He wasn’t just protective. It was more than that. Jackson didn’t know that she had heard the words that he said when he thought that she was unconscious. If he did, she knew that he would probably run a mile. Jackson wasn’t big on sharing emotions. Look where it got them last time. He’d been all moody and when she’d called him out on it, they’d ended up making out. Not that it lasted long before he pushed her away and ran.
At the time, she had been really pissed at him. The last thing she had wanted when she came to the academy was some kind of romance to detract her attention away from her training. But, her feelings for Jackson had snuck up on her. It hurt to have him push her away like that, but it was probably for the best. This thing between them was just too complicated.
Deep down she knew, especially now, that starting something up with him would be complete madness. She knew it and he knew it. That was why they both had tried to keep their feelings under wraps. It would be a mistake to take things any further. They couldn’t be together and both be warriors, and being a warrior wasn’t something that they could change. If you had the Sons of Satrina warrior mark, that was your destiny already mapped out for you.
Aisline couldn’t regret receiving the mark. Sure, it had been a hell of a shock when it had appeared out the blue and turned her whole life upside down, but she didn’t regret it. So many good things had happened to her and her life had meaning now. She was no longer stuck in a place where she had to defy her parents at every turn just to try and live her own life. She was living it now.
Sitting down on the bed, Aisline laughed as a cloud of dust floated up into the air. She could tell it was going to be a long tiring night, getting her room ready. She didn’t have the energy for it, so she settled for taking the dusty old covers off the bed and laid down, still in her clothes. She couldn’t be bothered to change. Her eyes were closing and her brain was heading into oblivion even before her head his the dust covered pillow.
Jackson’s crew was one of the last to pack up, helping out the others where they could before heading out to the new location. There were still a few stragglers, but most had already relocated.
The academy looked bare and lifeless. In a way, he was glad to get out of there. It’s true what they say, it isn’t the building that makes a home. It was truly like the life had gone out of it with the warriors and trainees gone. The eerie silence had grated on him.
The car full of trainees had fallen silent as they wound their way up the seemingly never ending drive way. Trees grew up into the sky, curving into one another to make a blanket that blocked out the dark night sky. It was almost like a tunnel into another world.
As they drove up to the front of the mansion, Jackson felt his jaw go slack. The place looked positively enormous in comparison to the old place. In all fairness, the academy site in Brandestowen was huge, but it just wasn’t as obvious on the outside as this place was. It had burrowed deep into the ground, branching off under several oblivious human buildings. This mansion was something else altogether.
He had already lost count of how many people around him had said that it was a wonder than no one knew about this place. Sure, it was a little off the beaten track, but it wasn’t exactly inconspicuous. Four floors of imposing stone rising out of the earth wasn’t something that was easy to overlook.
It was quite a way from the nearest civilisation. You could barely see the twinkling lights of Mason from here. It was incredibly peaceful, without the sound of constant traffic drowning out the sounds of nature. Jackson loved it on sight.
Jackson had a damn good feeling about this place. It looked very olde-worlde. Traditional. Yes, he knew that the warriors would fill it with their modern lifestyles, technology and equipment, but this place wouldn’t let them over run it. There was too much history here. It was the perfect place to house a band of warriors and trainees, working to protect their race. It looked official. Imposing.
“Can you each grab a couple of boxes on your way in?” Kayleigh called out to them all as she opened up the large mahogany double door upon seeing their arrival.
She ran a hand through her tangled hair. Kayleigh knew that she looked a total mess, but that was the least of her problems right now. They had been working non-stop since Kelton had sent them up to the house to clean up. It hadn’t been easy and, if being honest, it barely looked like they’d put a dent in it. It was frustrating to say the least. She had multiple blisters on her hands and her skin felt dry and chapped from all the cleaning products they’d been using. But still, they were nowhere near done. The rest of the trainees were going to have to pitch in and work their asses off to get this place first liveable and then presentable, and that was before they could even think about taking up training again.
In all fairness, the old place wasn’t actually half as bad as she had first thought it was going to be when walking in. It could have been so much worse. As it was, it was simply an abandoned building that needed plenty of tender love and care. And a hell of a lot of dusting.
They had managed to clean up the ballroom and the grand hall so there wasn’t an inch of dust coating every single surface at least. It was still far from perfect, but it was a major improvement. There was no way that the boys could have slept in there with all that grime and dust floating about. They would have all been sneezing instead of sleeping. Kelton had advised her that they would need to set up some kind of temporary dorm room for the trainees and warriors until they spruced up the rest of the place and allocated permanent sleeping arrangements. Kayleigh had liked the idea of that. It was a bit of fun in the middle of all this seriousness. Kind of like setting up a camp for the boys. Or maybe she liked the idea of it because she knew that she wouldn’t be sleeping in there with them. All those boys under one room was sure to spell trouble.
Surprisingly, she didn’t have any trouble with the team that she’d brought up with her. Even more surprisingly, Denver had followed all of her instructions to the letter and without a single complaint. She had half expected him to bitch and gripe about the manual labour, but he didn’t utter a single word. He carried out everything that was expected of him and even pitched in to help the others if and when they needed it. Kayleigh knew that he was feeling terrible about the part he had played in Aisline’s abduction, hence the meek and quiet mood. It was strange to see the cocky side of him fade into the background like that, but she had a strong feeling that it wouldn’t be gone for long. He’d bounce back. Denver was feeling a lot of raw emotions right now, and probably felt quite foolish, but in time, his cocksure confidence would return with a vengeance.
Kayleigh watched after box after box after box was removed from the convoy of cars and vans that lined the driveway. It seemed never ending. Car, vans and lorry’s that were all loaded up with furniture, equipment and trainees pulled up, unloaded, only to be replaced with another vehicle that started the cycle all over again. It was really quite amazing to see how much stuff they had managed to fit into the old place and she wondered where they were going to find the room for it all in this new place.
She was thoroughly exhausted. Taking a breather, she watched as the men followed her instructions as to where to put the boxes in various locations. The downstairs of the mansion was rapidly filling up with boxes piled in every available space, but it was still a jumble. There was no way to get everything to the right place when they still hadn’t worked out the set up that would work for them. None of the rooms were ready yet and, apart from the sleeping quarters on the upper floors, they still hadn’t designated any rooms for specific purposes. That was something else that was going to have to wait.
This whole task was a little on the daunting side. They had to pack up their whole lives and move it in one single night. She knew that Kelton had already made sure to get the vast majority of their things out of there tonight and he was planning on returning the next night with a small team to retrieve the rest that had been left behind. She knew that he wouldn’t be satisfied until he had gotten every
thing out of there. There was no way that he wouldn’t want a single item of theirs getting into the hands of the Mortuorum, no matter how insignificant.
Jackson was walking up the wide stone staircase that led up to the front doors, still looking around in pleasant surprise at the sight of their new home. Kayleigh frowned at him a little as she took in the vivid bruising that was blooming across his face. That was turning into one hell of a black eye.
“How are you feeling, Jackson?” she asked, concerned that he may have been overdoing it. Jackson was never one to shy away from hard work, even if he was feeling out of sorts.
“I’m fine, thanks.” He shrugged. “Where do you want these?”
Kayleigh checked the label on the box. “If you just put it in there with those other boxes for the time being.” She pointed to the room behind her. “We’ll be sorting out the library soon enough. There’s the perfect place for it on the first floor, but it’s nowhere near ready yet.”
Jackson moved by her without any comment, and set the box on the ground next to where the others were already piled with the same label.
Kayleigh put out a hand to stop him as he made a move to leave the room. “How are you feeling really? I don’t want you pushing yourself too hard. You’re still healing.”
“I’m fine.”
Kayleigh sighed. Jackson was a typical warrior. He would never let anything or anyone stop him from doing what needed to be done. As long as he could keep standing and keep going, then he would do so. They were a stubborn bunch, those warriors. It was more than a little aggravating on occasion. They would rather push themselves to exhaustion than give up or give in. Sure, it was an admirable quality, but frustrating for those around them.
“Go on, then.” She waved him off, knowing that there would be no use trying to stop him from doing any more. She’d be wasting her breath.
Moving through the entryway, she poked her head into the cavernous ballroom. It was an enormous space and it was easy to imagine this place back in the old days; playing host to men in tuxedos and women in extravagant ball-gowns. It looked a little out of place set up as a makeshift dormitory for a bunch of rowdy boys.
Kayleigh walked over to crouch down on her knees in front of Marshall. He was laid on one of the more comfortably made beds that they could muster as short notice. He was looking more rested than he had before, but his watery old eyes showed the strain of the stress that he’d been through. He smiled broadly when he saw her approach, his head resting on several plumped pillows.
“How are you doing, Marshall? Is everything okay? Is there anything I can get for you?”
“I’m feeling much better now, my dear. Everyone has taken excellent care of my. I am very grateful for your hospitality.”
“That’s wonderful to hear.” She patted his hand gently. “If you need anything, anything at all, just say the word.”
“Will do. I think that I just need to rest up for a bit longer and I’ll be as good as new in no time.”
Kayleigh carefully brought the blanket up around him, arranging it carefully around his body. “That’s the best idea I’ve heard. You’ll feel like a spring chicken after a good night’s sleep.” She assured him with a smile.
Marshall’s eyes were already closing as she turned to walk away. Kayleigh planned on going to find Doctor Phillippe to see how she was doing and if she needed any further help. The doctor had definitely had her hands full for the last few nights and if there was anything she could do to lessen the load, she would. They’d been close friends for several years and although Kayleigh had no medical expertise, she was always happy to help out in any way she could.
Luckily, it didn’t take her too long to find her in the midst of the hustle and bustle. “Marion!” she called out as soon as she saw her striding across the expanse of the entrance hall.
“Kayleigh,” the doctor smiled as soon as she saw her friend, “How are things going for you?”
“Everything’s a total mess.” Kayleigh rolled her eyes. “It shouldn’t take us all too long to get things in some sense of order, but this pig sty is driving me nuts already.”
“You know what the warriors are like. They won’t let it stay like this for long. They’re never satisfied until a job is complete.”
“You’re not wrong there.” Kayleigh smiled. “Is there anything you need any help with?”
“There are still some beds that need to be made up for the trainees if you’re feeling up to it. The frames and mattresses are in place and the sheets are folded up on each bed.” Marion Phillippe had taken good care of the injured and was now running around after the warrior, making sure that they were fed, watered and getting enough rest. There was so much to do and dawn was approaching fast on their heels. Everyone had to muck in where they could.
Kayleigh smiled. “I’m on it.” She knew that the warriors were more than capable of making their own beds, but after all the hard work they’d put it, she knew that most of them would rather collapse on top of an unmade bed rather than making an attempt to make it.
She turned with a smile to get right on with it. “Oh!” she exclaimed as the world in front of her started to spin out of control. She flung a hand out to steady herself and fumbled to grasp the wall.
“Kayleigh?”
She slid down to sit heavily on the floor, unable to support her own weight for a second longer. The world was quickly starting to calm down to an unnerving sea-sickness type tilt as opposed to spiralling out of control. Sickness washed over her in a wave. Leaning her body carefully, she bent her head between her knees, breathing deeply and praying that she didn’t throw up. Being sick was one of the things she hated most in the world and it made her cry like a baby.
“Kayleigh? What’s wrong?” Marion said, concern clouding her voice as she put a hand to Kayleigh’s forehead, immediately running back in medical mode.
“I’m fine. I just went a little dizzy for a moment. I’ll be fine in a minute.”
“You don’t seem to have a fever. Have you eaten today? Do you need to visit with the donors?”
Kayleigh smiled sheepishly. “There’s been no time to eat. We’ve had so much to do that I didn’t even think of that.”
Marion frowned. “You stay right there and I’ll go and get you something to eat. You need to take better care of yourself.”
“No, honestly, I’ll be okay.” Kayleigh put her hands on the floor to push herself back up, but the doctor stabbed her back down with a pointed stare.
“I said stay there and I meant it.” Marion turned and jogged off before Kayleigh could put up any argument, which would have been pointless anyway. When Marion was in doctor-mode, there was no stopping her.
Kayleigh laid her head back against the cool wall and sighed. This was the last thing she needed to happen right now. Marion was right. She should have taken better care of herself and made the time to have something to eat. If she had, this could have all been avoided. But, in her defence, they’d had so much to do that it hadn’t even crossed her mind.
Bracing herself against the wall, Kayleigh carefully stood up. She couldn’t afford to be sitting around on the floor. Not that she would go against Marion, because the doctor could be fierce when she chose to be. Marion had told her to stay there and she would, just not on the floor. The last thing she needed was for someone to come out and see her like that and tell Kelton. He had enough on his plate without worrying about her.
Kayleigh felt a little better now she was upright against. The dizziness had passed and the sickness was receding. Seeing Marion come rushing back with a sandwich, her stomach rumbled and Kayleigh grinned guiltily.
After eating as per the doctor’s orders, Kayleigh finally convinced her that she was fine and Marion reluctantly let her go.
Not that she was going to get anything else done tonight, Kayleigh was feeling dead on her feet. She knew that she was going to have to be sensible and call it a night. However, she wanted to go and find Kelton first. They had arranged
to have one of the small suites on the first floor and she’d already cleaned it up as best she could. All she could think about now was curling up in the bed and sleeping wrapped around the man she loved.
It wasn’t going to be as easy as all that, though. No matter where she looked, she couldn’t find Kelton. Eventually, she saw one of the warriors who told her that they were expecting him back at any minute. He’d gone back to the Brandestowen. Apparently, he’d wanted to go and check on the teams that had been sent out on security detail, checking on the safety of the civilians. Kayleigh was disappointed, but she planned on going up to the room and staying awake until he got back.
That didn’t go to plan, either. Her body and mind were so tired that no matter how much she tried to keep awake, sleep wasn’t having any of it. It was determined to take hold of her and no amount of fighting could stop that.
It wasn’t the first time she had gone to sleep without him. There had been many, many nights that he had still been out on duty when she had fallen into bed, but tonight, she wanted him with her. She needed him.
Stirring in the middle of the day, Kayleigh felt strong arms slipping around her protectively. She smiled sleepily and turned to snuggle up against his warm, solid chest. Now, finally, she could sleep peacefully.
Chapter Eight.
The clean-up operation was immense. They spent days and days just making the place liveable. The amount of dust and grime that was caked into every surface made it seem like an impossible task, but the beauty of the place was starting to shine through.
Dawn of a New Age: A Sons of Satrina Novel Page 8
