The Warrior Read online
The Warrior
Title Page
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR
CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE
CHAPTER THIRTY SIX
CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN
CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN
CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT
CHAPTER THIRTY NINE
CHAPTER FORTY
CHAPTER FORTY ONE
CHAPTER FORTY TWO
CHAPTER FORTY THREE
CHAPTER FORTY FOUR
CHAPTER FORTY FIVE
CHAPTER FORTY SIX
THE WARRIOR
A Tainted Blood Novel
LJ HALKETT & RT LUCAS
The Warrior
Copyright © 2014
Smashwords Edition
Published by Dark Hollows Press
About the eBook You Have Purchased
All rights reserved. Without reserving the rights under copyright, reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or any other means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
Distribution of this e-book, in whole or in part, is forbidden. Such action is illegal and in violation of the U.S. Copyright Law.
The Warrior
Copyright © 2014 RT Lucas, LJ Halkett
ISBN 10: 1940756952
ISBN 13: 978-1-940756-95-0
Original Publication Date: September 2014
All cover art and logo copyright © 2014 by Dark Hollows Press
Cover Design by 3 Rusted Spoons
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
Dedicated to Sweetcheeks - Life is never boring when you’re around, yeah.
R.T. Lucas
To my High’n’Mighty - the pedestal now reaches the stars!
LJ Halkett
PROLOGUE
The three Archangels stood in a circle, deep in discussion. Their long, dazzling white wings were extended, shielding them from view as they looked down from the Heavenly Realm.
“He should not be here.”
“He should not be here.”
“She is alone.”
“Unprotected.”
“The Scelesta is searching–searching–searching.”
“He cannot be here.”
“His memory persists.”
“His Will is too strong.”
“He yearns for her.”
“He clings to life – he cannot be here.”
“Is he enough to help her against the Scelesta?”
“She would not accept another–another–another.”
“She is in danger, he can save her.”
“Only she can defeat Scelesta.”
“We cannot interfere – she has Free Will.”
“Free Will may kill her. Scelesta is hunting–hunting–hunting.”
“We are agreed? She is ‘The One’?”
“We agree.”
“Agreed.”
It sounded like a thousand whispers were talking over each other, and yet the three stood in silence.
* * * *
Sitting the angel with the Bette Davis eyes down opposite him, the huge male mulled over her question. After a long silence, he answered in his low, thunderous growl, “You want to know how the fuck I got here? That’s easy – Sweetcheeks shot me in the head, yeah?”
The Bette–eyed angel’s audible gasp brought the attention of the others to them. As the whispers started to fill the room, Xavier Raige held his hand up for silence. During his time in Heaven he had trained his Harem of Angels almost like a military unit, and they obeyed him without question.
“She was carrying out my direct order – I couldn’t live knowing that I couldn’t protect her. It was a mercy killing,” Xavier was explaining matter-of-factly.
Just then, the doors to his room were flung open. The flowing white robes of the Archangels almost gave him snow blindness against the stark white of his surroundings. As the young angels scurried out the doors, the Archangels stood forward, and unfurled a scroll and a booming voice which defied the outward appearance of the smallest of the Archangels hit Xavier in the face like an Arctic blast.
“A Decree has been written to right a wrong that has occurred herein the Heavenly Realm – kneel before us!”
Unrepentant, Xavier merely shrugged and stood his ground. “Here’s the thing, Batfink, I don’t fucking want to be here, and you lot don’t fucking want me here – so put me back where I fucking belong, yeah? I need to be able to protect my Sweetcheeks.” There was the subtlest of glances between the three at Xavier’s outburst. Suddenly, he felt a crushing weight on his broad shoulders forcing him down. He was held there, kneeling before the three as the Decree was read out.
“None who ‘live’ can be admitted herein. Memories must fade and bodies turn to dust. That is the Way, the Truth, the Light. Thou hast clung to life – unnatural and unintended. We summon forth our Defender to be released back to the Earthly Realm to find and protect her from evil – it lurks around and within, but great care must be taken that it does not seduce her.”
Xavier’s face was drawn as he listened through bleeding ears, muttering under his breath, “If they’re talking about Sweetcheeks, then the only fucking thing to seduce her is ME, yeah.”
“In exchange for the unnatural life that you were borne into, we charge you with doing our bidding when claimed to do so. Failure has consequences. Do you accept our Petition?”
Xavier narrowed his eyes, as he pushed against the force keeping him down. His huge muscular body strained as he fought to stand up. Rolling his shoulders and neck he smirked. “If that’s your fancy shit way of saying you need me down there just fucking say so, yeah?” While the Three waited, expectantly Xavier’s jaw ticked. “Yes, I agree.”
Nodding, the taller Archangel approached him, impressed by the strength Xavier had shown against them. “When you rejoin your body, you will recollect very little of your time here, but when we call upon you, all will be remembered.” The Archangel slowly waved his hand past Xavier’s face as a million images and conversations were forged into his brain.
“Abra-fucking-cadabra,” Xavier retorted.
Before the Three left, one word was uttered that caused a reaction that was on the verge of bringing on an Apocalypse within Xavier Raige.
“Abomination.”
It was the middle Archangel who spoke, but it was Xavier’s voice that now roared out amongst the Heavens.
“Call her that again and I’ll rip those fucking wings off you and stuff a fucking pillow with them, we clear?”
The smaller Archangel stared impassively at Xavier before speaking. “The Abomination is not the vampire female. The Abomination is you.”
CHAPTER ONE
“Clear the bay of all patients now, the only person that matters here and now is Commander Raige. He will be with us in a matter of moments. We treat him as the V.I.P he is and like no patient we have ever worked on. Are we all clear, yes? Good now get ready!”
Teodora Valdez gave orders to her team of nursing staff as they prepared the Intensive Care bay for their incoming patient. Recovering soldiers were moved to the far medical wing of the compound.
Lieutenant Hugh ‘Shuggie’ MacAndrew had called moments ago with the news that they both never wanted to hear…Miss Carberletti had given the Commander her blood.
The Surgeon did not ask any questions as to the whys of this, Shuggie’s voice was grave as he and Teodora both knew the consequences of such an act. She refused to think of what they both in actual fact were thinking, that Xavier could not survive this. Alicia was a unique vampire hybrid, her DNA would not mix with that of Xavier’s. It would kill him!
Like the Commander with his unit, Teodora ran her ER with strict guidelines and her surgeon’s cap was firmly on as the doors burst open, Shuggie carrying the limp body of Xavier Raige in his arms.
“Please place the patient on the gurney Lieutenant.” Without looking up, the gifted Surgeon got straight to work inserting cannula into the veins that were bulging to the back of Xavier’s hand. “I want non-medical staff out of my ER immediately, military rankings mean nothing to me in here, yes.”
“That will be fucking right! I’m not leaving him for a moment.” Alicia’s tones were strangled as she was led away from the bay by Shuggie, who by now had her suspended in the air, his thick arms encasing around his little vampire.
Teodora’s only focus was on the patient, who by now had IV’s inserted into his veins. She completed the intubation of Commander Xavier Raige. Satisfied that she had pain medicines now flowing through his system and a machine to assist in his breathing, she inserted the final syringe into the carotid artery. This put Xavier into an induced coma that she could control whilst she assessed if there was any damage to his physical form before she started on the testing of his brain.
Doctor Valdez studied the MRI and CAT scans of the Commander’s brain, and breathed a sigh of relief. The bullet that Alicia had shot was lodged in the squama frontalis bone of his skull, and hadn’t actually penetrated his brain. For a surgeon as experienced as Teodora was, she knew that although the procedure looked relatively straightforward, care would have to be taken to ensure the temporal artery was not severed. That could lead to complications for Xavier’s optical nerves, which were connected to the anterior branches of that main blood supply. She also knew that to avoid any partial facial paralysis she would need to be careful that the Occipitofrontalis muscle around the bullet wound was not disrupted – any damage to that and the Commander could lose his frontoparietal sensation.
For two hours, Doctor Valdez operated on the Commander, with Alicia watching her every move like a hawk stalking her prey. Shuggie held tightly onto the younger vampire to allow her to work uninterrupted, but the atmosphere during surgery was almost as lethal as the injuries Xavier had incurred.
When Teodora had sutured the wounds and placed the Commander back in the recovery wing of her ER, she was physically and emotionally exhausted, but still would not leave her patient to anyone else’s care. Doctor Valdez was not about to allow the most important patient of her career die on her. Failure was an option she was not prepared to live with.
CHAPTER TWO
Watching in both horror and awe, Shuggie held back the struggling Alicia as the Doc took care of his Commander. The horror was witnessing his friend and Commander lying helpless and hooked up to machines. He was in awe of the Doc and the way in which she was taking charge of the situation.
Shuggie hadn’t had much time to think, never mind process the reaction that Alicia had shown since they had brought Xavier back to the Compound, but as things started to settle he released his stronghold of her and made her face him.
“Youngling, ye need tae calm the fuck down ahn let the Doc continue tae dae her stuff. Nod if ye kin understand.” Alicia reluctantly gave one short nod. “We need tae all be singing from the same song sheet here.” A flash of confusion showed in her eyes. “We aw need tae keep working the gither tae bring the Commander back,” he explained gently.
Weariness was setting in after the adrenaline rush of the past couple of days. Shuggie was starting to feel every one of his two thousand years – all of a sudden this situation was making him a very old man. His reluctance to leave the side of Xavier as he fought for his life was only overshadowed by Alicia’s. He had observed that she rarely took a break, staying by his side for twenty three hours and only taking one hour for herself. She never slept, and sat talking to the Commander even when all the medical staff were busy crowding his bed and adjusting machines.
“Youngling ye need tae rest, or you’ll be in that bed wi’ him.” He didn’t mean the implication and regretted his phrasing as soon as the words came out.
Alicia was curled up in the oversized chair that she had pushed as close to Xavier’s hospital bed as she could get it. She was aware that Hugh was in the room with them but his words were like those of a foreigner to her, her eyes trained on Xavier.
“I want to see his eyes, I need to know what shade they are.” Her words came out a mere whisper as her hand squeezed his limp one tight. “Blankets! He’s getting cold, my high and mighty needs blankets.” Alicia was rambling by this stage, lack of sleep and feeding was taking its toll on her, but she was unable to move away from him.
Shuggie caught the look in the Doc’s eyes as Alicia spoke…pleaded with him. He hadn’t realised that the youngling had feelings as strong as Xavier had for her, and that was the true tragedy of the situation for his oldest friend. The Commander had gone through life not knowing of love, and when he found it, it killed him. Literally. Taking a blanket, but not putting it over the Commander as Alicia had asked, he wrapped it over her shoulders and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
“Try ahn rest, youngling.” Walking over to the Doc at the far end of the bay, he silently took the chart she was writing on, scanning it. “It’s no lookin’ good fur him, is it Doc?”
Teodora’s blue eyes raised from the chart that was now in the hands of Shuggie, as she stood straight and looked into his eyes. “May we talk away from the bedside Lieutenant?” Not waiting for Shuggie to answer, Teodora walked out of the Intensive Care bay and headed to her private office where she all but collapsed into her chair.
Kneeling down in front of Teodora, Shuggie put his hands on the armrests, trapping her there. His voice was low, but serious. “Ah cannae huv ye ill either, Doc – tell meh what ah kin dae.” It pained him to see her like this, it seemed that he was losing everyone he cared about…again. And he didn’t know if he would survive it, this time. “Teodora…” his thick Scottish drawl accentuated the sound of her name on his tongue, “...talk tae me lassie, please?”
“Oh gosh Warrior, I am ever so sorry, yes…I am at a loss on how to save him. I have never seen DNA such as Miss Carberletti’s before and now it courses through his veins. I have him asleep, but fear he may never wake from this. I shall start the brain activity testing later, but I would please ask something of you?”
Teodora lifted her head, her hand reaching out to rest on top of Shuggie’s. He was her saviour. She enjoyed the conversations that they had when he called her late at night, but this situation they were in now? Nothing could prepare them for the death of the man that saved them both. She had a b
ond with Shuggie and as professional as she was in her ER, she was about to lose it emotionally as the Warrior knelt before her.
As soon as Teodora’s hand pressed against his, Shuggie’s elaborate tattoos started morphing into different shapes, the black ink taking on an iridescent glow. He lowered his eyes slowly, gathering his thoughts before looking back up at her. His piercing blue contact lenses hid his own red irises as he stared intently into the deep lagoon blue of her eyes.
“Teodora…mah wee geeky lassie – aw ah know is that if anyone kin save oor Commander, it’s you. An Ah huv complete trust that ye will dae everything ye can, so take a deep breath, ahn let’s sort this oot the gither.” He smiled encouragingly at her as he remained kneeling before her. “Why don’t ye dae some more blood tests? Try tae establish wit effect the youngling’s blood has had oan the Commander’s? Maybe we’ll find a clue there?”
Teodora felt her body relaxing as Shuggie spoke, his thick Scots’ accent held no barrier for her as she was more than accustomed to it. His tone was a soothing one and he was the only person she would have wanted by her side at such a devastating time like this.
“Well Warrior, first I need Miss Carberletti removed from the room, yes? She is going to end up gravely ill if she continues as she is…” Teodora took a deep breath as she continued to speak. “In relation to blood tests? I would require some more from Alicia again but I fear she doesn’t trust me. What can you tell me about the vial of blood that hangs from her charm bracelet?”
Teodora had moved forward, her head was resting on Shuggie’s shoulder as she looked up at him.
Arching his brow questioningly, Shuggie thought back to when he had noticed seeing it on her wrist. “Ah didnae know it wis blood, ah jist thought it wis a trinket o’some sort,” giving a one-shouldered shrug, “bit there’s only one way tae find oot.” With that, he stood up and held his hand out to Teodora to help her out of her chair. “Nae time like the present.”
The Warrior