Brailynn (A Rogue Enforcers Novel)

by Samantha McCoy

  “Miluje té, moje láska.”

  She sucked in a breath.

  “Brailynn?” Wallace looked at her with concern. “What’s wrong?”

  “Andrej…” She didn’t know how she knew, but she did. He was in trouble. “He’s hurt.”

  “Where is he?” Wallace asked. The fear in his voice clear.

  “I...” She didn’t know.

  “Brailynn!” He grabbed her but her arms. “Please. Andrej is in danger. The sun is up, and he is out there. We must find him before it kills him. Where is he?” Wallace shouted.

  “We aren’t linked like that,” she yelled back. “I can’t trace him. All I can do is hear him, in my head, and feel… I feel his pain.” She started to cry.

  “Shit!” Wallace cursed.

  The old man ran his fingers through his hair. She could see the fear and anxiety in his eyes. As she glanced around the room, she could tell that everyone there genuinely cared for Andrej. They all wore the same looks of worried and apprehension. And there she was, his mate, and she was useless.

  “What happened?” Brailynn asked Wallace as she tried to wipe away the tears. “Why did he leave?”

  Wallace looked at something over her shoulder and when Brailynn turned to follow, her eyes met her mother’s. “You? He left because of you?” Brailynn accused.

  Her mother shook her head rapidly. “No!”

  “Tell her!”

  Brailynn turned to see a tall, skinny woman with pale skin step forward. Her icy blue eyes glued onto her mother.

  “She deserves the truth,” the blonde said.

  “Harper,” Wallace scolded.

  “What truth?” Brailynn asked.

  She looked around the room and while some of the faces looked as confused as she felt, others refused to meet her gaze. She knew something was off and the fact that nobody was talking had her irritation rising. Outside, thunder clapped, vibrating the ground beneath their feet. Clouds started to fill the sky and a light drizzle began to fall.

  “What’s going on?” she asked again.

  “Tell her!” Harper yelled, causing several people, including Brailynn’s mother, to jump.

  The rain fell a bit harder.

  Brailynn looked at Harper. “You seem to know. So, you tell me.”

  Harper’s gaze met hers. “Gaia, the Goddess Mother is dying. She possessed your mother to say her final goodbye to Andrej. Upon her death…”

  “Harper.” There was a warning in Wallace’s voice.

  “Hush it, bird boy!” Brailynn snapped. Her heart beating even more frantically.

  Wallace’s lips clamped shut.

  The rain began to fall in earnest.

  “…and when you and Andrej complete the mating bond,” she continued, “you will inherit all of Gaia powers and become the new Goddess Mother and ruler of the earth.”

  Outside a bolt of lightning came down from the sky and slammed into the ground just beyond the door. The thunder continued to roll as a storm erupted from the heavens.

  Brailynn’s temper exploded.

  “Gaia?” she tried to call out to the goddess, but there was only silence. “Gaia!” But again, nothing.

  What Harper said couldn’t be true. Gaia couldn’t die. She was the life force for all living things. They couldn’t exist without her. None of them. The entire world would rot and decay with her. As a matter of fact, it was Gaia’s very soul that was at the center of the planet.

  “Boanna!” Brailynn called upon her own goddess.

  “Yes, my child?” Boanna answered immediately. “What is wrong?”

  “How do I summon Gaia?”

  “Why?”

  “Just answer the damn question!”

  “The same way you some the Triad,” Boanna replied. “Why? What is the matter?”

  Brailynn ignored the question.

  “Is this true?” she asked Wallace.

  His eyes took on a pitiful look and instead of meeting hers, his gaze fell to the floor. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Is it true, Boanna?” She was almost afraid to ask but desperate to know the truth. “Is Gaia gone?”

  “Who told you this?”

  “Is she?” The who didn’t matter. Brailynn just needed to know the truth.

  “Not yet, my child,” Boanna cried. “But she grows very weak.”

  “And I am taking her place?”

  “The fates have chosen well,” Boanna replied. “Your faith and love for all things will lead you well.”

  “What about the bonding ceremony?” Brailynn asked.

  “There are things that I do not know,” Boanna said. “And that is one of them. Perhaps upon Andrej’s return, he can explain.”

  “Where is he?”

  “He didn’t take the coming death of his friend very well,” Boanna explained. “Nor is he handling the thought of losing you.”

  “Losing me?”

  “Perhaps it would serve you well to speak to your vampire.”

  “I would! If someone would tell me where the hell he is!”

  “He ran out into the forest to end his life.”

  Brailynn felt as if someone had just punched her in the gut.

  “Easy! He failed,” Boanna quickly finished. “You saved him with your emotional display and waterworks.”

  Brailynn’s eyes snapped to the window to see the rain falling from the darkened sky. She quickly made her way over to the front door and pulled it open. The cool mist instantly covered her skin.

  “Where is he?” She had to get to him.

  “No worries,” Boanna replied. “He is on his way to you. He heads your way from the north ridge.”

  “Where’s the North Ridge?” Brailynn asked the group behind her.

  Paulie, a tiny woman with brown hair and matching eyes slowly lifted her hand and pointed to the left.

  Brailynn smiled at the mousy woman. “Thank you.”

  Hurriedly, she rushed out into the rain and took off across the pasture. Several people called her name, but she ignored them. If Andrej were out there, she would be too. She had to find him. While Brailynn wasn’t sure of the future, she did know one thing – to trust in fate, even when it all seemed weird and unfathomable. There was something undeniable between her and Andrej and the thought of him not being there with her, made her feel physically ill. So, as she ran into the forest, Brailynn gave little concern to the hoots, growls, and roars that came from behind her.

  Andrej was all that matter. She had to get to him.

  Chapter Ten

  Andrej

  He couldn’t believe it.

  He didn’t know how to feel.

  One second, he felt the heat of the sun searing his flesh. The next, it was gone. Heavy cloud cover had rolled in and rain started to fall.

  Brailynn.

  Her name flitted across his mind. She had caused the rainstorm. She had prevented him from taking his life. Which means that she was awake.

  He listened for her and immediately he felt her fear. Her sorrow. But what astonished him the most was the love that he felt through their link. She might not realize it, but she loved him. Andrej knew that feeling well because he felt it for her.

  He smiled at the thought while at the same time, pain laced through his heart. Their love would make it nearly impossible for him to leave.

  “You will not lose yourself today, my old friend,” Gaia’s voice was the barest of whispers. “Nor will you ever need to. Your mate shall reign with you by her side for this lifetime and many more. Now, live for both of us and be well.”

  He could hear the weakness in her voice, and his heart broke. He was so tired of death. So tired of always being the one to miss someone. The thought of losing just one more person ripped him up inside.

  “And what of your mate?” This time, the voice in his head belonged to someone new. Someone he hadn’t heard before.

  “I am Vesla, Bloodsucker,” the voice said. “I am the Goddess of fire and one-third of the Elemental Triad. Gaia has
sent me to guide you.”

  “Get out of my head, witch,” Andrej told her. “I don’t need guidance.”

  “Really?” Vesla replied. “That’s not the way I see it, blood boy! You’re out here trying to off yourself, while your mate was left vulnerable and alone. As far as I’m concerned, Brailynn deserves better.”

  Andrej’s anger spiked. “How dare you!”

  “How dare I?” Vesla laughed. “Dude! I’m a fucking Goddess, you nitwit!

  Andrej blinked in surprise. After centuries of befriending Gaia and listen to her speak, he was rather shocked by the other goddess. Where Gaia was graceful and elegant in her speaking, this woman was crude and unrefined.

  “Call me what you will, nightwalker,” Vesla continued. “I’m not the one moping.”

  “Fuck you!” Andrej snapped. “Do you know what it’s like to watch everyone you love die? Do you know what it’s like knowing you will soon have nobody left? Do you!”

  Vesla’s laugh turned haunted. Suddenly, a woman with long flowing red hair was standing in front of him. Her eyes weren’t human. They quite literally resembled flames, flicking in darkness and her dress was something out of mid-evil times.

  “Are you serious, blood boy?” Vesla asked. “I have spent millions of years in the in-between. I have watched countless people die. Parents, siblings, lovers, children. One after another after another.” Her voice echoed through the trees. “So, don’t you dare, ever, come at me with that bullshit! I may be older than dirt, but I can still flame-broil your chalky ass.” And to make her point clear, Vesla raised her right hand, and with nothing more than a flick of the wrist, a large ball of fire formed in her hand.

  “Drop that fireball!”

  Andrej turned to see Brailynn rush toward him. “Brailynn,” he whispered her name.

  “Or what?” Vesla asked.

  Brailynn stepped in front of him, as if to shield him. He knew she meant well, but the act bothered him. Andrej was nearly six hundred years old; he didn’t need anyone protecting him. Especially, his mate. But as he stepped out from behind Brailynn he watched as she copied the same hand gesture as Vesla, but instead of a fireball, she held a swirling globe of water.

  Brailynn didn’t vocalize her reply. Instead, she sent the ball flying toward Vesla. The Fire Goddess dodged to the left at the last second, barely missing the attack.

  “Oh, crap!” Andrej cursed.

  Right in front of him, he watched as his mate went to battle with the goddess. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Fire flew this way. Water was tossed that way. It seemed to go back and forth.

  “What the…”

  Andrej turned to see Wallace and his group of ragtag misfits standing behind him, eyes glued on the show before them.

  “Fucking, Vesla,” Harper huffed. “I hope that bitch gets her ass doused.”

  The woman in question must have heard Harper because her eyes flew to the female vampire. The distraction was exactly what Brailynn needed. Andrej watched as she realized the same thing and took advantage.

  His mate circled both of her arms in the air and he watched in awe as a large ball of water formed between them. She moved her hand like she was in the Matrix movie or maybe it was like that kid from that Karate movie.

  Wax on. Wax off.

  And then, when she was ready, Brailynn sent the blast flying. It seemed to grow even more as it twisted and turned through the air. And when it hit Vesla, the impact sent the goddess hurling backward and as her body hit a tree it vanished in a puff of vapor.

  Only to repair in front of them. The Goddess of Fire was completely drenched. Her eye narrowed on Brailynn, but his mate didn’t even flinch.

  Andrej swallowed hard, knowing that if the goddess made a move toward his mate, he would intervene, even if the Goddess lit his ass on fire.

  But that wasn’t necessary.

  Clapping caused everyone to turn at once. Above him, nestled high in a tall pine tree, two of the most heavenly women he’d ever seen smiled down at them. “Bravo!” One of the called. “Bravo, indeed.”

  “Holy shit,” Elisa, a cougar shifter, whispered.

  “Who is that?” Andrej whispered from the corner of his mouth. His eyes stilled glued on the women above.

  One of the women looked down at him and smile. “I am Boanna, Goddess of water. This is Tinia. She’s the Goddess of air.”

  “What the heck is going on, Boanna?” Brailynn asked.

  “I am sorry, my child.”

  They all watched as the two goddesses floated down to the ground and stood on either side of Vesla. Tinia absently flicked a finger at Vesla and the woman was instantly dry.

  “For what?” Brailynn asked.

  Boanna waved a hand. “Come. All of you. You are all a part of this. Therefore, you should all hear the story.”

  Nobody moved.

  “Come. Come.” Tinia said in a sing-song voice. “We don’t have all day, children.”

  Brailynn sighed, dropped her hands, and started to walk over to them. Slowly, the others began to follow, but stopped when Brailynn did, leaving plenty of room between them and the goddesses.

  Andrej didn’t know these women, and he didn’t trust them. But if his mate did, then he would set his feelings aside.

  For now.

  Boanna glanced over at him and winked.

  He had a feeling that she was somehow reading his mind.

  “Maybe,” Boanna whispered into his mind. “I’ll have Brailynn teach you how to create barriers. It will protect you from a lot more than just me.”

  “Are you okay?” Brailynn asked, grabbing his hand.

  The moment she touched him, everything inside seemed to settle. The chaos stopped. The darkness receded. The loneliness, pain, and despair seemed to dwindle to near nothing.

  He breathed a sigh of relief.

  “I am now.” He smiled at her. “I mean… Other than the fact that I have a witch talking in my head now.”

  “Who?”

  Andrej nodded toward Boanna. The woman smiled and waved her fingers at them.

  “Imagine a wall,” Brailynn told him quickly. “Or a door. Everyone, as in the entire world, is on one side and you are on the other. Now. Slam the damn door shut.”

  Mentally, he did just as she suggested. He pictured himself closing the door to his mind and when it clicked, all that remained was him and his thoughts.

  “Good job.” Boanna tapped her temple. “Airtight.”

  “Alright.” Brailynn placed her hands on her hips and eyed the three women standing in front of them. “Explain. And we want all the details.”

  “There is a prophecy that was written millions of years ago,” Tinia explained. “It states that when the second Goddess Mother’s time comes to an end, a great war will begin. The battle for life will be fought among all, both supernatural and human, but it will only be won once the third, and newest, Great Mother is born, and her tribe is created. Gaia has grown tired. She has lived this life for thousands of years. And now, she wishes to rest. Gaia has bestowed her powers unto you, Brailynn.”

  “Why me?” his mate asked.

  “You are the one she found worthy.” Boanna smiled and shrugged. “Her exact reasons are her own and I do not know them.”

  “However, there is a catch.” Vesla sneered.

  “What?” Wallace asked, unafraid of the goddess.

  “To inherit the powers of the great one, Ms. Brailynn must first complete the bonding ceremony with her vampire boyfriend over there.”

  “I already know that part,” Brailynn commented. “But what is it?”

  Vesla’s sneer turned into more of an evil smile. How in the hell that woman was a goddess, Andrej would never know.

  “Andrej, would you care to explain?” Vesla asked, looking incredibly proud of herself.

  He looked at his mate and his stomach rolled.

  The bonding ceremony wasn’t something a vampire took lightly. It was extremely intricate. But basically, the jest of
it was they had to share blood at the moment of climax. Andrej would have to convert her.

  She would become a daywalker… He remembered Gaia's words.

  “That’s not necessary,” Boanna interrupted. “The details are a private matter to which Andrej can explain those to Brailynn without all the ears and eyes that are around.”

  He could have kissed the woman. The last thing he wanted to do was explain the sexual intimacy that would be needed in front of everyone.

  “Anyway,” Boanna continued. “The important part here is that after the bonding ceremony, Brailynn will become a daywalker.”

  There was a collective gasp.

  “A what?” Brailynn asked.

  “A daywalker,” Tania said. “It’s a vampire that can walk out into the sun and be unharmed. Not only will you inherit Gaia powers, but you will also receive the strength, speed, and powers that come with being a vampire.”

  “Congrats, Brailynn,” Vesla said, not sounding happy at all. “You will become one of the most powerful people in the world. Even more powerful than Supreme, herself.”

  He could literally feel Brailynn shock and apprehension.

  “Not only that…” Vesla threw her hands in the air. “All that stands between the Hunters killing off the entire supernatural world – is y’all. Lovely, right?” she asked sarcastically. “Might as well just turn ourselves over to the enemy and just wait for our turns to die.”

  “Are you always such a bitch?”

  They all turned toward Paulie and gapped. You could have heard a pin drop.

  “What?” Paulie said. “I know I wasn’t the only person thinking it.” The squirrel shifter said quietly, as she wrung her hand and stared down at the ground. “She’s so rude. If she doesn’t want to help us, then we don’t need her. We can beat any force because our team is awesome.”

  Looking around, Andrej wished he had that same confidence. They were supposed to save the world. Yeah, Okay! How were a witch, two vamps, two bears, a couple of birds, a crazy cat, a wolf, and a scrawny squirrel supposed to do that?