by Allie Burton
X leaned heavily against the sarcophagus, injured but very much alive. “They didn’t read the chant on my night.”
“I didn’t turn into stone.” Xander patted his chest, glad he wasn’t stone cold, glad he was alive.
“Because the soul was received on that night. By her.” X’s accusing voice trembled. “The shabti are meant to serve in the Afterlife.”
A choking sensation clogged Xander’s chest. Jeb had called him stone in a derogatory way several times. The man had believed Xander would turn to stone like these guys.
The shabtis had said they were here to serve. “We’re not dead. And they are quite alive.”
Which worried him even more. What were they going to do with seven ancient guys who wanted to serve Olivia?
“Breaking the Sol Control scattered the power.” X showed gritted teeth like he didn’t want to tell us but was compelled to. “Anyone who was present, who’d been read the sacred chant, and was sixteen received powers.”
Adrenaline spiked and Xander found it hard to catch his breath. His powers were real. Not just zapping people, but he’d have other powers too. Like Olivia. They’d have to learn to deal with their powers together. They could learn and train together. Help each other. Teach each other.
She pointed at the shabtis. “They’re not sixteen. They’re hundreds, if not thousands of years old.”
“They were sixteen when they became shabtis.” Xander faced the army of his namesake. “What are we going to do with them?”
They couldn’t leave them in the museum to be turned over to the police. The police would think they were crazy. The shabtis weren’t familiar with this time period. They’d have to learn how to live in the modern world.
“We serve for goodness and light.” The first shabti pounded on his chest in a salute. To Olivia.
“He’s saluting me,” she murmured to Xander.
“He is.” He grinned knowing what was right, that she deserved the acknowledgement.
“Xander.” She pointed at him. “Has powers, too.”
His tongue tied, glad she’d included him. But she was the one deserving of respect, of leading. She’d sacrificed herself for the cause.
“As do we all.” Another of the shabtis pounded his chest in salute.
Xander’s heartbeat increased. The hair on his arms tingled. They all had powers. They all could become good or bad. He and Olivia definitely had to keep these guys close.
“Olivia.” He pounded his chest in a similar salute. “You hosted Tut. Our allegiance is to you.”
He not only accepted, but resoundingly agreed with her as leader. He’d grown during their adventure, too.
She smiled softly and turned to face her new army. “You don’t want to destroy Earth? Rule the world?”
“What is world?” the third shabti asked.
“When were you born?” Xander stepped toward the one with the strange question.
“Cleopatra was my sovereign queen.”
“These guys know nothing about modern times.” His throat constricted and his limbs felt heavy. “We’re going to have to help them. Teach them how to function in our world. Teach them history, and most importantly, right from wrong.”
“Like a school?” She sounded excited.
“A warrior academy.” The heaviness in his limbs lightened knowing this was the right thing to do. The noble thing.
“We’re going to have to do one more thing.” Her laughter tinkled across the somber atmosphere making everything brighter. “We’re going to have to give them new names.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Olivia
As the shabtis tied up X, the goons, and Jeb, Xander and I stepped away from the crowd. Standing under the skylight, the heat from the morning sun shined a spotlight on us as he pulled me into his arms.
“I’ve been wanting to kiss you again. Without water and without fear.” He leaned toward me and his hand cradled the back of my neck. His lips brushed against mine sending sparkles from my mouth to my curling toes.
I closed my eyes, reveling in his touch, his kiss, his body against mine. Savoring his taste, my tongue tangled with his. My heart fluttered like a bird with wings.
The scene on the bridge replayed in my mind. “How did you know I cared?”
“I didn’t at first.” His cheeks reddened. “But I got to thinking of all we’d been through. And I realized you were protecting me.” He gave me a delicate peck before pulling back and staring. “I love you, Olivia. I will help you with your quest. Be at your side forever. No matter the danger.”
“What quest?” I thought we were done with danger.
“We have unbelievable powers. We can’t sit back and do nothing. We have to help the world.” The zealousness of his words struck confidence in me.
He was right. We had to use our powers for good. “How?”
“I don’t know. Yet.” He grabbed my hand and squeezed tight. “Together, we’ll figure it out.”
“Your warrior academy idea.” A grin bloomed on my face. I’d finally get to attend school. Not a normal school, but an academy where we taught each other.
He nodded. “We’ll start with that. Find a place to live and train the other Xanders.”
“You’re the only Xander I love.” I gazed deeply into the emerald sea of his gaze as if I could see our future. My knees melted from the look of love I saw reflected. A look that was surely in my own eyes.
“I love you,” his voice husked.
We’d said it before, but that had been in the heat of battle. There were no rushed sensations here. No anxiety about certain danger. No exploding orb.
The stress lines on his face relaxed. “So, we’re a team? We’re in this together?”
“Soulmates.” I rubbed my fingers in a nervous gesture. “So, what do you think of your new-found powers?”
He fisted his hands together. “Cool, but scary.”
“Scary, how?”
“It’s a lot of responsibility.” His hard chin angled with determination. “We have a lot of responsibility.”
“We?” I liked that word when it meant him and I.
“Finding a place to train the shabtis, feeding and clothing them. So many things.” He took a deep, satisfied-sounding sigh.
“We’ll start by turning X and Jeb over to the cops. And Tina and Doug into foster care. We’ll take over Fitch’s warehouse.” Xander and I weren’t experts but together we’d learn and train and make it right. Make the world right, or at least try to make it better. “What about our powers? What will be our purpose?”
“For goodness and light.” He repeated the shabtis’ oath holding up his hand, palm facing me.
I placed my hand in front of his bigger one, about an inch away like we’d done in the past. But this time, I pushed it closer. Palm to palm, skin to skin, heart to heart. “For goodness and light. And love.”
Get a Sneak Peek at the Second Book in the Warrior Academy series…
Warrior’s Chaos
Warrior Academy Book Two
Her grandfather kidnapped.
An ancient instrument of death in her hands.
A warrior from the past determined to stop her.
When sixteen-year-old Aria York loses her parents, she thinks nothing worse can happen. Then her grandfather is kidnapped by a mysterious cult and she is hunted by those willing to kill to get the infamous trumpet of war in her possession.
When Aria plays the magical instrument, she forgets her grief as triumph, greed and anger flow through her veins. When her actions cause chaos to erupt in San Francisco, she must join forces with a tortured warrior who comes from the past.
Warrior Falcon knows the legendary trumpet could engulf the world in war. His orders are to retrieve it at any cost. But the deal he makes with Aria to help rescue her grandfather endangers his quest to save the future and jeopardizes his heart.
Aria wants to trust Falcon but knows something even bigger is at stake: A secret so powerful it could destroy
everything. As each precious hour passes, she’s forced to ask: Is she playing the trumpet or is the trumpet playing her?
“Warrior’s Chaos is spellbinding, dark and furious as the chaos is unleashed and felt throughout. Fascinating reading with touches of myth, history, legends and more. Did I mention the magic of romance?”
—Dii, Top 500 reviewer (Originally published as Tut’s Trumpet)
Excerpt:
Agony rocketed through Falcon’s head. The girl had smashed a guitar into his skull. The guitar had smashed into pieces. The strings plunking. The sound cringe-worthy.
The smarting sting wasn’t as bad as the agonizing pain she’d caused him earlier, pain lasting for hours while she’d played Tut’s trumpet of war. Falcon should’ve crept into the house then, ripped the trumpet out of her mouth, and broken the bronze instrument over his knees. That wouldn’t solve his problem though. A problem she’d now inherit.
The cursed girl pushed against his chest. Her touch caused a raw intensity to rip through him, burning his skin and paralyzing his body for a second. He gasped. The unexpectedness of the torture reminding him of his past life.
She paused and glanced at her hands with wide, scared eyes. Then, stared at him. She’d felt the power and the punishment, too. The punishment for playing the instrument of a god and a king.
Their gazes connected, and for a second, time stopped. He didn’t remember his past of mayhem and murder. He forgot his future and his goal. All his thoughts centered on this present, this moment in time, this shared look.
His soul locked onto hers. His heart beat in simpatico. His mind whirred with what ifs.
Her short, blonde hair flipped to one side, almost appearing boyish. Her heart-shaped face featured classically full lips, a straight nose, and the bluest eyes he’d ever seen. Blue like the Nile River he remembered from home.
She looked away, breaking the trance, glanced past his shoulder, toward the door. Dodging around him, she ran.
He leapt, wrapping a hand around her skinny leg and yanking her down. The pain crashed into him again. He refused to let go. He couldn’t let her touch the trumpet again. Her body slammed into the floor and he winced, not wanting to hurt her. He didn’t blame her for torturing him just by contact. She didn’t realize the elements of the trumpet’s power.
Rotating her body to face up, he pulled on her leg, and her body slid across the floor toward him as if she wore silk instead of jeans and a sweater. Some of Tut’s magical powers might reside inside, but she wasn’t as strong as him and his combined strength.
She kicked, trying to get her leg free, and her foot connected with his cheek. An ache shot through his jaw.
“Ugh.” Frustration pulled taut and knotted inside him. “Aria, stop. I’m not going to hurt you.”
Her kicking stopped, for a second, and then she kicked with more strength, probably angry he knew her name. In ancient Egypt, knowing a person’s true name was akin to having power over them. He wished it were so in the modern era.
He grabbed the ankle of her kicking leg, bracing himself for more discomfort. Using her legs similar to a rope, he put one hand on top of the other, pulling her underneath him and pinning her down with his body. The pain should’ve been worse. Instead, electricity shocked him, and hot tingles spread across his skin.
She continued to jerk both legs and twist her body beneath his, trying to fight him off. “Ahh!” Her motions increased the torturous pain and made him uncomfortable in a purely male way. After a thousand years of being a stone statue, these new sensations awakened him from a self-imposed sensual prison. “Aria, listen to me.”
Her movements froze. “How do you know my name?”
“Really? That’s your most important question?” He teased, trying to woo her into submission.
She bucked like a bronco once. Twice. “What do you want?” She spoke through gritted teeth.
He held her arms above her head and stared at her pouting lips. Stared at her smooth skin, and the long line of her naked neck. Frustration connected with desire, battling for dominance. “Tut’s trumpet.”
“Join the chorus.”
“Huh?”
“It’s a musical twist to the expression join the club, meaning everyone wants the trumpet.” Her eyes narrowed, and she studied him. “Did you kidnap my grandfather?”
“No.” He tightened his jaw knowing she wouldn’t believe him. “The Society of Aten kidnapped Professor York. They contacted you, right?”
“Someone called and said they had Grandfather and they wanted the trumpet.”
“For now. They haven’t realized you played Tut’s bronze trumpet.”
Her jaw dropped open, making her mouth more tempting. “How do you know?”
“If I get off of you, will you promise not to run?” His body twitched, fighting off the aching misery. And other things. He really didn’t want to stay in this position for several reasons. “I’ll explain everything.”
She jerked her head down in a slow nod, thinking before agreeing.
He didn’t trust the nod or her sudden blank expression, but he’d made a deal. He scooted off her and got to his knees. Standing, he held his hand out, even though the continued touch would hurt.
She rolled away, closer to the bed. Scrambling to her feet, she grabbed the light off the nightstand and yanked the cord out of the socket. She swung the lamp toward him.
Shaking his head, he didn’t panic or duck. He should’ve guessed she would lie. People in the modern era lied a lot. Casually, he put his hand out, blocking the lamp’s momentum. The lamp stopped in his palm. “You promised.”
Her eyes went wide. She let go of the lamp and veered toward the door. Another move that would get her nowhere and only increased the speed of the blood pumping through his bloodstream. He was done being nice.
Without letting go of the lamp, he grabbed her upper arm with one hand and yanked her back. Using his super strength, he guided her toward the four-poster bed and forced her to sit. He reined in his temper. “I only want to talk.”
“Why would I trust you?” Her face scrunched in a nasty expression. Fear throbbed off her skin.
Fighting against her weak struggles, he tied her hands to the post with the lamp’s cord. “Sorry. Now maybe you’ll listen.”
“Sorry?”
He wasn’t feeling very polite, but he thought being nice might make her listen.
“You break into the house, accost me—”
“You attacked me with a guitar.” So much for her listening.
“Tie me up and probably kidnapped my grandfather.” She jerked on the cord.
“I don’t have your grandfather.” He hadn’t made the best knot so he hoped they could get this discussion over quickly and he could get away from her exasperating and tempting company. “The Society of Aten has your grandfather. I recognized them in the black car.”
Her eyebrows arched so high he thought they’d top the Golden Gate Bridge. “You’re claiming you’re the good guy, yet you didn’t stop an old man from being kidnapped.”
More accusations.
“Not my assignment.” He crossed his arms against his chest.
“What was your assignment? Kidnapping me?” She kept shifting, accusing and verbally insulting.
Using his past memories to shore up his physical defenses, everything inside him hardened. He had a job to do. He couldn’t worry about her feelings or her future. He needed to get ahold of the instrument.
“Retrieval of the bronze trumpet is my assignment.” He used a terse tone to spell out exactly why he was there. It was simple. “And if you’ll tell me where the bronze trumpet is, I’ll be on my way.”
Warrior’s Chaos is available now on Kobo!
Next in the Warrior Academy series:
Warrior’s Prophecy is available now on Kobo!
Warrior’s Curse is available now on Kobo!
A Note from Allie Burton
Thank you so much for reading. If you enjoyed WARRIOR’S D
ESTINY please consider giving it a positive rating or review at your place of purchase. In this brave new book world, the only way for a good story to find its way into the hands of other readers is if the people who loved it let others know. We authors appreciate any little bit of help you can give us.
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I hope you enjoyed Warrior’s Destiny! The second book in the series, Warrior’s Chaos, will be releasing soon!
Allie
Also by Allie Burton
Lost Daughters of Atlantis Series-Young Adult
Atlantis Riptide
Atlantis Red Tide
Atlantis Rising Tide
Atlantis Tide Breaker
Atlantis Dark Tides
Atlantis Twisting Tides
Atlantis Glacial Tides
Warrior Academy Series-Young Adult
Warrior’s Destiny
Warrior’s Chaos
Warrior’s Prophecy
Warrior’s Curse
Castle Ridge Series-Contemporary Romance
The Romance Dance