Sword of Inquest (La Patron's Sword Book 1)

by Addae, Sydney

  Bluebirds tweaked her curiosity. She’d spent time fighting this one finding its weaknesses, testing its agility, its strategies. For the most part its offensive measures were similar to the hybrids. Their enhanced speed made the hybrids appear like old clunkers, the metalized skin was tough to penetrate but not impossible. Asia had punched it in the face and got no different response than when she punched it in the gut.

  She appreciated the video clips of sword play from her mate; it had been years since she used a sword. Hawke waited, and she knew he’d step in if she didn’t finish. “I’ll explain later,” she said through their link as she did a split with her legs, dropped to the ground, and rolled away from the beast.

  The bluebird charged.

  She side-stepped it at the last moment and kicked it in the ass. It hit the ground with a loud thump. Moving quickly, she jumped up, holding the sword with both hands and rammed it through his back, piercing its heart. Breathing hard, she stepped behind watching it try to push up and free itself.

  Asia grabbed the handle, moved it back and forth in a sawing motion. The beast tried to grab her but could not. She added a twisting motion, shredding anything in that area of its back and chest, not stopping until its’ arms fell limp to the side. Removing the sword she moved to the side and with two blows separated the head from the body.

  She took several deep breaths. Hawke grabbed the beast by its feet and dragged it away. At the moment she didn’t care where. Asia’s body throbbed to complete the mating. One moment her skin itched to be with Hawke, the next, tingled. Hot and then cold. The signals all pointed to one thing, they needed to complete what they had begun.

  Now that the immediate danger passed, her wolf pressed her to mate. She gazed in the direction he’d gone. They had a lot to discuss. His memories threaded with hers but didn’t overwhelm. A sense of rightness replaced her normal parasitic fear. The constant shame she carried for decades, disappeared like a fine mist in the morning sun. The weakness she feared never materialized, instead a sense of empowerment spread through her mind and body.

  She sensed his return, morphed into her familiar male persona and wondered at the bundle he held in his hand.

  “It’s their heads. Those three won’t rise again.” He picked up the last one a few feet from her and extended his other hand to her.

  Holding onto the sword, she took his hand, and they returned to Chacal’s.

  Chapter 23

  In the distance Asia saw Chacal standing on the veranda watching their approach. His billowing cream colored ruffled blouse and tight pants seemed out of place against the backdrop of the contemporary structure. She wondered what he thought of all of this. His property destroyed, home attacked, and he never said a word.

  “Chacal ever say anything to you?”

  “No. You?”

  “No. That’s weird.”

  “Why?”

  “There’s been an attack, his plane’s gone, those dead things are on his property… I thought he would talk, help….”

  “We have a place of refuge, food, water, a bed. That’s help. Everyone’s strengths are not on the battlefield.”

  Asia knew that but the man made her uncomfortable. “Can’t put my finger on it but he creeps me out.” She squeezed Hawke’s hand as they stepped beneath the portico. Chacal turned before they reached the porch are, she glanced at Hawke and they followed. Chacal led them down a different hall until eventually reaching the suite of rooms they had been using. Before Hawke could say thank you, the man turned and disappeared like a specter or something of that sort.

  Once inside Hawke wrapped his arms around her waist, lifted and spun Asia around chasing Chacal from her thoughts.

  “Mmmm, I want to see you,” he murmured as she clung to him.

  Holding tight, Asia morphed into her base form and slid down his chest. His fingertip outlined her nipple, causing the dark bud to tighten. He pulled the gray shirt from her body and stared.

  “So beautiful,” he whispered before bending to pay homage to each nipple. The press of lips on her skin ignited a simmering heat. Her legs trembled when his mouth closed around her nipple. Liquid fire, scorching in intensity, raced through her system, building her need to a fevered pitch.

  “Hawke…” she groaned holding onto his shoulders. “Stop teasing.” Her fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt, and pulled hard. The material ripped apart at the seams.

  “Oh yeah, you want this?” Hawke stepped back removing the material while holding her gaze.

  Asia’s vision narrowed onto his lips. At that moment nothing else mattered. Her skin itched from the heat. Like an addict she craved his particular touch, his smooth taste and his sexy scent. The howl from her wolf escaped through parted lips, surprising them both. She pulled off her boots and two quick moves.

  Hawke’s eyes lit with an inner glow when she wore nothing but a come-get-it-smile.

  He charged.

  Asia pivoted and dove for the bed. Hawke caught her legs, widened them and pulled her toward him. Her wolf took exception at such an easy conquest and kicked him. She leapt over the side of the bed and peeked in his direction.

  He remained by the bed with arms across his chest, clearly unbothered by the kick to his chest. The longer Hawke stared at her, the harder her pussy throbbed with need. But her contrary wolf demanded he conquer first before getting the goods.

  She glanced toward the bedroom door, then back at him and scooted to the side. Before she could blink he’d leapt across the bed, pulled her in his arms and they rolled across the floor. Without thought, her beast took over and she pushed at him with both feet. Hawke moved at little but didn’t move enough for her to break free. Asia tried to grab his hands, to push him off. Nothing worked. He was just as fast, and stronger. If she could have broken free, she would have.

  The certainty of that knowledge stopped her wolf. Hawke proved worthy on every level. She couldn’t win against him in a fight. On a subconscious level she had realized that back in the lab when she called Jasmine to pull his wolf. He leaned forward, and she turned to the side, offering her neck. Hawke groaned, placed small kisses along her shoulder before his incisors scraped against her skin.

  “Yield?” She sensed his question held a deeper meaning. Sharing bodies was one level, but mating required the joining of everything.

  “Yes.”

  Hawke touched her chin and turned her face to meet his gaze.

  “I yield.” The words came from a place deep inside she hadn’t visited in decades. The place where hopes, dreams and to-do lists were hidden from those who would destroy every part of her. At that moment, she released them for the dark, remote corners of her mind. Freed them to enter the light of commitment she read in his eyes so they could take root in the fertile ground of their mating.

  He pulled her into his embrace, and opened his link and bit down on her neck. They joined on a different level than on the battlefield this time. Hawke brushed against her purple essence, wooing her to his deep red. Then the two, her essence and his, danced. So caught up on what happened on their spiritual plane, she hadn’t realized he’d entered her until her walls tightened around his cock in welcome. Arms loosely laced around his shoulders, Asia faced him on his lap, riding him like a seasoned cowgirl.

  Pleasure arced up her back as he lifted and slammed her back down on his steel rod. Their essence twisted and intertwined in harmony with their movements. Lightheaded she clamped her knees to his waist as he increased the speed. Colors exploded behind her eyelids robbing her of breath. The two links merged into one and then separated, this time both bore traces of the other color. The merged again and her world burst into a thousand pieces as she spiraled high and lingered while waves of orgasmic bliss rolled through and over her.

  Asia couldn’t see until Hawke appeared and wrapped his arms around her tight. They remained suspended in their links, absorbing each other’s energies. Nothing in life prepared Asia for this moment. Her thinking realigned. Her vision sha
rpened. Her hearing clarified.

  The slow ticks caught her attention, and she followed the trail of the sound to the chip embedded in Hawke’s brain. Asia tried to pull out the device and couldn’t. “Stop ticking.” The sound stopped. Surprised and pleased, she told Hawke what happened.

  “Tell the thing to shut down permanently, see if that works.”

  Sounded like a good idea. Asia instructed the chip to stop working permanently. “Since it stopped ticking I can’t be sure about the permanent part.” Now that they were linked, the chip carried a foul odor, or her dislike of all things Liege conjured a scent. Either way, the damn thing had to go. “Can I tell it to dislodge and flush out through regular channels? Would that be safe for you?”

  “I don’t know. Go ahead and try, if anything goes wrong, you’re here.”

  Asia had forgotten he held her on a spiritual plane and sexually they were still connected. Humbled and emboldened by his confidence, she spoke to the chip. “Dislodge and pass through as waste, leave no traces or damage.” She waited and nothing happened.

  “Everything okay?”

  Asia repeated what she said, and he tightened his hold. “You are wonderful. I’m doubly blessed by the Goddess with a beautiful and smart mate.”

  She grunted.

  “What?”

  “Nothing.” But thoughts of past transgressions, mistakes, and shortcomings flew fast and furious across her consciousness. Embarrassed, she tried to break free of their embrace. Hawke would not release her.

  Instead his memories brushed against her, slow at first, as if testing the waters. Asia saw the blood on his hands, not from war, but as a vessel for the Liege. Surgery after surgery, scalpel in hand Hawke sliced, implemented, and ran tests on innocents. Year after year, atrocity after atrocity he butchered his people at the bequest of others. The sheer weight of his shame eclipsed hers and she wondered how anyone could survive the heaviness of such a load.

  “After everything I’ve done… all the blood I spilled, bad choices I made… the Goddess gave me a gift… you. There must be something worth saving, redeemable, since you’re my mate.” Hawke’s voice cracked as his wolf turned from her. Asia’s wolf trotted after him and rubbed against his side, and licked his muzzle. She understood. In light of what he dealt with, her challenges were insignificant, at least in his mind.

  “Few people could know or understand what you went through. The feeling of being a puppet and manipulated and used. Seems we’re both worth saving because the Goddess gave me you.” Asia placed a kiss on his chin.

  “But unlike you, I was a coward. After a while my wolf hid like a pup sucking on his mum’s tits. I should’ve fought harder against them, done more to help the others –”

  “And you would have died.” Her voice rising to gain his attention, and derail him from this train of thought. “They would have killed you,” she said, her tone full of conviction remembering how Lord Boris broke a younger Hawke.

  Frowning, he met her gaze. “You sound sure of that. Why?”

  Asia closed their link and rested her head against his shoulder. The solid beat of his heart offered comfort. She listened for the chip. “The chip’s quiet. I’ll check tomorrow to see if it moved.”

  Hawke stroked her head twice and cupped her cheek with her palm. “Why are you so sure the Liege would’ve killed me? You shut down our link so I can’t see. What do you know?”

  “I saw what happened when you were younger. The things Lord Boris and a few others did to break you. Your wolf held out a long time and didn’t stop until they replaced the metal in your arms and then later your legs. I guess the computer chip was installed around that time?”

  “No. The chip came first. But after the surgeries were successful, the computer controlled the metal bone structure. You’re right, that’s when my wolf stopped fighting.” Hawke stared at her. “What else did you see?”

  Asia frowned. “You can’t access your memories?”

  “Not yet. They’re blocked and I can’t push through. Why? Can you see yours?”

  A kernel of hopeful excitement rose in her belly. “No. Mine are blocked or missing or fake because the Liege tampered with my mind and gave me different identities through the years. That’s why I tried to rescue Gunnolf; he knew things about my past.”

  “Blocked? Gunnolf? You knew Gunnolf? How?” Hawke leaned back against the bed holding Asia in position.

  “Like you I guess. It used to hurt when I tried to look inside my memories. Now, I get nothing. I finished a job and was on my way home when Gunnolf spoke to me.” She told him about the conversation and her later adventure.

  “Gunnolf used to be around; I think any way, in the beginning. It is possible I killed him, but I’m not sure.” He pressed his forehead to hers. “I’ll search and share your memories if you want.”

  Asia swallowed hard glad they had worked around to this point. “I’d like that.”

  A loud pinging noise shot through the room. Hawke’s arm tightened around her. Neither moved. The sound came again, this time with a voice.

  “Asia, I need you and Hawke out here. We have a lot to do with a short window.”

  “Who is that?”

  “Angus. La Patron’s litter mate. Jasmine, my Mistress and mate to La Patron told me he was on his way but I forgot with everything going on.”

  He nodded, lifted her from his hardness, causing them both to groan at the separation. “Both of us need to shower and get dressed.”

  Feet now flat on the floor, the vee of her thighs were mouth level for him and he kissed her mound. The warmth of his tongue slid between her wet lips and brushed against her clit reigniting her flame.

  The sound reverberated in the room again and then Angus spoke. “You’ve got ten minutes, Asia.”

  She moved forward and widened her stance. His tongue and fingers moved in and out, pushing her closer and closer to her release. Hawke’s teeth grazed her clit and then he sucked hard. She bucked forward, arched her back and exploded against his mouth. Her body shuddered and her legs buckled. Holding onto her hips and thighs, he held her in place.

  “I love how you respond to me,” he said in a low growl.

  Weak, she nodded and stepped back so he could stand. He took her hand and led her to the shower. Small tremors continued to race through her while using the cloth, cleaned her from top to bottom. Asia took the cloth from him and traveled the breadth and width of his body, discovering what made him gasp, or laugh or moan. By the time they stepped out the shower and dressed, forty minutes passed. Perhaps the mating bond obscured time, and made everything else unimportant, she didn’t know. But they hadn’t rushed, and even as Hawke entered her again in the shower, she didn’t want to stop feeding the hunger for him. Hand in hand, they left their room wearing goofy smiles, definite byproducts for the newly mated.

  “A video of two test wolves, mongrels chasing a small kid down the road hit the internet. A few mongrels refused to follow pack protocol and were terminated. Others ran away. We need to prevent a war.” Angus’ growl burst the bubble she’d floated in and kicked her off her cloud.

  Chapter 24

  “What?” Asia said staring at Angus.

  His emerald green gaze flicked from her to Hawke who continued holding her hand. “War. The mongrels you released from the Boris’ lab have attacked humans all over the countryside. The local Alphas are blaming La Patron and seek to have you punished for placing all wolves in jeopardy.”

  “There is no avoiding war; it can only be postponed to the advantage of others,” Chacal said entering the room with a tray filled with beverages.

  Asia shook her head at the rich baritone of Chacal’s voice. “You’re quoting Machiavelli? The first time you say anything, and it’s a quote?” The man confused her.

  “Quote?” Chacal glanced at Angus who turned aside with a small smile. “I suppose you would think that. But the words are appropriate.” He placed the tray on the table and sat in an arm chair.

  “As
ia?” Angus said drawing her attention from Chacal who sipped his drink. Angus’ gaze swept from her to Hawke and then back again.

  She squeezed Hawke’s hand. “This is my mate, Hawke.”

  Hawke nodded, picked up a drink, handed it to her and then picked up another. They sat on the sofa and waited to hear what happened to turn her good deed into a nightmare.

  She spoke first. “I don’t understand… Hawke turned off their computers.”

  “True. But what was left of their minds when he did that? No one knows the true status of their mental state after years of abuse. A much older breeder, Arianna, had been abused for centuries; she didn’t know how to handle being free. I think freedom scared her. In the end she flipped, and caused a lot of damage,” Angus said.

  Angus was right. The test wolves were prisoners inside their minds as well as the cages that held them for decades. She had messed up, disobeyed a direct order.

  “Hawke, may I ask you a few questions that may clear up a few things,” Angus said.

  “Questions?”

  “About the nature of the experiments in Boris’ lab,” Angus clarified.

  Hawke tensed and then relaxed. “Yes, of course.”

  “Alpha Fredrick, from England, claims he lost pack members during the return trip to his pack lands. His beta, Tobias, claims one of the mongrels from the lab attacked when they prepared to board the plane to return home. Frederick’s claim is the most harmful, carries the most weight given he assisted La Patron with the last mission.”

  Shocked, it took a few seconds to process the information. “They looked… fine. Sounded fine. I didn’t know.” And she hadn’t. The older test wolf admitted he didn’t know where to go or what to do. Asia hadn’t wanted the responsibility, had nowhere to put them, her thoughts had been on the black wolf she had left behind. She should have thought things through.

  “Calm down, we will fix this,” Hawke’s quiet words stopped the mental rant.