Rogue Warrior: (Dark Warrior Alliance Book Seven)

by Brenda Trim

  “Don’t presume to tell me how to do my job. Those who have tried haven’t liked the result. I will let you know my decision after I do some research of my own,” she informed him and turned to leave the office.

  “The only research you need to do is how best to kill this scumbag,” Sam snarled to her back.

  Pausing at the office door, she looked back over her shoulder. “Feel free to ask for another Guild member to take my place if you don’t like my approach, but like I said, don’t tell me how to do my job.”

  Flushing red with anger, he shook his head. “I need the best. I’ll wait.”

  Bullies rarely stood their ground when challenged.

  *****

  Santiago held back his sigh of relief at seeing Tori walk into the realm precinct. It had been a few days since she’d flown off and he’d been worried about her. By a small miracle, he hadn’t given into his desire to hunt her down or stalk her at her house. He had seen the devastation written all over her face and recalled all too well how it felt to be betrayed by someone you love.

  No one would have been able to console him when he’d discovered how his father had beaten his mother. After he’d killed her, Santi had been unable to sort through the emotions, and none of his siblings could help no matter how much they tried. Only time alone had allowed him to sort through it all, so that’s what he’d given her, but seeing her now he wanted to rush to her side and grab her into his arms.

  Being without her the past few days had been hell for another reason as well. His libido had been in overdrive since meeting her and hadn’t abated one bit. His mating mark had been killing him, and her mere presence in the room made it flare to life. The brutal pain of it burned through his heart, making him grateful he was sitting down.

  There was a pause in her step when she noticed him sitting there, and if he hadn’t been watching so closely he would have missed it. Lifting the hand from his mate mark, he waved at Tori. For a second, he thought she’d ignore him and go about her business.

  Unable to stop himself, he stood up and kissed her cheek when she reached his side. He allowed an extra minute to breathe in the thunderstorm scent that was uniquely Tori.

  “This is one place I never thought I’d see you,” he murmured after he took a step back and put some space between them.

  She gave him a wry smile and cocked her hip in a way that drew his eye. She had on a tight T-shirt as usual and had paired it with the sexiest jeans he’d ever seen. They hugged her curves and made his mouth water. He’d already been aroused, but now he was hard as steel.

  “Why? Because I’m an assassin?” she asked brazenly without looking around to make sure they weren’t overheard. She was either brave or the officers knew about her occupation. Why he was jealous that the males in that room knew something so intimate about his mate, he had no idea. It wasn’t like she had slept with any of them. Right?

  “It’s not every day that assassins are so open with the police, since they are on opposite sides of the law,” he teased.

  Taking the seat he had vacated, she read the computer screen. “I’ve only been on the opposite side of the law once. I told you I only take cases that deserve the sentence. After my first big case, Brittany introduced me to O’Haire, and he’s given me a way to do research ever since.”

  “You’re lucky to have friends that support you,” he murmured as the pain of losing his fellow warriors resurfaced.

  “Don’t get all sullen on me now, wolfie. You have friends that support you too. You just choose not to accept it. Neither Brittany nor O’Haire would be so kind if I killed an innocent. Anyway, why are you here?”

  He appreciated how she deftly avoided the topic of Zander and the Dark Warriors, but still bristled at her words. He had done what was necessary to protect the realm. Casualties were expected when you were at war, and they were most definitely at war against those who made and sold Angel’s Kiss.

  “I’m here researching the restaurant. There has to be some clue if it is being used in the drug trade. What brings you here?” he asked as he took a seat next to her.

  The smile in her eyes when she looked at him had his heart speeding up. She felt the pull as much as he did and was helpless to the mating frenzy as well. He would use anything to his advantage until he won her over. He couldn’t imagine living his life without her.

  The past few days had also taught him what his fellow warriors must have gone through. How Gerrick had survived centuries after Evanna had been killed, Santiago would never know. He’d been glad when the surly warrior had been given a second chance in Shae, his Fated Mate reincarnated, but even more so now.

  And Zander. Santi would have razed Zeum to the ground if Kadir had kidnapped Tori. Just the thought had rage coursing hot and fast through his system. He heard the clap of thunder outside as his power slipped its leash.

  “I’m here to do a little research of my own,” she replied, tapping on the keys.

  When she said no more, he pressed the issue. “You change your mind about fulfilling Von’s contract? I can tell you anything you want to know. All you’ll find in there are the many reasons I’m a superb warrior and vaunted hero.”

  Her laugh echoed through the room and had several officers looking over. O’Haire eyed her and she waved at him. One drawback of this mating was the jealousy that surged over every interaction she had with a male. It made him lose sight of the important issues in favor of pounding faces into the ground.

  As if she was able to sense his emotional state, she laid her hand on his arm and held his gaze for several seconds. That was all it took to bring his head back into line. The touch of a mate, he thought, held immense power to not only calm the raging beast but to heal as well. Santiago felt the wounds of his past healing more and more as he spent time with her.

  He’d been afraid to have a relationship with Beatrice, his first and only real girlfriend, because he dreaded becoming his dad. He realized now how that terror had paralyzed him and caused him to avoid any real type of relationship since then. Not that he’d avoided females, because he hadn’t, but having sex with one didn’t mean he spent much time with them or opened himself up in any way to them.

  The wound of his father’s abuse and murder of his mother ran deep and was engraved on Santiago’s very soul. There were days he could scarcely breathe through the pain of the memory. Nothing had dimmed it until he’d met his Fated Mate. Tori was healing that wound and showing him he wasn’t destined to become a replica of his father. Only one who carried an untarnished portion of his soul was capable of soothing the agony and forcing him to see a different path.

  “While Von’s contract is tempting and it would rid me of a pesky wolf, I don’t do business with the likes of him and neither does the Guild. No, I’m here researching another contract.”

  “Don’t tell me you’ve grown tired of our little game,” he teased, praying she didn’t notice the snarl in his voice.

  He wanted to shake her and convince her to retire from the Guild. Understanding he had a much keener sense of justice than most, he acknowledged that part of him didn’t want her killing others for a living. Surprisingly, it had more to do with not wanting her in danger than wanting to protect innocents. It was always about protecting innocents for him. Ever since the injustice his mother had suffered, nothing mattered as much to him as protecting humans and the realm.

  “I hadn’t realized you liked to live on the edge. I thought that thing you did with the lightning was scintillating, but I can see you’ve been holding out on me,” she murmured with a wink. His mind immediately conjured images of the park and how she had reacted to the lightning he’d called. Aware that Valkyrie were energized, he’d been pleasantly surprised at how the flashes fueled their lovemaking and sent pleasure careening through them both.

  Leaning down, he didn’t think to stop himself from pressing his lips to hers. Good intentions flew out the window at the stormy taste of her. It quickly escalated to the point he was licking the s
eam of her mouth and teasing her with flicks of his tongue then delving in when her tiny gasp escaped. He plundered her briefly but backed off before he wanted when he felt at least three pairs of eyes on them.

  “I can’t lay all my cards on the table. I have to leave you curious and coming back for more,” he taunted before lifting his head and putting much-needed space between them.

  Her chest heaved with every breath, drawing his eye to the way her ample breasts stretched the cotton top. He was tempted to throw her over his shoulder and forget the reasons they were both there.

  “You keep kissing me like that and I may forget all the reasons I should hate you,” she admitted, making him want to do just that. The only thing staying his lips was the fact that he wanted his mate to see him for who he was and accept every damaged part. Eternity would be miserable unless she could forgive him. Forgetting wasn’t enough.

  “Anyway,” she continued, “this is how I decide whether or not to take a new case. I do research and make sure the hit is deserving.”

  “How do you make that decision? Seems like you’re the one playing goddess with an approach like that.” She had accused him of playing god and acting on his own rules, believing he was above the law, but perhaps that was a bit of projection on her part.

  Rolling her eyes, she went back to the computer. “I’d never dream of playing goddess. Those bitches have too much on their shoulders. My reasons for remaining with the Guild are my own. I’m the best, but I’m also very picky about which cases I accept. I don’t kill children, ever. And, I’ve only killed one female in my life because she had brutally slain her lover’s children out of jealousy. Other than that, I make sure the marks have done something that would warrant a death sentence if the realm police handled it. This particular case is in a gray area.”

  “You mentioned that you have to serve Freya for the rest of your life. Is it the same for the Guild?” he asked, not liking that she’d been forced to take this position.

  “No. We are only required to serve for a century. After that we can retire, but few of us do. It’s the only thing we know how to do. Not to mention that being reborn into this life changes us in more than the obvious ways. There’s a reason we have such a cutthroat reputation.”

  “When is your century up?” he growled.

  “Careful, wolf. My stalvajer still wants a taste of your blood. I’m not yours to order around,” she warned.

  Smiling, he leaned into her line of sight. “It’s you who wants a taste of my blood, not that enchanted weapon of yours. And you will have it as soon as we mate, dulzura. And you are mine, never forget that.”

  Her eyes narrowed and her jaw clenched, telling him she wanted to deck him. He wondered why she held back. Surely it wasn’t because they were in a public location. Supernaturals didn’t react like humans to such occurrences.

  “You’re an arrogant ass,” she muttered.

  “That’s one of the things you love about me. I have a proposal for you. I want you to work with me and the realm police to solve this case within legal means.”

  “I can’t. I need the money. After this, I will have enough to buy my studio, and plan on retiring from the Guild.”

  Surprised by her admission, he reared back and considered what she’d said. She was doing this for money? He could give her everything she needed to buy her studio, but if he knew his mate, she’d refuse his request. “What if I hire you to take care of this case using legal means?”

  She cocked her head and looked sideways at him sideways. “You’re making me reconsider Von’s contract on you. Maybe I’ll fulfill it just to rid myself of you,” she muttered and rolled her eyes. “But, I won’t deny that I’m intrigued by your offer. There’s something about this case that doesn’t sit right with me.”

  “You wouldn’t kill your mate. You like what I do to you too much. Tell me about the case,” Santiago directed as he sat on the table next to the monitor and crossed his arms over his chest. She might not admit it, but they worked well together, and if he wasn’t mistaken, she enjoyed it just as much as he did.

  A tiny furrow appeared between her eyes. He noticed she did this every time she was deep in thought. “Sam from Jabinski Enterprises took out a contract on a male named Horus Stone, alleging he embezzled millions of dollars from his company.”

  “Why didn’t he file a report with realm police asking them to handle it?” Santi couldn’t imagine money being worth a male’s life.

  Even if this Horus did steal the money that was hardly a death sentence, even if punishments in the realm were far harsher than the human realm and hits were an acceptable part of life under the right circumstances. He knew better than most the dichotomy between the two worlds he straddled. Humans would never have dreamed of taking anyone’s life for theft. Hell, they had a hard time doing so even when the crime was murder, and there were too many ways to get out of being punished at all.

  If Orlando and Santiago didn’t dot every i and cross every t, a case could be thrown out of court. And there were countless rules and regulations about everything from questioning a suspect to gathering evidence to investigating. If any part was even slightly mishandled, a case could be thrown out and a criminal allowed to go free.

  Santiago hated following along when known criminals got away with their crimes only to go on and commit new ones. More times than he cared to remember, Santi had stopped before taking matters into his own hands like he had with Miguel. The safety of innocents was paramount to him over everything else. A desire to live stayed his hand with the humans. That was one rule he didn’t dare break. He may not believe taking such action would expose the realm, but he wasn’t willing to risk his life. Besides, he’d discovered long ago that the human system was far easier to manipulate that the realm one, and he molded situations to ensure justice was eventually served.

  “He told me he had come here and filed a report, but apparently he lied. There is nothing in the system indicating he filed a report at all,” she shared as she scowled at the computer screen.

  “I imagine you are lied to quite often in your profession,” Santi postulated.

  Her scowl turned on him and she added a lip curl to make sure he was clear she was annoyed with him. “No, actually I am not lied to all that often. I find that most are quite honest with why they want someone dead. You shouldn’t assume so much about others. It’s what made you act so rashly and take my brother’s life. And we both know where that got you. Anyway, I’m not surprised Sam lied, though. Something about him had my senses on edge when I met with him.”

  “I stand corrected. I would have no idea of the honesty of your clients. You are correct in that I assumed too much,” he admitted. It stuck in his craw that he had to acknowledge his mistake. It was either that or risk alienating her further, and he refused to do that. Not when he could see they were making progress.

  A week ago she never would have shared one ounce of information with him, and yet today she had shared freely and barely looked at him with disdain. He would tell her he was wrong daily if it meant her opening up to him more.

  “Your gut instinct is pretty fucking solid. Now you know at a minimum that Sam lied to you. Where do we go from here with this case? I would normally find close friends and family and interview them along with coworkers, hoping one of them is either mad enough or simply willing to spill the beans on them. I’d also order their bank accounts, phone records, and possibly their computers too, and comb through them for evidence. It’ll help to have O’Haire or another officer on it with you so they can make the arrest if there turns out to be enough to hang Horus,” Santiago pointed out.

  She listened to him with a smirk on her face that hinted at her annoyance with him. He was relieved to see she seemed to like him even more. Was it enough for her to eventually forgive him for her brother’s death? Somehow, he didn’t think it would be that easy.

  “While it’s great to know how you handle cases, my sharing was not an acceptance of your offer. I got t
his, but I will consider teaming up with you. Why is it so important to you that I allow the police to be involved in this case? Is it your overblown justice complex? Or your belief that your mate needs to follow your every command? ’Cause lesson number one, lover boy. I will never follow your every command, unless you’re doing that thing with your tongue and the lightning. And, you aren’t the king. You don’t make the laws and you damn sure aren’t above them.” She punctuated the last sentence by poking a finger into his chest with every word. He’d always believed his ability to manipulate the weather was useless, but hearing her words, he couldn’t have asked for a more perfect gift from the Goddess.

  Capturing her finger, he held it to his chest and smiled. “I had no idea that Freya and Morrigan were on such good terms, but thank the Goddess they are because there is no other being I would rather have had protecting and keeping my soul,” he declared.

  She snorted and shook her head, but was smiling when she said, “I think we need to write this down. That’s twice now that you’ve admitted I’m right and you’re wrong. Gotta be a record with you. Keep it up and I may have to reward you for good behavior,” she teased.

  He lowered his head until he felt her warm breath across his face. “I’ll tell you anything you want if my reward involves your mouth and my body.” He’d never imagined growing so attached to a female, but this vixen was burrowing under his skin. Now all he had to do was get her to forgive him, and win her over. Finding a way into Hell would be easier, he lamented.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN