Dark War Chronicles Box Set One

by A. L. Kessler

  She shook her head, trying to clear the thoughts from her mind. She had to figure out why Orion thought the bite was something other than vampire. She smiled at the thought of the Fae and her body warmed at the idea of seeing him again. Those warm tendrils going through her body were the reason she had avoided him for the last two months after asking for his help. She hadn't expected his Fae abilities to get to her like that and it scared her. There was a file on him on her computer, one that she had compiled in order to get him to help her. A lot of research had gone into it and she'd learned about how he’d lost his crown to the Queen of Blood and Darkness. She knew that she had him then. The information gathered on Orion told her that he would jump at the chance to get his crown back. He would be the easiest to work with. She had compiled files on all of Lucius' people that she knew about. Her original choice was Tegan, but she knew very little about the human and —surprise— she disappeared.

  Dani took her book to an empty table on the lower floor and dove into her research. Reading about Hunting in the 1500's had more appeal than wandering around a graveyard looking for a mausoleum with only a photograph as reference.

  My life is so exciting and filled with dead people. No, that wasn't true, Orion was very much alive...but she needed to focus.

  Orion flashed himself to Lucius' manor that evening, appearing right outside the property line. He hadn't been back here since the night Tegan disappeared, but he felt the need to warn the vampire that the Hunters thought he had lost control. It wasn't a conversation he was looking forward to. He almost turned back, but he knew Lucius would have sensed him on the property and would question him eventually. Orion started through the trees, knowing which way the mansion sat from the line. He froze when snarling greeted his ears, not one but two different growls.

  "Fuck, Kassity, give me a break." He watched as two black panthers crawled out from behind the trees and started circling him. Lucky for him, Jaxon was with Kass and he retained human thought when in panther form, which couldn't be said for the female. "I just need to talk to Lucius." He held his hands up, showing he wasn't armed.

  Jaxon hesitated, but Kassity continued to snarl and circle him, her eyes roaming Orion like he would be tasty to eat. He swallowed, wondering how long it'd been since Kassity had completed a hunt. "Come on Kass, think about it, I know you've been working with Coran and Derrik to help gain control back. Please, call on those lessons now." His heart pounded in his chest as the panther crouched and her tail flickered, but Jaxon snapped and she backed down, running into the forest. Orion relaxed. "Thanks man, I'll talk to you later." He ran towards the mansion, trying not to dwell on the fact that Lucius was using the cats as security now. Things must be bad, normally the property was only patrolled a couple times a night on top of Lucius’ other safeguards.

  He came to the huge oak doors and pulled one open to let himself in. The door creaked and led into an eerie scene. Lucius leaned forward in his throne, his black hair falling in front of his eyes, shading them from Orion's view. Lucius' lips were curled back in a snarl, showing the deadly fangs, and his hands clenched the arms of the ivory chair. Orion froze halfway into the massive room.

  "I'll return later."

  "You have news of Tegan?" Lucius demanded and Orion hesitated again. "Answer me, Fae. I am in no mood to be teased and tortured tonight. Do you have news of my human or not?"

  "No, sir, I do not. I come bearing news of something in the human world. There are victims showing up drained of blood with their throats ravaged. There are rumors saying that you have gone mad and started killing your victims."

  The chair cracked when Lucius gripped it tighter. "I have not gone mad enough to kill my victims, I have fed from no one but my people here. Why bring such rumors here?"

  Orion was starting to question why himself. Clearly tonight was a bad night to approach Lucius, but it was too late to back away now. "Because it's your territory and if it doesn't get figured out they are going to come after you. I know you miss Tegan and her disappearance is taking a toll on all of us, but you have to pull it together—"

  He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence. Lucius threw a hand up and Orion found himself pinned against the wall. The impact took his breath away and he struggled under the invisible hold.

  "You know nothing Fae, there is an empty spot in my mind, in my soul without her here. I can't feel her, I can't sense her, and I can't tell what is being done to her. It is torture."

  Orion tried to claw at the invisible force pinning his throat and body to the wall. He gagged around the pressure. "I am sorry." He tried, but Lucius closed his hand into a fist and the pressure became worse. Damn the vampire for being immensely powerful. "I am doing everything I can to find her."

  Lucius dropped him and put his head in his hands. "Every moment that she is gone, I feel myself slipping away."

  "Is there no one you have allied with that could at the very least talk to the demons? Negotiate, something, anything?"

  Lucius shook his head. “Demons are very fickle, we can't attack them as long as they are in their realm because we have no way in. The only demon I am allied with would be killed on sight and that would get us nowhere."

  "Kaden." Orion blinked. "I wasn't aware he was actually allied with you."

  Lucius snorted. "A complicated situation, I assure you. It wasn't something either of us preferred at the time, but it was needed."

  Orion knew better than to push. "Do we know if the demons allied with the Circle?"

  "I doubt it. They hate vampires on principle, it's one less thing we have to worry about." Lucius growled. "I'm ruling the territory the best I can without her. All the bars are low on staff; I’m working with Derrik to help make it up, but he is dealing with pack issues. The Disappearing Act has had more trouble lately. People feared Tegan there, the woman with the sword. She tended to keep the trouble down."

  "I'll stop in when I can, but I have obligations that must be fulfilled too." Orion reminded him. Though he loved to dance at the strip club, he much preferred to work at The Disappearing Act, Tegan's pride and joy. But as a Fae, especially one descended from sexual beings, the strip club was more fitting.

  Lucius waved a hand. "Yes, yes, I know. Now get out of here before I decide that you will feed me tonight."

  "Jaxon and Kass are in cat form, who are you planning on feeding from?"

  A wicked smile crossed Lucius' face. "Your roommate."

  Orion tried not to cringe. Coran hated to be used as food and he wondered what Renee would think. "Enjoy your wolf blood, I'm off to search the city for some clue or someone I can torture for information."

  "Those are dangerous words." Lucius warned.

  "Yes, but I would do it if it meant getting Tegan back." He turned to walk out. "I really am sorry, Lucius. We’ll find her, they wouldn't be stupid enough to try and kill her."

  "She cannot survive another round of torture. We worked so hard to help her recover from the Circle, I don't want to see her go back to that."

  No one did. Orion recalled her broken and bleeding body when he'd found her. The night he’d met Lucius, the night he’d rescued Tegan from the Circle's torture. He never wanted to see her so hopeless and helpless again. His heart ached as he walked out and flashed himself back to the townhouse he shared with Renee and Coran, thankful to find them out for the night. He had work tonight and wanted a couple more hours of sleep before he had to be on stage.

  Chapter Two

  The sun was rising as Orion left the club. He had changed from his stage clothes into his regular torn jeans and t-shirt. He wandered to the coffee shop and saw the man there again. Shaking his head, he realized who he was now. Kaden. Jaxon had mentioned meeting the demon here when he took the job to find the stone. He inclined his head to the demon before continuing in to get coffee. He intended to enjoy the cup outside in the sun before going home and sleeping.

  His eyes scanned over the crowd, but there was no Tegan. His heart dropped at that, what he wo
uld give for her just to walk in and get her coffee like normal. He sat down and sipped his coffee, growling when a shadow came over him. "What?" He met the gaze of Danielle who blinked at him a few times.

  "Grumpy without your morning coffee, are ya?" She put her hands on her hips. "Really Orion, I just came to tell you that we have a surviving victim."

  He nearly jumped out of his chair, but forced himself to remain calm. "A surviving one, are they conscious?"

  "No, not yet, but her vitals are stable. I was hoping you'd come to headquarters and see her. Look at the bite again, maybe talk to her if she wakes up. I did some research, but I wasn't able to find anything." She sat down across from him. "I'm at a loss, Orion, the Elder Masters keep giving me these assignments that seem impossible. This is one of those. It's like they want to peg Lucius with this."

  Something in her eyes made him want to console her, reach out and kiss her and whisper calming words to her. He couldn’t figure out if it was the desperation in her voice, or the pleading in those big blue eyes, but something drew him to her. He glanced at her red lips. They almost had a pout to them, perfectly kissable, but he needed to focus. He jerked his gaze away from her mouth and reminded himself not think with his lower head. "Do you have anyone there you can trust?"

  "Possibly Joey, but I don't know enough about him to confide what I think. That being said, I'm hoping no one asks any questions about you being there."

  "I didn't agree to go." He muttered and sipped his coffee. "The idea of being stuck in Hunter's HQ with a victim makes me queasy."

  She snorted and tucked her hair behind her ear. “It's not like I'm going to lock you in there and I'm sure you can just poof yourself out of there, dusty."

  He glared at her over his coffee. "Did you just call me ‘dusty’? Like fairy dust? Seriously?"

  "Would you prefer Tinker Bell?"

  No, no he wouldn't. She smiled and the sun caught her eyes. He wondered where the flirting came from. "Okay, let's get this over with. I want to sleep at some point."

  "Work all night? Or were you out working for Lucius?"

  "I was at the club, there's not a whole lot that I can do for Lucius right now. Not unless I want to open a vein." He stood and stretched. A quick look at the human and then he would be able to go home and sleep.

  She stood with him. "I'll drive us, it'll be easier to get you in if you're riding with me. Less questions, less security, and please tell me you aren't carrying weapons."

  "Not in this realm. I can summon them if I so choose, but I promise I won't do that. I won't put your rank in danger, Danielle, the society means the world to you, I assume."

  She bit her lip and turned away from him. "The society is the only family I have that understands my hate for the blood suckers."

  "You have living family then?" he asked lightly as he followed her.

  "Yeah, a mother and father. I'm an only child and when my attack happened they thought I was crazy. They think that the Hunting Society is a military branch that allows me to use special skills and they provide everything I need to stay sane."

  Orion nodded. "But at least you have them, it's a lonely world without family."

  "Family isn't always blood."

  He recalled saying something similar to Renee when she first came around. "Yeah I know, but it seems to me that my family is falling apart."

  "Do you keep in contact much with the Fae world?" She pulled out her keys and unlocked a shiny black SUV with tinted windows.

  Orion raised a brow. "Standard issue?"

  "Yep, though I chose the color." She laughed. "Most of us prefer black, we've got one smart ass at this HQ who has a lime green one. You can spot him a mile away." She shook her head as she climbed in.

  Pulling himself into the passenger side, he looked at the sleek leather interior. "They don't skimp on the details, eh?"

  "They treat us well, as they should, but we're also only partially funded by the government, a lot of our money comes from syndicates that like to remain anonymous." She started the vehicle and drove out of the parking lot.

  He watched the cars go by and didn't speak until they got on the highway. "I should be honored that you're taking me to headquarters."

  "Yes, because not many outsiders see it, but I trust you. I don't know why, you work for Lucius, but I trust you."

  He shrugged. "It must be my charming personality." The houses and businesses gave way to the foothills of the mountains as she drove them past the army base and further into the winding pass. Pulling off on a dirt road, she glanced over at him.

  "I know it's far out here, but the foothills provide cover for us and the land was perfect for building something that could be well defended. It's been here for years, probably older than the state herself."

  Studying the area around them, he tried to notice any landmarks that he could, but nothing stood out, not until they got to the tall concrete wall topped with barbed wire. She drove up to the gate and a man with an AR-15 on his back held his hand up as she rolled to a stop.

  "Hey, I'm coming in with the informant I spoke to you about earlier."

  "I'm trusting he's clear of weapons?" The man met Orion's gaze. "If not, you know the consequences and you owe me one, Dani."

  "Yeah, yeah, I know, thanks." She continued forward when the gate opened. "I bribed him earlier with filling his shifts for a week. It'll be worth it if you can help us."

  Orion shook his head. "I never imagined this is how the Hunter base would work. I guess I imagined you cloaked away from any human view by some sort of magic."

  "We aren't like the Fae, Orion, we can't control magic, or the veils of realms, we just are. We make do with what we have around us, we are resourceful." She chuckled a little. "With how old you are, you've never been to one of our bases?"

  He shook his head. "No, and honestly, last time I had this much interaction with a Hunter, he was trying to free a blood bonded human. You can imagine how well that went over. Though you guys don't normally make a habit of hunting Fae, you don't like anyone who hangs out with vampires and shifters for that matter."

  "We all have our reasons for it." she reminded him as she pulled into a massive parking lot. "We're going straight to the medical wing, it'll keep us from getting stopped by any of the professors."

  He got out and followed her across the asphalt to a red brick building. The foothills of the mountains swelled up behind the buildings that made up the complex. Some were closer together, some spaced out. He could tell that some were living quarters while others he guessed were office buildings. The complexes were spread out and disappeared into the hills. He turned his eyes back to the building ahead of them. The windows were small and many had bars over them. "Looks like a mental hospital."

  "Started that way. Some of the rooms still hold those who can't handle the world they've been exposed to." She shrugged. "We have to be prepared for everything here and mental instability is one of those things."

  "Sounds lovely..."

  They came to double glass doors that whooshed open when they approached. Dani walked to the desk and motioned for him to stay back. Orion crossed his arms and watched as a few Hunters came in and some wandered out. Some nursed wounds as they waited in a room to his left. If it hadn't been for all the black and weapons he could assume it was a normal human hospital.

  Danielle returned and clipped a 'visitor' badge onto his shirt. The gentle brush of her fingers over his clothing sent a shiver down his back. That simple touch stirred him and begged him to pull Dani into his arms, but he resisted. He looked down at it and sneered at the bright letters. "Really? Like it isn't obvious enough already?"

  "Rules are rules, come on. She's in ICU for now, but she's stable."

  Which was good news, it meant that as soon as she was conscious they could talk to her. If the woman could clear Lucius' name, that was one thing off of Orion's worry-about list. "All right, take me to her."

  Danielle led him through the white sterile halls. Just like a hu
man hospital, this place had no personality to speak of. He preferred it when brightly colored murals covered the walls to offset the smell of death and illness. Grumbling, he followed her, playing with his obnoxious laminated visitor tag.

  She stepped into a room and spoke quietly with the doctor there. The man stepped out, glared at Orion, but continued down the hallway. Orion smirked and gave the man a little wave. Dani stepped out and motioned him in; Orion obeyed and went right to the unconscious woman.

  He paused and frowned at what he saw. Her long light blonde hair fanned out against the pillow behind her and with her eyes closed she almost looked like Tegan. The same slender body type, the same height, and her muscles were toned. He saw the bandage pulled back from the neck. The torn skin still held the imprint of teeth marks and something flashed in his mind. A similar situation, except he was seeing Tegan, pressed up against a wall screaming at him to stay away and calling for Lucius. Her hand had been clamped to her neck as blood dripped down it.

  Orion closed his eyes at the memory; Tegan hadn't been out of the torture for more than a month when she had been attacked. Blinded, she fought off the attacker the best she could, but wasn't able to describe him. The moment Lucius showed up, she calmed and exposed the wound. Lucius knew instantly what had happened.

  "You've thought of something." Danielle's voice cut through his thoughts.

  He swallowed and nodded. "I know what we're dealing with here, the good news is that it's not Lucius, nor is it any of his people."

  "What's the bad news?"

  "It's a blood demon and the last time one of them was set loose was over two hundred years ago and it wiped out an entire village before it was killed."

  Dani shifted from foot to foot. "Which means it can be killed." She covered the wound back up.

  "Yes, it's nearly impossible, but it can be done. You have to behead it and burn the body, much like you would a vampire. It thrives on blood; it can drain someone in a single sitting and still crave more. We defeated him because Lucius lost it. He was growing in his power then. Between him, Coran, and I we were able to pin the demon down and kill him."