by N M Thorn
“Damian, wait, please,” she begged, tears brimming her eyes. “Let’s talk about it—”
“No. This conversation is over.” He wrapped his whip over his wrist, turning it into the bracelet, and then ran his fingers over his tattoo, summoning his gargoyle. As Zhulik merged into it, he bowed to her, pressing his fist to his chest. “As long as you’re around me, you are in danger. I need time to think and decide—”
“Dima, what the fuck is going on here?”
Damian heard his brother’s voice coming from behind him and spun toward him. His eyes took in Cole’s appearance, and a deep sadness suffused his numb chest. He stepped closer to him and pulled him into a quick embrace, his heart stopping for a brief moment.
“I love you, little bro,” he whispered so quietly that only Cole could hear him. “I’m glad Ruslan is back with you, because I...” His voice shook and he paused, searching for a better word. “Protect River… and don’t look for me.”
Before Cole could stop him, Damian snapped his fingers and vanished.
Epilogue
~ Damian Blake ~
Coral Springs, Florida.
Twenty-four hours later.
Despite the late hour, the air was heavy with heat and humidity, the scent of ocean reaching far inland. The last rays of the setting sun reflected in the polished surface of the gravestones, the light breeze rustling the palm tree leaves, playing with flowers left by the graves.
Sitting on the ground with his back rested against a tree, Damian took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to stop the endless rush of chaotic thoughts in his mind. All he wanted was a few minutes of peace so he could assess the situation calmly and come up with a rational decision, but his brain refused to comply. He spent the night and most of the day here, alone, but no matter what he tried, he couldn’t find a way to keep River out of harm’s way now that Koschei knew about their relationship. He blamed himself for everything that had happened and all that could happen in the future.
He wasn’t sure how long he sat like that when a slight fluctuation of the elemental energy field touched his senses, followed by a cold wave of vampiric essence. He exhaled with a shake of his head, recognizing the energy signature of the vampire. He didn’t react, however, keeping his eyes closed, but just to be on the safe side, he added extra effort into concealing his own magic.
“Commander Blake.” The rolling R’s and the low timbre of the voice were as familiar as the elemental energy of Earth emanating from the person who spoke.
With a deep sigh, Damian cracked his eyes open and raised his head. Three men stood in front of him—two of them observing him with interest and concern while Cole stared at him with a mix of irritation and relief. His brother threw his hands up, shaking his head.
“Florida? Really?” he grumbled. “You made me travel all the way across the country to find you.”
“I told you not to look for me,” Damian replied flatly.
“Yeah, I know.” Cole rolled his eyes, annoyance prominent in his every move. “You love to boss people around, and if I’ve listened to all your orders…” Cole’s voice trailed away, and he shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants.
“How did you find me, anyway?” asked Damian, rising.
His eyes halted on a short man standing behind Oleg. He was positive they weren’t personally acquainted, yet he knew he had seen him before. The man didn’t bother concealing his energy signature, and Damian suspected he wanted him to know that he was a Child of Fire.
“I couldn’t. After your resurrection, our blood bond was gone,” muttered Cole. “But Luc knew what to do, and luckily, a few things came together nicely. He told me it’s impossible to find a Destiny Enforcer who doesn’t want to be found, but another Child of Earth could sense you. So, he contacted Oleg, who happened to be visiting his friend here, in Coral Springs at the time. To make a long story short, when you teleported to this cemetery, you created such a splash that Oleg couldn’t help but detect the spike in the elemental energy of Earth in the area. The rest was a matter of Luc talking to him and putting two and two together.”
Damian huffed. “Sorry, but I’m not the only Child of Earth in this realm. It could have been anybody.”
“No, you are not,” Oleg agreed. “But you are the only Child of Earth who has Destiny Enforcer magic, and when you materialized here, you forgot to conceal it.”
“Dammit,” muttered Damian, staring at the darkening sky over his brother’s head.
“Damian, you’re not going to do something as stupid as disappearing for a few centuries again, are you?” asked Cole, and the amount of sadness in his voice made Damian cringe inwardly.
“No, Cole. I needed to be alone for a while,” he said quietly, unable to hide the reproach in his voice. “I needed to think, and this place gives me a sense of peace and clarity.”
The short man stepped forward, offering his hand to Damian. “I’m Zane Burns,” he introduced himself, a lopsided grin bringing a single dimple on his left cheek. “We had a brief… um… interaction a while ago in this cemetery, Commander.”
“I remember.” Damian shook his hand, looking down at him with curiosity. “You’re a Fire Salamander.”
“Guilty as charged,” Zane replied and turned to Oleg and Cole. “Guys, I’m sorry, but can you please give me a few minutes alone with Commander Blake.”
Oleg and Cole exchanged a quick look and walked away, halting by the fence. Zane squatted next to the gravestone and dusted its cracked surface with his fingers. The stone was old, and the name was erased by time and weather, if it had ever been there in the first place. He looked back at Damian, his face calm and a little sad.
“Whose grave is it, Commander?” he asked, getting up to his feet.
“I don’t know,” Damian replied absentmindedly. “I needed some kind of closure. A place to—” He cut himself off, looking away.
Zane nodded. “Walk with me,” he offered, gesturing for Damian to follow.
They walked between graves until Zane halted in front of a polished, marble gravestone. He kneeled next to it, carefully removing all traces of dust and sand, and readjusted the fresh flowers in the stand in front of it. He didn’t say anything, but Damian could see the reflection of deep heartache in his steel eyes.
The inscription on the stone read: “Angelique. You saved the World from Chaos… Forever in my heart.”
“Zane—,” Damian started, but the Fire Salamander straightened and raised his hand, stopping him.
“She’s not here either. Her body just ceased to exist when she fused her spirit with that of the Lord of Chaos…” He bit his lip, his chest shuddering with short breaths. “I loved her more than life itself, but with all my power and magic, I couldn’t save her,” he said quietly, clutching his throat, his voice raspy. “You can still save your love.”
“What did Cole tell you?” asked Damian, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Nothing,” replied Zane, lifting his shoulders in a half-shrug. “Your brother is loyal to you through and through. I think even if I tortured him, he wouldn’t say a word.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “If you hadn’t noticed, Oleg is quite observant and perceptive. So, except for what he told me, I know nothing about you.” The corners of his mouth quirked up a little, giving him a slightly guilty look. “I’ve been around the World of Magic long enough to take a pretty accurate guess.”
Damian didn’t say anything, heaviness settling in the pit of his stomach.
“You’re a Destiny Enforcer, so it won’t be a stretch if I say you have more supernatural enemies than you can count,” he continued, his calm, gray eyes searching Damian’s face. “One of them, or maybe a group of them, tried to get you off their case, holding the lives of those you love over your head.” A lopsided smile touched his full lips. “How am I doing so far?”
Damian nodded, unable to speak.
“Now you’re about to make the same mistake I made.” Zane glanced at the gravestone, and a pa
inful wrinkle materialized between his dark eyebrows. “I wish I hadn’t been so ignorant in the ways of magic back then…”
His voice trembled, and he bit his lip again. Damian didn’t say anything, sensing his internal torment.
“Anyway,” Zane continued as he quickly composed himself. “I know you’re a lot older than me, so please don’t be offended by me trying to give advice. Putting a physical distance between yourself and the people you love won’t stop the supernatural bastards from coming after them. If anything, it will make things a lot worse. Distance means nothing. The only thing that matters is what you keep here.” He placed his hand over his heart, flames igniting on the bottom of his eyes. “Even though your brother is not a damsel in distress himself, by distancing yourself from him and the woman you love, you’re putting them in danger, my friend. Since they have already been marked by your enemies, they are a lot safer with you by their side than without you.”
“Thank you, Zane, but I know that,” Damian whispered, everything inside him twisting in agony. “I was a little shocked, to be honest, and I needed time to process. I don’t know how much you know about the Destiny Enforcers, but I’m not a free man.”
Zane looked up at him with an expression of sympathy in his eyes. “I experienced the pleasures of Commander Moore’s Bootcamp myself, and I must tell you…” He shuddered, his expression hardening. “No mercy, no remorse, no regrets, no choice… Isn’t that how the Destiny Enforcers operate?”
“Yes, that sums it up nicely,” agreed Damian. “I have to figure out how to balance my subserviency to the Destiny Council with what I need to do to protect my brother, River and my friends without getting my skin flogged off my back.” He chuckled bitterly, rubbing his brow. “I wasn’t going to run.”
“You could have fooled me.” Cole’s voice sounded behind him, and Damian turned around to face him. “What happened, big bro? River was so upset by your sudden departure that she couldn’t explain anything. Between us, that evil asshole didn’t scare her even a tiny bit, but you running away pissed her off.” He snickered. “She’ll have something to say when you come back home, and like a real lady, she is not going to be gentle with the choice of words.”
“Dammit…” Damian exhaled weakly, raking his hand through his overgrown hair.
“So, who is the monster in question?” asked Oleg.
Taking a deep breath, Damian told them what happened at Paradise Manor and the promise Koschei made before leaving.
“Fucking pervert,” muttered Oleg. “He always goes after women.” He glanced at the Fire Salamander, regret in his glowing, orange light. “Sorry, Zane, but I think my vacation is over. I must go back to Kendral and let Master Alliandr know that Koschei finally surfaced and is on the path of war.”
“Understood. We all have our hands full.” Zane gave his friend a light tap on his arm, and then turned to Damian. “So, what’s the plan, Commander?”
“At the moment, I have no plan,” replied Damian. “But I’ll figure it out. One thing is for sure though—I’m not going to bend my knee just because Koschei tried to blackmail me.”
“We’ll do what we always do.” Cole flashed him a smile that exposed his long fangs. “We’ll find this undernourished, evil bastard, and we’ll fight him until he meets his true death.” He placed his hand on Damian’s shoulder, squeezing it lightly. “I’m with you all the way, no matter what your crazy plan is going to be, brat moi.”
“I know.” Damian glanced at his brother, a sad smile touching his lips. Brother mine…
Excerpt
Read on for an excerpt from
N.M. Thorn’s new book
The Shadow Enforcer Book 4:
~ Damian Blake ~
Blue Creek, Arizona
The sharp edge of a sword cut through the air above Damian’s head with a soft whistle. He ducked down and rolled on his shoulder, coming up to his feet right away. Without slowing down, he snapped toward his opponent just to receive a bone-crushing punch to his jaw. As a burst of white light exploded in his head, he staggered backward but managed to remain standing. He shook his head, endeavoring to dispel the dizziness, and spat the blood that quickly filled his mouth.
With his vision still slightly out of focus, Damian swung his whip, aiming at the silhouette of a man with glowing, scarlet eyes. The silver thong whooshed through the air, but his opponent was faster. He took a quick step back and raised his arm, allowing the whip to wrap around it. As silver came in contact with his skin, a hiss of pain broke from his lips, but he didn’t let go. Instead, he yanked his arm across his chest and pulled back with all his strength.
Before Damian could release the grip of his weapon, he was dragged across the hard desert floor, unable to control his fall. Fast and fluid, his opponent closed the distance between them and seized his throat, raising him off the ground. Barely pulling his free hand back, he punched him in the face, but to Damian it felt as if a demolition ball struck him at full force.
His nose broke with a loud crunch, and blood gushed down his chin. His fingers unlocked, and his whip fell with a soft thud, raising a small cloud of dust. He squeezed his opponent’s wrist with both hands but couldn’t break his vice-like grip. For a moment, everything went black before his eyes, and he groaned, dropping his arms powerlessly.
“Father, stop!” Cole’s desperate voice broke through the cotton wall in Damian’s frazzled mind, and he cracked his eyelids open but could see nothing—everything still blurry. “It’s enough. You’re killing him!”
“If I don’t kill him in training, someone else will in real combat,” Ruslan muttered, but lightened his grip, carefully lowering Damian to the ground.
A sharp breath that sounded almost like a moan escaped Damian’s lips as he pressed his hands to his face, feeling the wetness of blood under his fingers.
“I thought we agreed on light contact sparring,” Damian growled, glowering at Ruslan over his hands. “I didn’t use my daggers, and I removed the silver blades from my whip—"
“It was light contact,” replied Ruslan reproachfully, accentuating the word was. “Neither Cole nor I used our full strength or speed. You’re off your game, Commander.” He shook his head, his lips pressed in a firm line. “Before, even an ancient vampire couldn’t get the best of you. Now, any baby-vamp…” He didn’t finish his statement and whistled, throwing a troubled gaze at Cole. “You need to figure out what’s wrong with you and restore your strength before it’s too late.”
“I know what’s wrong with him.” Cole moved behind Damian and hauled him up into a sitting position, resting his back against his chest. “It’s called sleep deprivation.”
The coolness of his brother’s body against his overheated skin felt calming, and Damian closed his eyes, focusing on suppressing the pain in his broken nose and bruised jaw.
“How long has it been since Koschei’s attack, Damian?” continued Cole. “Five months? Six? Should I remind you that you have a human body? You need to sleep, eat and lead a normal lifestyle.”
“Define normal,” mumbled Damian, his mind drifting on and off.
“Normal means you sleep at night and work in the daytime,” snapped Cole. “From dusk till dawn, you guard Paradise Manor, lurking in the shadows like a thief just so River won’t catch you doing it. Then you return home to get two-three hours of sleep before you receive a call from Luc or Allerton or anyone else who needs a Destiny Enforcer on duty in Arizona.”
“Uh-huh…” Damian looked up, a weary smile tugging at his lips. “Should I tell all of them to fuck off because I need my beauty sleep?”
“Goddammit, Dima!” Cole yelled. “At least you can let Ruslan and me take shifts guarding Paradise Manor at night, so you can get some rest.”
“If Koschei attacks again, neither you nor Ruslan have what it takes to fight him,” Damian whispered, heaviness settling in his heart. “He’ll kill River and both of you… I can’t have it.”
Ruslan shifted closer, crossing his legs.
“I hate to point out the obvious, Damian, but if I could beat the living hell out of you in five minutes, Koschei will destroy you in one second.” Ruslan grabbed a small stone and propelled it into the desert, aggravation visible in his sharp moves. “You don’t sleep. You barely eat, and when you get hurt on your job, you don’t use your healing magic because it supposedly takes too much out of you.” He threw his hands up. “I know you’re not my son, Commander, and I can’t tell you what to do, but this needs to stop.”
Since Damian didn’t react, Ruslan muttered something in his native Pecheneg tongue under his breath. Given that it was an extinct Turkic language, Damian couldn’t understand a single word he said, but the expression on Ruslan’s face clearly indicated that it couldn’t have been anything other than profanity.
“Just heal him, son, would you?” Ruslan waved his hand at Cole in resignation. “And for God’s sake, reestablish your blood bond with your dimwitted brother if you still want to have him around.”
Cole chucked, shaking his head at his maker, but tapped Damian’s shoulder and asked, “Just healing or the blood bond?” He raised his wrist to his mouth, ready to bite, but stilled, waiting for his brother’s decision.
“Let’s do it,” said Damian quietly. “As much as I hate to admit it, Ruslan is right.” His eyes darted up from Ruslan to Cole, and he added, “You are both right.”
“Finally, some spark of an intelligent thought.” Ruslan got up and headed to a large boulder where he sat down, crossing his legs at the knee.
It had been six months since Koschei the Deathless attacked Paradise Manor, trying to abduct River. Following the attack, Damian had made the decision to move to Cole’s estate located within walking distance from Paradise Manor, but since then, he had spent every single night patrolling the area, expecting either Koschei himself or one of his flunkies to pay a visit.
