Kaliya Sahni: Volume One (Kaliya Sahni Volumes Book 1)

by K. N. Banet

“Most supernaturals who have never been human and never will be human,” I clarified. “If you want to find out their specific titles, you can, but I’m not interested. I just look at the resumes when I need to hire one of them, which isn’t very often. I prefer fae magic.”

  “You are so strange sometimes,” he muttered, shaking his head. “I didn’t know that was even something to care about.”

  “Yeah, those are nuances you’ll learn over time with different supernaturals. I don’t use witches for much because they can be unpredictable in that human way. Humans are a wild card, and so are witches. People say fae are unpredictable, but they really aren’t. Don’t get caught in word games with them when you might owe them anything. Some fae are worse about it than others. Paden is very chill with me, but he’ll tongue-tie others to get something out of them. Cassius doesn’t play those games, but that might be because his father is very good at playing them. If you ever meet a fae named Brion, just turn around and walk away.” It took me a second to realize I had rambled as I often did on long drives. Normally, I drove alone, and that got intensely boring, so when I did have someone in the car with me, I liked to get it out of my system and fill the dead air.

  “You’ve talked about him before, Cassius’ dad. He’s like a missing king or something?”

  “Yeah…” I shrugged. “I knew him a long time ago. He was the fae king who sat on the Tribunal. When he mysteriously abdicated his power and disappeared, it was supposed to go to Cassius, who turned it down. Now, we have Oisin, Brion’s brother, whom you’ve met.”

  “The one who didn’t like me and wanted to hand me back over to Mygi.” Raphael groaned. “Sometimes, I feel like my head is going to explode. Growing up human, I knew there were werewolves. I knew the government and others believed the fae existed, but I always thought of them as aliens, you know? Now, I’m on the bad side of a fae king. Rumors of witches are real. Werewolves are…well, exactly what they let the public believe. And there’s even more. Just the other night, I was reading the stuff you printed out about sirens. Are they fae or nymphs? Are they demigods? Does anyone really know? Has anyone ever met a demigod? I’m pretty sure I haven’t.”

  “It’s a lot.” I was amazed he was opening up. Four months of nothing and a two-hour drive finally let me see behind his stoic exterior. “But you’ll get there. When you live a long time or just in our world, you’re bound to make enemies. There’s no avoiding it. As for the demigod question, they’re not common, and they’re laws unto themselves. They don’t really play well in a group and definitely don’t follow the Tribunal’s rules if they don’t want to. I haven’t heard stories about one in…” I hummed, trying to remember the last I had heard of that demigod. He was the son of some Greek, which thankfully was less common now than it had been in ancient times. “Sixty? Seventy years?”

  “You probably have more stories than the history books can hold.”

  “Not really. I’m pretty young compared to most, and most of my stories don’t belong in the history books. I never met the demigod. There are no interesting stories between me and him. I have no idea where he is, what he’s up to, or even if he’s still alive.”

  “Can they die?”

  “Everything can die,” I whispered, gently pressing the brake as I saw two figures on the road ahead of me, the fae and witch on duty. “I would know.”

  “That’s right. You would. I guess I forgot what you were after a few months of nothing happening.”

  “Raphael—”

  “I shouldn’t have.” He didn’t look at me again as I slowed to a crawl, then stopped in front of the two guards of the prison.

  I rolled my window down and smiled at them, trying to be personable, and as if I wasn’t screaming on the inside with frustration and anger. I needed him to get over it. I needed it more than anything. The light burned my eyes, and the heat was overbearing this far out into the desert, but it was better than the cold wall that had just filled the BMW.

  “Hey! Tarak scheduled an appointment for me. Standard walkthrough and report this evening.” I checked the time, seeing it was nearly four. “We’ll probably be here until midnight.”

  “He let us know. Have a safe visit,” the fae said with an affable smile. He nodded to the witch, and both of them raised their hands, two different types of magic that worked in very similar ways. Fae had specific light and dark abilities, based on their clans, but all of them could do certain things. I didn’t know the real list because the fae were a little guarded about what all they could really do. Part of that was because of the witches, who always tried to copy them.

  “You’re clear to go in,” the witch called out, revealing it was a woman. I hadn’t had a chance to get a good look at her. I shoved my hand out my window with a thumbs up and hit the gas once they were out of my way.

  As I drove through the barrier, there was a moment when it seemed charged. The air felt as though a thunderstorm was brewing and caused the hair on my arms to stand up. It passed quickly as we made it through and once we were beyond the barrier, not even a residual tingle of magic remained.

  “Does that happen every time?” he asked, looking back with a severe frown.

  “Yeah. It’s just how the barrier is set up. If you’re hostile, it hurts, but some have still been able to get in one way or another to help get their friends out.” I didn’t feel like talking anymore.

  It took thirty seconds for the wolves to show up. Raphael visibly tensed in the passenger seat, but I didn’t say anything. I knew he’d had fights with werewolves working for Mygi Pharmaceuticals, and the giant canines running alongside us probably brought up those memories. I wanted to see if he had a prejudice against them, so I tested the waters.

  “Did you know the moon-cursed actually take the shape of ancient beasts,” I said softly, looking at the two in front of me.

  “I think you’ve explained it before, but I also read it in the files. Werewolves are like direwolves, gigantic compared to modern wolves. Werecats are actually solitary sabretooth cats. They aren’t real species, they’re supernatural versions of ancient animals.”

  “They aren’t so bad, the werewolves. They pack hunt, and most have a strong Alpha who keeps them in line. The Alpha sets the tone of the pack and—”

  “They were just doing their jobs, I know. You don’t need to turn this into another lesson. I don’t hate werewolves because some helped Mygi. Why should I? I was going to join the military, and one day, I would have been in their position in a way.”

  I sighed, shaking my head to myself as the building came into view. At least he was honest, though I was a little annoyed he had picked up on what I was doing.

  We made it through the gate without a problem, the werewolves leaving us. I pulled into the parking lot, which only had the vehicles of the employees who worked in the prison, and found my favorite spot in the back.

  “Let me do most of the talking,” I said, before jumping out of the BMW. Tarak was walking across the parking lot with a female werewolf, his second, Korey. “No Dian and Eliphas?” I asked loudly.

  “No, not tonight. Dian is in the fae lands on vacation with his family. Eliphas is working on an upgrade to our security spells.” Tarak reached out as I met him, and we shook hands. Raphael walked up, and I watched Tarak’s nose twitch and his lip curl. “What is that smell?”

  “I don’t know. He smells human to me.” Most of the time. I didn’t find his not-human scent unpleasant, so I wasn’t sure why the werewolves thought he was gross. Not every one of them reacted, but I had a feeling that was a manners thing, not a lack of sense of smell.

  “Ah.” Tarak didn’t seem too pleased, but he reached out to Raphael. “Sorry. I’ve just never encountered a smell like that before. You must be Raphael. I’m Tarak. It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Yeah.” Raphael shook his hand, but I could tell he wasn’t happy. Then again, I wouldn’t be happy to shake hands with someone who said I smelled bad. Tarak picked up on it and looked at me again
.

  “Let’s get this over with. I need to talk with you for a moment. Do you mind if Korey takes Raphael closer to the door?”

  I hit the button on my key fob and nodded as it opened, revealing the weapons I had brought.

  “Do you mind if I arm him?” I asked.

  “Not at all.” Tarak shrugged like I figured he would, but it was always polite to ask in this situation. I knew he would never tell me no to arming myself, not with my position and reputation, but that didn’t mean my plus one had the same privilege.

  I grabbed a holster and a couple of guns, holding them out to Raphael. He put them on fast, checking the chambers and loading everything as he went. I was honestly glad to see he was good at it on his own. Other than close-quarters combat with weapons, I didn’t have much to teach him about self-defense, and that training was touch and go.

  I slid my sword belt around my waist and positioned my talwar to the left, attached a holster for a Beretta on my right hip, strapped a knife to my right thigh, then tucked smaller ones in each boot. When I was finished, Raphael was already walking off with Korey.

  “What do you need?” I asked, looking at the Warden, only a little worried. I never liked when the Wardens had something to tell me.

  “He’s not in solitary this time,” Tarak said softly.

  That cold wave hit me again, making my chest tight.

  “Is he on good behavior?” I tried to make that come out even, but there weren’t many in the world I was genuinely scared of—one just so happened to be a member of my own species and in the prison. On normal days, I didn’t think about him. I wasn’t sure why his existence was bothering me now.

  Maybe it’s because I had to bring Raphael.

  “Yes. He hasn’t been in a fight with another inmate for a year,” Tarak explained. “He’s not talking to the guards or threatening anyone. There’s a chance you’re going to see him in the yard or the library. I just want you to be ready.”

  “I am,” I promised, checking my weapons instead of looking at the werewolf. It wasn’t a lie. I was ready—for anything.

  “You know he’s not the only enemy you have in this building, right? I know he’s a bit close to home, but—”

  “Tarak, if you want this to go smoothly, you’ll drop it,” I said quickly. He only nodded in response, and the discussion died as quickly as it started.

  We walked toward the building and met Raphael and Korey at the door. Korey held it open as Tarak stomped in first, his commanding presence growing as we moved into the building and walked through various security checkpoints. Finally, we were at his office.

  “Where would you like to start?” he asked.

  “Let’s start with the easy stuff. The external security seemed fine, and Eliphas is developing upgrades. That’s good. The fewer the breakouts, the more effective the prison.”

  I went to his window and peeked out the blinds, checking the yard below. Every Warden had a view of the yard. I could see several supernaturals wandering aimlessly while others stood in cliques. It was a lot like a human prison. Some were playing basketball, some were using the outdoor gym equipment, and if someone didn’t have a group that protected them, they ended up being vulnerable to others. There were some on the inside who worked to procure things they weren’t supposed to have, normally bribing guards to get those items. Visitors weren’t allowed at all, something our kind did differently from humans.

  I didn’t see Nakul, but I saw others I knew by name. Others I had tracked down and captured when I could have killed them. Others I knew were in because I had been at their Trials, waiting to kill them, only for their sentence to be the prison instead.

  Tarak was right, I had enemies here, and for the first time in years, that sentiment hit home.

  I should have tried to leave Raphael at home. This normally doesn’t bug me. I have enemies everywhere.

  “Let’s start with a tour of the grounds around the fence,” Tarak said, heading back for his door. “You have an option to leave Raphael here with Korey, or they could both come with us.”

  I looked at my charge, my partner in a way, asking him with just my facial expression if he wanted to join.

  “I’ll come with you,” he said softly. As we walked out of the office together, he leaned over. “I’m not stupid enough to go anywhere alone or separate from you. I might disagree with it, but I know you can kill people, and I don’t know anyone else here.”

  I almost chuckled. At least his Catholic guilt didn’t make him a complete fool.

  6

  Chapter Six

  I followed Tarak back out of the building, nodding at the guards who manned several stations between the inner offices and the outside world. There were actually two fences around the entire compound, and surveying the grounds meant walking between the two. It was evening in the desert, which I would normally love, but it was winter. The afternoons rarely got into the seventies if I was lucky. Today, it was in the fifties.

  “This is always the most boring exercise,” I mumbled, rolling my eyes at Raphael, who gave me the courtesy of chuckling.

  “You don’t seem like the type of person who enjoys this sort of thing,” he commented. “You like action and getting things done. This does seem…routine and unnecessary.”

  “It is,” I confirmed, sighing. I shrugged when Tarak shot a look over his shoulder.

  “You never take this seriously,” the Warden accused.

  “It’s boring. We’ve now been walking in the desert between two ineffective fences for forty-five minutes. You can’t deny it’s boring.”

  “I normally run it with the pack. Maybe if you changed into a useful creature, this wouldn’t be boring.”

  “Useful? I’m venomous. Try that again.” I laughed, shaking my head as we walked. I knew Tarak was trying to lighten the mood. He wasn’t a stick in the mud like the Alpha in Phoenix.

  “What were you two talking about earlier?”

  Before Tarak or I could, Korey answered. Damn female werewolf didn’t have any filter.

  “Probably Nakul. They always talk about him.”

  I turned to give her a scathing glare, and she went pale under my stare.

  “If he didn’t know, why did you think he should?” I asked softly.

  “Korey, why don’t we meet you back at the front door?” Tarak asked, stepping quickly in my way and blocking my view of his wolf.

  “Yup.” She turned and started running faster than I could.

  “Who’s Nakul?” Raphael asked quietly, drawing my attention.

  I stared at him for a long time, debating if he deserved to know. He was a naga mate, even if he didn’t know it. If I ever claimed him, injected my venom into his bloodstream, and tied him to me forever, he would have to know. If others found out he could be my mate, he deserved to know for his own safety.

  “Nakul is my uncle by marriage. The night my mother, father, and brothers were murdered, so were his wife and son, both nagas as well. He went on a killing spree afterward. He wanted other species who ignore the plight of our kind to feel the same pain. He’s unhinged. He killed…” I couldn’t finish. He’d done exactly what had been done to him. There were fae, witches, werewolves, vampires, and even humans associated with our world who were in the exact same position now—all men who once had a wife and son who would never have either again.

  “Oh…” There was a green tint to Raphael’s normally tawny complexion. “And he’s here? I thought…I thought you executed people like him.” Raphael seemed uncomfortable, and I was glad he was. It was an uncomfortable topic.

  “There are only nine nagas left,” I reminded him. “It wasn’t an easy decision, but he’ll be here for eternity. We couldn’t execute him.”

  “It sounds like there’s a lot more to that story,” Raphael said softly, looking at his feet as we walked, the green tint fading away slowly.

  “I wanted to execute him,” I said plainly. The awkwardness of my beliefs and the position I was in always caught
me at odds. I never really wanted to think about it, so I didn’t. I had so many other things on my plate on any given day—except for the days I was at the prison, days like this one.

  “Of course.” Raphael was silent as we continued our long walk around.

  Once the perimeter was done, we found ourselves back at the front door. The heavy silence continued as we moved through security, with Tarak making it go quickly. Then we moved into the real troublesome area of the prison—the cell blocks.

  There was a loud, obnoxious noise as the door opened. Once inside, I looked up at the three levels of cells with walkways. Every cell door was visible. Spelled bars kept magic users and the super-strong from breaking through, but unless the prisoner was in solitary, they had a completely unobstructed view of everything outside their cell.

  Meaning, they could all step up to the bars and see me.

  So, it begins.

  “Looky here!” someone yelled. I didn’t bother to look for the individual. In my mind, they were all the same. My job was to make sure they were being treated fairly, and security was still tight. “Our grim reaper has stopped by!”

  Someone grabbed my wrist tightly, squeezing though I didn’t know why. I couldn’t bother to glance down when I had the all-important task of looking dangerous in front of the most dangerous supernaturals allowed to live. I licked my lips, catching the eyes of the different superstars of the supernatural underground, but there were too many scents. The hand was warm, but I didn’t know the feel of it well enough.

  “She’s got a boyfriend now! Yo, Warden Tarak! Your pussy found a new plaything!”

  Raphael, then. I wonder what’s wrong. He doesn’t touch me often, if ever. He’s never done this before. Should I have left him in Tarak’s office? Can he not handle this?

  Our group walked slowly through the southern cell block, and I reviewed each cellmate for anything worthy of concern. The guards were on their best behavior, and the general rule was to let the jeering happen and just ignore it. Everyone followed the protocol, but the hand on my wrist grew tighter as the jeering grew worse.