The Sons of Satrina: A Sons of Satrina Novel (11 page)

Until now.

Hotness no longer mattered.

Taking a deep breath, she grabbed hold of both of the bags and walked slowly up to the front door, placing one bag back down on the floor so that she could ring the bell to announce her arrival.  She could feel her hands shaking and quickly grabbed back hold of her bags to hide her visible nerves.

Immediately, the door swung open to reveal a striking couple; the female was tall, dark and exquisitely beautiful, and the male next to her was Master Warrior Kelton.  Now, he was someone that she knew on sight. He was a goddamn legend.  Even she knew that much.  And he was totally gorgeous to boot.  Which was the reason why she knew who he was. 

“Aisline
Kellerman, I presume?”  He asked her and she nodded, unable to speak for a moment.  He was even better looking in the flesh.  This really was the worst time in the world to be star struck, but she couldn’t really help it.  He was beyond gorgeous. 

“Come on in, Aisline.” the woman said, holding out an arm to usher her in, while Kelton took hold of her bags. She kind of wished that he hadn’t done that, but quickly jammed her hands into her jeans pockets to stop the physical signs of her nerves being on display. 

“How are you feeling?  Or is that a bit of a stupid question?” the woman asked gently with a reassuring smile. 

Aisline wasn’t sure how to respond to that.  She didn’t know
how she was feeling quite yet. She wasn’t actually feeling anything.  She was numb.

She didn’t trust what she was feeling and didn’t want to be judged for it.  How was she supposed to be feeling?  It was all too raw for her.  After all, the warrior mark had only appeared a little over an hour or so ago. This had been a nightmare of a whirlwind and her feet hadn’t settled back on to solid ground just yet.

All it had taken was one teeny tiny hour for her life to unravel at the seams.

Looking back up at the woman, Aisline tried t
o smile.  She wanted to smile. She wanted to show that she was strong, but she couldn’t fool them.  She couldn’t fool anyone.  This was a horrendous situation and she didn’t know how she was going to pull through it on her own. 

“Honey, don’t even try to think about it yet.  Give yourself some more time to adjust.  It’ll all come together in the end, trust me.”

Ash hoped that she was right.  Aisline felt like she was mute, no words would come, no matter how comforting the female was trying to be. 

“Oh my gosh!
I am so sorry!  You of all people will understand that this is such a unique situation for all of us, but that doesn’t excuse our lack of manners.  Honey, this is Kelton and I’m Kayleigh.”  She said as they ushered her through, trying to keep the introductions informal to help her to feel at ease in this place.  ‘Master Warrior‘ sounds a tad intimidating at the best of times, and seeing as it was Kayleigh who was going to be doing her best to help this young woman settle in, she wanted to get off on the right foot.

Stepping into the reception, Kayleigh had already decided on the perfect place for her to sleep for now.  At least that immediate problem could be solved relatively easily.  The future was a whole other matter, but for tonight it would be perfect.

One step at a time.  One day at a time.  That was the only way she was going to be able to get through this, that they would all be able to get through it.  None of it would be easy, that’s for sure, but they’d tackle each hurdle as they came to it.

A female warrior.  What an unexpected turn of events.

Chapter Twelve.

“What I think would be best for now, is if we find you somewhere to sleep for the night and to give you a little more time to adjust to all this.  We don’t want to overwhelm you, and it’s nearly dawn.  We might all work a bit better with clearer heads tomorrow.  It’s an exceptional situation and we want to do everything right by you.  What do you think to that?”  Kayleigh glanced from Kelton to Aisline to see if they were both agreeable to the suggestion.  She didn’t want any of them to rush into anything that they couldn’t undo, and after the drama of the night, she for one was shattered.  After a good sleep, she hoped that her brain would be able to function in a more acceptable manner.  For now, all her thoughts were rolling like a jumble of jelly in her skull.

’Unique’, ’Exceptional’.   ‘Unprecedented’.  Those were words she could hear herself saying quite a lot in the days to come, Kayleigh thought with a mental sigh.

Kelton nodded in agreement, trusting her judgement and they both turned to look at Aisline, who smiled and tried to smother a yawn. 

A bit of space would be really good.  Aisline needed some time to calm down and compose herself.  Everything had been such a rush. From the moment she had returned home, to the long drive here, she hadn’t even had time for a toilet break, let alone to think about what was happening to her, or going to happen to her in the future.  She needed to get her head around it.  Sleep would be very welcome. Hopefully the blackness of sleep would help clear her head.  She wanted to be able to react to whatever it was that they were going to throw at her and think it all through rationally.  And while she was so emotionally exhausted, that wasn’t going to happen.

“How about Susannah’s suite?  I’m sure she wouldn’t mind helping out.”  Leigh suggested to Kelton.  Susannah was one of their Professor’s, who at the moment, was on an extended holiday.  As the niece of the deceased leader, she had headed straight home as soo
n as the news had been released to be with her family.  Susannah was a lovely, understanding and warm woman and Kayleigh couldn’t imagine her not coming to the rescue of this poor girl and not let her use her room for the night. It was just until they found a permanent place for her.

“Perfect idea.  Come, follow us, Aisline.”  Kelton said as they started to move away, “Here, let me take your bags for you.” and he took the two heavy holdalls from her once again.

Aisline smiled her thanks, too weary to talk, the smile quivering on her lips.

As they walked, Kelton turned to speak to her over his shoulder, “If you need me, if you need anything at all, you call this number.”  He put the bags down in front of a set of double doors and handed her a little slip of white paper with the number to his personal line on it.  “For tonight, try not to worry too much.  Just work on relaxing and get the feeling of the place.  The time to adjust will come soon enough.”

Picking up the bags again, they walked through the double doors and around another corner, passing many pictures depicting warriors who had graduated over the years from the school.  The sight of them was awesome for Aisline, who was already seeing everything with new eyes.  Would her picture be up on this wall one day?  It was a scary thought, even if her heart did leap with an internal smile.

Stopping again, Kayleigh stepped forward and produced a key that she had retrieved from her jacket pocket and opened up the door.

There was nothing special to report about the room, but on first glance, it screamed comfort, which was exactly what she needed at the moment.  There were a few homey touches to the place that showed that this was a home for someone.  Family photographs, a few good books, a fluffy dressing gown on the back of the bathroom door.   Ash felt a little weird being here, but she was ready to drop on her feet so any bed would do for now.

“Now, Aisline.  You get some sleep if you can and we’ll get everything sorted out when you wake up, okay?  And try not to worry too much.  Don’t panic.  We’ll get everything in order, alright?”  Kayleigh said in a gentle tone, smiling in what she hoped was her most reassuring manner.

Ash nodded and smiled gratefully as they both backed out of the room and left her in peace.

She really did need the space to think, and the peace and quiet that this room offered to get her thoughts together.  But, being alone wasn’t so great to be honest.  It just hammered home to her that she was on her own.  No family - no friends - no one.  All she had now was a bunch of strangers to rely on and help her to get the mess of her life back
into some semblance of order.

She was all alone.

Kayleigh and Kelton walked back to their room in relative silence.  The lingering murmurs from the trainee warriors could be heard through the distant hallways, but neither of them paid any mind to them.  They had too much to think about, especially with regards to the new addition to their ranks.

Unlocking the door, Kelton stepped back to allow Kayleigh to pass through (ever the gentleman) and followed her in. 

Their suite of rooms was one of the largest on the compound, seeing as they were the only couple to reside here on site.  With a large, luxurious bedroom, adjoining bathroom and substantial lounge area, they lived in relative luxury at the academy.  Kelton had had these rooms knocked through especially for them when it was clear that their union was one that they both took seriously and would last for an eternity.

With a loud sigh, Kayleigh collapsed into one of the soft leather arm chairs.

Kelton walked over to her and knelt on the floor, taking her hand.

“I don’t know what to do for the best.” she said, wearily.

“You need to trust in yourself a bit more, Leigh.  You’re going to do a great job with her.”

She closed her eyes for a moment.  “What if I screw up?  I could ruin her whole life.  And, she’s had more than enough heartache already.”

Kelton grasped both her hands in his.  “That’s not going to happen.  I’ll be there to help you every step of the way.  Apart from anything, I know you will know what to do for the best.  The best is within you.  You just have to trust it and bring it out.”

Kayleigh opened her eyes.  Kelton’s face was mere inches from her own, his eyes swimming with adoration and belief.  How could he have so much faith in her?  Before she could utter another word, Kelton leant forward and brushed her lips with the softest kiss.  It was unimaginable, a warrior who killed with his bare hands being so sensitive and gentle.  But, that was part of what turned her on - that part of him that no one else saw but her.

Wrapping her arms
around his neck so tightly, she snaked her hands in his hair, tugging on the strands gently.  He lowered his head to kiss her deeply and her body throbbed in anticipation.  Lifting her up in his arms, lips still attached, she moaned deeply in her throat……

The very next evening, Aisline awoke to rain pelting down on the windows.  The weather forecast had predicted snow for later, but for now, it was just the wet stuff falling relentlessly.  Listening to the pitter patter of the rain drops, she used to find the sound very relaxing, but now?  It was plain old annoying, like a machine gun rattling away at her already fried brain.  She clearly still hadn’t had enough sleep to fully get her brain back into gear.  Oh well, you could only work with what you’ve got, couldn’t you.

Noticing the time, she threw back the covers and headed into the little adjoining bathroom to get freshened up.  There was only a sink, toilet and shower in there, but it was more than adeq
uate for what she needed.  A shower would go a long way to helping wake her up.  It sure was going to be a really big day for her.  The start of a whole new life.

Honestly, she didn’t feel much better this evening than she had the night before.  The only real difference was that she had had a few extra hours to stew on it all and now her mind was rapidly reducing to a slushy mush under all of the pressure.

Pulling on a pair of skinny jeans and a black cotton shirt, she looked at herself in the full length mirror.  She had no idea what was suitable attire for her first day as she had no clue what they had in store for her.  Fighting?  Did they have lessons here?  And, if so, what?  Who knew?  She was clueless as to what they had planned for her.

All too soon, a knock came on the door and Ash took a deep breath of courage before opening it.

“Good evening Aisline. Was the room alright for you?  Did you sleep well?”  Kayleigh asked, as she stood waiting in the doorway.  She didn’t look like she had gotten a full night’s sleep either, if the dark circles under her eyes were anything to go by. Despite that, though, she still looked as beautiful as any movie star on the big screen.

“Not too bad thanks.”  Ash replied, opting to lie, but Kayleigh gave her a knowing look.  There had been nothin
g wrong with the room at all. It was her life that was the problem.  Or more importantly, what her life would be like from now on.

“So, are you ready for this?  We’re going to be heading over to Professor Kelton’s off first to try and sort all of this out for you.”  Kayleigh smiled reassuringly.  “We have a lot of plans to hash out together.”

She had plenty of confidence in Kelton to make the right call.  They had been up all through the day light hours discussing it, rather than giving into the sleep that they both so desperately craved.   They were still no closer to a resolution.  Hopefully, Kelton would come up with a clue for where they should start soon enough.

Aisline followed her out and through a maze of corridors towards the administration wing of the building, amazed that Kayleigh could find her way around this rabbit warren of a place.  All
the corridors looked the same; pale greys and creams, with identical doors dotted at regular intervals.  There was no way that she was ever going to memorise the lay out of this place - bread crumbs sure would come in handy here.

Professor Kelton was waiting for them behind piles and piles of paperwork set on his desk.  Dressed in casual sweats and a t-shirt, he looked a much less threatening and intimidating sight than he had last night, covered in leather.  This look suited him just as well, and he still looked ready to jump into the centre of a fight.  Aisline had to try her hardest not to gawp at him, but dang, he was drop dead gorgeous.  Kayle
igh was one very lucky woman. Well, she had gathered that they were together by the way that they acted together - they seemed more than content and comfortable in one another’s company.

Smiling as they both entered, he stood up, “Aisline, good to see you.” he said warmly and indicated that she should take the seat opposite his desk as he sat down again, nearly hidden behind all of the papers.  He pointed to the cup of coffee he’d just poured out for her and she leant forward to help herself to a dash of cream and a scoop of sugar.

Sitting in Kelton’s office, with a steaming hot cup of coffee in her freezing hands, Ash looked around at all the books he had on the shelves that were framing the room.  There were so many books crammed into one place, her idea of heaven.  Ash loved to read.  They ranged from Stephen King to Shakespeare to some obscure foreign titles that she didn’t recognise on first glance.  But the titles began to blur and swim together as tears once again began to pool in her eyes.  Raw emotions were hitting her without warning.  Not that it was much of a surprise, seeing as all she had been through.

“Sorry about this, Aisline.”  Kelton looked over at her with sympathy.  This must be really hard for the girl.  He was trying his hardest to get things sorted for her.  After all, it wasn’t fair to have her sitting there waiting and worrying.  Everything was seeming to pile on top of him at once, and everything demanded his immediate attention.
This was his life as head of the Academy, but times like this were harder than others.

He couldn’t imagine how she was feeling.  It was hard for any male who had lived with the mark from their birth, coming into the academy and starting up a new life.  But, to have it thrust upon you and have your life change in the blink of an eye?  Kelton didn’t envy her one little bit.  He had so much to deal with himself, juggling a new female warrior into the mix sure wasn’t going to be easy.  He just hoped that he was up to the job.  Which was why he’d enlisted Kayleigh’s help.  It wasn’t just because he couldn’t shoulder the burden by himself, but he knew that having another female to talk to would do the girl the world of good.

They had so much to sort out, so much paperwork to plough through as well as all the practical things to sort.  It was a veritable nightmare for all those involved.  But, for Aisline?  A real living nightmare.

Ash didn’t feel sorry for herself, though.  Sure, those tears of self-pity had just reared their ugly head again, but that didn’t mean that she wasn’t already coming to terms with her situation.  If her family could turn their back on her just like that, then she could start a new life without them just as easily.
She could be strong. She would be strong.

Last night had been the most difficult.  All those hours when sleep should have taken her off into oblivion were spent fretting over her future.  Not that there anything she could do to change their minds, but it didn’t stop it hurting. They were her family and should have been there to support her.  But, no. 

She was strong and determined to make the best of it, though.  Who knew - maybe this would be the making of her?