Mystik Warrior: (Dark Warrior Alliance Book 2) (6 page)

“Goddess. Hearing the demons are kidnapping females and keeping them captive is just about the worst news we could get. To answer your question, I have no idea if there is a way the demons could identify Fated Mates. Zander and Jace need to return. We need to have a meeting,” Santiago said, cursing soundly.

At the mention of Jace, Cailyn thought back to the day she first saw him. A wild fire had lit and burned unchecked throughout her body from the moment he had walked into her sister’s small apartment. It had burned so hot that she had been unable to douse it. Her attraction to the sorcerer was atomic, and caused her heart ache.

She was torn between reconciling with John and pursuing Jace. She loved her life in San Francisco, her job, and John. Anything with Jace meant giving all of it up. It would be worth it, an insidious part of her whispered.

She pictured his lips and how she wanted to kiss him and explore his body. His lean, muscular frame ignited arousal so intense she longed to be taken by him. Their lovemaking would be so hot she imagined it would burn her to cinders.

With that thought, uncertainty plagued her. Was she pretty or funny enough for him? She had seen that woman he had been with at the club. She had been the opposite of Cailyn, tall and skinny with a perfect body. Cailyn carried an extra ten pounds, which only added to her insecurity. Sometimes she hated being a woman as doubts played through her mind.

*****

The second Jace entered the compound, sultry tendrils of cinnamon danced into his nose. Cailyn was aroused. For some insane reason he hoped she was thinking of him. His cock jerked eagerly at that notion. He placed a hand over his churning stomach and closed his eyes, breathing deeply. Goddess, he wanted that female, had never wanted one more in his entire life. The intensity of his desire had him once again questioning if she could be his Fated Mate. Like before, he dismissed the notion. The Goddess was infinitely smarter than that.

He shook his head and placed one shaky foot in front of the other as he ascended the stairs behind Zander who was taking them two at a time, clearly eager to reach Elsie. In moments, Zander burst through the door to Cailyn’s suite of rooms and the King’s expression lost the hard bitter edges and softened.

“Lady E, your mate has returned,” Zander growled and grabbed her up into his arms.

Jace met Orlando’s awkward stare while Zander thoroughly kissed his mate. “Get a room,” Orlando said, and Jace didn’t miss the bitter undertone. Was the warrior as jealous of what they had as Jace? None of them had ever contemplated having a mate until Elsie. Now Jace wondered how many of them longed for it like he did. His gaze slid to Cailyn and he noticed that the circles under her eyes were darker, and her skin was paler. An invisible magnetic pull had him crossing the room to Cailyn’s side.

“Good idea. Let’s go,” Zander responded with his lips still pressed to Elsie’s.

The Queen playfully slapped his arm. “Later. First, tell me what you learned.” Elsie responded.

“The Queen didn’t tell us anything really. She hinted that the antidote is in New Orleans and we need to travel there immediately,” Zander said as he stroked a finger across Elsie’s cheek. The love between the newly mated pair was tangible. Jace envied the King his fortune.

“Why can’t one of you give her blood to heal her? You guys brought me back from the brink of death with your blood,” Elsie pointed out.

Words tumbled past Jace’s lips before he could stop them. “No one will be giving Cailyn blood but me and even that isn’t going to happen, because blood will not solve our problem. This is magically induced and the spell needs to be reversed.” He took a deep breath to regain control of his emotions, not sure what had come over him. He didn’t have time to evaluate it at the moment. “We need an appropriate agent to break the binding of the magic to your sister, and blood isn’t that agent.”

“Okay, so we have no easy solution. You mentioned New Orleans. What is there that can help me?” Cailyn asked weakly. Jace reached down and grabbed Cailyn’s hand, hating how cold her skin was. She was definitely getting worse. Panic surged through him, setting off a new urgency.

“Orlando, call everyone back. Patrols can wait. We have to strategize and plan a trip. I want you guys on the road ASAP,” Zander ordered, ignoring Cailyn’s question.

“Wait just a minute. What do you mean you guys? Aren’t you going too?” Elsie asked, leveling the mighty vampire king with a glare.

“Nay,
a ghra
, I will remain here with you and Cailyn. Jace and two others will go,” Zander replied, trying to bring his mate back into his arms. She pushed his arms away.

“No. Zander, I need you to go. I won’t be able to stand it if I don’t have the peace of mind knowing someone who cares as much as I do is on this mission. I know that you won’t let me leave this compound, especially, with women being targeted by skirm. I hate the thought of you being in danger, but I can’t be selfish. Cailyn needs this,” Elsie said, her gaze remaining on Zander.

“You all can stand around and argue all day, but I’m going. I don’t care who goes with me, but I’m leaving soon,” he declared, keeping his gaze locked on Cailyn’s. Her eyes flared with surprise when his fingers stroked her hair. The silky stands wrapped around his fingers, keeping him close. He cradled the back of her head with his palm. “You will get better. No one will fight harder to get the antidote than I,” he promised, shocked to realize how deeply he meant every word he said.

“I trust you, but you have to be safe and come back to me,” Cailyn whispered.

Her trust melted something in him. No one had ever looked at him the way Cailyn did. Something was happening between them, and the connection he’d felt between them intensified. Before he knew what he was doing, he leaned down and touched his lips to hers. Sparks flew where their flesh met, and his breath was stolen from his chest. He pulled away and saw that Cailyn was just as affected. He wished no one had witnessed the intimacy of the moment, it belonged to them alone. He’d never had a more intimate moment with a female, and it had nothing to do with sex.

Watching the clock until nightfall so they could leave for New Orleans was going to kill Jace. He needed to be retrieving the cure for Cailyn, but instead he was in the war room arguing with Kyran about Jessie turning into something unknown, not skirm but no longer human either. His fists balled at his sides, and fury raced through his veins. Jace was going to punch the shit out of Kyran. The bastard had been out with his whores when they had needed him, and now he wanted to change the decisions that their group had already made without him.

Jessie had fangs and craved blood, but still had her appetite for food. It was unclear if she would eventually subsist solely on blood like all skirm. The biggest relief for Jace was that she wasn’t a mindless drone, and didn’t appear to be driven by the archdemon who turned her. Her bite wound had turned blue rather than the typical black, and her blood had remained red instead of black. Most astonishingly, her brainwaves were enhanced beyond what anyone expected. Jace and the scientists were excited to learn more about what she was becoming, but Kyran kept arguing the issue of destroying the poor girl.

Jace stalked from the war room as his patience hit its limit. Lost in thought, he paused on the marble floor in the entry. The front doors loomed in front of him, with their intricate Celtic symbols. They were his favorite feature in the entire mansion he had called home for over a century. He identified heavily with his mother’s Native American heritage, but the door always brought him closer to his father, and this part of his heritage.

He, along with Zander and the other Dark Warriors, had built the home piece by piece. It had been Zander’s sister, Breslin, who had the idea that the entrance to the home they shared be a symbol of the heritage they all shared, uniting them despite their differences. The massive twelve foot doors had taken many weeks to carve, and contained the blood of each warrior. Jace and Gerrick had used that collective blood to cast powerful shielding and glamour spells over the building and surrounding property, ultimately providing the realm’s strongest protection.

As he continued his search for Evzen, thoughts of protection had him wondering if there was a way to keep all realm females safe. It had been a blow to hear that the archdemons were targeting females, and the thought that they had a way of detecting whether or not they were Fated Mates was frightening. The very idea was appalling.

Jace entered the library and saw Gerrick and Evzen deep in conversation. Seeing Gerrick made him realize that the rising tensions and tempers in the house made the surliest warrior of the compound seem the least unpleasant at the moment. Gerrick had always worn his bitterness as openly as the scar marring his handsome face, but since the accident the night before, he was the only of them who had managed to shove his negativity aside. He was focused and ready to help. Jace had learned recently that the loss of Gerrick’s Fated Mate drove him to ensure no one suffered like he had. He appreciated having the formidable warrior at his back.

Jace clapped Gerrick on the shoulder as he crossed the room to Evzen. “Sir,” Jace bowed his head in deference to Evzen, “you wanted to see me before we leave?”

Evzen tipped his head in acknowledgment. “Yes. Have a seat,” he said gesturing to the nearby leather sofas. He sat next to Gerrick, and contemplated his cousin and their roles in the realm.

Jace had been in line to become Guild Master until he had been abducted by Angelica. During his captivity, the Great War claimed Jace’s parents, and so the position fell to the next person in their family line - Evzen. Initially, after his rescue, he had been angry over all that Lady Angelica had taken from him. Now, he was glad that Evzen held that role, as he had become one of the most powerful sorcerers the realm had ever known.

Jace’s churning thoughts turned to the matter at hand as he scanned the shelves, looking for a book that may help. There was everything from the history of the Valkyrie, to books of witchcraft spells and incantations, to ledgers documenting various demons encountered during the course of the war.

“I wanted to provide you with all the information I have about Ms. Laveau,” Evzen said as he sat across from him. “Marie is a cunning, dangerous, and enigmatic female. And paranoid, with good reason of course. As the Voodoo Queen, she has many enemies. It is said that she has obtained various tomes containing spells and potions for many different species, and that is how she is able to develop and sell her tinctures. No one, especially the Fae, is happy that she has learned how to counter their enchantments. Needless to say, she uses everything at her disposal to hide and protect herself. The God Kalfu is capricious, and you can guarantee that, as her father, he has added to her arsenal. You must also know that you won’t be able to approach her without going through one of her Mambos. They are her gatekeepers, so to speak. Rumor has it that she lives deep in the swamps, but no one knows for sure. Wherever she lives will be glamoured, and protected with various layers of magic and creatures.”

Just an average day in the life of a Dark Warrior, Jace thought wryly. He had known Marie was powerful, but not that she was the daughter of a God. “Magic we can deal with, but what kind of creatures are we talking about?”

“Don’t be so sure about your abilities against her spells. While she doesn’t use black magic, she does combine light and dark forces, and that combination is sure to challenge you. You and Gerrick will need to pool your energy and use every resource at your disposal.”

“That won’t be a problem. We’ve linked our energies for centuries, but we will need all our focus to be successful,” Gerrick replied. He was right. Jace needed to keep his head in the game. Ever since he had rescued Cailyn, his mind had been preoccupied with her, and he needed to be on his A-game if they were going to succeed.

Instinctively, Jace’s finger traced the moon and nighthawk etched in his silver cuff. His father had given him the Cuff de Draiocht when he passed his stripling years, and his words came back to him. His father had told him that the cuff couldn’t be removed once it was placed on his wrist, and that it provided Jace with immense power. When Jace encountered new or stressful situations, all he had to do was touch the cuff and access what waited beneath the surface. Unfortunately, when he had been chained in Angelica’s dungeon, he was unable to access its power. He hoped it didn’t fail him now.

“Let’s get Zander and Bhric and head out,” Jace told Gerrick. He was ready to be on the road.

*****

“Shit, Nikko,” Jace cursed at the council member flying the plane, “can you cruise at a higher altitude for fucks sake?” Jace barked as they hit another pocket of turbulence and his nausea surged again. Recalling the all-too-brief kiss he had shared with Cailyn wasn’t helping matters. It struck him that he had never felt ill for so long after an encounter with a female. Then again, he had never been aroused like he was at the merest thought of her. It didn’t help that images of her naked and spread on his bed plagued him about every five seconds.

“Working on it Jace. Hey, can someone bring me one of those sandwiches and a drink?” Nikko hollered from the cockpit. Nikko was one of the most even-keeled males Jace knew, which was why he was the best suited to train new Dark Warriors.

“Aye, but all you get is a coke because you did a shite-job of stocking the bar. What’s up with that? You knew we were going to be on the plane for several hours,” Bhric griped as he reclined in the pale leather seats.

“Fuck you, lush. Do it yourself next time,” Nikko teased. Jace would bet his last dollar that Zander had told Nikko to remove all the alcohol from the plane given Bhric’s tendency to overindulge. Hoping to settle his stomach, Jace got up and made his way to the fridge and grabbed a soda.

“I will. And, when I do I’ll bring some lasses along with the booze. Why do we even have a bed back there if I canna pound a willing nymph into the springs?” Bhric shot back.

Jace also grabbed a sandwich then handed them both to Nikko before he sat back down. Unable to relax, he crossed and uncrossed his shit-kicker over his knee, pulling at a loose string on his faded blue jeans. Sweat dripped down his spine and his heart raced as images of him putting that bed to use with Cailyn filled his overactive imagination. He wanted to punch Bhric in the face for putting that image in his head. He was wrongly blaming the male, but he was okay with that.

Needing a distraction, he ran through preparations in his mind. “Who is meeting us when we land?” he asked Zander.

Zander finished off his food and lobbed the trash into the can in the corner. “Aison and Luke will meet us at Lakefront and take us back to Les Augres Manor.” Jace smiled at the mention of the New Orleans Dark Warrior compound. He hadn’t been there in at least a century.

“I say we go straight to the voodoo shops Micah researched, not the manor,” Gerrick proposed. For once, Jace appreciated how focused Gerrick always was on the mission at hand. The warrior was the epitome of ruthless focus and determination.

Jace wanted to get this done and get back to Cailyn. Oddly enough, he already missed her. Her scent…her body. He wanted more of Cailyn. The kiss he stole was a tease. He wanted to trail his lips and tongue across her mouth to her neck and lower to her breasts and then even lower to her sex.

He imagined her head thrown back with her eyes screwed shut while her back bowed off the bed with her release. Would she scream out her pleasure? She was going to be a sight when he got her beneath him. His cock hardened, bringing on more nausea, reminding him why this little fantasy was destined to remain just that…a fantasy. But he still wanted more than anything to enjoy this erotic fantasy.

He had never been more bitter or angrier about Lady Angelica’s torture. For the millionth time he considered hunting Lady Angelica down and ripping her limb from limb. He knew he wouldn’t, and hated that he didn’t understand what stopped him.

From the time Zander rescued him six centuries before, he had planned to exact his revenge for the torture he suffered at her hands. Countless times he had outlined his strategy, but something stopped him every time he attempted to take action. He questioned if magic was at play, but dismissed the notion, as he was unable to detect anything. He left the past and refocused on the present.

“I agree with Gerrick. We have the names of some voodoo shops. I say we don’t delay and start right away. It’s going to take some time to find an authentic Mambo, and then convince her to disclose Marie’s location,” Jace suggested as he restlessly shifted in his seat.

“Sounds good, but I’m going to call Aison and make sure he brings booze and beignets to the airport, and lines up a lass or two for later
,
” Bhric said between bites of his sandwich. “I for one, need to get drunk then laid.”

“Dude, why do you always lead with your dick?” Gerrick scoffed.

“Because my dick usually leads me…straight to
Annwyn
,” Bhric chuckled as a big smile spread across his face. Jace rolled his eyes at Bhric’s brash sense of humor. This was going to be a long trip.

*****

“Hell no! You aren’t leaving,” Orlando insisted. “You heard what Zander said.”

Elsie threw her hands up in exasperation. She wasn’t helpless any longer. She was a strong vampire, and she had a friend she needed to talk to. “I am going, Orlando. Zander cannot dictate everything I do. I can protect myself. I killed skirm before you guys came along and now I am a powerful vampire. You know I can kick some serious ass. This is important to me. I have to be the one to tell her about the dangers to SOVA. I care about her and the others, more than you know. Besides, she’s more likely to listen to me,” Elsie said as she climbed behind the wheel of Rhys’ Denali. She yelped when Rhys picked her up and tossed her into the passenger seat.

“Unlike him, I get that you are going, but I’m driving, sweet cheeks. That’s how I roll,” Rhys purred, insinuation dripping from every word. It was easy for Elsie to ignore the cambion’s innuendos, because nearly every comment he made was sexual in nature. It’s just how he was.

She rolled her eyes. “You are such a chauvinist, but thank you. I didn’t want to go alone.”

“You are the most stubborn female I have ever met,” Orlando grumbled as he jumped into the backseat. “I just got back into Zander’s good graces. He is so going to kill me, or remove vital body parts. I like my body parts where they are and in working order, thank you very much.” She glanced back and laughed when she noticed the grimace as Orlando protectively cupped his groin.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure they stay where they are,” she promised.

The garage door on the far right opened and Kyran pulled in. Crap, she wanted to be gone before he returned. He, unlike the others, would not hesitate to chain her up to keep her in the house. She chewed her lip when he loped over to them and tapped on her window. “So, where are we off to?”

“I am going to meet with Mackendra from SOVA—”

Orlando cut her off. “She insists on leaving the compound.”

She ignored him and continued talking, “so I can inform her about the death of her friend and warn her about the danger and the police involvement—”