The Chronicles of Koa Boxed Set

by K.N. Lee

  Halston breathed. That was close. It was not yet time to blow his cover.

  A group of ghouls lurked in the dank alley. They were thin, skeleton-like creatures with pasty gray skin and long, tortured faces. Hunched over and whispering, they looked up at Halston and Tristan with glowing green eyes.

  Avoiding eye contact with them, Halston pulled Tristan further down the road. They stepped through black puddles of oil and slime and swatted fruit flies in silence. Tristan kept his mouth shut, but glanced at Halston as they traveled to the seedy part of the city, where the lower-ranked creatures tended to dwell. Tristan didn’t question him.

  Halston was, after all, the boss.

  They ducked into a dark tavern. Two male vampires sat inside. Their faces were illuminated by the red overhanging lights as they looked up at the newcomers.

  Halston looked up. A female vampire hung from an overhead light. Her black hair hung long as she tilted her head backward and swung as if she were on a swing. She opened her eyes and looked at them with disinterest. She closed her eyes again, fell lightly to the ground, and landed on her feet. She stood tall and walked over to them.

  She lifted a brow. “Blood? Or booze?” Her voice and expression was indifferent. She had a sleepy look about her.

  Tristan waited patiently, although he seemed to be on the verge of cheering. Finally, something exciting was about to happen.

  Halston shook his head. “Nothing. Thank you.”

  She shrugged. “Suit yourself.” She jumped back into the air, back to her light, and continued swinging.

  Halston shook his head. “Has this place gotten weirder?”

  “No, mate, you’ve gotten boring.”

  Halston slid into a booth and Tristan did the same.

  Tristan grinned. “You know, I’m glad you finally came back, Halston. I was starting to get bored, anxious for a new adventure.” He cracked his knuckles and Halston sighed. “I never thought you’d make me wait so long before I got to see some real action.”

  Halston’s eyes scanned the room. “So you’re still in? No turning back.”

  Tristan shook his head, still grinning. “Whatever gets me close to that Evina. She is still in on this, right?”

  “She is.”

  Tristan chuckled. “Done. You have yourself a top-ranked War-Breeder. I’m in.”

  “How quickly can you gather vials?”

  Tristan rubbed his chin. “The Alchemist works twenty-four hours. How soon do you need them?”

  Halston thought a moment. He considered going to the Alchemist himself. “I need them, like, yesterday.”

  Tristan shook his head. “Well, you should have asked yesterday.” He cracked his knuckles. “I guess I can have them by second light.”

  Halston nodded and thought about what Evina was doing with Koa at that moment. He shook his paranoia off and met Tristan’s eyes. “That’ll have to do.”

  “Who do you have on the outside? You’ll need someone to track Greggan’s thugs. You think Greggan is bad, wait until you meet his general, Bund.”

  Halston grimaced. “I have.”

  Tristan lifted a brow. “And?”

  “He got away.”

  “Getting sloppy as well boring, I see.”

  Halston ignored the comment. “I don’t expect this escapade with Greggan to last long.”

  “Look, Halston, you have an unlimited supply of blood up there. Human blood is expensive down here, and not many are even allowed out of the Gate these days. Greggan is setting up his empire to put the other levels of the Netherworld to shame.”

  Halston frowned. He was surprised. Tristan knew much more than he let on. He wondered how much the general Netherworld population knew.

  “I plan on doing this quickly. I will hunt the renegade tyrant, kill him, and place Jax on the throne. Done. My plan is quick and efficient. I just want to be done with this all so that I can go back to my life, with Koa.”

  Tristan’s smile faded. His hazel eyes darkened. “Oh. I get it. You fell for her?” He began to stand. “I can’t do this if you make it personal. I’m not getting in between Jax and his girl. We’re talking about Greggan’s son here… not just any vamp. He’s a damned prophet! You do know what he can do, right?”

  Halston frowned. He grabbed Tristan by the arm. His eyes turned serious. “Sit down. I haven’t fallen for her,” he lied. He ground his teeth and Tristan stared down at him.

  Tristan raised a brow. “What then? Why do this?”

  Halston focused on the waitress that swung from the ceiling light. He kept his face straight, yet avoided eye contact with one of his oldest friends. “I just… care about her.”

  Tristan looked skeptical. “Yeah. Sure. I don’t want to be around when Jax finds out you care. That little fact wasn’t in the original plan.” Tristan leaned across the table and spoke through clenched teeth. “You were supposed to watch and protect her, not fall in love with her.”

  “I know.” Halston hated to admit it, but there was a lot resting on Jax’s end. He wasn’t sure if Jax could really be trusted.

  Halston folded his arms and leaned into the leather of the booth. “Drop it, or go on, walk away. Pretend you never saw me.”

  Tristan shook his head but said no more.

  Halston knew he would. The War-Breeder was not likely to run from a fight.

  “So, who do you have on the outside? Spoons? Maybe Reddit? Or don’t tell me… you found Glenda.”

  Halston shook his head. “No, mate.” He met Tristan’s eyes. “I found Al.”

  Tristan’s eyes widened. He sat back with an amused smile. “Oh.” He crossed his arms and let out a breath. He was impressed. “This is going to be good.”

  24

  Raven saw the message carried along the wind and hopped to attention. She climbed out the window. She leapt across to a tree and dug her claws into the crusted bark. She glanced down into the darkness and her eyes reflected the light of the moon as she scurried down.

  She had been a cat for far too long, and still, it felt odd to her. The black fur mimicked what used to be her beautiful, long black hair.

  Raven always knew that she was… different. Still, she had never brought herself to reveal just how different she was. She only did what she had to do to survive. Now it seemed that she would have to do much more. She had to protect her child.

  Her feline body did have its advantages. She could move around almost completely unseen. She bounded up and down hills and crawled across fallen logs to cross rivers and streams.

  Raven had a mission. When Halston had come up with this plan years ago, she knew that he probably doubted her ability to follow through. She would not let Halston down.

  Raven’s only regret was that she had let Koa run off before she could fully explain things. Koa only had half of the story. She supposed that Jax would tell her the rest. That fact made her worry.

  Halston and Raven had been working together for years on the plan. She prayed that Koa didn’t ruin it. Halston had always watched over and protected her daughter. She hoped that he wouldn’t let her down now.

  Greggan was loose, and it would take an army, or a team of specially selected individuals, to track him down and kill him. She wished she had her body back, so that she could be of more help. Only Jax could give it back to her.

  Raven narrowed her eyes. She needed to stay focused. She supposed she shouldn’t blame herself too much. The nephilim had been trying for centuries to get back into the human world. Greggan would walk the earth, and all of humanity would suffer his wrath.

  Raven paused and panted. She was tired. She had run for miles, for hours, and now, she had arrived. She needed to get things in order for Halston’s return. She needed to get the rest of the crew together.

  Nerves filled Raven, making her hypersensitive to the sounds of the night. Halston had intentionally kept her hidden from the other members of the crew.

  Now, Raven would have her introduction to one of the most powerful of them all. T
here were rumors that this one had powers that rivalled even Halston’s.

  The wooden doors to the pub swung open with a creak. She heard loud laughing escape the swinging doors. She looked at the tall man. He had dark eyes, and wild black hair. He was big and intimidating, with a scowl plastered on his weathered face. He wore a black leather jacket and wrinkled slacks.

  This can’t be him.

  For someone with such a notorious reputation, Raven expected someone a little more put together. Still, she could feel her senses drawing her to this place. It had to be him. It had to be the one they called Al.

  Al pulled out a cigarette. He lit it and leaned against the wall outside the pub. His dark eyes looked around. Raven stood. She had to talk to him. She began to cross the street when a young woman came out of the pub. She was loud and clumsy. Her high heeled leather boots clinked along the slick asphalt with a deafeningly loud tapping noise that made Raven cringe.

  Drunk, Raven thought with disapproval. Great. She willed the girl to go away. She had business to attend to.

  The drunk girl stumbled onto the sidewalk and fell against the wall, trying to steady herself. Al gave her a sidelong glance. His gaze lingered on the young woman. She looked to be little more than a teenager. Her pale white skin was illuminated by the bright moonlight. It was a stark contrast to her short pink hair that ruffled in the faint breeze.

  Raven frowned. Of course, things can never be easy. She urged the girl to move along. There wasn’t much time. The girl laughed loudly, at nothing at all, and fell. Raven could see her panties underneath her short dress. She shook her head in dismay. She hated to think that once, Koa had been that drunk party girl.

  Al grinned. He could see her panties too. He looked around, checking his surroundings. Satisfied that no one was looking, he strode over to the girl and reached out a hand. “Need some help, miss?”

  The girl peered up at him and smiled. “Yes. Thank you.” She was American. Her voice was thick and sultry, with a slight slur from the alcohol. She took his hand and yelped when he pulled her into his chest. He held her by her thin waist. She gave a nervous laugh and tried to pull away.

  Raven narrowed her eyes. Al brought his hand to the back of her neck and turned her around. The girl tripped over her own feet. Growing impatient, Al picked her up as if she weighed no more than a child and disappeared into the darkness of the alley with her.

  “Where are we going?”

  Raven’s eyes widened. She ran across the street. What was Al doing? She peeked around the corner to see him holding the girl by her neck and pulling up her skirt.

  Raven was horrified. He was supposed to be good.

  Why is he doing this? Her hopes were dashed and she sat back and sighed. The girl tried to get away, but she was too drunk.

  Raven shook her head. If only she could help the poor girl. She turned away. There was nothing she could do. Al was supposed to be a Warrior. She was no match for a Warrior, an angel from the ancient times, created to keep the creatures of the Netherworld from spilling out into the human world. Raven felt her stomach churn at the girl’s pleas. She begged for him to let her go, that she didn’t want any trouble. She pleaded for him to stop.

  Raven sighed and began to walk away when she heard a surprising crunch. It was quick and sent a frightening chill through her body. Raven tensed. It wasn’t the crunch that surprised her… it was Al’s cut-off scream.

  Raven jumped and turned around. Her eyes widened. The girl was on Al’s back. She had his head in her hands and twisted his neck. The girl held on as Al fell on his face. And then, she did something that made Raven catch her breath.

  The girl staked him. A thin, wooden stake plunged into his back and scraped against the cold stone alleyway.

  Al trembled and turned into dust.

  Raven stared, stunned, as she watched that girl kneel in the remaining dust of a Warrior’s body. She couldn’t believe what she witnessed. It didn’t make sense.

  You can’t stake an angel.

  The girl paused. Her eyes rose to Raven’s. She stared at her through chunks of pink hair. Raven stepped back, her heart thumping with horror.

  Who is this girl, she wondered with panic.

  The girl smiled. Raven couldn’t help her curiosity. She leaned in for a closer look, prepared to take off running if necessary. She noticed for the first time that the girl had gray eyes. She finally released her grip on the stake and wiped Al’s dust from her palms.

  “What are you looking at, kitty?” Her voice was low, yet it felt as if it was tapping on Raven’s mind like a fork tapping on glass. It was unsettling. It was unnatural.

  She came to her feet.

  Raven began to run away and felt herself held frozen. Raven yelped. She couldn’t move. Something held her paralyzed. The girl laughed and Raven felt the fear wash over her like a cold bucket of water. She felt foolish, thinking she could be of help to Halston and his crew. She wasn’t a Netherworld agent. How could she forget that she was only a cat now?

  She had failed, again.

  The girl leapt off Al’s back and landed before Raven with such agility and speed that Raven flinched.

  She stooped down and picked Raven off the ground. Raven began to raise a clawed paw when the girl gently smoothed her fur.

  “Hey, now kitty, that’s no way to greet a friend, is it?”

  Raven perked up. She wasn’t sure if she should reveal that she could speak to this anomaly of a girl. She had, after all, just killed Al once commander of the Warrior class of angels. Al wasn’t a fallen angel, like Halston, but one sent to set things right. And this girl had killed him.

  The girl’s smile widened. “Ah, don’t be shy. I won’t reveal your secret. I know who you are, and I’ve been expecting you. Eunju right? What took you so long?”

  Raven tensed at the sound of her real name. She hadn’t been called Eunju since before the transformation. She looked into the girl’s eyes. Raven was perplexed.

  Then it hit her. She tilted her head. “Al? You’re Al?” she asked in disbelief.

  The girl nodded with a grin. “Sure. Al works.” She took her paw and gave it a shake. She laughed at how silly such an action looked. “I prefer friends to call me Alice.”

  Raven gasped. “You? You’re a warrior?”

  Alice nodded. “Why so surprised?” She carried Raven as she walked deeper into the darkness of the alley.

  “You’re so… so young!”

  Alice giggled. “Oh, we both know that looks can be deceiving.”

  Raven was astounded. “How… how did you know I was looking for you? Halston didn’t tell me much about you. He just said that I’d be led to you… when the time came. But, how?”

  Alice peered into Raven’s eyes. “What a good boy he is. I like it that no one really knows about me. I don’t usually leave witnesses, but you can be an exception.” She looked over her shoulder and paused. She listened and sighed, speeding up. “I’ll tell you, since we’re friends. We are friends, right?”

  “I am friends with anyone that can protect my daughter.”

  “Splendid. Telekinesis is my secret weapon. Telekinesis sets me apart from the other warriors. This is why I was once commander. They used to call me Metal-Mind.” Alice grinned at the memory. “I do miss those days. There was never a dull moment. I’d scoop up two, three, vamps at a time.” She gave Raven a look. “I sure set fear into those pesky vamps, didn’t I?”

  Raven swallowed. She felt cold. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right.

  Alice glanced down at her. “I know when someone is looking for me. I didn’t become commander because of my looks.” She gave a smug grin. “Although, I’m sure my looks did help.”

  Raven nodded. That explained how Alice made her freeze when she tried to run. Alice smiled. “Don’t overthink it. I haven’t been tampering with your thoughts or anything. It’s just that in times like these, a girl has to be on her guard. Recruiting can be dangerous business. Especially with
creeps like that guy I just killed lingering on these streets.”

  Raven looked up quickly. “He was a vampire, wasn’t he?”

  Alice nodded. She didn’t speak. She looked around, scanning their narrow surroundings. She tilted her head, listening. Raven’s ears perked up. There was a faint rustling sound at the back of the alley. Raven felt her heart pound at the sound of a low growl. It wasn’t a dog.

  Raven knew every predator now. Whatever waited in those shadows was no animal.

  Before Raven could speak a word of warning, Alice bounded up the side of a stone wall, clutching Raven to her chest. Her feet seemed light and she ran along the wall of an office building like a spider, in and out of the darkness of the alley.

  Raven was speechless. She tried to look back, to see if whatever had growled followed them. She coiled back, seeing eyes in the distance.

  They were being chased. It was big, like a wolf, but Raven narrowed her eyes, it wasn’t a wolf. The creature had no fur, just muscles wrapped tightly around bone. Claws scratched the wall as it ran behind, barely keeping up.

  Alice moved quickly, like lightning. The swoosh of wind made Raven squeeze her eyes shut. She forced them open. She wanted to see where they were going. She wanted to make sure it didn’t catch up with them. She could feel Alice breathing; it wasn’t labored. Alice wasn’t afraid.

  “Hey, listen. I’m going to do something a little… crazy. You’re used to crazy right, with that daughter of yours? You game?”

  Raven swallowed. “S-sure.” She craned her neck around. She saw the beast running through the fog, gaining on them. She remembered the night Halston had killed twelve creatures just like the one that chased them. She wished Halston was there.