Sanctuary, Texas: My Eternal Soldier Part 4

"Shalem is tracking the president right now. He has some incriminating pictures so far of him enjoying himself in several brothels, but not enough to make a move against him yet."

I growled and sat down in the chair to my right. Manda didn't budge or turn her head. In fact, she was doing her best to avoid any eye contact at all. I didn't like it. She was hiding something.

Reaching out, I grabbed her with my magick and yanked her to her knees in front of me. "What about the DNA masking trial?"

"There are no updates, Sir."

"f.u.c.king scientists move slower than snail slime. You need to motivate them to move faster." I glared at her until I could feel the fight leaving her muscles. "Shalem better find something soon or I'll have to take my frustration out on him next. Do you want to watch your cousin bleed?"

"No, Sir." The words were almost a whisper, but her gla.s.sy eyes gave away her emotion. Her compa.s.sion for her family. For her people. She would do anything for them.

That was her weakness.

It was also why I could never completely trust her.

Chapter Eight.

EIRA.

Charlie and I walked at the front of the group. We emerged from the tree line to stare at the fifty-foot electric fence that outlined the whole perimeter of the Texas Republic. A few places existed where we'd tunneled beneath the fence, but they were few and far between. We needed to cross the Mississippi now, before the sun rose. Time constraints didn't allow for us to head for one of the hidden tunnels. Traveling the roads of the SECR in daylight wasn't smart - at least not if you were what the humans called an Other. But to sneak in and out of the TR without being tracked by the soldiers at the official gates, you either had to jump the fence or go under it.

We didn't have time to go around. Jumping was our only option today. Wolves were strong and good for long distance running, but they couldn't leap buildings in a single bound. I, on the other hand, was a completely different kind of being. The fifty-foot leap wouldn't faze me by myself, but hauling Lycan after Lycan over it would drain me. I would need to feed soon afterward.

I turned to Chad, who'd emerged from the trees next to us. The other Lycans were right behind him, including Charlie's parents.

"Ready?"

Chad nodded.

I gripped him tightly around the waist and jumped. Air whipped against my face as we sailed high above the fence. As we started to come back down on the other side, I lifted him higher than me, so my legs would take the brunt of the landing. The impact on the other side was hard, and I grunted as I released him.

"Thanks, Eira," he murmured, slinking off to watch for patrols while I moved the rest of the rescue party over the fence, one by one.

A strange sensation rippled through the air as I landed with Charlie on the SECR side of the fence. She'd waited to be the last. I turned my head toward the bridge our group was moving toward and focused my sight on the opposite bank. Vehicles were parked near the road, but they looked abandoned. Which was strange.

I couldn't hear any heartbeats. Smell anything other than our people. We were downwind. Everything on the other bank should be rolling across the river toward us, but all I could smell was the water. None of the pine scent from the trees on the other bank filtered toward us.

I hurried after Charlie, who was jogging to catch up with the rest of the group already making their way over the old highway bridge.

"Something's not right," I whispered to her when I caught up.

"What do you mean? The scouts would have noticed people. Heard something."

Our feet were silent on the bridge, but the lights illuminated us. We were plainly visible to anyone on either side of the river. Vulnerable but also the most direct, and Charlie's parents were determined to reach Savannah as fast as possible. From Manda's intel, we didn't have long before the execution of the two captured families.

"It's too quiet."

Charlie scoffed. "Now you're complaining that there's no one to fight? Manda and her cousin said there would be no patrols here tonight. That's why we left so quickly. Chad and Jaxon are running point. They would've alerted us if something seemed off."

Not if they were hidden with magick. The air was thick with it, but I couldn't see any signs. Just a tingle on my skin and the years of battle experience telling me we were walking into an ambush.

"There are no animal sounds. No birds. Nothing moving but the wind."

"It's the middle of the night, Eira," Charlie replied, laying a hand on my shoulder.

I started shaking my head. "Call them back. It feels like a tra-"

A howl carried from the forest ahead. We stepped off the bridge, and I suddenly heard heartbeats everywhere. The pack scattered. They saw them, too.

Then the shots rang out. Followed by screams.

Pain tore through my side, and I peered down at the gaping hole in my stomach. Blood poured from the wound, soaking my jeans.

"Eira!" Charlie screamed then collapsed to the ground. Three small, red darts protruded from her neck. Her body was limp in seconds, but I could hear her heart beating steadily. Tranquilizers.

The pack was dropping all around me. Soldiers advanced from the woods. Several women stood at the edge of the forest. Their hands were raised to the moon, and their lips moved. Latin flowed from their mouths, but my head swam from the blood loss. I couldn't focus. I needed to stay away from those witches, and I needed to feed so I could heal.

I swallowed down the blood seeping from my mouth and lunged at the nearest soldier. I was so much weaker than I realized. He threw me off of him and hit my cheek with the b.u.t.t of his gun.

Pain seared my head, and I groaned, squinting to focus through the stream of blood running down my forehead and into my eyes.

"I'll take this, b.i.t.c.h. You can burn in h.e.l.l like the demon you are."

I bared my fangs and hissed, but he struck me again and again until everything faded to black.

I opened my eyes and moaned. Pain roared through my nerve endings. My face felt like it'd been bashed against a brick wall, and my side still had a gaping, b.l.o.o.d.y hole in it. I'd lost most of my blood volume. Hunger coursed through me, and the need to feed made my head hurt worse than any hangover. The b.l.o.o.d.y bodies of my friends called to the beast inside me. I could no more feed from their lifeless bodies than I could've killed them myself. It wasn't right. No matter what, I'd die before desecrating their bodies in that way. How would I ever explain a bite mark to their families?

Dragging myself to my feet, I surveyed the field and cried. Half of the pack was dead, littering the field. The other half was nowhere to be found. Charlie was gone. I remembered her falling near me. But her body was gone.

"Charlie!" I shouted. "Chad!"

No one answered.

The smell of burning flesh hit my nostrils before the singe of pain registered in my brain. The sky was turning orange, and the coming sunrise burned. I held up my right hand. The ring was gone. f.u.c.king b.a.s.t.a.r.d. How did he know to take it?

It didn't matter. If I didn't move my a.s.s under some shelter fast, I could never avenge or rescue my friends.

I blurred across the bridge, but only made it a few miles before my weakened state caught up with me. My head swam, and I was seeing double if I didn't carefully focus. I slowed for a moment, trying to get my bearings, but the burning on the back of my neck and arms spurred me forward. Dying wasn't an option.

I had to feed.

And I had to make it to Sanctuary.

They were the only ones with enough resources to help me save my friends. Half of the pack had been on that mission. Most of the wolves left at the lodge were mothers and children. When the news of the loss reached them, they wouldn't be in any shape to mount a rescue mission. With the alpha pair gone and Charlie missing, chaos would drive them into a panic. Better they didn't find out for as long as I could put it off.

Ducking under the shade of a tree, I fell to my knees and screamed in pain. The sun was rising higher, and I couldn't see or hear a human anywhere. I couldn't die. Not now. If I didn't find help, no one would go after the pack until it was too late for the ones still alive. If I didn't live, no one would know Manda had betrayed us.

Survival was paramount.

The Texas border fence was coming up fast. I had to make it through, but the border patrol wouldn't let me through in the state I was in. As hungry as I was, I also didn't trust myself not to kill and feed on soldiers in a desperate attempt to quench the thirst that burned inside me.

Jumping was going to be difficult with my injuries, but was my only option. I didn't have time to get to a tunnel.

I blurred again, this time making it to a part of the fence that lay below a ridge. I'd come through this way before. If I could build enough momentum, I should be able to clear it. My weakened state aside, I still had enough energy to hurl myself over.

I had to leave the protection of the shaded woods, and the sun was rising higher. If I didn't find shelter before it rose completely, there wouldn't be any of me left to find help.

Pain doused me from head to foot. I squinted through my blurry vision, gathered the energy I had left, and ran. The ground flew beneath my feet as I blurred forward, leaping from the top of the ridge and hurling my body across the top edge of the fifty-foot electric fence.

The ground rushed toward me, and I hit it with a thud that broke at least half of my ribs. I couldn't contain the scream as pain lanced through my body. I twisted on the ground and crawled to my feet. The sun was still rising over the horizon, colors flooding the sky. I had mere minutes before I would be nothing more than ash blowing in the wind.

I blurred through the trees and followed a road, trying to keep an eye out for anything that looked like a driveway. One appeared a few seconds later, and I rushed down the gravel. A large gray barn loomed ahead of me. A heavy padlock locked the ma.s.sive sliding door, but it was no match for my desperation. The metal snapped in my hand, and I slipped inside, closing the door behind me. The darkness of the barn soothed my burning skin, but something else caught my attention. Blood.

Dried blood spattered the walls... the floor. The scent of death hung fresh on the air. Another scent also coated the building. Male. Magick. An Other lived here.

d.a.m.n it. Feeding on Others was tricky. Why couldn't some stupid hunter live here? I needed to feed. Hunger clawed at my insides. My head rang from the need to eat. G.o.d forgive the next living being to enter this barn. They wouldn't stand a chance.

For now, I'd just have to wait. The sun was s.h.i.+ning, and I was trapped.

Chapter Nine.

KILLIAN.

Setting my helmet on the long seat of my bike, I took a deep breath of the sweet morning air. The cafe door of Rose's swung open. Miles and Eli Blackmoor emerged, pausing to hold the door for the beautiful blonde woman I recognized as Diana-their wife.

Miles caught my gaze and raised a hand in greeting. I returned the gesture and started toward them.

"Killian, it's been weeks. What have you been up to?" Miles' voice rumbled.

Eli flashed a grin. "You haven't met our wife since she returned to us." He turned to the small woman standing between them. "Diana, this is Killian. He lives a few miles outside of town. He's Elvin."

Her face brightened, and her perfectly shaped lips turned up into a smile. "You are from the Veil?" she asked, walking forward and taking my hand in hers. "My son Mikjall will want to meet you. He was raised by Elvin. Please come by the Castle if you have time." She squeezed my hand and then dropped it, moving to lean against Miles' chest.

"Thank you, Diana."

She smiled and nodded as her hands absently stroked her round stomach in a circular pattern.

A baby on the way? And a grown son raised by my people? Questions burned in my mind, but they could wait. It wasn't my place to interrogate the Snen mor. I was just thankful to see her safe with her husbands and happy. I knew Miles and Eli thought she had been lost to them forever.

Her blue eyes were soft, compa.s.sionate, but burned with the fire of a Drakonae meant to rule. She and Miles and Eli belonged in the Veil. They belonged on the stone thrones, not those Incanti b.a.s.t.a.r.ds.

"May the Blackmoor house grow strong and live in peace." I used the old words from court to show respect. They weren't my kings and queen here, but if life had gone differently a thousand years ago, they would've been.

"Peace and strength to you, friend," Eli returned. "Don't be a stranger, Killian. You are always welcome in our house."

Diana waved as they led her away. I waved in turn before going inside the cafe.

Raven's bright voice greeted me the second the door swung closed behind me.

"Killian," she said, sauntering over to my side. "Where have you been?" The Pixie planted a kiss on my cheek. Her hand traced my shoulder and then along my back, grazing over the two swords sheathed and strapped in place. She circled behind me and came around on my other side. It was like being stalked by a hungry cat. A starving, gorgeous cat, though.

"Just taking out the trash."

"You should take a break from that more often than once every two or three months."

"Thanks, Raven."

She flashed a wide smile and walked off, her hips swaying enticingly with each step. d.a.m.n. That girl knew how to work her a.s.s.

I slid into the closest booth and sighed. The smell of freshly baked bread, pies, and other sweets clung to the air. Heaven for the tastebuds. This was the closest I came to freshly made food -ever.

A second later, Bella slid into the seat opposite me. I wanted to reach out and pull her bright blue hair loose from the high ponytail it was twisted up into and drink in the sweet scent of jasmine drifting from her smooth alabaster skin. Her wide doe eyes sparkled with life.

If I could grab her around the waist and disappear into her house for the next twenty-four hours, I could be a happy man. At least I should be able to be happy with a woman like Bella in my bed. But I'd be lying to myself if I thought even s.e.x with her would help my present mood. Plus, s.e.x with Bella or anything with Bella for that matter always came with strings attached.

Only one woman could make my heart happy again, and she was lost to me forever.

"It's good to see you, Killian."

"How did you know I was here?" A grin tugged at my mouth.

"I heard you. There's only a few bikes in town, and none of them sound quite like yours."

"What do you want, Bella?"

"I just wanted to say h.e.l.lo. Can't a friend say h.e.l.lo?"

"You want something." I crossed my arms over my chest and glared. This wasn't a friendly visit. Her vibe had Rose's scent all over it.

"I want you to move here. Everyone does. That old run down farmhouse isn't good for you. There's more to life than killing wayward SECR soldiers unlucky enough to wander into your sandbox."

"By everyone, you mean Rose put you up to this."

She frowned, but nodded.