Brailynn (A Rogue Enforcers Novel)

by Samantha McCoy

  “What happened?” Wallace asked as Andrej walked back into the room.

  “I don’t know,” he replied, pulling his shirt over his head. “Everything was going normal and then… it wasn’t.” He had no clue what could have gone wrong. Or why.

  Since that day, the entire compound had been in and out of his bedroom wanting to help. Everyone took turns caring for her. Since her transition, Brailynn had become the alpha female. The leader of their pack. And they all protected her.

  Elisha, Paulie, and Lolie helped Harriet brush Brailynn’s hair every morning, after her sponge bath. Harper helped Andrej keep her fed since there was no way he could sustain Brailynn’s need for blood alone. A newly turned vamp could easily drink their weight in the red gold.

  Even the guys stopped by to help.

  Evan, Wallace, DeMarcus, and even the cranky old snow owl, Alfonzo, took turns watching over her and offering blood when Harper and Andrej were too tired to hunt.

  Through it all, Andrej finally started to understand the meaning of family. The people who surrounded his mate and covered her in love were his tribe. They were his people.

  As the days passed, Andrej started to give up hope. His heart yearned for something it would never have. Brailynn… And he didn’t know how to cope with the fact that she was right there, but at the same time, she was gone.

  Andrej stared down at her lifeless body and a tear slid down his cheek. He missed their connection. Every once in a while, in the back of his mind, Andrej would feel a tickle of sorts. He knew it was her. Mentally he would reach out for that small, minuscule light but then it would vanish.

  It always happened.

  Every time he’d get his hopes up, only to be shot down when she slipped back into the darkness.

  And that’s what it was.

  After the first few days, Andrej had gotten desperate for answers. He’d gone back out into the woods, to the same location where he’d seen them, and called out to the Wiccan Mothers. He’d begged and pleaded for them to appear. But as each day passed, Andrej would return home more broken than when he left.

  Until one day, one of them finally answered his call just as the sun was about to rise in the sky. He didn’t care about himself. His well-being meant nothing without Brailynn. He needed answers, even if it meant dying to get them.

  “What’s going on?” he asked. “What did I do wrong?” The unknown was eating him up inside. This was his fault.

  “She is fine,” Vesla had told him, rolling her eyes. “Stop your groveling. It’s embarrassing, dude. Dang! She’s healing. That’s all.”

  “Healing?” Andrej didn’t understand. “From what? What happened? This is not how the change is supposed to happen!”

  “The transition for Brailynn has been different,” Vesla had explained. “She’s not only changing into a vampire, but Gaia is gone now. Y’all bumping uglies was the last thing that needed to happen for her to finally be free. Therefore, not only is your girl healing from that scrumptious bite of yours, but Brailynn is also absorbing Gaia’s powers. It will take time. But rest easy. She’ll return when her body is ready. And when she does, prepare yourself. Because a great battle, unlike anything this world has seen, will be waged. Brailynn will ride into war on the back of a mighty dragon as she rains fire from the skies and burns our enemies to ash.”

  His brows bunched.

  “Prepare your misfits, Andrej,” Vesla warned. “Because the day of reckoning is coming.”

  “Stop being so dramatic, Vesla!” Tinia said, appearing next to the other goddess. The Air Goddess turned toward him, “What Vesla says is truth, Vampire. Even if it is dramatic.” The air witch rolled her eyes. “Prepare yourselves. For when Brailynn awakes, the prophecy will come to bare.”

  That day had passed nearly a week ago and she still hadn’t woken up.

  Andrej could feel their connection again. It was like invisible strings that connected him to her, and she to him. Any time he felt himself slipping into depression, he would grab that line and somehow, it brought him back from the brink. He could almost feel her through it.

  “Any day now,” Harriet said, pulling him from his own misery. “Any day now, she will wake up. I can feel it.”

  “You’ve been saying that for days now, Harriet,” Lolie replied, rolling his eyes. “Of course, she’d going to wake up. We all know that. There’s no reason to keep repeating it.”

  “There’s no reason to be rude, either.” Harriet snapped. “But yet, there you are, being great at it.”

  “Knock it off!” Andrej reprimanded. “We are not doing this again today.”

  For the last couple of days, it seemed he was having to solve one issue after the next. Someone was always in a bad mood. There was always an argument to break up. It felt like his soul was being ripped from his body, and his toddler children couldn’t stop their shit for just three seconds.

  Andrej was reaching his breaking point.

  “Calm yourself, Andrej.”

  His head jerked up. “What? Brai…” But she was still asleep.

  “What?” Evan asked, looking at him curiously.

  “I could have sworn…” He didn’t bother to finish his sentence. They would probably just think he’s crazy anyway.

  “Are you crazy?”

  There it was again.

  “Brailynn?” he spoke in his head.

  “Yep,” she replied instantly. “Any idea how to get me out of this darkness?”

  “Wake up,” he simply said.

  “I am awake,” she told him. “But when I try to open my eyes, I feel like I’m going to hurl.”

  “Guys!” Andrej said allowed. “She here.” He tapped his head. “And she’s stuck.”

  “What?” Oscar asked, standing behind his wife. “What are you talking about?”

  “Brailynn,” he replied, look at the man like he’d grown two heads. “I can hear her through our link. She says she stuck.”

  “How is she stuck?” Wallace asked.

  “She doesn’t know,” he answered. “All she can tell is when she tried to open her eyes, she gets really sick.”

  “Sick?” Harriet echoed, almost to herself.

  “We have to figure out a way to help,” Andrej told the group. “Anything? Any suggestions?”

  He looked around the room, but everyone there seemed just as confused as he felt. Maybe she just wasn’t ready. Like, her body wasn’t ready. He remembered what the witches had said. Brailynn would only wake up when her body and mind were both in unison.

  “But I am ready,” she told him through their shared link. “More than ready. My mind and body both feel stronger than ever. But I’m trapped.”

  “What about a sleeping spell?” Harriet asked. “When a spell is cast,” she explained, “like a sleeping one, and someone tried to break it, it can cause them some serious discomfort. But I’ve never heard of it being real. The illness is all in the head. It’s kind of like a fake booby trap. Tell her it’s not real, Andrej. If she can push past it then she can break the spell and come back to us.”

  “Really?” he asked, afraid to be hopeful.

  “Yes!” Harriet shouted. “Now tell her.”

  “Moje láska, did you hear your mother?” he asked.

  “No.”

  Of course, she couldn’t, you idiot, he told himself. Her mother wasn’t on their link.

  Andrej quickly recanted everything Harriet had just said.

  “Who would put that kind of sleeping spell on me? Brailynn asked. “And why? What’s the point?”

  “I don’t know,” he told her. “Maybe Gaia.”

  “But why?” she asked.

  “I’m not sure,” he told her. “Gaia has her own reasonings and motives. I will never begin to understand.”

  “Me, either,” she replied. “Okay. I’ll try it.”

  Andrej heard her take a deep breath. He did his best to send love, strength, and warmth down their link. He wanted her to know that she wasn’t alone. That he was
there with her.

  “I know, Andrej,” He could almost see her smiling at him. “I’ve known since our link was reestablished. I can feel you,” she continued to say. “It’s helped me to not feel so alone.” Brailynn cleared her throat. “Now, let’s get me the heck out of here. Yeah?”

  “Yes, please!”

  Andrej stood up and walked over to the edge of the bed. He gently sat next to her and grabbed her hand, placing it in his. His thumb traced circled over her palm as he waited for her to come back to him.

  He waited.

  And waited.

  It seemed like hours had passed instead of only minutes. He could feel her struggle. “Shhh,” he said out loud. “It’s okay. Just rest, mote láska. We’ll try against later.”

  He felt her fingers begin to twitch.

  He smiled.

  That was more movement than he’d seen in weeks. It wasn’t much, but he’d take it.

  “Can I help?”

  They all turned. The entire room went silent, even Brailynn’s fingers went still.

  “Who are you?” Andrej asked. Standing he put himself between the newcomer and his wife.

  “Tabatha?” Harriet asked, sounding surprised.

  “Auntie Harriet?” Tabatha looked even more shocked than Harriet. “Uncle Oscar?” She looked between them both. “But… I… I thought…”

  “We were dead?” Oscar finished.

  “Yes.”

  “That was the point,” Oscar replied.

  “But why?’ Tabatha’s hand rubbed absently at her forehead. He understood that feeling. But now was not the time.

  “Who are you and what are you doing in my home?” Andrej asked, even though he kind of had a feeling he knew the answer.

  “I am Tabatha Petrova,” the newcomer declared. “My mate is the Alpha of the Hick’s Pride and I am a former member of the Petrova Coven.”

  She was from Brailynn’s home. “Do you know Tabatha Petrova?” he asked, via their link.

  “Yes, is that really her?”

  “Yes. Should I allow her to stay? Or make her leave?”

  “Stay!” Brailynn shouted so loud it hurt his ears. “She is the Supreme, Andrej. The most powerful witch in the world. She might be able to help get out of this prison.”

  “Not anymore she’s not,” he replied with pride.

  “What?”

  “You are the most powerful being in the world,” he reminded her. “Hell, you are the world.”

  Her laughter brought light to his heart. “I guess I am, huh?”

  “Yep,” he told his mate. Then he turned toward their visitor. “She will take whatever help you can give.”

  He kept his eyes on her as Tabatha move to take his spot. “Just know, if you hurt her in any way, I will rip you to shreds.”

  He heard the growl long before he saw the glowing eyes that stared at him from the darkened hallways. “She is the Supreme,” the nearly demonic voice said.

  Kill him.

  “And?” Andrej shrugged, not taking his eyes of the man. “My mate is the alpha. Yours is the omega. Who do you think will win? Not to mention, Cat – but my demon is far more power than yours. Would you like to meet him?”

  “Andrej.” There was a warning, but as fear in Wallace’s voices.

  “Boys…” Tabatha sighed. “Take the testosterone elsewhere, please.” And then she turned toward him and said, “I have no desire to hurt Brailynn. I need her. Without her, the war against my brother and Hunters will be lost.”

  “You know about that?”

  “Of course, we do.” The man with the glowing eyes stepped into the doorway. “The Hunters have already attacked my pride down in New Orleans. They have hit several other compounds around the world, too. Something is happening. They are hitting place quickly, with little to no time in between.”

  Andrej was sorry to hear about the attacks, but that didn’t mean he trusted them. Wait… “Your brother?”

  “Unfortunately,” Tabatha answered. “Derrick Petrova is my brother.”

  Things suddenly got a bit deeper and Andrej didn’t know if he wanted these two anywhere near his mate or his clan.

  “It’s okay,” Brailynn whispered through his mind. “Tabatha isn’t like Derrick. Yin and Yang. Good and Evil.”

  “I don’t know…” he said. “How did they know you were in need? Something isn’t right.”

  “Good question,” Brailynn said. “Ask her. She cannot lie to you.”

  Andrej held up a hand to stop Tabatha from moving. “How did you guys know Brailynn was in trouble?” Andrej looked from sparkle eyes to Tabatha.

  “I felt a pull,” Tabatha explained. “And it led me here. Plus, Vesla reached out to me.”

  “Vesla called her,” he told Brailynn.

  “Allow her to help,” Brailynn asked, “I want out of here. Now.”

  He wasn’t sure how he felt about it, but he respected his mate and her decisions. “Okay,” he told Tabatha. “Brailynn said to give it a try.”

  She nodded. “I’m going to need everyone to clear out of the room.”

  “Um. No.” He wasn’t leaving his mate alone.

  “It’s okay,” Brailynn said. “Go. I will be fine.”

  “No. What if she hurts you? What if this is all fake? What if…”

  “Stop it. She’s not the type.”

  Andrej continued to grumble. “Fine!” he said, more to Brailynn than to Tabatha.

  He waited for everyone to file out of the room before he turned back to the Supreme one and said, “You hurt her, and I will hunt you down and rip your heart out. And trust me when I say, that pretty boy here, won’t be able to save you and neither will any supreme power.”

  “Point taken,” Tabatha replied, meeting his gaze.

  He walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. But as it clicked, he couldn’t help but feel as if he’d just left his mate defenseless in a den of hungry cobras.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Brailynn

  She could feel his distress and wanted nothing more than to go to him and offer comfort. It was weird. A few days ago, or actually, it had been longer than that… Weeks ago? Either way, back then, she would have balked at the thought of having a mate. It just simply hadn’t been the time.

  But now, it seemed like everything had changed in a blink of an eye. It was as if his touch, his very presence, had struck a chord and ignited something inside of her. Something that only he could reach. As if Andrej himself was the key to some hidden spot within her soul. He opened a door that only he could enter and now, Brailynn didn’t know what she would do without him.

  She had no idea what the future would hold, but deep down, Brailynn knew that if they had each other, nothing else would ever matter, which was a total cliche, but true, nonetheless.

  They would be just fine.

  It had been a long time since she had felt that way. And a part of her feared it. She feared it being ripped away from her, just as it had when her parents died.

  Not dead, she reminded herself. Internally, she sighed. That was a feeling for a different day. She still wasn’t ready to open that pandora’s box.

  “Brailynn?” Tabatha called. “Can you hear me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good!” Tabatha smiled. “Alright, let’s see if we can get you out of this cocoon, yeah?”

  “Goddess, yes!”

  “Speaking of those pesky beings,” Tabatha said as she got to work. “I can’t believe they put you to sleep like some modern-day Sleeping Beauty.”

  “I can,” Brailynn replied dryly. “Have you met Gaia?”

  “No,” Tabatha said sadly. “I wish I could have. The only goddesses I’ve ever met are Vesla and Tinia.”

  “Oh, well Gaia was…”

  “We can talk business later,” Boanna interrupted. “For now, we need you to wake up, my child.”

  Tabatha froze at the sound of the new voice. “Who are you?” she asked. Her voice sounded a bit leery in Brailynn�
��s head.

  “I am Boanna. Calm down, Tabatha Petrova,” she answered. “I am the Wiccan Goddess of water. Now, please. We must hurry. There will be time for introductions later.”

  “Boanna, what’s wrong?” Brailynn asked.

  “The time is here, my child,” Boanna answered immediately. “The evil one draws near.”

  “What? How?” she asked. “How did he find me?”

  “Word of Gaia’s death has started to spread,” the goddess replied. “Soon, the entire supernatural world will know, and chaos will erupt unless we can free you.”

  “Well, maybe Gaia should have thought of that before she trapped me in here,” Brailynn spat.

  “Agreed,” Boanna said. “However, I don’t think the Goddess Mother thought the news of her death would spread like a California wildfire.”

  “Well, not to be rude,” Brailynn countered sarcastically. “But when something is over a million years old, and suddenly it’s not around anymore, people tend to notice. Just saying.”

  Brailynn was annoyed.

  She couldn’t, for the life of her, understand how Gaia or any of the goddesses thought this would be a good idea. If she was all that stood between life and death for the entire supernatural world – why in the hell did they force her into the stupid prison?

  “It’s not a prison,” Boanna replied.

  “What the hell would you call it, then?” she asked. “Because I can’t get out of it. That, by definition, is a prison!”

  “Calm down.”

  “Stop telling me that!” Brailynn snapped. “We have Derrick the murderer heading this way and I’m stuck in my own damn head!”

  “Okay,” Tabatha jumped in. “Let’s get this done, shall we? Maybe with both of us working, we can figure it out faster. Yeah? Okay.”

  “Alright.”

  Brailynn inhaled deeply, then slowly released it. Why did things always have to be so complicated? she wondered. It seemed like a running theme in her life. Nothing could ever be easy. Why did she think transitioning would be any different than the rest of the crap in her life?

  Pushing away her feelings, she mentally closed her mind’s eye and focused on herself. She could feel Tabatha’s essence floating around, searching for the thread that would unravel the spell with just a tiny pull.