Alliances (Guardians of White Light, #1)

by F. J. Gale

  “But—”

  “Get out!” he roared, finally losing his temper.

  She shook from the ferocity of his roar and the black void of seething rage in his eyes. She didn’t wait to endure more. She backed out of the room quickly and scurried away shrieking like a child.

  Mathias heard the trap door slam shut above. Good. He ran his fingers through his silky ebony hair in an effort to try to quell his rage. But it was no use. Before he knew what he was doing, he thrust out both his hands into the desk. It swept into the wall ten feet away and the heavy wood cracked against the wall from the force of his vampiric strength. He growled. His growl quickly escalated into a savage roar that seemed to shake the very room. How had it come to this? What was Silas thinking?

  He’d basically declared war on Silas tonight. There would be no peace now. They would come at him and he’d have no choice but to step out of the shadows. He couldn’t hide from Immortalia. Silas knew him too well for that to be a viable option. He had to step back into the persona that he’d put behind him years ago. The great warrior. The sorceress’ Guardian of White Light. All because Silas couldn’t accept the notion of co-existence. He was a supremacist. An egomaniac. His selfish desires threatened the human and supernatural worlds alike.

  If Mathias didn’t stand against him, who would? Who had the strength to push Immortalia back? Who could lead an army to victory the way he could? Who knew Silas better than him? There was no one else. There was only him.

  He had no choice. And it infuriated him.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Mathias pulled his black Hummer up to a dilapidated two-story warehouse. It was a former boxing gym, a failed enterprise thanks to the drug addict former owner. Now, it was his base—his and his team, Legion. Commanded by Mathias, their agenda was to keep the peace between the vampire populace, humans and Immortalia. It was a small outfit, with only three members outside of him and Luke. One of the three was Luke’s sister, biker chick, Tanya. The other two were soldiers who Mathias had trained two centuries prior for Silas, right before the creation of Immortalia. They had shared Mathias’ distaste for Silas’ war against the human world. Two heavyset, well-seasoned fighters, Thomas and John were well-known by Immortalia and feared because of it. Luke, of course, was Mathias’ right hand man. He had been since Mathias’ glory days when he’d led an infamous army of warriors known as Eternus.

  He rapped on the garage door that fronted the property. Moments later it opened. He stepped inside, letting the automatic door close behind him.

  Immediately his eyes were drawn to a plain white Sedan that took up two-thirds of the garage. Just beyond this at the rear of the warehouse was a flight of iron steps that led up to the second floor where Legion met for briefings and discussion. All the windows were blacked out with paint. No light could shine through. They were all safe there when meetings happened to run late into the daylight hours. It had been a decade since Mathias had ventured out here. Since Liana’s death he’d only communicated with them from a distance. The only time he ventured outside into the world was to purchase his monthly supply of blood from the butcher’s and to drink.

  He sensed Luke’s approach. “That’s the transport?”

  Luke nodded.

  Mathias crossed to the van. He reached for the door handle and grimaced as a searing pain shot through his wounded right shoulder. Dammit, be careful!

  “How’s it healing?” Luke asked.

  “It’ll be fine in a day or two.”

  “I still don’t know how you made it out of there.”

  Mathias winked at him. “Experience, my friend.”

  “I guess that’s why you can afford to be so arrogant about it,” Luke said with a laugh.

  “I prefer to call it confidence.”

  “Hmm,” Luke murmured, unconvinced.

  “Plus, I was still a little drunk so it numbed the searing pain just enough for me to keep moving.”

  “You seem sober now,” Luke commented, as he studied his friend.

  “Cold turkey. It was just a way to pass the time.”

  “I hope so.”

  “Ah, the warrior returns,” Tanya’s voice came, “It’s been a while.”

  Mathias and Luke turned towards the steps to see Tanya skipping down them with Thomas and John in tow. Dressed head to toe in body-hugging white leather, her blood-red hair pulled into a high ponytail revealing huge golden hoops handing from her ears, she looked the epitome of a biker chick. Thomas and John were both dressed in black tactical gear. Soldiers for all generations, Mathias thought. Back when he’d first met them it was chainmail. Now, it was tactical gear. The two of them were difficult to tell apart. Both dressed in the same ‘uniform’. Both were the same tall muscular build. The only noticeable difference was their hair. Thomas’ hair was shaggy and nearing shoulder length while John sported a neat crew cut. Luke looked as though he’d modeled his look on a marine drill sergeant. He barely had any hair, so short was his blonde crew cut. Over the last fifty years he’d taken to wearing army camo gear. Mathias, always being the rebel, like Tanya, stood there in blue jeans, a black t-shirt and a leather jacket. He didn’t give a crap how he was dressed.

  “You look good,” Tanya greeted Mathias.

  She winked at him and licked her lips slyly.

  Luke grimaced at his sister’s overt flirtation with his long-time comrade.

  Mathias smiled and let it roll off him. He knew she had a crush on him. He’d felt the heat from her when Luke had introduced them a couple of decades ago. But now it was just playful, because she knew he would never do anything about it. At least it added a light-hearted element to their often-somber business activities. Like tonight.

  “Show me,” Mathias said to Luke, gesturing to the van.

  Luke hauled open the back doors. The team congregated behind him and Mathias.

  Mathias cursed and ran his hands through his hair in distress. Inside there were shelves lined with hundreds upon hundreds of test-tube sized vials full of a luminous blue liquid.

  “This is the only shipment that has left the research facility. As you instructed, we have a couple of cameras monitoring all traffic coming in and out.”

  “Some good news at least,” Tanya said.

  “Silver lining,” John mumbled.

  “Good work,” Mathias told the team.

  He reached inside the van and withdrew two vials.

  Everyone stepped back.

  “Whoa!” Thomas exclaimed, holding up his hands.

  Mathias saw the fear on their faces. “Relax. I need some samples,” he said as he placed the vials into his inside jacket pocket. “Besides, you’d have to feed off a human with this in their system for it to kill you.”

  “Samples?” Luke asked.

  “I need to take this to someone who knows what they’re doing.”

  “You’re thinking of creating an antidote?” Luke asked, impressed.

  Mathias nodded. “If it can be done my contact will know.”

  “How about the van?” John asked.

  “Burn it. Tonight. If anyone got hold of this, especially Immortalia, it could be catastrophic.”

  “Consider it done,” Luke said. He gestured for Thomas and John to drive the van outside.

  “I’m going to head to my contact tonight. It’s a couple of night’s drive. As soon as I arrive, I’ll contact you. Lay low until you hear from me. Do not engage with Immortalia under any circumstances. If anything changes with the research facility let me know.”

  Luke nodded.

  “Let me take a look at that wound before you leave,” Tanya said.

  Mathias smiled and took her hands in his. “Anything to get your hands on me, huh?” he joked.

  He kissed her on the top of her head and then stepped back.

  He and Luke exchanged a smile. Mathias leaned into him for a hug and whispered, “We go to war.”

  Luke nodded silently. They both knew there was no other way. They had to take down Immortal
ia.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Mathias left the butcher’s with a large paper bag containing packages of animal blood. He walked across the parking lot. As he pulled out his keys from the back pocket of his jeans he eyed his Hummer parked in the corner. He was surprised to see a young attractive woman lounging on the hood with a duffle bag beside her.

  As he reached the car she smiled coyly and jumped down from the hood. She slung her bag over her shoulder and eyed him coolly. Mathias dropped his groceries beside the passenger door and looked her over. Decked out in brown cargo pants, a white low cut tank and a worn out brown leather jacket, she radiated toughness. He long brown hair cascaded freely about her face, highlighting her striking emerald eyes. A thick leather choker encircled her neck. He noted the butts of two stakes holstered at her hips, along with a dagger strapped to a holster at her lower right leg. Black tactical gloves with Kevlar knuckles protected her hands.

  She was a warrior.

  He stepped uncomfortably close in an attempt to intimidate her. But she didn’t flinch. And that was when he felt it.

  Her heartbeat.

  “You’re human,” he spoke, finding himself taking a step backwards.

  “You thought I was another one of your vamp sluts? One of your groupies,” she snickered. “Sorry to disappoint you. I don’t do vampires. Not even the legendary ones—like you.”

  He eyed her curiously. She was fierce. Feisty. Instead of putting him off, it intrigued him. He hadn’t encountered a human like her for a long while. As he scrutinized her it suddenly dawned on him. The realization of what she was hit him. He kicked himself for being so slow to realize.

  “You’re a slayer.”

  She nodded. “And you’re Mathias,” she said, offering her hand to him. “Jenna.”

  His eyes narrowed and he growled at her ferociously. With incredible speed his hands shot out and gripped her arms, slamming her back into the side of the car. She gasped as the wind was knocked out of her. He held her tightly and leaned in threateningly. “Who sent you?”

  He knew it couldn’t be Silas. He would never employ humans, let alone a slayer. But who else would send a slayer to take him out?

  “No one. I’m not here to kill you,” she said.

  He gripped her neck. “Explain.”

  “Let go and I will,” she choked out.

  He released his grip but didn’t step back. “If you’re lying I will know. I can feel your pulse.”

  “I know,” she said, matching his intensity.

  He was bemused by the look in her eyes. No fear. She wasn’t afraid of him in the least.

  “I slay Immortalia soldiers. My family has been doing it for generations since they massacred their village over a century ago. The job passed to me about a decade ago.” She paused to take a breath and rub her sore neck. “I know war is coming. I want to stop them.”

  “Why would you come to me?”

  “Rumors are that you’re on the same mission, Guardian. I can help you.”

  Mathias laughed. “No.”

  “Why?”

  He pushed her against the car, holding her there with one hand as he fingered the choker around her neck with the other. He felt her pushing against him, but he was far stronger. He held his position for a few moments to make his point. And then he let go of her roughly. “That’s why. You’re human. You don’t have the strength.”

  “Really?” she asked, glancing at his heart.

  He followed her line of sight. His eyes widened. There, mere inches before his heart, she held a stake steady. She could have killed him at any moment and he hadn’t even sensed it. She was fast, faster than any human he had encountered. How?

  “You were too consumed with the prospect of biting me. The greatest weakness of your species—the inability to muster any self-control. Even you are not immune to it.”

  Mathias stepped back. “I wasn’t going to bite you.”

  “But just the mere prospect of it was intoxicating, right?”

  Mathias smiled with amusement. “Perhaps. It’s been a while since…” he trailed off, suddenly sensing something from her that unsettled him. He couldn’t put his finger on it. What was it? Whatever it was, it was hypnotizing.

  “Since what?” she pressed impatiently.

  Mathias forced the feeling aside and took another step back. “Since I’ve been that close to any human.”

  Jenna nodded her understanding. She already knew he hadn’t fed off a human for years. She’d done her research. In her line of work, if she wasn’t careful, she was as good as dead.

  “I can help you,” she told him.

  Mathias eyed her closely. The girl was good. She knew her enemy. She was amazingly quick on the draw. She was tough and rough around the edges. But she still had a lot to learn. Approaching him as boldly as she had was reckless. She was cocky. And cockiness was what got people killed.

  He rubbed the stubble on his chin as he considered her offer.

  “You can’t stop them alone. You’re one man,” she pressed.

  “I’m not a man.”

  “What about the daylight?”

  Mathias considered the situation. She was right about the daylight hindering his mission. It would slow his travels considerably. It also made him vulnerable to attack. She could come in useful in that respect. There was no doubt. But he was still hesitant. The truth was he was worried about the prospect of working so closely with a human, especially a woman. He had a weakness for human women. He was drawn in by them. What if it compromised his judgment? It was also extremely strenuous for him to suppress his vampiric instincts for an extended period of time. He was innately predisposed to see humans as prey. Could he hold back? It had been different with Liana because he’d loved her. And that love had transcended instinct, rules and all boundaries.

  “I’m a vampire. It’s in my nature to bite you,” he warned her.

  “I’m a slayer. It’s in my nature to drive a stake through your heart. I guess we’ll both have to repress our instincts,” she shot back.

  She grinned at him. Mathias found himself cracking a smile too.

  She shifted her weight and eyed him seriously. “Look, I’m here to stop Immortalia and prevent this war. I guess the question is; can you get over yourself to do the same?”

  They locked eyes and studied one another for a few moments.

  Mathias conceded and opened the driver’s door. He gestured to the passenger side. “Get in, slayer,” he said with a grin.

  She handed him his bag of blood. “The name’s Jenna.

  “All right, Jenna.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Mathias and Jenna climbed the stone steps to the entrance of his once glorious home.

  “Wow. Looks like you've done pretty well for yourself,“ Jenna commented as her eyes wandered over the property.

  A magnificent stone-built Elizabethan mansion towered before her. Including its gardens, it covered more than four acres of land. Unlike many grand homes of the Tudor era, with glass being a luxury and, thus, a statement of wealth and power, there were very few windows. She looked closer and realized that they had been overlaid with brick—a vampire’s necessary modification to such a home. Windows were not friends to the undead.

  “It was another life,“ he said somberly as he reached for the brass handles of the heavy oak doors. He pulled back abruptly, lowering his voice to a whisper. “They’re open.”

  Jenna joined him by the doors. “You haven't lived here for years. Dozens of squatters could have come and gone in that time.“

  “Perhaps,” he said, unsure.

  Jenna registered his uncertainty. “You think Immortalia soldiers are here?“

  Mathias’ brow furrowed. “I’m not sure.” He slowly slid his broadsword from its sheath at his hip. “It’s been a while since…I’ve been out in the world,” he admitted to her. He was a little rusty; something that he needed to overcome as soon as possible or they’d both be in trouble. He cautiously stepped inside.r />
  Jenna followed him into the massive lobby. It was dark, but she could see just fine. She was used to it. Off to the left was the start of a winding staircase that led up to God knew how many more rooms. She looked down at the floor. Marble. Her new ally’s wealth obviously knew no limits. But then, he’d had centuries to amass such a fortune.

  Instinctively, she withdrew a stake.

  Mathias felt it without needing to see it. An involuntary shiver ran through him. “Put that away.”

  “I don’t think so.” There was no way she was going to disarm when there could be intruders—hostile vampires—in the building.

  “I don’t want you wielding a stake while you’re walking behind me.”

  “I’m holding it low, nowhere near your heart.”

  “Holster it for now.”

  “No.”

  “How much time do you need to draw?”

  “I like to have it handy.”

  A rush of ice-cold air hit her like a hurricane force wind and suddenly he stood before her, his hand gripping the stake she held. He glowered down at her and a low throaty growl spoke a warning.

  “Do you have any idea how much these things hurt?”

  “Strangely, no. I’ve never let a vamp stab me with my own stake,” she shot back, looking up at him and matching his agitated glare.

  “It takes so much power to wound with this thing. It’s wood and it can only take so much pressure before it breaks. That means, when you drive it deep enough to wound, it splinters. You have no idea how agonizing it is to extract every tiny fucking sliver of wood from a wound. And, if you don’t get all of it, the wound won’t heal.”

  “Speaking from experience, are you?” she asked, still not prepared to relinquish her primo weapon.

  He refused to answer. Instead, she watched as he tightened his grip on the stake, exerting so much pressure that his hand began to shake. She watched in horror as the durable wood started to crack. And then it crumbled in his hands like flour through a sieve. What the hell?