Angelic Blood (#5): Alpha Warriors of the Blood (The Blood Series) Read online

  ANGELIC BLOOD

  A Blood Series Novel

  Book 5

  New York Times Bestselling Author

  TAMARA ROSE BLODGETT

  All Rights Reserved.

  Copyright © 2015 Tamara Rose Blodgett

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  www.tamararoseblodgett.com

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  Cover Design: Claudia McKinney

  Editing suggestions provided by Red Adept Editing

  CONTENTS

  Synopsis

  Character Index

  Works by Tamara Rose Blodgett

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  TWENTY-FIVE

  TWENTY-SIX

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Synopsis:

  Julia Caldwell lies in the middle of a battlefield dying of wounds inflicted by the newest enemy of the Singers—the demonic. When Fae, Were and vampire collide in alliance against a common enemy other than one another, the demonic brings turmoil beyond what any of the supernaturals can imagine.

  After the genocide of the Singers of Region One, they will be forced to move into hiding. Jacqueline has redeemed herself and carries a progeny of importance and strength that the new enemy wants at all costs. Who of the Fae can be trusted after Tharell's treachery—will the rogue Were damage or assist the remaining Region One Singers?

  Can the greatest secret of their blood save the Singers from extinction and close the wound the demonic has made in a world run by humans, and ignorant of what lives among them? Or will fate decide evil deserves to rule instead of good.

  DEDICATION:

  Elias Carter Blodgett

  You don't know it yet, but you changed my life....

  Warning! ***Contains spoilers***

  Character Index:

  Blood Singers/talent:

  Julia- Queen of the Singers; Telekinetic/telepath

  Scott- Royal Singer Blood; Deflector/Combatant

  Brendan- Tracker/pyro

  Michael- Illusionist

  Jen- Telekinetic

  Cyrus- Healer

  Paul- Negator/amplifier

  Angela- Feeler

  Marcus- Region One

  Jacqueline- Royal Singer Blood; Region Two Leader

  Victor- Region Two/Combatant- Boiler/Flame of Blood

  Lucius- Combatant

  Cynthia “Cyn” Adams - Rogue/Healer

  Heidi- Reader

  Trevor- Deflector

  Northwestern Were Pack:

  Lawrence-Packmaster

  Emmanuel “Manny” - Beta to Lawrence

  Anthony “Tony” Daniel Laurent- Second to Lawrence

  Adrianna “Adi”- Alpha female

  Southeastern Were Pack:

  David- Packmaster

  Alan Greene- Alpha male

  Lacey Greene – female Were and Alan’s sister

  Buck “Slash”- Alpha male

  Karl Truman- former Homer detective

  Ford- Alpha male/ FBI agent

  Reagan - Moon Warrior, Lacey’s daughter

  Southeastern Vampire Kiss:

  Merlin- Coven leader (now deceased)

  William- new coven leader (now deceased)

  Brynn- New leader of the Southeastern

  Northwestern Vampire Kiss:

  Gabriel- Coven Leader

  Claire- William’s cousin

  William- Runner/shifter/Singer blood

  Unseelie Sidhe fey:

  Queen Darcel- Sidhe

  Tharell- mixed Sidhe warrior

  Cormack- Sidhe warrior

  Domiatri “Domi”- Sidhe warrior

  Rex- Sidhe

  Kiel (key-ale)- dragon shifting Sidhe

  Celesta- Sidhe warrior

  Delilah - Vampire, third to Julia, Scott’s half-sister

  Rogue Reds:

  Ezekiel “Zeke”

  Rogue Alpha female Were:

  Tessa

  FEDS:

  Tom Harriet

  Tai (tie) Simon

  Western Were Pack:

  Tramack

  [the] Lanarre:

  Drek

  Bowen

  Taliah

  Works by Tamara Rose Blodgett:

  The BLOOD Series

  The DEATH Series

  Shifter ALPHA CLAIM 1-6

  The REFLECTION Series

  The SAVAGE Series

  Vampire ALPHA CLAIM 1-6

  &

  Marata Eros:

  A Terrible Love (New York Times bestseller)

  A Brutal Tenderness

  The Darkest Joy

  Club Alpha

  The DARA NICHOLS Series, 1-8

  The DEMON Series

  The DRUID Series

  Shifter ALPHA CLAIM 1-6

  The SIREN Series

  The TOKEN Serial

  Vampire ALPHA CLAIM 1-6

  The ZOE SCOTT Series 1-8

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  CHAPTER ONE

  “Jules!” Jason screams, sliding toward her like a runner at home base.

  Julia looks up at him, holding her guts inside her body. “Oh, God—no!”

  Jacqueline rises from behind Julia's torso, where she'd lain to avoid Tharell's body.

  She wears Julia's blood.

  “Looks like someone has lost their head,” Slash comments dryly, stepping over Tharell's body. His humor leaks away when his eyes catch sight of Julia.

  “Julia—what can we do?” Jacqueline asks, ignoring everything else.

  A demonic blurs past them, its tail sailing into the head of a Singer with well-practiced precision. Julia's veins flash golden at its nearness.

  “Fuck!” Jason rages, leaping to his feet as he puts his back to her protectively.

  “Cyn,” Julia croaks.

  Jason whirls around, understanding blooming on his features.

  I need Cyn.

  He nods, peering into the thick of the battle. “I can't see her!” he shouts then sprints into the fray. Julia fights to remain awake, but her eyes feel buggy in their sockets, too wide and dry. The pain sharpens her senses, helping her stay alert—and alive.

  A bubble of blood forms from her lips, and Julia feels herself beginning to slip. She's still mortal, still vulnerable—and so very tired.

  Her eyes meet Jacqueline's. Julia sees the knowledge of her d
eath reflected in them. Julia holds herself in position, avoiding Tharell's head, which was no longer attached to his body, beside her.

  I can hold on a little longer. Julia closes her eyes and concentrates on her breathing.

  In.

  Out.

  “Jacqueline,” Domi says from behind Julia.

  Julia cracks open her eyelids, and Jacqueline stills, her eyes growing wide. The demonic rushing toward them is gaining momentum. Julia is vulnerable and wounded—vulnerable to true death, as William would call it.

  Julia’s eyes bulge, and she licks dry lips.

  The blood bubble on her lips pops with a soft smack, and she not dare move her hands from where her organs pulsate beneath her fingertips.

  Domi turns casually, clotheslines the devil's warrior, and crushes the red flesh around the demonic's windpipe.

  As the demonic folds to his knees, the saber in Domi's hand flashes downward, cutting the head from the soldier of their mutual enemy.

  The twang of swords and weaponry is the dark orchestra that plays for them.

  Jacqueline's mouth hangs slack as she turns slowly to look at Domi, then at the demon lying still at his feet. Finally, her eyes come to rest on Tharell.

  Julia knew of Tharell’s comprehensive duplicity against Domi, but there Domiatri stands in emerald splendor, proud and tall. His throat is bisected by a rope-like scar. He steps over the demon, shooting an indifferent glance at Tharell's body before he faces Jacqueline.

  Julia swallows her groan—her hands are drenched with her own blood.

  “Domiatri,” Jacqueline breathes in shock as Slash picks up the sword that the castrated Tony let drop.

  “Nice work on the devil,” Slash says casually. But there is nothing casual about his restless gaze as it travels the field, looking for other demonics. He seems resolved to protect her until Jason can get back.

  Julia clenches her eyes shut. Where is Jason? Only Cyn can fix the mess of her body.

  Slash toes Tony's corpse, and Julia breathes against the pain in her gut. The sounds of men striking each other is like listening to slabs of meat being tenderized.

  Julia’s stomach roils against the metallic fragrance of blood and death in the air and the sounds of flesh succumbing to fists and blade. Her limbs grow numb as her vision narrows to gray edges and a black center.

  Julia drags in raw breaths.

  Domi scoops Jacqueline against him. “Tharell thought to murder me.”

  “I know,” she replies.

  Julia's skin begins to pulse golden-silver, shining like a beacon as one of the demonic approaches.

  She tries to roll away and can't manage it.

  It hisses, driving its tail toward her as blood pumps out of her body, but Slash turns, catching the end of the whipping rope-like appendage with the borrowed saber and cutting it off. The deep-red stalk fishtails sickly and falls. Inky blood spurts out of the amputated stump as the demonic shrieks.

  Jacqueline sinks to her haunches beside Julia as Domi swings his own sword and takes off the horned head. A warm hand covers her own blood-slicked ones.

  The sudden silence that falls is peaceful and heavy, like scarlet snow that never lands. The demonic are losing the battle, and the shine of Julia's skin dulls as the second demon's life ebbs as it lies a few feet from her in a pool of black blood.

  Julia knows with perfect certainty that she doesn't want to die in this thankless field of war and death.

  The salt of Jacqueline's anguish splashes on Julia’s face. Gasping her last breaths, Julia watches it all as though she's no longer in her own body.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Jason emerges like an oasis in the midst of a forever desert. Cyn is wound tightly around his back as he dives between the last brandishing fists. Blood arcs, spattering them as they charge between the opposing forces.

  “Do not go, Julia. Your people need you,” Jacqueline says, rubbing Julia's icy hands as though the motion will repair her. More unshed tears fill her dark eyes, which are so like Scott's.

  “I do, as well,” she adds in a whisper.

  Jacqueline, her enemy no longer, clutches Julia's hands while her fey lover fights off the remaining demonic behind them.

  Jason lurches beside her, his wolfen form casting a shadow over her, and dumps Cyn at Julia’s side.

  Cyn's eyes widen in horror at what Julia assumes is the mess of her body. “Jules… oh, God—no.”

  Julia closes her eyes and Cyn's presence is a salve to her body, but not her words.

  “I don't know if I can fix this,” Cyn despairs.

  Julia's eyes open to painful slits while Cyn's gaze roves her body. Julia’s hope flees when she sees those expressive eyes.

  The saber christened with demonic blood is going to slam dunk Julia into death. Tears riot down her face. Jacqueline holds one of Julia’s hands while the other is in Jason's tight grip.

  “Come on, Cyn. We haven't come all this way to back out now.”

  Cyn drags her finger underneath both eyes, swiping and flinging tears away. She inhales deeply and replaces Jacqueline's hands with her own. With a sigh, Julia lets hers slip apart, and they fall onto the grass. The air is cold compared to the heat of her injury.

  “Oh, Jason.” Cyn's voice trembles, sounding mournful.

  “Don't you fucking die on me, Jules,” Jason commands fiercely.

  Julia doesn't promise anything—or even speak—because glorious warmth floods her stomach and spreads, leaking through her body like a bath of fire. She feels as though her body is melting into the grass, though the clangs and charge of battle still grow.

  Nothing is more silent than death.

  “That's it, Cyn!” Jason sounds desperate.

  Julia relinquishes her ownership of this life, which was always a gift, not something she could expect to always have.

  If she's the Rare One, she'll get through this. If she's not, Julia is convinced she was never meant to be anything to anyone. Julia's exhausted to her marrow.

  She wants so much more from this life. She knows she has a sister somewhere in the Red Den of Alaska, and Julia wants Jason as a woman wants a husband.

  More, Julia wants to actually live, not merely survive from one catastrophe to another. Like a candle flame in jeopardy of being blown out, she feels her soul flutter with indecision. Julia's will to live hangs in the balance.

  “No—Jules. Help me here!” Cyn screams.

  Julia's eyes flutter open to find her people quietly gathered.

  “The demonic?” Julia chokes out, her eyes frantically searching for the deep-crimson bodies, black horns, tails, and the soulless eyes.

  None still stand. Their dead bodies litter the ground at her peoplesʼ feet, and the Singersʼ skin doesn't shine. The beautiful veining that surfaced before and during the battle was nothing more than a warning of their mortal enemies proximity.

  Cyn's hands clench over the wounds, and Julia's body arches against the grass as she gasps. Life fills her body where death sought to claim her. A thread of warmth runs to her fingers and toes. Her eyes sharpen, and her heart begins to beat a strong rhythm again. She rises up on her elbows, Jason's large hand at her back, and glances down at her belly.

  Dried blood flakes on a deep scar that turns pink as she watches. Jason's eyes meet hers over the knitting wound. He puts his knees behind her back, and she leans against him. His hands lock around hers, and he bows his head, unable to hold in the shuddering exhale of relief.

  “Tony has failed.” Domi's lip curls in satisfaction as he looks at Tony's body before moving on to Tharell’s headless corpse. “Tharell failed, as well,” he growls.

  Slash gives a satisfied snort. “Still like how he lost his head.” He gives Julia an apologetic glance, and Julia’s lips turn up.

  “It's okay, Slash.” Julia doesn't miss Tony. His demise makes the earth a better place. Bright sunlight splashes over them, making Domi’s deep-green flesh appear to sparkle with luminescence. It's somehow wrong to have a b
eautiful day as witness over this much death and bloodshed.

  Jacqueline's eyes are round, shocked. Julia tries to sit up, but her core flinches at the motion.

  “Julia—no way.” Cyn's hands are splayed on her healing stomach, and Julia chokes up as Jason comes up behind, lifting as he stands with her cradled against his chest.

  His body is covered with the light-red down of his wolfen form. The green discs of his eyes slow their spinning.

  “The demon fuckers are gone.” His voice sounds like falling gravel, making Julia flinch. “Our blood won out!”

  Julia tips her head back against his shoulder, and he smiles, flashing rows of dangerous teeth.

  Julia nods, still weak. “Where? How?”

  With laser focus, Slash eyes Tharell's body with a consideration bordering on hate. “I say we pop Tharell's head back on and see if he can't tell us.”

  Julia shakes her head, ignoring the pain of yet another betrayal. “Too dangerous.”

  Slash pulls Adi from behind him, and she approaches Julia.

  “This affects all of us now, Julia. We've won the battle, but not the war. The demonic left and ducked into their little fire hole or whatever. But they'll be back. We got a stay of execution because Tony dropped the ball…”

  “Or balls,” Cyn cackles behind her hand.

  Julia smiles. Cyn's already recovering her sense of humor. If she were in Cyn’s position, Julia didn't think she would be capable of laughing at anything.