“Mr Kellerman, I presume. I recognise the car and number plate from when they dumped Aisline here.” Kelton’s voice was grim. He wasn’t relishing meeting this man face to face.
He knew that this meeting could have gone a lot worse. Kelton had already called the family to tell them the good news, that they had got Aisline back with them. He had done his duty over the phone and wasn’t looking forward to an up close confrontation with this man. He’d had a problem with this guy since the moment he had abandoned his daughter, and his attitude problem sucked.
The way that the man had, for all intent and purposes, disowned his daughter when the mark of the warrior had first appeared, and then once again denying her when Kelton had called to advise them of the abduction, none of it had warmed Kelton to this individual. It all counted against him in Kelton’s mind. How could he not know what a special kid he had? How could he lower himself to publically deny her like that? It was beyond comprehension. There was no way that he could redeem himself in Kelton’s eyes now.
He wondered briefly how Mr Kellerman had gotten there quite so quickly. It wasn’t that long ago that Kelton had contacted the family to let them know that Aisline was safe. The man must have either had his driver break all the speed limits to get there, or he had set out before receiving word. Strange.
The doorbell rang and Kelton was half tempted to outright ignore it. That would serve him right, to stand out there in the cold after the way that he had treated his daughter. Unfortunately, Kelton had been raised better than that and swearing softly under his breath, he pressed the button on the intercom. “Yes?”
“Hello? Yes? This is Andre Kellerman. I am here to see Mr Kelton, um, uh, Master Warrior Kelton. It is with regards to my, um, uh, daughter, Aisline Kellerman.”
The man sounded incredibly nervous. As he should be. He had sent his daughter packing and had abandoned her when she had needed his love and support the most. Kelton knew that he would have to muster all of his internal strength to restrain himself. The temptation to knock this poor excuse of a man through the wall would be overpowering.
Damn. He even despised the sound of the man’s voice.
“Enter.” Kelton barked abruptly and released the door lock.
“Kelton…” Kayleigh said with a non-too-subtle warning in her tone.
Turning to look at her, he smirked and raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“You know exactly what.” She didn’t think much of this man either, but when all was said and done, he was still Aisline’s father and they had to treat him accordingly.
She threw a quick glance at the door and saw Mr Kellerman struggling to push open the heavy glass door, “Kelton, wait a minute.” She put a hand on his arm. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
“What’s wrong?”
“With everything happening so fast tonight, I haven’t had the chance to tell you that Mr Kellerman came to the academy just after you all left to get Aisline back. We didn’t really have the most productive conversation, I guess you could say. He was threatening lawyers and the like. I don’t think he appreciated my response.” She paused to look down at the ground. “I kind of threw him out.”
Kelton was quiet for a moment. He put a finger under her chin to force her to meet his eyes. “Literally?” There was an amused glint in his eyes.
“No, tempting though it was.” Kayleigh laughed softly.
“Shame.” He grinned, trying to hide a grimace at the pain that bloomed across his face.
Arranging their faces back to serious solemnity, they turned as one when Mr Kellerman finally fought his way through the doors. Kelton cocked an eyebrow at Kayleigh before they both moved forward to greet Aisline’s father.
The man was just how Kelton had expected him to be. Short, balding and just old enough, or stressed enough, for the tell-tale signs of the ageing process to show. Spineless. The man looked like the coward that he was. His designer suit wasn’t the sort of armour that could help him dominate in this world.
“Mr Kelton?” Andre Kellerman asked, trying to pump his chest out a bit and failing miserably. It was clear that he was feeling intimidated by Kelton’s sheer size.
“Master Warrior Kelton.” He corrected the man with a stony glare.
“Um. Yes. Indeed.”
There was a moment of awkward silence. The men stood sizing one another up. One found the other lacking, and the other? Well, it was obvious to anyone that Kellerman was bricking it.
Kayleigh didn’t have much of a choice but to try and diffuse some of the tension that was building. “Mr Kellerman, would you like to come this way, please? I am sure that we can find somewhere a little more suitable and comfortable to talk than standing here.” She tried to smile somewhat sympathetically, but it was a tough one. He was back on their territory now and Kelton wouldn’t take kindly to any threats that he would make. Mr Kellerman had better behave himself this time or there would be hell to pay. Especially after the night that Kelton had just had. Lawyers wouldn’t be able to help him out of that kind of pickle.
Turning slightly, she held out an arm to usher them down the corridor, allowing Kelton to lead the way. She knew that Kelton would have probably preferred to follow them in, knowing that having a warrior of his size looming up behind him would have freaked the hell out of Mr Kellerman, but he grudgingly followed Kayleigh’s instructions.
“Please take a seat, Mr Kellerman.” Kayleigh tried smiling again as the moved into one of the larger conference rooms. It was a spacious room with a large walnut table seating twenty people that dominated the room. Thankfully, the warriors had cleaned up after themselves so the room was clean and professional looking. Appearances were a lot in Mr Kellerman’s world and, although she didn’t care about impressing him, Kayleigh wanted to show that the warriors weren’t all savages. She wasn’t to show that they were civilised as well as protectors. She knew that she would have to do most of the talking here, as Kelton more often than not sounded like he was barking orders. That wouldn’t be very productive right now.
Kelton sat at the head of the table and took a moment to compose himself. He had to remember that this man was still part of the community that he had sworn to protect. Moreover, he had to remember that it was this man’s daughter who had gone missing whilst in his care.
“Did you receive the message? I spoke to your wife. We found Aisline.”
Aisline’s father suddenly sat bolt upright and a look of immense relief spread across his pompous features. It was blatantly obvious that he hadn’t heard the news yet. Both Kelton and Kayleigh were surprised to see the man’s eyes start to swim with tears. “Is she-?”
“She’s alive. She’ll recover. Aisline is under the best medical care here at the academy.”
Andre Kellerman put his head in his hands and let out an anguished groan. Kelton was shocked at the emotional display. It was unusual for a man of his reputation and standing. The man was clearly affected, but it still didn’t alter Kelton’s opinion of him.
It crossed Kelton’s mind that he probably wasn’t making the best impression on the man, either. Not that he particularly cared too much. His attire was torn and tattered, but he was a warrior that had just participated in a bloody skirmish, for Christ’s sake. Half of his clothes had been torn off or burned in the fight and he was still covered in sweat, blood and other unmentionables. Hell, he was covered in Aisline’s blood. The man’s daughter’s blood was coating his skin, crusting now that it was dry. Kelton thought that it may do the man some good to see the extent that they would go to, protecting one of their own.
“Master Kelton.” Andre cleared his throat uncomfortably. “I wish to see my daughter. But, before I do, I must offer you my most sincere apologies. And also to you, my dear lady.”
Stunned silence enveloped the room. Kelton had come across men like this one before and he had never, ever known one to apologise for their actions, or ever admit that they were wrong. This was a first for him.
“The l
ast time I entered this building, I was out of my mind with worry for my daughter. However, that does not excuse my behaviour. I expressed the concern that I was feeling in the most inappropriate manner. I was wrong. I have been wrong. I know that because of this, my daughter has suffered greatly.
Kelton glanced briefly at Kayleigh to see if she was buying this and to his surprise, Kayleigh was smiling softly with understanding, nodding in acknowledgement of his words.
Andre continued. “A female warrior, the very first of her kind. It should have been a wonder to behold. It was not something that I should have banished, like a dirty little secret. I understand that now and I deeply regret my actions. For that, I will need to apologise to my daughter.”
Both Kelton and Kayleigh were so taken aback that they couldn’t respond for a moment. Still Kelton remained partially sceptical. It all sounded a little too well rehearsed for his liking. Not that he was rude enough to call the man out on it. Kelton was just relieved that Mr Kellerman was here to reconnect with his daughter. Hopefully, the soothing presence of having a family member in her life would go a long way to aiding her recovery.
As Kelton nodded stiffly, Kayleigh proceeded to usher Mr Kellerman out of the conference room and down to the medical suite to see his daughter. Kelton breathed out a sigh of relief. He was glad that it was over and done with and, noticing the time, he headed straight for his private suite of rooms that he shared with Kayleigh. He was beyond exhausted and all he wanted to do right then was to lock the door and hide from any further problems until he had some rest.
Sleep. That was what he needed right now. He had all the good intentions of staying awake after he got out of the shower, waiting for Kayleigh to return. That didn’t happen. He was mentally and physically worn out by the night’s activities.
His last thought before sleep dragged him into unconsciousness was that he hoped for a peaceful day. Nothing else could go wrong, could it?
Chapter Three.
Kelton rolled over and flung out his arm. The space next to him was cold and empty. Cracking open an eye, he frowned slightly when he realised that Kayleigh was nowhere in sight. She was the first thing that he liked to set eyes on – it was the best way to start his day.
Knowing that there was no use in just lying there, he got up to grab a quick shower. He still felt like he was caked in dirt from the bloody battle last night, even though he had been spotlessly clean before getting into bed. That was usually the way he was left feeling after coming up against the enemy. Dirty. Tainted.
Scrubbing up in double quick time, Kelton dressed casually in his work out gear. After everything that had happened, he was planning on giving the trainees an easy day and taking it easy himself. His muscles were aching like a bitch and his head was banging so hard it felt like it was going to combust.
Stepping out of the bathroom, Kelton grinned like a Cheshire cat when he saw Kayleigh sitting on their bed waiting for him. She was a sight for sore eyes. No matter how much she tried to dress down, she could never manage to hide her natural beauty. Even the old ripped jeans and checked shirt that she was wearing managed to look incredibly sexy. The way that her auburn hair fell over her shoulders in unfettered casual waves was beautiful. Kelton loved the fact that she didn’t feel the need to cake her face in layers of make-up, which was entirely unnecessary anyway. She was naturally stunning and Kelton couldn’t believe his luck that he had her in his life.
“Morning, beautiful.” He said as he swooped in to give her a minty fresh kiss on the lips. “Where were you? I missed you.”
“How could you miss me? You were sleeping.” She laughed.
“Easy. I always know when you’re not next to me. It feels like something’s missing.”
“You were so exhausted that I don’t think you would have realised if an elephant had crawled into bed with you.”
Kelton laughed.
Kayleigh tenderly drew a finger along his stubbly jaw line. She preferred it when he didn’t shave, the stubble gave him a dangerous edge and he looked goddamn hot. “I couldn’t sleep. I went down to check on those in the medical suite.”
“How are things going down there?”
“Well, Ray has officially been discharged, but he’s still been ordered to rest up so he’ll be off rotation for a few days at least.”
“You know he won’t like that.” Kelton rolled his eyes and chuckled. Ray was one of the warriors that had been hurt last night, but a few knocks and bruises wouldn’t keep him down for long.
“Jackson was much better after a good night’s sleep and Aisline says that she’s bored already.”
“Sounds like things are going better than expected.”
“Yeah, the wounds weren’t half as bad as we thought they were. There was a lot of surface blood that had been smeared around, making it look worse than it was.” Kayleigh shuddered when she thought of what the girl looked like when they’d first brought her back in. “Doctor Phillippe is pleased with the recovery rate so far.”
Kelton sighed in relief.
Kayleigh smirked. “Apparently, it wasn’t the patients that were giving them the trouble down there. Trey, Dylan and Jase refused to leave until they’d seen Jackson and Ash. Trey gave her some space when her father visited with her, but when they finally managed to get Jackson out of her room, Trey took up residence.” Not that she thought that there was anything else in it, they were friends. The best of friends. Trey was simply concerned. It was sweet to see.
“You know that I should really punish them for that.” Kelton laughed. “But, it’s great to see the bond that’s building between them all. They’ll make a formidable team out there on the streets.”
“Talking of bonds,” Kayleigh leaned in with another juicy bit of gossip. “Jackson went against doctor’s orders and repeatedly visited Aisline’s room, sitting with her while she was out of it.”
“It was pretty obvious before all of this that something was going on between them. I had an inkling before, but the way that he demanded to go out on the mission last night confirmed it. The boys got it bad.”
Kayleigh grinned. “I think they make a cute couple.”
“Hmm. We’ll see.” Kelton gently rubbed his temples, feeling the raging headache notching up.
“Are you okay?”
“Don’t worry. It’s just a headache. It’s nothing to worry about.” A killer headache, he added silently. “I’ll take a couple of tablets to take the edge off and I’ll be fine.” He said that purely to stop her from worrying about him. Tablets weren’t going to touch this bad boy – it already felt like a heavy metal band was playing a personal concert up in there, the bass and screaming thumping through his skull.
Kayleigh quickly got up to fetch him some painkillers and a glass of water. He smiled at her gratefully.
“I’m going to go back down there in a minute. I’ve already sent Trey, Dylan and Jase back to their rooms, but I have the feeling that they weren’t exactly ready to leave and probably didn’t make it all the way out.” Kayleigh raised her eyebrows comically.
“Well, tell them that they have got to catch up on some sleep and if they don’t give in and leave voluntarily, they’ll be doing circuits in the gym with me until they drop.”
Kayleigh laughed. “That should be a good enough incentive to get their butts moving.”
“Go kick some ass, Leigh.” Kelton pulled her close for a quick hug.
Rapid fire knocking on the door to their suite interrupted their rare moment of peace.
“Sir? Warrior Kelton?” A voice called through the door.
Kelton growled softly under his breath. This was the last thing he needed. Everybody knew not to bother him here. This was his haven.
Just what he needed, another piece of drama to start off the night. He already had his day planned and it involved giving the trainees some well-earned time off while he holed up in his office, clearing the never ending list of emails and phone calls. Worst still, he was dog tired and in no mood t
o sort out any more mess. Couldn’t the problems wait at least until he had his first cup of coffee? If he had his way, he’d crawl back into bed and sleep for the next hundred years with Kayleigh by his side. Sadly, that was not to be.
“Sir?” The voice called out again.
Kelton ran a hand over his face, silently cursing.
“Kelton, be nice. It must be important if they’ve come to find you here.” Kayleigh warned him with a mock frown.
He rolled his eyes. The sooner he found out what the caller wanted, the sooner they would go away. Not that he would be able to talk Kayleigh into going back to bed for a while. She was up and clearly on a mission to check on the wounded. Stretching out his back with a crack, he called, “What is it?”
“I’m sorry to disturb you, but the guy on the security at the front desk told me to come and find you right away. There’s someone at the front of the building asking for you.” The voice shouted through the wooden door that Kelton still wasn’t too inclined to open.
Wonderful, Kelton thought to himself in a dull tone. Who was he going to have to deal with now? Who would be coming here so early? He knew that Andre Kellerman had already gone home and it was doubtful that he would be returning quite so quickly. Jackson’s family couldn’t get to the academy to visit him just yet, and everyone else had been dealt with via email or phone. He had no idea who it could be.
With another weary groan, Kelton suddenly thought that it was probably going to be one of the council members, coming to check up on him. That was something that was way down on his list of priorities to deal with. Anyway, whoever it was, they were sure to add even more stress to his day and that was something he really could do without.
Kelton moved steadily to the door, opening it up to find Trey standing there, shuffling nervously.
“Trey?”
“Sir.”
“I thought that Kayleigh sent you to your room. What are you doing out?”
Trey cleared his throat, “The security guy collared me on my way up. I said that I would come and pass the message on.”
Dawn of a New Age: A Sons of Satrina Novel Page 3
