Dream Warrior: (Dark Warrior Alliance Book 1) (6 page)

“Zander,” she attempted to turn around and look at him. With one hand, he grabbed her hair, holding her head in place so that she wouldn’t see the glow from his eyes or his fangs. She arched and moaned. He nudged her legs with his knees so she was spread wider for him. He sank impossibly deeper and a groan slipped out. “You...are so…beautiful,” he groaned while he continued his frantic pace. He would not come before she gave him another orgasm. His free hand rubbed across her buttock and hip and curved around. His fingers slid through her slick channel. He rubbed and pinched her clitoris, sending her tumbling into another orgasm.

Her eyes were squeezed shut and she was screaming his name, over and over. “I’m coming…Elsie,” he groaned as he pumped his seed into her hot, little pussy. His release continued and showed no sign of waning. Pain tore through his back, scorching his skin. He arched and tried to see what it was even while his release continued. Pleasure and pain surrounded him until he knew nothing else.

“Holy crap, are you still coming? Damn, I love this dream…It’s…oh, shit, I’m going to come again,” Elsie gasped.

Hell yes, he reached up and cupped her face as he poured everything he had into her and growled against her lips, “Give it to me, give it all to me,” and ground himself against her ass. That was all it took.

After Goddess only knew how long, their orgasms ended and they collapsed to the bed. He was heavy and probably crushing her, but his body wasn’t moving. He rolled to the side taking her with him, careful to keep from rolling onto his burning back.

“That was incredible,” he breathed as he traced circles on her arms and kissed her neck. He glanced down and was stunned silent. There was an iridescent Celtic cross behind her left ear. It couldn’t be…

“Too bad it wasn’t real,” she murmured.

“What?” he replied too sharply. It had been more real than she realized. Irrevocably real.

“Dream,” she reminded him. “This is a dream.”

“Felt more real to me than any encounter I’ve ever had.” His powers slipped away and he woke, sitting in a stupor with his back resting painfully against the evergreen.

Elsie was his Fated Mate!

Elsie drove through the entrance to Mt. Pleasant Cemetery with Cailyn to visit Dalton. It was their wedding anniversary and she needed to be close to him. After her erotic dream about Zander the night before, she was racked with guilt. It didn’t matter that it wasn’t real and something she would never allow in real life. She had betrayed Dalton and vowed to never forget. She shut down all thoughts about the countless times the man gave her orgasms in her dream. She would not go there, not today.

She gazed out the windshield at the beautiful landscaping. Mt. Pleasant was forty acres, located atop a hill in the middle of the historic Queen Anne district in Seattle, and was home to the largest variety of mature trees in any cemetery on the west coast. The sprawl of gravestones interspersed with the trees created a calm and peaceful atmosphere, even though it was a place full of death.

She parked on the street close to Dalton’s gravesite. All those months ago, she had been guided as if by an invisible hand to this particular spot. The marble headstones were topped with stone angels. Each enormous angel had outstretched, black wings and stood sentry at the entrance to this particular section of the cemetery. She exited her car and waited for her sister. She grabbed the flowers from Cailyn and walked across the sprawling lawn.

She traced her fingers across one of the exquisite angel’s black wings. Goosebumps raced across her skin. There was leashed energy beneath the stone. She couldn’t explain or describe what she felt, but her sister had agreed. Neither of them understood why certain objects felt different to them, but they had learned at a young age to keep their abilities and odd experiences to themselves. She shook off her brooding. Now, Dalton’s angel stood amongst these powerful protectors.

“I love these headstones. The first time I saw them, they spoke to me. They reminded me of Dalton and how he looked out, and ultimately gave his life, for those kids.” Her black hole pulsed painfully in her chest. She missed him so much and it was made all the worse today because she had betrayed him.

She stopped at Dalton’s grave and knelt in the damp grass. She took the flowers and placed them in his vase. “I love you, D. I miss you so much. I was able to get new detectives assigned to your case. They told me that Jag did this to you and that he is dead now…” she broke off and let the tears flow.

Her sister crouched next to her and smoothed the tendrils of hair from her face that had escaped her ponytail and handed her a tissue. She wiped her eyes. Cailyn was always taking care of her. It warmed some of the ice from her heart. Her sister was the one she went to when she had been called a ‘freak’ and teased at school. When Elsie’s first boyfriend had dumped her they shared a gallon of ice cream.

“I’m so sorry that you are going through this. I wish I could take your pain away,” Cailyn cooed.

Elsie put her arm around Cailyn and hugged her tight. “I love you, sis. Thanks for being here for me.”

“I wouldn’t be anywhere else. We’re all that we have now.” They sat like that, with one arm around each other, in silence, for some time. Her arm fell to her side when Cailyn crouched, making kissy noises.

“Come here, kitty, kitty,” her sister crooned. She looked over and noticed a beautiful, white cat approaching Dalton’s burial plot. The animal was pure white but for one black spot on one of its front legs. They laughed as it rolled over and exposed its stomach for attention.

As they petted the cat, it dawned on her what seemed familiar about it. “Look at the eyes on this cat. The intense, green color reminds me of Orlando’s eyes.” Picking up the cat, she stroked its soft fur. The cat curled into her chest, purring loudly.

“I wonder whose cat this is, he has no collar. He doesn’t look malnourished or anything,” Cailyn speculated as she reached over and stroked the cat’s head. They both scanned their surroundings, searching for anyone it might belong to. There wasn’t another soul in the place. It could be lost. Unfortunately, she had stuff to do and didn’t have time to look into it, so she set it down with a final pat to its head.

She stood up and watched the cat run into a stand of trees at the outskirts of the grave sites. She turned to her sister and blinked against the tears welling in her eyes. “As much as I don’t want you to go, we’d better get you to the airport.”

Hey sister wiped her cheeks with her thumbs. “Hey, none of that. I’ll be back in a couple months for your graduation.”

*****

The day Zander had waited for his entire life had finally occurred, yet it brought no peace. He was going out of his mind. Images from his dream with Elsie tortured him relentlessly. His connection to her grew by the minute, and through that bond he sensed her conflict. She shifted from grief and sadness to guilt and shame and back again with dizzying speed. He surmised that she was agonizing over the passion she not only welcomed but instigated in the dream.

This was not how it was supposed to be. He had been given the biggest blessing in the realm yet there were no parties, no big announcement, and no celebration. The Goddess had not blessed a single soul with their Fated Mate for seven hundred and fifteen years. This was huge news, and he wanted to share it with his subjects and give them the hope they had longed for, but fate was biting him on the ass. He had been given a human female as a mate, and while he was honored, he was floored that he had been given a weak mate who could easily be taken from him. And, his mate was involved with a vigilante group that hated what she believed were his kind. The cherry topper would be that her husband had been killed by his enemies and she refused to even entertain the idea of a romantic relationship with anyone. She was determined to remain faithful to her dead husband. Trapped by the sun and unable to tolerate anymore, he sent Orlando to his mate’s apartment.

The warrior informed him that he had followed her and her sister to the cemetery where her husband had been buried. That explained the grief. He had ordered Orlando to shift and stay close to her. Now, he was pacing his rooms, waiting for an update. When his frayed nerves were ready to snap, his cell phone rang.

He snatched it off the coffee table and slid his finger across the screen to answer Orlando’s call. “Where is she now? What’s going on? Is she alright? Does she need anything?” His breathing was erratic with his anxiety. Anxiety. Another emotion he had not experienced before yesterday. The past twenty-four hours had proven to be a rollercoaster of varying emotions. It was exhilarating.

“Liege, she is fine. She just dropped her sister off at the airport. Talk to me. I don’t understand why you are so hung up on this human. Sure we need to get a handle on SOVA, but this seems like there is something more,” Orlando said.

Zander heard the hustle and bustle of the airport through the phone. He took a deep breath. This wasn’t something he wanted to share over the phone. “Get back to Zeum. I’m calling a meeting in thirty and I need everyone here.”

He may not be able to tell the realm, but he had to inform his siblings and warriors. He’d need their help keeping his mate safe until they mated. Any apprehensions he had about her heritage and questionable pastime, he would mate with her. She carried part of his soul as he did hers and he would finally be whole. And, Goddess willing, love would develop over time.

*****

Elsie watched her sister rush through the automatic doors of the Southwest terminal at Sea-Tac. She missed her already. She swore she was not going to call her sister more than once a day and she absolutely wasn’t calling her to come back before her graduation in June. She had been a burden for Cailyn for too long now. Her pain wasn’t something she shared with Mack or the others at SOVA. They all shared the bond of surviving a vampire attack, but the pain of loss was hers alone.

Put your big girl panties on and do what needs to be done
, she told herself. She looked over her shoulder and signaled before she pulled away from the curb. A man in an SUV wasn’t paying attention and cut over from the outer lane at the same time, nearly hitting her. She slammed on her brakes and swerved. Her palm slammed down on the horn and it blared as she cursed the man who continued on as if she didn’t exist. Her car shuddered as she pressed the gas. “No, no, no, you piece of shit,” she cursed her car and heaved a sigh of relief when the clunker picked up speed rather than dying on the freeway. One crisis averted.

That brought her around to the disaster she had created in her dreams. Maybe that was a bit dramatic, but she did feel guilt and shame for her desires. She wasn’t a fool. That was her subconscious at work acting out what her body began craving the moment she laid eyes on Zander.

There was no denying she felt a connection to him. He was easy to talk to and was a great listener. It wasn’t only the fierce lust, either. Zander was a friend now. In fact, she had opened up to him and Orlando in ways she had only done with Dalton and Cailyn.
Friend with benefits,
her inner-sex-fiend purred. Her black hole grew talons and pierced her chest wall. She was a mess.

Their relationship would remain purely platonic. It was all she had room for.

Zander turned away from the maps he had been pouring over as his warriors joined him in the war room. He looked them over as they each took a seat at the large wooden conference table. They were dressed in their typical head-to-toe black leather. Each of them exuded a deadly aura that could crush any being under their combat boots before they knew what hit them. Determination rode the warriors hard. They wanted to do their job and eliminate the risk to the realm. That was far more complicated now than it had been before.

He pulled his shirt off and turned his back to them. Ever since his mate mark had appeared it had been a minor irritant on his back. That discomfort had only increased since his dream with Elsie. He wondered why, and searched through some realm documents that Killian had uploaded onto their protected website. It was shocking to learn that the mark would become more and more painful the longer a mating is delayed. He understood his mate was in no position to finalize their union, and he was prepared to deal with the pain. He was happy to endure the pain. He had found his Fated Mate and his soul would be complete.

The reaction to his revelation was instantaneous and chaotic with everyone talking over one another. His sister’s gasp snagged his attention. “Your mark is so beautiful. Is it painful? The red angry looking welts seem like they’d be uncomfortable.”

Zander thought about the pain that seared through him at the moment of climax. “’Twas painful but for a moment. Now ‘tis an exquisite reminder of how verra fortunate I am.”

Bhric stood and crossed to his side and reached out a hand, slapped him on the back near his mating brand. “I canna believe that the Goddess has given us the first Fated Mate in over seven hundred years. ‘Tis a new beginning for the realm. Tell me
brathair
, who is the lucky female?”

Zander turned around and faced the room. “The human female, Elsie Hayes.” Orlando’s mouth dropped open and anger crossed his features before the warrior schooled his reaction. Interesting.

“When did you bed her?” Orlando gritted out.

Zander met his glare. “Watch it, welp. Doona forget who you are speaking to. I called you all here to tell you and to enlist your help keeping her safe. The situation is complicated. She isna aware of what she is to me.”

“I am more than happy to keep my new sister safe,” Breslin offered as she waved her fingers, flames bursting from their tips. Still as awe-inspiring, Zander mused, as it was when she was three years old. Like it was yesterday, Zander recalled how Kyran lifted a tearful Breslin into his arms as other blessings were bestowed on their parents’ funeral pyre. Shocking everyone, Breslin spread her pudgy, three-year-old hand and called a flame to her palm. She threw the flames to the bodies so lovingly arranged, surprising everyone with her power and control at such an early age.

Santiago grunted his approval as he slid his ammo clip back into his Glock and jumped into the conversation, “I’ll help you with that too. If rumors are true skirm will be able to see her mark when she patrols for them. It will set her apart from other humans.”

“I didn’t see anything different about her. Maybe it was Lena, Liege. Weren’t you with her?” Orlando asked.

“Elsie carries my mark plain as day to any supernatural. And the rumors are true. ‘Tis an iridescent mark below her left ear. Skirm will see it without doubt.”

Kyran rubbed his hand down his face. “I am still in shock that Fated Mate blessings have begun once again.”

Gerrick jumped out of his chair, causing it to hit the floor with a loud bang. Zander glanced at the warrior and noticed his hands clenched into fists at his sides, anger darkening his eyes and his chest heaving. “Zander’s mate is not the first. There was another!” he roared.

Zander gaped at Gerrick’s outburst. What was he talking about? There had been no mates for over seven centuries. As the king of the vampires, he would have heard if there had been. “What the hell are you talking aboot? Explain, now.”

The room was engulfed in silence as everyone watched Gerrick clench and unclench his fists at his sides. It was obvious the warrior was struggling to deal with the words that had escaped his lips. Zander was incredulous. It was difficult to remain quiet while Gerrick found his words. Questions and scenarios tore through his mind, but he refused to give them a voice. The entire realm had become so bitter and angry about the lack of mates that, after three hundred years, most had identified it as ‘The Mating Curse.’ It didn’t seem plausible to Zander that there had been a mate previously.

As much as he wished numerous times for the blessings to resume over the centuries, it hadn’t and their population had suffered. Most supernaturals became fertile only after they had sex with their mate. Every species underwent changes with mating. For Zander, as a vampire, his orgasms extended to last several minutes after intercourse with their Fated Mate.

He jolted as he realized he had undergone that change from sharing dream-sex with his mate. And, Goddess, how the prolonged orgasm had driven not only him, but his mate, to new heights. Diverting his thoughts from what was sure to cause his balls to ache more, he considered the larger picture. Without mates, these changes don’t occur, leaving most of the realm incomplete and infertile. Hence, the decline in the realm’s birthrate.

His silent ruminations derailed the moment Gerrick broke the silence. “I found my mate four hundred years ago. My family had moved from London to Draffen, and I met Evanna there. She was a vision with her long, silky, blond hair, fair face and eyes the color of the darkest chocolate. I was in love immediately. I thought of little but Evanna. We snuck to the loch every chance we had and spent every spare moment together. She was an incredible sorceress and taught me many spells. She also helped me to gain better control of my ability to travel back in time. When we shared our first kiss, everything escalated quickly and she was soon out of her corset and shift…”

Gerrick fell silent for several moments and finally met Zander’s gaze. He was nearly knocked on his feet at the pain he saw in those ice-blue eyes. He hoped to never experience whatever it was that Gerrick had endured. “I don’t recall the pain, but after she pointed out our marks. We were terrified and kept it a secret for many weeks. The realm had begun to talk of a mating curse and I feared she would be taken from me.” The warrior’s gaze took on a faraway look as he recalled that terrible time in his life.

“A fortnight after learning we were mates, my greatest fear came true. It was a warm spring day and I had been working for hours with my parents doing chores, anxious to get to my Evanna. By the time I reached her, she and her entire family, had been killed by skirm.” Zander detected anguish in Gerrick’s tone. It was impossible to ignore Zander’s own fears of losing his mate before he completed the mating. He longed to hold his mate and have his soul rendered whole. He didn’t want to become the tormented, hollow male he saw before him.

“Through my red haze of rage, I called up my power and was able to travel back longer than I ever had before…but it was not enough time to save Evanna. She was already gone when I arrived. I tried to stop the slaughter of her father. That day, I learned that my travels are limited to one trip. I also learned that there is a price to pay when traveling back in time. Aside from having to live with failing my mate, I was permanently disfigured. Her soul torments me daily,” Gerrick thumped his fist against his chest as a tear slid from the corner of his eye.

Zander was utterly speechless. What Gerrick had said did not seem possible, but there was no denying that he was telling him the truth. He wanted to go to the Goddess to obtain the answers he and Gerrick deserved. So many questions filled him, but the most pressing was why she would do such a thing to mates. Why make them suffer so greatly?

He met Gerrick’s solemn gaze. “I doona know what to say to you. I’m sorry doesna cover it. Before I found my Elsie, I wouldna have understood the shadows in your eyes. Now, I can understand completely what that loss must have done to you. The thought of losing Elsie, or of never having her, shreds my heart in my chest.”

“I vow to you that I will do everything in my power to protect Elsie, and any other mate, from harm,” Gerrick promised.

He admired the strength it took for Gerrick to continue on with such determination after such a tremendous loss. He didn’t think he would be able to. “Thank you.”

Each of the warriors and his siblings offered their protection as well as vowing to seek vengeance for what Elsie had suffered. The Goddess gave Elsie to Zander, but she also gave the realm a Queen. One they had already embraced. Elsie signaled a turning point for them, she symbolized their hope.

*****

Going out of his mind, Zander looked at the clock for the millionth time. It was after seven in the evening. Surely Orlando had had enough rest by now. As soon as Zander concluded the afternoon meeting, the warrior had requested a few hours to rest since it had been a couple days since he had last gotten any sleep. Zander took the time after the sun set to go out and run some errands.

He glanced at the clock again. It had been over three hours. Elsie’s distress was driving him crazy. Orlando was an immortal shifter and a Dark Warrior, enough with nap time. He had to go check on her and didn’t trust himself to go to her alone.

Strapping on his concealable weapons, he hurried from his rooms and burst into Orlando’s. "Get up! I must go to her! Her anguish is killing me. I need to see her and you are going with me."

"What the hell, Liege? I asked for a few hours of sleep," Orlando grumbled as he sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"You’ve had three hours. Get up! I canna hear her exact thoughts with this much space between us, but I am certain she plans to go on patrol tonight. We must intervene.”

"With all due respect, going there at all right now would be a bad idea.” He growled at his warrior, ready to drag him, kicking and screaming, if he had to. “But,” Orlando hurried to continue, “I can see you’re not going to listen, so give me five minutes. I certainly don't need my beauty sleep, seeing as I'm already devilishly handsome." Orlando flipped off his comforter and stretched as he unfolded to his six-foot-one-inch height.

What the hell had the male done to himself? "What in the Nine Circles of Hell happened to your hair? That isna right. Shite, you doona look like a grown male, you look like you havena passed your stripling years."

Zander struggled to understand why a male would shave his balls in such a manner. When he was young, he couldn’t wait to be a full-grown male in every way. And, he sure as hell had never had a desire to make any part of his body resemble a young lad.

"I have one word for you. Man-scaping. The females love it.”

He looked ridiculous, stupid male. Shaking his head, he tossed the warrior his clothing. “You have so much to learn, lad. I want to leave, be downstairs in five,” Zander threw over his shoulder before he pounded down the stairs.

*****

Elsie surveyed her surroundings as she watched Mackendra park her motorcycle along the curb. As she removed her helmet, Elsie recalled when Mack found her. It was shortly after Dalton had been killed, and Mack had seen her on the news. She hadn’t listened to the woman until she pulled down the neck of her charcoal-grey t-shirt, revealing several horrific bite-marks.

Elsie was consumed by the sight of the injuries to Mackendra’s neck and arm. The ink started on the right side of her neck and wound down to a full sleeve on her right arm. A great-white shark, its jaws wide and dripping blood, was tattooed near a bicep injury. She had been speechless as she played ‘Where’s Waldo’, trying to find the scars amongst the intricate designs.

Mack’s whiskey-colored eyes may have been determined, but they held more compassion and understanding than Elsie had seen from anyone. She had classically good looks with her short, spiky, black hair, round face, and olive complexion.

“Hey Elsie. How was your visit with your sister?” Mack called out bringing her back to the present. She focused just as Mackendra was unzipping her leather jacket to reveal a t-shirt that said ‘it’s irony you dumb bitch.’ The woman typically wore snarky t-shirts that brought even more attention to her big, full breasts.

Why did it seem like everyone had bigger boobs than Elsie did? Probably, because they did. Sigh. And, Mack was beautiful. The sleeve of ink made her fierce, but also added to her beauty.

“The visit was too short, but good. I always hate to see her go. Shall we?” Elsie asked as she motioned to the quiet park. It was an hour or so past dusk and most people were home having dinner with their families.

They walked and chatted about what she had missed while her sister was in town. Apparently things had been busy. Two vampires had been taken out. It seemed that there had been more vampires lately.

“Hey, I wanted to ask you if you’ve ever heard of a vampire not turning to dust when they die,” Elsie asked Mack as they headed off.

“As far as I know all vampires turn to dust when they are stabbed through the heart. Why?”

“Well the new detectives assigned to Dalton’s case said they found the kid responsible in a dumpster missing his heart.”