Dawn of a New Age: A Sons of Satrina Novel (11 page)

Kelton came out to check on Denver and Jackson a few hours later. He had to hold back a grin when he saw the sweaty, dirty sight of the pair of them.

Jackson stretched out his back as he stood up straight. The bones cracked and strained in his body but he didn’t complain. He had no right to complain. This was a punishment and he’d work through it like a man.

Not like Denver, who complained continually and loudly all through their break time. Not that Kelton or Jackson took the slightest bit of notice of him. Jackson was just pleased to have a few minutes rest. It felt like they had been out here working for days rather than mere hours.

The break didn’t seem to last nearly long enough and soon, they were back at it. Shifting jagged rocks that cut into their skin and dust that stung that eyes. Awesome. Still, Jackson didn’t complain. He knew by the way that Kelton was acting that this was only the beginning of their punishment. There was no way to guess what could be next, but whatever it was, it wasn’t going to be any easier than this. Jackson was sure if he was looking forward to it or not.

Climbing into bed, Jackson didn’t even have the energy to wait up for Trey to come in from training. He had just about managed to wash the dirt and grime from his skin in the lukewarm shower and had to fully concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other just to make it to his bed without collapsing.

He was beyond exhausted and was thankful that this beautiful old mansion had provided them with an en-suite bathroom and that he didn’t have to share and queue up with the rest of the boys anymore. If that had been the case and he had to wait, Jackson would have gone straight to bed and not cared about sleeping in his own muck.

He’d wanted to find out from Trey how the first training session had gone on, who had led them, if there had been any changes, etc… Also, he wanted to find out how Aisline was doing. Was she back to training with the rest of the guys? How did she look? How was she coping? But, his eyes wouldn’t stay open a single second longer and he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Chapter Ten

Coming back to their punishment as soon as they had eaten breakfast, if Jackson hadn’t know any better, he would have said that someone had come out here during the daylights hours and dumped another boat-load of crap out there. The amount of rubbish seemed to be multiplying. This punishment would be never ending the way things were going. Seriously, they hadn’t really put a dent in it yet.

It was hot and sweaty work, even out in the winter chill and finally Denver was starting to work without voicing complaints every two seconds. He must have realised that it was pointless and that Jackson wasn’t even paying any attention to him. No matter how much they complained about it, they were going to be stuck out here until it was done, so they may as well get on with it.

Plus, Denver was looking to the wrong guy if he was expecting any sympathy from Jackson. In his eyes, Denver deserved everything he got and so much more for what he’d done. He had played a big part in what had happened to Aisline and for that, nothing the guy would ever do would make up for that. Jackson’s mind was fully made up about Denver and there would be no budging on that opinion.

“I’m on my way.” Kelton said as he hung up the phone. “Shit!” he slammed his fist down on the desk in front of him, rattling his half empty coffee cup that sat on the edge.

“What’s wrong?” Kayleigh asked as she walked into the office, looking concerned at the rage on his face.

Kelton ran a hand over his bristly hair and took in a deep breath. “I’m not sure yet.” He said, sounding cryptic.

“Who was it on the phone?”

Kelton took in another gulping breath and tried to calm his temper. “That was Patrick on the phone. I need to go out for a bit.”

“Now?”

“Yes. He has some information for me. Can you arrange for Sol or one of the other warriors that are free to cover my class? I planned on weight and running circuits for this period to try and build up some endurance. And can you get someone to check up on Jackson and Denver? I don’t want them slacking off.” He was already reaching for his leather jacket as he spoke, confident that Kayleigh would help him.

“Of course. No problem. Sounds serious?” Kayleigh tried to smile, but it was clear that although something big was happening, she wasn’t going to find out what it was just yet. She hated the feeling that he was hiding things from her, but in his line of work, he couldn’t tell her everything that he was involved in. Anything that was warrior business was of no concern to her, and in all fairness, she didn’t want to know half of it. She knew enough to worry and any more would have sent her hair grey. But still, she hated to be kept out of the loop. They shared everything else in their lives and that would have to be enough.

She watched as Kelton loaded himself up with daggers and a couple of high calibre pistols.

Not that he planned on using any of them, but it was never a good idea to go out into the night unarmed. He knew that he probably should tell someone where he was going, what he was doing and who he was expecting to see, but he couldn’t do that. He couldn’t speak to Kayleigh about what he was going to do. He couldn’t lie to her about where he was going, but he couldn’t bring himself to tell her the truth, either. Kelton knew that she would try to talk him out of going there alone. There was no way he could speak to any of the other warriors about this. This was something he had to do by himself and for himself.

Merion had been found.

Kelton knew that every other warrior and member of the Lamia Matris race wanted to get their hands on the son of a bitch who had betrayed them all. But for Kelton, this was personal. That man had caused the death of their leader and Bartholomew had been like a father figure to him. He had been more than just a leader. He’d been family. Plus, Merion had been the asshole who had leaked the information and helped orchestrate Aisline’s’ abduction. For all of that, he would pay.

Kelton would make sure that he paid for what he’d done.

Moreover, the man had been a goddamn warrior. He had been Kelton’s second-in-command and he trusted Merion with his life. He had lost count of the amount of time that they had gone into battle against the Mortuorum and Merion had always had his back. There had never been a single doubt in Kelton’s mind about him.

Merion had betrayed them all.

Merion had betrayed him.

This was personal.

Making sure that the leather jacket hide the weapons that he was carrying, as he was heading out to a densely populated area of the city and running into trouble with the human law was something he could do without tonight, Kelton leant over to swiftly kiss Kayleigh on the cheek, deftly avoiding her questions with a smile as he headed out the door.

No one stopped him on his way out of the mansion and into the cold night. He didn’t bother explaining anything to Michael, who was covering security detail at the front reception area, when he picked up the keys to one of the cars. He didn’t need to. No one would have thought that there was anything out of the ordinary, anyway. They would have assumed that he was most likely going out on patrol as per usual. It was better that way. Better to let them assume. He could fill the rest of the warriors in on what happened when he got back.

Not only did he need to do this for himself, he didn’t want to raise the others hopes up. The information he’d been given was reliable, but until he set eyes on the traitor himself, he wouldn’t say a word.

Settling into the seat and kicking up the heating, Kelton grabbed his phone from his jeans pocket. Throwing the car into gear, he raced off into the night.

As soon as the phone rang, he didn’t even bother pulling over to answer it. “Yes?”

“Kelton, it’s me.” Patrick said. “He’s on the move. We’re trailing him.”

“Keep me posted. I’m on my way.” Kelton hung up and threw the phone back on the passenger seat, gunning the car toward the city.

Patrick had been his friend and confidante for more years than he could remember. They were as different as night and day. Kelton was regimented whereas Patrick was rough and ready. They were like chalk and cheese, but as they say, opposites attract. Their friendship worked well for both of them, giving each a little light relief form the daily struggles they had to endure.

He had first met Patrick when out patrolling the deserted streets of the city. They both had enemies that needed to be eliminated and a race of people that needed to be protected. They were both fighters and found that common ground was a step to an unlikely friendship. Sharing a beer after a hard nights fighting was often on the cards for the pair of them.

It worked well for both of them and although they travelled in entirely different circles, sometimes they were able to share pieces of information that were vital. After all, word travels fast on the streets. This was the biggest piece of information shared between them so far. He and the rest of the Sons had had no luck in tracing Merion, so this call that had come out of the blue presented an opportunity that Kelton was no way going to pass up.

The city lights blinked ahead, disrupting the beauty of the night. Kelton thoroughly enjoyed the solitude of the academy’s new location, but sometimes he missed the hustle and bustle of being smack bang in the middle of the city action. Mason was a safe haven for the warriors to return to after a night fighting the enemy, a place away from it all that could give them a little peace. But, although Kelton truly was a city kid and the move itself had been born out of an unfortunate situation, he had grown to appreciate everything the mansion had to offer.

A text came through on his phone and after a mere glance at the screen, Kelton put his foot down, wanting to reach the location that Patrick had provided as soon as possible.

Pulling up at the curb, Kelton jumped out of the car just as Patrick was getting off his beast of a bike. Kelton had grinned like a little boy when he’d first laid eyes on Patrick’s Harley, who had proudly showed it off like a shiny new toy. Kelton had been playing with the idea of getting one for himself ever since, but he had yet to take the plunge and make the purchase.

Patrick was nearly as tall as Kelton and was ripped with a body of solid muscle. The five o’clock shadow that lay permanently across his jawline gave him an edgy, badass look. Kayleigh always described Patrick as obscenely attractive. It was easy to see even to Kelton how attractive Patrick was to the opposite sex and he always had women falling over themselves to get near him.

As he approached, Patrick shook his hand and they stepped back further into the shadows to talk briefly.

“He’s here?”

Patrick nodded toward a house on the opposite side of the street. “He just walked into the one with the red door, number 1102.”

“And you’re absolutely positive that it’s him?”

“One hundred percent. There’s no mistake, I assure you. It’s Merion, alright. I’ve known the guy for years. I’d recognise him anywhere.” Patrick spared a glance at the house. “He appears to be alone. My guys have scoped out the back and there is no sign of anyone else in the property.”

Kelton glared over the road. He could feel the blood rushing through his body as hot as lava. The man who had tried to destroy them all was merely steps away from him. This was the moment he had been waiting for.

“We’re going to stick around.” Patrick said, interrupting his thoughts.

“There’s no need for that. I’ve got this.”

“I don’t care. We’re staying.” Patrick insisted. “I had the feeling that you’d be showing up here alone and there isn’t a cat in hell’s chance that I’m leaving you here without any backup, so suck it up.” Patrick glared at Kelton knowing his stubborn streak well.

Kelton glared right back, but he knew that Patrick wouldn’t back down on this one.

“Look,” Patrick said, “I know that you can deal with this with your eyes closed, but I’m not going anywhere. There’s something I need to speak to you about after you’re done here. It’s important.”

Kelton nodded reluctantly before returning his focus to the house. Whatever Patrick wanted could wait. This couldn’t. This had to be dealt with now. “I’ll be back.”

Stalking over to the house, he frankly didn’t give a damn if Merion saw him coming. Now that he had him in his sights, Merion could run but it would never be fast enough to get away from him. It was over now.

This was the end.

Kelton didn’t pause. He wasn’t about to knock politely on the door and wait to be ushered inside for a cup of tea. Raising his foot, he delivered a harsh front kick that splintered the door and destroyed the hinges, leaving a gaping hole that invited him inside. Kelton leaped into the house.

“Merion!” he roared, storming through the house. It didn’t take him long. He found him in the first room he looked in.

Merion was sat on a dusty old sofa, nursing four fingers of whiskey. He looked and smelled like hadn’t had a bath since he had left the warriors. A beard few haphazardly where once Merion had been clean shaven. He’d always taken pride of his appearance it was a shock to see him looking like some down and out hobo. The man before him looked like a pale, broken imitation of the man that Kelton had once known.

The guy appeared to have aged dramatically since the last time Kelton had seen him. Stress could do that to a person. He looked worn and tired, like the guilt of what he had done was taking a terrible toll on him. Kelton didn’t feel a single ounce of sympathy for the piece of shit that had brought this all on himself.

“Kelton.” Merion said in a soft tone. “I was hoping that you would find me. Eventually.”

“Well, here I am.” Kelton sneered, palming one of his daggers.

“I know why you’re here. I deserve it. I have been waiting for it.”

Kelton laughed bitterly. “Damn straight you deserve it. What were you thinking? How the hell can you live with what you’ve done?” he stormed.

“I can’t.” Emotion was thick in Merion’s ragged voice.

“Oh, so that’s why you were waiting for me to catch up with you? So I could put an end to your pitiful existence? Because you don’t have the goddamn balls to do it yourself? You’re nothing but a coward.” Kelton spat on the floor at Merion’s feet. The mere sight of this man made his stomach churn.

Merion looked up at Kelton imploringly. “You don’t understand! I didn’t have a choice!”

“There is always a choice. You could have come to me.”

“They threatened my family! What did you expect me to do? What would you have done if they had threatened Kayleigh?” Tears sparkled in his eyes as the weight of what he had done crashed over him once again in a tidal wave. The guilt was too much for him to live with. It was crippling him.

“You don’t ever say her name.” Kelton grabbed him by a fistful of his grubby shirt, hauling him to his feet. “You should have come to me, no matter what. You know that we would have protected them. We’ve done it before and there’s no doubt that we’ll have to do it again. That kind of bullshit won’t wash with me.”

Merion wrenched himself out of Kelton’s grasp with surprising force. “You think that you’re so goddamn perfect, Kelton. You have no idea what I’ve been through, what I went through. You have no idea. You’re clueless.”

“Clueless?” Kelton strode forward once again so that he was nose to nose with the man that he hated most in the world. “Clueless? I know everything that I need to know. You sold out Bartholomew. You sent Aisline down the river. You betrayed us all. You took your oaths as a warrior and then threw them out the window when the going got tough.”