Eclipse of the Warrior: The Interdimensional Saga (Book 1) (4 page)

Just at that point Lancer walked in and yelled “Ash just
what do you think you are doing? You know that we have yet to decide what to do
with B’Lana. She is not your new play thing.”

While my face was burning with embarrassment at being caught
with Ash, Lancer’s face was burning with anger and he was looking right at me.

Ash casually took his arm away from me and started to get
up. “Lancer, good to see you too. Now that you are here I can get back to work.
I was just keeping the pretty lady company and ensuring that she didn’t sneak
out on my watch.” He looked at me and winked.

I looked down to my cup of coffee and smiled. I did not want
anyone to see that I enjoyed his wink.

Lancer walked over to the coffee maker and grabbed himself a
cup of coffee. “Come on B’Lana, we have a lot to discuss.”

I followed him out the kitchen and down the hall to the
conference room. It seemed that was the only place, besides the kitchen, where
there was enough room to congregate and discuss anything.

Lancer took the chair at the head of the table and he
gestured for me to take the chair to his right.

“Alright, you know that you are the only human alive on this
planet right now who knows about us, right? And we can’t have any humans
knowing that we exist, or where our headquarters is located.”

“What usually happens when someone knows about you or this
warehouse?” I thought that was a very good question, but Lancer looked at me
with a very serious expression as he drew his right hand through his hair. His
eyes narrowed and I could see lines forming on his brow.

“Normally when someone sees us it is because we are killing
the rippers who had just taken them. Almost always they have already been
bitten so we have to end their pain.”

“WAIT. JUST. A. MINUTE. You kill anyone who has been bitten?!
How is that saving the human race?” I practically spit in his face I was
yelling so hard and loud at him.

“B’Lana, you know that once someone is bit there is nothing
we can do for them. They are already dead, basically. We end their existence in
a quick and painless way. It really is the best for them.” Lancer looked like
he might be feeling a little guilty for that policy of theirs.

“Has anyone tried to fix them, or stop the transformation?”
I really hoped there was some way of saving those people who have been attacked
and not killed in the process.

“I am sorry B’Lana, but this is something we have looked at
in the past and there is no way to reverse the process. Killing them is really
the only way to help them. If they could choose, do you really think they would
want to be a blood-sucking killer whose only joy is to kill other humans and
drink their blood? Or to be used as fodder in a war that has nothing to do with
them or their planet?” Lancer made a really good argument here. I wouldn’t want
to be either.

“Ok, I see your point. If there is no way to reverse the
transformation, then a quick, painless death is the best. But what are you
going to do to me? I wasn’t bitten.” But I was scratched.

“Well, you were scratched pretty badly. I am not sure if
that could start the process, but that ripper’s DNA was transferred to you and
you lost some blood. Not enough to kill you, so we don’t know exactly what will
happen to you, hopefully nothing. Since the ripper didn’t give you his blood
the process couldn’t finish even if the scratch was enough to start the
transformation. But that does not mean you can just walk out of here. You know
too much. You are now a part of this world.

“So, if you don’t have any issues from that scratch, then
you will be turned into a hybrid fae. You will be trained to work on one of our
squads and help us to track down and kill the rippers. But your life as you
know it is now over. You can’t contact your family or friends ever again. We
will most likely send you to another part of the world to train and work.”

“Wait a minute! I have to contact my family or they will
call the police and report me missing! And what if I don’t want to be a part of
this world or part fae?”

“You don’t have a choice. This is what happens when you poke
your nose in somewhere it doesn’t belong. You only have yourself to blame for
this.”

“Ouch, that is harsh Lancer.”

At this point I was starting to wonder if he was right. I
couldn’t go back to my life before yesterday. I knew too much. I am way too
inquisitive and stubborn. If I were to leave here, I would be back within a
week tops, probably more like a couple days.

Would working with them to help save humans be worth giving
up my life? I was starting to think that the humans needed a representative who
could fight for them since the Sennafae seemed only interested in stopping the
rippers and not really protecting the humans. Lancer broke into my thoughts at
this point with…

“But I must warn you, we have not turned a human in almost
200 years. While the process has been handed down to us, no one I know of has
seen this or been involved in turning a human. It may or may not work, and we
have to wait a few days to see what happens with the scratch.” Lancer looked at
me like he wanted to say more, but then got up and started walking out the
door.

“B’Lana, for your sake, I hope the scratch is nothing and
you can safely be turned into a hybrid fae. I have to go and start researching
the process. I will come find you later.”

“Wait! I don’t even know what a hybrid fae is? How will I
change? Please tell me I won’t be all gross and scary like the hybrid rippers
or nosferatu?” I got up and quickly followed him to the computer room as I was
not going to let him leave me hanging like this.

“B’Lana, I am really not sure what will happen once you
change. That is why I have to research this. Just know that I will do what I
can to minimize any pain you will go through. And if it doesn’t work I will
personally see to it that you are killed quickly and painlessly.”

“Hey, you can’t tell a girl she might die and that you’ll do
her a favor by being the one to kill her, and then say ‘hey hang out while I go
research how this works.’ That is just plain cruel! I can’t sit here waiting
until you know more. Does the commander know, or anyone else here in the
warehouse? I know it was two hundred years ago so no one will have been around
then, but hasn’t someone around here at least read about this?”

“Well, back home there might be someone who has seen it
happen before. The Sennafae can live up to 300 years. I could send out a
request, but that will most likely take several weeks to locate someone willing
to come here who has any first-hand knowledge.” Lancer gave me a wry smile as
he turned and left me in the hallway outside of the conference room.

I just stood there with my mouth open and staring after
Lancer. I felt sick. My head hurt and there was no way this was really
happening to me. I needed DeeDee. I turned toward the front of the building and
was going to try and escape.

But Ash caught me, again. I started thinking I wasn’t going
to make it out of this alive, period. Not as a hybrid ripper or fae, and certainly
not as a human.

Ash seemed to like putting his arm around me, as that is
exactly what he did when I got closer to him. “Come on, let’s get some more
coffee and maybe some Tylenol for you. Is that a headache I sense coming on?”

“Ash, do you know anything about turning a human into a fae?
Lancer hasn’t told me much, other than it hasn’t happened in almost 200 years.
He is researching it now.”

“Actually, I do know something about that. It has only been
about 15 years since someone tried to turn a human into a fae.” He looked down
at the ground as he said this and pulled me tighter to his right side.

“How is that possible? What does it take? Can I talk to this
hybrid fae?” I was starting to get excited with the possibility that it might
work.

“Actually, you can’t talk to her. She died in the process.
But I do know how it is done and can help you with your transformation when the
time comes.” He looked very sad and stopped and gave me a hug right there in
the middle of the hallway. It was one of the warmest, tightest hugs I have had
in a very long time and I felt all tingly.

In addition to the tingles he gave me, I was also hoping he
might try to kiss me. But then I remembered the way they affected me and
realized I really didn’t want some stranger kissing me. Then I wondered if I
was changed, would this ‘mesmerizing effect’ no longer get to me? That alone
might be reason enough to go through the change.

“Did you know this person? Were you there?”

“Yes, I knew her. She was to be my mate.” At this point he
looked at me with a smile and a far off look on his face. Like he was
remembering some precious moment he had shared with her.

“What happened, and how was a human to be your mate?” I
whispered a little bit in awe of what he was telling me.

“She was taken by the rippers to be changed, but they had
not yet started the transformation. I caught up to them as they were taking her
down to the Tube. I was in London at the time. My squad killed the rippers
while I took her away to safety. I brought her to a safe house we had and made
sure she was alright. But my commander acted similar to Commander Terra. He
told me I should have altered her memories or killed her. But altering her
memories would most likely scramble her brains. We have not yet perfected that
process.

“You see it is not our job to protect you humans, not
really. Our job is to actually make sure that the rippers don’t take any humans
and make them into hybrids. We are only here to keep the rippers from creating
an army to send back home to Sendryl.

“I immediately felt like she was the one true love of my
life. For the fae, we believe in love at first sight. And we only mate with
one. If our mate dies, then we never take another mate. Hannah, that was her
name, stayed with us for several weeks. She helped to clean up our HQ in London
and learned about us while we got closer and closer. She decided that she
wanted to be changed so that we could be together. But something happened with
the process. I didn’t know that I was missing a piece of the process.

“You have to cut the human and a fae enough to get a good
blood flow and then mix their blood together. No one told me that we only had
to mix our blood. I thought it was the same process as when the rippers created
a hybrid. But it wasn’t. So instead of turning her, I actually killed her.”

“Ash I am so sorry you lost your one true love. Does that
mean you will never take a mate?” I really hoped in time once he got over her
he would fall in love again. He couldn’t be very old, I know they can live long
but he looks so young, maybe 24? So I was guessing he couldn’t be older than 35
since they aged much slower. He has a long way to go still.

“While she was never my mate, I did love her with everything
I had. I doubt I can love like that again. But, that doesn’t mean I don’t try.”
He said seductively while leaning in closer to me and kissing my cheek.

I took that moment to remember who I am and I pushed him
back. “Stop flirting so much! We might end up on the same squad, how awkward
would that be?

“Can you tell me what kind of powers or abilities I might
get when I transform?” I was trying to change the subject and get back to what
we were discussing, but I think he knew exactly what I was doing.

He smiled at me and took my hand and pulled it through the
crook in his right arm. While we walked to the kitchen, he said. “I don’t know
exactly what will happen. When I did my research for Hannah, it was discovered
that all fae hybrids lived a long life, but none over 200 years, they averaged
150 years.

“They also had increased strength and speed but to varying
degrees. Their looks did change, some more than others.” He said that laughing
as he caught me looking at his ears wondering if mine would be like his. “You
won’t be getting my awesome ears, sorry babe. You will most likely look like a
younger, sexier version of yourself.”

“Ok, so at the very least, long life and increased strength?
That is good. Will I stop aging for a little while right where I am? Or do I
keep getting older, but just slower?”

“Well, some of the humans stopped aging for a while, and
then it seems they started to age at a much slower rate after about 20 – 30
years. But a couple were lucky enough to get younger. I think one person
actually went back to her teenage years. Another ended up taking a good seven
to eight years off, then they started aging again but very slowly. Each person
had a different experience with the whole aging process. Why, did you want to
look younger?”

“Well, yes I do. If I am going to be around a group of guys
who look like they are in their early 20’s I would like to fit in better. Plus,
what woman doesn’t want to look like they did when they were 20 again? That
would make it all worthwhile.”  I looked at him and gave him my most innocent
look I could muster at that point. Then I busted up laughing.

“How old are you Ash? Do you count years the same way we do
here on Earth?”

“No, we don’t have the same solar year that you have. Our
planet takes about 2 of your Earth years to rotate around our sun. So, here on
Earth I look to be about 24 or 25, I am actually the Earth equivalent of about
50. But on Sendryl I am only 24 cycles. Our cycle is just a bit over two earth
years. So my Earth age is not exact.”

It was at that point that Lancer found us, sitting close to
each other in the kitchen chatting and drinking coffee.

“Ash, what did I say earlier? If you are going to be a part
of my team you need to listen to my orders. B’Lana is not your new play thing. 
Please leave her alone.” Lancer looked really mad at Ash. I was starting to
think that they didn’t like each other. I wondered what their history was.

“Lancer, he wasn’t ‘playing’ with me. I had questions about
the transformation that you couldn’t answer so I asked Ash when I saw him. He
has knowledge and experience so he shared that with me.”

“Yes, I read about his experience with Hannah.”

“Ash, I am sorry for your loss. I can’t imagine what it must
have been like to lose a mate. But it seems like you discovered the missing
piece? Our records indicated that had you known about the need to mix blood
with a human, she would have survived. No one seems to understand how that
piece of the process was left out of the records.”