Dark War Chronicles Box Set One

by A. L. Kessler

  The reminder hit her hard and she struggled with the idea of Lucius being all right with her staying. She curled up, laying her ear against his chest and listening to his heartbeat. Her panther was curled up inside her, content at the safe feeling that Jax gave off.

  “He said that we could mate...if you want.”

  Her eyes fluttered shut and darkness claimed her before she could answer.

  Kass woke with something soft underneath her and something warm pulled over her body. She pulled it closer and snuggled into the padding she was laying on. The scent caught her off guard. Jaxon. She sat up and flinched as wounds pulled in different spots. Her skin stretched over her stiff bones as she moved, trying to stretch her muscles. Leaning against the wall, Jaxon met her eyes when she finally looked up.

  “Morning, sleeping beauty.” He cracked a smirk at her as he pushed off the wall and went to her. “How do you feel?”

  She shrugged and found even that hurt. “I’m exhausted and I feel like a young shifter again. My body protested against both shifts.”

  “You sure nothing is wrong with you?” He asked and studied her eyes. Cupping his hands behind her head he pulled her in for a chaste kiss.

  “Fine. I think it’s the control that Lucius gave back that’s messing with me. I have to relearn every stinking thing.” She groaned. “Good thing I took the fast track before.”

  Jax’s eyebrows drew together. “How are you going to handle the full moon?”

  “I’ve got it covered. Don’t worry.” She didn’t want to talk to him about that. She rubbed her eyes and stood. “Where are we?”

  “My place, I didn’t want to take you back to Lucius in the shape you were in.”

  He didn’t have to say it, she knew that he thought she had been too weak to face Lucius. “Thank you.” He stood and took her hand, stopping her from walking out the door. “Kass?”

  She turned to him, waiting for him to continue.

  “Please, just stay a little longer, let me hold you without having to share you with him. Just for a little while?”

  She saw the plea in his eyes and it melted her heart. Her mate. The man who killed to keep her safe. Sure he had betrayed her, but he had proven himself the night before. She entwined her fingers with his and let him draw her back onto the bed. He wrapped his arms around her, tucking her into his body.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Kass took a deep breath before she walked into Derrik’s office. Sitting at his desk, he didn’t budge when she walked in.

  “I’m surprised you showed.” He shuffled a couple of papers. “Heard you went AWOL.”

  She snorted. “I didn’t go AWOL, I got kidnapped, there’s a difference.”

  “You know you’re going to be locked up for the night?”

  Flashes of the government place came to her mind, but she bit her lip and nodded. “Yes. Lucius doesn’t know I’m here.”

  “You just like to make my life hell, don’t you, kitty?” He chuckled and stood from his desk. “Come on, let’s get you prepared for tonight.” He led her through the empty club to the back door he had skipped during the tour. Taking out a key card he swiped it and the door opened. He waved a hand. “Ladies first.”

  Kass took a deep breath and descended the stairs. The door clicked behind them, but she forced herself to keep going down. The darkness pressed against her and her breath shortened. She felt panic rise in her and her panther started to stir. Shakes started to rack her body and her stomach churned as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

  A strong hand clasped her shoulder. “It’s okay, relax. The room you’ll be in tonight is built of iron and concrete, you’ll shift, be in the room all night, and shift back. This isn’t the government place.” He followed it up with a laugh. “I’m not going to leave you here for days.”

  She cringed. “Right.”

  “Oh shit. You spent time there?”

  “Don’t want to talk about it. You promise you’ll come in the morning?” She tried to shake off the fear of going in there. The idea that Lucius wouldn’t agree with this stuck in the back of her mind and the fact that she hadn’t told Jax where she would be tonight all made her nerves stand on edge.

  He nodded. “I won’t leave you in here, kitty.” He went and took the padlock off the door and opened it. “I’ll even bring you breakfast. We have a recovery room too, for the morning after.” He swung the door open.

  There she faced the empty room and took a deep breath before she walked in. When the door shut the chaos began. Pain tore through her body as her panther panicked and she shifted in an explosion of fur and skin, her human consciousness dragged down to dark depths.

  Jax came storming into the main room at Lucius’ until his petite human stepped in front of him. He had searched all over the woods for Kass. He never caught scent of her and now his panther was panicking.

  “Lucius isn’t seeing anyone-“ He shoved her aside.

  She growled at him and caught his wrist. “He’s really in a mood.”

  “I don’t give a shit. Kass is missing.” He snapped at her. “So go tell your master that I demand to see him. I’ll be waiting here.” He threw himself into a chair by the fire. He could tell by her hesitation that she debated on arguing or going to get Lucius. In the end she spun on her heels and walked out of the room.

  It wasn’t long before Lucius came in. His eyes had bled to black. “She’s not here.”

  “She is safe though?” Jax asked. “She was in my arms and she disappeared. I was hoping she was here and would give me an answer.”

  Lucius laughed. “She’s probably out trying to fulfill her part of the bargain she made with me.”

  “You’re a bastard. What did you promise her?” He shot out of his chair.

  “That you two could be mated as long as she remained my killer. I sent her on a job.” He shrugged. “So that’s probably where she is. She didn’t return after the full moon.”

  Jax rolled his eyes. “Who did you have her go after?”

  “Not who, what. The stone that Tegan set away.”

  Jax looked at the human who glanced down and shuffled her feet. “Great, that could be anywhere.”

  “Yes, but if she is successful it means that you two can be together.” He shrugged. “So take it or leave it Jax.”

  “Fine.” Jax turned to Tegan. “So where did you send it?”

  She turned her head towards Lucius, her black sunglasses obscuring her eyes. “Sent it away.” She whispered and her body slouched. Her confidence melted away as she fidgeted with her hands.

  Lucius put a hand on her shoulder. “You won’t get much from her, her mind has been fucked with, remember?”

  Jax snickered. “Sucks for you, pet. You never told me what the stone was, you took me off the job and stuck Kass on it without explanation.”

  Lucius raised a brow. “It’s a soul stone.”

  The vampire confirmed what Kaden had already told him. “The legendary one?”

  “Yes. Tegan was entrusted with its protection and someone forced her hand. Now we have to figure out where it is.”

  “You know who did it?”

  “No.”

  “Shame, I’d like to see the punishment you have planned for them.” Jax laughed and turned to leave. He gave the two a little wave. “See ya around. I’m off to find Kass.”

  He could have sworn that Lucius said something under his breath as Jax walked out, but it didn’t matter. He would be free to mate Kass as long as they could find the stone. Though his mind wandered to where she could have possibly been the night before. There had been no news of a dead human or an animal attack. Worry settled in the pit of his stomach as he resumed his search for her.

  Blood. She needed blood. With her panther mind in complete control, Kass paced the room. A faint smell of humans graced her nostrils, but she had no way out of this room. The feeling of being trapped made the need to get out and hunt worse. Her human mind tried to swim to the surface, but the beast kept it a
t bay. With the full moon in the sky it was her night, not the human’s. They should have been running in the forest chasing down deer and random humans stupid enough to enter the forest at night.

  She licked her muzzle at the thought of human flesh being torn from the bone. Again her human self tried to take over, but the thought of blood and food kept her back. Jumping off the ground she tried to knock down the door again. It didn’t budge and the feeling of being trapped grew. She roared in anger and tried again. Each attempted failed. She dragged her claws down the walls, but no matter what she did she remained trapped. She went back to pacing. The need to eat human flesh still filled her, but it faded as the night went on.

  Kass’ human mind swam to the surface and her thoughts turned from blood and flesh to thoughts of Jax and getting out of the room. She knew dawn was coming as her panther form retreated with the painful sounds of flesh and bone shifting. Lying on her side, she held her breath as she hoped for someone to let her out of the room. Her eyes drifted closed as exhaustion and sleep claimed her.

  The squeak of the door woke her. Her vision had cleared during her sleep but her body still shook. Coran and Derrik both walked in with a couple bags of food. Her stomach growled and she barely kept herself from attacking them for the fast food. She clenched her fists as Coran threw a blanket at her.

  “How do you feel?” Derrik asked as he sat down and spread the food out in front of her

  She wrapped the blanket around her and sighed. Reaching out for the food, she didn’t meet the gaze of either of the men. “Like I completely forgot what it’s like to shift. I don’t understand. I had more control than this the day Lucius removed the block.”

  “He gave you back only part of your control. Your cat is out for blood and is used to being in complete control on a full moon, so in a way you are a new shifter.”

  She took a few bites of the breakfast burrito he brought her. “I don’t like this feeling.”

  “Understandable. I want you to return next full moon, until you can get her back under control.” Derrik glanced at Coran and then back to Kass. “We both want to help.”

  She stood and stumbled. Coran caught her with his hands on her shoulders. “You haven’t eaten enough yet.”

  “I can’t come back. I have to run with Jax next full moon. He’s my mate, I can’t abandon him every full moon.” She pulled away from Coran.

  Derrik stood and pushed her over so she fell on her ass. She glared up at him and huffed as he laughed at her. “Sit down and eat. We’ll talk about the next full moon later.”

  “I’m sure Jaxon is looking for you. Eat up and get dressed. There are clothes outside the room for you. Just no lovey dovey stuff upstairs.” Coran laughed and sat to eat.

  She sighed and went to eat more. Her panther stayed content, tired from fighting against her all night.

  Kass walked out of the basement, stumbling. She looked up as she heard someone clear their throat. Crossing her arms she leaned against the wall next to the door and smiled. “Hey, Jax.”

  “I looked for you all night. I wanted to run with you under the full moon.” He brushed a hand down her cheek. “And here I find you in a club.” He nuzzled her neck and froze. “Smelling like wolves.”

  She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. “Derrik and Coran. They were...helping me with something. I’m sorry, next full moon we can run together.” She leaned in to kiss him.

  He pulled away and looked into her eyes. “You were with them last night? What’s going on, Kass?”

  “It’s not a big deal. Nothing went on, like I said they were helping me with something.” She ran a hand through her hair and watched him. “I know that their scent is all over me, but you have to trust me.”

  “I can’t just trust you when you smell like two other males. Wolves nonetheless.” He took a couple steps back. “You get permission to mate and suddenly you’re in the bed of two other men?”

  “I wasn’t in their bed. Last night was the full moon, I was in a room for the night. They helped me out afterwards. I told you I had to learn control again.” Her heart slammed against her chest. He had to believe her. She needed him to believe her.

  Jax shook his head and turned tail to run.

  “Jax-“ Before she could finish her sentence he disappeared out the door of the club. She banged her head back on the wall.

  “Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid-“

  “You’re going to give yourself a concussion doing that.” Coran’s voice was soft as he came out of the basement. “I’m surprised that you and Jax aren’t up here snuggling.”

  She snorted and shook her head. “He thinks I slept with you and Derrik.”

  “Seriously?” He made a face. “No offense, but I’m not into kitties. He jumped to that conclusion way too fast.” Coran shrugged. “So what are you going to do?”

  Kass shrugged and pushed away from the wall. “I’m going to continue my mission and let him figure it out. There’s nothing I can do.” She paused as those words hit her. “Other than beg, but I refuse to do that for anyone. I didn’t screw up, if anything I was trying to help my situation.” But it hurt. She wanted to run after him, to chase him and beg him until he understood what was going on.

  “And he’s too blind to see that right now. So go on your mission, see if you can concentrate.” A strange smile crossed Coran’s face.

  Kass rolled her eyes. “I’m going to wipe that all knowing smirk off your face.” She snapped. As she walked out her heart sank as she remembered the way Jax stormed out of the empty club. She had no way of telling if he’d come back to her or not. She tried to focus on finding a starting place for the stone, but as she climbed into the car all she could see was the anger in Jax’s eyes. She pulled her knees up to her chest and sobbed.

  Kass pulled up to the coffee shop and got out. Once she ordered her coffee she sat down at a table, address in hand. At least she hoped that’s what it was. 950 1/2 Lunar. Tegan’s handwriting was clear, but it still wasn’t much help. A quick Internet search a few nights before had turned up nothing, and there were very few cities that actually used 1/2 in addresses.

  Her mind wandered away from the address and back to the reason she was trying to hunt this stone down. Jax’s smile and the way he held her came to her memory and she sighed while she folded and unfolded the paper. She ran the scene over and over in her head and wondered if there was anything else that she could have done, other than tell him. She couldn’t fathom the idea of him still wanting her when she had no control over her beast, when she had willingly been locked up for the full moon.

  Kass sipped her coffee and glared at it when she realized that it had gone cold from sitting there during her musings. She shoved the paper back in her pocket and headed out the door, leaving the coffee untouched. Her day had been wasted. There was nothing more she could do at this point, except maybe talk to Tegan again. Driving back to the property, she tried to keep all lingering thoughts of Jax away. She should have been the one mad, not him. When she pulled up to the property she tried to force herself to calm down and focus on the task at hand.

  Kass walked into the room where Tegan was getting ready for work. Her white hair was pulled away from her neck, and leather encased her body like it had been painted on. When she turned around she had her ever-present sunglasses on, which made it hard for Kass to read her. Kass gave her a smile. "You look like you're feeling better."

  "I am, Lucius is going to let me work at the bar for a little bit tonight."

  "Good, I'll be there a bit later, I have the late shift tonight. I wanted to talk to you a little more about that stone."

  Tegan's face fell, her gaze went to the ground and she clasped her hands. "Sent it away."

  "I know, that's not what I wanted to talk to you about. I wanted to know what it is. Some say that it's a gift from the gods, is that true?" Kass sat down in an armchair that was near the mirror.

  Tegan shook her head. "No, not really. It's a soul stone."

 
"Lucius said that, but I researched it. It’s impossible, the magic to trap a soul hasn't been around since the beginning of time." Kass raised her brows and watched the girl in front of her. "There isn't a creature that old."

  Tegan laughed, and sat Indian style on the floor. "Is that what you think, because I can tell you differently. I've been around for a long time, that soul stone belongs to the Father of Vampires." She leaned back. "My brother was charged with the protection of that stone."

  She gave more details than Lucius, but Kass wanted more. "Where is your brother now?"

  "He is sleeping." Her voice sounded mournful and her body tensed up. "He has been sleeping for a very long time. Since the Circle left Europe."

  Kass crossed her arms. "Your brother is a vampire then?"

  "Yes. He was changed before I was...bonded to Lucius. The Circle feared him." She said it as if it explained everything.

  Kass knew little about how The Circle worked, but she at least knew that it was the unofficial head of the vampires. "So that's how you got the stone."

  "Yes, it was passed down to me from my brother while he slept. If The Circle gets their hands on it then they could bring back the Father and we don't want that. He'll change everything, ruin everything."

  "How do you know that?"

  "It is his will, he wants things to go back to the old ways where the supernatural creatures ruled the world and the humans were the minority that lived in fear. He wants to rule over it all like he once did."

  Kass rubbed her eyes. "But he can't because he is what? Sleeping? Since his soul is trapped? I didn't think vampires had souls."

  "The old ones weren't cursed to lose their soul, they were blessed by the gods. It was after the Father lost favor with the gods that vampirism became a curse and the souls left the body upon death. Only the Originals still have their souls." Tegan's mouth turned up in a quirky smile. "Thought you studied your history?"

  Kass laughed. "Apparently not well enough. So we have to get the stone back or we're going to be taken back to the olden days."

  "Something like that. There are others looking for the stone as well. Some to use it and some to destroy it. There are those in our world who want us known completely to the human race. Not just to the government that tries to hide us."