Warrior Reborn (30 page)

He glanced across the solid chest to his co-captive, wrapped in an equally tight, muscled arm. The girl, perhaps eight or nine, had long, black curls, eyes of golden amber, and could hardly hold in her giggles.

“Put us down,” she glanced over her shoulder and shouted with as much seriousness as the giggle allowed.

“No way, munchkin. Quan’s been looking for you both for an hour.” The deep, throaty voice rumbled from above. Jason was trapped too firmly to twist and look.

“We just wanted to watch the fight.”

“There’s no fight,” the deep voice insisted.

“Uh huh. See?” The girl pointed to the far side of the open courtyard, beneath the shelter of the arbor and giggled again. Two young men, sixteen, perhaps seventeen, scowled at one another, knees bent, postures prepared for attack.

The taller of the two, blond, a sword fisted in his hand with scorch marks singed along his shirt, beckoned with his free hand for the other youth to take his best shot. A full third of the tree behind the blond was seared in black, the stench of burnt wood heavy in the air, wisps of smoke trailed into the sky.

The second boy, dark hair falling into his eyes, was drenched, with puddles of water at his feet, his boots shin-deep in mud. A little water didn’t seem to deter the flames circling his right hand.

“Enough. Both of you,” the voice above Jason’s head roared. “If you can’t figure out a better way to practice your talents, I’ll find one for you.”

The dark haired teen turned with a smirk, gray eyes lit with laughter. “Come on, Xavier, we’re just having a little fun.”

“Your brand of fun is going to burn the place down. Consider the example you’re setting. Ansgar, take this one.”

Ansgar shook his head with a wry smile, sword dissipating, and held out his hand toward the body Jason inhabited. “Come on, Pip.”

He bent to whisper after they’d walked several feet away. “Could have been worse. Good thing Xavier got here after we put the out the tree.”

Gray swirled and Jason blinked.

His eyes wide open, he raised his hand. Yep, his own hand. With a side-glance, he confirmed Briet’s face, calm and quiet beside him in sleep, the room empty.

Not a little girl in sight.

Another dream. Creative imagination wasn’t his forte.

Rolling onto his back, he swiped his hand down his face. Dreams about Ansgar and Turen. Maybe these skills didn’t come easily to the others either, or maybe his psyche was manufacturing dreams to placate his frustration at ramp-up time.

With a quick roll, he cupped Briet’s throat with his palm, her pulse was escalated but not to the point of the last dream. She hadn’t spoken to him this time. Perhaps the memory took less effort than direct communication. He wanted to tell her to stop, to leave off with the communication, but he suspected she felt as desperate as he did at the silence between them. He didn’t have the heart to squelch her attempts.

“Slow it down, baby. Relax. We’ve got a whole lifetime to share. Just rest.”

With a kiss to her shoulder, he nestled back against Briet’s body and went back to sleep.

CHAPTER 25

Jason pulled on a fresh sweatshirt before he headed out of the bathroom. Evidently, one of the tribe had gone to his apartment. A fresh set of his clothes waited for him on the end of the bed when he woke.

He stood, arms crossed, watching Grimm finish his morning assessment of Briet’s condition. The healer checked her every several hours. Even with no obvious change, Jason felt reassured each time she passed inspection.

Mouth open to speak, Grimm was interrupted by Turen’s appearance. A bright-eyed toddler grinned from the man’s shoulder, his mouth all pink gums with one white tooth. The year-old was a pint size replica of Turen, with dark hair and gray eyes. Jason didn’t recognize the stranger following in Turen’s wake.

“Sorry we’re late.”

“I haven’t had a chance to brief you, but it’s not necessary now. This is Tsu, Quan’s brother.” Grimm gestured to the stranger and moved aside to allow Turen and the baby to settle into a chair at Briet’s side. “He is also our master instructor for weapons and defense.”

Shorter than Turen, but much like Grimm in his control. Calm and lethal, the man remained silent. His blue-black hair, tied back in a queue, was identical to his sister’s shade and texture. The man’s strong jaw line and intense brown eyes struck Jason, depicting a man not likely to back down, or jump into a fray too quickly, either.

Receiving a bow from the man, Jason gave one in return, then spun back to Grimm as the meaning behind Tsu’s ability became clear. “I need to spend more time with those samples.”

“You will.” Grimm drew his lips into a thin line. “Tomorrow. Today you will spend some time with Tsu.”

“Look—” Jason started in.

“No. Listen to me. Your willpower is commendable, but the skills you’re trying to harness stress your system. Speed will only bring you injury, and Briet as well.” He glanced in Tsu’s direction. “You need balance to handle the pressures being thrown at you.”

And more evaluation by another member of the tribe as well. “I’m fine.”

“Good. Then you can work in your session with Tsu and he will determine if you are physically ready for more. I’m aware of the pressure you are under from Briet’s attack and recovery. I can hear the increased speed of your heart rate, sense its effect within your arteries, witness the stress in the lines of your face, and the tension in your muscles. Learning to use your abilities and adapting within our culture is an added weight. You are not the first here to go through this process. You need the outlet that alternate instruction will provide.”

Fists on his hips, Jason glared at Grimm. The man didn’t back down.

“The process will strengthen your focus. Allowing you to use other abilities you will need to protect yourself and your mate,” added Tsu.

The man’s voice, so tempered and reasonable, softened Jason’s raw disappointment at losing the opportunity to launch back into the dissemination of the samples.

Frustration beat at him, but logic won out. These men had no reason to distract him. They had as much to gain from his discoveries as Briet did. Perhaps Grimm was right. The eerie dreams, bundled with his concern over her entering another day catatonic and unconscious, had started his day with a throbbing headache.

Turen’s presence covered the question of who would keep Briet company. The baby’s light, unintelligible babble would provide sufficient stimuli to make up for his father’s quiet.

Jason glanced at them by the bed. “She’ll enjoy having you both here.” He let out a quick breath of acceptance and turned back to Tsu. “Lead on.”

Like Scrooge following his ghost, Jason tracked behind the silent master along hallways and corridors. Exiting into a floral courtyard, they walked along a neat, trimmed gravel path to a two-story circular building. The interior was a case study in the contrasts of whiskey-colored woods and sunlight, appearing larger than the exterior. Shallow windows divided several tiers of roof, gracing the wide interior with indirect lighting. Wooden slatted benches cordoned off sections of the floor. The center was open, the corners and lateral areas populated by equipment and displays of weapons.

“There are pants and jackets through there.” Tsu nodded to a doorway at the far side of the structure. “You can leave your clothes there as well.”

Not a request, but the master’s first command. Jason took a breath and followed the instruction, finding cubbies filled with clean uniforms for workouts. Marble shower stalls covered the remainder of the room. Leaving his belongings, he headed back to the main workout floor. Tsu waited for him beside a long wall of weapons and supplies.

“Have you had formal training?”

“Not much.” Jason took a deep breath. “Some judo but most of my experience has been team sports.”

“Then you will begin there.” Tsu nodded to a punching bag hung in the corner and tossed him a pair of light gloves.

Surprised to be directed to something familiar, Jason slid on the gloves, allowed Tsu to secure them with tape, and walked to the large black bag secured to a thick beam of the first level of ceiling.

He steadied the bag. His hold centered his mind under the pressure of the leather. With a step back, he pulled his fists close to his chest and below his chin. Bending his knees, he tested his spring, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Comfortable with the motion, he let fly with his right fist. The follow-thru reverberated through his shoulder and down his spine. He ignored the jarring sensation and continued, waiting for ease to flow with his rhythm. His feet fell into a coordinate pattern, his hips cooperating with each lunge and jab.

The combination of strikes and movement propelled images through Jason’s mind, replacing the bag in his visual frame of reference.

Once. Twice. And again.

Annie’s face appeared before the black leather surface and disappeared.

He landed a series of angry blows in vengeance for her death.

We’ll take care of her
.

The hit landed, his contact and snap so fast the bag barely moved in his replay of Hauer Gault’s promise.

The screech of tires in the night rang through his head. Sheri Arnault’s death in Briet’s stead. With each image more punches flew.

The face of the man holding Briet as she struggled against him at the reception.

Again, one blow followed another. His feet danced, his body twisted for maximum impact on each throw.

Briet’s body riddled with black web marks. Drugs tearing apart her cells, destroying a life he had yet to hold close enough.

Swing and contact, the blows landed on the bag, the images an unrelenting taunt.

At Tsu’s tap to his shoulder, he swung around, fists raised, only a split second to differentiate a body and not a bag before him. With one uncontrolled shake, he stepped back from the bag. Sweat stung his eyes and drenched his body. How long had he been at it?

Taking the bottle of water Tsu offered, Jason drained it and then looked for his quiet new instructor.

The man had moved to the middle of the exercise mat at the far end of the room, shirtless, shoeless, flowing black pants, and a long staff in each hand. “You are now ready to begin.”

Like hell. “I’m exhausted.”

“Yes, but your mind is finally clear.”

Jason took the staff with hesitation.

Tsu flipped his staff, grasping it with both hands, demonstrating the position. “Today you will only attempt to mirror my moves. Concentrate on the center between my hands, not the tips of the staff.”

For several dozen repetitions, he translated Tsu’s actions into his own movements. Hardly a fluid effort. The other man flowed. Jason hacked and shuffled. But it did keep his body active and his mind engaged.

Finally, Tsu stepped back and bowed, moving to benches along the side of the room. He flipped another bottle of water to Jason as he sat.

“It is hard to be here, after being so still with Briet for hours? Especially with the scrutiny of so many concerned for her welfare,” said Tsu.

Jason nodded. “Not an easy crowd to please.”

“You are one of us, Jason. Whatever transpires between you and Briet, you do not need a pass of acceptance here.”

“Easy for you to say. You haven’t royally pissed off her brother.”

The teacher laughed, startling him. A wave of his hand let Jason know Tsu didn’t consider his concerns founded. “Ansgar loves his sister. He’s protected her for over two hundred years. His one focus has been on her happiness, not the painful steps it takes to build a strong foundation in a relationship. His concerns are his own, not yours.”

“It’s not like I fit in here.”

“You do not strike me as a man who requires approval. But, so you are clear on this, should you walk away from here tomorrow, forever you will remain one of us. You are mated to one of our people, even if you two do not remain together. There is not one of us who will not come to your aid should you have need. Even Ansgar.” Tsu shook his head with a smile. “He just might take a little longer responding.”

Jason turned the water bottle in his hands. “I’ve found big commitments come with big price tags.”

“Have you been pressured? Do not let the weight of souls distract you.”

“What—do you mean?”

Tsu hesitated with a prolonged silence. Jason waited with a sick feeling in his stomach. It had been too much to hope this was just about superpowers and mates.

Tsu nodded once, evidently deciding to give Jason some truth.

“With their birth, our children usher in souls and healing for mankind.”

Holy proverbial shit.

“It is part of our reason for existence. The culmination of our covenant with our creator, and yours. One mate, one shared soul, and two children, each who will carry on a set of unique powers and bear the souls and salvation for humanity’s future.”

Jason felt all his blood rush to his feet.

“She didn’t tell me.” He could hear the crack in his voice and turned away from the man’s stare.

“Would you?”

He whipped back. “Would I what?” The words came out much harsher than he’d intended, but he felt like he was going down for the count.

“Were the situation reversed, would you tell a woman you loved that her life was forever altered? She would bear your mark, carry children destined to save humanity, live for three to four times beyond her normal life expectancy, and take on powers she would not believe imaginable. How would you pose the conversation where you tell her that her whole life has changed because you love each other? That she is the only person for you ever capable of delivering on the burden your people carry.”

Jason stared at Tsu and swallowed hard. “You did a pretty good job.”

“I have nothing to lose.” Tsu raised a brow with a sarcastic look. “I’m not in love with you.”

“She should have told me.”

“Did she really not? I find it hard to believe, even burdened by the risk of your rejection that she wouldn’t have tried. If only to help you find your way. Briet is nothing if not compelled to help.”