Guild Master, page 1
part #19 of Dark Warrior Alliance Series
Guild Master
Dark Warrior Alliance Book 19
Brenda Trim
Tami Julka
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
EXCERPT FROM Mavin Warrior BOOK # 20
Authors’ Note
Other Works By Trim And Julka
Copyright © June 2019 by Brenda Trim and Tami Julka
Editor: Amanda Fitzpatrick
Cover Art by Trish (Pickyme Designs)
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writers’ imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction of this work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
All rights reserved. With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the authors.
Created with Vellum
There was magic in the night when her deep purple orbs glowed under moonlight.
~Evzen Raziel
Chapter One
Confusion was the least of Braelynn’s vexing dilemma. Her life was unrecognizable, and there was nothing she could do to stop the speeding train from flying off the tracks and crashing into the side of a mountain.
It was bad enough she had no idea how to maneuver in the world, which she was only just coming to know. Now, she faced one crappy situation after another. It was vastly different from the sheltered life she’d experienced thus far. As much as she wanted out from underneath her mother’s thumb for all those centuries, Braelynn missed her now. Life was simple then, even if the routine was stifling.
Freedom was highly overrated, she concluded. The outside world was terrifying, and survival was damn near impossible. Thank the Goddess for Sterling, her mother’s right-hand male, and most devoted subject. If not for him, she’d be living on the streets and eating out of trashcans.
For the millionth time, the night of her mother’s murder flashed though Braelynn’s mind. She recalled how her mom sent her to the very dungeon she was now standing inside. After hours of waiting for her mother’s return, Braelynn opened a portal and found the staff rummaging through her mother’s valuables buried beneath the rubble. That was her first lesson in the true meaning of loyalty, or lack thereof, in her mother’s case.
Metal banged, startling Braelynn out of the rabbit hole that sucked her down too often. “Let us out, Gods dammit!” the male voices shouted over one another, and more clanging followed.
She winced at the anger and fear sent her way from the prisoners. Instinct had her reaching for the wall so she could magically create a door, and release them.
Taking a deep breath, Braelyn inhaled the sulfur scent that permeated her mother’s dungeons. As she was about to form a doorway into the cell, Sterling’s instructions echoed in her mind. The males were to remain hostage no matter what, and her palm stopped mere inches from touching the stone. She couldn’t disobey his orders.
Sterling saved Braelynn from the Gods-only-knew-what fate. She had nothing and nowhere to go after her mother’s death, and he gave her a place. Also, the male didn’t keep her hidden away for centuries as her mother had done.
Learning she was over seven hundred years old was a significant shock, especially since Braelynn hadn’t left the confines of the castle even once. Time passed differently in her sheltered world, and she didn’t realize how much was actually passing. And, once she ventured out, Braelynn acknowledged her sheltered life had its advantages.
It wasn’t modern technology that was most surprising. After all, she’d seen the castle upgraded from candles to electric lights and relished the invention of the stovetop and oven. It made cooking a joy on the rare occasions she snuck out of her room, and Bridget, her mother’s chef, allowed her to help in meal preparation.
No, the most shocking was the ease of travel and communication in current times, along with, the lack of hellhounds and demons in general society. Near the end of her life, Braelynn’s mother was often gone and never communicated with her. She insisted it wasn’t possible, which she later discovered was an utter lie. Naively, Braelynn believed the deceit and was deeply hurt when she learned they could’ve easily talked over the phone.
It was one more reminder that her hope of sharing a close relationship with her mother was nothing but a pipe dream. Honestly, it was all Braelynn ever wanted in life. To have her mom love and praise her rather than the constant criticism and telling her she was a colossal disappointment.
Shaking her head, Brae thought about how the deceptions weren’t all that surprising. She’d seen and heard enough to know her mother wasn’t a decent person. Even without the knowledge that hellhounds and demons weren’t a common species in the world, Brae had always sensed something malicious about the beings that surrounded her mother. It made Braelynn wonder if she was evil, as well, and the reason her mother kept her isolated from the world. She sensed darkness inside, but never examined it too deeply.
“He’s going to die if you don’t help us!” shouted one of the prisoners, and a shiver crept up Braelynn’s spine from the panic in his voice.
For a split second, she wondered if he was referring to the silver-haired male. She couldn’t deny, or fully understand, her attraction but every fiber of her being recoiled at the thought of harm coming to the male.
His tall, lithe build was magnetic, and she could drown in his black eyes. They pulled her in and sent unfamiliar tingles throughout her core. Just thinking about him had Braelynn squirming as she tried to ease the unsettling sensation wracking her body.
A swirl of emotions bombarded Braelynn, and her mind splintered in a hundred directions. Her entire life existed within the confines of the castle, and she spent time with the staff and her mother. No one else. Erotic feelings never developed. After her mom died, Sterling took her to public places, and she’d felt attraction to the opposite sex, but nothing as strong as what she felt toward the silver-haired male.
His beautiful black eyes, which were the exact opposite of her mother’s, regarded her in a way she didn’t understand yet made her quiver with anticipation and longing. In the past months since her liberation, Braelynn learned about sex and the pairing of two bodies. Never had her mind conjured her feminine parts joining with a male’s in such arousing, exquisite detail as when she gazed at the silver-haired male. The idea that her body craved such intimacies was utterly foreign and extremely unsettling.
She must be abnormal, Braelynn scolded. Her mother repeatedly said she was a failure and a disappointment, so this was one more indication she was an enigma. How else would one explain a sorceress’s erratic magic? One minute she was singeing her eyebrows and the next healing a wilted flower. She quickly learned as a young girl that she wasn’t a powerful sorceress when she couldn’t summon the powerful book her mother so desperately wanted. Once again, an utter disappointment in her mom’s eyes.
Even from the other side of the grave, Brae’s mom taunted her for harboring salacious thoughts about the silver-haired male. She wondered why her mother despised male’s so profusely when the few Braelynn met adored her mother, and her confusion regarding the silver-haired male intensified.
Clutching her head in her hands, Brae pulled up mental walls to block her mother’s angry voice. “Males are selfish, betraying bastards that will always let you down and never do anything to help you, Braelynn. You must always take what you want and never apologize. Males will deny you every step of the way without remorse. Never forget how vile they all are.” Her mother’s words held so much hatred. It was frightening when she thought about it. And, it was one of the ways she was able to control Brae for so long.
As she had countless times since losing her mother, Braelynn questioned how she remained under her mom’s control so long. It galled her, while at the same time, filled her with shame and frustration. Before going out into the world, she knew it wasn’t normal to be cloistered. It wasn’t something she wanted, yet every time she tried to buck the system, and gain her freedom, she was immobilized.
It was as if her tongue was glued to the roof of her mouth and her feet rooted in place. It was as if there was another entity inside her body, controlling what she said and did. It was rare for her to speak out against her mother. In fact, it had only happened a few times. The bloody punishment that followed was permanently etched on her brain. And, it was vastly different from the reasons she kept her mouth shut with Sterling.
Sterling used her for his own gain, but he’d never raised a hand to her, scorned her, or withheld food. As a young child, she quickly discovered that being ignored hurt more than lashings. Starvation was a close second. One was entirely emotional, while the ot
When she thought about it that way, she laughed off the absurd notion that some foreign being was controlling her. It made her question her sanity for even contemplating the idea. No way would her mother allow anyone or anything to threaten her heir. Being valuable to her mom was the one thing she never doubted. It was all that comforted her most nights. She might have failed to give her mother what she wanted, but she kept Brae around for seven hundred years because she was needed.
The stone wall blurred as tears swam in her eyes. Sagging, Brae leaned against the rough rock and allowed the cold to seep into her body. Her fingers ran over the wall. A shock traveled through her fingertips and jolted her heart, making it skip a beat.
As her lungs seized, Braelynn was reminded of her mother’s power. Her mom was the most powerful sorceress ever to live. Her staff was proof of that, as well as a reminder that Braelynn would never reach that level. Energy crawled along her skin like a colony of ants then surrounded her in a blanket of self-hatred, knowing she would never be as formidable as her mother.
Breathe, she told herself. Deep inhales followed by ragged exhales, and Brae was close to snapping. The males’ pleas, the stinging, and the dizziness were too much. Sterling would never know if she opened a door and allowed the hostages out. There was enough in her life she regretted, and she was not going to allow this to be added to the list.
Closing her eyes, Braelynn imagined the stone disappearing. Cracking an eyelid, she cursed. Nothing. The stone wall stared back at her, mocking her inability. Another attempt, this time with her eyes open, and there wasn’t even a tiny spark.
Frustrated, Brae was about to give up and open a portal, the one bloody thing she was actually good at doing, when a wind blew through the cave, knocking over the lanterns used for illumination. No wind should blow through a totally enclosed cave, she thought as sparks flew through the room followed by a loud pop and crashing sounds.
Energy sizzled from her fingertips, and tiny streaks of lightning raced over the stone ceiling and walls, leaving grooves in its wake. Her skin felt like it was splitting open, and the pain was agonizing. Her head went back while, at the same time, her mouth opened in a silent scream.
A bright light filled the cave, making her eyes water. She took several deep breaths and forced every thought from her mind. It was always the same. Magic didn’t come easy to her as it did for her mom and Sterling, or every other sorcerer she’d ever met.
“What’s going on?” Sterling boomed, startling her.
Surprised, she jumped, then lowered her head. For a moment, Braelynn was distracted by the way the lightning hit an invisible barrier in front of Sterling and traveled over and down the other side without touching him. Jealousy tore through her that the male could portal into the cave easily and call up protection in the blink of an eye.
“Nothing. What are you doing here?”
Sterling cocked his head and narrowed eyes on her. “What do you think I’m doing? You weren’t at the safehouse, so I came to check on you. Seems like I was right to return.”
Braelynn shook her head and swallowed the anger. “There is no need to check on me. I was right behind you. I can open a portal, you know.”
“Yes, you can open a portal. That’s not what I worried about. I know you feel guilty about the prisoners, but we cannot continue your mother’s work unless we have control of them.”
A lump formed in Braelynn’s throat at the same time her irritation rose. She wasn’t sure she wanted to continue her mom’s work, especially now that she’d seen more, but wasn’t able to tell Sterling that, so she clenched her jaw and kept her mouth shut.
“I understand. You can go back. I’ll be right behind you.”
“We can go together,” Sterling countered and kept his shrewd gaze on her.
Channeling her mother’s authority, Braelynn crossed her arms and glared at Sterling. “I’m going to feed them and give them supplies, so I don’t have to return anytime soon. We have a lot of work to do, and I don’t need to be bothered with this bullshit.”
Sterling looked to the left and eyed the food they stashed earlier. Thankfully, she hadn’t accomplished that task as she was caught up in the chaos of her rattled mind.
“Very well. I expect you back straightaway. Don’t make me come back for you,” the male threatened.
Had she thought him better than her mother? How very wrong she was. He was no different, even if his methods were. He wanted to control everything she did. Ignoring him, Braelynn turned her back to him and rifled through the supplies. The breath she’d been holding left her in a rush when she heard the telltale sounds of a portal snapping into place followed by his exit.
But now she faced a more difficult decision regarding their prisoners. How could she willfully participate in the torture of another? Especially since she was so drawn to one of them.
Chapter Two
“The bleeding isna stopping. Shite. Is there anything you can do, Evzen?” Bhric barked, his broad shoulders concealing the body beneath him.
The anger in the Vampire Prince’s voice was unmistakable, and his pupils remained black as night instead of their golden amber hue. The purple bruise on his cheek and the bloody gash on his chest were neon signs of what they’d endured before being captured.
War and fighting weren’t entirely unfamiliar to Evzen, but centuries had passed since he was on the front lines of battle. During the Great War, sheer determination was all he needed to fight and kill attacking demons. In the beginning, Evzen joined his friends, Hayden, Dante, and Zander as they became rulers of their kind. They fought against demons, protecting the Triskele Amulet and humans in the realm.
The changes the Tehrex Realm underwent after the Great War was necessary and revolutionary for the supernaturals to keep demon incursions on Earth under control. Not once did Evzen regret taking a more administrative role in the council, until now. They were trapped in a cave with a severely injured Dark Warrior. If he’d continued his combat training, he could’ve made a greater impact and helped fight their way out of the predicament they encountered at Lady Angelica’s castle.
Evzen wasn’t a warrior, but he was a strategist, and going into an unknown with so many unskilled was reckless. Why did he assume they wouldn’t face imminent danger? Zander, the Vampire King, always preached preparation, to the point it was annoying. Now, he understood why. Thinking back, Evzen didn’t view it as dangerous because the location was presumed abandoned. They couldn’t have been more wrong, and if they managed to escape the dungeons, he’d never make that mistake again.
His mind snagged on deep purple eyes as he thought about the ambush they walked into. The female was captivating, and the black spandex hugged her curves perfectly. During the midst of the chaos, Evzen was overcome with the desire to strip the female bare and bury his shaft in her welcoming depths. Even still as he worried over the fate of those in his care, he was unable to stop fantasizing about the female. Unfastening her dark hair of its ponytail and running his fingers through the silky strands as her hypnotic gaze seduced him like no other.
That line of questioning had no place in his mind, and he forced himself to focus on the matter at hand. He needed to figure out a way to cancel the spells on their entrapment so he could get the others back to Zeum for medical treatment.
Evzen blew out a breath then crouched next to Nikko. Blood trickled from a wound on the male’s rib cage, and his black shirt stuck to his dark skin where the crimson fluid seeped from the gaping wound. Evzen ripped a section of the male’s shirt and formed a ball with the material. With firm pressure, he held the cloth to the injury, hoping to stem the flow of the male’s blood.
