Mortal Sentry (Raina Kirkland Book 2)

  MORTAL SENTRY

  A RAINA KIRKLAND NOVEL

  Book 2

  By Diana Graves

  Copyright © 2012 Diana Graves

  All rights reserved.

  Book cover & format by Diana Graves, www.dianagraves.org

  Kindle Edition

  ♦

  License Statement

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Amazon.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Disclaimer

  This book is a work of pure fiction. Characters, places and incidents are creations of the author’s imagination, and any similarity to people, living or dead, businesses, events or places is purely coincidental.

  Acknowledges

  To my family and friends, thank you.

  ♦

  Other Works

  Fatal Retribution

  Grave Omen

  Deadly Encounters

  Toxic (Coming Soon)

  Table of Contents

  Table of Contents

  A DEAL

  ALISTAIR

  HER SHAME

  LOVE OVER HATE

  BACK TO DARKNESS

  SEX

  NEW PEARLS

  BROTHERS

  ONE LAST DREAM

  IN NEED

  WARNING

  REVELATION

  ALLEGORY

  TORTURE

  DOCTOR

  STANFORD AND SON

  PUSHY

  JERKY FILES

  FROM BETTER TO WORSE

  BLIND RAGE

  A HELPING HAND

  SHE’S DEAD-DEAD

  ANGELS

  FROM WORSE TO DEVASTATING

  DREAM HOME

  DINNER PLANS

  FAKE FRIENDS

  AWKWARD

  DINNER WITH THE BOYS

  NICK OR NIL

  HELP ME

  SAVING NICK

  THE FIRST OF YOUR KIND

  SORRY

  PAPERWORK

  A REPLACEMENT

  ESCAPE

  OWNING YOU

  WAR

  AFTERWARD

  BLACK DIAMOND, WA

  GRAVE OMEN: CHAPTER ONE

  A DEAL

  BASTION FATAL NEVER looked more beautiful, or more menacing than it did that night, but all I could think about was how literally dead I would be if Raphael caught me out and about. However, the only friend I had left in the world said it was ‘imperative’ that I meet with him, so there I was, on a casual stroll with an endangered species, Damon, a shape-shifting barguest. He made little sound as he walked beside me. His skin, nails, eyes, hair, everything save for his teeth were black. He was in his element in the dark, a living shadow. The meager lighting of the parking lot alone kept him from complete obscurity. My eyes shifted to the guards that were a constant presence at Bastion Fatal. The Bastion was Tacoma’s strongest vampire collective and it had a lot of guards. They watched us from behind masks of pleasantly lazy smiles and thick eye-liner.

  “You look nice,” he said, his voice so deep and masculine it was almost off-putting. It was the first thing he said to me since I met him at the entrance of the Bastion.

  I looked down at myself, and I knew he was just making small talk. I didn’t look very nice at all. I threw on the first thing I touched in the dark; a pair of faded jeans and a worn blue top. The night wasn’t as cold as I had expected, so my knitted sweater was tied tightly around my waist, creating an awkward bulk. I wore no makeup and no jewelry. Yeah, I looked real nice. Even so I said, “Thanks.”

  We rounded the corner and were greeted by an amazing view of Commencement Bay. The water was black, night waters. If it weren’t for the city lights the stars might have been reflected in the water to make a second sky. Pity.

  We stopped walking and I looked up at him with tired eyes. It was one in the morning and my hair was still wet from the shower I had taken before I went to bed. “I put my life on the line to come out tonight, so what’s the emergency? Where’s the fire?”

  “Do you remember Thomas?” he asked.

  “Yes,” I said without hesitation. I felt my eyes widen. Thomas’s entire family was massacred. They were torn to pieces and their bodies were piled high in an elegant ballroom. I knew this because I was there, afterward at least. There were hundreds of them, several generations, old and young; all dead, all rotting, save for one. I pulled little Thomas Press out of that pile, alive and screaming for his mother. I still had nightmares about it. In them I could still hear him screaming, but instead of pulling him out of the rancid pit; I fell in to join him.

  Damon’s posture became softer somehow. “I kept tabs on him. He was supposed to be placed in child services, but they found lycanthropy in his blood. It appears that the werewolf that killed his family infected him.”

  “Damn it.”

  “It goes without saying that he couldn’t be placed into foster care, and no orphanage would take him. There are facilities that deal with unwanted non-human children, but they’re little more than prisons.”

  “He’s just a boy. Hasn’t he been through enough?”

  “I thought so, that’s why I adopted him.”

  I couldn’t keep the surprise off of my face. Damon was a daddy? I never thought of him that way. Heck, I’d seen him rip a man’s stomach out with his teeth. I’d seen him slash a man to bloody ribbons with his hands. Could someone capable of so much violence be a good father? I didn’t know. — But, on second thought, Damon was an extremely well educated psychiatrist. He was loyal and caring and my closest friend. He was more than capable of protecting the boy and helping him deal with his tragic past.

  “I don’t think Thomas could have asked for a better father, but is the Bastion the best place to raise a child?”

  “The vampires of Bastion Fatal may be morally deprived, but children are off limits. It’s the law, our law.”

  “Well, that’s good to hear,” I said with a smile, but Damon looked grim, and my smile faltered. “What’s wrong?”

  “Raphael,” he spat. The tension in his shoulders grew heavy and my heart skipped a beat. Raphael was once the angel of healing, but now he was a demon out for my blood. I didn’t know why he fell from grace, but he was hunting me because I failed him. He told me to save his human wife, and I couldn’t, and that meant my life was forfeit. Since then I’ve been protected behind my aunt’s walls. I had her property blessed by my coven. It seemed the sensible thing to do. “He came to me tonight and spoke of a deal, one that would save your life.”

  “What does this deal entail?” I was suspicious. If I had a list of things I never wanted to do in my life, making a deal with a demon would be very close to the top of that list; right behind juggling spiders and bungee-jumping.

  “The deal is—if you take in Thomas and raise him as if he was your own child, he will spare you.”

  “Are you kidding? You can’t be serious.”

  Damon took a deep breath. “He was married to Thomas’s late grandmother. He’s his family and he wants a say in who raises him, and he picks you.”

  “I can’t take care of a kid. I can’t even take care of myself.” I felt a little dizzy. Too many thoughts were running through my mind at once. “Why on earth would he want that? Thomas is in a good home. Why mess that up? Why toss a kid into the arms of a woman whose life is shit? I don’t have a job or a place of my own. I can’t d
o this.”

  A guard passed by us and I gave him a look of contempt, nosy jerk. His smile never slipped as he brought a thin cell phone to his mouth and spoke into it.

  “Your life isn’t shit, Raina,” Damon said. I looked at him. “And, it’s not our decision. Through marriage, Raphael is his last remaining kin.”

  “This is such crap!” I yelled and I didn’t care that the guards were staring at us. “I’m having a hard enough time just being me. I can’t be a mommy too, I can’t.”

  Damon placed his hands on my shoulders, “Raphael gave us a week to sort things out. We’ll figure something out, trust me.”

  “Oh, an entire week! Why not three days, or two minutes? I’d be just as prepared!” I tried taking slow, calming breaths. I looked down. “I don’t know if I can do this, Damon.”

  He cupped my chin in his hand and brought my face up. It was times like those that I wished he had a face that could tell me what he was feeling just by looking at it. His darkness gave away nothing. But, I had another way to know what he was feeling, maybe even thinking. I’d always been a little empathic, but after a brutal vampire attack I became a living vampire, not dead, but not undead. Thanks to the vampire blood running through my veins, my natural talent as an empath was greatly enhanced. It wasn’t something I practiced, because mind reading/controlling felt too much like a violation. Even so, I looked into Damon’s mind and heart, and I felt his pain. It was so much deeper than mine. He loved Thomas, I mean, really loved him like a son, and now his child was being ripped from his arms by a demon.

  “I’m sorry, Damon,” I said, not looking at him. “I didn’t realize. You love Thomas so much and here I am drowning in self-pity.”

  “Don’t read me, Raina,” he said, and his anger lashed out through my mind. The heat of it made me flinch. He gave me his back. I was going to apologize, I swear I was, but we were interrupted.

  “Excuse me, Miss,” said a tall guard. His pale eyes were thickly outlined in black eye liner. “Are you Raina Annabella Kirkland?”

  I considered lying, but I said, “Yes, I am.”

  Damon turned back around and placed his hands on my shoulders protectively. I was glad to know that even if he was mad at me he’d still be there for me.

  The guard was smiling but it didn’t reach his eyes. No, they were glaring down at me, massive blue eyes made bigger for the makeup he wore. “Master Alistair demands your immediate presence in his throne room.”

  ALISTAIR

  I’D NEVER MET Alistair in person, and I had no desire to. He was loony and powerful, and those two traits are never a good combo. From the little I knew of him, he had quite the Caligula complex, and via a psychic connection with his legion, so did most of the vampires at Bastion Fatal. That he demanded my presence did not bode well. But, at least Damon was still warm at my back while I waited for him.

  The throne room was a black marble box; two doors, no windows and few lights. A marble throne sat tall against the far wall and there were a few dozen large gold cushions scattered on the floor. The smell of blood, sex and sweat was faint in the air. I could hear nothing but the beating of my heart pounding in my chest as though it was trying to break free.

  “Maybe he’s not coming,” I whispered to Damon. “He’s crazy after all. Maybe something shiny caught his attention and he forgot about me.” But, my uncle Seth stepped through a door to the left of the throne before Damon could answer me.

  As far as I knew, Seth had belonged to Bastion Fatal since he was infected many years ago, before Alistair became a mad master. I couldn’t figure out why he stayed when he didn’t have to. He was a champion vampire, not legion. Meaning, he wasn’t powerful enough to be a master and demand blood loyalties, but he was too strong to be controlled. I smiled at him, but he didn’t return it. His face was long, even for an elf. A tall blond man in red robes followed behind him. Alistair, I presumed. He didn’t look at anybody as he made his way to the throne and sat in it with a heavy thud, shoulders slumped, head down.

  “Are you Raina?” Alistair asked without looking at me. His voice was calm, quiet.

  “Yeah, that’s me.” Though, I was beginning to wish otherwise.

  He inclined his head, his face still downcast, hidden in shadow. Right then I was thinking about how swell it’d be if my empathy worked on vampires, but sadly that wasn’t the case. Alistair didn’t keep me anticipating his intent for too long.

  “Will you join my collective, as a legion vampire?”

  I sighed. That was the dreaded question. Soon after my brother’s and I were attacked and I became a living vampire, I learned that Alistair wanted me and my brother, Nick to join his collective. Since then he’s given us every reason not to join. Yet, how do you refuse someone so powerful and so completely nutty?

  Thankfully, I didn’t have to answer him. Damon stepped out from behind me with my hand tight in his. “She cannot.”

  I expected Alistair to react badly to Damon’s words, but he simply twitched, almost too quick to catch. “Damon, my old friend. I didn’t see you there.” He laughed then. It was a soft chuckle. “Shadow man, why do you spy here?”

  “I’m not spying, master. I’m simply here at Raina’s request.” I hadn’t requested his presence, but I would have if he tried to leave me there alone.

  “Why would she request you? Are you her keeper, Damon?”

  “No. I’m her friend. She wanted someone familiar by her side when she met you.”

  “I had considered that!” Alistair spat from his throne, his body completely immobile, save for a quick head twitch. “I brought her uncle here,” he said calmly.

  “I didn’t know he’d be here,” I said. Though looking at him now, standing at Alistair’s side like a good little soldier, he seemed useless for comfort. He matched the Bastion too well; bleach white skin, jet black hair with gold highlights and black eyes. He was tall, thin, but muscular. He looked like my oldest brother, Tristan, and my mother. Though, he still had that lanky quality teens have before they bulk up in their twenties. That was because he never made it to his twenties. He was infected with vampirism at sixteen.

  “Of course,” Alistair said. “Why can’t you join my collective, Raina?”

  I looked to Damon, because I had no clue what I could say that wouldn’t insult him. I can’t join because you’re bonkers, because all the legion vampires inherit bits of their master’s personality. Because, I like my free will, thank you very much, and I have no desire to become a player in your games of sexual sadism. See, no good answer.

  “Because, the government placed a fifty vampire cap on all vampire collectives, and you’ve reached that cap, master,” Damon said with a very low bow.

  Alistair chuckled again. “I have? How did that escape my notice, Seth?”

  Seth bent down to eye level with Alistair and talked softly. “Do you remember the petition we received just last week? Three vampires from Romania were seeking an American collective that would accept them as legion, so that they might immigrate to America. You accepted their petition. They will be arriving in a matter of days.”

  Alistair twitched, and Seth blinked slowly. “I remember. They are fleeing for their lives.”

  “Yes. Romania’s new government declared all vampires out laws. You took pity on them. You are a compassionate master.”

  “I am,” Alistair said, nodding slowly. He turned back to us and Seth stood up straight. He didn’t look me in the eyes.

  “Fetch me—Colbert.”

  “As you wish.” Seth bowed out of the room, exiting through the door to the left of the throne.

  Alistair stood abruptly. Give me a cookie, I didn’t soil myself. He walked toward us, and the closer he came the more I realized just how tall he was. He was well over six feet, maybe close to seven.

  Only when he stood over me could I see his true blue eyes, a startling, brilliant blue. They were kind eyes, trusting eyes. They lied.

  We just looked at each other until he finally spoke.
“You have red eyes and hair. Red’s my favorite color.” I looked away, not knowing what to do with that compliment, if that was what it was. He caressed my face, brought it back up to meet his searching eyes. To say I felt self-conscious under such scrutiny would be an understatement.

  “What do you need Colbert for?” Damon asked. “You two have long been friends.”

  Alistair looked shocked for a second, as though he had forgotten about Damon. He didn’t answer him though. Instead he looked down at my hand still held tightly in Damon’s.

  “Just friends?” he asked Damon.

  “Yes, master.”

  “Give me her hand.” His words were soft, but his eyes narrowed on Damon. I knew mine were wide with fear, I could feel it along with my heart pounding hard, and harder still. My uncle told me that Alistair was an extremely sexual vampire, always has been. But, his madness changed it, made it unpredictably violent and impulsive.

  Damon reluctantly lifted my hand to his and let it go. Alistair slowly placed his hand in mine, prolonging the light touch until he wrapped his long fingers around my hand. I’m not a petite woman, but my hand looked damn near dainty in his.

  He pulled me toward him, drawing me in against his body until my head was pressed against his chest. I could tell he hadn’t eaten yet. There was no heart beat in him and he was cold to the touch.

  “I’m going to feed from you,” he said, and it was a statement, not a question.

  “Can I say no?” I asked.

  Damon said, “Yes,” from somewhere behind me, but Alistair took my head in both of his hands and bent down to my neck. I thought of fighting him for only a moment, but decided against it. He was an old vampire. I doubted very much that struggling would do little more than insult him. It was only a little blood after all. It wasn’t like he was going to kill me…right?

  I could feel his cold breath on my neck moments before his teeth sunk in. It hurt like hell, but I didn’t cry out or make any pathetic whimpering noises. I did, however, hold onto Alistair to steady myself. His hands traveled down my body, resting on the small of my back. He pressed himself against me as he fed. Out of context, it might have appeared that we were two lovers embracing each other passionately. How very far from the truth.