The Night Warriors: The Warrior's Sin

The Night Warriors: The Warrior’s Sin

By: Maggie O’Dempsey

Published by Maggie O’Dempsey at Smashwords

Copyright 2012 Maggie O’Dempsey

Discover other titles by Maggie O’Dempsey at Smashwords.com

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Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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 Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Writing this book and having the courage to share it with the world has been a project of love. I would not have been able to do this without the support of my dear family and my awesome husband. Thank you guys for letting me fulfill one of my oldest dreams. I love you all.

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Other books by this author

About the author

PROLOGUE

Along Oregon's coastal highway lays the city of Rivercast. A small to mid-size city, Rivercast is known for its booming economy in the last 100 years. It has a population of between 60,000 to 80,000 inhabitants. When school is in session the population reaches its peak due to the influx of students coming to the renowned University of Technology and the Rivercast Law School, both of which make Rivercast their home. The local computer industry is extremely prosperous and relies heavily on the exporting of new groundbreaking technology. The city has an old time/ small town allure throughout, with the exception of the ultramodern downtown area. Humans see the city as the perfect place where modern meets old in peaceful harmony. There are plenty of quaint, mom and pop stores as well as bed and breakfasts around the rural parts of the city, but once you get downtown it’s like stepping into the future, with high rises, museums, pubs, high-class condos and stores. Many say the downtown area was like a beamed-in section of some big metropolitan city; reason why some residents call it the stolen downtown. Crime is high inside the downtown area and has been increasing elsewhere in recent months. Humans are unaware of the high number of Lore species who make Rivercast their home. The Lore are a group of immortals races that humans believe only to live in their imagination; and that is exactly how the Lore wants to keep it.

Rivercast was actually founded by a group of Lore families looking for a place to call their own. Four pureblood vampire families and a shape shifting family moved and developed the area, which had an open Lore-door policy to any that came with an openly peaceful mentality. Even when the races didn’t quite interact they had an understanding, a truce. Sadly this truce, as it may be, ceased to exist as the Lore community grew and as humans began to crave living in the beautiful, peaceful town.

Now vampires, shape shifters, fairies and witches reside in Rivercast along with humans, but shrouded in secrecy. The powerful vampire warlock Malachi wants ultimate power to enslave not only the humans, but also all races of the Lore. Once part of the Vampire High Council Malachi murdered his fellow Council elders and went on to murder the Dark Wizard who overlooked all evil entities of the world, stealing his powers and his position as Evil Overlord. Now he is gathering forces from the Lore and creating undead armies to aid him in his quest for world domination.

The Lore is aware of Malachi's evil and they have been on alert, some have even taken to the task of stopping Malachi's army and protecting humanity and the innocent. The Vampire High Council feels the most responsible for not noticing the intentions of one of their own elders, and in response they banded together a group of highly trained and powerful vampires, creating an army of their own to combat Malachi, and ultimately destroy him and his evil minions. They are called The Night Warriors.

CHAPTER 1

Xiamara Tebas woke up abruptly thanks to her mother's less than soft shoving. Get up child your father needs you.

Mom, it’s like three am, you go check what he wants.

No child, this you will have to do. It concerns you and it is important.

Ok fine; where is the almighty Daddy? she asked rousing from bed.

He is waiting for you in the study dear, her mom said, immediately making the bed she had vacated.

The use of that word, dear, put Xia's nerves on edge. Her mom never called her dear; it was usually, pain in the ass or hey you. She was loving enough but terms of endearment? That spelled trouble...for her.

Xia went to meet her father at the study, trying to think what she had done to warrant her dad waking her in the middle of the night. She entered the room and was pretty sure some major disaster had occurred once she saw how serious his face looked. She walked in and sat on the couch her father was sitting in. After just three minutes of hearing him talk and explaining what he was expecting from her it was confirmed, TOTAL DISASTER!!!!

Why would I want to be a freaking servant Daddy? This is not what I went to college for, you know, she fumed jumping off the couch to pace the study.

It’s just the way our family works Xiamara, it's our tradition, her father calmly explained.

Have you seen my closet Daddy; my room, my friends for that matter? Do I strike you as a traditional kind of girl? You yourself have told me my Goth wardrobe embarrasses you. And besides any of that, I am 23 years old Dad, not really a little girl anymore for you to be ordering me about, I am a woman now.

And that is the reason you are now ready to take your place. You are needed Xia.

She tried to keep what little control she had over her boiling rage. Her father had pretty much let her run wild and free for the majority of her life and now all of the sudden he had turned Stalin on her. Not only that; but the extent of his despotism was mind blowing.

Darling you won't be a slave, you will be a personal assistant and accountant, like I was. Besides you have no job yet and look around you; when have you needed for anything I wasn't able to provide? You will be paid even better than I was.

I can think of one thing you didn't give me; time with you, she thought.

If it was such a great job why did you retire? You are not so decrepit yet.

I am old now pumpkin; it is your time at the bat.

Baseball analogy; really? I don't even like baseball Dad, but if you would've been around more maybe you would know that, she said, the obvious hurt spilling out of her every pore. What you want from me is not a game dad. How can you even say you love me at all and then throw me in with a bunch of devils?

They are not devils pumpkin, they are heroes.

No Daddy, they are vampires, monsters, devils, pick your fave. I have tried very hard to ignore the fact that your employers are a pack of bloodsucking monsters, who happen to spend every night committing murders, so that now, when I am finally on my way out of this house and all this madness you expect me to throw my life away, she said almost hyperventilating from talking so fast and being so irate.

Calix is coming tonight and you shall do what you were born to do or —

Or what Daddy? They’ll kill me or would you?

Her father’s face turned weary and gloomy. You are alive because of them Xia. They saved your grandmother from a vicious attack from rogue vampires. They saved our whole family, and that same night my father gave his oath to serve the Night Warriors as long as his lineage was alive. It was a blood oath Xiamara. I wished you wouldn't have to know this, but I see no other way now. If you betray a blood oath all our family will die instantly.

Oh shit! Great! Wooptie doo, pop the fucking bubbly! So pretty much I have to accept, if not I will kill my whole family and myself while am at it. Xia's eyes were blood red and she could feel the beating of her heart in her temples. Great, a heart attack, surely that would be considered a loophole.

I know it’s a lot to take in pumpkin, her father said stoically.

Well, I love you too Gramps; too bad he is already dead, I would love to kick his ass. Let’s see, I will screw my whole lineage and give them into vampire slavery! she mimicked her grandfather’s voice.

You are too upset now darling, you need to cool down before you get sick. You should go take a short nap and your mom will wake you when Calix arrives.

Xia took a deep breath and fought against the traitorous tears that wanted to escape her eyes. How can you be so damn calm? I don't want to see Calix Dad. He creeps me out, he always looks at my boobs, she said trying to find any excuse to bribe her dad away from the idea of having her meet the vampire warrior's leader.

The guy was huge, like a mountain, and very scary in his perfect masculine beauty that both seduced and petrified you. One look at the vampire and you knew he could make you scream in one of two ways, from agony or pleasure; and with him there was no way of knowing which was in store for you. Xia wanted neither, so she had the good sense to stay away every time the Night Warrior was meeting with her dad. The couple of times she had seen him had been two too many in her book. She enjoyed her life way too much, but now it seemed that thanks to her loving dear grandfather she would either become a servant to the bloodsuckers, or commit homicide/suicide of her own family. In that moment she was glad that she was an only child, no other life to screw with, at least from her dad's side. She still had two aunts and an uncle, which meant they would be screwed as well, but their kids were still young enough to enjoy life for some time. Xia went to her room and took a scorching hot shower and cried, not sad tears, but tears of rage and frustration, tears that come when you are trapped with no way out.

She thought how she didn't even like vampire movies. Actually she despised vampires all together. They had taken away her father. They were the reason her father had missed all her birthdays and graduations. He would leave sometimes for weeks or months at a time. She hated that cell phone on his belt. He had it with him at all times, and now she would be wearing one herself. Suddenly a clarity she hated invaded her brain cells. Her father had been protecting them by having his phone with him at all times. He was probably scared to fail the vampires and kill all his family as result of an oversight. Surely it wouldn't be so rough. Could the vampires be so callous that a missed call would result in the death of dozens of innocent humans? She sure hoped it wouldn't, she had a bad record with picking up her cell as it was. She decided to skip the nap and instead make her way to the bar and get good and medicated. Her mom's favorite when she was missing her husband sounded good to her today; Valium and Vodka, a shot of the double V coming right up. She was glad her mother kept a full bar and medicine cabinet handy. Xia never really liked the taste of alcohol, but she was not looking for tastiness today; she was looking for numbing and oblivion. She downed the drink and crashed on top of her bed. Xia felt like she was on death row awaiting execution.

CHAPTER 2

Jay looked at Branden, who was cutting the fingers of the dead vamp at his feet. The guy was such a son of a bitch that people actually called him SOB, and he was damn proud of the nickname.

Dude, really? You are seriously deranged. Calix needs us like pronto, and here you are playing Jack the Ripper with that bastard.

Jack was a sissy, he said looking up at his warrior partner and licking his bloody fingers one by one.

Ugh gross man! We have prime blood up at the Compound. Don’t ingest that tainted shit! I swear you are one step away from eating their fucking hearts like a freaking Mayan.

Been there, done that, was the only response from Branden, before he got up and kicked the corpse at his feet.

Jay shook his head. Yeah dude he really needed that last kick huh?

SOB smirked as he made his way to a black and silver Ducati Monster parked across the street.

Downtown Rivercast at night was the playground of debauchery and death. University students milled about the stolen downtown clubs and bars, while businessmen and suits dined in the upper class restaurants and gambled in their private clubs. The city had a human underworld as well, but the Night Warriors usually let the Rivercast police deal with them. On occasion they had to intervene in order to save a life, but their need for anonymity prevented them from showing humans what they really were. The rogue vampire army had been on the move recruiting big time, and just plain killing humans, leaving behind nothing but desecrated corpses in their wake. Not only did the Night Warriors have to protect the humans and fight the bastard rogues, but they also had to burn or get rid of all the bodies in order to keep the Rivercast police from getting too suspicious. As it was the city was already getting fed up with all the missing people reports coming into the station. Malachi, the vampire warlock and leader of the rogue army was clearly planning and mobilizing. It was obvious by the amount of action they had seen in the last month downtown. In the last weeks they had heard some reports of attacks out in the suburbs and rural areas of the city as well. Downtown was obviously not enough for the rogue vampires, they were taking aim at the whole city now.

Jay got out his lighter and poured gas over the now marred vamp corpses, lighting their way into hell.

Jay spoke into his transmitter, Hey asshole next time you kill a motherfucker, clean up after your own damn self. I'm getting tired of cleaning up your shit.

As the bodies were consumed by fire, he walked across the street to join SOB. He got up on his MV-Augusta F4CC, only one of the most expensive motorcycles out there, but that was the Jonathen Jay way. He was a bigger and better kind of guy. They sped away, on their way to meet Calix and SOB's new adjustor. The adjustor is, in other words, a Night Warrior's personal assistant. Adjustors took care of the warrior's business during the daytime hours and were at the beck and call for the occasional pick up from the field; and pretty much any petty thing a vamp could think of. They were extremely important, for they protected the warrior's sleeping space during the vulnerable daytime hours. Versed in finances as well as weapons, the adjustors could balance the warrior's accounts, and kick anyone’s ass that dare interrupt their home during the day, or question their books for that matter. SOB found himself without an adjustor more frequently than most. Some of his past adjustors begged Calix for a transfer; others killed themselves and his last one, well his whereabouts were still up in the air. SOB never did care much about his adjustors as long as they did their job. This time it would be no different, and for everyone’s sake the bastard better be up to par. If not, he had been meaning to throw someone off the roof of his three story house for some time now.

Where’s Calix waiting for us? asked SOB when they stopped at a red light.

Tebas’ house.

Oh shit, is he really giving me an old guy as an adjustor? C’mon man that’s bullshit, he said pissed at the thought.

Well you did kill your last adjustor, so maybe someone closer to death already will be perfect for you, joked Jay as he flied out of the intersection.

Not funny asshole, you better watch it I don’t do you like I did my last adjustor, said SOB through their helmet transmitters as they zoomed through the downtown streets. With their vampire powers they could probably run just as fast, but the partners loved their motorcycles and fast cars.

CHAPTER 3

Calix hated days like today; he would have to induct a new adjustor, and one with a blood oath nonetheless. He always hated that kind of adjustor; people who had no free will in the matter, and usually no real purpose and passion for the work. Add to that, it was Pierre Tebas’ daughter and you have a recipe for disaster. He was more than familiar with Xia, having watched her and kept her safe whenever she was downtown with her rowdy bunch of friends. She was strong in character, her physique toned with the muscle of routine exercise. The couple of times they had exchanged looks hers were less than friendly and void of fear. Both commendable and stupid, given the fact that she knew what he was, and what he could do if he chose to. As carrier of a blood oath or pact, Xiamara would have to choose either death or to guard the warriors from harm and exposure to humans, who were blessedly unaware of their existence. A Night Warrior’s adjustor was their ears and voice during the lethal daylight hours.

With Xia, it was clear as day how much she despised what her father did for a living. Pierre Tebas had been one of the best adjustors the Warriors had ever had, and his own adjustor for many decades. Pierre had been retired for about 4 years, but he still was a good friend and ally. Xia was young and beautiful and he almost felt bad for what she was going to have to deal with. If it wasn’t for the feistiness and strength he had seen in her character he wouldn’t be doing this induction tonight. As it was he didn’t really have that many options. Nobody wanted to work for SOB, the guy was a major pain in the balls, but he was one of his best fighters. The guy didn’t even need a weapon to take down a group of rogues. It was ugly, messy and downright disgusting sometimes, but it was effective. If the adjustor had a choice, guess what, he or she was choosing anything except working for Branden. The amount of blood oaths had decreased through the years and many lines had died out completely. The Vampire High Council was all for it but The Night Warriors were pretty much set against taking the free will out of the equation. As it stood only three lines remained and the only one in the new world was the Tebas line; in other words: Come on down Xia Tebas, you win the jackpot!

Xia was lying on top of her comforter, trying to empty her mind of all thoughts, when she felt her mother’s soft touch on the top of her head. She opened her eyes and gasped. Xia could not be more terrified if Calix himself would’ve been standing in front of her devouring her pet snake, Slithy. Her mom was holding up the most hideous, little house on the prairie, god forsaken dress she had ever seen.

I know this is a joke right? Are you drunk already Mamam? I’m not wearing that; I haven’t worn a dress in 15 years, and even then they weren’t that ugly. Where did you get that thing anyway, at the Goodwill reject store?

I just want you to look presentable honey that’s all. Mr. Calix is very important.

Presentable for a monster Mamam, really? I don’t think so, besides have you seen this creature? He is like biker looking tough guy, not a Sara Ingles fan. If anything you’ll just get me killed faster. Wait a minute, maybe you are on to something.

Don’t be smart with me little lady, this is not easy for me you know, she said dropping the ugly dress and breaking down sobbing.

Xia felt horrible and her mom’s obvious distress was messing her buzz big time. She went over and sat on the floor with her mom. She held her tight while she softly rocked her. It’s ok Mamam; you know I’m a tough little cookie. You need to be strong for me ok? I won’t be like daddy, I promise to call you every day if I can’t see you. You won’t get rid of me that easily. Besides with all the martial arts and self-defense courses I have taken nobody will mess with me twice, she said trying to cheer up her mother.

It was true, the girl had taken classes in all sorts of weaponry and martial arts. Some of the skills were rusty but she was not about to wimp out. She would get back to kick-ass form and stat.

Finally her mom calmed down and kissed her forehead. Then she looked around the messy room and sighed.

I hope you do better than this in your position, if not we are all doomed; and clean your teeth, you stink of booze.

Thanks Mamam, glad to see you’re back to your old self, and I love you too by the way.

Oh no dear I didn’t mean it like that.

Yes now that you mention it, stop calling me dear and sweetie and shit, it creeps me out. Let’s stick to hey and pain in my ass, those I’m used to.

Sorry it’s just…

Save it Mamam and let me just put my boots on, we don’t want king sucker to be kept waiting do we?

When her mom left, Xia went to the bathroom to wash her face and her teeth. Despite being pissed off she wasn’t stupid or suicidal, the family murder thing she was not so sure of at the moment. As she walked downstairs she could hear her father talking and laughing; the sound of ass kissing if she ever heard one, which could only mean the lead bloodsucker was in the house. Xia took a couple of deep breaths and put on her game face. Time to face the music. She visualized the face of her little cousin Evan, just two years old, so full of life, the sweet boy at least deserved a couple decades of happiness and fun. That thought gave Xia the extra humph she needed to enter her father’s study.

Xia entered the study to find Calix’s massive frame leaned back against her father’s oak desk. She had forgotten what a fine piece he was. His long blond hair was tied back in a low ponytail that she could swear reached his waist. He had a black leather long coat and black pants, which were precariously low on his hips, and it was obvious he didn’t believe in underpants. What kind of induction is this? Maybe I will enjoy it after all.

If it wasn’t for the air of power and menace that emanated from him you would think he was just a male model or some Greek statue. He could even be a god and for all she knew, perhaps he was. The only thing she knew about Calix was that he was her father’s boss, the bastard who had stolen her father’s youth, and the one who made him spend most of his time away from his family.

When her father saw her he got up from the couch and took her by the hand.

Calix nodded at her. Xia it’s been awhile, I see you have grown quite a bit.

Not long enough, she thought. It seems that way.

He knew she was a beautiful woman. He had