Solace

by Raven Dark

  “Don’t excite my patient,” Doc said firmly. “She doesn’t need interrogating right now.”

  “Your faith in me is heartwarming, Doc.”

  “Sheriff.”

  “Doc.”

  He sighed. “I know you care about her, but I also know your bedside manner is non-existent—”

  “Gee, thanks.”

  “—and we both know how single-minded you can be when you feel backed into a corner, and right now, Julian has you in a hell of a jam.”

  That was the understatement of the century.

  I held up my hands. “I promise to be gentle. May I be alone with my woman now?”

  Doc gave me an empathetic smile. “Sure.” He downed his water, set the glass on my dresser and stood. “I have to check on a few patients anyway, and there’s nothing more I can do for her now. I’ll be back in an hour or so to check on her. And I want Gore in here with you.”

  I rolled my eyes but didn’t argue. I was more than capable of taking care of myself. If Julian took over again, I’d be ready for him, but still, another armed man in the room couldn’t hurt.

  Doc turned and closed his kit, then headed to the doors with it. “Let me know if anything goes wrong.”

  “I will. Thanks, Doc.”

  When he left, I heard him say something to Gore, my personal guard, before he left and the doors leading out of my quarters clicked shut.

  Gore came in and posted himself inside the doors, closing them. He gave me a nod, showing me the knives sheathed in his boots and under his cut. He stood silent, unobtrusive, hands clasped behind his back.

  I’d never have admitted it, but I felt better with him there.

  My Setora, a threat. Fucking hell.

  Left alone with my thoughts—or near enough—I moved over to sit on the bed beside Setora. Her chest rose and fell with the reassuringly even rhythm of sleep. I leaned over and smoothed her pale hair from her face. The purple waves covered my pillow, standing out against the white cloth. She didn’t stir at my touch, so I ran my fingers, feather light, over her soft cheeks, listening to her quiet breaths.

  She looked so helpless, so innocent.

  “What the hell does he want with you, Little Spy?”

  The silence that followed my words felt crushing, filling the room like a cloying smoke.

  I tucked the blankets more firmly over her chest. “You like doing this to me, don’t you? Driving me and my men crazy with worry.”

  Her mouth opened on a sleeping sigh. At least she didn’t appear to be having one of her fucking nightmares. Hopefully, that meant the drug Doc had given her was helping.

  “All right, Little Spy. It’s all right. You sleep as long as you need to. I’ll be here waiting for you.”

  The thought of whatever this fucker was doing to my woman—not to mention how and what it might mean for her and for us—pummeled my thoughts. I enveloped her hand with mine.

  Steel had said it was as if someone was controlling her, and he’d been right. But if Julian could talk through her, or make her say what he wanted—if she was his puppet—what else could he make her do?

  And the most important question of all, how the hell did we stop him? We didn’t even know where he was. Before Dice had left, he’d told us none of the stories ever talked about him being in any certain place. How did we stop someone we couldn’t find?

  The need to protect my Little Spy roared through me, bringing me to near-violent rage. But the truth was, it wasn’t only protection or even the worry that played in the back of my mind for my men that made my fist clench. I released her hand, lest I squeeze too hard in my anger.

  Even when I was a kid, I’d never been someone who gave in to fear easily. One day when Dice found me sticking my hand in a hornet’s nest just to show off, he started saying I wasn’t even capable of feeling fear. He was wrong. If there was one thing I was afraid of, it was losing control of things around me.

  I became sick with Ryman’s Fever as a teen and nearly died. For two weeks, I couldn’t control what I said or did or thought. I saw and heard things that weren’t there. I had night terrors that never seemed to end. The only other time I’d felt that kind of fear was years earlier when my mother had been killed. When I’d recovered from the fever, I remember promising myself I’d never allow myself to feel that kind of helplessness again. If anything tried to make me that way, I’d find it, stop it, and if it breathed, kill it.

  Julian had made my woman like that now. Setora was mine. She was part of me. Which meant, whomever or wherever Julian was, he was a fucking dead man walking.

  I sat with my woman in silence until Doc returned. As soon as he did, he insisted I leave her with him, that he would watch over her while Gore remained within easy reach.

  Shit, I had a club to run, and I couldn’t do that while tearing myself apart with anger—or other more dangerous emotions that, as a General, I couldn’t afford to feel.

  With no way to help her for now, I reluctantly left my rooms and did what any self-respecting biker did.

  I relied on my men—on my club. I formed a plan with them, the best plan we could come up with to protect her considering how little we knew about this new enemy that had our woman in his sights.

  And I hoped to the fucking Maker we’d somehow find him and destroy him before he did a lot more damage than he already had.

  Chapter 16

  Requests

  By the time I left Setora and went to meet with the others at the clubhouse, it was almost three in the afternoon. Halfway to the clubhouse, Pretty Boy caught up to me. After leaving Setora in my rooms, I’d told Hawk to call a meeting of the Four and then stopped at my office to take care of a few things, giving the others a chance to gather there.

  “They’re waiting for you, General.” Pretty Boy tugged his ponytail tighter the way he always did when he was getting agitated. “All of us have some ideas for how to handle this thing.”

  This thing. I knew he was talking about Setora, but I could see it on his face, there was something else. I glanced sideways at him, expectant.

  “I wanted to let you know, I talked to the Brothers of Brimstone.”

  I stopped at the entrance to the clubhouse with him. “And? How’s Beast? Hawk said he freaked out when Setora went into that state she was in.”

  “Beast is fine. He was a little shaken, but he’s good now.”

  “What was wrong, anyway?”

  Pretty Boy shrugged. “Not really sure. Sinister wouldn’t say much, only that Beast has a thing with Violets. They make him uneasy. I guess when he saw Setora go like that, it set him off. But he wouldn’t hurt her. We’ve known him for years; he’s not like that.”

  I nodded. I didn’t know Beast as well as the others, and I knew little of his history, but even when he got dangerous, he never threatened a woman.

  “Anyway, Sinister thought you might be worried that they’d change their minds about joining the Legion after what they saw. He said to assure you nothing has changed. They asked about Setora, if she was okay. Even Beast was concerned for her once he calmed the hell down. So we’re all good.”

  Inwardly, I breathed a sigh of relief. “Tell them I appreciate it and that she’s going to be okay.

  “Is she though? I need to see her.”

  “I think she’s as good as she can be. She’s still asleep, so we won’t know more until she wakes up.” I shook my head when he looked about to run off toward my rooms. “Doc doesn’t want anyone else seeing her yet. Let her rest.”

  He lifted his eyes skyward. “Why do I feel like we’ve been to this party before?” he muttered.

  Because we have, my mind answered bitterly. Only a month ago, Setora had been lying in my bed, all but dying after that Madi’san bitch tried to kill me. “Never a dull moment with our Setora, that’s for sure.”

  “I want this Julian fucker dead, General.”

  “We’ll get him. When we find him. For now, we need a plan. Keep your head, Pretty Boy. That way.” I nod
ded toward the clubhouse and waited for him to go ahead of me. He reluctantly headed for the back, and I clapped him on the shoulder, pushing him onward.

  The truth was, while I loved meetings—I loved holding Church, planning and talking club business, strategizing—these constant upsets were getting old. Aside from wanting to throttle the life out of Julian, I badly wished I could just seal us all up in the Grotto with Setora and forget about the rest of the world. I’d missed the long rides and being out there with my men, roughing it and scrapping with our enemies, getting my hands dirty, but enough was enough. And while it was good to see the new blood the Brothers of Brimstone would bring to the Legion, I was beginning to understand Steel’s irritation with the long discussions.

  At the back, Pretty Boy threw himself onto the sectional between Steel and Hawk. I took my chair in front of them and set my gavel in my lap.

  “All right, let’s get this done,” I said.

  “Agreed.” Steel sat forward on the couch. “What’s the plan, General?”

  “Until Setora wakes up, there’s not much we can do about Julian yet. Not until she tells us what she knows, which might not be anything. But—”

  “Sure there is.” Steel looked at Pretty Boy, then at me. “Pretty Boy and I’ll go out and find him. We’ll drag the fucker back here and throw his head at your feet if we have to.”

  “No, you will not. I don’t want him anywhere near her, and you’re not going after him when we know so little about him. I already lost three good men—”

  “So we won’t go alone. We’ll take men with us. The Brothers of Brimstone will probably be happy to—”

  “Enough, Steel.” Hawk’s tone was a low rumble of warning. Ah, Hawk, ever the voice of reason in a damn crisis.

  Steel glared at him but dropped his shoulders when he saw I was with Hawk on this.

  When everyone silenced, waiting for me to speak, I leaned forward in my chair. “So, here’s how it’s going to be. Pretty Boy, when we’re done here, send out letters to all our allies, anyone we know who has, or has had, a Violet in their possession.”

  “Right.” Pretty Boy pulled a piece of paper out of his cut and started writing down notes.

  “Ask them if they’ve ever had anything like this happen to their Violets. Ask them if they’ve seen a Violet act in unusual ways or talking strange. If they’ve ever heard anyone mention the name Julian, and especially anything about where he is. Lord Falnar’s woman, Serena, seems to have similar episodes to Setora, so there has to be others.”

  Pretty Boy bobbed his head and added to his notes.

  “And have them tell us of any stories they’ve heard, like Dice and Gretle told us about,” Hawk said, glancing at me until I indicated my agreement. “Even if the stories are little more than wild tales, we never know what detail might help. Every legend, no matter how fanciful, bears a kernel of truth.”

  Pretty Boy scribbled on the paper.

  Hawk watched him for a moment before he looked up at me. “General, as you know, I sent that letter out to Master Leif when we got back, telling him about everything that happened with Setora while we were gone.”

  “Any reply yet?”

  “Nothing yet. But I want to send another one out updating him with this latest development. He may have heard about a male Violet somewhere. Or he may be able to shed light on that word she used—Kren. Yantu rarely leave their orders and don’t usually allow themselves to become involved in outside affairs, but there are exceptions, and they keep their fingers on the pulse of world events.”

  “Good, Hawk. Do that. If you can, send out correspondence to other orders asking the same. We should even ask Reaper to talk with his Assassin’s Guild. Dice and Gretle said the stories they heard were mostly out east. That’s where his Guild is, so they may know more. I want word out all over the world if we can get it there. Someone has to know something.”

  Hawk ripped a piece off of Pretty Boy’s paper and took his pen.

  “Hey! Get your own.”

  Hawk ignored him and started scribbling his own notes.

  “Steel.” I turned to him. “I need a guard on Setora at all times. I want you with her when you can be. If Julian makes her turn violent, you and Hawk stand the best chance of restraining her. Alternate with Hawk. Get Beast and Reaper to help if you need to. Anything unusual happens, you report it to me immediately. We don’t let Setora out of our sight for a second until Julian is dead and I have his head on a fucking pike.”

  “Done, General.” Steel cracked his knuckles.

  “When Setora wakes up,” Hawk added, “I’ll start working with her on meditation. Most of the time, when Julian’s been getting into her head, it’s been when she’s dreaming. She’s been in her Fortress. Improving her ability to block things from her mind should help minimize his control.”

  “You mean that garden thing?” Pretty Boy sat back. “Can that help her keep him from taking control again?”

  “It might. The method of meditation I’ve been teaching her is low-key. It presents no danger to her. I can teach her stronger techniques that will build a stronger wall against him. The Don-shi method is not perfect. It can’t keep him out or stop her nightmares all the time, no more than it can mine. If her use of the Don-shi becomes strong enough, she may be able to block him off completely, but it will take time. If her powers grow enough, she may eventually be able to find him for us.”

  My eyes widened. “You mean she can find him with her thoughts? That sounds crazy, Hawk.”

  “Weeks ago, I’d have agreed with you, General. But with what we’ve just seen…” He shook his head. “Think about it. He’s been in her head. Until now, he’s only been able to reach her in her dreams. But now he’s making her do things. He only seems to be able to do it when she’s asleep, but it’s all with the mind. If—”

  “It’s not.” Pretty Boy put the paper he’d been writing on back inside his cut. “You saw what she did to Sheriff. She had super strength, man. That’s not a mental thing. He gave it to her.”

  “I don’t think he did, though.”

  “Then how?”

  “I think…” Hawk drew a breath and met all our eyes. “I think she already had it. I think it’s part of her Violet… abilities, but she can’t access them herself. Julian tapped into what’s always been inside her. And he did it with her thoughts. I don’t think he can endow her with something she doesn’t already possess.”

  “He flipped a switch,” I said slowly, letting the implications sink in.

  “Yes. That’s it exactly,” Hawk agreed. “Whatever mental abilities she has, if she can learn to tap into them, she may have the answers inside her mind. If he can tap into her and control her, there is a good possibility I can teach her not only how to keep him out, but how to tap into him, if only enough to find him, and maybe even sever his link with her.”

  “I don’t want her looking for him herself, or giving him access to her like that,” I said. “It’s too dangerous.”

  “It may be our only option.”

  “No. I agree,” Pretty Boy put in. “Don’t let him into her head.”

  “If there are stronger methods to help her fight him, why haven’t you been teaching them to her up to now?” I had a feeling I knew the answer, but I wanted to hear it from him.

  “Because.” Hawk’s eyes were somber. “The kind of methods I’m talking about have a price. They’ll be a lot more effective—I hope—but they’re dangerous. They’re often painful, and they can cause damage if they aren’t done perfectly. I was hoping more benign techniques would work.”

  “You mean they’ll hurt her?” Pretty Boy growled.

  Hawk shook his head. “I would never endanger her if it wasn’t necessary. But as I said, we may be out of options here.”

  I gave a heavy sigh at the thought of putting her through any pain. “Let’s consider using her to find him as a last resort, Hawk. If none of the letters we send out bring anything useful, if and when there is no other way, we
’ll consider it. But until then, you work with her to build up her mental control, or whatever, as best you can.”

  “Consider it done.”

  “There has to be more we can do, though.” Steel looked at all of us.

  “Right now, there isn’t,” I told him. “Not until we have more answers. That’s it for now, boys.” I banged my gavel twice on the arm of my chair and stood. “Let’s get to work.”

  Pretty Boy and Steel left while Hawk ordered a large plate of spiced chicken from the bar. I sighed and set my gavel down. This was such a mess. I wouldn’t tell my men, but privately, it ate me alive knowing I couldn’t take Pretty Boy and Steel up on their offer to go after Julian right now. I’d have ridden with them.

  Hawk stopped me halfway toward the entrance to the cave. “General.”

  “Yeah, Hawk.”

  My Captain of the Guard clasped my shoulder. “She’ll be fine, Sheriff.”

  I dropped my shoulders. “Will she, Hawk? If you have some fucking rainbow filled Yantu anecdote that fits this situation, I’m all ears.”

  I was being unfair to him, I knew that, but the lack of real, viable security for her was pissing me off. Sometimes his penchant for mystical enlightenment drove me nuts, but right now, I felt so damn lost, I was about ready to reach for anything that even felt like hope.

  “I have several, actually. But you don’t want to hear them. Parables and platitudes won’t help any of us right now, General.

  “I can always rely on you for honesty, Hawk. Never change.”

  “She will be all right. We have to believe that. Otherwise, we’ll drive ourselves insane. The letters are going out today. Someone will have answers.”

  “They better. Otherwise, I’ll ride out myself and find this fuckhead.”

  “I hear you.”

  The cook called with Hawk’s food. He squeezed my shoulder and went to the bar.