Dark War Chronicles Box Set One

by A. L. Kessler

Derrik raised a brow, but left the room. Coran shifted back to his human form the moment the other wolf left. His breath labored, he growled at the vampire. "Orion and Tegan are there, I think they would be fine if something happened."

  "Tegan is still wounded from the Hunter, she'll have problems wielding her sword with a shot to the shoulder." He glared at Coran. "Get back there."

  Coran bowed his head and started towards the door on the left. "Let me grab some sweats and I'll be out of here."

  Lucius watched as Coran disappeared through the door and tried not to growl. Tegan being hurt didn't sit right with him, but he tried to respect her desire not to come and appear weak because of it. Though if she feared his reaction, he needed to be more careful about how he handled similar situations. Closing his eyes, he knew this went further than he wanted. Something was escaping him, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

  Chapter Ten

  Renee peered over her book and examined the chessboard that Tegan and Orion had been poring over for hours. Coran’s absence began to wear on her. Something told her that he wasn’t planning on coming back any time soon. She wanted him by her side or to be curled up on his bed together, but clearly he was having problems coming to terms with their relationship.

  A crashing noise made everyone in the room look up. Tegan snarled. “Here?”

  “Tegan, get your sword. Renee, hide.” Orion demanded and held his hand out, summoning a bow.

  Hide? Renee froze in shock as wolves crawled through the now broken kitchen window. This can’t be happening. She stifled a scream as the front door came crashing in and two tigers barged through the opening. A wolf bounded between her and the stairs, blocking off her only route to safety. Tegan pulled her sword out from behind a chair, unsheathing it and throwing the sheath away from her.

  "Two wolves, two tigers, two vampires." She called out, dropping back into a stance.

  Renee turned away from Tegan just in time for the other wolf to pounce at Renee. She stumbled back and ran to put the recliner between them. An itching started across her skin and turned to burning, a scream bubbling up her throat. She tried to bat at the invisible flames licking at her skin.

  "An illusionist, fuck." Orion lifted his bow and shot one of the vampires in the shoulder. The vampire snarled and pulled the arrow out, but the sensation of the burning stopped.

  A jaw locked around Renee’s ankle, causing her to scream as pain flooded through her. She fell backwards, kicking at the wolf gnawing on her leg. Tegan growled as a tiger launched at her. She jabbed with her sword and the tiger let out a snarl. Renee shuffled behind Tegan, examining the wolf bite on her leg. "Am I going to turn into a wolf?" The panic crept through her voice as her heart pounded against her chest.

  "Not this time." Tegan snapped, spinning to slice at the tiger, while the second tiger went to the wolf’s side. Orion snarled, throwing the two vampires away from him and diving to get to the tiger. A vampire raised a hand and Orion went flying into the wall.

  "You've got to be fucking kidding me." Orion snapped, banging his hands against the wall.

  Renee screamed as the wolf crunched down on her leg again and a tiger took her left arm. The pain shot through her and she fought to get the animals off her. Squeezing her eyes closed, she opened them again when Tegan's sunglasses hit her face. Renee glanced over at Tegan, her eyes clenched shut and her lips whispering something.

  A man appeared in the corner and the room grew cold. The beasts backed away from Renee, heads held down and inching away from him. The other two beasts backed away from Tegan, blood dripping from their teeth. Renee tried not to panic as she scrambled over to the other girl, handing back the sunglasses. Tegan put the glasses on and sat up. She put her hand against the wound on her stomach, letting the one on her hip bleed. “Lucius.” She gave a small smile.

  She met Renee's gaze. "Holy fuck, you're pale." Her gaze wandered over Renee's body.

  Renee remained silent, the room spinning around her, trying to focus on what was going on around her through the pain and confusion. The four shifters bowed their heads, but the vampires stood facing Lucius, smirking. Behind the vampires, Orion moved to lean against the wall, his hair shadowing his eyes as he bowed his head, one hand clenching his shoulder. Renee could only guess the reasons why.

  "You are not welcome in my territory." Lucius' voice brought Renee back to the situation at hand.

  The taller vampire stiffened. "We are here under the authority of the Circle. They wish to have the stone and the woman. They are considered too dangerous to be out of the Circle's reach."

  "Neither will be returning with you. You are in my territory, attacking my people." Lucius threw his hands up and the vampires went crashing into the wall behind them, just missing Orion. "Among these people is my human servant. Threatening her life is the same as threatening mine and that is against the Circle's rules unless I have fucked up."

  The vampires clutched their throats as if trying to free themselves of invisible hands; all Renee could do was sit and watch. Lucius closed his fists and his captives cried out in pain. "I have not gone against the Circle's laws nor have I threatened the members. Leave my territory and tell them this: if they want to negotiate it must be face to face." He dropped his hands and the two fell down the wall, landing next to Orion.

  The vampires and the shifters all scrambled out the door, leaving it open behind them. Lucius turned black eyes to Tegan and Renee. Renee studied the ground, feeling like a schoolchild in trouble for something. Tegan started to stand until Lucius glared at her. "You are in enough trouble as it is. Sit there and be silent."

  Tegan slid back to the floor, giving a slight whimper when she did. Renee leaned her head back against the wall and the world went black for a moment, until a cold hand touched her. "Orion." Lucius voice called.

  Forcing her eyes open, she saw Lucius looking down at her as Orion came into view. "I feel sick." She muttered.

  "You've lost a lot of blood. I'm taking you to the hospital. Where the hell is Coran? He should have been here by now.”

  Panic overtook her. Hospitals meant she was seriously hurt, plus she hated hospitals. "No, no, no, just leave me here." She whispered, trying to get her body to move.

  Orion scooped her up before she could try and protest. Renee tried to glance back at Tegan but the world faded to black.

  Coran had taken the back roads home, doubling the time of the normal commute. It had given him time to think about what Lucius had said and everything else going on in the territory. Instinct was starting to take control and he knew that he needed to act soon or he was going to lose Renee, one way or another. The time had come to confess what he felt, what was going on, and to make her his mate. He pulled his truck up to the curb and ran to the door, wanting to get everything off his chest before he lost his nerve.

  Something was wrong. Coran frowned at the scratches on the door. Sniffing the air, his beast went wild when he smelled other shifters and unknown vampires. The door opened with a slight push, the hinges threatening to give out as if something had barged through it.

  "No." He whispered when his eyes landed on the overturned furniture and the blood stains dotting the carpet. Thoughts of Trisha's death went through his mind as he rushed to the first red splatter. He touched it, finding it still wet, and brought his fingers up to his nose. His heart sped up and panic bubbled, causing his wolf to howl. Renee's scent. "Fuck."

  He moved to the next puddle and repeated the process, finding Tegan's and Orion's blood. He pulled out his phone and punched in Orion's number.

  Voicemail. Coran cursed before trying Tegan's. It rang, but there was no answer from the woman. No drag marks to suggest capture and no bodies to provide proof of death. His mind reeled at the possibilities of what had happened. Images of Renee's broken and beaten body kept flashing in his thoughts as he tried to see the fight. He tried Orion again. Nothing. Tegan, nothing. This time he decided to leave a voicemail.

  "What the hell happened? Call
me back." He shoved the phone in his pocket, turning to the door. There had been six attackers judging by the scents; Tegan's sword lay abandoned by one of the chairs, blood coating it. Renee's blood covered the carpet on one side of a recliner. Tegan had tried to protect her.

  He tried to call Orion's phone again. Dialing Tegan's number, he prayed to fate that he would get an answer.

  Tegan's voice came across the line. "I can't talk."

  "Don't you dare hang up on me." Coran snarled. "Where is everyone, what happened here?"

  "You're at the house." Tegan made it a statement.

  "Yes, there's blood everywhere, I smell tigers, wolves and vampires. Did you guys have a wild party in the couple hours I was gone?"

  Tegan sighed. "No, we were attacked."

  "That doesn't answer my question, Tegan. What the hell happened? There is blood all over the living room, your sword is here, Renee is nowhere to be found. Orion's not answering his phone and you only answered after three calls. What the fuck?" He paused. "Tegan?" He asked in a softer tone when he heard her move.

  "I'm at the property, the only reason I could answer was Lucius wanted me to tell you I couldn't talk. I don't know why Orion isn't answering his phone, he probably went to go tend to his wounds." Her voice shook. "Renee's at the hospital down the road."

  Tremors ran through his body; that was all the information he needed. He Knew Lucius would be right next to Tegan, giving her the wrap it up sign and Orion was hiding in some Fae place. Renee would be alone when she woke up. If she woke up. He hung up on Tegan and headed out.

  Coran took a deep breath before he pushed opened the door.

  "I want to know what they were talking about, why would they want me?" Renee snapped at Orion, not realizing Coran had walked in. He leaned against the doorway, taking in the scene. Renee was encased in blankets on the hospital bed; he couldn’t see much of her because of all the blankets. Only? Her arms lay exposed; an IV hooked up to one and a bandage on the other. His wolf stirred at the idea of her being hurt enough that the hospital was called for.

  Orion rubbed his eyes. "I don't know why, I thought they were just after the stone. Lay back and try to get some rest, you were hurt pretty bad."

  "How bad are we talking?" Coran took a few steps in. Orion stood without an answer, giving Coran the chair next to Renee’s bed. His heart pounded against his chest as he sat.

  Renee's heart jumped when she saw Coran, making the heart rate monitor bing. "I'm sorry." Taking her hand, he kissed it. He didn’t know what else to say at this point, not with Orion at his back. What Coran wanted to do was to pull her into his arms and hold her tight to make sure she wasn’t dead. Kiss her until he was sure all her pain had melted away.

  "You left us there." The anger rang through her voice loud and clear. "You left us there to be attacked, we were outnumbered. Where were you?" She met his eyes and tried to cross her arms, but the IV stopped her. She tugged a bit and tears started at the corner of her eyes. "How could you not be there?”

  He looked down and sighed. "I took the long way home, trying to clear my head. I thought that Orion and Tegan would have been enough to protect you. It breaks my heart to know that I took too long and that you were hurt. I’m sorry. I never want to feel that panic again, seeing your blood coating the carpet. The thought of never seeing you again hit me all over. The idea that you might have been dead, not knowing if they had taken you—" His voice hitched and he tried to take her hand again.

  Renee pulled her hand out of his reach. "We could have won had you been there. Did you think of that?”

  "I didn't know that they were coming. Certain creatures in our world can transport themselves and others between places. Vampires are one of them. There were no strange scents around the house." He ran his hand through his hair, still not meeting her eyes. He stood and went to the window, trying to calm the churning of his stomach. "I'm guilt ridden and my wolf wants nothing but to hunt for the creatures who did this to you."

  Renee snorted. "Lucius already took care of it."

  He studied the cityscape below him. “I’m sorry that he was the one who did.” It seemed like he could only apologize. Taking a deep breath, he decided it was time for him to confess. “Renee, the thing is, when I drove back to the city I thought about a lot of things. I thought about us and mating.” She didn’t respond so he continued. He couldn’t face her sad eyes until he got this off his chest.

  “I don’t want to live without you. You are my very breath, you calm the beast inside me. Renee, I love you...”

  A strangled cry came from her and Coran turned around, expecting her to be tearing up because he’d just confessed his love for her. Instead, he found her clutching the stone at her neck, her eyes wide with fear.

  Renee could hear Coran vaguely, just the rumbling tone of his voice, but the hospital had disappeared. She was back at the house, but now it was littered with bodies. Blood covered the room and squished into the carpet as she ran to the one body she knew. Coran’s body heaved as he tried to breathe, but he coughed instead. Renee flipped him over and blood coated her hands as she tried to find the wounds. Everything felt real, had the hospital been a dream?

  “If you give me the stone, I can stop this from happening.”

  She looked up when a man appeared, leaning over her and Coran. No, not man. His black eyes bore into her. His dark hair fell over his sharp cheekbones and his skin held a fading sun-kissed tone. A three-piece suit made him look like a businessman.

  “You can’t let him die. Help him, please.” She begged and pulled Coran’s head into her lap. His body shook as he tried to take a breath, but nothing happened. She watched as his green eyes faded and life left him.

  The vampire crossed his arms. “All I need right now is the stone, Renee, and I can stop this from happening.”

  “This...this isn’t real?” She looked around. Everything felt real, even the drying blood on her hands, the weight of Coran’s head in her lap and the crippling pain in her heart.

  He chuckled. “I can make it your reality, merge these memories with the ones that are true.” He started to fade. “The stone, Renee.”

  She made a noise as she realized she was still in the hospital. Coran was still alive and standing at the end of her bed. “Renee?”

  Her heart broke, thinking this would be the last time she could possibly hear his voice. That she could hold his dying body at any moment. She looked down at her hands, still feeling the blood that had coated them, but they were clean.

  The door to the room opened and the vampire from the vision walked in. Coran moved between the two of them. Renee bit her lip, knowing exactly what she needed to do to keep him safe.

  The man chuckled. "Down wolf, I'm just here to collect what is mine." He met Coran's gaze. "It's been a long time, Coran. Still cowering under Lucius' watchful eye I see."

  "Markus. What are you doing here? I know you don't have Lucius' permission." Coran crossed his arms. "Last I heard you were trying to locate the Father's tomb and got your ass kicked by the local wolf pack."

  Markus snarled. "We have secured the tomb and as soon as I slaughter you, I will have two of the things to raise the Father."

  Two? Slaughter Coran? Renee's heart pounded against her chest. Her stomach heaved at the idea of Coran’s death becoming a reality. She couldn’t let it happen. "You can have the stone." She said quickly. Both of them turned to stare at her.

  Coran shook his head. "Renee, you don't know what you're saying. He's messing with your head, it's what he does."

  Images of Coran's torn and bloody body filled her mind. His blank eyes staring at her. "No, I won't let you get slaughtered over this. I just want my life to go back to normal. Having vampires stalk me is not normal." She whispered and took the stone off her neck. "You take this and you leave me alone."

  Markus moved too fast for her eyes to track and he snatched the necklace out of her hand. He leaned down and whispered in her ear while tucking her hair behind it. "For n
ow, my dear. I'll return for you later." Smirking he pulled back and glanced at Coran. "The human knows what is good for her. She's smart, unlike Tegan and Trisha."

  Coran's jaw locked and he launched himself at the vampire as Markus disappeared. His fist hit the wall and he snarled. "What the hell is he doing here?" He muttered.

  "I thought it was obvious, he was here to get the stone." Renee's voice shook. Coran clearly hadn't heard what was whispered in her ear. She swallowed the panic trying to overtake her. Tears spilled over her cheeks as she replayed what just happened. Emptiness came over her when she reached for the stone, no longer around her neck.

  Coran sighed and turned back to her. He approached the side of the bed and tried to take her hand. "Look." He paused. "Are you crying?" He asked gently and lifted her chin to meet her gaze.

  "I want you to leave." She whispered, still avoiding his gaze.

  Chapter Eleven

  Lucius shoved Tegan into her room and snarled at her. She clenched her fist and stood her ground, meeting his gaze. He tried to take a calming breath, but he caught the scent of her blood and fury filled him. "You should have called me the moment they broke into the house." He snapped.

  "We shouldn’t have been out numbered." She shot back. "Coran should have been there to help us and none of this would have happened."

  "Sit down and let me take care of those wounds." He growled. "I told Coran to return to you, I don't know why he didn't go back to the house."

  She shrugged and flinched. "He didn't say." Tegan sat on the bed and pulled her shirt over her head. Lucius took a deep breath. "Tiger, wolf, but no vampire bites." For that he was grateful. "You didn't get the stone from Renee." He stated.

  "Didn't have a chance to steal it and she wasn't keen on giving it to me. She kept saying she felt like it was meant to go to her."

  He touched the bite on her thigh and she tried not to jump. "Kneeling is going to be a bitch until that heals up. Why do you think you sent the stone to her?"

  "I don't want to talk about it." She snapped and clenched her jaw. "Kneeling, why would I be kneeling, your meeting was earlier this evening."