Bound by Darkness Read online

  “Female, stop running. If you please myself and my friends, perhaps we’ll let you live.”

  Sasha stopped moving and threw her shoulders back. “I’d rather die.”

  The Kalith pushed his long hair back from his face, his smile turning nasty. “That won’t be as fun for us, but if you insist . . .”

  Larem didn’t want to kill his own kind, but he wouldn’t let them hurt Sasha, not when she was his to protect. So far they hadn’t noticed him; he wasn’t sure about Sasha.

  He paused long enough to jerk the tie out of his hair, letting it hang free down around his shoulders. Raising his sword, he started forward, calling out a traditional greeting among Kalith warriors in their own language. “My brothers, how fare thee?”

  The leader jerked his attention away from Sasha long enough to answer, “My brother, we are about to fare very well.”

  Then his eyes flared wide as he took in the human attire Larem wore, and his smile turned feral. “You speak our language, but you carry the stench of Paladins.”

  Sasha finally recognized him. “Larem?”

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  DEFEAT THE DARKNESS

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  DARKNESS UNKNOWN

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  REDEEMED IN DARKNESS

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  These titles are also available as eBooks

  ALSO BY ALEXIS MORGAN

  The Paladin Series

  DEFEAT THE DARKNESS

  DARKNESS UNKNOWN

  REDEEMED IN DARKNESS

  IN DARKNESS REBORN

  DARK DEFENDER

  DARK PROTECTOR

  The Talion Series

  DARK WARRIOR UNTAMED

  DARK WARRIOR UNBROKEN

  DARK WARRIOR UNLEASHED

  Pocket Star Books

  A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  1230 Avenue of the Americas

  New York, NY 10020

  www.SimonandSchuster.com

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2011 by Patricia L. Pritchard

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Pocket Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

  First Pocket Star Books paperback edition May 2011

  POCKET STAR BOOKS and colophon are registered

  trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com.

  Cover design by Craig White

  Manufactured in the United States of America

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  ISBN 978-1-4391-7604-7

  ISBN 978-1-4391-7607-8 (ebook)

  To Susan Mallery—just a note to say how much I value your support and your friendship—not to mention all the laughter. You’re proof that one of the best things about this business is all the wonderful people we meet along the way.

  Contents

  Acknowledgments

  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

  Acknowledgments

  Danielle Poiesz, I want to take this opportunity to say how much I appreciate all the hard work you put in from start to finish to help my books shine. It means a lot to know you’re always there. Thanks for all that you do!

  Chapter 1

  Slamming his fist into the wall wasn’t the smartest thing Larem had ever done, but it was that or punch his roommate. Since the current situation wasn’t Lonzo’s fault, he’d aimed his temper at something that wouldn’t bruise—or hit back—although right now a good down-and-dirty fight held some appeal. Pain was slow to register, but his blood stood out in stark relief against the wall’s white paint.

  “Damn it, Larem, was that really necessary? I hope you didn’t break anything; it’s your night to do the dishes.” Lonzo’s comment held an equal mix of worry and disgust. “We both know Devlin has no choice in the matter. He’s only asking that you and Barak lie low for a while. Besides, it’s only temporary.”

  Larem flexed his hand gingerly. Nothing broken. Nothing solved. He was still caught between two worlds, neither of which wanted to lay claim to him.

  “Yeah, right. Why not make it easier on everyone concerned and tell the Regents to make one big cage and stuff all your pet Kalith into it?” Larem said bitterly.

  Swallowing hard against the acrid taste of his rage, he slowly turned to his worried friend. “Or better yet, shove us back across the barrier. With any luck, the Sworn Guardians will solve the problem for you with just a few swings of a sword.”

  Lonzo had his own temper and shoved Larem hard, sending him bouncing back against the wall. “Don’t be such a dumbass. None of us would let that happen.”

  Larem got right back up in his friend’s face. “Correction, Lonzo. Some of the Seattle Paladins wouldn’t want that to happen, but you’re paid to follow orders. If the Regents decide they want us gone, what can you do to stop them? If you refuse to rid the world of a few inconvenient Kalith, they can always find others who will.”

  He looked down the hall where more Paladins were congregated. “And they wouldn’t hav
e to go far to find them.”

  A deep voice joined the discussion. “You’re wrong, Larem. That’s not happening. Not now, not tomorrow, not ever. We owe you and the others too much.”

  Larem wanted to believe Devlin Bane. He really did, but he’d been betrayed too many times by his own kind to easily accept that his former enemies would behave any differently. Gods above, he missed his old life so damned much. As a Blademate to a Sworn Guardian, he’d known his place in their world and served his people with honor.

  Here, he accepted a paycheck from the Paladins for teaching weapons practice a few hours a month. He hated living on their charity, but he was still learning his way in this new life. Eventually, he’d be able to strike out on his own and be free to make his own choices. Some days he seriously thought about crossing back over into Kalithia and taking his chances that his death sentence would be rescinded. So far he’d resisted the urge.

  Another Paladin came out of the conference room and headed straight for Larem. “This new policy is crap, and you know it.”

  Hunter Fitzsimon glared at Devlin, his green eyes blazing with pure rage. “I have more reason than most to hate what comes boiling across the barrier at us, but Larem is different.”

  Devlin rolled his huge shoulders, no doubt trying to shrug off some tension. “Listen up, all of you. You’ll get no arguments from me on that score. However, until this new rep from the Regents is actually here, we just need to be careful. Arguing by e-mail won’t change anything, but I can and will make our case in person.”

  “Yeah, right, and if he doesn’t buy what you’re selling? What then?” Hunter turned his attention to Larem. “Pack up your things. You’re coming home with me and Tate. The apartment over the garage is yours as long as you need it.”

  Devlin looked like he wanted to argue, but then the big man shut his mouth and shrugged. “He’s right, Larem. I can’t guarantee this new guy will listen to me. If you’d feel safer moving up north with Hunter, I wouldn’t blame you. Go camp out in Hunter’s apartment, at least until the dust settles and we know more what we’re dealing with.”

  For the first time since Devlin had called the morning meeting to order, Larem didn’t feel quite so alone. As tempting as it was to take off with Hunter, the thought of hiding out didn’t sit well with him. A warrior both by training and by nature, he would not run.

  “I’ll wait to see what happens. Besides, I’m not the only one affected by this order.” Larem nodded down the hallway to where Barak q’Young stood talking to his sister, who had two Kalith children at home. “We can’t all go into hiding.”

  Devlin sighed, clearly tired of dealing with all the bureaucratic bullshit. “This guy is supposed to show up by the end of the week. I suggest we go about business as usual until then.”

  Like anything had been “usual” for Larem in a long, long time. “Are we done? If so, I’m out of here.”

  Without waiting for an answer, he headed for the gym, intent on working off some anger banging blades with someone, anyone. A few seconds later both Hunter and Lonzo caught up with him. He’d rather be left alone for a few minutes but couldn’t fault them for their show of support. The least he could do was show his appreciation by bruising them up some.

  The three warriors walked into the gym and headed straight for the rack of practice weapons. Larem reached for one of the Kalith-style curved blades that the armorer had recently added to the collection. After a few warm-up swings, he tossed his shirt in the corner and faced off against his two friends.

  “All right, gentlemen, who wants to bleed first?”

  Hunter’s wolfish grin was a mirror reflection of Larem’s own. With a quick salute, the battle was on.

  Watching Chaz Willis squirm was a rare pleasure. Right now the two of them were staring out of a tenth-floor office window at the sidewalk below. Thanks to her fiery red hair, it was easy to pick Sasha out of the crowd even from that height.

  Her father glanced at George, his mouth a straight slash of anger. “Look, I know Sasha takes her orders from the entire Board of Regents, but I really hate this. No matter how much I argue, she won’t listen to reason.”

  George sipped the glass of expensive scotch Chaz had poured for him, savoring the twin burns of the liquor and his friend’s frustration. “I understand where you’re coming from, but you really need to lay off the girl before you drive a permanent wedge between the two of you. She’s well qualified for the job and deserves a chance to prove herself.”

  Chaz topped off his own glass and took a large swig. “Shut up, George. She’s my daughter. That gives me the right to interfere when I think it’s in her best interest.”

  “And she’s my goddaughter,” George snapped. “Don’t screw this up for her because you’re not ready to cut the apron strings. She’s all grown up—it’s time you realized that.”

  Chaz glared at George over the rim of his glass. “I don’t doubt my daughter’s abilities. But as both her father and a Regent, I have some misgivings about what kind of situation we’re sending her into. We both know Kincade made a mess of things in Seattle, and it’s not finished yet.”

  George strolled over to perch on the side of Chaz’s desk. “You’re thinking he wasn’t working alone.”

  Chaz finally turned away from the window. “I’m thinking we don’t know. I don’t want Sasha caught up in any fallout. By the way, I’m still pissed you helped her rally enough support to get this assignment in the first place. You should’ve stayed out of it.”

  “Chaz, you and I both know that Sasha deserves this chance. Besides, we need someone out there who we can trust to do the job right. Would you rather the Board pick someone else, someone we can’t control?”

  For the first time all morning, Chaz laughed. “If you think you can control Sasha, especially from almost two thousand miles away, you’ve sorely overestimated your influence on her.”

  George clapped him on the shoulder. “Come on, Chaz, how much trouble can she get into? We both know Devlin Bane and the rest of the Paladins have no use for number crunchers. At best, they’ll tolerate her. At the worst, they’ll ignore her. They certainly won’t trust her. Meanwhile, we’ve managed to buy ourselves some time to deal with Kincade himself. We have to find out who else was involved in his shenanigans before we assign a permanent Regent to that sector.”

  “That’s just the problem—Sasha doesn’t see her assignment to Seattle as a stopgap measure. She has every intention of being appointed as the new Regent for that whole area. We’ll just have to find a way to monitor her actions carefully.”

  Actually, George suspected Sasha would report in only when she absolutely had to and, even then, tell them only what she wanted to share. To maintain control over the situation, it would be better to have another pair of boots on the ground.

  “Maybe we should have another man on-site. You know, to keep an eye on her.”

  Chaz immediately perked up. “Good idea. She’ll kick our asses if she finds out, but I’d sure feel better about the situation. Any suggestions who we can trust to keep a low profile?”

  After running down his mental list of possible candidates for the job, George made a quick decision. The man he had in mind had served as a reliable spy in the past. There was no reason to think he wouldn’t this time.

  “Yeah, I do. We’ve even used him before in similar situations.”

  “Good. Call him.”

  George hit a number on his speed dial. When the guy on the other end picked up, George kept it simple.

  “Pack your bags. You just got transferred to Seattle. I want someone I trust to keep me informed about what’s going on out there and to do what’s necessary to keep things from going to hell. There’s a bonus in it if you get there by the end of the week.”

  A minute later George hung up, satisfied he’d done the right thing. Certainly Chaz looked happier. Now, only time would tell if he’d made things worse or protected his agenda.

  • • •

  Sash
a’s plane had flown disturbingly close to Mount Rainier on the way over the Cascades, but the view of the mountain from her hotel room was stunning. The helpful pilot had also pointed out St. Helens and Mount Adams, two of the other volcanoes in the region, as he guided the plane into its final approach to Seattle. A chill slithered over her skin at the memory, but she resisted the urge to close the drapes. She had to get used to the sight eventually, and the sooner the better.

  Granted the three peaks were beautiful, but she knew their truth. Underneath all that magnificent splendor beat the cold hearts of killers. At times unstable, always unpredictable, and when the mood hit, totally lethal. Even if the mountains didn’t do the killing themselves, they also harbored the Others, crazed murderers from another world. Sasha couldn’t just enjoy the volcanoes’ rugged beauty, not when she knew about the trained warriors who lived and died under those scenic slopes, all to keep people like her safe.

  The Paladins—a society shrouded in secrecy. Even working for the Regents, she’d caught only an occasional glimpse of the St. Louis contingent. Her father had done his best to protect her from the world the Paladins lived in. Even with her limited experience, she knew why.

  They were warriors in the finest sense of the word—alpha males in all their glory, the kind of men who attracted women wherever they went. But not her. Not again. She knew better. It’d been another secret she’d kept from her father and the Regents; if they’d found out, they might have terminated her employment immediately. Despite the passage of time, the memories remained sharp and clear; the pain still ached like an old sports injury that acted up whenever it rained.

  But enough of that. It was time. Ignoring the flutter of butterflies in her stomach, she picked up her briefcase and left her room. Her first meeting with her new charges was scheduled in less than an hour.

  Devlin Bane, a legend in their world, hadn’t been happy when she’d refused his request to meet with him one-on-one ahead of time. He’d raised some valid points in their brief flurry of e-mails, but she didn’t want anything to color her first impressions of the Paladins stationed in the Seattle area. Besides, it was pretty much a sure thing that they’d close ranks to shut her out. Fine. They had good reason not to trust the Regents anymore. She expected to have to work long and hard to break through their firmly ingrained “us versus them” mentality.