Chapter 48

"I have disappointed my master many a time since your return from war. I have betrayed the trust I have worked very hard to build. Yet, he has forgiven me without a thought." Kaio's mouth tightened. "Now he has tasked me with the responsibility of watching over you while he battles in your name, and I will not fail him." He folded his thick arms across his chest and stood before the only exit. His expression was grim.

"Kaio, I'm not asking you to turn a blind eye while I go do something reckless. I'm asking you to step aside and allow me to help protect the man we both care about."

He shook his head, and I ran a hand through my hair; frustrated now.

Grady watched us in silence; his expression for once; unreadable. While Laken stood at the window—his gaze trained on the chaos below.

I took a breath. "You once said you considered me a friend."

His brows rose quizzically. "I do."

"Well friendship means more than just companionship. It means having faith in the other person." I explained. "It means going against instinct and trusting the other just because he asks you to."

He glanced at Malik, who offered no response, then back at me. "You are but skin and bones Tony. You will not make a difference in this war." He hissed. "In fact, had I not been tasked with the duty of watching over you, my master would have locked me away in a safe place because I am but a drudge. I will not make a difference, because I am no warrior and neither are you."

"Bullshit! Anyone can make a difference, warrior or not. Rien is strong, but even the strongest people need help sometimes, and I CAN make a fucking difference out there."

"I think." Malik, who up until now had been silent, began; "You're very impulsive and you're still weak after what happened to you. So thinking you can go out there and do more than flutter around in the wind is crazy."

My eyes narrowed. This asshole

"But," he interrupted my musings "I know you're the most determined person I've ever met and if anyone can go out there and kick some ass, it's you." He looked me right in the eyes as he said it, and the pride I saw there sent a strange stirring in my chest. I cleared my throat as he turned to Kaio, who watched him with narrowed eyes.

"Let him go Kaio." He told his mate. "He's a grown man. He shouldn't have to deal with the shit you and Rien keep putting him through."

Kaio's face shuttered. "Mal—"

"He deserves a chance to make his own decisions, whether or not they turn out to be mistakes, and whether or not we agree with them."

"This is out of my hands." He replied stubbornly. We all—with the exception of Laken—watched as he placed his hands behind his back and raised his chin in defiance. "My master has spoken."

"I wonder." Malik continued; a sort of reverence in his voice now as he looked at his mate. Kaio glanced at him, but the adamant set of his expression remained. "Is this how you'll allow Rien to come between us in the future?" he asked softly. "Is this what life with you will be like? What Rien says is law and to hell with what I think?"

I scratched my head awkwardly as the tension immediately settled around the room. From his perch on the bed, Grady let out a low whistle, before turning his eyes down to his cards.

When Kaio's face fell, I almost felt bad for him...almost. "I told you it would not. Lord Riener would never place me in such a position as to compromise what we have." His eyes were almost pleading.

"Then stop coming between Tony and Rien. Let their relationship flourish or fail without your input."

"I—I" he stuttered; eyes wide, expression dumbfounded. "It is not as though I choose to do this. I am simply going about my master's bidding."

"And if your master is as fair as you seem to think he is, he'll understand."

"Kaio's eyes were fixed on Malik, whose expression was as firm as Laken's backside." Grady whispered into the ensuing silence.

I shook my head. There was something very wrong with the guy. I tore my eyes away from him just as his twinkling eyes shifted to mine and set it on the two lovers.

"You do not understand Mal." Kaio's voice was almost a whisper. "I have let him down too many times."

It was then that Malik's expression softened, and he smiled. "That's the great thing about family Kaio." He said. "You can let them down a hundred times and they'll still love you even when you do it a hundred more."

It was a while later, but it was interesting to see the moment the expression on Kiao's face changed, and I knew Malik had won even before Kaio spoke.

"Very well. Do what you must." He told me grudgingly, as he stepped aside and opened the door. We all watched as he spoke briefly to the two guards (werewolf and vampire) standing watch, and they too stepped aside.

When Kaio raised a hand and gestured to the empty corridors, I breathed a sigh of relief.

"This is worse that an episode of The Young and the Restless." Grady mumbled with a shake of his head. Then finally, he threw down his cards and stepped toward the door. Pausing only to glance at Laken.

"You coming or what?" he asked the boy, and finally a sigh of surrender escaped the young wolf as he turned to follow—looking more miserable than anyone had any right to be.

...................................................................

It was a quiet trek down the poorly lit corridor. Other than the sounds of war on the other side of the stone walls, the only sounds that could be heard from our small group, were the clip-clop of shoes against the paved floors. The massive guards that flanked us were as silent and vigilant as two very well-trained watch dogs, and if they didn't make a man feel less than capable in their company, then the expression on Kaio's face certainly did.

He was a vamp on a mission. His eyes were narrowed and steady. His mouth set in a hard line and his gait as purposeful as a soldier in the middle of battle. Beside him, Malik was certainly looking anything but worthy. He was as nervous as a school girl at her first prom.

What did a pampered Billionaire know about adversity anyway? I shook my head.

This Grady character though; he was something else. He walked with a sort of spring in his step. As though he were on vacation rather than about to go in search of guns. He was nonchalant and comfortable and this more than anything, made me feel a jarring sense of unease.

He's too...happy. I thought, when he reached into his pocket and pulled out a half-eaten packet of peanuts and dipped his hand inside. I was almost convinced there was something seriously wrong with him, when I noticed the infinitesimal shaking of his hand as he pulled a few nuts free.

Ah, so not so nonchalant after all.

Maybe just a little bit better at hiding it. Unlike his little friend Laken, who wrung his hands in front of him over and over again, like a wet rag that just wouldn't stop dripping. He was biting his lip so hard, I wondered when the blood would flow.

"He always gets like this during a raid." Grady interrupted, sucking the salt from his fingers as he watched me. "He's afraid Carson won't make it."

When I frowned, he grinned. "Carson's his mate, remember?"

"Oh right. The Alpha." I glanced back at Laken, but either he didn't hear us, or he just didn't give a shit what was being said. Either way, the kid looked like he needed a hug, and no sooner had I thought the words, Grady dropped his arm around the kid's shoulders and took a few more bites of his snack.

We took a left turn down a narrow hallway, then turned right down a winding wooden staircase that creaked with every step. Below us, I could hear the pounding of boots against concrete floors.

"Do you think Carson's down there?" Laken questioned, suddenly more alert as we got closer to the bottom.

"Since when does Carson fight with weapons?" came Grady's simple reply, and Laken's shoulders sagged.

"How many exits does the armory have?"

"Three, if you count the one the elders boarded up last Christmas during the storm." Grady replied. I nodded, packing that bit of knowledge away for later use.

I could already smell the mustiness of the place the closer we got. I could also smell...what was that? Gunpowder? It was an acrid, sour odor that seemed to have been tattooed in the air.

"Been awhile since I've been back down here." I could hear the excitement in the guy's voice "You're an army man, right?" he glanced back at me. "I think you'll appreciate the view."

When we finally descended, it was into a very small, dimly lit space. Like a closet...or a matchbox; whichever felt more oppressive.

I stepped aside when one of the guards—the vampire or the werewolf, really I couldn't tell which—stepped forward and braced himself against a sort of wooden paneling and shoved. The surface broke away evenly and easily enough and he stepped through.

The werewolf then.

The room we entered was probably twice as big as our little matchbox. The only thing that stood in the space was a large oak table. Clearly no expense had been spared on the flooring, which was rough concrete. A complete contrast to the opulence of the large chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

The only other thing of much significance in the space, was the floor-to-ceiling double doors that stood in the center of the bare wall, opposite the spot we now stood. But it was what was behind those doors that caught our attention: the pounding of boots that we'd heard as we'd descended the staircase. Now that we were closer though, I could hear shouts and cursing and the clanging of metal against wood and concrete.

The wolf-guard turned the knob and pulled one side of the door open without effort. What I saw when I looked in though, was beyond my greatest expectations—not that I'd had much to begin with, but damn.

I took in the rows (and there were many) of ceiling high shelves that went back so far, all I could see at the opposite end was darkness. We stepped though into chaos. There were men and women running through aisles and gathering weaponry. Others were already armed to the teeth and making their way through the manned exit at the far end of the room. I saw men reloading guns, a muscular, pudgy-faced woman crouching by a shelf, digging through a small box of bullets. One of her hands was wrapped with a blood-soaked bandage and the other was scratched raw.

Orders were being shouted across the room and curses rent the air. There was a long table in the center of the room, stacked with military-grade guns and other weapons I was pretty sure I'd only ever seen in the most unrealistic of TV shows. I shook my head in awe.

"Just go ahead and help yourself." Gray was saying. "We've got weapons dating back to wars I learned about in history class back in the day...those are locked away in a room the elders won't let me go in though...but one day." He rubbed his hands together in glee.

"The further back you go, the later the models, so if you don't wanna get your face blown off, I'd personally suggest you stick with whatever's in the first twelve rows." He led us pass two tables which had been shoved up together. That one was covered in an assortment of bows and arrows, that reminded me of the ones I'd seen at Noah's place.

"I personally like the RPGs, but considering the fact that my mate's out there and I'd rather get his ass back in one piece, then I'm gonna politely suggest that you stay clear of any and all explosives." The hard glint in his eyes when he looked at me, told me it was anything but a mere suggestion.

"These man-made toothpicks will nothing to stop even the most unschooled blood-drinker." Kaio commented in distaste, as he ran his hand over an old Winchester rifle that looked like it had seen better years.

"I need something more long range...high precision. That type a thing." When they all stared at me blankly, I took a breath. "You got any sniper rifles?"

Grady, the ring leader, shrugged. "Probably, pretty sure I've seen Lucas use something like that once, but that was years ago...you know, when pack raiding was still in."

If fought back the annoyance. "Is this Lucas guy out there fighting with the others?"

I heard the shattering of the windows somewhere close by, and some guy I could only describe as a battering ram shoved me aside as he made his way down the aisle.

"He's in London...Him and Adrian have a kid to look after you know."

No, I didn't know.

"If I can get my hands on one of those bow and arrows I think I could be of some use." Malik interrupted. "I was captain of my archery team back in high school."

I shook my head, and fought the urge to roll my eyes. Of course he had been.

"As I have told you Mal." Kaio began. "These weapons will be of no assistance to you. In fact, now that you have all surely seen the pointlessness of this journey, I would advise that we all traipse back up stairs and secure ourselves, as my Lord had requested, in our room."

"Killing them isn't important, though that would be pretty damn great." I explained. "What's important, is that we slow as many of them down as possible. Whatever way we can lend a hand is good enough."

I walked along the shelving, searching quickly through what they had. They seemed to be relatively well-stocked, if a bit disorganized. My head snapped 'round when I heard the agonized cry of a man a few feet away from where we stood.

The cry in question, had come from a guy who sat against a wall. His was face wet with sweat and blood. His cotton shirt was torn half off his boy, exposing what looked like a badly damaged bullet-proof vest. His right arm was laying limp by his side, and his breaths came in quick, short puffs.

He was in bad condition, but I probably wouldn't have spared him a second glance if it wasn't for the fact that Noah was kneeling before him.

He was decked out in strange leather clothes, well-worn boots, with a bow and arrow strapped to his back. He had his hand on the guys bleeding chest—trying to staunch the flow I guessed— while he spoke to him in low tones.

"I have brought you another one and by God this had better be the last!" my head snapped up yet again at the sound of the familiar voice.

Fucking Snow White. I grinned, despite the situation, and without a word, I was making my way over to him; my intention to help unburden him of his unconscious load.

"Tony." He greeted when he saw me. "It was my understanding that you were still ill and resting in your room. Why are you here?" I reached over to help him with the guy he was holding, but he gently pushed me out of his way and set the man down beside the one Noah—who glanced up at me from his patient for a second—was tending to.

"I'm fine. I'm here to help. What's wrong with him?" I gestured to the man Laken was now squatting over. His small hands moved gently over the guy's head.

"I am a warrior, not a doctor. He received a mere pat to the head from the enemy and crumpled to the ground." He turned to Noah, who had passed off his own patient to another helping hand. "Your hunter friends are as weak as any human." He said dismissively, and Noah stood.

"Probably because we're all human. How's it looking out there?"

Christophe's eyes roamed the room, before they settled again on him. "The sick bay is filled with injured...most of them your own men... a few wolves. No blood-drinkers of course. After all, we fight to the death. Two of our number have died." He grinned. "I would say it is going quite well."

I glanced around the room again. Which meant, the men and women running around in here, reloading and searching for weapons were all hunters. Whatever the fuck that meant.

"How's Rien handling it." I had to ask.

He shook his head. "When last I saw Lord Riener, he had been commanding me to work with that insufferable buffoon Zahir. I have not seen him since."

"And Kandane?"

"Nor he I'm afraid. I do not understand why he has not yet shown himself." He inspected his blood-caked finger nails. "He may be master-class, but he is nothing but a coward. He has brought this war, yet he hides while his army fights." He spat the words; his mouth turned down in disgust.

"What about Thomas or Carson. The Alpha and Beta I mean, have you seen them"? Grady chipped in, and Christophe's eyes narrowed.

"Do you think I am drenched with the blood of my enemy because I am wasting away my time searching for your loved ones?"

I shook my head. "Relax Snow White, we're all just concerned." I told him.

"Yes well, while you are sitting here wallowing in your concern, I am being forced to fight alongside Lord Riener's barbarian of a compeer; Zahir." His hands clenched. "The great brute thinks we are in competition. The moment I find myself faced with the enemy, he snatches him away and slaughters him himself. He is like a ravenous demon spawn or some such vile creat—."

"Grady, help me with him." Laken, who was still crouched before the fallen hunter, interrupted Christophe's tirade and Grady went where he was bid.

"How are you feeling?" Noah turned to me.

"I'm fine. I'm here to help."

He nodded. "Good, because we need all the help we can get. You good with guns right?"

I grinned. "Just find me something I can use from a high vantage point and we'll be in business." I told him, then gestured to Malik. "He says he's good with arrows."

"Follow me."

"While you do that I shall return to the demon before he kills himself." Christophe called, and a moment later, he was crossing the room.

Noah led us back to the tables in the center of the room where the arrows lay. "Take your pick." He told Malik, who gaped stupidly at him.

"I—these aren't exactly the standard arrows I used in my childhood." He picked up one of the metal arrows and weighed it in his palm. "I mean...this is—"

"It's what we've got and it's no different from a regular bow and arrow...in some ways." He qualified and handed the bow to Malik.

As he stood there looking like he'd bitten off more than he could chew, Noah led me to another table. It was one I'd missed when we'd first come in, but one that certainly held a thing of beauty.

I ran my hand reverently along the ...what was it? 22/23 inch barrel, and inspected the strange looking bullets that were scattered around it.

"They're special bullets." He explained. "One well-placed hit with one of these and your vampire won't be getting back up."

I turned it around in my hand before returning my attention back to the bolt action rifle. "Range?"

"About 875 yards. Weighs about twelve pounds empty and without the scope. It's the best we've got with us right now, considering the short notice."

"Sounds damn good to me."

He grabbed a sack lying on the floor not too far away and filled it with the bullets. When he handed it to me, he clapped me on the shoulder and gestured with his head to the main exit. "I've got a job to do. Good luck."

.................................

Kaio had insisted on carrying it for me, because in his mind he was a doctor, and I wasn't fully healed yet. Which, to be fair to him, I really wasn't.

When I'd set it all up, checked over my weapon and secured my perch on the roof above the armory, I settled in.

Beside me, the nervous Malik was getting a feel for his own weapon, and much to my own surprise and delight, Kaio had also opted for one of his own. A spear gun, he'd said it was called as he dangled the poison-tipped spears in my face.

"Will you be careful with that?" Malik hissed, and the dangerous item was removed from my sight.

Malik's arms shook slightly as he pulled back on the thick bow string.

"Just don't kill the good guys." I warned him, before lowering my eyes to the rifle's scope and placing my finger over the trigger.

Time to blow some brains out.

                                                                         AUTHOR'S NOTES

THANKS FOR READING!

HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE CHAPTER AND KEEP SWEET!

-DoUble.A

-unedited