Darlings of Paranormal Romance (Anthology) (48 page)

“
Who is it?” Sonja asked as
she rose onto an elbow.

The room spun but slower than before.
Grateful the healing didn’t show overly, she dropped her head and
covered most of the cuts about her face with her long, blond curls.
The picture of Ty’s hand fisted in her curls wavered a moment
before she shoved the idea to the back of her foolish head. Her
life depended on what she did now, not what she dreamed of doing
with the man she’d turned into a werewolf after sharing her gift
with him. When she glanced up she couldn’t believe her
eyes.

There in the doorway stood the
Confederate General Jeb Stewart. His gray woolen long-coat over
slim charcoal gray suit trousers didn’t show a sign of wear. His
face framed by a well-trimmed beard and matching chops gave him the
unmistakable appearance of a gentleman.

Sonja couldn’t believe her eyes.
“General?”

“
Sonja Brooks, I believe.”
Stewart bowed low over his arm and sent his gold braid dancing from
the insignias fastened to his shoulders. The dusky gray cavalry
hat, which until moments earlier had sat jauntily atop his thick
mane of dark brown curls, now rested in his large, strong hands. “I
have word from our lookouts. Ty Loflin has been captured outside
the Union prisoner of war camp, Conner’s Breach.”

Sonja got up slowly and stared back at
the general. “You’re dead.” She wasn’t trying to ignore his
information or be insensitive. With effort, she stepped toward
him.

“
Sonja?” Briann asked
hesitantly.

“
It’s okay, Sister. The
fear doesn’t rear up any longer like the sensation used to.” With a
slight crook to her mouth she explained for Stewart. Before, I was
scared to death when my wolf nose smelled your kind lurking in the
woods beyond Briann’s door. Waiting for Stewart to answer, she
reached out to check his pulse. She found him indeed, dead. “Why
have you come here with such news? You tried to kill Tyler Loflin
the last time I saw you. He is no traitor to the ‘cause’ yet you
tried to court martial him. Now you stand here telling me he’s been
captured by the Yankees. What do you want me to do, find him so you
can finish killing him?” With her temper rising to the boiling
point, she shoved past Briann, who tried to help and positioned
herself between her sister and the vampire.

“
Your observation is
correct,” Stewart said humbly. “I am dead.” His hat remained in his
hands as he glanced from her to her sister, who moved to stand
beside Sonja.

“
Why have you come here
with such news? You ordered a firing squad to shoot Tyler. He
didn’t even get a trial! Why should I believe you,
Rebel?”

“
As you already know, my
regiment was attacked at the Yellow Schoolhouse outside of
Spotsylvania. The vampires drained most of my men. They’d decided
to make me one of them for sport, I suppose.” A muscle jumped in
his jaw. “I managed to escape. I came to warn you.” He paused
waiting for their response. Stewart glanced from Sonja to Briann.
“I know what Tyler is now. And I know what you are as
well.”

Gold fire sparked in Sonja’s eyes and
glowed tawny in the meager light.

Stewart raised his hand in surrender.
“I come in peace and want to help you if you’ll allow me. Perkins
and his men killed or changed most of my men before we could even
draw our weapons. “I want to eliminate the bloody bastards down to
the last leach.”

Sonja’s breath came in short bursts.
Narrowing her eyes on Stewart, she said, “You expect me to believe
you dropped by here to warn me the lieutenant is in danger and
offer your assistance? I’m not that stupid, General.” With that,
she presented her back to him.

Stewart didn’t flinch. “Tyler Loflin
is a loyal Confederate soldier. I deeply regret the charge leveled
against him. Now, almost single handily, he’s trying to stop the
bastards. I want to help right a great wrong when I smeared his
record and prove to you I’m not like them, Mrs. Brooks.” Stewart
paused in the slow, calculated way of a general and waited for her
decision. Casting eyes from one sister to another, he held his
cavalry hat in front of him with those long, slim fingers. His
demeanor seemed sincere – a common assumption Sonja’d made before
when dealing with a man in uniform.

She reached up, rubbing at the pain
behind her eyes. Her head throbbed - probably from one of the blows
she'd taken at the hands of one of the more powerful vamps back at
the farm. “You expect me to believe you weren’t sent here to try
and lure me into showing up at this compound where I’d be captured
myself?” Irritation bloomed out of the pain in her head as Stewart
continued to stand before her. Tapping one slim foot on the stone
floor, Sonja examined the general’s face and waited intently for
his answer. Surely, he would give himself away sooner or
later.

“
A man named Abram Clemens
is with him. The vampires plan on draining Abram’s blood and
feeding him to their hellhounds tonight at midnight. They will
drain Tyler slowly as they need his blood.”

A simmering rage began to pool in her
stomach. She recognized what Stewart referred to – the fact Ty’s
blood contained the gift. The vampires would use him as a living
science experiment to allow them to travel in the daylight. She’d
done this to him, she’d made him a wanted man or wolf because she’d
shared her blood with him to save his life. The pain shot daggers
into her brain. Guilt reared up, threatening to strangle her. She
needed to save him whether she believed the general or
not.

When she raised her face, her
composure was again in place. Giving nothing away, she took a step
toward the undead Stewart. “What – I’m supposed to trust your lead
and break into the bloodsuckers den to save a man who can take care
of himself simply because you say he needs me?” The grunt of
disgust sounded harsh even to her ears. “You know those vultures
want my blood because of the power it contains. Otherwise you
wouldn’t have explained what they planned to do to the lieutenant
in such detail.” Sonja whirled away before turning back to glare at
the new vampire. “Do you take me for a fool, sir, or has your
change addled your brain?”

Stewart dropped his eyes before
meeting hers with a steadfast stare. “No, I came to help you and Ty
free those Confederates.” With a glance through the front window,
Stewart focused on the encroaching darkness, his skin bunched
around his eyes in a pained stare. “A lot of them are my men, good
men, who don’t deserve to die at the hands of those monsters.”
There was audible stress in his voice.

Sonja clenched her teeth while sucking
in air and releasing the breath slowly. “If I believe you and
you’re lying, I’ll kill you without hesitation.”

“
If I’m lying, I’ll gladly
stand without objection for your blade.” Stewart’s gray eyes never
left her face.

Briann ran a hand down Sonja’s
tattered sleeve. “I believe him, sister.” Her sister smiled
tentatively for Sonja before flicking a glance back at Stewart.
“He’s sincere. No vampire who knows your gift comes alone to seek
you out unless he speaks the truth.”

Sonja reached across and gripped her
sister’s hand. “You’re always right.” Wrapping her arms around
Briann, Sonja moved into the embrace. The time for doubt passed and
she relished in the contact of her family. “All right, we’ll go and
see what we can do.” She wagged one tiny finger at the Union
general. “I’m going to get Ty, and if we’re able to free some
Confederates, we will. I can’t promise you anything until we see
what we’re up against. Is that clear?” Her voice, filled with
authority, sounded assertive.

“
Don’t worry, Mrs. Brooks.
I only want to free my men. No questions or suggestions will be
forthcoming from me concerning how we manage the feat.” Stewart
settled his cavalry hat atop his dark hair. “I’ll bring horses and
supplies if I can locate any. We’ll be ready to ride within the
hour.” With two fingers to the brim of his hat, Stewart considered
Briann with a small appreciative smile before turning for the
door.

When he’d gone, Sonja turned to
Briann. “You should be more careful with your power to hear a
person’s thoughts. He can read minds, you know?” She sat in a
nearby chair as a wave of pain struck her squarely. The extent of
her injuries must’ve been greater than she believed. Usually the
healing didn’t include so much difficulty.

Waving a hand in the air, Briann
grinned wickedly. “Don’t worry about me, sister. I heard his
thoughts before I offered an answer. He’s quite the gentleman.” She
offered a faint smile. Isn’t he manly?” Like a schoolgirl, her
older sister giggled. Briann hadn’t made the delicate, feminine
sound in a long time. Now she fanned her face with those same
fingers she’d used to dismiss Sonja’s concerns. “I’m sure he’s
telling the truth. He’s no fan of the vampires who turned him. He
holds humans and werewolves in high regard though.” With her point
made, Sonja’s sister turned to the kitchen and a kettle on the
stove. “I’m going to make you some of my special tea. You haven’t
eaten today have you?”

Sonja remained silent. There was no
need to reiterate her question. It seemed she had eyes for the
general. How odd life was, she mused.

The Guardian reappeared and glanced
from one sister to the other. He wasn’t recognizable as the
creature all humans feared. No, he’d taken on the disguise of an
ordinary country gentleman, a look, which gave him more mobility
and freedom to spy on the vampires.

“
I can’t understand how
they don’t know you’re not who you appear to be.” Sonja narrowed
her eyes at her mentor. “Do you ever get a feeling like they’re on
to you?”

The Guardian smiled benignly and
shrugged one elegantly clothed shoulder. “I have no inkling of such
a feeling, no.”

Sonja rolled her eyes to the ceiling.
“No, I suppose you wouldn’t.” Motioning him to step closer, she
stuck out her hand. “Come here.” She could remember a time when the
mere sight of him struck terror in her chest. The first time she’d
met him, he’d walked up behind her and laid his talons on her
shoulder. Sonja cringed inwardly when recalling his face so close
to hers.

“
You have something on your
shoulder,” she said. Giving the lent a flick, she smiled at the
figure he made in his dark blue coat and white ruffled carafe.
“There.” Setting him to rights, Sonja smiled and glanced into his
face. “You heard what our visitor had to say?”

“
Yes, I heard.” Glancing at
Briann, the Guardian asked, “You believe he is telling the
truth?”

Briann’s eyebrow winged up. “I don’t
have to depend on beliefs, I know what General Stewart said was the
truth. He’s not like the others.” Looking from the Guardian to her
sister and back again, she continued undeterred. “His heart may be
dead, but his soul lingers and his spirit seeks justice.

“
All right.” The wolf-god
stepped toward the front door, searching the road in both
directions. “We’ll see what happens when he comes back.”

“
The sun has finally set.
Will you eat with us, Guardian? I fear I’ve gone again and made too
much.” Briann stepped toward the werewolf-god and spread a hand.
“Come, we’ll let good stew go to waste if you don’t.”

“
The general will return.
We’ll rest under the witch’s spell before travel.” With those
simple words he turned back and followed the women into
dine.

Chapter 3 For the Sake of
Brothers in Arms

Something slithered across his bare
toes. Forcing the urge to jerk his foot out of harm’s way, Ty
repositioned himself against the cold, damp wall of the prison
cell. A faint glint of candle light showed through the bars. Cold
air surged down the dark hallway.

“
Gonna be a cold one
tonight,” Smitty said. “Ty’s sergeant and friend glancing up at the
flickers of moonlight shining through. No more overcast sky.” His
voice trailed off as if his thoughts remained tangled in memories
he couldn’t talk about.

“
See if Conner’s needs more
cover. His chills were getting worse when I checked,” Ty
instructed.

The men lining the walls of the cell
didn’t argue as someone near Conner’s shivering form, shared his
cover with the Rebel. The faces of the men in the cell reflected
their state. The fact they’d been captured and thrown in the
hellhole called Coggan’s Breach was doing a good jov of finishing
off what little of their Rebel spirit remained. Ty resigned himself
to the situation. He sat alongside them with no more talent for
getting out than they did.

“
Conner’s holding on,
Lieutenant,” a young pup named Rogers answered. The young private
resembled a twelve-year-old, all gangly arms and boney legs. Most
of the men were sure he’d lied about his age to get into the
regiment. Stewart’s cavalry unit was coveted among the enlisted men
as well as the officers. His large brown eyes set in his freckled
face belied his eighteen years. When they needed an innocent face,
the men always sought out “Baby” as they’d affectionately nicknamed
him.

“
Good,” Ty breathed with a
look around the small cage used to house twenty men. The men looked
up to him, though Ty couldn’t say why. Each face he scanned wore
the blank look of despair. Most of them ended up in this dank hole
when Stewart met his untimely end.