Sword of Inquest (La Patron's Sword Book 1) (12 page)

Asia couldn’t help but
marvel at the new equipment. Her scan did
not
pick up the beasts. Those things moved so fast she didn’t see the first two. When the two leapt from the top of the jet it looked like they were flying, the distance had been that great before the bottom of their feet hit the ground.

Hawke said
they were new, in the test phase. That meant there were bugs, things that could be used against those things to their advantage because she was certain they would see the bluebirds again.

“
Mistress?
” Asia stepped out the shower and wrapped a towel around her.

“
Asia, are you and your mate alright? Chacal told Angus you guys were attacked before you boarded the plane
.”

“Yes,
Ma’am
.” She walked into the bedroom, dimmed the lights and crawled into bed.  “
Have you heard any more on the mating stuff? Hawke’s’ chip goes on and off. Lately, it’s more off than on. But that’s how they’re tracking us, when his chip is live. He thinks the reason it’s off at all is that we’re mates
.”

“
Yes. Jacques and Dr. Passen had a lot to say. When you come home, they can tell you all the finer points. Bottom line, the stronger your bond, the less any outside influence has. Get closer, merge in the inside, through his link. According to both guys, that’ll fix the problem. But you already linked with him, right
?”

“
We linked.”

“
But?”

“There are
some areas I’m not ready to share.
” She recognized how defensive she sounded.

“
Is he open
?”

Asia thought of
her trek down his link the other night. “
Yes. Yes he is
.”

“
Based on how Jacques explained it, and I’m repeating him so bear with me on this. There’s an imbalance if the two of you aren’t linking the same. At this point you can’t share energy or complete the mating process until you give all of yourself, like he’s doing. I’m not judging you, just passing on what I’ve been told. But… if you want to shut down the computer chip finish mating, seems like that’d solve the problem
.”

Asia
thought of everything Jasmine said. “
Okay, I’ll talk to Hawke about it. Next thing, the Liege has new toys. Bluebirds. Speckled blue tinge to their skin, necks you can’t twist or snap, and strong computer chips. Could you have Jacques or Matt check to see if they have anything on these things? They were hard to shut down and I don’t think we destroyed them. Those bastards will be back.”

“Bluebirds? Interesting name. Are
they the beasts that wrecked Chacal’s new plane?”

Asia winced at the mention of a new plane. “
Yes, sorry about that. Two of them bounced on it a few times and then ran after Hawke.”

“Chacal’s
rich, he already ordered another plane. Plus he sent footage of those things in action. I’ll tell Silas they have a name and what happened when you fought them.”

Asia squeezed
her eyes shut as heat radiated from Hawke’s skin warming her. “
Someone gave Hawke to Boris, someone from his pack. I saw it in his memories but I’m not sure if I should tell him
,” she said in a rush.
The words left a bitter taste on her tongue.

“
What? I… I don’t… I didn’t think they did that.”

“
Someone did, Mistress. When he’s found it’s an automatic death sentence.”

“Good. From the pack?”

“
No Mistress from me. I plan to kill the son of a bitch when I find him. I have a part of his name but that may have changed through the years. I saw half of his face. Should I tell Hawke?”
The silence stretched, she thought Jasmine chose not to answer.

“
Mate with him completely and everything else will flow from that. You saw something and made plans based on that, while refusing him the same courtesy. After you mate, the bond will be strong enough to handle anything that comes rolling your way. Ask me how I know?”

Asia sighed and glanced at Hawke.
She liked him, a lot. Respected him and could see a future with him. But the idea of belonging to anyone so completely… being enslaved to the Liege for decades left its scar. On an intellectual level, she knew mating with Hawke was one hundred percent different, but her freedom was too new. Being in control of her mind, her actions and decisions… she wasn’t ready to give it up yet.

“
Gunnolf sat in the room.”

“What?
Your Gunnolf? He knew Hawke? Wait… hold on. Are you saying Gunnolf was in the room when Hawke was given to the Liege?”

Mistress had a way of cutting to the crux of the issue. “
Yes, I believe so.”

“
No Asia. Don’t be wishy-washy on something like this. Silas and Angus sang this guys’ praises. Something’s off with all of this.”

“
Yes, I agree
.” Asia waited for Jasmine’s response, hoping for a plan or directions.

“
Angus will leave today. Should be there sometime tomorrow, things are ballooning and may blow up in our face. Angus knows that area, the packs and Alphas. According to Silas, if somebody’s giving Black Wolf pups to the Liege, that’s a serious problem, he wants to make sure we understand who we’re up against. Black Wolf clan or Liege or both.”

“
I understand.
” She hadn’t thought that far, but it made sense.

“
Mate with Hawke so you can get a clear picture, I do not want Angus or you to walk into negotiations with the Alpha’s over there blind
.”

Asia swallowed hard but didn’t speak.

“
Do I need to make that an order? I don’t want to, but I will. Don’t test me in this, Asia. This is too important.”

“Yes,
Ma’am.”

“Yes
, I need to order you to mate, or yes you understand how important this information is?”

Asia
pressed her fingertips to her forehead and rubbed. “
I understand how important this information is. I will mate with Hawke
,” she said in a low tone hoping it was void of emotion.

Jasmine laughed. “
I wonder if I’ll hear from you at all after you finish mating. Anyway, Silas needs me and you need to get busy
.”

Asia bit
her lower lip at Jasmine’s strong suggestion and closed their link. Drugged, Hawke couldn’t take part, so she had a little time to hug her secrets. She snuggled closer, listened to him breathe and fell asleep.

Chapter 21

The command for a conference rang in
Greggor’s head. The sound had the effect of having his ear pulled, dragged into the office and pushed into the chair facing the monitor.  Accustomed to this particular brand of humiliation he assumed the position, arms on armrest, back against the back, feet flat on the floor.

Intense waves of pain rolled through
him from the top of his head to the soles of his feet as steel manacles slid from their compartments. Cold steel wrapped around his wrists and ankles. Greggor’s heartbeat raced as the room dimmed and the screen expanded. Dots formed everywhere blurring his vision from the pain.

Something
major must’ve happened for his uncle to exert this much pain and pressure. The bastard knew what he was doing and didn’t care about the trickle of blood running from Greggor’s nose. He shook his head to rid his face of the evidence of his discomfort. Fastidious son-of-a-bitch had no problems shedding blood but couldn’t stand to look at it.

The temperature in the room rose. Sweat beaded
his brow and ran down his face.

Minutes ticked,
his chin dropped to his chest to ease the shards of pain in his head. Hate rose, ripe and ready to destroy the bastard for toying with him.

After what may have been an hour, or longer, the
display flicked on and Lord Boris stepped in front of the camera, a sneer on his pinched face.

“What do
you have to say for yourself nancy-boy. You gutless whelp, you failed me. Thirty years, it took me over twenty-five years to break and mold Hawke into something useful and you lost him,” Lord Boris said in a clipped tone.

Greggor winced at the insults. “Something happened to
him, he wasn’t himself that day. Couldn’t put my finger on it, but he hadn’t shifted after the tranq shot. He was out of it.”

“That’s different? No.”

A buzz escalated in the base of Greggor’s neck and radiated up his head. “Please uncle,” he screamed as a drilling sensation pierced his skull.

“
You lost everything and dare ask for mercy?”

Greggor screamed as a jolt of energy hit
him.

“
My test wolves, my employees, my files and security compromised because of your incompetence.”

Another jolt lanced through
his body singeing his nerve endings. Greggor’s arms and legs shook like leaves in the wind. “Please uncle…” he gasped for breath. Sounds of his labored breathing filled the room. After a long pause his uncle spoke.

“What have
you learned so far?”

Greggor struggled to swallow. “Based on
his last signal, he’s in the vicinity of Odessa. I just need a team to pick him up,” he said pleading his case with his uncle. He hated these video chats; no matter what he did it was never good enough. If it weren’t for the kill chip in his brain, he would’ve left years ago.

Lord Boris
laughed. The cruel sound left no doubt the man thought he’d said something ridiculous. This sound had been honed into a cutting weapon to humiliate and demean. “Why would I give you more merchandise when you already lost nine hybrids?”

Greggor didn’t defend
his actions or what happened. The old bastard knew everything and still blamed and punished him. Anger simmered beneath his skin while he remained still. The old man would pounce on the smallest tick in his jaw or eye movement, and make a monumental case. Experience taught him to minimize his words and expressions.

“Have
you no answer?” his uncle yelled.

“
The beasts fought Hawke and lost.”

“No. Not
Hawke. They lost to that idiot you hired. Jerry. Or his lover Ponce. Which was it?”

Greggor hesitated.
His uncle knew both men destroyed the hybrids. “Jerry used the laser you sent and I haven’t seen the footage and don’t know what Ponce did yet.” Afraid something would set the older man off again he kept his tone neutral, yet reverential.

The screen changed. The fight between Ponce and the hybrid filled the
display. His eyes widened at Ponces’ fighting skills and then his death at the hands of his lover. Greggor sat in disbelief when the screen flickered back to his relative.

“Were
you aware he could fight like this?”

“No, Sir,”
he said with feeling. Where had Ponce learn how to disarm a hybrid, even he didn’t know that information and he’d searched.

“So… something else happened beneath
your nose and you’re clueless. Hmm, wonder why you are there… you are worse than the three monkeys who make those silly signs… you know nothing, you see nothing, and you hear nothing.”

Greggor’s jaw clenched
but he remained silent.

“
Be prepared, I have sent you two hybrids, you will track Hawke down with the tranq gun. When he is down, contact me and I will oversee his collection.”

“Yes, Sir. Thank
you for the opportunity to redeem myself.” Greggor swallowed hard.

“Do not fail this time.
I have tolerated much from you because you fall somewhere down the line in my family tree. But no longer. If you cannot do what I demand you are of no value to me or my cause. Things of no value are waste and all waste is tossed aside. Do you understand?”

Greggor squeezed the arm rest to stop the tremors. “Yes, uncle.” The
computer screen blanked. Five to ten minutes later the steel restraints released his wrists and ankles.

Shaking,
he stood, walked out the office, down the hall to his private rooms, and emptied his stomach into the toilet.

Boris watched the boy run out the room and snickered.

Chapter 22

A loud thud followed by the shuddering of the bed woke
Hawke. Eyes open, he remained still, listening. The sound, like a wrecking ball hitting a building, came again. Curious, he rolled to the side of the bed, the room swirled and then righted. How long had he been asleep? Goddess, he had no idea. Moments ticked before the fog disappeared in his mind.

The sound came again. Chacal hadn’t knocked or sent a sign that anything was wrong. But
Hawke’s beast said different.

“Asia.”
He placed a hand on her shoulder, allowed it to rest there for a moment and then pushed. The building shuddered again.

“What’s going
on?” She rolled to her back and blinked. Taut nipples stood at attention and he wished he had time to salute each. But his wolf urged him to locate the threat to their mate.

“Am
I on or off?” he asked instead.

“On. Shit.”
Asia jumped from the bed naked and morphed into the male form she’d been using.

“How do
we kill those things?” she asked pulling on clothes.

“
I’m not… wait a second.” He rifled through information in his mind, there were many flaws in the design. Bluebirds were unstable and not in full production.

“The chips aren’t behind
the eyes or embedded in the skulls. They have sensors… but the control is external. Lord Boris directs, and repairs the thing from his location. That’s why the cameras are so strong. One of the problems was the sensors didn’t always work and Lord Boris couldn’t always control them. They’re more machine than human, my advice – separate the head from the body. It’ll send the right message. I don’t know how they replenish the poisonous tips, just in case protect against their claws.” Hawke pulled on his clothes and boots.

“The neck is thick, is there another way?” Dressed in gray cargo pants, a matching long sleeved shirt, and combat boots,
Asia strode toward the door.

“Go for
the heart. You can’t just pierce it though, it has to come out and that won’t happen easy. The skin has a thin layer of metal on top, which causes the blue coloring.” Hawke strode out the door and stopped. In the hall leaning against the wall were medieval weapons. A battle axe, long spear, and two swords.

“These will do
nicely,” Hawke said lifting the axe in one hand and the spear in the other. It had been a while since he’d used either but each would allow him to cleave the body of his opponent in half. Asia tested each sword and settled on one. They turned, jogged down the hall following what amounted to a well-lit path until they came to a steel door.

Hawke
pushed the exit open, stepped outside and shifted into his hybrid. Asia stood next to him and shifted into his mirrored image. He grinned and ran forward to lead the bluebirds away from Chacal’s property.

“
He has a barrier like La Patron uses,” Asia murmured when they reached a shield around the property.

Hawke
pointed at the three bluebirds concentrating on one point of the barrier. “There, you see them? I think you terminated one with that limb yesterday.”

Asia
nodded. “Could be, they all look the same to me.”

“
Kiss me
,” Hawke said.

She
stepped closer, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. “
Am I ticking
?” he asked through their link.

She
deepened the kiss, and he almost lost his train of thought. “
No
.”

“
Good. Let’s gut these bitches. We tear them apart to send those bastards a serious message
.”

“
You had me kiss you to see if you were ticking?” Asia asked when they broke apart.

He
glanced at the bluebirds, they hadn’t seen him yet. “No. It seems the closer we are the less the chip works. That’s not as close as I want to get with you, but it’ll have to do for now.” Hawke stepped away from the embrace and tested the barrier with his fingers, pleased when one passed through with no problem. “Good, we can leave, they can’t enter.” He glanced at her. She hadn’t moved. “You okay?”

“Just thinking.”

Hawke hadn’t told her about the bluebird composition to scare or worry her. There were ways to destroy these things, and once he had access to all of his memories he’d research for a better answer. “Okay, I’ll draw them away from the house, maybe back into the forest.”

“Sounds good. Once
they follow you, I’ll bring up the rear and start taking them out.”

A tingling sensation
traveled down his back when he walked through the barrier and looked at his opponents. His beast howled in anticipation. Hawke took off running. Increased his speed, and then raised the spear in one hand and the axe in the other. When he reached the hangar he threw back his head and released a howl, a challenge.

Amazed at
their speed he sensed the beasts’ right behind him. Hawke leapt upward just in time to miss the dive of the first bluebird. The beast hit the ground so hard, it created a trench with mounds of dirt on both sides. Hawke landed a few feet away, raised the axe and swung the sharp blade across the creature’s thick neck while it tried to stand.

The whiz of the
axe stopped the bluebird’s movement. Hawke met the blank gaze of the bluebird in the split second before the head separated from the body and flew into the forest. The force of Hawke’s swing spun him around and he pitched forward into a nearby tree.

He had
just gotten his balance when another bluebird slammed into his side knocking him back. He dropped the spear from the collision. Hawke tightened his grip on the handle of the axe, ducked the next blow and jumped over the headless bird lying on the ground to land on the other side of the small clearing.

The other bluebird ran toward
him with lethal claws. Hawke swung the axe removing half the outstretched arm which fell to the ground. The beast continued fighting as if his arm was still attached. Hawke ducked the next punch but miscalculated his opponent who compensated for the loss of one arm with a high kick to his mid-section, knocking him onto the ground. Hawke dropped the axe and rolled to his side.

The beast leapt forward to pin
him.

Hawke
rolled to the left. The bluebird hit the tree hard making a loud cracking noise on impact and then fell to the ground covering Hawke’s weapon.

“Asia?”
He hadn’t heard from her since Chacal’s. It took a moment to catch his breath. The beast lay on top of the axe. Hawke rose slowly, walked to the other side and picked up the spear. The bluebird’s head healed as Hawke watched.

“Asia?” Concerned,
by her lack of response, he left to find his mate.

He
’d cleared the tree line. Asia and the bluebird fought doggedly in the clear area a short distance from the hangar. Hawke stepped aside prepared to help but angled himself in a way to see when the bluebird in the trees arrived. He rubbed the smooth wood of the spear, determined to gut the bastard.

Asia’s movements were jerky, mechanical and
Hawke wondered if she’d ever fought with a sword. The beast never eased up; kept her on defense punching and kicking. If they had merged fully, Hawke could share his skill set with sword play. Although he understood her reluctance, to a point anyway, situations like this caused major frustration. Regardless of what anyone wanted if the fight took a nasty turn, he’d jump in and tear the bird apart before allowing serious injury.

Hawke
sensed the arrival of the bluebird before the beast landed in two feet in front of him. That was one of the flaws in the design, despite the incredible speed an enemy would always know the large creatures were coming and could prepare for their arrival.

Hawke
jumped up, did backward flip and landed a few feet away. The beast carried the axe and ran toward him with the handle gripped in its’ remaining hand. Hawke bent forward, holding the spear and waited to the last second before stepping aside. He turned and kicked the beast in the ass sending it crashing to the ground.

He
glanced at Asia. The beast still had her on defense. The thought of her injured or scraped by a claw sent him in her direction. Hawke grabbed the bluebird from behind and slammed it into the ground.

“
What are you doing
?” Asia asked looking at the beast on the ground and then at him.

Hawke
pointed at the bluebird and watched the other one out the corner of his eye. “
Don’t play with the thing. Destroy it so we can get the hell out of here. Everything is being recorded. By now they know there are two of us and suspect there’s a reason we’re doing this. The less they know the better
.” He turned in time to block a blow from the bluebird.

The beast swung the
axe and missed Hawke by a hairs' breath. Asia gasped. He shut her out and took his own advice to destroy this beast. He suspected Lord Boris used Hawke’s old training tapes as blueprints for the hybrids, and perhaps these as well. Holding the length of the spear with both hands, Hawke tested his theory and parried the blow by raising the weapon high.

The
axe broke the spear with a loud crack. No, that was not one of his moves. Hawke would never split a pole in half, and give his opponent two weapons instead of one. Holding the two jagged pieces of wood in each hand, one with a sharp protruding blade, Hawke jumped back to avoid the next swing of the axe. He spun, kicked his opponent on the chin and watched him fly backward. The moment the beast hit the ground, Hawked slammed the blade into its chest staking him in the heart. The tip of the spear penetrated the metalized skin with ease. Next Hawke rammed the jagged edges of the wood into the bluebird’s forehead, pinning it to the ground. Both halves of the spear held the beast immobile for now.

The bluebird grunted and growled.
It swung the axe at him, lifted its back and legs to break free. Hawke waited a beat and then wrestled the axe from its grip. Once in his hand, he separated the bluebird’s head and body. This time he grabbed the feet of the beast and dragged him to the headless body of the other bird and pulled off the fabric covering its upper body. As he expected, the beast’s body went into repair mode but the damage was too great. There were no heads.

Hawke
pulled out the stake, and wrapped the head in the fabric to take with him. Glancing at the grisly scene, he’d return later and bury the remains but he needed to go to his mate. The sight that met him stopped his heart. Asia on her knees, the beast hovering over her with outstretched claws. He released the head in his hand and ran toward them.

“
No. Merge with me now
,” Asia said her voice strong, confident.

He
opened himself completely, and met her vibrancy on a plane created for them alone, intertwining with her essence. Hawke’s breath caught as snapshots of her life flashed before his eyes, on and on it went. Her energy brushed against his. He opened his knowledge, displaying his knowledge of the sword. He lent her his strength, while informing her he’d step in if he felt the need. It took seconds to complete yet the impact was for a lifetime.

They
merged.

On the battlefield, in the midst of combat
he mated with his wonderful, unique bitch. Her fears touched him. He swore to hold them close to his heart. He received small snippets of the things she had suffered, but they were more than enough to strengthen his resolve that she’d never be anyone’s victim again. He waited to see if her knowledge would turn the tide of battle in her favor. If not, he’d destroy the bird.

Asia remained in
her position on her knees and opened the link between her and Hawke. Light touched dark areas of her being. She sensed his awe, his compassion and his pride. That surprised her but she couldn’t take the time their mating required to analyze everything going on inside right now. They would finish the intimate process later.

Bluebirds tweaked
her curiosity. She’d spent time fighting this one finding its weaknesses, testing its agility, its strategies. For the most part its offensive measures were similar to the hybrids. Their enhanced speed made the hybrids appear like old clunkers, the metalized skin was tough to penetrate but not impossible. Asia had punched it in the face and got no different response than when she punched it in the gut.

She
appreciated the video clips of sword play from her mate; it had been years since she used a sword. Hawke waited, and she knew he’d step in if she didn’t finish. “
I’ll explain later
,” she said through their link as she did a split with her legs, dropped to the ground, and rolled away from the beast.

The bluebird charged.

She side-stepped it at the last moment and kicked it in the ass. It hit the ground with a loud thump. Moving quickly, she jumped up, holding the sword with both hands and rammed it through his back, piercing its heart. Breathing hard, she stepped behind watching it try to push up and free itself.