Scarred Warrior: (Dark Warrior Allaince Book Four) (Dark Warrior Alliance 4)

by Brenda Trim

  “Are we any closer to finding a cure?” Zander asked the healer as he approached Shae’s cell.

  Jace glanced back over his shoulder at the Vampire King. “We have actually taken the cure we’ve been working on and adapted it to the structure of the venom we see in their blood. We have an antidote that we can test. Unfortunately, we can’t do anything more in the lab without empirical data. Problem is I have no idea what side effects this will have in a live trial.” Hope beat wings in Shae’s chest. There may be a way to go back to who she’d been before this nightmare. She didn’t give a rat’s ass about side effects. She wanted that cure.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “I didna know you were that close,” Zander replied, excitement in his tone.

  Jace approached the bars of her cell and responded to Zander as he set his kit on the ground. He stood with several items in his hand.

  “Here, let me help with that,” Zander murmured, walking to the warrior’s side.

  “We have had many different antidotes over the centuries that we thought would work. It hasn’t been until after Jessie that we came up with something that may be viable. Would you place your arm between the bars so I can take a sample?” Jace asked Shae.

  “What makes you think it can work with these females?” Zander asked.

  “Because something happened that has never happened before. The serum we added to the blood samples neutralized the venom that contaminated it.”

  Shae listened raptly as she pushed her arm through the metal caging her. “Do you really believe it’s possible?” she asked, wanting to believe more than anything it was. She would always have the scars and the memories, but if she could get rid of the uncontrollable bloodlust, she’d really be a free female.

  “Like I said,” the healer responded as he tied a strip of plastic around her arm before swiping an area with alcohol, meeting her eyes. “We have no way of knowing if this will be effective, but the initial tests are promising.”

  “Och, this is the best fucking news we’ve had all day,” Zander exclaimed, handing Jace a needle and tube. The needle slid into her arm without discomfort. “I know you didna mention this to us without being prepared to move forward.”

  “Yes, I have an injection with me.” Shae’s heart skipped a beat at the healer’s words and her palms began to sweat with her excitement. Suddenly, she didn’t mind being their guinea pig. “The scientists,” Jace continued, “and I agree that we need to use it on one of the females with lower venom levels.” Excitement was instantly replaced by disappointment, making her heart drop to her feet, knowing it wasn’t going to be her.

  Jace removed the tourniquet and needle then swiped her arm. “I’m sorry, Shae. I can tell you want to volunteer, but your levels are too high.”

  Shae didn’t bother hiding her anger and disappointment. “I figured as much. But, promise me you’ll do everything in your power to heal the others.”

  “I don’t plan on leaving any of you like this,” Jace assured her before he and Zander moved on to the next cell.

  Shae tried to push her head through the bars so she could see what they were doing. She growled in frustration, unable to see a thing, so she focused on what was being said. She heard them asking one of the females if she’d be willing to allow them to inject her with the antidote. It didn’t surprise Shae to hear that they had chosen the last female the demons had captured. This one had only been with them for a few days before their rescue and Shae didn’t even know her name.

  She heard metal clanging and low murmurs as Jace explained what he was going to do. It all sounded very clinical, nothing to give away the importance of what was about to happen. She hated not being able to see what was happening. It seemed as if everyone in the dungeon held his or her breath, waiting for her reaction. All of a sudden, chaos erupted. She heard screaming and shouts and then Jessie was taking off in the direction of the cell.

  “What’s going on?” Shae yelled, but no one answered her. She heard Jace bark out orders to hold the female down and a chill crept up her spine, telling her this wasn’t going as the healer had hoped.

  After an agonizing wait, Jessie walked down the corridor. “Jessie, what happened? Talk to me,” Shae pleaded, but the female continued without responding or even making eye contact. Several minutes later, Zander and Jace passed her and what Shae saw had bile rising in her throat. She screamed her denial and rattled the bars. There was nothing recognizable in the body they carried.

  She was bleeding from her eyes, nose, and ears. And blood trickled out of what used to be her mouth. The flesh covering her body had begun to blacken and rot and only a few patches of her caramel skin were left. Shae wanted to gag when the stench reached her. It was obvious that the female was decaying from the inside out. Cracked black flesh exposed the tendons in her neck as her head hung back and her limbs looked as if they’d tear free of their sockets. Shae gagged when a chunk of black skin sloughed off her little finger and landed with a wet splat on the stone floor. Tears sprang to Shae’s eyes knowing that the female had died for no good reason. In a flash, Shae’s fury boiled out of control, leaving her seething.

  “You killed her. How could you do that?” Jace glanced over at her accusation and she saw the remorse in his amethyst depths. He hadn’t intentionally hurt the female and he was obviously torn up over what had happened. Shae had known her whole life that these warriors were good males, deserving of her faith and respect, and despite her current anger, that hadn’t changed.

  “I had no idea,” Jace replied and they left the dungeon, taking the body with them. Shae stared at the stairs for long moments before she crossed to the bed and sank down, ignoring the cries and questions of the other females. She had always been the one to reassure them, tell them that they would be rescued, but she had nothing left. The one ray of hope she’d had in seven months had been yanked out from underneath her. There was no way out and it made her want to tear through the walls and run until she dropped. She was never going to be the female she had once been and neither would the rest of them, so why tell them pointless lies?

  She lay down on the pillow and contemplated what this meant for her future. She had prayed for death countless times over the months and had been denied. She silently cursed the Goddess for dangling the carrot in front of her, only to take it away. She hadn’t calmed down from her earlier rage and her current line of thinking only added fuel to the fire.

  As she spiraled, she swore someone was whispering in her ear to take her revenge, like having a proverbial devil on her shoulder. She told herself she was being ridiculous and tried to calm down. She tried deep breathing like Jessie had mentioned, yet her finger nails cut through the sheet and dug into the mattress.

  A tap on the bars of her cell had her head snapping up. She’d been so preoccupied that she hadn’t heard anyone approaching. Initially, she saw a bright red-orange image standing there and then the male’s scent registered, telling her who it was. She had to blink several times before she could see Gerrick’s scarred visage. It still had the infrared overlay, but she could see the grim set of his mouth, as well as, his ice-blue eyes clearly. Oddly enough, her anger bled away like dust in the wind. His presence alone calmed her and she allowed it to wash over her.

  “I brought you food. The other females ate while you were asleep,” he informed her, holding up a metal tray. Her stomach rumbled as the scent of the food reached her. She wanted to snatch the tray and inhale the food before she sought a neck to sate all of her hunger. Feeding had become a nightmarish event for her and the intensity of her current need frightened her.

  For the past six months, her hunger and any desire for blood had been honed by the demons into a weapon of violence and death. She hated her lack of control, and just when she thought she’d gained the upper hand, it would spin away from her grasp. As she stood staring at Gerrick, enjoying the delish aroma of actual food, her gaze was drawn to his pulse. She had to have his blood. Nothing mattered but getting his blood and dri
nking every last drop.

  “You okay, Red?” His deep rumble broke through the killing haze that had clouded her thinking. Harming this male would destroy what good was left in her heart and soul.

  “No, I’m not. It’s like there is this thing living inside me and all it wants to do is kill. I hate it,” she admitted, hanging her head in her hands. She hadn’t meant to tell him the truth, but her mouth opened and the words had poured out. Now that it was out there, she didn’t want to even try to take them back. She wanted this male to know everything about her. The good, the bad and the ugly.

  “So, you’re giving up? You’re going to allow them to win?” He cocked his head to the side and looked at her through the bars.

  His ice-blue eyes appeared cold and distant at first glance, but she saw the heat and drive living deep inside. “Must be nice to sit there and judge me while you’re the one standing on the other side of this cage. You have no idea what I’ve been through or how much I’ve fought,” she snapped.

  “Now there’s the fire I saw in you earlier. You’re going to need to hold onto that to make it through. Now, would you like this food? I’m not on the menu.” Pity, she thought, wanting his blood more than anything else. She almost smiled when she saw the corner of his mouth tilt the slightest bit. His half-smile made her stomach knot and her core weep with need. “Don’t worry, they will be bringing you blood soon.”

  “As if I’d bite you. Give me the food.” Her mouth watered for a taste of his life’s-blood, belying her harsh words.

  “You’re going to need to come closer,” he challenged with what she swore was lust in his eyes. She wondered if she saw correctly and hesitated, but got up and walked toward him. She didn’t miss how his eyes flared as he watched her. Anxiety had her heart racing. After everything she’d been through, she had sworn off males, but he was making her question that decision.

  “That smells delicious,” she murmured, focusing on her immediate need for food.

  “It’s Elsie’s homemade beef stew and it’s the best. One taste and I’m sure you’ll agree.” He paused next to the pass-through.

  “I haven’t eaten since I had a ham sandwich the day I was kidnapped. All we were ever given were frightened humans to drain.” She didn’t know why she was opening up to him. He had to have cast some kind of spell to make her spill her beans to him because she couldn’t seem to keep her mouth shut. “They tortured and raped us if we didn’t kill them when we fed. And, worst of all, was that part of me liked the killing.” The way she figured it, if she wanted him to know her she had to put it all out there. She met his gaze, expecting to see revulsion, but saw understanding.

  Gerrick shouldn’t have any concept of what it was like for a female to be violated in the most horrendous way imaginable. Nor should he understand what it was like to have your choice in sparing an innocent victim stripped from you. Hell, having all choice robbed from you as you are subjected to pain and torment. But there was no mistaking his compassion.

  “The blood of every life you took is on Kadir and Azazel’s heads, not yours, and I won’t rest until theirs is on mine.” She blinked at the vehemence in his tone, touched by his protectiveness. Sure, it was the nature of a Dark Warrior to protect civilians, as well as, humans, but this felt like something more. “Let’s not talk about them anymore. You need to eat.” He held her gaze as he pushed the tray through the slot.

  She reached out and grasped the wood platter, their hands touching in the process. Immediately, she was propelled to another world. Disoriented, she had no idea if she had actually traveled somewhere or if she was in a memory. What she did know was that she was now standing in a meadow she was certain she’d never been to before.

  The scenery was breathtaking, full of purple heather as far as the eye could see. There was a chill in the air and she glanced down to see that she was wearing a coarse cotton dress unlike any she’d ever seen.

  The material was thick and rough against her palms and extremely heavy. The blue and green tartan fabric of the skirt went to her ankles and billowed about her body. Her top was white and had so many layers she didn’t know how to move. She felt the restriction of a corset underneath. The device smashed her ribcage and made it difficult to breathe. Her breasts were practically overflowing the low neckline and there was a black vest tied over the outside of her blouse. The whole outfit reminded her of clothes from centuries earlier.

  “Goddess, where the hell am I?” she whispered. She took several steps and a rock bit into the bottom of her foot. Cursing, she lifted her foot and saw that she wore thin, silk slippers that provided no protection. They had to be the worst excuse for footwear she’d ever seen.

  “Evanna,” a low, husky voice murmured into her ear. She whipped her head around and nearly fell over. Gerrick was standing before her, but didn’t look anything like the warrior she’d met.

  He had a huge smile on a handsome face that was free of the scar. His blonde hair was long and tied in a tail at the nape of his neck rather than the short cut she was familiar with. His ice-blue eyes sparkled with warmth and invited her into their depths. There was nothing remotely cold or distant in his expression. This was not the warrior who had fought like he had nothing to lose.

  His dress wasn’t as foreign to her as her own. She recognized the kilt and billowy top as was common to the Scottish. He even wore knee-high socks and black shoes, as well as, the small pouch tied around his waist. He was gorgeous and she couldn’t help but wonder what he wore under the kilt.

  He pulled her into his arms, kissing her on the mouth and she knew his embrace, his taste. She melted into him, playing her lips across his. A gasp escaped as he pulled her tight against his broad chest and enveloped her in his strong arms. Gone was the pain and disgust that she had felt when she was touched. To have a male evoke passion and desire rocked her.

  She ran her hands over his biceps and wrapped them around his neck, tunneling her fingers into the silky strands of his hair. He made sounds of pleasure against her mouth while she pulled the leather tie free. Gripping his hair, she nipped his lower lip, preparing herself for her fangs to descend but she didn’t feel her fangs at all. She also didn’t feel any bloodlust.

  She opened her mouth to ask him what was going on, but he took advantage and slid his tongue inside. He was aggressive and took charge, taking what he wanted from her. All thought but of this male and his kiss fled her mind. He was everywhere at once. Tugging at the strings of her blouse, he loosened it before he broke the kiss. Lifting her head, she sucked in a breath. “Gerrick,” she intoned.

  “Mmmm,” he murmured against her neck as he caressed her side, making his way to her breast. “You feel so good, Evanna.” Two things should have intruded into the intimacy of the moment, but there wasn’t enough room in her brain. One, he was speaking with an accent she hadn’t noticed before, and two, he’d called her Evanna. Who the hell was Evanna? What was going on? Her name was Shae…wasn’t it?

  She opened her mouth to ask a question, only to shut it when he chanted a spell that caused the fabric draped over his shoulder to float to the ground, acting as a blanket. He kissed his way back to her lips, coaxing her to the ground. He fisted the length of her hair and brought it over her shoulder before she lay down.

  The strands were blonde. Startled, she looked up into his eyes. He laid his palm over her cheek and the vision ended as quickly as it began.

  Between one blink and the next, she was back in the dungeon and Gerrick was standing in front of her with his hand against her cheek. She jerked back and nearly spilled the contents on her tray.

  “Where’d you go? You froze up for several minutes,” he commented.

  She must be losing her mind. “Do I know you?”

  “Yeah. We met a few hours ago when we rescued you from Kadir.” He stepped back and leaned against the wall behind him, crossing his ankles, confusion clear on his face.

  “No, I mean before that. I could swear…” she trailed off not sure what to s
ay to him. No way was she going to admit to him that she imagined making out with him in a field of flowers, dressed in clothes from centuries ago.

  “We’ve never met before that. I wouldn’t forget you,” he admitted. He may have been standing there with his arms relaxed at his sides as if he didn’t have a care in the world, but his eyes told another story. He was attracted to her, as well, but it was obvious he didn’t like it. “Eat,” he ordered.

  She sat on the bed and crossed her legs, picking up the bowl. Groaning as she took a bite, the rich, warm broth tasted like heaven. “Thanks for bringing this to me. I figured I wasn’t going to get food,” she remarked.

  He scowled at her. “Did you think we would let you starve? We aren’t savages, Shae.”

  She chewed and swallowed the bite in her mouth and narrowed her eyes at him. “I know Zander would never torture one of his subjects like that. I just figured that with the failed experiment, feeding me wouldn’t be a priority tonight.”

  “You don’t know the Dark Warriors very well, then. None of you are experiments,” he practically snarled, he was so angry. “Jace told me what you said. He never meant to harm her.”

  “I know that. He mentioned that he didn’t know what affect the antidote would have on us. I could see how upset he was by what happened. I don’t know what came over me…I just reacted. But, Goddess, I’ve never seen anything like that and trust me, I saw plenty while I was held prisoner.”

  “I can only imagine what you saw in that lair. I know all too well what they are capable of. Death and destruction follow in their wake, but thankfully, we put a wrench in their plans when we freed you guys.”

  She looked down at her bowl and realized she’d devoured the meal in record time, belatedly thinking she should have eaten slower. Her stomach wasn’t used to food and it was cramping, but she had to admit that Gerrick had been right. It was the best stew she’d ever eaten. It was beyond her comprehension that her Queen had done something as menial as cook this meal. She couldn’t wait to tell her mom that the Vampire Queen had cooked for her. Her mom would be as shocked as Shae. In Shae’s mind, the royal family was above such tasks, especially knowing they had servants to do it for them. They had a far more important job of leading the vampires.