wings that she could see. As they approached the place, she got the sensation that Nox was going to drive right into the side of it, but at the last minute, the lane swooped down again, and she found herself in what felt like a tunnel. It turned out to be a garage, with a wide variety of different vehicles peppered throughout the yellow-lined spaces.
When they finally stopped, Sasha exhaled long and slow, then gulped a huge breath in. She turned wide eyes on the Vampire next to her, only to find Nox grinning at her. He’d done all that on purpose. She should have been angry, but she had more important things to think about.
What exactly did the Warlord want her to do? What if she failed? Would they throw her out? And even if they didn’t, would she really be able to track her father based on the comings and goings of a bunch of Vampires?
Nox opened her door, offered his hand and she took it as he helped her from the SUV. He already had her bags slung over his shoulder and he motioned for her to follow. They had nearly reached a bank of elevators when one of the cars opened. Great. Just what she needed.
Nox’s mate, Rachel, stepped out of the metal box and smiled warmly at him before turning to Sasha.
“Welcome,” she said, extending that smile to include them both, but Sasha wasn’t buying it. “I heard you would be joining us tonight, and I wanted to make sure you got settled in okay.”
Nox and Sasha exchanged a brief look, but Rachel either didn’t notice or she ignored it. The female leaned into Nox and kissed him hard, her unspoken claim on the male perfectly clear.
“Come on,” she turned to Sasha again. “I’ll show you to your rooms.”
“I’m supposed to take her to Mason,” Nox said, but Rachel flashed him that gorgeous smile of hers.
“I’ve explained to the Warlord that throwing our guest into the deep end on her first night here would be terribly rude.”
“So, you’re going to…”
“Show her to her rooms. As I said. I’m sure you have things to do, patrolling and such. Don’t you worry about us. We’ll be just fine.”
“Tas switched my schedule so I could pick Sasha up.”
Rachel laid her palm on his cheek and leaned in to whisper in his ear.
Feeling like an intruder Sasha turned to study the buttons on the elevator panel. Sub T, Sub T2, G—probably for Ground. The others must be in code.
“I’ll see you later, Sasha.”
She looked up in time to see Nox exiting the lift, leaving her alone with what she assumed was the real viper in the house. One who, by the way, had taken charge of her bags. The moment the doors closed and they were alone, she knew her assessment was correct.
“How was the drive over?” Rachel asked.
“Lovely,” Sasha said. “It was nice of Nox to come for me, and I’m so grateful to the Warlord for letting me stay here.”
The lift doors opened, and Rachel motioned her out and across the hall, where they boarded another elevator that had buttons going all the way to four. Once again boxed in with the fanged female, Sasha put her back in the corner so she could keep her eye on the woman.
“We’re happy to have you with us,” Rachel said. “But let’s get one thing straight.”
Aaand, here we go.
“This is not your home. While your stay here may be indefinite, you are still merely a guest in our home. It would behoove you not to confuse the issue. I live here, Nox lives here and my children are here as well. As you may have worked out, I’m very protective of what is mine.”
The little bell dinged as the elevator stopped on the second floor and Rachel led the way to a door not too far down the hall. When they reached the apartment she stopped, set Sasha’s bags on the floor, and pulled a key from her pants pocket. That sweet smile never wavered.
She lifted the key to the lock, withdrew it and turned back to Sasha. “If I have even an inkling that you are out to harm any of my family, especially Nox, I promise you, I will kill you with my bare hands.”
Sasha swallowed her reply as the door opened from the inside. A very pregnant woman smiled out at her. “Hey,” she said. “You must be Sasha. Welcome to the Compound.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
T he following night Nox stood outside Sasha’s door and knocked.
When she answered, her worried brow softened, and her lips turned up in a small smile. “Hello, Nox.”
“Sasha. You ready?”
“As much as I’ll ever be.”
They boarded the elevator and the doors slid closed on an awkward silence. Nox pushed the lobby button and glanced sideways at the Sorceress. She’d dressed in slacks and a lavender top that accentuated what curves she had in a respectable way. She stood focused, eyes front, neither looking left nor right.
“Did you sleep well?” he asked, hoping to chisel away some of the ice that seemed to have formed since the previous night. He didn’t have to ask why that might have been.
A choked laugh escaped her lips. “I’m afraid living among the humans all these months, I’ve become accustomed to sleeping through the night. Your ladies kept me up rather late, and yet I was still wide awake with the rising sun. Looks like I’m going to have to reacclimate to a Vampire schedule if I’m going to be of any use to you at all.”
Nox nodded. Rachel remained tight-lipped about the time she and Jessica spent with Sasha the previous night. For what it was worth, she seemed more relaxed with the situation, so he’d thought it better not to push the subject. Still, it never hurt to have another perspective.
“So how did that go?” he asked. “With Rachel?”
Sasha shrugged, still avoiding eye contact. “She’s quite direct. I assured her, however, that she has nothing to worry about. I’d never do anything to hurt you or your family.”
“Sorry about that,” Nox said, not sure why he felt the need to apologize. He noticed she didn’t mention the Legion as a whole in her promise, but perhaps that was an oversight.
They switched elevators in the lobby and arrived in the War Room a few moments later. He got her settled into one of the comfortable chairs surrounding the huge oak conference table and retrieved a glass of water for her. Satisfied he’d done all he could to calm her nerves and his own, he settled into the seat next to her and waited for the others to arrive.
Merlin walked in first, the ever-present laptop tucked under his arm. He sat in his usual place at what would be Mason’s left and powered up the computer, his greeting to them more of an afterthought than anything genuine. Given that Sasha was willing to help them solve the Kurai Senshi problem, Nox thought the guy could be a little more grateful. He started to say something, but Tas and Viper chose that moment to join them.
Sasha looked up and her whole body tensed. Nox wasn’t surprised, the way Viper was staring at the girl. He stood to make introductions, hoping to ease her nerves. “Viper, Tas, this is Sasha. Sasha, Viper here is our munitions expert and Tas is in charge of the Soldiers.”
“Pleasure to meet y
ou both.” Her voice was breathy and though she sounded terrified, she stood and held her hand out to Tas. After a moment’s hesitation, she did the same with Viper. “I understand we’ll be working together,” she said to the tattooed Warrior.
Viper nodded. “I sure hope you’re as good as Nox says you are. We’ve got a helluva situation here.”
“Whatever I can do,” she said, looking from Viper to Tas and back again.
Mason walked in and took his seat, and the rest followed suit. “Harrier and Raven are on patrol tonight,” the Warlord said. “I think everyone pertinent is here. Let’s get this meeting started.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
S asha knew Nox was doing the best he could in a bad situation. He was stuck between the obligation he felt toward her and his mate’s misgivings. She couldn’t fault him for being loyal to the female, but it was obvious Rachel and her niece Jessica were going to be a problem for her. Nox was involved with an entire family of Seers, and just her luck, they were focused on her. If she gave even the slightest suggestion that she had more on her agenda than helping the Legion, Sasha knew she would be out on her tail.
She got her first look at Merlin, the Warrior they wanted her to help, a few minutes after their arrival. He wasn’t very friendly, barely spoke, and she could sense Nox’s disapproval at the slight. Before anything confrontational transpired, two more Vampires entered the room. The first was tall and lean, decked out in leather attire with tattoos covering anything exposed, his shaven head and face the only exceptions. He had a hard jawline and mean emerald green eyes that she feared would bore into the depths of her soul. When he slanted them toward her, she shivered and looked away.