Defeat the Darkness (Paladins of Darkness, Book 6) - Softcover

Alexis Morgan has always been an avid reader, and she loves spending her days with hunky heroes and gutsy heroines. She’s published more than forty books, novellas, and short stories, including contemporary romances, American West historicals, and paranormal romances. She has been nominated for numerous industry awards, including the RITA© from the Romance Writers of America, the top award in the romance genre.

Chapter 1

Jake blocked the way out. “Come on, Hunter, you don’t have to do this.”

But he did have to, if for no other reason than that the very thought had him shaking with fear.

“I won’t be long.” Hunter limped forward, hoping Jake would move before he had to force him to.

As Hunter stalked past his friend, Jake caught him by the arm. “Damn it, Hunter, if you won’t let me go with you, at least let me get Jarvis.”

Hunter jerked free of Jake’s grip, hating being touched and hating the worry in his friend’s eyes even more. “No, Jake. Wait here if you’re that concerned, but this is something I have to do alone. The last thing I need is a babysitter. Don’t follow me.”

“Fine, but I don’t like it.” Jake stepped aside to lean against the cavern wall, his sword drawn and ready. “Holler if you need me, and I’ll come running.” Just like he hadn’t when Hunter had last wandered down this particular tunnel.

Hunter walked away while he still could, the sour taste of bile burning his throat as he left the main cavern behind. It took him far too little time to reach the mouth of the correct tunnel. Time and pain had distorted his memory, making this specific place out to be the monster. But the limestone walls weren’t his enemies. Their only sin was once offering his assailants sanctuary.

He kept moving forward one step at a time, ignoring the constant, bone-deep ache in his leg. The urge to break and run was riding him hard, but Hunter wasn’t about to let the bastards win. Not this time.

The rough-hewn walls closed in on him, making it hard for him to breathe. His lungs constricted until he could no longer draw in enough air. He ignored the tight band of grief and fear blossoming inside his chest, concentrating instead on moving forward. Only another few yards to go, taking one painful step and then another. He’d make this journey or die trying.

Finally, when the tunnel widened out again, Hunter coasted to a stop. He reached out a hand to steady himself but jerked it back when he saw the rusty brown splotches that covered the walls. And the floor. And the ceiling. As far as he could see.

Dried blood. And all of it his.

He felt a wetness on his cheek. He touched it with his finger, too afraid to look. His logical mind said it wasn’t blood; his fear screamed that it had to be. But it was just a single tear trickling down his face as he stood grieving for the man who’d died there. Thanks to the Paladins’ special DNA, Hunter’s body had made the painful journey back from death. Even now his heart continued to beat and his lungs to draw breath. But although Doc Crosby had done his best to patch Hunter back together, modern medicine and good genes could only do so much to heal a shattered soul.

Hunter stood shivering in the chill of the underground chamber until temper, not fear, ruled his decision to leave. If he didn’t go soon, Jake would come charging in to rescue him, not from their enemies but from himself. Hunter drew his sword and stared at its broken blade. He ran his hand down the jagged length of steel, drawing comfort from the cool touch of the metal. It was time to let go. He knelt down and gently laid the sword to rest right where he himself had died.

Then he turned his back on the past and walked away.

“Thanks for the ride.” Hunter couldn’t wait to get out of the car, but at the same time he was reluctant to leave Jarvis behind.

“You’re welcome.”

Jarvis stared out the windshield, the tension in his jaw a clear warning that he had something to say and was unsure of how Hunter would react. But his reaction was always the same these days: anger and rage. For the sake of their long friendship, though, he’d try to do better.

Hunter eased back in the seat and took his hand off the door handle. “What, Jarvis?”

His friend angled around to face him. “Hunter, you know I’m not much one for the mushy stuff, but I want to tell you what an honor it has been to serve with you all these years. I hate that you need to leave. We all do, but we also know that it’s the best thing for now. You need to put some serious distance between you and this stretch of the barrier.”

“Yeah.” Even now he could feel it calling him, the need to stay close and defend it riding him hard. Leaving was for the best, even if he hated it. He didn’t say that last part out loud because it would only make it harder on Jarvis and the others.

Jarvis made a move as if to reach out to Hunter, but he stopped, knowing Hunter’s reluctance to be touched. “Buddy, believe me, if I could change things, I would. Having said that, I’m sending you out to Seattle because I trust Devlin Bane and Blake Trahern to make sure you get a square deal.”

This time the bitterness spewed out before Hunter could catch it. “I’m sure they’re both thrilled to be getting another crippled Paladin to babysit. Who knows? Maybe Penn Sebastian and I can form one of those touchy-feely support groups.”

Jarvis hit the steering wheel with his fist. “Damn it all, Hunter, don’t talk that way. Even with that leg of yours, you’re still a better fighter than most Paladins and all of the guards.”

“I’m glad someone thinks so.” Because he definitely didn’t. And it wasn’t because of his leg.

“Give yourself time, Hunter. It’s only been a couple of months.” He reached into the backseat. “I’ve got something for you.”

He handed Hunter a long, narrow box wrapped in brightly colored clown paper and tied up with a big red bow. “You can thank Jake for the paper. Gwen did the bow.”

Hunter stared at the gaudy package, his stomach doing somersaults over the possibilities. Everyone knew his sword had been broken. That didn’t mean he was ready for another one that he might actually have to use.

“Go ahead and open it. It won’t bite.”

Hunter didn’t need to look at Jarvis to know there was sympathy in his eyes; it was there in his voice. God, he hated that his fear was so obvious to his friends. To avoid further conversation, he tugged on the ribbon, and then ripped into the paper.

As he wadded it up and threw it into the back of Jarvis’s Chevelle, he said, “Tell Jake Seattle isn’t all that far away. I can and will get back at him for the clowns.”

Jarvis’s grin was wicked. “I’m sure he’s counting on it.”

Finally, when Hunter couldn’t put it off any longer, he lifted the lid off the box. His throat closed up as he looked at what lay nestled in the tissue paper. If Jarvis thought Hunter was on the mend, why had he given him a cane? It was a beauty, all right, made out of black wood, maybe even ebony. The handle was a wolf’s head carved out of ivory. Beautiful, yes, but a symbol of Hunter’s weakness.

“Now, before you get the wrong idea, let me explain.” Jarvis lifted the cane out of the box. “This belonged to my grandfather. Just like now, the authorities back in the day frowned on folks carrying a sword in public.”

He pushed a small button at the top, then pulled on the handle, drawing out a razor-sharp sword. “My father said his dad had this custom-made. I figure you’re not always going to need a cane, but this will allow you to carry a weapon with no one being the wiser.”

Okay, so maybe the gift was acceptable after all. Hunter took the cane back from Jarvis. The wood was silky smooth, and the wolf’s head fit his hand perfectly. “I’ll take good care of it.”

“More importantly, it will take good care of you. Now get going or you’ll miss your flight.”

Hunter reached for the door handle. At the last second, he reached out his hand to Jarvis. “Thanks for everything.”

Jarvis didn’t immediately let go. Instead, he tugged Hunter closer for a quick man-hug, the kind that said what neither of them had words for. For once, the brief intimacy didn’t make Hunter want to dive for cover.

“I’ll email you when I have an address and a new cell number.”

“You’d better. If I don’t hear regularly, I’ll send Jake out there to kick your ass.”

Hunter laughed as he got out of the car, mostly because it was expected. Then he retrieved his duffel and tucked his new cane inside to avoid any awkward questions from security. Waving over his shoulder, he disappeared into the crowd and left his world behind.

Devlin Bane sat at his desk with the phone to his ear. The wall behind him was covered with an interesting array of weapons. Hunter should probably be impressed, but he wasn’t. Paladins collected swords and guns like other people did stamps. What did impress Hunter, though, was how much Devlin reminded him of Jarvis Donahue.

They were both big men, but then so was he. No, it was in the steady gaze that said they could see right through to the heart of a man. No doubt Devlin possessed the same highly developed bullshit meter that kept Jarvis one step ahead of both the Regents and the Paladins that served under him.

Okay, so maybe he could deal with Bane.

Devlin hung up the phone. “Sorry about that. I’ve been waiting all morning for that call.”

“No problem.” Hunter had nowhere he needed to be, nothing he was expected to do.

“I’d ask how your trip was, but I won’t. For one thing, I’m not much into small talk. For another, I’d rather get to the point.” Devlin’s green eyes narrowed as his gaze met Hunter’s head-on.

“Which is?” Hunter settled back into his chair, forcing his muscles to relax.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

So, okay, maybe Jarvis hadn’t smoothed the way as much as Hunter had thought. Fine. If he wasn’t wanted, he’d leave. But before Hunter could move a muscle, Devlin started talking again. He ran his fingers through his shoulder-length hair, frustration clearly driving him.

“Sorry, that came out sounding worse than I meant for it to. I know you needed to put some distance between you and the barrier in Missouri. Jarvis filled me in on what happened.” He pegged Hunter with a hard stare. “By the way, nobody else around here knows the details. That’s your story to tell.”

The last thing Hunter wanted to feel was gratitude. He knew rumors were probably flying through the Seattle ranks, because Paladins gossiped like a bunch of old hens. It didn’t mean he wanted them to know what really happened.

“My real question is are you here to lick your wounds or to work?”

Son of a bitch, this guy went right for the jugular. If he liked blunt, he’d get blunt. “A little of both.”

Devlin lapsed into silence, clearly considering his options. Finally, he nodded. “Okay, here’s what I can offer you. I’m not going to trust you or anybody else at the barrier until I know he can face what comes across it. None of us have any reason to love those crazy bastards when they attack, and you definitely have more reason than most to hate them. But here’s the bottom line: if you’re unsure of how you’ll handle it, I won’t risk my men’s lives by asking them to fight next to you.”

If Bane hadn’t wanted to take on Hunter, why had he let Jarvis send him in the first place? “So you’re saying maybe I should book my return flight to St. Louis?”

“That’s up to you. There is an alternative.”

Hunter had already come this far. He might as well hear the man out.

He settled back in his chair. “I’m listening.”

“I’m sure you’ve heard about our interactions with the Kalith.”

Hunter sneered. “Yeah, we heard you’d adopted a few strays. Didn’t realize you were actually naming your pets.”

Bane’s big fist slammed down on the desk hard enough to topple a stack of files onto the floor. He ignored the mess as he leaned forward and snarled, “That attitude will get you nowhere, Fitzsimon. Like I said, I know what you’ve been through.”

“Like hell you do!”

Some of the steam went out of Devlin’s fury. He leaned back in his chair and stared at Hunter for a few seconds. “Maybe you’re right, but you need to understand that things are different for us. I hate those crazy fuckers that attack every time the barrier goes down as much as the next guy. But around here, we consider the Kalith warriors like Barak, Lusahn, and Larem our friends and allies. All of them have risked their own necks to save lives—Paladin lives.”

“So what? It’s not like that evens the score.”

Devlin shoved his chair back and stalked around to Hunter’s side of the desk. “Lose the fucking attitude, Hunter, or I will personally stuff your worthless carcass on the next plane back to St. Louis!”

Hunter clenched his fists, but he held himself back. “Look, I’ll try. Just don’t shove them in my face.”

“Shouldn’t be a problem. I’m shipping your ass north of here.”

Devlin reached across his desk, pulled a folded map out of the top drawer, and spread it out. He pointed to a spot on the enlarged map of the city.

“We’re here in our headquarters located in the Seattle Underground. The barrier stretches through under the city here and here. The closer you get to the volcanoes, the more unstable it becomes. And just to make things more interesting, we’ve got tectonic plates crashing into each other right offshore.”

Where was all of this headed? “Thanks for the geology lesson.”

“Smart-ass,” Devlin said with no real heat. “We do our best to guard the area, but you know there are never enough of us to go around. That means some spots are vulnerable.”

He flipped the map over to show the entire state of Washington. “We’ve found out that there has been movement going in both directions across the barrier. Greedy bastards on both sides are making money at the cost of lives of our people and theirs.”

Hunter didn’t much care how many crazy Others died—or Kalith warriors, for that matter. He kept that little bit of information to himself, figuring it wouldn’t pay to antagonize Bane any more than he already had. “Where do I fit in?”

Devlin pointed at a second spot some distance north of Seattle. “You may not have heard that one of my men spent some time on the other side of the barrier. While he was there, he discovered a small stretch of barrier we didn’t know about. Evidently it’s barely wide enough for two men to pass through shoulder-to-shoulder. To make matters worse, we have no idea how unstable the barrier is along there. What we do know is there’s clear evidence that humans have been crossing there on a regular basis. But again, no idea how many or who. I haven’t had anyone to post up there to keep an eye on things.” Devlin looked up from the map with grim satisfaction. “But now I have you.”

His phone rang again. While Devlin took the call, Hunter mulled over everything he’d been saying. They’d all seen Devlin’s pet Other when Devlin had brought Barak q’Young with him, back when Trahern had been in Missouri. If Jarvis had known anything about Paladins crossing to the other side of the barrier, he hadn’t said anything. What kind of crazy SOB would’ve done something like that?

When Devlin hung up the phone, Hunter asked, “So you want me to drive up there and take a look around?”

“No, we’ve done that. I want you to live up there for a while and assess the situation. You’ll report directly to me. If you can’t or won’t handle the assignment, maybe I can find something else for you to do at headquarters. Take tonight to think about it and get back to me in the morning.”

Hunter already knew what his answer would be, but there was no sense in rushing things. Might as well let Devlin sweat a bit. Earlier he had taken Hunter on a brief tour of the underground complex, as well as the admin building where the Handlers and the guards were stationed. Hunter’s nerves were stretched ...