Born of Darkness

by Jamie King

“Of course.” She nods.

  “If you’re the bronze coven, then why do you call yourselves the gray?”

  She smiles warmly. “To be honest, the nickname only started about thirty years ago when someone referred to us as the gray area. The reference was that of being a mixture of both the black and white morality. The name stuck and the supernatural community has continued to use it.”

  “Oh, interesting. Thank you.”

  “Well, I think that’s enough of a history lesson for now.” She leans forward, and her joyful expression darkens. “I’m fully prepared to offer the two of you sanctuary on one condition.”

  I take a deep breath. “What is your condition?”

  She smirks. “You both agree to train under my instructors and learn the true history of the realms. Once your training is complete you agree to initiate yourselves into the Gray coven and become our allies. Our brethren.” She leans back observing us intently.

  Luka stiffens at her words and closes his eyes. After a moment, his eyes open and he looks directly at me. “If this is what you want Ri, then I will accept the terms.”

  Oh boy. I thought he was going to make this decision. If I say yes and this ends up like it did with the white coven then I will have made a serious mistake. Then again if I say no we are kicked out on the street alone to fight against the black and white coven and our one ally then becomes our enemy. Please don’t let this be a mistake. “I agree to your terms, priestess.”

  “Very well.” She stands. “Liam, please escort our guests to their living quarters.”

  Liam rushes into the room. His face bright pink and his eyes sparkling. “Yes ma’am.” He bows his head and beckons Luka and me to follow.

  We follow him through a small side door that opens into a narrow gray hallway that leads down two flights of stairs. Liam pushes the metal door open. White light filters into the dark gray stairwell. Beyond the stairwell cream walls are lined by green carpet and old wooden doors. Brass numbers hang under the peep holes and brass doorknobs are riddled with scrapes and dings.

  “Here we are.” He says as we come to 305. Liam pulls a ring of keys from his pocket and fumbles around until he finds the one he’s looking for. He sloppily slides the key into the door and pushes it open. Liam steps through the doorway and flicks on an overhead light.

  Small accent lights dangle from the ceiling jutting up against the rough red brick walls of the apartment. The tiny kitchen to the left holds a stainless-steel refrigerator and a stainless steel stovetop. A metal sink dips into the black granite countertop facing the living room. The small breakfast bar is accented with three wooden stools. The living room is decorated with a large white sofa and a rustic coffee table that faces a floor to ceiling bookshelf filled with leather-bound books. A narrow hallway to the right leads to two bedrooms, each containing a king size bed and individual bathrooms.

  “The fridge is fully stocked, and Priestess Kamila has provided you both with complete wardrobes as well.”

  “Wow, thank you.” I breathe.

  Liam clasps his hands together. “I will leave you to it then.” He places the keys on the countertop and slips out of the apartment with a nod.

  Luka stands behind me pressing his chest into my back. His arms wrap around me in a warm embrace. His breath tickles the top of my head and I feel his heart thumping heavily.

  I allow myself to sink into his warmth. His lips gently brush my ear sending a trail of goosebumps down my right side. “Let’s get some sleep.” He whispers. His voice is rough and tired.

  I nod as my stomach does somersaults. He laces his fingers in mine and leads me to one of the bedrooms. I look up at him in the dark hallway. I want him to kiss me. My eyes trail over his lips as we stand in silence.

  “I’ll be right across from you if you need me.” He drops my hand and disappears in his room only a few feet away.

  “Good night.” I say as he shuts the door behind him. Good night? That’s all I could say? Good night! Way to go. Way to freaking go. I step into my room and flick the light on beside the bed.

  The dark cherry wood bedframe is surrounded by red brick walls. The wood floor is adorned with a mahogany rug. The bed sheets are stark white and accented with mahogany pillows and a gray throw blanket.

  I rummage through the wooden wardrobe at the far wall next to the bathroom in search of something to sleep in. I find a plain white t-shirt that drops to my upper thigh. “I guess this will do.” I mumble and toss it on. I grab a pair of pink boy short underwear with white polka dots and quickly change into them. I place my dirty clothes in the wicker basket next to the wardrobe before I sink into the soft cool sheets and allow exhaustion to overcome me.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  17

  The smell of brewing coffee wafts into the room slowly bringing me out of my dreamless slumber. I groggily flop out of bed and wobble to the door. My entire body is weak and sore. The pads of my feet feel bruised and with each step pain shoots up through my calves. “Holy hell.” I groan as I open the door to my room and slowly make my way to the one thing that can make this day better. Coffee.

  Light from the kitchen burns my eyes as I walk up to the breakfast bar and flop into the seat with a heavy sigh. I squint through the blurriness of my vision in search of the coffee pot. Luka’s back is facing me. His hair is pulled into a loose bun and his black t-shirt is rumpled and folds loosely over dark blue sweatpants that are riding low on his hips.

  Juicy. I lick my lips wishing I could touch him. Just once. Maybe with my lips. I shake my head. Snap out of it Ri! “Morning.” I grumble.

  “Morning.” He says with a little too much enthusiasm as he turns to me with a steaming cup of coffee.

  “Thanks.” I take it greedily. The warm mug sits comfortably in my hands as I sip the liquid and await its restorative powers. He pulls potatoes from a bowl. His forearm muscles dance as he masterfully dices them into cubes. “Why are you so happy today?”

  He tosses the cubes of potatoes into a pan. They sizzle and hiss in protest as he seasons them. “Well,” he opens the fridge and pulls out a bag of bacon, “You’re safe. I’m safe. Does that not warrant happiness?” He places a skillet on the stove and lights the gas burner. The burner ticks a few times before it comes to life in blue flame.

  “But we’re still being hunted.”

  His eyes sadden. “You can’t let everything happening get you down. Live in this moment, right here. Remember this.” He motions at the space between us. “There’s no sense in worrying at a time like this.” A boyish grin spreads over his face. “Besides, we have training today.”

  “Oh, that’s the real reason, isn’t it?”

  His eyes sparkle with excitement. “I’m hurt.” He holds his hand over his heart as if I’ve struck him.

  “Masochist.”

  “Aww, Ri. It will be good, I promise.” He smiles and places bacon into the pan.

  I sit in silent observation as he skillfully maneuvers around the kitchen. I can see why Aurora loves him. What’s not to like. He’s strong both mentally and physically. He can brighten anyone’s day. He genuinely cares about others and is loyal to a fault. I wonder if he resents me for destroying his life.

  He places a plate of food in front of me and I gratefully dig in. He fixes a plate for himself and comes to sit next to me. As I shove a slice of bacon in my face he abruptly stops mid stride. I hear him take a deep breath, but he doesn’t let it out.

  His eyes are dark and fixated on me. The vein in his neck is visibly pulsing. I look down at myself. My cheeks flush and my heart jump starts. The white t-shirt is riding up displaying my adorable pink and white polka dotted underwear. Oops. I came out of my room without even thinking.

  Luka swallows hard and sits beside me. Refusing to look at me as he wolfs down his food like it’s a matter of life and death. When he finishes his plate, he jumps out of his chair and tosses the dishes in the sink before he rushes to his room.

  The large brick walled trainin
g rooms is lit with florescent industrial sized light bulbs protected by wire cages. Two walls are filled with weapons from swords and daggers to guns. Black mats line the floor and a treadmill is placed in the corner of the room. The warm air smells of sweat and disinfectant.

  Luka and I stand in the entryway waiting for our trainer. I managed to find leggings, a tank top, and sneakers in the wardrobe. Luka is dressed almost exactly as usual. Black military boots, black cargo pants, and a skin tight black t-shirt.

  Luka takes in a deep breath. “Ah, it’s been a while since I’ve been in a room like this one.” His grin covers his face as he drops to the floor and starts a set of pushups.

  “I see someone is ready to start.” A man’s voice echoes through the room from behind us.

  Luka stands. “Been a while for me. Got a little excited.” He extends a hand to the man. “But today is for her.” He nods in my direction.

  The man’s chocolate brown eyes run over me before making their way back to Luka. “She smells, different.”

  Smell? I sniff myself and they both laugh. That’s rude. I scowl at them wishing they would burn in hell fire.

  “She’s a Daesidh, Kamila didn’t tell you?” Luka says as he walks over to the weapons lining the walls.

  “You’re the one all the fuss is about?” The man says as his grin grows. “You gave Susie nightmares.” He giggles and his perfectly white teeth flash under the harsh light. His canines seem unnaturally large. He rubs the stubble on his face before combing his fingers through his sandy blond ringlets. “You don’t look that scary.” He smiles playfully.

  “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” I retort with squinted eyes.

  He winks at me and stretches his hand out. “Dominic Stevens. Second in command of the Scarlet Tail pack.”

  I shake his hand. “Nuri Hayes.” Wolf pack? Is this a werewolf? “You can call me Ri.”

  “Good to meet you, Ri.” He turns back to Luka. “Sorry, didn’t get your name.”

  Luka turns away from the weapon rack. “Luka Connolly.”

  “I know that name.” Dominic stares intently at Luka. “Luka. Luka.” He mumbles. “Not the Luka? Luka of the white coven’s seventh legion?”

  “Formerly.” Luka says with an uncaring wave of his hand and turns back to admire the daggers on the weapon rack.

  “Wait, you’re that Luka?” Dominic bounces over to him. “The Luka Connolly that managed to single handedly kill an army of Phantom Swarm?”

  Luka beams at him over his shoulder. “Those bastards didn’t know what hit ‘em.”

  “Oh, my gods! I’m in the presence of one of the most prestigious warriors on earth!” Dominic spins around to me. “This guy saved an entire city from devastation at a mere eighteen years old and at twenty he became the youngest General ever! In the History of the three covens!” He laughs and places his hands on his hips. “All right, Ri. What do we already know about defense and protection?”

  “Uh, nothing.”

  “Nothing?” He furrows his brow. “You have magic, right?”

  “Uh, well,” I think about my flaming escape from the white coven. “I can use fire.”

  “Okay, fire is good.” He crosses his arms. “So, no hand to hand or weapons then?”

  “Yep,” Luka twirls a dagger in his hand, “She’s pretty useless.”

  “From the beginning then.” Dominic says enthusiastically. He moves to the center of the room and I follow hesitantly. “All right, I’m going to show you some self-defense moves on Luka and I want you to then practice them on him.” Luka places the dagger back on the weapon rack and stands beside Dominic.

  “Got it.” I was never good at physical activity. I’m clumsy and I even got kicked out of my middle school dance class because I could never remember the steps. How on earth am I going to remember self-defense?

  I step back a few feet to get a better view of Dominic and Luka at the center of the mat. Luka is only a few inches taller than Dominic, but he still gives the impression of looming over him. His broad shoulders and thick muscles are like a human tank in comparison. Although, I give Dominic credit. His lean toned body is nothing to scoff at. He puts most athletes to shame. They stand in a defensive pose in front of each other and I attempt to pay close attention.

  “I’m going to show you a really basic take down that should work on just about anyone coming at you from the front.” He steps close to Luka. His fingers curl around Luka’s triceps as he sweeps his leg behind Luka’s and pushes him to the ground. “Now.” Dominic presses a knee to Luka’s chest. “Once your opponent is on the ground I want you to attack him with open palms as hard and violently as you can. You do not want to give your opponent the chance to bring you down with him.” I nod my understanding as he shows me how to strike the face with my open palm.

  “Wouldn’t I want to punch him?”?’

  He and Luka stand and brush themselves off. “In your case, you aren’t used to punching, so I want to limit the risk of a broken hand or fingers. If you break your hand in the heat of battle you risk your life. An open palm allows you to hurt with the bones of your hand and allows for you to even scratch at your opponent at the same time.” He walks up to Luka. “See here.” He opens his large thin hand covered in bulging veins and presses his hand to Lukas cheek. “See how my hand is both hitting his cheek bone and I have the ability to dig my fingers into his eye?”

  “Yep.” I nod, but don’t really grasp what he’s explaining.

  “Good, now you try.”

  Oh god. I barely remember what the first step was. I step in front of Luka. He’s nearly a foot taller than me and I’m somehow supposed to topple him to the ground. “Okay, I’ll try.”

  Luka smirks as I reach for his triceps exactly how Dominic did. My hand is like a child’s attempting to grip onto his arm muscles that are larger than my thigh. Sure. I laugh inwardly. Piece of cake. I sweep my right leg around his and attempt to push him back with my arms while also pulling my leg back toward me. He doesn’t budge.

  I let out a frustrated growl. “Was there some trick to this? Like when confronting the hulk complete steps, A, B, and C before attempting the tackle?” Luka’s breath tickles my forehead as he laughs over me.

  “Well, not exactly.” Dominic chuckles. “Maybe your hand position needs some adjustment.” He joins us at the center of the mat and positions my right hand so that my fingers are clenched in Luka’s shirt and my left hand is pulling on his triceps. “Try it this way for now.”

  Six hours later and I still haven’t been able to drop Luka to the floor. I haven’t even been able to force him to move a few centimeters. I’m exhausted and I think I have sweat more in these six hours than my entire life combined.

  “Here, drink this.” Dominic hands me a glass with a straw poking out of it.

  “What’s this?”

  “Packed full of essential vitamins and nutrients that you’ve lost during the day.”

  “Uh, huh.” I sniff it and quickly turn my nose up. “It smells like ass.”

  “I didn’t know you knew what ass smelled like.” Luka winks as he gulps one down for himself.

  The brown liquid sloshes as I move the glass around. “What exactly is this?”

  “Think of it like a protein shake, but it’s much stronger to accommodate for the supernatural. It’s packed with special nutrients for those of us that are a little more than human.” Dominic says before he gulps his down in seconds.

  “Down the hatch, I guess.” I put the straw to my lips and sip. It tastes worse than it smells. “Holy hell. This is disgusting!” I gag, but manage to hold the liquid down.

  “You get used to it.” Luka places his empty glass on a small countertop near the doorway.

  I chug the last of the detestable liquid and place my glass next to Luka’s. “Please tell me we’re done.”

  “Not a chance missy.” Dominic says. His words are filled with the promise of more pain and suffering.

  I stumble into the bathroom
. My body is so numb with pain I can’t tell if I’m stepping on the ground or gliding. I sink to the floor next to the tub and flip the faucet on. A container of Lavender scented bubbles is set to the side. “This is exactly what I need right now.” I mumble and slip painfully out of my sweat soaked clothes. Even my socks are soaked through. I toss them weakly into the hamper and then sink into the warm bubble bath.

  The sound of voices pulls me from my daze. I lift my hands from the water. I guess when your whole hand is pruned it’s time to get out. The water has turned cool and the bubbles have faded. I stand on shaky legs as muscles I never knew existed cry in protest with each movement. I pull my hair into a pony tail and slip into a t-shirt and sweat pants before I make my way to the kitchen.

  The smell of food envelops me and my stomach grumbles in anticipation. Luka stands over the stove top and laughs with Dominic and a shorter man, maybe five-foot-eight with short black hair. The sides are cut short and the top is left with two inches of styled hair. He has a smaller, leaner build in comparison to the other two, but his body still looks toned and athletic. Dark blue jeans sit comfortably on his hips and his bare feet dangle from the barstool. His black t-shirt hugs his chest and a leather bracelet dangles from his right wrist.

  Luka is the first to notice me as I approach. “How ya feeling?”

  I grunt. “Like an eighteen-wheeler ran over me twenty times.” I smile with sarcasm. “So, I would say, just peachy.”

  Dominic chuckles and spins around on the bar stool. “Good to hear.” He motions toward the dark-haired man beside him. “I would like you to meet my better half, Rae. Rae, this is Nuri.”

  I shake Rae’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  “You too.” He smiles showing his teeth. Much like Dominic’s, his canines are much larger than average. “Dom and I thought we would have to break into the bathroom to rescue you.” He lets out a soft laugh.

  “Good thing I came out when I did then.” I sit on a stool beside Dominic. “What are you making?”