A Warrior's Choice [Warriors of the Light 18] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove)

by AJ Jarrett

  Kevin’s mind was spinning and a memory of the past came forward.

  The room was plain. The walls were white, the bedding was white, everything just looked so spotless and clean. It reminded Kevin of a hospital room. Cold and lonely yet functional.

  The sound of the lock turning in the door had him pulling his legs up to his chest. He wound his arms around his legs and hugged them close. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been in this room but it was long enough. Kevin wanted to go home but as more time passed he knew that wasn’t going to happen. All he could do now is sit and wait to die.

  “Hi, Kevin.” The tall man, Kayson, stepped into the room shutting the door behind him. “I brought you dinner.” Kayson carried a tray in his hands and when he got closer he pulled off the lid. Inside was a plate with two hotdogs, french fries, a bowl of fruit, and glass of milk. “I read somewhere that humans like this type of food.” Kayson’s mouth pulled back in a grimace. “I did a little research and hotdogs aren’t the best food for a growing teenager like yourself so I added the fruit.”

  “I’m not hungry.” Kevin stared at a spot across the room. He couldn’t bear to look at the man. “I want to go home.”

  “Kevin.” Kayson sighed. “I know this isn’t ideal but this is your home now. I will take care of you.”

  “Why?” Kevin snapped turning to look at Kayson. The man was so large and intimidating and he wore those damn sunglasses all the time. “Stop trying to hide what you are.” Kevin reached out and snatched the glasses off Kayson’s face. The blackness in Kayson’s eyes swirled like a hurricane, deathly force winds that took Kevin’s breath away. Kayson’s eyes were frightening at first glance, but Kevin didn’t feel as if he were in danger. Kayson if anything had kind eyes. Eyes that showed his emotion even without any color. “I just want to go home.” Sobs raked through Kevin’s body. All the fight seeped from his bones.

  “I know, Kevin, but there’s nothing there for you now.” Kayson reached out and took a hold of Kevin’s hand. Kevin didn’t resist, because he was done fighting. He was too tired. “It wouldn’t be right to send you back to a place for you to grow up all by yourself. That would be cruel and something I could not bestow upon you. You’re my responsibility, Kevin. I will protect and care for you always. I promise.”

  Kevin looked up and stared into Kayson’s eyes. For some odd reason, he believed him.

  Kevin shook his head coming back to the present. He hated when his mind wondered back to memories best forgotten.

  If Kevin was being honest, they were quite intriguing. The surface shined like polished marble and at the same time looked like liquid. Kevin wanted to get closer to have a better look. His feet were moving before his brain even gave the order. “Fuck,” Kevin snapped as he spun around. He wasn’t sure what was happening to him. It had to be a spell of some sort because there was no way he could possibly think anything about this man was attractive, or safe, for that matter. “Don’t talk like you know them.”

  Kevin started to walk away and slipped on the floor, just barely catching himself before he fell on his ass. He looked down to see it was blood and what appeared to be an eye on the floor. The urge to vomit was strong but Kevin refused to show any weakness in front of Kayson. He wasn’t that same fourteen-year-old boy that he had been when they first met. No, he was a man. A cop, for fuck’s sake. He could handle being around Kayson now. This man had no power over him. None whatsoever.

  Kevin avoided looking down as he made his way across the room to check on the people who hadn’t been bitten and killed. Kevin blamed himself for not reacting sooner. The moment the five vampires came in he knew they had zero respect for human life but before he could step in and stop them Kayson showed up and Kevin became that frightened teenage boy again.

  He bent down to check the pulse of a young man. It was weak but he was still alive. He stepped over to check on a woman, dead. He moved on to the next one.

  “Why are you bothering with that?” Kayson asked.

  “Because they’re people, you ass.” Kevin moved on to the next one, a female, alive. “If they can be saved, then by god I’m going to make sure they get a fighting chance.” Kevin stood up and faced Kayson. He stumbled back a step. He hadn’t realized Kayson had gotten so close. “That’s what people do for others. They help them, but I guess your kind doesn’t understand that.”

  “I didn’t mean you shouldn’t help them but they are practically dead.” Kayson gestured down to the man lying half on the couch and half on the floor. “Whatever they were given is going to kill them unless they get help in the next five minutes.”

  “Shit.” Kevin finished checking the rest then stood, rushing back to the two that were alive. “That’s not good. We’re in the middle of nowhere with no cell service.” Kevin knelt beside the woman and lifted up her shut eyelids. Her pupils were dilated. “We have to help them.”

  “It really means that much to you?” Kayson asked, his head cocked adorably to the side as if he were trying to understand something difficult.

  “Yes,” Kevin shouted. “It does.” He looked down at the young man and woman and wished he could do more for them. Maybe if given a second chance these two could turn their lives around.

  “Okay then.” Kayson bent down, placing a hand on the man and woman, then he was gone.

  “What the fuck?” Kevin’s eyes widened and he jumped to his feet. He looked around but neither the two victims nor Kayson were anywhere to be found. Kevin raised his left hand to run over his face then through his hair. Did he just imagine all that?

  “It’s done,” Kayson said from behind Kevin.

  Kevin leapt forward, scared out of his mind. He whirled around to see Kayson but not the man and woman.

  “Where are they?” Kevin rushed at Kayson then stopped before actually touching him. “What did you do with them?”

  “I took them to a hospital.” Kayson shrugged. “Their lives meant a lot to you so I took them to the nearest hospital and left them in the emergency room. I waited until I was sure a nurse saw them then I left.”

  “But how?” Sweat started to run like a river down Kevin’s face. He wasn’t completely sure he wasn’t going into shock. His hands were shaking, his knees were wobbling.

  “I can teleport.” Kayson stepped toward him and reached out his hand. “Now let’s go. I want to take you home.”

  “Home?” Kevin chuckled nervously. “Are you insane? I’m not going anywhere with you.” Kevin turned toward the stairs and started to walk. He pulled out his cell phone and pushed on the screen to open it up. He had to get ahold of Wes. He needed to report all of this. Still no signal. “Shit!”

  “Kevin, please wait,” Kayson said from behind him.

  Once Kevin reached the top of the steps he walked in the kitchen, searching the cabinets for a land line phone. He didn’t have much hope of finding one but he needed something to do. The stench of death and his own fear were making him sick.

  “Damn it,” Kevin hissed under his breath. He searched the rest of the home then walked outside to get some fresh air. He checked the signal on his phone one more time.

  “I can help you.” Kayson stepped in front of Kevin. He held his hands up in front of him but didn’t try and touch Kevin. Kevin was relieved but wasn’t sure if it was relief from fear or the strange desire he was having toward this man. Kevin’s jaw clenched and he ground his teeth together.

  “Really? How?” Kevin crossed his arms over his chest to keep his hands from shaking. He tightened his fingers into the skin of his arms.

  “I can teleport you.” Kayson turned his head to look out into the distance. He pointed to a spot. “To there. I can take you there and you can make your call.”

  Kevin narrowed his eyes to get a better view of the spot Kayson was pointing at but it was too dark for him to see. Realistically he wasn’t even sure why he was contemplating this. Kayson was a Dark Warrior. He was evil yet something inside Kevin told him he could trust Kayson. How fucked up was t
hat? But at the current moment what other option did Kevin have?

  “How can I trust you?” Kevin asked. “How do I know you won’t just kidnap me again?”

  “Well, for starters, you’re not a kid anymore so it’s not kidnapping.” Kayson smiled, obviously trying to make light of the situation but it did nothing to set Kevin at ease. “Okay, too soon for jokes. All right.” Kayson rested his hands on his hips. “Kevin, you have no reason to trust me. I understand that but I want to help you. If taking you to where you can make a phone call is what you want then I’ll do it.”

  “And you promise to not take me somewhere else once I make the call?” Kevin had to make sure this wasn’t a trap. Not that he expected Kayson to be honest but he didn’t really have a choice right now.

  “I promise.” Kayson nodded. His big black eyes stared into Kevin’s. He held out his hand and Kevin slowly reached out to take it. Kevin gasped lightly as his cold, clammy hand made contact with Kayson’s warm, dry one. It was odd, the feeling of comfort that rushed through his veins. “Now hold on tight and don’t let go.”

  Before Kevin could respond he was being whisked through the air. It wasn’t like flying but a floating sensation with a tiny bit of movement. Kevin opened his mouth to scream, which should have been completely unmanly, but never got the chance. Everything seemed to stop and his feet hit solid ground. He opened his eyes to see they were on the highest peak of a hill. Kevin looked up to see the dark starry night. He was so high up he felt if he reached up high enough he could touch the sky.

  “Is your phone working?” Kayson asked. He nodded toward the phone Kevin had in his hand. Kayson’s upper lip curled upward slightly on the right side.

  “Yeah.” Kevin breathed a sigh of relief to see he had a good signal. He raised his finger to hit the button to contact Wes but hesitated. What was he going to say? Kevin could explain about the Cobras dabbling in human trafficking and Wes would understand the situation with the vampires but for some reason he wasn’t sure how to explain away Kayson. He should just tell Wes everything that had happened but he didn’t want to make Wes worry more than he already did and Matt, for that matter. If they knew about Kayson they’d want to pack up the life they’d made here and leave. Kevin didn’t want them to have to do that. He glanced over at Kayson to see the man was staring off into the distance as if he were giving Kevin some privacy.

  “Is there a problem?” Kayson must have felt Kevin staring and turned to look at him.

  “No.” Kevin shook his head. “Just trying to put together a believable story.”

  “Tell them the truth.”

  “I can’t do that.” Kevin dropped his hand to the side, letting the phone bump against his thigh. “Vampires don’t exist, right?” Kevin chuckled. “And I don’t want to worry Wes.”

  “Then just tell him you found the house in that manner. Say you followed your friends and when you arrived that was what you found,” Kayson suggested. “We can go back and take care of the vamp bodies.”

  Kevin nodded. The story wasn’t bad and he didn’t think he could come up with a better one. His brain was mush right now.

  Kevin made the call.

  Chapter Six

  Kayson did his best to not make it obvious that he was staring at Kevin. God, he wanted to hold his mate so badly his hands were trembling from the need. He did his best to clear his mind and focus. There were so many unanswered questions he had for his mate. The most important being why was he out here in the middle of nowhere with those men.

  Kevin stood a few feet away, talking to Wes. Kayson turned his back to Kevin to give him some privacy. He could hear every word with his enhanced vampire hearing. He didn’t want to intrude but he was curious if Kevin would tell Wes, a well-known Warrior of the Light, that he was here. To his surprise Kevin didn’t mention his name at all.

  “Okay, let’s get back there,” Kevin said. “Wes is contacting the local authorities and he’s on his way. We need to get rid of the vampires.”

  “Let’s go.” Kayson held out his hand and waited. It hurt to see the hesitation in Kevin’s cobalt eyes and the fear wasn’t unwarranted. Kayson had done nothing when Kevin’s parents were murdered and he had tried to keep Kevin when he had no right to. Kayson wanted to do right by Kevin and take care of him and if that meant, in Kevin’s words, not kidnapping him again then he wouldn’t.

  Kevin put his hand in Kayson’s and he took them back to the little shack. Kayson headed for the door and stopped when he realized Kevin wasn’t following him.

  “If you want I can get the bodies and dispose of them.” Kayson offered.

  Kayson walked back toward Kevin. His mate’s handsome face had gone pale and his lips were dry and chapped. He looked like he might be ill, which was something Kayson had learned about from a book he’d read. Humans were delicate, even the strongest ones, and Kayson didn’t want to take any risk with his precious mate. Once he got Kevin to agree to becoming a vampire, the better off everyone would be. He had to imagine that Wes and Matt wanted the same thing for Kevin.

  “No.” Kevin shook his head, his long hair flying up into the wind. “I can help.”

  “But you don’t need to help, Kevin,” Kayson said slowly. “In fact, it’ll be easier if I went in and did it myself. I’ll transport the bodies to another location and be done in less than five minutes.”

  “All right.” Kevin nodded and looked off to the side. “I’ll just go and wait right there.” He pointed at his motorcycle.

  “Sounds good.” Kayson smiled.

  Kayson turned around and walked back into the house. Once inside he teleported to the basement and one by one got rid of the vamp bodies. He took the remains to a swamp not far from where he was at now. The alligators would take care of any evidence. When Kayson returned he teleported to the bathroom to quickly wash his hands. He didn’t want to be gone too long for fear that Kevin would get away again.

  “It’s done,” Kayson said loudly enough as to not scare Kevin with his approach.

  “Oh, okay. Good.” Kevin sat on the ground next to his bike. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” A gush of warmth filled his chest. Never in his life had he wanted to please another so much. Never in his long dark evil life had he cared to. Something about Kevin woke up the black organ that was once his heart. “This seat taken?” He gestured with his hand at the ground beside Kevin.

  “Go ahead.” Kevin shrugged.

  Kayson lowered himself to the ground and felt Kevin’s body tense beside him. His mate was still frightened of him.

  “So how have you been?” Kayson was doing his best to make small talk. It was something he wasn’t very good at. He typically didn’t have to talk much. Kayson was a large man with a constant scowl on his face. People tended to stay away from him.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” Kevin began to laugh so hard he tilted to the side. “Oh my god.” He wiped at his eyes. Kayson wasn’t sure what was so funny.

  “I don’t understand.” Kayson replayed the words he’d said in his head. Now he’d read in several books that was something humans said to one another when they hadn’t seen each other in a long time. “Did I say something wrong?”

  Kevin wiped at his eyes. “You’re talking as if we’re old friends and we’re not.” Kevin turned his head to look at him. “You sat back while Hale murdered my parents. You ignored their begging and pleading then you did nothing to help my brother when Hale tried to do the same to him. I’m sorry that doesn’t make me want to be your friend or even like you. Fuck!” Kevin tore at the grass with his hand then threw it into the wind. “You’re part of the reason my life is so screwed up. I still have nightmares, for Christ’s sake.”

  “I’m sorry.” The words sounded so hollow to his own ears. Kayson hadn’t cared about anything until he met Kevin. The loss of Kevin’s parents hurt his mate like an actual pain, like a cut to the wrist. Kayson didn’t care for his parents in that manner. He hadn’t seen them in ages and he didn’t
care if he ever saw them again. But it was different for Kevin. This feeling of emotions was new to him and Kayson wasn’t sure if he was capable of that. “I never intended for any of that. At the time, I was taking orders and for a Warrior of the Dark that’s all we’re meant to do.”

  It wasn’t an excuse. Kayson didn’t want it to come off that way but it was the truth. A Dark Warrior did as they were told. No questions asked. It was an easy life. To live without a conscience. Kayson had never had an issue with it until he met Kevin.

  “If that’s true then what’s changed?” Kevin snapped. “If you were only doing what you were told then why are you here now? Hmm? Hale’s not here. He’s not giving you orders to abduct me again so what gives? If you aren’t capable of functioning on your own without being told what to do then why are you here? Why help me?”

  Those were all very valid points and great questions to be asked. The only believable answer he could give Kevin was the truth.

  “I’ve changed.” Kayson blew out a deep sigh. “I’m not the same man I used to be.”

  “And why’s that?” Kevin raised his legs up to rest his elbows on his knees. “What caused you to become different?”

  “You.” Kayson leaned back against Kevin’s motorcycle. The hard metal dug into his back but Kayson needed the pain to keep him grounded. His head felt light and his heart ached and he feared he’d float away on the next gust of wind. Kayson let his head roll to the side to look at Kevin, who was now staring at him with a suspicious glare. “You’re my mate, Kevin. I was helpless back then. I recognized you for what you were twelve years ago but I couldn’t act on those feelings. You were too young. But still I wasn’t sure what to do. You woke up all these emotions inside me that had lain dormant my entire life.” Kayson chuckled. “When one has lived for over two hundred years as an evil being it’s hard to understand caring and compassion.”

  “I think I’m going to be sick.” Kevin jumped to his feet and barely made it three steps before he lost what was in his stomach.