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

by Brenda Trim

  Zander’s voice brought his attention away from what Jace was doing and his words had the tension returning ten-fold. “That willna be enough to prove your innocence. It may prove that you were under the influence but that doesna mean anything. You could have taken drugs of your own accord, after all. We need more proof than that or you will face the sentence. My hands are tied.” Zander spread his arms, palms up and shrugged his shoulders. It was clear the king wanted to believe he wasn’t responsible, but there was only so much he could do. Just the fact that he had allowed him to voice his position spoke volumes about Zander.

  It was one thing to be given the chance to prove his innocence, but he had no idea how he was going to go about it. Zander was right. The circumstantial evidence was damning and there were no witnesses he could call on. The only other person that had been in the house was dead. Caine’s gut dropped to the floor and he was having difficulty breathing. This couldn’t be happening. It was a nightmare that would never end. “How much time do I have?” Jace withdrew the needle and swiped the drop of blood that escaped before his natural healing took care of the wound.

  Zander glanced down and pinched his forehead with his thumb and first finger. “I can give you seventy-two hours. No more.” He looked up then and Caine saw the regret and sorrow in his blue eyes. “Jace will place a tracker under your forearm that will allow us to know where you are at all times. If you try to remove it, it will kill you. It will also compel you to return for sentencing at the end of that time.”

  As a full-blown panic attack struck him, Caine hardly felt Jace implant the device. His head was swimming, he couldn’t draw a breath, was sweating profusely and his pulse was racing as if it could escape this reality. “Seventy-two hours isn’t enough time. You know I really only have half that amount of time, since I can’t go out during the day. What am I supposed to do?”

  Jace placed a compassionate hand on his shoulder and drew his attention. He found it difficult to focus on what the Dark Warrior was saying and had to shake his head to clear the fog. “Only magic will be able to solve this mystery. I suggest going to the Rowan sisters. They helped me with a rather ugly situation and they’ve helped many others in the realm, as well. In fact, if rumor is to be believed, they are next in line for Wiccan leadership. Anyway, it hurts nothing to ask and they can investigate during the daylight hours.”

  Zander walked into his line of sight. “Jace is right. They are a valuable resource. They have a shop downtown, Black Moon Sabbat. Bring me that evidence, Caine. You have seventy-two hours or I will be forced to put you to death.”

  *****

  “Oooh, look at this silver Druzy. I bet it sparkles in the sunlight. I love it. I’m keeping this one for me, it matches the color of my shoes perfectly,” Suvi yelped excitedly as she and her two sisters unpacked their replacement shipment from RockCandy Leatherworks. She’d bet that they were Shannon’s best customer given that they’d had to place an extensive order twice in less than a month. Between the car bomb and the skirmish with Cele, their store had seen its share of destruction.

  “You’re right. I never thought there would be a stone that sparkled as much as those shoes, but it does,” her sister Pema added. She heard the incredulity in her sister’s tone. Pema was the oldest of the triplets and by far the most practical.

  “You should call your BF Plain Paula and see how many calories you would burn running around in those six-inch stilettos,” Isis, the middle sister said, laughing. Suvi joined her laughter and soon all three of them were crying from laughing so hard. Plain Paula was a running joke between her and her sisters. The female was beyond annoying with her constant lectures about fitness.

  Suvi sobered and glanced around their shop. Only with the help of Isis’ mate, Braeden, had they been able to make as much progress, and in such a short amount of time, in repairing the shop. She was glad to see it finally open for business after the explosion that resulted from their magic colliding with Cele’s. That incident had been the second time in weeks that the shop had been destroyed. The first time, it had been Cele’s daughter who had attempted to kill Pema by planting a bomb in her car that was right outside their shop. In short, they may have lost everything, but it was replaceable. What mattered most was they hadn’t lost their lives.

  Suvi watched Ronan and Braeden, her sisters’ mates, roll their eyes at the gushing that was going on over the interchangeable stones for the jewelry they carried. Pema and Isis had gone back to unpacking while Suvi mused at how much their lives had changed in the past few weeks. Pema had found her mate, a bear shifter with a penchant for growling, and now Isis had her mate who brought his son. To say that their house was full was an understatement, but Suvi wouldn’t have it any other way.

  “Don’t you have enough stones? And, aren’t you supposed to be selling those?” Ronan asked Pema with a husky laugh as he crossed to her side and crushed her in an embrace. Suvi sighed at the sight. It was terribly romantic to watch them. They adored each other and couldn’t seem keep their hands off one another.

  Isis and her mate, Braeden, were also madly in love, but they didn’t express it as openly. Theirs was a stolen touch, followed by a heated gaze, probably because it was difficult for them to be more openly affectionate with Donovan around. The stripling had been through an ordeal, almost dying at the hands of Cele, and needed constant reassurance from his father and his new mother that he was safe and no one was going to hurt him again. They all doted on the stripling. It was hard not to love him with his curly, brown hair and big, blue eyes that would steal anyone’s heart.

  Donovan dropped the bags of tea and began jumping up and down, waving his tiny, little arm in the air. “Aunt Suvi always says that females can never have too many jewels. Don’t you know that, Uncle Ronan? Kids too. I love the Lil’ Rock that Shannon made me,” he squealed, holding his wrist out for everyone to see the leather strap with a black, onyx stone. Suvi couldn’t help but ruffle his hair and smile.

  “You are correct, little one. And, don’t ever forget that, either. The grumpy, old bear still doesn’t get it. What has Auntie Suvi told you about that?”

  “That I must shower my mate with love and affection and lots of jewelry and shoes. Oh, and all that growling I hear is really just Uncle Ronan play-wrestling with Aunt Pema,” Donovan responded. Suvi winked at her sister and her mate. Too many times she’d had to entertain the boy and explain what the noise was. No doubt his budding cambion senses understood the truth on some level.

  “Is that what my dad and mom were doing the night of their mating ceremony?” he asked innocently. It warmed Suvi’s heart to hear him calling Isis mom. She had worried that it would be difficult for him to embrace her sister given his loyalty to his birth mother. Not, in Suvi’s opinion, that the female deserved his allegiance in any way when she abandoned the boy as a baby and hadn’t tried to contact him even once.

  Isis choked out a laugh. “Well, Donovan. What your dad and I did was…uh,” Isis faltered and Braeden came to her rescue.

  “We were completing our mating, son. You know there are many steps to cementing our union and earning the Goddess’ blessing. The ceremony is a public part and the blood exchange is private.”

  “The best part was seeing the magic that made mom’s stone grow into her palm. It was cool,” he said grabbing Isis’ hand to look at the sapphire embedded into her sister’s palm. Suvi considered the chocolate diamond in Pema’s palm and looked down at her own, empty one, wondering when she’d find her Fated Mate and what color hers would be.

  “You’re right. It was very cool,” Braeden agreed.

  “Will my mate’s stone do the same thing? Because I think that would be awesome,” Donovan asked as he danced around the store, trampling bubble wrap as he went.

  Braeden stopped him and tickled Donovan’s tummy. “No one knows what the Goddess has in store for you. If you’re lucky you will find someone as wonderful as Isis.”

  “I hope so. Hey, does this mean I’m going
to have a little sister or brother soon?” Suvi laughed at the way Isis paled. She doubted her sister would be ready for a child for a while yet.

  The tinkling of the new chimes above their door startled her and interrupted the conversation. She hadn’t gotten used to their new sound yet, the metal’s tone was much harsher, but served its purpose. She turned around and felt the breath leave her body in one great exhale.

  A God stood before her. A male, well over six feet tall with a firmly muscled body, took up the entrance. He wasn’t like most supernatural males, either. Most were rugged and casual, preferring jeans and t-shirts. There were the exceptions and this male was one hell of an exception in his black, two-piece suit that was tailored to his sculpted body like a work of art. His shaggy, black hair didn’t fit his attire as disheveled as it was, falling into his green eyes.

  The sensation of electricity rippling through her veins stunned Suvi. There was always a rush when she practiced magic, but this was so much more than that. She was captured by his gaze and her entire being woke to pay attention. She noticed the haggard look on his face as he loosened his blue pin-striped tie, walking into the store. The way he moved reminded her of a panther and she wanted desperately to be his prey.

  “What’s wrong with Suvi, daddy?” She heard Donovan ask followed by Braeden’s chuckle.

  “You’ll understand some day, son. Come on. Let’s go get some ice cream down the street.” She heard the door sound again when Braeden and Donovan left, but she didn’t move. She couldn’t. She was rooted to the spot.

  Caught in an erotic trance, Suvi became aware that she was gawking. In her defense, any female would be in this male’s presence. The touch of her sister’s hand on her shoulder brought her out of her apodyopsis, and she blushed with embarrassment.

  “Are you the Rowan sisters?” The somber note to his deep voice had Suvi doing a double take and that’s when she noted the haunted look to his gorgeous, green eyes. She wondered what put that look there, and oddly, she wanted to put a smile on his face and make that expression disappear.

  Pema extended her hand. “Yes, we are. I’m Pema and these are my sisters, Isis and Suvi,” she pointed to them in turn. “How can we help you?” Suvi noticed how Ronan had abandoned hanging shelves and come to stand directly behind Pema.

  “I’m not sure where to begin and I don’t even know if you can help me.” He seemed nervous and out of sorts and Suvi felt compelled to promise him she’d move heaven and earth to help him. “I’m Caine DuBray. Jace and Zander thought maybe you three could help me with a situation that I have suddenly found myself in. It’s a nightmare, really.” He paused and placed his hands in his pockets. She saw the muscles flex in his neck from clenching his jaw tightly.

  Suvi was inexplicably drawn to him and overcome with a fierce need to erase the shadows. She wanted to draw him into her arms and hold him tightly. She knew what would put a smile on his face and she was all too happy to volunteer. Not that she was being entirely selfless given that she was pretty sure it would put a smile on hers, too.

  She placed her hand on his forearm, unsure when her feet had carried her to his side. The feel of the soft fabric under her palm disappeared when another electrical charge lit her up. His eyes widened and he stared at her, clearly feeling the same thing. She found her voice after several silent seconds. “We will help you. I promise. We haven’t been dubbed the prophesized triplets for nothing.”

  “Hold up, Suvi. Let’s hear what he needs help with before you go promising the moon,” Isis chided. Suvi quickly rounded on her sister, glaring daggers. Isis had her happy-ever-after and Suvi just wanted a few minutes with this magnificent male so her sister needed to back the hell off.

  “Isis,” Suvi growled.

  “No, Suvi,” Isis countered and the lights in the store flickered from the increase of emotion she was absorbing. Suvi didn’t care right then if Isis’ anger caused an earthquake and swallowed their store. Suvi was startled when she felt warm hands on her shoulders and turned her head, falling into his deep, green orbs once again.

  “Please, your sister is right. You need to hear what I ask and consider it carefully before you decide. I have been framed for a crime and face death.” Suvi listened raptly as he retold the situation he awoke to earlier that evening. In her soul, she knew that this vampire was innocent just as surely as she knew she and her sisters could do something about it. The fact that Zander had sent him to them reinforced her belief. She rubbed at her chest when an unfamiliar twisting took her breath.

  She grabbed her sisters’ hands. “I know we have Cele to deal with, but we are the only ones who can do this. We can’t let him die,” she implored.

  “This will be dangerous,” Ronan rumbled.

  Suvi whirled around, anger blazing through her. “Of course it will be dangerous, you oaf, but if it were Pema you would do whatever it took. Just because he isn’t in your little circle of friends, doesn’t mean he isn’t worth the risk.” She was shaking with fierce emotion, and at that moment, knew she’d do this, with or without her sisters, although it would be much easier with them.

  Two things happened simultaneously. Caine grabbed onto her shoulders and Pema jumped in before the situation deteriorated more. “Suvi. Of course we will do what we can. However, our priority must be on dealing with the threat Cele presents to us if we happen to find her.”

  “He only has seventy-two hours,” Suvi all but wailed.

  Caine stepped into her and cupped her cheek, awe written all over his face. “Suvi, stop and think about this. Your sister is right. You can’t allow a threat against you to go unanswered.”

  She was once again caught in his thrall. She wished she understood why he held such power over her. It wasn’t like she was unfamiliar with good-looking males. “Why would that be more important than saving your life?”

  The smile Caine gave her held the world and she wanted to live in it.

  Authors’ Note

  Thank you for reading SCARRED WARRIOR! We hope you enjoyed Gerrick and Shae’s story. Hellbound Warrior will be the fifth book in the Dark Warrior Alliance series where Rhys is forced to return to his father’s domain in Hell. Rhys discovers more in the Underworld than his festering hatred for the demon that sired him. Look for it spring 2015!

  If you haven’t discovered our Rowan sisters, be sure to check them out. Reviewers have raved that the books are filled with passion, heat, hope, love and humor. They are as fast, fun, and compelling reads! Pema’s Storm and Isis’ Betrayal are now available and Suvi’s Revenge is available to preorder.

  With new digital download trends, authors rely on readers to spread the word more than ever. Here are some ways to help us! Leave a review! Every author asks their readers to take five minutes and let others know how much you enjoyed their work. Here’s the reason why. Reviews help your favorite authors to become visible. It’s simple and easy to do. If you are a Kindle user turn to the last page and leave a review before you close your book. For other retailers, just visit their online site and leave a brief review.

  Don’t forget to visit our website: www.trimandjulka.com and like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TrimAndJulka. You will find current information about other books in this series as well as our other exciting works.

  Trust your journey and remember that your future is filled with endless possibilities! DREAM BIG!

  OTHER WORKS BY TRIM AND JULKA

  The Dark Warrior Alliance

  Dream Warrior (Dark Warrior Alliance, Book One)

  http://amzn.to/1KCAaan

  Mystik Warrior (Dark Warrior Alliance, Book Two)

  http://amzn.to/1ONjMaU

  Deviant Warrior (Dark Warrior Alliance, Book Three)

  http://amzn.to/1ONjPUq

  Mistletoe & Mayhem (Dark Warrior Alliance, Novella)

  http://amzn.to/1NI0I0x

  Scarred Warrior (Dark Warrior Alliance, Book Four)

  http://amzn.to/1TlJd6X

  The Rowan Sisters’ Trilogy


  Pema’s Storm (Rowan Sister’s Trilogy, Book One)

  http://amzn.to/202l5v4

  Isis’ Betrayal (Rowan Sister’s Trilogy, Book Two)

  http://amzn.to/202lqOv

  Suvi’s Revenge (Rowan Sister’s Trilogy, Book Three)

  http://amzn.to/202lwWv