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Betrayer Chapter 17
Resolve, and thou art free - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow_______________“Stop,” I shouted at Ian as we ran through the trees. He’d put my partner down with one hit. Of course, Ian didn’t stop. “Damn it, Ian, if you don’t stop Mia is going to die.” That worked.Ian skidded to a stop, glaring at me. “Do you think I’m stupid, Balric? You’d never hurt an innocent,” he said through panted breaths. His eyes were wide and darting around, watching for the others.“Yeah, you’re right,” I said then gave him a cold grin. “But you’re not dealing with Balric, but me. Now here’s how it’s going to go. You’re going to take this stuff here…” I held up the magic powder pouch. “You can eat it or snort it. I don’t care, but you’re going to do it and return all those lives you’ve stolen back to where they belong.”“You want me to believe you’d hurt someone without Balric’s influence?” Ian asked, obviously skeptical.“I see I played my part perfectly. You all think I’m the innocent victim of the evil Betray
Betrayer Chapter 1
We’ve all got the power in our hands to kill, but most people are afraid to use it. The ones who aren’t afraid, control life itself -The Night Stalker.__________A soft rumble of thunder rolled through the night sky, followed by a humid, chilly gust of wind. Hopefully, I’d finish my business before the rain started. While werewolves didn’t get sick easily, I didn’t want to push my luck. Another breeze sent chills down my spine.*I told you not to dress up for him,* Balric said. His voice rolling through my mind like the thunder we’d just heard. He never could resist an “I told you so” even if he was wrong. Not that he’d ever admitted he was wrong of course. *A girl can never go wrong with fluffing a man’s ego,* I thought in reply. The sound of a door caught our attention. The aging couple stepped out into the night from the bed-and-breakfast across the street. Mr. and Mrs. Claymont, the elderly couple who owned the powder blue victorian styled bed-and-breakfast, walked to a small r
Betrayer Chapter 2
No one is so brave that he is not disturbed by something unexpected - Julius Caesar_____________Tapping my foot to the quiet music, I compiled the research I’d supposedly made on Balric. I’d put it all together a year ago when Balric and I first played with the idea of bringing Ian here.*There. Done.*I twirled the flash drive between my fingers, before slipping it into my skirt pocket. I still wasn’t sure why I had let Mom bully me into dressing nice. It wasn’t that I minded dressing nice or professional, but I knew she only said it so I might catch the eye of my mate… or any single male, for that matter.“God, save me from meddling women,” I breathed in prayer. Walking around my desk and sitting on the edge, I wondered who the praetor would bring with him. Ian was a given, but if he had a crapload of enforcers too that could be a problem.As praetor, Noah had only the best of the best. I could go one on one or two on one, but if there were more than a handful… not so good.*Don’t
Betrayer Chapter 3
A man cannot be too careful in his choice of enemies. I have not got one who is a fool. They are all men of some intellectual power, and consequently, they all appreciate me. - Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray_______________I stepped out of the shower slowly. My muscles still ached from my three-hour weapon training. Now that Ian was here, I had to step up my game. He wouldn’t find an easy target in me. Darth Vader’s iconic theme sliced through the silence of my house as I dressed. Mom. What did she want now? I rejected the call then scowled when she just called back. With a sigh, I picked up the phone. “You rang.”“Let me guess, this is the part where you tell me that you forgot?” The sounds of people in the background made it a little difficult to hear her.“Um,” I said, drawing out the sound. I really did forget this time.“The dinner, Desirée. The dinner at the alpha’s house to welcome Praetor Noah to our territory. The dinner you were supposed to attend nearly twenty minu
Betrayer Chapter 4
Chaos of thought and passion, all confused; Still by himself abused or disabused - Alexander Pope, An Essay on Man_______________Drying off my sweat covered face, the smell of lavender tickling my nose, I looked at the dry erase board. In the top left corner, I had Ian’s personnel file. Next to it were a couple of others I thought could be Caius. He was once a commander of armies and I started second-guessing my idea of him being a bootlicker. He was probably among the enforcers. If the praetor’s chief enforcer wasn’t a woman that’s where I would’ve looked first.*Caius, shouldn’t be our priority. Not when we have Ian so close. I don’t care if Caius gets away in this lifetime as long as we get Ian.*I frowned. *Really? But he's the one that agreed and let Ian kill your son?**Yes, his brother was dying. Ian was the one who had no personal investment but put forth the idea. He’s the more dangerous of the two.*“Hm, all right, Jefe. So forget Caius,” I said and tapped my finger on the
Betrayer Chapter 5
It has been said, 'time heals all wounds.' I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone. - Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy_______________The cold water was a shock to my heated face and I debated on simply sticking my head under the faucet. At least they’ll never think to look in my direction as the Betrayer. I scowled at my reflection. *Bal, seriously, how is this possible? For the love of God, I’m human. I’m not even supposed to have a mate, much less two.**After the Great War, it was said that the praetor’s wolf was sundered by the demon spawn - Deabru, and placed into two different bodies, thus two twin brothers with the same wolf. I had thought it was talk. Soldiers bragging, and all that, but if it was true, if they shared just one wolf then it’s possible you can connect with both of them.*I grabbed a hand towel, drying my face, still scowling. *Except for the part that I’m human a
Betrayer Chapter 6
I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun. - Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice_______________My head felt heavy and fuzzy as I sat up on the bed. Feathers of remembered pain danced down my limbs. Balric was still silent. I suspected he might be so for some time. He didn’t deal with the nightmares any better than I did. Agron, the proud warrior who didn’t always think before he ran to save the princess. My heart ached with loss as if he was mine to lose. I ran a hand over my face and got up to take a shower, hoping it’d help wake me up.When I got out, I noticed I missed several calls and had almost as many texts from Carl. I rolled my eyes as I scanned through them. He sounded like a jealous boyfriend, demanding to know where I was. He even sank so low as to threaten with ‘repercussions’ if I wasn’t there A.S.A.P. Swallowing the urge to tell him to stick his threats where the sun doesn’t shine, I sent him a text telling him I’d be on my way and headed out the door.As soon as
Betrayer Chapter 7
Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive - Elbert Hubbard_______________I stepped into the office, glancing around. “Is Carl here?” I asked Sam. I’d been avoiding the praetor’s tracker as much as possible, working from home, and sending Sam the updates I had prepared ahead of time so I could work on figuring out which room of the manor Ian was staying in.“No,” Sam said.“Good.” I blew out a breath. “I swear I’ve never met a person more condescending in my life.” I sat on the corner of his desk, picking up the tacky snow globe he’d picked up from his trip to Alaska five years ago. As if we weren’t far enough north here that he had to even go farther. “He’s gotten on my nerves so much I’ve actually started to consider your offer to get rid of him for a lap dance.”Sam gave me a tilted grin but whatever he was going to say was cut off when someone else asked, “That open for anyone?”I scrambled to catch the snow globe, almost dropping it. Daniel was leaning ag
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Betrayer Chapter 17
Resolve, and thou art free - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow_______________“Stop,” I shouted at Ian as we ran through the trees. He’d put my partner down with one hit. Of course, Ian didn’t stop. “Damn it, Ian, if you don’t stop Mia is going to die.” That worked.Ian skidded to a stop, glaring at me. “Do you think I’m stupid, Balric? You’d never hurt an innocent,” he said through panted breaths. His eyes were wide and darting around, watching for the others.“Yeah, you’re right,” I said then gave him a cold grin. “But you’re not dealing with Balric, but me. Now here’s how it’s going to go. You’re going to take this stuff here…” I held up the magic powder pouch. “You can eat it or snort it. I don’t care, but you’re going to do it and return all those lives you’ve stolen back to where they belong.”“You want me to believe you’d hurt someone without Balric’s influence?” Ian asked, obviously skeptical.“I see I played my part perfectly. You all think I’m the innocent victim of the evil Betray
Betrayer Chapter 16
Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed - Alexander Pope_________All morning I worked with Carl and Sam to find Ian. I focused on my own fake ID’s while Sam looked into any identities that Ian may have had made for himself, and Carl was searching to see if he could find any trace of Ian in the other towns, namely the Virginia area, Bigfork, Babbitt. I still believed that Ian hadn’t gone that far. He was still in town somewhere.Sam got a call and set his cell on the table. “What do you have, Sir?”“We’ve got a positive location for Ian,” My father said then with an angry growl said, “He’s squatting in Desirée’s house.”“I told you,” I said to hide just how violated I felt with Ian staying in my house.“Thank you, Mr. Deleon,” Carl said. “Keep a watch on the house and once we inform the praetor, you’ll be given further instruction.” I bit my lip to keep from laughing as I imagined the look on my father’s face at being given orders from someone like Carl.
Betrayer Chapter 15
Grief is forever. It doesn't go away; it becomes a part of you, step for step, breath for breath - Jandy Nelson, The Sky Is Everywhere_______________I looked for Carl and Sam, noticing I was no longer being followed by an enforcer. Maybe Caius was for real about that whole, not a prisoner thing. I found the two in the large living room, each was staring intently into their computer screens. “Hello boys, how’s the hunting?” I asked, walking in to join them.Sam got up with a sympathetic expression. “Des, I’m so sorry. How are you?”I ground my teeth. What kind of stupid question was that? How are you? How did he think I was? Knowing he didn’t mean anything other than he was sorry and he was worried for me, I forced a smile onto my face. “I’m here,” I said. “What do you have?”“Why should we tell you, anything Betrayer,” Carl snapped, glaring at me. The blame in his eyes was easy to read. To him, I was guilty of Daniel’s death too. Of course.“Because we work together. The praetor’s la
Betrayer Chapter 14
For nothing now can ever come to any good - W.H. Auden, Another Time_______________I dressed and left my room. I needed to talk to Caius and stop whatever Daniel was planning on doing, but as I turned around the corner of the hallway I nearly ran over Mia, the praetor’s assistant.“Oh,” she said with a bright-eyed look of surprise.“Sorry,” I said, and tried to move around her, but she stopped me.“Actually, I was coming to see you. Sara wishes to speak with you.”“Does it have to be now?” I asked.“She did say it was important.”I sighed and nodded. “Fine, lead the way.”She gave me a tight smile and started towards the little room Sara and I had been working in. Neither of us spoke as we walked. I glanced over at her and noticed the tension in her shoulders, the clenching of her jaw... *Balric, something is up.**She’s not afraid. I don’t smell fear on her. Keep your guard up,* he replied.When we came close to the room, Mia stopped. She held out an arm for me to go first, not spea
Betrayer Chapter 13
Revenge, the sweetest morsel to the mouth that ever was cooked in hell - Walter Scott_______________Magic made my nose itch. The green, brown herbal powder was charged with it when Sara had finished working the spell. I never thought magic would’ve been so tangible before today. In all of Balric’s memories of it, I had never remembered such a feeling. It chilled me to the bone or maybe that came from sitting in the wet earth, surrounded by a damp, chilly fog of the very early morning.“There, done,” Sara said when we had finished. She got up from the ground. Her white dress was stained from the earth, but she didn’t seem to care.I stood up as well, but I tried to remove the dirt that stuck to me. “So Ian breathes this in and bam! No more super-powered werewolf.”She gave me a small grin. “Correct. Why don’t you go back inside? You look cold.”My head shot up. What did she mean by that? Sara laughed, ignoring my silent demand for an explanation. Well, if I was honest, I was freezing,
Betrayer Chapter 12
If you can’t handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best - Marilyn Monroe_______________A gray-colored cloud sheet covered the sky as I stared out the window. After my conversation with Sara, no one had come to see me. I was actually glad for the solitude. It gave Balric and I time to talk about this whole ‘not exactly human’ thing. While it stung he didn’t ask me for permission or even tell me about it, I had decided to forgive him. After all, he had sacrificed a part of himself, a part of his strength for me.A wolf when they turn a human must give part of their essence, their soul to the human. It’s why there were so few first-generation wolves still on the earth. During the Great War, several of them turned as many humans as they could for the fight that either they were too weak to defend themselves or there was nothing left of them.I turned when I heard the lock and door open. “The praetor would like to see you,” Lee Cotton said and I followed her
Betrayer Chapter 11
Everyone sees what you appear to be, few experience what you really are - Machiavelli, The Prince_______________I took long slow breaths, in through my nose and out my mouth. My pulse was still quick but with each breath, it slowed. Back straight, sitting in a full lotus, I continued to meditate and cool off. My injuries kept my workout from being its usual intensity, but it helped get rid of the stiffness. The lock clicked and someone came into the room. While the scent was familiar, I couldn’t put a name to it.After a few more breaths I opened my eyes to see a really tough looking Asian woman standing at the door. Lee Cotton, the praetor’s chief enforcer. She tossed a duffle bag to the floor. “Your clothes,” she said, her accent a strange mix of Midwestern and an Asian dialect. “The praetor wants to see you. I’ll give you fifteen minutes then we’re leaving. No matter what.”Okay then. Nice to meet you too. I stood and gave the enforcer a salute. “Yes Ma’am,” I said then opened the
Betrayer Chapter 10
To be trusted is a greater compliment than being loved. - George MacDonald_______________Pain flared hot and bright as I shifted into my wolf form. The pain dulled and I was pulled into a warm darkness. This was it. Everything that I was now would be gone. Balric’s soul was now merging with mine - the final process of making a werewolf complete. It was a different kind of death than the one by Ian’s knife, but still, it was my death.*You’re not dying,* Balric told me as he ran into the Pelican River, letting the water hide his scent trail. *At least not the way you are thinking. We’re still hurt. The shift wasn’t enough to heal all of the damage.* Balric followed the river until suddenly he headed east… towards the office. Once he reached the back, Balric shifted back into a human, back into me. I was still me! How? I cried out in pain, my hand covering the still bleeding wound in my stomach.*We don’t have much time, Desi. You need to move.**Right, answers later. If we lived.* I g
Betrayer Chapter 9
The future is uncertain but the end is always near. - Jim Morrison_______________I woke up, reenacting one of the iconic scenes from the movie Exorcist as I sat up in bed and threw up all over the hardwood flooring of my bedroom. I doubled up as my stomach cramped. I used my fist to massage and relax the muscles. I panted, eyes watering at the acidic stench of my own sick. “Three injections, two of which are experimental, back to back is a very, very bad idea.” My voice was rough as a habitual chain smoker.*Just take it slow,* Balric told me, worry evident.“I’m fine. Just one hell of a crash.” I lowered my feet to the floor. I stepped around the mess and into the bathroom to clean the bitter, sour taste in my mouth. When I finished I called Sam. “Hey Sam, look I am really feeling bad. I’m no use to anyone like this. I’m going to need to take a sick day.”“Yeah, sure, leave me with the psycho. Though, you do sound pretty rough. You okay?”“I will be after some bed rest. Talk to you
