Warriors Vengeance: Elite Warrior Novel, #5

By McKayla Jade

Jenna wasn't good enough to be the mate of an Elite. She was way past damaged and she had one goal. Vengeance upon those who had wronged her. She was a killer and the last thing she wanted to do was kill an Elite Warrior. Hawk and Cassidy would never forgive her, lest let her live to tell the tale.

Marcus was home from a mission when his demon finally locked onto Jenna. Smart, cunning, beautiful and maybe just a little bit deadly. His ideal mate. Jenna needed time and as an immortal he had that in spades, until a problem at Rogue Stone threatened to take it all away.

Could they give it all up to save Rogue Stone?

• Language: English
• Publisher: McKayla Jade
• Release date: Feb 1, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224903481

McKayla Jade

Mckayla Jade was born and raised in central Illinois. It’s where she makes her home now with her high school sweetheart and the love of her life. Together they’ve raised three awesome kids. Along the way she never forgot or gave up on her dream of becoming a published author. These days you’ll find her either behind her laptop writing or outside enjoying the great outdoors.

Book preview

Chapter 1

The holiday revelry continued on in the great hall below him but Marcus was in no mood to linger any longer. He pushed away from the balcony. Something gnawed at him. Something deep in his gut bothered him. He had been home from his latest mission for Rogue Stone no more than a fortnight. Since his arrival, Cassidy had been planning the yule celebration. Usually something he enjoyed, this time however, he found himself less than thrilled about the big groups of revelers and large feast and days and days of celebrating. He agreed, it might take some creative planning with the mix of people and customs Rogue Stone brought together, but if anyone could do it, the queen could. She was a force to be reckoned with, for certain. This year, however, he had no care for any of it. The endless parties and the endless good cheer was exhausting. He much preferred the solitude the forest provided. Last year had been no different. The group celebrated, he kept his distance. The year before blessedly, he was on a mission and was no part of this.

He made for the stables, his horse would do well with a long, exhausting ride. It had been some time since he himself had exercised the beast. His boot had just hit the threshold of the front door when his king called to him.

Marcus, where are ye headed?

He lowered his head and plastered a smile to his face before he turned to Hawk. To the stables. Eclipse could use a good run and so could I.

Hawk nodded. Do you mind if I join you?

Marcus clenched his jaw. Hawk meant nothing by it, but he really had not planned for company. Oh hell’s balls. Honestly, he could use an ear. He had many things to think over and having someone he trusted to talk to might not be such a bad idea.

Nay. Come along. Marcus finally said and together they headed out to the stables. The air had a crispness to it he had not felt in ages and he stopped to enjoy it. Most of his missions lately had been to warmer climates and while not a bad thing, had left him melancholy for the brisk winds and cool air of home. The thin layer of snow on the ground surrounding the castle was just enough to make the darkness of the stone walls seem that much more forbidding. Not a place outsiders would want to visit. Just the way he would want it.

His immortality did not lend itself to fanciful thoughts of retirement, or the days when his services would be required less often. Missions and helping those in need was a never ending task and one he admittedly enjoyed. He would be hard pressed to think of another thing he liked more.

He and Hawk saddled and mounted their own steeds and left the inner bailey at a trot. Once outside the gates, they let their horses run for a time. Over hills the wind caught at Marcus’s hair and the briskness from earlier had turned biting. The valleys offered more protection from it and they turned toward them for a time until Hawk glanced at him once more and Marcus grinned.

Race you to the treeline. He shouted over the sound of the horses.

Hawk nodded and he spurred his horse faster. The hooves of their horses pounded hard upon the almost frozen ground and Marcus clenched his jaw and closed his ears to every sound around him. He focused solely on his own heartbeat. This was where he was certain and solid and comforted and absolutely sure of himself. Inside. With his demon in control. His hearing paused and nothing made a sound and then it was there again. Something jarred him back to the here and now. Something not the same. Something out of place.

Marcus. Halt. Hawk shouted and finally Marcus pulled rein just before his horse would have run straight into a woven rope trap. He pulled harder on the reins than he would have liked. Almost sawing on his horse's mouth. It was not good for him, but stopping him in time was vital. As his hooves dug into the hard cold earth, and he snorted his displeasure, however they came to an abrupt halt. Though he was braced for it, the force of it nearly pitched Marcus over the horse’s neck.

Whoa. Hold. Easy there. Hawk calmed his own steed. A look up and there before them intricately woven in the tree branches was a rope trap. By the size of it he would guess it was meant to catch a man and horse.

Whoa. He wasn’t sure if he meant to calm his horse or himself as he patted its neck. Easy does it.

What in the name of all that is holy, is that? Hawk asked out loud as though Marcus knew the answer.

He shook his head. I know not, Sire. One by one, the hairs on his arms stood on end and sent a warning chill throughout his body. His demon prowled close to the surface. He took a deep breath, filling his chest and while counting slowly, let it out. There in the trees just beyond the trap was a small boy crouched low.

‘Do you see him there?’ He sent Hawk telepathically. This ability alone would have made him choose immortality. Being able to communicate so with his brethren had saved them a time or two.

‘I do now.’ Hawk answered. ‘Dismount but give nothing away. If he bolts then we chase, but not until then.’

Marcus nodded and said out loud. Who do you suppose has the balls big enough to set such a trap?

Hawk growled under his breath. I do not know, but we will find out.

They need to be found. Marcus growled loud enough for the boy to hear him. And when we find them, I would like to be the one to deliver the death blow. I take the safety of my brethren very seriously.

This will not go unpunished. Let us see if we can find tracks to follow. Hawk replied.

Aye, it will not. Marcus agreed, glanced at the boy still hiding in the brush and raised his voice just a bit to say. I will check the surrounding brush for trails or signs. You stay on those tracks.

The boy pulled into himself, trying to make himself seem all that much smaller, but he didn’t run. Marcus could almost feel him shaking from this distance. He paused in his track for just a moment and that was when the boy must have changed his mind. He finally bolted from the brush and took off at a run through the woods.

Marcus communicated to Hawk, ‘He goes north.’

‘Aye, I hear him, but I found tracks of men and horses.’ Hawk stayed quiet and Marcus listened to the boy's steps fade further away. He glanced up into the trees above and smiled. He closed his eyes and let his demon out.

‘Do not scare him.’ Hawk’s command filled his mind.

‘That is not my intention, but if we run into trouble I would like to be prepared.’ Marcus told him.

Hawk didn’t reply, Marcus could feel him getting further away as he followed the other tracks. Hawk would call out if need be. No matter how far apart they were in the realm, they would still be able to hear each other.

The boy kept ahead of him in the heavy brush as though he knew these hills well. Marcus let his wings expand and take him high up in the nearest tree. From here he could not only see a great distance, he could also move faster without the boy seeing him. The boy finally stopped at an old crofters hut set against a stone wall. Odd that. Why would the hut be against the stone wall? Why too, was there a stone wall in the middle of the woods? Granted, it molded well into the rocks of the hill behind it, but still it seemed a bit out of place. Perhaps it was the ruins of a castle long forgotten. Marcus dropped lower into the tree tops to just observe the boy and the strange hut. For a long while he stayed where he was, hidden as he was in the trees a distance from the hut, although he still could not see the top of the rock wall to which the hut nestled against. He brought his gaze back down and his breath caught in his throat.

A woman stepped from the hut to wrap the boy in her arms and hug him tight as though she had not seen him in some time. He focused his vision to get a better look and the woman’s face was drawn with what could only be worry or concern. If she was the boy’s mother she would do well to be concerned. Something about her stirred something within him. She was someone he should know. Or mayhaps she was someone he was suppose to meet. He could not quite be certain, but she was meant to be in Rogue Stone. He knew it as certain as he knew his own name. The boy had no business setting traps for large animals or men on horseback. It could get him killed.

‘I have lost the track. I will join you shortly.’ Hawk’s words filled his mind and brought him out of his intense scrutiny of the woman and boy.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts before replying. ‘I have found the boy.’

‘What is wrong.’ Hawk’s question did not surprise him. In demon form they could more than hear words from each other. They could sense feelings and in mates it was much more intense.

‘There is a woman.’ He replied before Hawk could demand answers. ‘I am not sure of the situation yet. I am still hidden.’

‘Stay that way and I will join you shortly.’ He set his jaw but stopped himself just short of grinding his teeth. The last thing he wanted was for Hawk to join him. He took a sharp intake of breath that was almost too loud and the woman snapped her head up and looked in his direction as though she had heard him. He paused. Not daring to move, he even slowed his heartbeat, so its sound would be less noticeable. Too many different magics were in this realm and others, to think this woman possessed none of them.

‘Nay.’ He finally bit out to Hawk, sending with it his confusion. ‘Stay away. I am unsure of the situation yet, and I am not sure it is safe.’

Now even Hawk was frustrated. He shook his head, while he watched the woman hurry the boy inside. It was not easy to be king, when all of his life Hawk had been a warrior, an Elite Warrior famous far and wide, but a warrior nonetheless. Being a king, brought enemies to your door dressed as friends. Marcus and the others had to hold his and Queen Cassidy’s protection above all else.

‘I will await you here at the woven trap, where we parted.’ Hawk gave in this time, but Marcus was not fool enough to think Hawk would wait long. He too, would not negate his warriors safety.

Marcus had to only wait a half of an hour for Hawk to join him in the treetops overlooking the small crofters hut nestled into the rock wall.

‘Could not wait?’ Marcus queried.

‘You know I could not.’ Hawk smirked and together they watched the house.

‘What do you suppose they do?’ Hawk asked him.

‘I am still waiting to see if she will emerge again or if they have sensed my presence and are afraid.’

Hawk nodded. They only had to wait a few minutes more and the sturdy oaken door slowly moved inch by inch inward and without so much as looking about, the woman made her way to the garden just a few paces to the left of the hut. From there they watched her pick a few things and add them to her basket and then draw water from the well and turn back toward the house. She first carried the water, leaving her basket of vegetables laying next to the well. She glanced back at it several times before finally deciding to carry the water and come back for the food.

Why would she not have called for the boy's help? He was old enough to set traps; he was old enough to carry water from the well. Marcus scratched his head. He had been in enough realms and enough time periods to understand many customs but he was still left wondering where the boy was while she struggled. He shook himself. Why were the woman’s struggles something he worried about? She was not one of them. In fact, they had not known anything about her or that she lived in this wood, no more than a half day's ride from Rogue Stone. This did not bode well for him. He and the others were supposed to protect the king and queen and that was best done when one knew their surroundings and people who lived in them.

The woman stepped back outside and went directly to the basket of vegetables. She stooped to pick it up and stood back up to look directly at him. Her direct stare told him she knew what he was. Her words confirmed it.

Beast, I do not know ye and ye do not know me. Ye are not welcome in my home but please be gracious in my garden. She turned and vanished inside her home.

He blinked. ‘She opened the door and walked through it, did she not?’ He asked Hawk.

‘I think that is what I saw.’ He seemed just as stunned as Marcus. Neither of them had met with anyone like her.

‘Hawk, I..." He was not sure what he wanted to say, but his need to sit in a calm place and just watch a fire overwhelmed him just then. ‘Let us return to Rogue Stone and sit before the fire in your ledger room.’

Hawk’s hesitation was easy to feel and Marcus could not blame the man. ‘I need to think, Hawk and having a friend beside me would be helpful. I hope.’

Hawk’s half grin told Marcus all he needed to know. Hawk did not know what to think of their encounter either and until they could rationalize what they had found they would keep it between the two of them.

‘Let us head back before it gets dark.’ He was still communicating telepathically. That meant he did not feel safe speaking out loud either. Marcus paused. The woman had not felt unsafe. She had not felt like black magic. She was something...different. Something powerful. He would wait to discuss his feelings until they got back to the castle. They easily and quietly made their way down out of the trees and onto solid ground, each keeping silent as they walked back to their horses.

They mounted and turned their horses back toward Rogue Stone. They kept them to a walk until they reached the edge of the wood. Marcus glanced at his king and at his nod, rode for home as fast as they dared in the fading light.

JENNA PACED THE BATTLEMENTS. She did not want to feel anything and if she had to feel something, why did it have to be this?  What was this? She was pretty darned certain it was jealousy. Damn it. Everytime her temper rose, her speech deteriorated. When she was not thinking, her tongue got lazy and she sounded like the southerner she had been born. That life was so long ago but the memories made it feel like yesterday. Which was why she had always been so guarded. Letting people near her got them killed. She could not suffer that fate again. She would not watch her loved ones die. Not ever again. She had to keep her true identity hidden. If she could not maintain her accent then it would be better to stay silent. The practice had served her well so far. She kept pacing. From the far north wall to the south wall. She did not feel any more calm than when she started but mayhaps she was being productive? She had thought of a dozen ways to kill Marcus when he got back. She grinned. She was no fool. She had been raised and trained as a warrior since she’d recovered from the slaughter of her family. She knew no other way. She was not meant to be a warrior's wife. She was a warrior.

Where the hell was he? She kicked at a pebble in her frustration. He and the king had left Rogue Stone mid afternoon and still had not returned. She had had about as much of the yuletide celebration as she could handle and the ‘fun stuff’ as Dalton’s mate, Nicole, had called it, had not even started yet. She could not even muster enough enthusiasm to smile for more than a few seconds. She sighed and crossed her arms across her chest. She did not even feel like flying. If she exposed herself now, too many people were still about in the inner bailey and near the large outdoor fires. She did not like to show her other self, or her demon as the Elites called them, but she really loved the protection it offered. When she let her demon out, Jenna could take a backseat and relax. In the skies she was free and no enemies could follow. It was there she found herself and there she lost herself. Even during storms her demon could fly. The Elites usually hunkered down during storms. She danced in time with the thunder and taunted the lightning while letting the rain drops slide across her skin, cleansing her of her sins.

Her grandfather had been a methodist preacher and he believed water could wash away everything.Their wagon train west, was one of the first to try crossing the mississippi river into the wide expanse beyond. Her grandfather was the first to stand up to the Shawnee Indians and he had been the first to die. Jenna’s heart pinched hard as memories took over and before she could blink, fire raced across her arms. She had no choice now. There was no way to stop it or even slow it down. She spread her arms and ran for the back of the castle. At least toward the back only the guards on the wall would see her flight. She would not be able to keep her secret from Marcus much longer either, if all she wanted to do was be with him and near him and all she could do was think about him, every single waking second of her day. His scent. His shoulders. His trim waistline. His long hair, he refused to cut no matter what mission he was sent on. Damn. She growled and let the wind carry the sound away. Marcus did not just interrupt her days, he interrupted her dreams too. Damn him.

He was not even here and he was pissing her off. There went her language again. She always reverted to what her mother had called hillbilly talk, when she got angry. It was hard not to be angry when everyone you ever loved was taken from you so brutally and then you were forced into slavery until you were bought by people you thought would save you, only to have them torture you for sport. Yeah, people were not who or what she needed. She needed mother earth. She was a part of it as much as she was a part of her demon. She knew it all the way to her soul. How else could she have survived those days of constant brutal torture and the days of healing that followed?

She had held off her demon as long as she could, and she was just about to the back wall, where she could easily slip through. Picking up her feet to run was all she could manage as her joints popped and bones cracked. Just a few more steps and she’d be free. She paused, took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She crouched low and clung to the wall as pain swept her and she let it fuel her jump over the edge. The cool night air rushed past her as she threw herself over the ledge and let her demon take control.

By all the Gods! She heard someone yelling and another voice joined in. She jumped! She’d been spotted, but maybe not identified. Maybe she could keep this one thing yet from Marcus. At least until maybe she had some sort of control over it. Her demon was not like the others and her powers were far greater than the others.

Her demon was so out of control and her anger burned so hot, while in this form she could not come back to her human form until the rage cooled and left her exhausted. It was one of the reasons she never showed it. Unlike Rogue Stone’s Elite Warriors, she could not just calm down and control the demon rage. Her demon raged and she was lost inside, unable to do more than watch. It was like