Brailynn (A Rogue Enforcers Novel)

by Samantha McCoy

  Harriet rolled her eyes and sighed. “If Boanna told my daughter to set a protection ward,” Harriet explained. “Then Brailynn set it. And if she did, you will never find her.”

  Andrej almost took the comment as a challenge, but he remained quiet. He knew Harriet was telling him something extremely valuable.

  “Like I said, I know who you are, Andrej,” Harriet continued. “I have always known. I know you are the only one who will save my daughter from herself and lead my people and the world to find peace. That is why I sought you out all those years ago. You are the chosen. You and my Brailynn. Now, before Oscar finds me and realizes that I’m not as fragile as he thinks, find my daughter. But be careful and remember – all is not as it seems.”

  And with that, Andrej watched as Harriet turned on her heels and strolled away from them without another word. He didn’t know what to think. Or say. When Oscar and Harriet had arrived on his doorstep, they had been running from a group of Hunters who had been hellbent on taking them out. After they had witnessed Harriet saving the animal, the chase had been on. A fight for their lives. Harriet and Oscar had given them everything they had and more. And with the Hunter close on their tails every step of the way, they had been too afraid to go home. So, they’d run – never to see their daughter again.

  One small spell to heal a deer that had been hit by a car had put it all in motion and changed so many lives, forever. Andrej didn’t know a lot of the details, but he’d always thought that he had known enough.

  Until now, Andrej thought to himself; however, aloud he turned to Wallace and said, “We have to find her.”

  “This world is a scary place, my friend,” Wallace reminded, his eyes still locked on Harriet’s retreating back. “With even scarier people living in it.”

  “Very true,” Andrej replied, glancing back at Harriet too. He’d never had a reason to believe that she was hiding things from him, but now that had changed.

  Something wasn’t right.

  Kill her.

  He’d have to investigate more later, but not right now. Right now, Andrej needed to find Brailynn and bring her home. No matter what it took.

  “So how are we going to do this?” Wallace asked.

  “The old-fashioned way, I guess.”

  “Welp, this ought to be fun,” Wallace replied sarcastically.

  Andrej sighed. He rolled his shoulders and decided to make things a bit more interesting. Maybe that would get the old blackbird in better spirits. “Race you.” He winked, then shot off like a rocket leaving the old raven shifter in the dust.

  “Cheater!” He heard Wallace call out.

  Andrej just laughed as his feet seemed to skim over the terrain as he ran across the pasture and into the woods.

  Chapter Three

  Brailynn

  She looked down below as another group of shifters raced by her. She almost fell out of the tree as she watched a brown bear run alongside a grizzly, that was carrying a squirrel on its back.

  She shook her head in disbelief. Only in the supernatural world do you see a grizzly riding squirrel.

  Hiding in the top of the tall pine, she waited for them to move far enough away that she could climb down without being heard. She might be able to block her presence, but Brailynn couldn’t hide the sound. If it weren’t for the ward that she’d created around herself when Boanna had first awakened her to tell her that they were near, they would have spotted her. She had no idea why they were looking for her or how they knew she was there, and she had no interest in finding out.

  “All in due time, my child,” Boanna whispered through her mind.

  None of this made any sense. First, she was supposed to find someone. And now, she was hiding from them. It was like a horrible game of cat and mouse.

  “All in time,” Boanna repeated.

  Brailynn had no choice but to follow her goddess’s advice.

  So, when Boanna felt it was safe, she instructed Brailynn to climb down the tree and to run as fast as she could to her cave. Pulling water from the ground, she doused the fire and got rid of any evidence that would show it ever existed. Then, following Boanna’s instructions she crawled back into the small cavity and reinforced the ward around herself. Again, if anyone found the small cave and looked inside, all they would see was darkness.

  Brailynn tried to get comfortable. She wiggled herself into a better position. Something that she could sit in for an undisclosed amount of time and not feel like she was dying. But as she situated herself a faint noise hit her ears.

  She froze and listened.

  In her head, Boanna called out to her. “Be careful, small one,” she said. “Those who seek will eventually find.”

  What? What did that even mean? She grew more confused by each passing minute.

  She didn’t know who was seeking her or why, but unless it was Derrick, Brailynn had no desire to be found, even if the Fates had other things in mind for her.

  She remained still and did her best to calm her breathing. Since leaving home, nothing seemed to go as planned. She thought she was on the road to finding Derrick, but that didn’t seem to be the case anymore.

  “She’s around here somewhere,” she heard from outside her hiding spot. “I can feel her.”

  Feel her? she said to herself. That’s not creepy, at all… she told herself in a sarcastic tone.

  “Andrej, I don’t know what you’re feeling,” another voice said, “but I’m not sensing anything.”

  Brailynn heard what sounded like a growl and it vibrated through her, straight to her core. She didn’t understand the feeling that that one sound conjured.

  Lust. Heat. Need. Fear. Want. Anxiety. So many emotions from one little sound.

  It also reminded her of the sound that she’d heard in her head when Boanna sent her on the last mental quest. The image of that face flashed in her mind, but it was overshadowed by the long, razor-sharp teeth that seemed to glisten in the moonlight.

  “We need to get out of here, Andrej,” the man said, worry evident in his tone. “The sun will be rising soon.”

  “I can’t…”

  “You must,” he insisted. “You’ll die if you continue.”

  “But I need to find her.”

  Brailynn’s heart rate increased. Why was he putting his life at risk to find her?

  “He is yours,” Boanna whispered.

  My what? she asked, but Boanna didn’t answer.

  Brailynn continued to listen to the conversation outside of her hiding spot. Their voices sounded as if they were getting closer; and then, she saw the shadows fall across the entrance to the small cave.

  “I just don’t understand…”

  “We’ll return after nightfall and continue the search from here,” one man told the other. “But right now, we must go.”

  For some reason, the thought of him being hurt sent a wave of fear coursing through her. A part of her wanted to come out of hiding, just so he would be safe. But another part, a larger part, feared what it would mean if she did.

  “All in time,” Boanna repeated.

  “What does that even mean?” Brailynn asked, but again, no answer.

  He is yours… Boanna’s words rattled around in her head. Did that mean…

  A war started to wage within her causing a slow misty drizzle to fall over the mountain range. She tried to get her emotions under control, but the idea of someone, anyone, belonging to her caused anxiety she’d never experienced.

  Was he hers… as in her …mate? Brailynn knew all about mates. It wasn’t as if it was a secret. However, now was not the time for her to find hers.

  “That’s strange,” someone said. “We weren’t supposed to get rain today.”

  “Like the weatherman is ever correct, Wallace,” he said.

  “True,” Wallace said. “Either way, we need to go, Andrej. The sun is starting to rise.”

  She could almost feel the turmoil raging inside of him. His need for protection fighting with his need to fi
nd her. It was heavy. A weight she could imagine carrying. She moved, ready to just give up on the idea of hiding. She needed him to be safe. She didn’t know why but his safety was far more important than her own.

  Brailynn heard his loud sigh. “Fine,” Andrej said. “But at sunset, we return. Immediately. No bullshit.”

  “Deal.”

  As they moved away from her spot, and their voices grew distant, she breathed out her own sigh of relief and began to relax.

  Andrej… she thought to herself. His name was Andrej.

  She didn’t know how to feel about having someone of her own. Especially at this point in her life. Brailynn had things that she needed to do for her people before she could even think about her future. Finding Derrick was her number one priority, everything else fell to second place.

  “He will help you on your quest, small one,” Boanna said. “Do not think this is a war that you can win alone. Ignorance is not bliss and it will get you killed. Seek out the vampire. He is your only hope.”

  “Vampire?” she asked. The image of the fangs flashed in her mind again, and she thought to herself, well that explains a lot.

  “Andrej Gregorovich is one of the most powerful of his kind,” Boanna stated. “He is an original. Father by Dracula, himself.”

  “What?” Brailynn didn’t think she’d heard correctly.

  She knew all the stories. Heard them all the time while growing up. She remembered her grandfather telling her of her lineage. A line that dated back to the beginning. To the era of the great Count. She heard stories of his prowess. His charm. And even his vitality. Dracula was thousands of years old when he decided to take his own life by stepping out into the sun. He’d sired hundreds of vampires throughout his centuries-old life and even fell in love with a beautiful Wiccan princess. It was upon her death that Dracula had finally had enough of this world and decided to join his beloved.

  It had been a story of true love, even though popular legends said otherwise.

  Most people didn’t know how far back Brailynn’s ancestry actually dated. Or that Vlad the Impaler, or Vlad the Dradcula, as he was known to many in his time, had established her family's lineage. Popular myths around the world said that Vlad had made a deal with a wizard to gain his powers. However, Brailynn that wasn’t true. According to her grandfather, their powers came directly from the Great Mother at the time, Cybele, who bestowed them upon Vlad after his union with the great warrior Wiccan Princess Abbe. The love of the two was something out of a fairytale and the story always gave Brailynn chills. Not to mention, it was something she had always dreamed of for herself. A love that couldn’t even be separated by death.

  But could her mate truly be sired by him before his death? She wondered.

  “Seek out your vampire,” Boanna said again. “And all questions will be answered, and more.”

  Brailynn pulled her knees up to her chest and sat there thinking. The idea that her ancestor was the man who created her… mate? Partner? She didn’t even know what to call him, absolutely stunned her.

  She sighed.

  “Stop dwelling, child,” Boanna chastised. “Get moving. You need to locate the house of the vampire. The one I showed you.”

  “I thought you were leading me to Derrick?” Brailynn asked, blinking rapidly.

  She mentally saw Boanna roll her eyes. The image was rather scandalous considering the woman was a Goddess.

  “Child,” Boanna said, “As I have said, you cannot win the war that is coming without help. Now, go to your destined one, and unite in victory because without him and his group of misfits, you will surely lose. As too, will all of us.”

  She could feel Boanna’s annoyance through their shared link. But she also felt her desperation. And it was the latter feeling that worried her. Because if Boanna, a Warrior Wiccan Goddess, was feeling some type of way – Brailynn knew it was serious.

  Her stomach turned painfully. Still unsure of how she felt, Brailynn crawled out of the small cave. She looked around the forest for any sign that she wasn’t alone but found none. Reaching back into the crevice, she pulled out her backpack and the thin blanket that she’d used for ground cover. Rolling it up, she shoved it into the bag and then fitted the pack on her back.

  With a deep, cleansing breath, she tried to prepare herself for what was to come. But how could she when she didn’t even know? Brailynn had no idea what the future would hold. That solely rested on the shoulder of the Fates. All she could do was follow the path that was created for her. But that didn’t mean that she didn’t have questions. Brailynn wasn’t the type to follow directions blindly.

  She thought about how far she’d come, which brought up thoughts of her Coven. She thought about her people and wondered if they were all safe. Were they happy? Would she ever see them again?

  Please, let me see them again, she silently prayed.

  “We must go.” Boanna’s voice sounded in her head.

  Brailynn yawned. She was tired. Completely exhausted from lack of sleep throughout the night and the journey so far. In a way, she just wanted this to all be over with. She wanted a nice comfortable bed to lie in and to drift off to sleep surrounded by a cloud of comfort. But she also felt dread.

  What if Andrej got in the way of her mission to find Derrick? What if he…

  Brailynn didn’t even know. She didn’t know why she felt apprehensive. Especially considering this is supposed to be the best day of her life. The day she found her mate…

  Her vampire mate…

  What if he tried to drink her blood? she wondered. What if he took too much and killed her?

  “Stop it!” Boanna ordered. “You are being ridiculous. Now, get moving. The time is now. Stop dawdling.”

  Brailynn sighed.

  She closed her eyes and brought the map to the forefront of her mind. Getting her bearings, she adjusted her pack and started walking northwest. Hopefully, by the end of the day, she would get to her destination.

  However, as she put one foot in front of the other, Andrej’s face popped into her head. His mouth open, his fangs bared, but it was the blood lust shining in his eyes that caused her steps to falter and her stomach to turn with nervous energy. But it also caused moisture to gather between her thighs and her core to tighten.

  What is wrong with me? she wondered.

  “That is the reaction of a woman for her mate,” Boanna chimed in.

  Brailynn’s face heated with embarrassment. It was one thing to feel your own emotions, but it was something completely different to have those emotions witnessed.

  She tried to push all thoughts of him from her mind. But the closer she got to her destined mate, the worse the feelings became…

  Brailynn huddled under the low hanging limbs of a tall spruce tree as she surveyed the area below her. There, nestled in a deep valley was the area that she sought. It was the same house that Boanna had showed her. Somewhere inside, her destined was asleep.

  She looked up at the waning sun. Soon it would be down, and night would fall. When that happened, Andrej would rise and start his search for her again. Or so he’d said. Maybe she could hide until he left, then sneak down to take a closer look.

  Somewhere, off in the distance, she heard the screech of an owl followed closely by the howl of a wolf. An internal warning went off, telling her that those weren’t mere animals calling out. They were shifters. And somehow, they knew she was there.

  “No use in hiding now,” Boanna said. “Head down and greet them.”

  “But what if they try to eat me?” Brailynn asked the Goddess Warrior.

  “They will do no such thing,” Boanna answered. “Your vampire rules them all. You will come to no harm unless they wish to face the wrath of the undead one.”

  “Please don’t call him that,” Brailynn whimpered. Something about Andrej being referred to as the undead, made her think of a decaying zombie. Not the sexiest thing to imagine when thinking of your mate.

  Mentally, she heard Boanna chuckle.
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  Brailynn shook her head and grabbed her pack before stepped out from under the tree. Overhead, a raven glided through the air. Its beady eyes staring down at her. Soon, an owl joined it and Brailynn assumed it was the same one that she’d heard only moments ago. If the owl was near, she had to believe that the wolf wasn’t far behind.

  She kept her eyes on the move. Always searching for any sign of danger. She didn’t know these shifters, and they didn’t know her. For all she knew, she was invading their territory.

  Using the trees for support, she worked her way down the steep embankment. The trek was a slow one since the deterioration in the terrain was so drastic. Brailynn felt for each tree like they were lifelines. And actually, they were. Without them, there would be no way for her to safely climb down into the valley.

  “You could always just walk to the other side of the valley?” Boanna offered.

  She looked across the way and groaned. The other side of the valley would take her at least another five hours or so. By then, the sun would have long set and Andrej would be out searching anyway.

  Somewhere off to her right, a bear roared. The sound startled her and caused her to miss the next tree she was trying to reach for. Brailynn slipped on the loose dirt, fell onto her back, and started to slide down the mountainside. Frantically, she reached out, desperate to find something to hold on to.

  The raven screeched so loud that it echoed across the range.

  Brailynn eyes grew wide as the bird swooped down toward her. She continued grabbing for anything that could help her. The blackbird swooped down toward her, Brailynn screamed out as its talons came toward her.

  The bird was going to attack her.

  She knew this was a bad idea!

  She continued the terrifying slide, uncontrollably down the mountainside, until her foot finally caught onto a tree root and it lurched her to a drastic stop, causing pain to explode in her ankle. She sucked in a breath between her clenched teeth. “Damn it,” she hissed as she tried to fight back tears. The agony nearly causing her to vomit. Stupid bear!