CHAPTER ONE
Cal stood at the gate as he had for the past two months, guarding the entrance to the Palace of Coven DuCane. It was an honorable and trusted duty that all guards performed. Except for those in the positions of personal guards, all other guards were rotated so that everyone was familiar with and skilled in every position within the coven. Guards worked in pairs at the gate, with backup from patrols inside the Coven proper and from the surrounding property.
He was working with Tate Buckland, who had been assigned to the gate a week ago. Cal didn't know him well, but he presented himself as a competent and worthy soldier. Donal had come off night patrols on the border. Cal had been a Palace guard before his assignment at the gate, but he had extensive experience on patrol as well.
Things had remained quiet and predictable at the gate over the past two months, but everyone knew that could change in an instant because it had many times. As the guards of the main entrance to Palace DuCane, they always remained at peak alertness and were ready for whatever presented itself . . . until today.
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They just finished clearing a large SUV for entrance when someone appeared about two hundred yards to the east, coming at them rapidly. The gates were secured, and both Cal and Tate took a few steps away from the gatehouse, keeping their eyes on the man rushing at them. It was difficult to process at first, whether he was going to stop or try to physically ram the gates. It looked ridiculous.
"What's this idiot's plan?" Tate stated, squinting, taking in the entire scene. "He's holding something. It could be trouble."
"Could be an explosive," Cal commented. Their confusion was turning fast to alarm. They stood together shoulder to shoulder, preparing themselves for what this man was bringing, and then things took an unexpected turn.
Cal watched the man stumbling and running like the devil himself was after him. He was within a hundred feet when he started screaming for help, and that call hit Cal directly in his soul. The man, a total stranger, was suddenly the most important in the world.
The man’s eyes were filled with fear and exhaustion. Things appeared behind him, wild, fearful things, and the patrols were closing in on them from the sides and behind. They were numerous but were defeated by the DuCane soldiers. The man did not stop; he ran headlong toward the gates, and Cal ran toward him. The need to protect swamped him, and there was no way he could deny it.
The burning hit him in the chest and then radiated throughout his being, and his mind and focus became fixed andimmovable. There was no discussion, consideration, or thought; there was only action.
"Help me! Help me!" The man screamed, and Cal reacted immediately. He rushed to the man with Tate on his heels. Tate made a grab for the man, and Cal twisted his arm back and tossed him to the side, which was a response no one was anticipating.
"What the hell, man?" Tate growled. "What are you doing?" He was back on his feet in an instant and going after both Cal and the intruder. Cal heard him, but his attention was only for this man. He could not forsake him; he could not fail him. Nothing else in this world mattered.
The man was wide-eyed and terrified, but did not fight as Cal scooped him up into his arms and turned back to the gate, moving with vampire speed through the gate and up the roadway. Tate was chasing him and shouting for him to stop, but he couldn't. This man needed to be saved, protected, and defended.
"Cal, stop." The command was the first words to penetrate his frantic mind, the first words to be heard, and he responded. His vision began to clear, but his drive to protect this man remained steadfast.
He held him tight in his arms and looked around at those who were surrounding him. His attention went directly to Master DuCane, who stood before him, talking him down from whatever this madness was that had gripped him. His voice was the only thing that had gotten through.
His breathing was raspy, deep, and anxious, and the world felt wrong. It was dangerous, and this man was under threat. He had to save him, no matter the cost. He had to save this man. Master DuCane kept his eyes on him, and Cal couldfeel the power seeping into his soul. The peace and the security of his presence began to clear Cal's mind, and the situation gradually relaxed. He looked down into the terrified face of his beloved, and suddenly, everything was making sense.
"No one is going to harm him, Cal." The Master moved closer very slowly and deliberately. Cal saw Tate coming up from his left and shifted suddenly, taking a defensive stance once again. The Master stepped in front of Tate, signaling him to step back, which he did immediately.
Cal understood everything that was happening, but his instincts demanded that his hold on this man remain tight, and he would not let anyone near. His life was at risk, and at present, everyone seemed a threat.
Cal watched as they all backed up, but they kept laser-focused attention on him and the shaking man in his arms. Then the man spoke in almost a whisper as if he thought any loud noise might destroy the delicate balance of the moment.
"They can't get this." He stated. "It's too dangerous, they cannot have this. I must give it to DuCane; he has the means to secure it and to trap its energy." His words were panted between coughs and groans.
Cal could feel the man’s exhaustion seep into him. The soldiers and guards backed up a little further to form a circle around them. He, along with the man in his arms and Master DuCane, stood in the center of this circle.
The man stared up at Cal, his expression a mix of shock and relief. "I've never met you, but I know you." He said with his breath catching, but his words were steadier as his heart began to settle. He wasn't large, and Cal had no trouble holding him, but he got the sense that he wanted to be on his own feet.
With a glance around and banking on Master DuCane’s words that they meant no harm, Cal slowly put the man back on his feet but kept him close and was ready for whatever might happen. His vampire instincts were on high alert, and he was prepared to do whatever he had to to protect the health and welfare of this little stranger.
"What is your name?" Master DuCane asked in a deep, commanding tone, but not threatening. He was Cal's master, so he was aware of the relationship between Cal and this stranger. The man continued to shake, and his fear was eating away at Cal.
"No one will hurt you," Cal stated forcefully, placing his hand on the man's back for comfort and strength. It took a few seconds, but Cal knew for a fact there wasn't a man alive who could deny a direct question from Master DuCane.
“Tarek Azar.” He answered, then looked up at Cal with a pair of beautiful black eyes. His face was awash with what looked like confusion, resignation and hope, and Cal did not know what it meant.
"What are you hiding, Tarek? What is it that you don’t want them to have?” Master DuCane’s voice broke through once again.
Tarek paused for a few seconds, clearly weighing his options, and then, with another glance up at Cal, he opened his jacket and withdrew a package sealed in a brown and gold binding of what looked to be leather. It was a book, an ancient book, and its influence was felt even though there was a binder spell holding it, which indicated the level of its power.
"I'm a relic broker." He said the words, and judgment fell. Cal could sense the mood shift to distrust in an instant. A relic broker was not a career that held much acclaim or trust. Theywere people who lied, cheated, manipulated, and often cared little for others' lives in their pursuit of an object.
