Author's Note (Updated 9/25/17): I try to make my notes all at the beginning and the end so that you don't loose the flow of the story.
For those new to my stories, I write all of my Dark-Hunter fanfics as novella length continuations of the series, as best as I can. I try to avoid making any guesses as to where Sherilynn Kenyon is headed with her series, or over arching story lines. Instead, I simply wrote stories for some of my favorite characters who have yet to have their stories told, so I do guess at their backstory if it hasn't been shared in the DH books yet. Ms Kenyon could easily shatter each one of my stories as new books come out. And, that has in fact happened as I created a story that included Hecate as a character. Then Dragonmark came out and she is referenced in the book. It throws her whole role in my Achilles story out the door in so far as cannon goes. So, please take some of it with a grain of salt. These are just my attempts at giving more characters their happily connected relationships in one form or another.
Also be warned that I do write with Ms Kenyon's foundations of sex, violence and abuse. Though I may cuss a bit more. Depending on the story. They are all rated M for these reasons. And be aware that there may be SPOILERS if you have not read the DH series up to Dragonmark.
I started these stories two years ago and my writing has improved. I hope to spend some time going back to my earlier stories and seriously working on rewriting (not content, but fixing grammar and any major cannon issues as they popped in). I also gave all of the stories dates just to help me remember who was where as I wrote them, as several of the stories do overlap a fair amount.
This story, is meant to follow Colt's story. Characters that I created include the main female character and those connected to her. I also pulled in more from additional mythology not yet touched in any DH books to add additional characters. Roxie is an original character who gains her introduction in Colt's story. And the story of Kell's family and gifts are ones that I created. However, I did see mentions of his family from DH sources.
If you would like to read my other stories in chronological order, they are:
Achilles (ancient to modern), Deimos, Colt, Kell, Phobos, Morginne, Remi (has a broader timeline), Ethon (falls during Remi)
If you would wish to read things in clumped information, the order is:
Achilles and Remi can be read completely independently, before or after the other clumps. Clump one- Deimos and Phobos. Clump two- Colt and Kell. Clump three- Morginne and Ethon.
So, enough with my crap, on to the story...
February 9, 2016. New Orleans, Louisiana.
Kell stood at the door of the famed Sanctuary bar, as he watched his adopted daughter, Roxie, and her new husband on the stage. Colt played guitar with the house band, his arms wrapped around Roxie and her head nestled against his shoulder and tilted into his neck. A smile tugged at Kell's lips. It was going to be hard to let her go. But, he was happy for her.
"Are you sure you are going to be alright with this?" Dev asked him. One of the twelve Peltier siblings who ran the bar, Dev's job was usually to stand guard at the door, function as a bouncer for the rougher human clientele while also acting as a far more against the preternatural guests as well. Sanctuary was more than just a bar. It was a safe haven for all species. Humans, and the beings that most humans didn't know existed, let alone sat at the next table over.
That thought rolled through Kell's mind. Was he really going to be okay with leaving the girl he raised, there at Sanctuary? It was supposed to be a safe haven. However, in taking a stand on the side of protection and doing the right thing, the bar and it's guests who live in the large house out back had gained plenty of enemies. The place had been attacked and breached more in the past few years than Kell even wanted to remember. The idea of his Roxie being hurt in that type of crossfire stabbed at his forced calm.
With a deep breath he had to shake his fears loose. Life with him wasn't exactly safe either. Besides, his little girl wasn't so little any more. She was well trained. And she had come to embrace her entire being. Finally, Roxie accepted the half of her that was a Were-bear. Her husband, her mate, Colt, was training her on how to use her magic that came with it and eventually would train her to fight in animal form. That had been the purpose of Kell bringing her to Sanctuary in the first place. As a family of bears themselves, the Peltiers were the perfect people the help her accept that side of herself. Kell, just never imagined that she would find herself a mate so quickly and move on with her life.
Kell shrugged. "I have to be. I don't really have a choice. I am just glad that I didn't screw things up." For all of the horrors of Roxie's past, she fought tooth and nail to face the reality. Yet, through all of it, Kell was never sure if he had done the right thing. He wasn't a Were-bear. He wasn't a Were… anything. He was an immortal warrior, bound to serve the goddess Artemis. What did he know about raising a bear?
"You know, you did right by her. Now that I know about her vision, I understand why you didn't push for her to meet us sooner. Honestly, I don't know if she ever would have opened up had she not met Colt." The bear put a hand on Kell's shoulder.
Kell gave the man a smile. "Thanks bear. Just, please make sure she stays safe and happy here." The one thing that Kell would trust was that the Peltier's were fiercely protective of family. As Colt was an adopted thirteenth sibling to the family, that consisted of eleven mature and grizzly sons and one very stubborn sister, in addition to mates and many other long standing residents of the home who would all lay down their lives to protect the unique hodge podge of a family they all created; Kell knew that no matter what dangers were thrown at the bar, there was an army at his daughter's back to keep her safe.
With one last glance at the happy couple, Kell turned to walk the streets of New Orleans.
It was Mardi Gra.
The busiest and craziest night of the year for New Orleans. So much so, that Kell's boss usually brought in extra reinforcements to help patrol the streets during the time around it. Due to Roxie's need to face her past and meet the bears, Kell had volunteered for the assignment that year. Something that Roxie was still a little sore about, but he couldn't blame her. He had lied to her and pushed her hard. Yet, she didn't appear to hold a serious grudge about it since she found a man that made her very happy through it all.
Kell turned toward Rampart Street. The swarms of tourists brought out swarms of daimons looking to feed. The byblow of the god Apollo, daimons came from a race called Apolites, part god with heightened beauty and psychic abilities. However, some fool Apolite queen, in a fit of jealousy, ordered her guards to murder Apollo's human mistress and son. As a result, the entire race were cursed horrifically. Never to walk in the rays of the sun, to only feed from the blood of each other, and then die miserably at the age of twenty seven.
Lesson to all, do not piss off the god of plagues.
Well, someone figured out that the cursed could extend their lives by feeding off of humans and ingesting more than just their blood, but their souls as well. At that point, they were termed daimons. And that is where Kell and his brethren came into the picture.
Apollo's twin sister, Artemis, created an army of immortal warriors to track down and kill those daimons. Not only was it an issue of trying to stop the fools who sought to find a side step to Apollo's curse, but it was a duty to the Fates themselves. For each human soul that is claimed could only live for a short time away from its intended body. It was the duty of the Dark-Hunters to kill the daimons and release the souls they carry before they completely dissolve out of existence.
The crappy part? The Dark-Hunters were created with heightened nocturnal senses in order to hunt their pray. However, they face the same sunlight issues. No one wants to burn into ash and smoke just because sunlight touched them. Fricken gods.
While others patrolled Bourbon Street, Kell made his way up to the Jazz Park. Most of the crowds were closer to Bourbon Street. However, that just meant there was more privacy for the daimons to feed without getting caught in the darker corners of the French Quarter and especially the park across from it, full of trees and deep shadows.
"How are you holding up?" A voice called from one of those shadows.
Kell groaned internally. He knew his boss would check up on him, he just hoped it would be later. "Roxie is happy. I am happy for her."
Acheron stepped out of the shadows. The man was a couple of inches taller than Kell's six foot six. He was dressed in head to toe goth from his black hair with a red stripe, to his leather trench covered in buckles and chains, down to his black leather motorcycle boots with flames painted on them. Acheron was an odd man who seemed to like to make people uneasy. Not that Kell was uneasy around the man, after nearly two thousand years, he was just used to it.
"That's not what I meant gladiator. And you know it."
Yeah, he knew what Ash was asking. Though he really didn't want the reminder. His shoulders shrugged with nonchalance that Kell didn't really feel. "I'm alright, boss man."
"You better be. I don't need you turning green and throwing cars."
"Promise dad. I will call if there are any problems."
Ash rolled his eyes. He knew Kell didn't like it when he got intrusive, but then Kell didn't usually take the heat for when he lost control either. And this time would be different.
Kell was one of the few Dark-Hunters that got away with having public relationships. For almost all others, serious relationships were strictly forbidden. There were just too many risks involved. However, for Kell, they were almost a requirement. The former gladiator usually had a Squire in between girlfriends, someone to help sooth the loss until he could find another.
However, Kell hadn't found his next relationship. And Roxie was moving out, she had been his anchor for the prior thirteen years. It spoke volumes of how much Kell loved her that he never told her that part of his life. He never burdened her with the guilt that would have come from knowing just how much she meant to the man. Instead, he let her go to find her happiness, oblivious to the dangers that came from him being alone. With his powers, Kell could truly be like the Hulk when enraged. Massive amounts of destruction, guaranteed.
The biggest problem, was that Acheron was no longer in the middle to protect him from Artemis's wrath if he pisses her off. Ash had finally parted ways from the goddess and her shit. Surprisingly, she had done a lot of growing in the years since his departure. She was almost a person of emotions other than selfishness. Yet, she still lacked understanding. And that could be very bad for Kell if he screwed up.
May, 117 A.D. An undisclosed location.
Bellows of rage echoed through the caverns. Acheron leaned against the roughly carved stone wall of the cave system and looked down on Kell with frustration.
"Well, that was interesting." Ash's voice dripped with sarcasm.
"Bite me Atlantean." Kell snapped.
Acheron raised a regal brow at the man on the floor. "We have been at this for weeks Kell. You need to focus or you will die. While setting your enemies on fire with your pyrokinesis might be effective occasionally, really won't help you keep a low profile." He paused to use magic to put a new tunic over his body after his was burned off. "For the record, I hate being set on fire."
As he spoke, another version of Kell materialized behind the Dark-Hunter leader and rushed him. Ash spun and deflected the gladiator's blows before knocking him to the ground next to the original.
He sighed. "Did you even try to stop creating more of yourself?"
Like all new Dark-Hunter's, Kell had sold his soul to the goddess Artemis for a single act of vengeance. In the deal, he was given heightened strength and predatory senses. However, for each Dark-Hunter, the psychic abilities they gain are personal. Kell's was possibly the most unique combination Acheron had ever seen. However, they could also be some of the most difficult to control.
The gladiator slumped down. "I am not used to being alone."
There was a shadow of understanding. Acheron had a very different life than Kell. Unlike Kell, he grew up separated from his twin brother. Hell, Ash hated his twin brother and hated the reminder that Kell brought to him. Yet, he did remember. He remembered his younger years when he and Styxx may not be been overly close due to family issues, he still felt like a part of a whole when they snuck into each other's rooms late at night. Ash couldn't imagine having lived his whole life completely connected and loved by his twin brother only to watch him die in his arms, just hours after witnessing their younger brother's death as well.
The tragedy of that day, the tragedy of the day Rome marched upon his home years earlier, the tragedy that Rome brought down on the proud Dacian man at his feet was immeasurable.
Kell was shattered. Splintered. Fractured so badly, that he couldn't gain control of his powers.
It was no wonder that his powers included bilocation, the ability to be in two places at once. Two of him, as he had been in his human life.
Really, the gift wouldn't be so bad if he could just learn to control it. The last thing that he needed was to pop a double into a crowd, alerting the humans to magic. Or worse, have one show up outside during broad daylight and fry them both in the sunlight. What injuries happen to one version, happen to the other.
Acheron took a deep breath. He hated what he was going to do, but he didn't see many other options. And being a god of Fate, that really said something. Not that he would tell any of the Dark-Hunter's that part.
"Come brother. If you can calm down, it looks like we need to get you a girl."
Kell looked at him with his jaw agape in indignation. "I don't want another girl but my wife."
Ash shook his head. "I wish that were possible. And though I respect your desire to remain faithful, you and I both know that you have had sex since her passing."
The growl that ripped from Kell's throat was feral. "Only because I was a slave. A gladiator forced to perform at his master's command. I never dishonored my wife's memory by choice."
"And I am not asking you to dishonor her memory or even love another. In fact, it would be best if you didn't love anyone. But, having a woman in your bed as you sleep will at least help you to stay anchored during daylight hours. Keep you from becoming a Shade."
The Talpinas were a class of Squires, humans who swore oaths to protect and assist Dark-Hunter's. Their job was to help fulfill the Dark-Hunter's carnal needs with those who already knew who they were. No risks of revealing their existence to the wrong people. It was a practice that Acheron utterly despised for many very personal reasons. However, in Kell's case, he would swallow his disgust and help the man find someone to help him stay centered. Eventually, perhaps one day, he would find someone to help him heal.
The simple truth was that Kell was too shattered to keep control. At least having someone that he would be responsible to protect would keep the second version of himself tied to only protecting that person. Having her in bed with him as he slept would eliminate the panicked need to wander around in daylight to make sure they are safe.
Ash pressed his fingers between his eyes to stem the headache that the option would cause throughout the centuries.