End of an Era: A Sons of Satrina Novel (The Sons of Satrina Book 4) Read online

  End of an Era

  A Sons of Satrina novel

  Kristan Belle

  Copyright © 2015 Kristan Belle

  First published 2015 Createspace.

  Cover Photo © Dreamstime.com

  The moral right of the author has been asserted.

  This is a work of fiction. The names, characters, incidents and places are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to persons, living or deceased, events or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this digital publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, nor circulated in physical form without prior consent of the author

  Acknowledgements.

  I want to say a huge thank you to Jack, Linzi, Heidi, Jill K, Nikki, Martin, Jenny, Jill G, Alba & Steph, for their constant support and encouragement to chase my dream– you guys rock!!! Who would have thought we’d get this far???

  A HUGE thank you to Heidi and Jill K for all their hard work – you helped make this series what it is so a massive thank you for everything you’ve done, what would I do without you? You are amazing! Sending much love your way XXX

  And, thank YOU, to the person reading this – you make it all worthwhile. Thank you for your support and encouragement. It’s been a blast! I hope you’ve enjoyed the journey we’ve taken together. This is the end… *Sheds a tear or two…

  Also by Kristan Belle…

  Burn for Him (standalone paranormal novel)

  The Sons of Satrina Series:

  The Sons of Satrina (bk1)

  Dawn of a New Age (bk2)

  Changing Fates (bk3)

  End of an Era (b4)

  Chapter One

  Kelton paced in Doctor Phillippe’s office, virtually wearing holes in the carpet. She’d wanted to clear the emergency room of everyone but essential medical staff, and that included Kelton. He wasn’t used to anyone bossing him around like that, but they wanted to do all they could to aid the medical staff. This was a critical time and the boy needed their full attention.

  Of all the things they’d been through at the Sons of Satrina of late, Kelton really thought they were due a break. But no. It was problem after problem after problem.

  This was one of the worse things he could think of at the moment. One of their own had been injured, badly. Things were going to get a lot worse before they got better. However, it was the boy who was his first concern.

  He still had to get to the bottom of what happened, but it was the medical state of the kid that he had to deal with first. How he got to be where he was would have to come later.

  Trey had been brought back into the academy barely recognisable. Seeing him carried in from the car by Verynai, he’d looked like a broken doll in his arms. It was lucky that Verynai was ripped with muscles upon muscles because there weren’t many people in this world strong enough to carry a man the size that Trey was.

  Despite carrying the immense weight, for Trey was bigger built than most of the warriors let alone the other trainees, Verynai wouldn’t relinquish his hold on the boy, determined to carry him directly to the medical suite. He, Dixon and Caleb had been the ones to find Trey and Verynai felt a certain amount of responsibility towards him. Trey was a good kid and didn’t deserve what had happened to him.

  It still wasn’t clear what had happened, but the boy had taken a royal beating. This wouldn’t bode well for a future between the Lamia and the shifters. That was something Kelton would have to deal with later and he had a feeling it wasn’t going to be pretty.

  All they had been able to determine so far was that Trey had been having some sort of relationship with one of the shifter females and that the rest of the pack hadn’t taken too kindly to it. The situation made Verynai’s blood boil. Sure, he didn’t see the appeal of the shifters, but there was no way it warranted a reaction like this.

  Kelton had called Sol to take Dixon and Caleb to his office. After coming back with Verynai and Trey, they’d both looked shaken up by what they’d seen, but his first priority was Trey. There was no way he was going to leave the medical suite without finding out how he was doing. So, he was left pacing the empty office like a mad man.

  Even after all his years out on the streets as a warrior and all of the battles with the enemy that he’d been involved in, never before had he seen one of his own in such a state. Especially not a trainee. Back when Aisline had been abducted by the Lamia Mortuorum, they’d been shocked by the extent of her injuries, but even that didn’t compare to what had happened to Trey.

  “Any news?”

  Kelton turned around to see Kayleigh standing tentatively in the doorway, looking concerned. Because she acted as mentor for Aisline, who had been their only female warrior for some time, Kayleigh had grown closer to the rest of the trainees that she hung around with. In the past, she had little to do with most of the trainees, helping out when she was needed and usually more with the administrative side of things. This was what made it all the more concerning for her now; she knew Trey and liked the boy. He was a good kid and could never see him doing anything to deserve this kind of treatment. She felt sick at the thought of what he had been through.

  Without hesitation, Kelton strode over and took her into his arms. The last thing he wanted was for her to come back to this kind of mess, but life at the academy was never smooth running. They’d had some time alone to adjust to one another again, and then they were hit with this bombshell.

  “I thought I told you to go and rest up for a bit.” He admonished her gently, running his fingers through her silky hair.

  “I couldn’t rest without knowing how he was doing.” The concern on her face was evident. Everyone who had heard about the attack was worried for him. Trey was well liked at the academy and no one could believe that someone could do something like this to him.

  “Marion’s still in there with him. She’s called in some other medical staff to help her, but that’s all I know at the moment.”

  “How did he look to you?”

  Kelton ran a hand over his bristly hair and sighed. “Shit, Leigh. He looked awful.” He shook his head at her. “If Verynai hadn’t told me that it was Trey, I wouldn’t have even recognised him.”

  She held a hand up to her face. “That bad?”

  “That bad.” He replied sadly.

  “And we know for sure that it was the shifters that did this to him?”

  Kelton nodded solemnly.

  “So, what happens now?” She knew that it was going to be a difficult situation for them to get through, especially seeing as Kelton was very good friends with the pack leader of the shifters.

  “For now, I just want to concentrate on Trey. Patrick already knows the shit has hit the fan, but that has to be put on hold for now.” A vibration in his pocket caused him to pause for a moment. Taking out the phone, one glance at the screen had him growling and he flung the phone violently down on the desk. “And I’ve got the council on my back. I can’t tell them anything until I’ve spoken to Dixon and Caleb, but will they give me a break? Like hell they will.”

  “You have to understand their concern, Kelton.”

  “They haven’t got a clue what it’s like here.”

  “They’ll still be concerned. They have to think of the community and the parents.”

  “You don’t think I’m worried about that? I’m the one that had to call his mother.”

  “How did she take it?”

  “She was devastated. I told her I would call the moment I got any news on his condition.”

  “You�
��re doing all you can. The council will have to wait.” Kayleigh said gently, trying to keep the peace. “We’re all worried about what’s happened tonight.”

  Kelton’s face turned red with rage. “The council? They’ve got no concern for him at all. They couldn’t give a shit about Trey. All they see is yet another problem that they think they can solve by forcing me to become their friggin’ leader. Any slight thing that happens at the academy and they turn it around on me, never giving up. Don’t they realise that I’ve got more to think about than that at the moment?”

  “Surely they can’t blame you for any of this?”

  “Who knows what they think? I’m the head here. Anything that happens falls to me.”

  “But there was nothing you could have done to stop this from happening.”

  “A few things have happened lately that could have been avoided. This is just another thing in the long list that they’re trying to use again me to their advantage.” Kelton gently traced his finger along her cheek. “My head hasn’t been exactly in the game lately.”

  Kayleigh instantly looked guilty. “So this is my fault?”

  “Don’t even think like that. You’re my priority and I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Kelton carefully laid a palm on her protruding stomach. “You both are.”

  “But, isn’t that the thing? We’re taking up too much time and too much thought.”

  “Kayleigh. Enough.” Kelton narrowed his eyes at her.

  “But…”

  “But nothing. We’ve been doing this for long enough to be able to manage our lives effectively. None of that has changed. You’ve always been my number one and that won’t ever change. The council are grasping at straws to try and get what they want from me. And it’s not working.”

  “All this because they want you to become the Matris leader?”

  Kelton nodded. “They’ve been holding out too long for this now and their getting desperate. Our race needs a leader. It’s what they know. It’s all they’ve ever known. It’s how we function as a community. I’ve tried to give them other suggestions, but you know what they’re like once they get an idea in their heads.”

  “All this time? They’ve been waiting for you to cave?”

  “Ever since Bartholomew died, yes.”

  “But that’s ridiculous! Why didn’t you talk to me about this before?”

  “Because I’m not interested in what they’re offering me. You know I don’t want to be leader.”

  “It doesn’t seem to matter what you want. They’ve set their sights on you.”

  “Basically, yes.” Kelton laughed ruefully. “I don’t even know why they’re chasing after me in the way they are. There are other candidates who would be much better suited to the role than me.”

  Kayleigh smiled and took his hand. “It’s because they know that you can do anything that you set your mind to.”

  “But they didn’t even want me appointed as Head of the academy! It was Bartholomew who overruled them on that motion.”

  Kayleigh was a little taken aback by that comment. It was the first she’d heard about that. It was entirely understandable, though. Bartholomew had always been Kelton’s biggest champion and saw the potential in him that other people had overlooked.

  Their conversation was interrupted by Marion walking into the office, looking tired.

  “How is he?” Kelton asked immediately.

  Marion sat down heavily in the chair behind her desk. Normally, she would try her best to remain professional, but she was too exhausted to put a front on. Kayleigh and Kelton were her friends as well as work mates and she didn’t have to pretend in front of them. “I’ve given him some pain medication that has knocked him out.” She shook her head sadly. “They really worked him over.”

  She’d seen some things in her time as the academy’s physician, but seeing a trainee in such a state? It was hard for her to think about. And even more difficult to remain detached and professional. He was barely more than a child. It made her shudder to think what kind of animal could have done this to him.

  “What are the extent of his injuries?”

  “At last count, he has a broken wrist, a dislocated shoulder, half of his ribs are broken, a dislocated jaw, a cracked cheekbone and other assorted cuts and bruises. There doesn’t seem to be an inch of the poor boys skin that hasn’t been assaulted. There were a lot of defensive injuries.” Marion sagged in the chair. This had been a brutal attack and she knew that the poor boy would be in a great deal of pain for some time to come.

  Kayleigh gasped. Hearing the details of his injuries made it all seem so much more real, and so much worse than she had imagined.

  Marion turned as she registered Kayleigh standing in the room behind Kelton. Even though she was physically and emotionally drained, she couldn’t help going back into doctor mode as she looked over at her friend. “Kayleigh, you should be resting.”

  “I can’t rest with all of this going on.”

  “The stress isn’t good for the pregnancy.”

  “I tried telling her that.” Kelton muttered under his breath.

  Kayleigh planted her hands on her hips. “Don’t you two even think of starting to gang up on me. Just because I’m pregnant, doesn’t mean that I can’t pull my weight around here.”

  Kelton sighed. “Look, it’s going to be a long time before I can even think about going to sleep. Why don’t you let me walk you up to our suite before I come back down to check on Trey and the others?”

  “But I feel so useless. I should be doing something.”

  Marion didn’t want to butt into their personal business, but Kayleigh looked ready to drop on her feet if they didn’t get her to rest soon. “You need to get some sleep, Kayleigh. You’ll be no use to any of us if you burn yourself out now. We’re going to need you tomorrow, if you’re feeling up to it.” Kelton threw her a questioning look. “Think about it. Who is better to deal with the trainees when this becomes common knowledge tomorrow? Aisline and his other friends are going to need someone to talk to.”

  Kelton nodded and glanced over at Kayleigh. “She’s right, you know.”

  “You’re both just trying to get rid of me.”

  “Nonsense. We’re just making sure that you’re rested enough to deal with the madness that we’re bound to face. It’s not going to be easy for any of us. I don’t want you wearing yourself out. You need to think about the baby.”

  Kayleigh grudgingly nodded.

  “Will you be here when I get back?” Kelton asked Marion, who nodded. “I’ll get Kayleigh comfortable and then we’ll talk more about Trey.”

  As they walked out of the doctor’s office, Kelton knew that this was going to be a long night.

  Kelton checked in on Trey before heading back down to his office. There wasn’t anything else he could do for him. Marion had the boy sleeping heavily so that he was out of pain. It would be a long time before he’d be talking to anyone. They’d have to wait to piece this puzzle together fully.

  Knocking on the door before entering, Kelton saw Verynai, Dixon and Caleb sitting in silence, drinking coffee. Grabbing his own cup, he sat down behind his desk and looked over his men. Dixon and Caleb looked shattered, the weight of what had happened weighing heavily on their shoulders.

  “How is he?” Caleb spoke up first, his voice low and raspy.

  “Doped up on a lot of pain meds. They really did a number on him.”

  Caleb groaned and stared into his coffee mug. He couldn’t believe that this had happened. His pack had done this to his friend. Whichever way he turned, it meant that he would be turning his back on someone, and Caleb had the feeling that the time to choose sides would be soon upon him.

  “I’ll be having a meeting with Patrick soon.” Kelton didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want to speak too much about business in front of the trainee, but this situation involved the shifter. It was a difficult one for all involved. “Would you like to be there?” He understood that this was going to ro
ck the relationship between the shifters and the Sons, and that Caleb was going to be stuck in the middle. He didn’t want to keep anything from him.

  “I don’t know.” Caleb shrugged.

  “Well, there’s time to think about it yet. Firstly, I want to see how Trey gets on before I speak to Patrick. I want to give everyone a couple of days to calm down before we do anything. This could turn into a bad situation if we don’t handle things carefully.”

  “A bad situation?” Dixon snapped, glaring up from his coffee. “Talking a little late, aren’t we?”

  “An even worse situation. You know what I mean.” Kelton rolled his eyes. The last thing he needed was his warriors on his case, but Dixon’s annoyance was understandable since he was one of the one’s to find Trey in his beaten state.

  “Have you filled out your reports yet?”

  Verynai nodded and spoke on their behalf. “We did that as soon as we got here. I wanted to make sure that all the details were fresh in our minds.”

  “Thank you.” He knew he could count on his brother Verynai to keep things running smoothly. He needed that right now, when he was needed in so many places at once. He wasn’t going to be able to go it all himself and needed to rely on the right people. Verynai had always stepped up in the past and he was going to have to do it again now.

  “Why don’t you go and get some rest?” Kelton said to Dixon and Caleb.

  “I’m going to head home.” Dixon drained the last of his coffee and placed the empty cup on the desk. “Unless you need me here?”

  “No, no. You get off. We’ll cover things here.”

  Verynai stood up and followed Dixon out of the office. Caleb hung back.

  “Is everything okay?” Kelton knew that it was a stupid question, but one that he had to ask.

  “What’s going to happen now?”

  “How do you mean?”