Dark War Chronicles Box Set One (23 page)

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."

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.

"You aren't going to win the bet." He shook his head and gave her a wave when she started out. "See you later."

After she shut the door he took a deep breath and rubbed his chest where his tattoo was. He ached when he thought about the outcome last time he had a human in his care. Some nights he could still feel her blood on his hands and feel the weight of her body in his arms. When he closed his eyes he vividly recalled the trembling of her chest when she took her last breath. "Fuck you fate, what the hell is going on?"

He closed his eyes and could sense his wolf’s ears perk up at the talk of fate. The beast became less demanding when Renee showed up, the urge to hunt and run ebbed whenever she was near him. Coran shook his head, trying to rid himself of the feeling. He refused to give in to those familiar emotions. "I'm an immortal, humans can’t know about us and they don’t do well in our world. I won’t make that mistake again."

Renee strolled down the sidewalk, her nose stuck in a book. She didn't notice the flashing of lights and the police standing in front of her gate until she ran into one when she tried to turn into the yard.

"What's going on?" She closed the book and stuck it in her purse before looking around. Shattered glass littered the yard and belongings dotted the sidewalk. Panic, her new friend, began bubbling up in her as she met the officer’s sympathetic stare.

"Is this your house?"

"Mine and another girl's. We're renting it from someone out of town." Her voice shook and her eyes swept over the disaster once more. Putting a hand to her mouth, she tried to back away and the officer put a hand on her arm to steady her.

"Easy, miss." He waited until she took a few deep breaths to compose herself. "The house was broken into and items are scattered, some destroyed. I know this is rough, but I need you to go through and see what of yours might be missing."

She swallowed. "I need to call my roommate too, she needs to see this." After a moment she forced herself forward a few steps, flinching when a man called out her name. Relief flooded her when she spotted Coran running towards her.

His gaze darted between the officer, the house, and her. "Are you okay?"

"Physically, yes." She whispered and turned to continue back up the pathway to the house, going around a chair and a torn couch cushion. He followed her, but she refused to turn back to face him or she would break down.