Dark War Chronicles Box Set One

by A. L. Kessler

  "This is eerie." She mumbled.

  Lucius chuckled. "This is your life now, the price of mating Coran. I hope you can handle it."

  The door at the other end of the hall opened, causing Renee to jump. Coran's hand tightened over hers when Orion walked in, leading Markus and two other vampires. Orion took his place next to Lucius. Her only comforting thought was the fact that Lucius' people outnumbered Markus'.

  Coran resisted the urge to pull Renee closer to him when Markus smiled at her. Lucius broke the silence before Coran could react to the wink Markus gave her.

  "Welcome to my territory."

  Markus' eyes snapped to Lucius. "Thank you, and our gratitude comes from the entire Circle. I am here on their behalf."

  "What business do you have here?" Lucius ran a hand over Tegan's hair and Markus followed the movement.

  Markus' eyes flickered to Renee then back to Tegan. "The Circle wants the human that was in possession of the stone."

  "Renee is now part of my people, my territory. So as you can see, the Circle has no right to take her from me." Lucius' hand paused when something shifted in the room. The door opened and someone walked in. A tall male dressed in Hunter's black, but Lucius knew no Hunter would dare step foot in his manor. He glanced over at Renee and Coran then to Markus. "It's not like you to keep a pet Hunter around."

  "Cody sought me out after his Society threw him out and though he hates our kind he has decided to join us." Markus motioned to Renee. "He's provided me with everything I need to know about Ms. Flemmons and her bloodline. Which is exactly why we know you were planning on raising the Father."

  Tegan shivered at that, and Coran half expected her to jump up and start screaming at Markus. The panthers at Lucius' feet growled when Markus stepped forward. Tegan raised her head, tilting it towards the animals. "Master, that is the Hunter who shot me."

  Coran pulled Renee closer to him. Markus froze in his tracks. "The Hunting Society dealt punishment already."

  Lucius snorted. "And he is no longer with them, so it's in my rights to punish Cody."

  "You won't touch me." Cody snapped and pulled a gun. Lucius snarled and rushed him as a shot rang out. Coran shoved Renee behind the throne where Tegan had crawled. Without her sword and her sunglasses the woman would be useless. No one had a weapon for Renee, also leaving her defenseless. "Orion, the girls." He snapped and Orion moved to them. With only Markus and Cody, the fight should be a quick one.

  Markus watched Lucius pin Cody to the wall. The stupid ex-Hunter had ruined everything. Since he was under Markus' control now, his attack broke laws. Markus could see the blood blossoming on Lucius’ hip and knew the Hunter had managed to hit him. There was a Fae next to the throne, guarding the girls cowering behind it, but that wouldn't stop Markus. No...

  Renee....

  He let his voice and power slip through the human and call to her. He could feel her mind, the panic she felt and the worry over Coran as he ran towards Markus. He met the wolf's eyes and laughed. "You think you can take me? I slaughtered your lover and you failed to kill me then. This time I'll make sure you see her torture and that you're there when I slice her open to release the Father from his grave."

  Coran snarled and his eyes flashed amber as he rushed Markus. Lucius yelled at him to stop. Dropping the Hunter, Lucius ran to block Coran. "You cannot touch him or the Circle will come here as a repercussion."

  "Get out of my way. I will not let him hurt her." Coran tried to shoulder past Lucius, but the vampire held strong.

  Renee...come to me.... Markus called again while Lucius and Coran were distracted. Tell them you want to come with me.

  "Renee don't." Orion's voice echoed through the room as the human started to come out from behind the throne. Tegan stayed like an obedient pet, but Markus knew his other plans would hold strong for her.

  Coran rushed to her, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Renee?"

  "I...I want to—"

  "Get out of her head, Markus." Tegan's voice cut Renee off. The human came out of hiding, but the Fae blocked her from coming closer. "I know you're in there, I don't know how you broke Lucius' protection over her, but she is sworn to him and his territory."

  Markus raked her with a heated glare. "Talking out of turn aren’t you?"

  "She has my permission to talk." Lucius snapped a hand over the wound on his hip.

  "She has no right to claim that I am influencing the woman. Let the human speak." Markus motioned to Renee.

  Coran kissed her and whispered something. Renee blinked a few times. "I heard voices, they told me to go with them."

  Markus pressed his lips together, but they all turned when Cody started to run across the hall. Coran rushed the ex-Hunter and grabbed the wrist holding the gun. Twisting it, Coran snapped the wrist and threw the other man away. The panthers surrounded him and Markus knew it was over now, all except for Tegan.

  Still blinded, she stayed behind Orion's arm, protected, but the Fae would be easy enough to take care of when the time came. "Stand down." Markus snapped at Cody as he stood and resumed a fighting stance. "You've already caused enough damage here."

  "He has attacked my people under your watch. That is against the laws even as tainted as the Circle sees them." Lucius moved back to his throne. "My panther will eat him if he even flinches wrong now."

  The female panther licked her muzzle as if anticipating the taste of human flesh. Markus found himself wondering what kind of people Lucius had gathered. An immortal wolf, two panthers, a Fae of royal descent, and Tegan. It was an impressive collection, but why? "You still have the charges for the intent of raising the Father."

  "There is no proof that was my intention. The stone was given to Tegan by her brother, but now that is in your custody. Renee just happens to live in my territory. The night after being attacked by rogues, she met Coran and fate declared them mates.” He gave an elegant shrug, “I have no control over that." Lucius sat down on his throne and Tegan took her proper place at his feet, draping herself across his lap.

  Markus watched Coran guide Renee back to their spots, but the panthers stayed around Cody. "You took her into your territory and under your protection the moment you learned she had the stone."

  "What was I supposed to do? Kill her? She had something that belonged to Tegan."

  Markus had planted the address in Tegan's head the night she sent it away, but he hadn't expected Lucius' people to catch on so quickly. "Report her to the Circle. The laws say that the Father is to remain buried and dead. Anything that threatens his state is to be in the Circle's custody. You know what happens if he is raised."

  "Better than you.” A touch of anger tinted Lucius’ voice. “The scale gets tipped in the Circle's favor in the war, while those of us who wish things to remain the way they are will be slaughtered or forced to submit. There will be a blood bath of a civil war, and the already raging war between creatures will spill into the human world. They are not prepared for that." Lucius stated. "Now, until you have any actual evidence, you are not welcome in my territory."

  Markus chuckled. "I want your word that you are not holding anything else that will aid in the raising of the Father."

  "I owe you nothing." Lucius' eyes narrowed. "Get out."

  "So be it, I'm sure we will be back." He let his gaze wander over Tegan. "I have unfinished business." Markus spun and motioned to Cody. "Come along Hunter, I'm not finished with you yet."

  The female panther snapped at him when he walked by, causing him to quicken his step.

  Coran took in the silence filling the room while everyone digested what happened. When he found his voice, he looked down at Renee and kissed her head. "Any more voices?"

  "No, and the feeling is gone. What was that?" She asked stepping away, but keeping a hold of him.

  Coran pulled her close again. "Markus still managed to get in your head. He wanted you to go with him."

  "And what did he mean by unfinished business?" She scanned everyone’s face, but no
one seemed to know. "So what now?"

  "Now we go about our life and wait until we hear from the Circle." Lucius stated. "Which we will eventually, or Markus will do something else stupid." He went to Tegan.

  "You're wounded." She whispered. "May I remove my blindfold and tend to you?"

  Renee flinched at how formal the request sounded and Lucius locked eyes with her. Shifting from foot to foot, Renee sighed. "I know, big secret, I'll leave."

  "No. We are not finished yet. Tegan is right, you are bound to me, but I want your word that you are trustworthy."

  "And if I break that word?"

  "I send Kassity after you to do the job I originally gave her."

  The casual tone he used made her shiver. "You threaten all your people like this?"

  Orion and Coran both snickered. Tegan smirked. "Welcome to the family."

  Renee looked at Coran, who nodded. "Fine, I give you my word that I will never willingly betray your trust."

  "Smart wording." Lucius bowed his head. "Now you and Coran may leave. Orion and Tegan will stay to tend to my wound. Jaxon and Kassity, you two are free to hunt."

  Coran grabbed Renee's hand and led her to the door. He let the panther's leave before leading Renee to their room.

  "Come on, you need rest." He led her away from the great room, holding on to her a little tighter than needed.

  "You won't lose me, I’m safe now."

  "I know...I know." He captured her lips and teased the opening with his tongue until she let him in. He took her hand and led her into their bedroom. She paused for a moment at the mirror, examining Coran’s wolf and herself. It seemed that the wolf now carried a strange blue haze around it, a haze that surrounded Renee as well. Just like the colors around the panthers. Renee smiled, realizing what it meant. They were truly a mated pair.

  Chapter Fifteen

  *Six months later*

  Renee giggled as Coran shoved cake into her mouth. Sputtering around it, she tried to swallow. Cheers came from the crowd watching them. Taking a piece for him, she shoved it in his mouth, smearing it across his cheek. The last six months had proven to be a challenge when it came to learning about the supernatural world and the politics of vampires, but Coran stayed by her side the whole time. He even dealt with her year round classes, with the exception of this semester. He made her take this one off so they could plan the wedding, get married, and go on their honeymoon.

  "Really?" He asked, wiping his face off with a napkin Orion handed him.

  Renee crossed her arms. "Really, it's called payback. You did it to me first, and now there's frosting on my wedding gown." She motioned down to the white dress.

  "Just another reason to take it off you later." He wiggled his eyebrows and kissed her after she finished cleaning her face off. "Mrs. Hemming."

  She beamed at the new last name. "I can't believe you agreed to get married."

  "I have to indulge you and make sure you're happy in your short, mortal lifetime." His tone was joking and light, but she knew how serious he was. They discussed her mortality more often than she liked and she’d been hoping to avoid the subject today.

  She put a finger to his lips. "Don't dwell on the sad parts. I'm now yours, Mr. Hemming, and that's what I wanted. Everything feels right and perfect. The Circle is behind us and life is good."

  "Yes, but this is still the supernatural world, there is a war and there will be nights that I have to go out and fight. Times you have to be alone. I don't like the thought of that."

  She shrugged. "I don't like the idea of you going out to fight; however, Tegan and I will have girls' nights and take over the new TV at home."

  "Speaking of her, where did your bridesmaid go? She decide to go change out of her dress?" He asked. "I know she wasn't happy about the color."

  Renee shrugged and glanced through the crowd in the courtyard of Lucius' estate. They had told everyone it was a venue for rent and the guests were only allowed in certain places within the building. It had allowed Lucius to control some of the event and make sure everyone remained safe.

  "She might have, but I think she would have told us. Lucius has been so paranoid about her whereabouts since Markus came to visit." A strange feeling went through Renee when she spotted the other bridesmaids, all friends from school, taking pictures with the photographer. Tegan wasn't among them.

  Coran seemed to follow her train of thought. "She doesn't like pictures and there can't be too many of her because of the whole not aging thing, but it is strange for her to just disappear."

  "I'll check her room. Maybe she just got overwhelmed by the crowd, or Lucius needed her?" Renee swallowed the lump of nerves trying to climb up her throat.

  "Lucius is over talking to Kassity." He pointed across the yard. "But yeah, why don't you go and check her room? I'll check over by the pond, sometimes she goes there for some quiet time."

  Renee chuckled at the comment, as if Tegan were a child who needed rest. "All right." She hiked up her dress, glad Tegan had pinned up the long train for the reception. The tiled halls of the building were oddly silent when Renee entered them, giving a creepy feeling to her search.

  "Tegan?" She called, making her way down the hall where Tegan stayed, hoping she didn't go back to the apartment. A sliver of light came through the cracked door and Renee gave a sigh of relief. When she pushed the door open she froze. Clothing dotted the floor, drawers lay upside down, contents scattered, and the bed was flipped off the box spring.

  Panic started to fill Renee, and bubbled up as a scream. Coran found her and wrapped his arms her. "This can't be good. Fuck."

  "I thought we were safe here." She whispered, her eyes wandering over the damage. "This means someone got in here."

  Coran nodded and took a deep breath. "Demons. I smell demons and Tegan."

  "How would a demon get in here?" Renee turned to face him.

  He sighed. "Demons can create portals from their world to anywhere in our realm. The question is, why didn't they take Tegan back through one? I can smell her trail. I need to shift to track it properly." He kissed Renee's head. "Lucius disappeared, so I want you to come with me."

  She nodded, panic still clouding her mind.

  Renee followed Coran out of the estate and back through the courtyard. When they were away from the reception party, Coran shifted and Orion stepped up to her side.

  "What's going on?"

  "Tegan's missing and her room has been trashed. Coran said he smelled demons in her room." Renee quickened her steps to keep up with Coran who was close to a trot. "How far do you think they took her?"

  "There's no proof that she was taken." Orion argued. "They couldn't have dragged her through here without someone noticing. The courtyard was full of people and Lucius would have known that she was in danger, unless they were able to block her mind from him." He paused and shook his head. "Come on we're losing him." He started to run.

  Renee ran after them, coming to a dead stop when they found Lucius, frozen, looking beyond a clearing in the forest. Coran shifted form next to him. Orion glanced at him and used his magic to manifest clothes onto Coran. Coran placed a hand on Lucius's shoulder. Renee glanced at Orion. "What's going on?"

  "This is the end of Lucius' territory, he can't step foot into the other land without causing problems between us and the neighboring vampires." Orion whispered.

  Renee pushed past him and moved next to Lucius and Coran. "I'll go after her, I'll find her."

  Coran grabbed her when she tried to go into the clearing and held her close to his body. "You can't. You're one of Lucius' people now, it would be seen as him sending you in there. We have no way of telling if they stopped in the next territory or not. They could have dragged her across the country."

  "She's gone." Lucius snarled, his power crackling in the air.

  "Gone? Gone how? I thought if she died you died." Renee shrank back into Coran's arms when Lucius turned black eyes to her.

  "She’s not in our realm anymore. I can't feel
her, can't sense her. We have lost her." His eyes turned to Orion, who backed away from the group. "You had one job, to protect her. Where were you when she was taken?"

  Orion swallowed. "She wanted to get away from the crowd. I was talking with Derrik and told her I'd join her in a few minutes. The mansion is supposed to be safe."

  "You left her alone, after everything that has happened the past couple of months, you left her alone!" Lucius bellowed.

  Renee ran her hands up and down her arms as Lucius’ power marched through her. Her breath caught when he raised his hand and Orion flew against a tree.

  "I trusted you with her and now she is gone."

  Coran put Renee behind him. "Lucius, we all dropped our guard. Put Orion down and think about this. When was the last time you felt Tegan? When did your connection with her stop?"

  "She was jumping in and out after the wedding. Twenty minutes ago, I felt her out here and then just gone." He dropped Orion. "She's gone..."

  Renee took Coran's hand, not sure what to do in order to comfort Lucius. "What does this mean?"

  "It means the demons have declared war on Lucius by taking his human." Coran sighed. "It means more blood shed and another enemy."

  Lucius turned back to them. "Get back to the mansion. We will not let anyone see how much this affects us."

  "There has to be something we can do." Renee protested. "We can't just lead our lives normally without knowing where Tegan is or what is happening to her."

  "We have no choice. We cannot show weakness. I will do everything in my power to bring her back here. They can't kill her."

  "You mean won't." Renee corrected. "You can't be sure about that."

  Lucius shook his head and moved past her. "You two will still go on your honeymoon, it is expected. Orion, you will be working with me to bring Tegan back. And if she does not come back whole, physically and mentally, I will slaughter you."

  Coran pulled Renee away from the conversation. "I know you don't like it, but—"