Braving Darkness: The Complete Series (Paranormal Scifi Romance) Read online

  “Sorry,” Clark called after her. He didn’t sound sorry. In fact, he sounded proud of himself. Well, good for him. He’d beaten someone for once. She rolled her eyes as Neil slipped in front of her path.

  “What?” she asked, holding her palms skyward in obvious defeat, shrugging her shoulders.

  “I didn’t excuse you.”

  “So, I suck at this. I can’t do it. Just give me a gun or something.”

  “Guns will be no use against another zombie attack. You must learn martial arts self-defense and how to use a sword.”

  “Why? Aren’t there enough wolf warriors around here? If you haven’t noticed, I’m human. And not a very coordinated one at that.”

  She huffed off past him, not listening to his threats and cries of insubordination. Whatever. Let Rafe come lecture her again. This whole martial arts training thing was a waste of her time. She needed someone to teach her how to use her psychic gifts, or whatever they were. She needed to learn how to harness it outside of The Program. None of these people could teach her anything.

  The dryad even seemed to know more about her abilities than she did, and she’d never even met Cassie. She called her a warrior seer. Cassie assumed that meant she’d win the war with her second sight. If the wolves wanted to make her into another furry fighting machine, they were totally wasting her talents.

  She grabbed the metaphysics book from under her cot and flopped down on the bed. She read one sentence before she could sense Rafe in the doorway. Hmm. Maybe she was getting better at this psychic thing.

  She turned, and sure enough, he was standing there, taking up most of the doorway with his broad shoulders and intense amber eyes.

  “You have to train, Cassandra,” he said, apparently trying to appeal to some sense of duty she did not have.

  “No I don’t,” she shot back. Try to counter that logic, big boy.

  He heaved a sigh and rounded her cot to sit in front of her on Selina’s bed. She looked at him over the top of her book, raising her eyebrows defiantly.

  “You know it’s a waste of my time,” she finally said.

  “Everyone has to learn.”

  “I’m terrible at sports. I didn’t even play soccer when I was a little kid. Too clumsy.”

  “Did you want to play soccer?”

  “Not really, I preferred reading fairytales. And you know, those fairy tales really prepared me for life, cuz now I’m living in one. Go figure!”

  “What am I supposed to tell the rest of the pack, that you get special treatment? That you expect others to fight for you while you stay slow and weak?”

  “Okay, maybe they can go inside The Program for me instead, or they can have my fucked up dreams. Or they can have strange conversations with plant people. I’m willing to trade.”

  “You saw a dryad? What happened? Did it attempt to harm you?”

  “No,” she said as if he were clueless. “She called me a warrior seer though. Which I’m guessing means psychic warrior or something. And I am. Psychic I mean. I’m supposed to battle with my mind. I did warn the entire pack about the zombie attack.”

  “That you did.”

  “So, I’ve fulfilled my role. Why should I have to fight too?”

  “You kind of have a point. I’ll take it under consideration so we can find an amicable solution.”

  “How about, I just keep doing what I’m doing, and you stop forcing me to train with Neil?”

  “Or, instead, you train with me.”

  Cassie dropped her book to the bed and leaned up on her elbow to look at his chiseled face. A flutter of excitement rushed through her belly.

  “Train with you, huh?”

  “Neil is good, but I’m better.”

  “Hmmm, and modest.”

  “You won’t find a better teacher.”

  “Alright fine. I’ll train with you.”

  “We’ll start tomorrow morning at sunrise.”

  “Wait, that wasn’t part of the deal!”

  “Yes, it was.”

  “Fine, whatever. Now unless you’re going to get in my cot and snuggle with me, just let me read my book,” she said sticking her tongue out at him. His eyes widened and a glimmer of a smile twitched at his mouth. He stood, trying to keep his super cool, tough guy demeanor. He did want to snuggle. She could feel it.

  “Sunrise,” he said, standing over her cot. He really was into asserting his dominance wasn’t he. So annoying. She batted her eyelashes at him and then rolled her eyes, going back to her reading.

  “Sunrise,” she said without looking up from her book.

  Chapter 13

  Sunrise came too early. Cassie would have slept, but there was a vise-like hand gripping her shoulder. She peered through one open eye. She’d been dreaming, and the visions of the dream world still wafted through her mind. Her blurry vision only revealed the smudgy outline of a very tall person.

  She blinked, recognition slowly sinking in.

  “Rafe,” she said, smiling, her eyes still closed. She held her arms out to him, inviting him into an embrace. The memory of the warmth of his arms filled her mind, and she was very interested in reliving that experience. Nothing felt as good as a nice warm hug from Rafe in this godforsaken world.

  “Time to get up, Cassandra,” he said in the distant tone of someone not interested in a cuddle. Cassie frowned, blinking. She rose on her elbows and spied Selina lacing up her boots on the cot across from her.

  Rafe was annoyingly distant whenever anyone else was around. She didn’t like it. One minute, he invited her to sleep in his bed. The next, he acted as if there were nothing between them.

  It made her not want to train with him. He’d probably be worse than Neil, barking orders like a drill sergeant. Selina stood to leave the room, and Cassie threw the blanket back over her head.

  “Go away,” she moaned.

  “Nope.” He tore the blanket from her half-naked, curvaceous body, shocking her with the cold dawn air. She shot up, gasping indignantly.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?”

  “Stop acting like a child and get out of bed. Everyone is expected to pull their weight around here, including you.”

  She looked up at him, open-mouthed with shock. What an ass! She wasn’t going to go anywhere with him now. She sat on her cot in her bra and underwear, rubbing her upper arms from the cold, refusing to move.

  “Go screw yourself,” she said, pulling the blanket back over her head, flopping back down on the cot.

  “Cassandra.” His voice changed, almost pleading now. Cassie smiled under the blanket then flipped it off her head to stare at him defiantly.

  “I know you have feelings for me, Rafe. I can feel it. Why do you act like such a jerk whenever anyone else is around?”

  “I do have feelings for you, Cassandra. There is no hiding that fact.”

  “Do you really still think I’m a spy?”

  “What?”

  “Don’t deny it. I heard you talking to Neil about it the morning after the zombie attack.”

  Rafe sank into the cot across from Cassie, folding his arms. He pursed his lips and drew his eyebrows together, the coloring of his tanned face turning slightly red.

  “The pack must look at outsiders with a great deal of caution.”

  “You didn’t seem all that cautious when you had your erection pressed into my back,” she spit out. The words had popped from her mouth. Now she regretted it. The intensity of her buried emotions coming to the surface made her speak and act in ways she usually wouldn’t, even before the war. She didn’t want to shame him for the intimacy they’d shared.

  She put her hand to her mouth. “Sorry,” she said, looking down at her mattress.

  “I told you before; I can’t be seen to be giving you favoritism. The pack has been friendly to you, as they should be. But you are an oddity. A curiosity. It doesn’t reduce the fact that you are not a wolf, and you are not one of us.”

  “Is that how you think of me?” she asked, g
enuinely hurt. Even with the childish behavior and the verbal diarrhea, she knew she had strong feelings for Rafe, feelings that could not be denied.

  “I have a very high opinion of you. And I think we both can agree that we are drawn to each other. There is a connection between us. It isn’t just you that can feel it. Still, as pack leader, I am expected to mate with another wolf. Preferably from our own pack.”

  “Why does that even matter?” She flopped down on her cot and stared at the ceiling.

  “It matters for pack loyalty and solidarity. I know of another pack alpha that mated with a witch. It tore the pack apart. A group of cougars moved into their territory. It was a disaster.”

  “How do you know all that?”

  “We still have communication systems in this new world. Those of us who are intelligent enough to establish them, that is.”

  “Like what, Morse code or something?”

  He threw his head back and laughed. “Before the war there was this little thing called the Internet.”

  “You’re messing with me. You have Internet?”

  “It’s a tightly guarded, very small network, but yes.”

  “Wow. That’s freaking awesome. I haven’t checked my Facebook page in, like, ages. I wonder what all my friends had for lunch yesterday.”

  “Stop kidding around and get dressed. Meet me at my bunker in ten minutes.” He stood, briefly looking down at her with a half-visible smile.

  Cassie smirked at his back as he left and swung her feet over the side of the bed. She rubbed her face vigorously to wake herself up, then she pulled on her cargo pants, a long-sleeved T-shirt—it was cold outside in the morning—a clean pair of socks, and her boots.

  She passed through the cafeteria and grabbed a cornbread muffin before hurrying through the cool morning air to Rafe’s bunker.

  She found him in the yard outside his building with his sword in hand, moving through graceful positions as if he were fighting an invisible foe. Cassie stood back and watched his fluid movements with appreciation and awe. She knew she’d never be able to move like that. No matter how much practice. She had an overwhelming urge to go back to bed.

  He turned and glided toward her through the golden glow of dawn, holding his sword loosely at his side.

  “I have an idea,” he said, pulling a blindfold from his pocket.

  “Hmm. I like it. But I thought we were going to practice hitting each other with swords. Although, it looks like you’ve got something kinkier in mind.”

  A full smile broke over Rafe’s face this time, making it all the way to his eyes. He scabbarded his sword and crossed the distance between them. He ducked behind her and put the silky, black blindfold over her eyes.

  “Maybe later,” he said, breathing on her neck as he tied the cloth. Cassie grinned into the darkness. “This is to test your skills. Now, come with me.”

  He led her by the hand a few feet to the right to where he had been standing and put the sword into her hand. It hefted differently than the wooden sword. Its weight was perfectly balanced, and it sliced through the air with great speed.

  “All right. I’m going to throw these rotten tomatoes at you, and if you can hit them, they won’t smack you in the face.”

  “Hey! That’s not fair.”

  “Come on, psychic girl. You know what’s coming, don’t you?”

  She heard something whiz through the air, and she swung at it, but she moved too slowly. The tomato squished against her clean shirt.

  “You owe me a new shirt now,” she said, gripping the sword in front of her, preparing for another hit.

  “We’ve got plenty. I can throw vegetables at you all day.”

  “Tomatoes are fruit, not vegetables.”

  Another tomato smacked into her cheek. “Hey,” she squealed. She could hear Rafe holding back his laughter. She frowned, determined to hit the damn thing so that it flew right back in his face. She moved on her feet like a batter at the mound. Her hands grasped the hilt of the sword with a relaxed but firm grip.

  Cassie focused, letting her inner eye see what her physical eyes could not. The darkness glimmered away. It was as if the blindfold disappeared, and the world began to move in slow motion. She saw Rafe laugh under his breath, heft the tomato, and throw it in the most weenie underhand throw ever. The tomato flew in slow motion. She waited for it to come within striking range until the angle was exactly right.

  Slash!

  She hit the tomato with the side of the sword, causing it to pummel back at Rafe, smacking him in the face. Utter glee filled her childish side, and she tore the blindfold off so she could gloat. Jumping up and down and giggling, she saw his face covered in over-ripe tomato slime.

  “You look good in red,” she said, through her laughter.

  “You did that on purpose.” Rafe scooped gooey red tomato innards from his face and flicked them on the ground. His voice held more respect than indignation.

  “In a manner of speaking. But I don’t know if I should tell you how I did it. I’m not sure I can trust you.” She lifted one eyebrow and stroked her chin as if considering her options. Rafe picked up another tomato and hurled it toward her. In the split second before it hit her, she dodged to the side. “Sorry, I’ve found the program hack. I now have superpowers.”

  “It appears that you do. You’ve been holding out on me.”

  “No. Not really. I just didn’t know how to tune into it until now.”

  Cassie crossed her arms and stared at Rafe with smug self-satisfaction. She could tell by the look on his face that he was proud of her. As she gazed at his sexy-man face, a wave of terror crashed through her body. Her goofy grin melted away, and it was replaced with horror.

  “What’s wrong?” Rafe said, reaching out to grasp her arm.

  A frantic wail erupted from her lips. Visions swirled behind her eyes. The creatures from the ships, the rapists. Blood. Death. She felt her stomach cramp so violently she doubled over and dry heaved between ragged breaths.

  Rafe gripped her arm and led her toward the terminal room. Once inside, he hit the alarm, sending a siren scream through the camp.

  “What is it Cassandra?” he said in a steady authoritative voice.

  “They’re coming,” she croaked. “They found me.”

  “The zombies? We killed almost every creature in their hive. They won’t bother us for a good long time. Is it another pack? Cougars? Dragons?”

  “No! It’s them.”

  The sound of engines rushing toward the compound broke through the still air in the terminal room. Gunshots. Screams.

  Rafe grabbed his pistol. “We need to get to the munitions storage room.”

  “I can’t move.”

  “Come on, now.” He tugged her toward the exit and peeked through a crack in the door. Cassie tried to stifle her frantic tears.

  “They’ve surrounded the compound. It looks like Pyramid Corporation soldiers.”

  “How do you know?” she whispered.

  “They have their damn logo printed on their hummers. There are a lot of them out there.”

  Cassie peered through the crack in the door. She could see dark vehicles in the dusky light of early morning. The golden pyramid logo was emblazoned across the front doors. She gritted her teeth. Those sick bastards helped aliens rape unconscious young girls.

  “Give me a gun,” she said.

  “I only have the one. We have to get across the yard to the munitions storage behind the bunkhouse.”

  “Why don’t you keep your guns with your swords and knives? Seems like a no-brainer.” She frowned at him, her confidence returning.

  “We usually don’t need guns. Guns don’t work on zombies, and shifting to wolf form is much more effective for hunting.”

  “Just give me the gun.”

  “No. I’ll cover you as we run across the yard. The munitions room is just past the bunkhouse before the barn. Here is the key. Once we get it open, we can pass the guns to the rest of the pack through the back
door. Pyramid Corp can’t drive their hummers through the pasture, so we will be protected in that direction as long as no snipers have already made it around that way. On the count of three, run toward the storage shed.”

  He counted, and as soon as he hit three, Cassie sprinted through the door. She could hear gunshots fire as Rafe made his way through the yard behind her. A gunshot whizzed past her leg, and another came after, but she twisted out of the way just in time.

  She hurried to the gun shed. Fumbling with the keys, she shoved the right one into the lock before stopping to think. The door swung open to reveal a stockpile of weapons and ammunition. Not waiting for instructions or permission, she grabbed two Glocks, made sure they were loaded, and opened fire on the enemy SUVs.

  Rafe made it to the gun shed just as Cassie marched through the yard to take down the entire Pyramid Corp army by herself. Her bullets hit alarmingly true, exploding through a man’s forehead and another’s heart. She would have continued through the yard, sidestepping bullets, if Rafe had not grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back into the bunkhouse.

  She found herself surrounded by the pack. Most were already armed. Neil barked out instructions to break the windows and open fire on the enemy. The pack spread out into the cafeteria. A sickening feeling gripped Cassie’s stomach.

  “Wait!” she screamed. But it was too late. A massive blast hit the cafeteria exploding through half the front wall and collapsing a substantial section of ceiling.

  Gunshots blazed through the ruined wall. Wolves screamed from under the rubble. Rafe shifted to wolf form in a rage and jumped through the opening while Neil led a group to rescue the injured and confirm the dead.

  Cassie followed Rafe into the dawn light. The smell of explosives stung her nose in the crisp air of morning. Her mind focused like a sharpened steel blade. She held her pistols at chest height, shooting every Pyramid Corp soldier she could see and some she couldn’t. Bullets flew around her as if in slow motion. They couldn’t touch her. She would destroy every single one of them.

  Rafe’s massive jaws tore into a SUV to her right. Screams echoed in every direction from the wolves stuck under the rubble and the Pyramid soldiers who were being shot and bitten to death.