Hellbound Warrior: (Dark Warrior Alliance Book Five) (36 page)

Quickly crossing the grass and heading up the stairs to the wraparound porch, he knocked on the large glass panel of the front door. Hayden’s first in command, Zeke, answered the door. “Hey, Santi. What’s up?”

Perhaps they hadn’t heard what just went down at Zeum. “Hey, Zeke, Hayden around?” he asked, entering the home. Where Zeum was opulent and extravagant, Jesaray house was comfortable and intimate and that appealed to the shifter in him. The soft brown leather sofas matched the rustic wood accents. The pieces were oversized and filled the open room. Shit, the coffee table looked like it was one giant plank cut from a tree.

The large openness gave his animal the space it needed. There were times that his animal felt closed in at Zeum and this was more his style. The roaring fire crackled, punctuating his sense of belonging.

The heavy smell of spices permeating the air reminded him of Elsie and how the Vampire Queen had taken to cooking various dishes for them. She cooked various foods and he loved them all, not to mention her drinks. That was one of the things he was going to miss. Then again, whoever Hayden had cooking may compensate.

“I’m here,” barked a raspy reply from the kitchen at the other end of the large living room. Hayden put out the cigar he’d been smoking and set his cell phone on the island. It was odd for Santi to see Hayden in such an intimate setting. He knew the Omega smoked, but he never did at Zeum out of respect for Zander.

Hayden stood to greet Santi, his six-six frame a good head taller. With his long brown hair and broad build, Santi felt small in comparison. “Sire,” he said in deference and bowed his head.

“What are you doing here, Reyes?” Hayden clapped him on the shoulder. “I can’t remember the last time you graced us with your presence.” The comment was as much a reminder of how segregated he’d become since taking his role as a Dark Warrior. Hopefully, that was about to change.

It had been too long, Santi thought, as he joined Hayden in the kitchen. “I should have come more often, I’ve missed this place.” They held pack meetings in Hayden’s home with most of the shifters in the area attending. Shifters needed more physical contact than other supernaturals, but they also needed more socialization. Santi got plenty of both at Zeum, but there was a void only gathering and running with the pack could fill.

Zeke grunted in response and went around the island to the stove, lifting the lid from a large pot that was the source of the delicious aroma. Before Hayden could respond, a beautiful female glided into the room and went straight to Zeke’s side. She wasn’t a shifter, but was a supernatural given the power emanating from her. “Do we have an e’tra guest for dinner? Good ting I cooked enough chicken ta feed your army, Hayden,” the female said in a thick Cajun accent. Her bangles on her wrists clinked softly as she wrapped her arm around Zeke’s waist.

“Santiago was unexpected, my little chicory. This is my mate, Tia, and this is Santiago Reyes, one of the realm’s Dark Warriors,” Zeke introduced, pride shining in his eyes when he looked at his mate.

“That chicken smells delicious, you can count me in. It’s good to meet you, Tia,” he said shaking her hand, feeling the true depth of her magic. The female was more powerful that Santi would have guessed given her petite size. “I hadn’t heard that you’d found your Fated Mate. Congrats, that’s fantastic. Is he the first in your inner circle?” Santi asked Hayden.

The powerful Omega was smiling when he responded. “Yes he is. I now understand the transformation that your group has gone through at Zeum. It’s chaotic, but worth it. Now, back to why you’re here,” Hayden redirected, sitting on one of the bar stools at the long counter.

Santiago joined him, propping his foot on the stool’s rail. “I came to ask for a place in your home. And, some clean clothes if you can spare them.”

Hayden narrowed his brown eyes, “I would normally never turn one of my shifters away. You always have a place in this pack. The question is, why do you want to leave Zeum?”

Santiago briefly told Hayden what had happened with Miguel and Zander’s demand that Santi be punished and his subsequent choice to leave the compound. Hayden listened intently, the tension in the room building with each second that passed. Silence descended after Santi finished his explanation.

Hayden ran his large hand across his face and sighed. “This puts me in a helluva situation, Santi. I can’t ignore what you did which means that I can’t give you a place to stay unless you accept your punishment. Every member of this society must abide by the rules, otherwise, chaos reigns. No one is above the law, not me, or even, Zander.”

Santi couldn’t believe the bullshit he was hearing tonight. What was wrong with everybody? He wasn’t the bad guy. That was the drug dealers and whoever was making the shit. “Sire, do you really think I can spend months in a dungeon? Not only will my wolf go crazy, but I am needed to fight these wars!” Outside, thunder rumbled and lightning struck the yard as static electricity traveled from his shoulders to the tips of his fingers. Proof enough how pissed he was.

His power to influence the weather hadn’t been out of his control since his transformation from stripling to adult. There was no reining it in at the moment, either. He was seething and didn’t understand why everyone around him was wearing blinders.

“You should have thought of that when you decided to push that needle. But, if you go back and accept the consequences, then I will talk to Zander about allowing your wolf to exercise.”

“So you’re telling me that I can’t stay here? That you can’t give me a place to sleep?”

“My hands are tied,” Hayden replied, lifting his hands from where they rested on the tops of his thighs. “You need to think of others and stop being unreasonable and selfish.” Hayden sat there and Santi knew there would be no changing his mind. His multitude of animals prowled behind his eyes, telling Santi that the Omega meant business.

Santiago stood up so fast that the stool fell over and skidded across the floor. “You’re calling me selfish? That’s rich coming from a male whose ego is so fucking inflated that he named the fucking pack house after himself. You can all go to hell,” he snarled, turning on his heel and storming out the front door.

So much for that brotherhood he was supposed to be guaranteed in a pack. Stomping down the slick steps, he crossed to his truck, not bothering to shield himself from the light rain that had begun to fall. He paused as he looked at the soft glow from the windows.

He no longer belonged at Zeum and didn’t belong with the pack, either. He was a lone wolf now. So be it. He wasn’t giving up on the vows he had taken to protect the innocent. The Goddess was counting on him. He turned the key in the ignition of his truck and headed back down the dirt road, unsure of where he was heading.

*****

Tori Castillo barely suppressed her Valkyrie rage. Not only was her new client a scumbag, but he was talking about a male who had gotten under her skin from the second she’d met him.

“I want Santiago Reyes dead,” Von, aka scumbag, spat. “I don’t care that he’s a Dark Warrior. He’s ruining my business and my boss will not tolerate that. It’s my ass on the line and I’m not dying for that piece of shit. You okay with killing a Dark Warrior?” Tori cocked her head and considered the greasy vampire before her.

His comb-over was laughable, especially given his young appearance. His face reminded her of a rat, all narrow with pointed features. And, he was sweating. Why the hell was he sweating so much? He gave new meaning to ring-around-the-collar. Eww, just eww.

“Killing a Dark Warrior isn’t going to be easy,” she replied. Typically, she would get up and walk out of the meeting if she had been asked to kill their society’s valued protectors, but she had to pause with this one. She suspected this particular warrior was responsible for her brother’s death.

She hadn’t gotten confirmation yet, but every piece of information she had gathered so far pointed to the male that had been haunting her sleep. It pissed her off that she was actually attracted to the guy. She alternated between wanting to strip him naked and have her way with him to putting a bullet through his brain. He had such a pretty head it would almost be a shame to mar its perfection. And for some reason, the image of light leaving those exotic brown eyes didn’t sit well with her.

“Name your price. I’ll pay anything. The last attempt failed and I can’t afford for it to happen again.” The desperation coming off the male stung her nostrils, not to mention, it was seeping through the fibers of his shirt. How did he stand his stench?

Glancing around the room, she noted the nice office. Everything in the place screamed money. From the expensive mahogany desk to the painting on the wall. The biggest fish tank she’d ever seen took up the length of one wall and it had at least a dozen polka-dot stingrays swimming in it. And, none of the decor matched his cheap-ass suit.

Whoever his boss was had the money. She could ask for the amount needed to finally buy her studio. Then she could do what she loved and leave this sleazy life behind. It was what was expected of her as a Valkyrie, and Priya, the Valkyrie leader, had gotten her started in the business, but she was tired of this life. It didn’t really bring her any true satisfaction.

As Valkyrie went, she was the different one in so many ways. She had been adopted right after her death and rebirth as a Valkyrie and given a new life with them. She wasn’t the blood-thirsty female her kind was known for. Her adoptive parents and brother had given her solace when the only memory she had was her violent and brutal death.

Her parents had been killed in a car accident and now her only remaining family had been taken from her. She had lost touch with her brother over the past decade, but that didn’t erase all the fond memories.

Slime-ball’s voice intruded her walk down not-so-memorable lane. “I was told you were the best. Surely, you can kill one little Dark Warrior. Just name your price,” he coaxed with a smile.

What little ethics she had warred with her desire to pursue her true passion. She wanted to paint and display her pieces in a gallery. Maybe she’d even teach painting classes to striplings. The only time she came alive was when she put brush to canvas. The room where she painted at home was overcrowded and had the worst lighting possible, she really needed that studio and this job could provide it.

It wasn’t as if Santiago didn’t deserve it. She was convinced he’d killed Miguel, and despite what Santiago said, Miguel was innocent. But, maybe Von knew something more about her brother. “Before I make my decision, I need to understand what I’m getting myself into. I’ve been told that you are the ring leader for Angel’s Kiss. That your vampire buddies sell the shit to kids.”

His face beaded with more sweat, if that was possible, and his face turned red. “My dealers do not sell to kids. They don’t even sell to humans. They only sell to adults who make the choice to use freely. Who am I to deny people their escape? If I don’t provide it, someone else will. Life isn’t perfect and happy for everyone. Some want an escape from the bullshit. One might say that I’m providing society a valuable service.”

Tori wanted to throat-punch the male. He actually believed the BS he was spouting. Ever since she had fucked up all those years ago, she had sworn never to deal with shady clients. This guy was as far from an upstanding citizen as one could get, but the mark, in her mind, deserved what was coming.

Von fell silent as the office door opened and a small male entered, carrying a bucket. She watched in fascination as the male set the bucket down and then retrieved a stepladder from the hall. He set the ladder next to the fish tank and grabbed the bucket.

Tori nearly jumped from her seat to help the male as he climbed the steps while holding the heavy bucket, swaying on a few rungs. He set the bucket on the top of the tank and slid the flap aside. “I wish A would get rid of those damn things,” Von muttered, shaking his head.

The male looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. “
A
will get rid of you before the stingrays and you’d be smart not to forget that.” With that, the servant turned back and scooped up something from the bucket while placing the other hand in the water.

The stingrays swam to the surface. Laughing, the male brought his other hand into the water and Tori noticed watched as shrimp swam from his palm. Some of the stingrays swam after the food while others fought to take what was still in his hand. He did this several times, paying attention to which ones had already eaten. She was mesmerized as she watched him nudge the greedy ones away to give others a chance. It was one of the coolest sights she ever seen and it made her want to grab her paints and brushes.

“So,” Von said the minute the servant had left the room, “what’s your answer?”

She stood from the leather office chair and crossed to the desk. Picking up a pen and grabbing the pad of paper, she scribbled down the highest fee she’d ever asked for and turned it back to him. “That’s my price,” she said, standing straight and crossing her arms over her chest as if it didn’t matter to her one way or another. She held her breath, aware the price was astronomical. She would’ve taken the case, regardless, because of what Santiago had done to her brother.

Von looked down, swallowed hard and set his jaw. “Done. Here’s all the information we have on him.” He pushed a manila folder across the desk to her.

She didn’t need it because she already knew everything in it, but that would’ve tipped her hand. She was thorough when she researched someone and had better connections than this slime. “I’ll let you know when the job is done, but I don’t make a move until two-thirds of that is deposited into this account,” she informed, writing down the number to an off-shore account.

“You’ll have your money by morning,” he promised and stood, extending his hand.

Ignoring his offer, she turned and left the office anticipation bubbling beneath her skin. Her dreams were within grasp and she’d have her vengeance for Miguel’s death. Life was good.

Authors’ Note

Thank you for reading
HELLBOUND WARRIOR
! We hope you enjoyed Rhys and Illianna’s story. Rogue Warrior will be the sixth book in the Dark Warrior Alliance series where Santiago faces the reality of life without his beloved Dark Warriors and realizes life isn’t so grand when he is forced to face the consequences of his decisions. Look for it Fall 2016!