by E. J. Powell
Born
Of The
Blood
A Dark Lords Novel
E.J. Powell
Copyright © 2017 E. J. Powell
All rights reserved.
ISBN-10: 0692976787
ISBN-13: 978-0692976784
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written consent from the author, except the use of brief quotations in book reviews.
The Dark Lords Novels:
Dark Touch
Dark Healer
Hunter’s Blood
Born Of The Blood
The Dark Lords Novella:
Dark Steel
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading the standalone series, The Dark Lords. Your comments and reviews keep me going along with the encouragement of my amazing family and friends. I couldn’t do it without your wonderful support.
Never stop dreaming,
E. J. Powell
Born
Of The
Blood
PROLOGUE
“Why are you here, Asteria?”
Rickon stared at the tall, blond woman in front of him. She stood with command as the fire blazed behind her, radiating around her golden skin. Her bare arms were crossed, pushing her breasts against her black leather top. Her long tanned legs stretched from the beige cloth skirt. A woman he had once loved was now a complete stranger to him. He remembered when she had let her hair down from those three French braids she always wore. The smell of lilies floated around him. He had gotten lost in her hair. He had gotten lost in her light brown eyes. He took a deep breath before he looked back at her.
Tonight he wasn’t lost, and she was trespassing.
“I’ve come for my daughter,” Asteria said.
“No.” Rickon turned from the woman.
“You can’t hide her from me forever.”
Rickon spun so fast he could have gotten whiplash.
“You want to bet? She is my daughter! The daughter you gave up. The daughter you wanted nothing to do with. I am the one who has fed her, clothed her, and loved her.”
“I am the one who bore her!” Asteria shouted. “I am the one who gave her life!”
Asteria narrowed her eyes. Eyes he had once thought were beautiful now sent chills through his body.
“You will never see her again, Asteria. She’s a wolf. Or did you forget?”
“Of course I didn’t. But she’s also an Amazon.”
“So the fuck what?”
“It’s time for her to go through the Initiation.”
“If she goes with you, your tribe will kill her for being a werewolf. I won’t risk her life for some bullshit séance.”
Asteria shook her head. She will never understand men. She looked back at Rickon. There was a time when she thought he would make a good sire. His long dark hair and dark brown eyes called to the woman inside her. Not to mention the rock hard abs and chiseled chest.
As with her tribe’s custom, they took a man every full moon until they became pregnant. Once they give birth, the boys are given back to the father, but the girls they keep. When she found out that Rickon was a werewolf, she knew she couldn’t raise her daughter in safety. She only gave her back to Rickon to protect so the child could go through the change in peace.
But now the man was just being unreasonable.
“I’m trying to save her life, Rickon. She can control her shift now.”
“Do you know how hard I’ve fought to keep her secret? I have risked the lives of my sons to keep her safe! I have risked the lives of my pack to keep her safe!”
“And now let me. She has to go through the Trials. All Amazon women must. You know this.”
“She doesn’t have to.”
“Amazon witches are different. If they don’t go through the Initiation, their powers will grow unchecked.”
“Her powers won’t grow.”
Asteria looked to him. Of course they will! Any witch’s powers will grow. Unless…
“You’re binding her powers.” It wasn’t a question. It was an accusation. Rickon looked away.
“It’s working. Only her wolf side has shown. And only her wolf side will show.”
“You can’t bind them forever. They will grow too strong. Let me take her home.”
“I said no. I suggest you leave before I let my pack feast on your flesh.”
Asteria dropped her head. She knew she was outmatched without her coven. She should have brought her warriors with her, but she didn’t want a blood bath. Despite everything, she still loved the man that stood before her. She turned back to Rickon.
“Giving her up was the hardest thing I ever had to do. It was even harder than leaving you. I hope you will reconsider.”
On that note, she left, leaving Rickon alone in the forest. He looked down to the fire that blazed. It might have hurt her to leave him, but it nearly killed him. Jessie was all he had left of the woman he once loved. He knew he should have killed the child. Cambions weren’t supposed to cross-mate. But when he looked at his daughter’s eyes, he realized they were the same as Asteria’s. He felt his heart beat again when he held his daughter for the first time.
And he has protected her ever since. Even her half-brothers kept her safe. Asteria might think it was safe for Jessie to go with her, but Rickon wouldn’t risk it. If anyone found out what Jessie really was, she would be crucified.
No.
He made the right choice. Bind her powers. Keep her safe. To the supernatural world, Jessie was a wolf.
And only a wolf.
CHAPTER 1
PRESENT DAY
“Dammit, Daniel!”
Daniel tried to hide his laughter as he crouched behind the bar top. His brother’s rants echoed from the kitchen. One well-placed can of spaghetti sauce with a very loose lid was the highlight of his day. He was too busy congratulating himself for his latest prank and didn’t see his brother leaving the kitchen. When Daniel looked up, Torrick was glaring at him with murder in his eyes. His face was as red as the sauce that spackled it. The sauce was dripping down his white T-shirt and splashes had tangled in his long brown hair.
“I’m going to kill you!” Torrick raged.
Daniel let out a yelp as he ran from his six foot five, body-builder brother.
“You can’t kill me!” Daniel shouted back. “You would miss me too much!”
Daniel ran around the bar and out the front door. The sky was dark as night had just fallen and the air was cool from the winter months.
“Miss all your pranks?” Torrick said as he gave chase. “Not a chance.”
Daniel ran to the back alley where their motorcycles, SUVs and expensive cars the Dark Lords owned, were parked. He could hear his brother’s footsteps gaining on him as he picked up the pace down the sidewalk. He quickly dodged around Bender’s red Lamborghini as Torrick glared at him over the hood.
“Think of Ash,” Daniel pleaded. “She couldn’t lose me.”
Daniel saw Torrick ease up. Mentioning their sister was often the only way to rein in Torrick’s rage. Torrick yanked off his shirt and used it to finish mopping the rest of the sauce off of his skin.
“What the hell are you two doing by my car?”
Daniel looked over to the six foot seven, blond man that stood at the backdoor of the bar. Bender was a fierce warrior and commanded obedience. Even though Daniel wasn’t a Dark Lord, an elite group of humans turned immortal to protect the human race from the demons, he still took orders from them. Not to mention, Bender was scary as hell and had a glare that could kill.
“If you get that red shit on my car, I’ll paint
it red with your blood.”
“It’s already red,” Torrick shot back at him. “And tell it to numbnuts over there.”
“What?” Daniel said, trying to feign innocent. Bender glared at him.
“Who’s painting with blood?”
Bender’s features instantly softened as his wife, Aria, came up behind him. Daniel had to admit that Aria was hot as hell, and as kind as she was beautiful. Her long, brown hair fell to her tiny waist and her hips were round and feminine. Not to mention the rack she had, but Daniel didn’t see her like that. Sure, he saw her beauty, but she was taken and he wasn’t interested. He preferred his women small and narrow.
“No one’s painting…yet,” Bender said before he leaned down and kissed her. Daniel looked away. He always felt like he was spying on them whenever they got lost in each other. It was sweet, but annoying.
“Is someone going to explain the mess in the kitchen?”
Daniel looked over to the female voice. A voice he knew all too well. A voice that constantly reminded him of his mother.
Ashley.
Unlike him and his brothers, who all had brown hair and brown eyes, Ashley’s hair was nearly a white blond and she had emerald green eyes. She looked like his mother. Daniel watched as Ashley stood with her arms crossed and her foot tapping the asphalt. She might only be five foot six, but she was feisty and had a temper not to be tested.
“Ask your dear brother,” Torrick said, tossing his shirt into the dumpster.
“What? I’m just having some fun.” Daniel dared a glance back to Ashley. She rolled her eyes as she walked out into the back alley followed by her husband, Darion, another Dark Lord that commanded obedience, but one Daniel would have no problems knocking in a few of his teeth.
Even with the Dark Lord being six foot six, extremely fit, and fast as hell, Daniel would still take him on. If it wouldn’t break his sister’s heart, he would have torn the man limb from limb for touching her. As it were, Ashley had forbidden it, and Darion had never treated her with anything but the respect she deserved.
Truth be told, Daniel liked him a little. Just a little. As far as brothers-in-law go, Darion wasn’t half bad. He was funny, at least. And his Dark Lord abilities had come in handy from time to time.
He watched Darion tie his long brown hair back in a low ponytail before pulling his helmet on, then straddling the motorcycle to wait for Ashley.
“Whatever,” Ashley said. “You can clean it up when we get back.”
“Where are you going?” Daniel asked.
“The bayou. Rickon has two wolves going through their first shift tonight. I want the four of you running the border. Nothing gets in and nothing gets out.”
Daniel knew that the ‘four of you’ meant him and his three brothers including Torrick, and his two younger brothers, Drew and Gareth.
Ashley straddled Darion’s bike behind him before turning back to Daniel.
“I’m serious about that kitchen. It had better be spotless come morning.”
Darion peeled out of the alleyway after Bender and Aria.
“She even sounds like mom,” Daniel said as Torrick came up beside him.
“Scary,” Torrick said. “Come on. Let’s get this shit over with.”
Daniel watched his brother mount his FXR Harley Davidson. Modified for speed, as all of their bikes were, and custom painted black with skulls spitting out flames along the fenders. Daniel mounted his own bike, a FXB Sturgis. He remembered when he first bought it off the line over thirty years ago. He looked down at the sleek design and solid black color. It still had its original paint. A shame Harley Davidson stopped producing it. One of the best damn bikes ever made.
Daniel took off after his brother as they raced through the Quarter of New Orleans. A city he had grown to love. The sound of saxophones drifted in the air as if the wind itself were playing. Bars and clubs were in full swing, even with it being a Wednesday night.
Half an hour later, he neared the edge of the bayou. He parked his bike in the grass before dismounting. They had no reason to try to secure them. Nobody would be dumb enough to steal from the Gregorian family. His family had made quite a presence in New Orleans between owning one of the best bars in town, Cici’s Tavern, and generous donations to the city.
“This blows,” Torrick said, turning off his bike beside him.
“Missing a hot date?” Daniel toyed.
“As a matter of fact, I am.” Torrick dismounted his bike and stood next to him.
“Where are the other two losers?” Daniel asked. Torrick shrugged before he pulled out his phone and dialed a number. He heard Torrick growl into the phone before he hung up.
“Gareth is almost here, slow as usual,” Torrick said, coming back beside him. “And Drew is getting dressed now. He’ll be here in a few.”
“Getting dressed? He just woke up?”
“No, but he is getting out of bed. Not his bed, but a bed.”
Daniel shook his head. Typical of Drew to be shacked up with some woman.
“Whatever,” Torrick continued. “I’m done waiting for them. They can catch up.”
Daniel watched his brother rip out of his jeans as he shifted to his dark brown wolf-form and take off into the woods.
Daniel shook his head as he pulled off his clothes and took off after his brother. He leapt as he shifted. His paws hit the ground with a satisfying thud. That was better. Daniel always preferred his wolf form. It was faster, stronger and easier to maintain. Daniel could feel the cool air whipping through his fur. The twigs and dry leaves snapped under his paws as he ran deeper into the bayou.
The smell of the swamps drifted around him. He liked to think of it as nature’s toilet. It wasn’t really that bad. He had been here so many times before that his nose was used to it.
Hours had passed as the full moon rose higher in the sky, barely shining through the trees. He didn’t need it, though. His night vision was impeccable. He ran at full speed, dodging around the trees in the bayou. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he pushed himself faster. Dirt caked under his claws as he dug them deeper into the earth. He could hear the footsteps of his brothers nearby. Their howls would ring through the night. Daniel slung his head back, letting his own howl ring out. He felt alive when he ran in his wolf form. He felt free.
Daniel turned to the south as he continued his path. On a full moon, young werewolves would begin the Change. Although they had none in his pack, Rickon’s pack was another story. Rickon had been in New Orleans for a few months now. Rickon’s pack consisted of his two sons and daughter, along with six lone wolves who were in need of a pack, and three werewolf families. Two werewolves, that had been lone wolves, had come of age and tonight was their first full moon.
A painful shift that could drive anyone mad. If not protected, the new wolves could spiral out of control and kill humans.
Daniel’s job was simple. Make sure none of the new wolves left the bayou and none of the humans entered it.
As he and his brothers ran a circle around the bayou’s border, he could smell his youngest brother, Gareth, in front of him. Gareth was falling behind. Daniel let out a howl to let him know he was gaining on him. He heard Gareth pick up his speed.
Daniel continued his track as the night ticked on. It was going to be a long night for the new wolves. They had a hard task in front of them. Daniel remembered his own Change. It had been the most painful thing he had ever experienced. It had felt like every bone in his body was breaking, mostly because they were. And then the confusion set in. All the senses became heightened in wolf form. The first time was like a circuit overload. Sounds, smells, sights, it was like being plowed by a freight train. Some wolves become aggressive, not fully recognizing those around them. Some become scared, and others become hungry. Daniel had been lucky during his Change. His mother was an alpha wolf, but not just any alpha. She was the alpha. Alpha of Alphas. His lineage stretched back to the first werewolf ever spawned, giving him and his family an
advantage. His mother was able to control his shift and ease the senses. Now, his sister was the alpha. He only hoped she eased the Change for the new wolves as much as his mother had for him.
Daniel turned his head to the right as he caught a new scent on the air. He breathed in deeper. It wasn’t human and it wasn’t wolf.
It was a demon.
Daniel let out a howl, signaling he was dropping from the ranks. He sprung off to the right were the scent came from. He barreled through the trees, leaping over the fallen trunks. The scent grew stronger as he approached the demon. He leapt into a clearing where the demon stood. He watched the sinister being turn to face him. It looked like a man, just over six feet tall and dressed in black.
Well, the silhouette at least looked like a man.
The demon’s eyes were bright red. Its talons were elongated into black, razor-sharp, nails. Its skin was pale and wax-like. The demon licked his thin lips as he looked at Daniel. Daniel slowly circled the demon.
“I was hoping for human flesh,” the demon hissed. “But a wolf will do.”
The demon lunged for Daniel, and Daniel leapt in the air. They met midair as Daniel ripped into the demon’s flesh with his claws. They hit the ground and rolled away from each other. Daniel quickly pounced to his feet as the demon charged. He felt his fur rip from his flesh as the demon’s talons caught his left flank. Daniel let out a yelp before he turned back and grabbed the demon by the neck. With a forceful yank, Daniel ripped the demon’s head off. Ash burst around him as the demon was vanquished.
He heard a footstep and he turned to face it. Another demon stood before him. Damn. He was still getting the last demon’s ash out of his mouth. Daniel shook his head as he prepared to pounce, but before he could, a pure black wolf leapt from the trees, ripping the demon’s head clean off. A cloud of ash burst in Daniel’s face again and he coughed, spitting it out.
