Dark War Chronicles Box Set One

by A. L. Kessler

  In the middle of the living room lay the woman from last night, her white hair spread over her back, allowing a glimpse of a bra and bare skin which disappeared into a pair of black pants. Her head rested on one arm and her other clutched a pair of sunglasses. The woman's back suddenly bowed, her mind captured in a nightmare. Renee backed up in silence, not wanting to wake the half-naked woman. She turned around and ran back up the stairs into Coran's room, tripping over him and landing on her hands and knees.

  "Careful there, hum—" He rubbed his eyes, stopping mid-sentence. "Renee. Calm down, you're not in any danger here."

  She spun around and sat against the bed. "There's a half naked girl on your floor that looks like she's passed out, I was attacked last night, again, and you just happened to be there. I’m here with you and not at home. Now what the hell is going on?" Trying to squash the bubbling panic down, she put a hand to her stomach. She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm the nausea overtaking her as she recalled the events.

  "I just happened to be on my way home from work when I came across you drunk and being attacked. It's kind of cute that you quote nothing but movies when you've been drinking."

  Renee stared at him, confused and embarrassed. She’d wanted to go back to the bar and get his number, but she never imagined she’d spend the night with him. “Did we, um...?” She tried to find the words.

  Coran raised a brow and then shook his head, “No, no we didn’t. Don’t worry.” He paused. “Do you want a shower? I’ll um... go downstairs and make Tegan get dressed.”

  Judging by the look on his face, Renee figured the situation was just as awkward for him. "Tegan?" She raised a brow.

  He nodded. "The woman downstairs that's half-dressed and sleeping on my floor."

  "Oh, right, and yes, a shower would be a good idea." She didn't know why, but the idea of Coran joining the half-naked woman downstairs bothered her. Standing up, she sighed. "Which way to the bathroom?"

  After showing Renee to the bathroom and apologizing multiple times for the situation she’d woken up to, Coran made his way downstairs to get Tegan off the floor, as promised. To his relief he found her awake and searching for something. "Orion hide your shirt again?"

  "Yes." She blew out a huff of air. "That damn Fae better not have flashed it to his realm again. Stupid jerk."

  "That's what you get for drinking with him. You'd think you would have learned better by now." He chuckled and glanced around the room, spotting Tegan’s shirt. "It's by the TV."

  She grabbed it and grumbled while wiggling into it. "I needed a relaxing night."

  "Does Lucius even know you're here?" She froze and he continued. "And without your sunglasses?" He studied her blood-red eyes as she avoided his gaze.

  "No, he thinks I'm at my apartment. You and Orion are the only two I've seen this morning. I'll put them back on before your human gets down here." She slumped down in one of the recliners in front of the TV.

  Her shoulders slouched and her gaze went to the floor. Gone was the confident girl who bantered with him and Orion. "Tegan, what's up?" He moved in front of her to meet her eyes, but she kept her gaze down.

  "Lucius is still upset with me. For losing the stone." She played with the tips of her hair. Her usual confidence faded when she spoke. "He only started letting me out of his sight again a couple months ago. He knows someone forced me, but he doesn't know who."

  "Do you?" He swallowed. If Renee did have the stone, like Kassity believed, having Tegan here put the human in more danger. Either that or Kassity had said something to Lucius and he sent Tegan to spy; but with the lack of signs of lying, he doubted that theory.

  She didn't answer right away, her gaze trained on the carpet. "It felt like Markus."

  Markus. The name of the vampire struck a cord in him. He clenched his fists at the name. "Markus is still in Europe."

  "I know, but that's who it felt like."

  "Have you told Lucius?" Things would get more complicated with Markus involved. The stairs creaking brought him out of his thoughts and he glanced at the stairs.

  She shook her head. "He never asked, and you know what happens when I bring him up." She visibly shivered.

  Her head snapped up and focused on something behind Coran.

  Tegan rushed to put her sunglasses on and Renee frowned, but pushed the questions out of her mind. "Glad to see you have a shirt on."

  "Yeah, sorry about that." Tegan grinned. "It happens sometimes when I drink and play chess."

  Renee laughed. "Strip chess, and you were only missing your shirt? That's pretty good."

  Coran’s gaze slid between the two and he shook his head. "You want breakfast?"

  "Yes." Renee broke out into a grin when she and Tegan responded at the same time. Taking a few steps to close the gap between them she held a hand out to the woman, still grinning. "I'm Renee."

  "Tegan." She took Renee's hand and shook it. "So, heard you were attacked last night." The two of them moved to the dining nook and sat at the small table there.

  "It was the strangest thing. The other day on my way to the clubs downtown I was attacked and they took my purse.” Renee swallowed as a fine tremor started through her body. “This time it was like they were actually after me." She shook her head when she remembered a guy grabbing at her arm last night. Nothing made sense and there was no way she was going to mention seeing the visions of animals behind them. "And then boom, Coran was there and the guys ran off."

  "Do you know why they were after you?" Tegan sat up straighter in her chair.

  Renee wanted to see the woman's eyes while they talked, the lack of eye contact added to the panic residing in her stomach. "No. It was probably just random."

  Tegan chuckled and pushed her hair away from her shoulders. "Attacks like that aren't random."

  "Don't scare her, Tegan." Coran walked back in with a plate piled high with fruit. "Though I still think it might be a good idea if you lay low for a little bit, Renee. You're welcome to stay here if you'd like. If it is random I doubt they would think to look for you here."

  Renee shook her head. "I can't. I have a job and school that I have to worry about. I can't just drop off the face of the Earth." She didn't like change and no matter how hot he was, nor the fact that he saved her life, she wasn’t going to up and move in with him.

  "It'd be safer." Tegan said and picked up a slice of honeydew. "And trust me, safe is everything."

  Renee grabbed a strawberry and examined it. "I shouldn't have to worry about safe. It's finals week and the only thing I have time for is getting my papers done and passing my exams."

  Coran gave a frustrated sigh and the wolf shadow behind him seemed to huff. Renee frowned and opened her mouth to ask when Coran stomped out of the room. She turned to Tegan who was intently studying a grape.

  "What's his problem?" Renee asked, worried she had offended him with her refusal to stay.

  Tegan popped the grape in her mouth and shrugged. "Who knows, he's a moody jerk."

  "His accent is gorgeous, where's he from?" Renee asked, wanting to know more about the man who rescued her.

  Tegan's eyebrows rose. "Curious, aren't you? He's originally from Ireland, but that's all I'm going to say. Not my story to tell. Let me warn you, though, he's got his demons and you need to be wary of them. He's not some hot guy to just chase after because he happened to be around when you were in trouble." Her tone made it more intimate than it should have been.

  "Are you two dating?" Renee tried to keep the jealousy from her voice. The idea of Tegan and Coran together rubbed Renee the wrong way and made her skin itch.

  Tegan erupted in laughter. "Dating? Oh hell no, he pushes all my damn buttons and he is way too overprotective for my taste. What gave you that idea?"

  "You two just seem to know each other well." Renee glanced down, blushing. "I was just curious."

  "Coran doesn't date, he hasn't had a date in—" She stopped and shook her head. "Never mind. Again, not my place."

&n
bsp; Renee crossed her arms and did her best to give Tegan a stern look, but failed. "You're hiding something."

  "You have no idea." Tegan chuckled.

  Coran ran a hand through his hair. Renee was going to be stubborn about her safety and her flat out refusal to let him keep her safe pissed him off. He wasn’t sure where his new desire to keep her safe came from. Something about a normal woman being attacked by supernatural creatures just didn’t sit right with him. Especially this human. The woman had no idea what was out there or what could happen to her. The need to protect her had surged through him and he stormed out before he could do something stupid. He had obligations to fulfill and he hoped they would keep his mind off the human.

  Coran grumbled as he walked to the club, pausing when he saw a group of guys messing with the front lock. His job included making sure the club stayed safe during daylight hours and he often checked on it himself instead of depending on the security system. "Can I help you pups with something?" He let the irritation sound in his voice and he crossed his arms. Sizing the group up, he calculated his odds if he had to take them on.

  The group of young shifters turned to him. "What do you mean? We were just checking to see if the owner was in."

  He sniffed the air and came across unfamiliar wolf scents. "As you can see, club's closed for the day. Why do you think he'd be here?"

  "We were told that this was run by vamps, not wolves." The tallest one said.

  Coran raised a brow and his wolf shifted beneath the surface. "Your information is wrong, this is under the Crescent Clan's control. If I were you I'd let it be, it serves as a sanctuary for supernaturals. Is there something I can help you with? I'm the second in command here."

  "We're looking for something that was lost, a stone that belongs to one of our women."

  Coran knew the tall man served as the self-appointed leader of the group, judging by the way he took charge. The male’s heartbeat sped up and his breathing changed; Coran could tell the beast within the man felt nervous also. "You pups are kind of out of your league here, I can tell you're lying. Who are you working for?"

  "None of your business. We're on a mission to find this stone, like I said."

  "Yep, that much is true, but it's that whole lady friend thing. Your heart speeds up and your breathing changes. So again I ask, who are you working for?"

  A smile spread across the face of the tall one and they all disappeared.

  "Aw fuck, come on!" He snarled and threw his arms up in the air. He sniffed the air, hoping to catch a scent, but nothing. "You've got to be kidding me." Lycans with the ability to transport were rare, and they were his only lead. Coran growled and double-checked the locks on the door. The group being there could only mean one thing: the person in possession of the stone had passed through the club.

  Well, isn't that interesting. His mind traveled back to Renee running into the club after being chased by supernatural creatures. He needed to figure out what to do about the situation. This would turn into a bigger mess then he wanted on his hands if Renee was involved.

  He pulled out his phone and called Derrik, the pack leader for the area and owner of The Corner.

  "Do you realize what time it is, Coran?" The voice on the other end yawned. "I hope it's important."

  "It is. I just found some pups trying to break into the club. They aren't from your pack and they aren't anyone under Lucius' watch."

  "Rogue?" Derrik's voice cleared up some. "Are you sure they aren't Lucius'?"

  Coran rolled his eyes. "I'm the only wolf under him right now. I don't know if they are rogues, but they are working for someone powerful, or descended from one of the ancient clans."

  "Why do you say that?"

  "Because they disappeared right in front of me." Coran said.

  For a few beats nothing but silence came from Derrik. "I'll see what I can find out. I'll keep you updated." Derrik hung up and Coran growled, shoving the phone in his pocket. Rogue wolves meant that the clan had no choice but to get involved. "Fuck.” He ran a hand through his hair as he tried to figure out how he was going to keep Renee oblivious in all of this.

  Markus leaned against the wall of the hotel. Since Lucius had no idea that Markus had snuck into the territory, he wanted to enjoy the luxury of humans while he could. He'd sent some of the rogue wolves to check out the trail of the human, and they were due to check in. When a knock came at the door he threw the hood of his robe over his head and swung the door open.

  "You're late." He let his power surround him, sending a thrill through the air as a warning to the pups.

  They bowed their heads and the leader stepped up. "There was an immortal at the club, he was more than we could deal with."

  Another nodded in agreement. "He could tell we were lying."

  An immortal. Markus tried to recall what he'd pulled from Tegan's mind. When Lucius and Tegan had? lived within the Circle territory a wolf stuck with them, until Markus turned the wolf against them. Lucius would never let the wolf into his territory. Would he? Tegan’s mind held no clear memories of the immortal, and after the events of the past he would be in her memories unless Lucius was blocking the them.

  "Interesting. Have you contacted the local pack?"

  "No, we've been staying under the radar. The woman is human and has no idea what we are. She's most likely going to believe that she's having a string of bad luck. Once we find this stone, we'll be long gone."

  Markus nodded. "If you don't find the stone, you all forfeit your lives. I will make sure that you are the first meal on The Father's plate."

  Fear filled their eyes and he laughed. "Get out of here. I have another meeting to attend."

  The three scared wolves filed out and not a moment later a chill went down Markus’ back. He turned to see a black hole crackling with blue light. A demon portal and the choice of travel for the person for his next appointment. A male clad in armor and leather stepped through. His hair shaved close to his head and his green eyes sharp, he inclined his head to Markus. "The Circle member who has contacted me, I take it?"

  "Yes, you must be Aristides. You took over the king's position when he was killed." Markus chuckled. "I called this meeting because I need your help."

  "Our help? Are the vampires in such trouble that you must call on demons?" He chuckled. "Tell me Markus, what can I do for you?"

  "It's not just for me, it’s for the Circle. We are planning on raising the Father, but we need to know where the demons' alliances are. We could use your help in taking over territories and wiping out those who oppose us."

  The general paced the hotel room. "We aren't just killing machines, we have our own problems."

  "I know, but think about how much power you will have when you are backed by the Circle. We are feared by all." Markus stated. "Even the Originals feared us, that is why they went to sleep."

  The general laughed. "They went to sleep because their strength was fading. The Circle would have killed them all."

  "And we still plan to. Once we raise the Father, we'll be hunting down each Original, killing their guardians, and disposing of the sleeping vampires." Markus steepled his fingers under the shadow of his cloak’s hood. "Once they are gone, nothing will stop us."

  "You don't think they'll wake?"

  "No. I don't think they have any plans of waking, and if they do, the world is different now. We hide in the shadows when they walked freely around the world." Markus grinned. "Their lack of knowledge of these times and the risk of exposure to the humans will have them at the disadvantage."

  The general took a few moments, looking out the window of the hotel room. "We will back you. You have the demon's support in raising the Father."

  "Perfect." Markus gave a wicked grin. Things were coming along nicely. Now if only he could get the stone.

  Chapter Four

  Coran slammed the door shut as he walked into his townhome. Sniffing the air to see who was home, he snarled. Barging into the living room, he pegged Tegan with a stare.
"Where is she?"

  "Renee?" Tegan asked with a shrug. "She had class today, and then she said she had to work. So I would assume that she's at the University."

  "And you just let her go? After the attacks?" He snapped.

  Tegan started to pull her hair up in a ponytail, calm, while he continued growling at her. "It's not my job to watch after a human that you for some reason think is being attacked by supernatural creatures."

  "I know she is now. There were shifters sneaking around the club looking for the stone—" Tegan's body went rigid and he took a step towards her. "Tegan?"

  "Sent it away."

  Tegan hunched over, pulling her knees to her chest. Coran remembered she had done this before. Cursing under his breath, he knelt down in front of her. "Sent what away?"

  "Sent it away."

  "The stone?" He asked, tilting her chin up so she could meet his gaze. "When it was lost Lucius never explained what it was. What is it?"

  She shook her head, burying her face in her arms. "Can't say, sent it away."

  He nodded and held her for a moment. "It's okay, I'll get it figured out." The situation could quickly spiral out of control if he didn't find out what the stone was and if Renee possessed it.

  "They were looking for it?" She peeked over her arms, her eyes still shaded by the sunglasses. "Did they say why?"

  "No and they just disappeared, so I know they are working for someone powerful." He sighed and stood. "I need to find Renee, did she say where she worked?"

  "The home and garden store on Woodmen." Tegan rubbed her eyes under the sunglasses and stood. "I need to get back before Lucius kills Orion."

  "Yeah, getting my roomy killed wouldn't do anyone any good." He chuckled. "I rather like him alive."

  Tegan snorted. "True that, so what are you going to tell Renee when you find her?"

  "I don't know; I'll figure it out. It's not like I can be all 'Hey, I'm an immortal werewolf, and this is crazy, but you're a target, so stay with me, maybe?'"

  A burst of laughter came from Tegan at his mocking of the song. "I think that would go over well. You going to do a little dance when you tell her? Don't forget! If she knows anything about what's going on..." She went to the front door and picked up her bag.