Taurus (Guardians of the Stars Book 1) Read online

  TAURUS

  BOOK ONE

  GUARDIANS OF THE STARS

  USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR

  KIM FAULKS

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are fictitious, or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed in any real way. Any resemblance to persons, living, dead, actual locales or organizations, is purely coincidental.

  Taurus

  Copyright © 2016

  Edited by: Eden Connor, Nomi McCabe, Kristy Speigl.

  Cover by Eden Connor

  All rights are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Property of Kim Faulks

  February 2016

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  They thought they'd live forever, but living and existing are not the same.

  Marcus Kane is the first of twelve. Dragon-born in the sign of Taurus he carries all the traits of the bull—the good and the bad.

  He's strong-willed, unbreakable. Deadly on land and in the sky, but when Marcus falls in love, he falls hard.

  He wasn't meant to fall for the wolf, Abrial. He's only job was to protect those he loves—his family.

  Abrial is Alpha-born. The daughter of the Bloodstone's pack Alpha, she will stop at nothing to defend what's hers—every wolf—and every inch of her new found territory--and she'll break all the rules to do it.

  But when a rival pack moves in ready to spill blood, Abrial comes up against an enemy deadlier than she understands. So she turns to a stranger for help--a man who drove into a tree to save her. A man who smells like danger, but looks at her with fire in his eyes. Marcus Kane.

  Family. Honor. Love.

  What happens when those three collide?

  Who will be left standing?

  Who will be left heartbroken?

  DEDICATION

  There is no way this book, or this series would be here without some very special people. Every word, every page, every chapter was written with them in mind.

  To the best reader/support group on Facebook—The Wolf Pack.

  This one is for you.

  Arrooooooooooooo!!!!

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  There’s no words to express my gratitude, this gig is to way hard without you in my corner. Your love, support and your loyalty keep me going. There’s no one else I’d rather slog it out with. Thank you to Eden, for always being there. To Naomi for helping me find all those problem spots and to Kristy for your tireless dedication.

  A woman’s scream tore from the cabin. The haunting sound lingered before it was swallowed by the howls and hoots of male laughter. I strangled the bone-handled blade as images filled my head.

  Ten out of the seventy-strong wolf pack had entered, and so far, none had come out. The open barn door revealed no movement and no sounds, and the row of pig pens that sat between the cabin and the woods was empty. That left sixty of the scum out here.

  The headwind had carried their scent for miles. I’d followed the stench west from where my pack had made camp. If I listened, I could almost hear them thrashing through the trees—hunting.

  But it wasn’t deer they were after—it was women.

  A scrape wrenched my head toward the lodge and harsh yellow light spilled from the doorway. The thunder of footsteps filled my ears. A frantic pulse followed. The sour stench of fear was suffocating. Run, fight… or die.

  The woman was a flash of white. I tracked her in the soft silver glow of the full moon. Her torn white shirt flapped like wings as her feet left the ground. For a second my heart took flight, until a shadow reared behind her, then slammed her to the ground.

  Tall silhouettes smothered the light. Something slipped from the doorway, moving without a sound. Something that made my skin crawl, and it wasn’t a wolf.

  The female shifter rolled over to drag her ass along the ground. I caught the heady scent of blood and the darkening collar of her shirt. She lifted her hand in self-defense as the shadows moved closer. “No, please no more. I’ll do anything. I’m a good cook. Please, I’m a good cook. I’ll clean. I’ll… mate with you.”

  “I paid for you.” The emotionless voice of an undead filled the air. “You belong to me.”

  Vampire. A growl escaped my lips. The cold bastard’s head jerked upwards. I felt its slimy gaze scan the trees. “Shackle her and put her with the others.”

  Sold. Just like that.

  “What about the child?” A voice ripped through the darkness, stilling my breath.

  “No!” The woman screamed. “Not my Bella. Please, not my Bella.”

  Her movements were frantic. She crawled on hands and knees toward the white-haired shadow, and the hackles between along shoulders of my wolf rose.

  I knew that voice. He was the reason I was here. Sol was second-in command of the Echo pack and a manipulative, disease-ridden sonofabitch. I dropped my head to gaze at the glint of steel in my hand. I’d sooner run the blade through him—but Sol had stolen something from me—something I’d do anything to get back, something I’d even kill for—my sister, Rowen.

  The stench of male saturated the air as the remaining eight wolves spilled out of the cabin to surround the vampires.

  “She stays with me. Please, Sol. You know me. You know my Bella.”

  “The child?” Sol growled.

  The bones in my neck cracked as I flinched. No. Goddess, please no. And for a second, I was five-years-old all over again.

  I punched my fist into the ground as the undead spoke. “Let the demons have her.”

  “No! Please, Goddess no! I won’t let you take her. I’ll kill her. I’ll kill her myself. I’d rather she die than be touched by a demon!”

  “Margaret, that’s enough! Your daughter won’t be harmed… not physically at least. Demons do love an innocent mind.” The snigger that followed made my skin crawl.

  “Is that the last one?” A bass-filled voice echoed from the cabin.

  I lifted my head as the Alpha of the Echo pack filled the doorway. I licked my lips and inhaled the sour scent of his disgust.

  “Yes,” Sol answered. “This is the last one, for tonight.”

  The Alpha took a step onto the porch. “So, we’re done. Nyx County belongs to the wolves.”

  The vampire nodded. “As long as you keep your end of the bargain. Twenty blood-bags a month and the land is yours.”

  The alpha made a sound of disgust. “And the Guardians, what about those?”

  “Are you telling me you believe a myth?” The undead’s voice rose an octave. He’s lying.

  “Yes, I believe the myth.” The Alpha snapped.

  “Fine. They’re weak and docile. They don’t care about this world anymore. It’s ours for the taking.”

  “But they still live?” The Alpha growled. “The dragons could voice their displeasure. This is their land.”

  “Displeasure? No one’s seen them. No one’s heard from them. They aren’t like us. They don’t care about survival. They’re as good as dead.”

  The Alpha barely made a sound as he strode toward the undead and held out his hand. “Then we’re good. Twenty a month, wolves and humans.”

  Palms smacked as the vampire muttered. “Yes.”

  The click of chains rang out in the night. The shackle snapped, feet scraped as the undead moved.

  The woman bucked and fought as one of the vampire brood lifted and swing her over his shoulder. “Let me go! Bella. Bella!”


  “Shut up.” Sol spat. “Be a good bitch and I might just keep little Bella for myself.”

  A breeze buffeted my face. Trees rustled to my right. I tracked the female shifter’s heart-beat through the brush and the trees as the undead left.

  “Leave us.” The Alpha ordered. Half of the wolves slunk into the trees. The others back tracked through the cabin. I caught a door open and close from the other side.

  Silence lingered before the Alpha spoke. “They’ll come with guns. They won’t like us taking their women and children.”

  “Mortals treat us like fucking animals and you care about what they like?”

  The sharp sting of anger filled the air like an electric hum.

  “I care about surviving, and so do the other alphas. If that means we live like fucking nomads and take care of our own, then that’s what we’ll do. We don’t need their houses. We don’t need their medicine. We don’t need anyone but our own species. I don’t like this arrangement you have with the vampires, or the one with the fucking demons. You’d better be careful when you lay with your enemies, Sol. They might just kill you in your sleep.”

  The hairs on my arms rose with the threat as the Alpha turned and strode back to the cabin. The slam of the door rocked the night.

  “And so should you, Roth… so should you.” Sol’s whispered threat filled my ears. His pale hair shone as he turned toward me. “Make it quick, Abrial. Make it brutal. Your sister’s waiting for you.”

  I followed the crunch of footsteps as the second-in command left. My stomach twisted, sickened by the lingering scent of blood and what I’d heard. The Echo pack was no different from the other super packs. They’d taken our mothers and our sisters for centuries. Selective breeding was how the lie was spun… but how many were handed to vampires? And how many to demons?

  I stared at the cabin as the light inside dimmed. I couldn’t move. I was stuck between the blackberry thorns and my own torment. Kill the Alpha and I get my sister, that’s the deal. But there was much more at stake here.

  A child’s cry echoed in the distance. I yanked my head to the left and inhaled, searching for a scent or a sound. Inside my head the scream mingled with another.

  Abrial. Abrial, don’t let them take me… Abrial. Abrial!

  Warm tears slipped down my cheek. The Echo pack stole from me. They stole my mother, my sister—they stole my innocence and they traded this all for fear. It’d been twenty long years since our paths had crossed.

  Your sister’s waiting for you.

  Thorns stuck to my shirt as I crawled from the bush. I gripped the trunk of the pine tree and pulled myself to stand. The sound of a door opened and closed, then the cabin fell silent.

  I gripped the small blade and took a step, leaving the brush and the trees behind.

  Twenty years was too long and I wanted my sister back.

  The study of the old mansion was overcrowded. Twelve Zodiac dragons and one withered old crone cramped the space. The dragons stared at the shaman edging toward them with a bone-handled dagger. They didn’t care about the blade… it was the woman who unnerved them more.

  The three fire signs, Aries, Leo and Sagittarius glowered and snarled, hissing weak threats. The air signs, Gemini, Libra and Aquarius flitted from one corner of the room to another, fiddling with their phones, watching… waiting. The water signs, Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces held stoic expressions, revealing nothing to the rest of their family. But the two other earth signs, Virgo and Capricorn stared at the eldest of our line… the Taurus who was once terrifying… me.

  The old woman’s visions had once started a war that lasted a century. I’d trusted her and defended her, then. Now she was here once more, asking for more than I had to give… asking me to feel, to live and not just exist….

  A tiny trickle of blood detoured from the flow, cresting the meat of my palm. The drip gathered substance, then fell toward the floor. Movement blurred as the old woman swung toward me. The precious drop hit the bone plate in her hands, then disappeared from view as she turned, mingling with the sharp scent of ash.

  The silence felt like forever. I could no longer wait. “Tell me.”

  The shaman’s knotted hair, speared with feathers and weighted with stones, swayed as she hunched forward. Her fingers snapped and slippery words I didn’t understand crawled across my skin.

  I dropped my gaze to the old woman’s bags on the floor. Tattered and worn, they suited their owner. “How did you know to come?”

  She straightened and swung those all-seeing eyes to me. “I’ve known for months now. But I’d hoped…”

  The echo of steps inside the room dragged me away from the shaman. I watched my sister march to the far wall and I felt that dull thud of my heart quicken. The sound of heels mingled with the drum inside my head. The beat before swallowed the next, until all I felt was the ache in between.

  I stayed in that moment—no—I lived in that moment. Never completing, never ending—just existing. We all did, all twelve of us.

  Movement drew my focus. The shaman cocked her head, listening to whispered words I couldn’t hear, seeing things I could never hope to see. But I felt those words. They ate at my soul like a bone-gnawing grind, and for almost three thousand years that ache had slowly consumed me.

  She’d hoped what?

  “You’re dying. Have been for some time now.”

  I flinched at the word. Dying.

  “You forget the meaning of immort—”

  A shake of the witch’s head stilled my tongue. She settled those soulless dark eyes on me and grasped the long tooth around her neck. “I forget nothing, dragon. It’s you who forgets. You forget who you are. You forget why you’re here.”

  Something flared inside my chest at the disappointment in her eyes. Her words cut like a knife. “Women and children are being sold to demons for sport, and now humans to vampires for blood farms. The Guardians used to protect the weak. You used to be terrifying, something to be feared—even in name alone. You used to be the mighty Bloodletter. Tell me Marcus, what happened?”

  Her words pierced the fog inside my mind. This world was fine. This world was safe. They had no need for the Bloodletter—not anymore. “We’re not needed… I’m not needed, anymore.”

  One step and she was on me, stabbing my chest with a crooked, yellowed nail. “Wrong. You’re always needed. All of you are always needed. You uphold the balance. You protect those who cannot protect themselves—and now when you’re needed most of all, you sit here hiding in your castle of stone and glass while the wolves invade your lands—lands that were a safe haven for those who needed them—lands you protected. Do you smell their blood, dragon? Do you hear their torment, or have you grown so distant and detached that nothing affects you now?”

  My mind raced, juggling pieces of the puzzle to fit any way I could. I lifted my gaze as the shaman turned to my sister, then to me again.

  Something passed between the two. Malice filled the air. The witch licked her creviced lips. Bright crimson blood coated her tongue before she broke my sister’s gaze and swallowed hard. Xael affected everyone like that—even me.

  Blackened teeth peeked behind bloody lips. “What you don’t use turns to stone. You’re the eldest, so your line starts and ends with you. You can either heed the warning, or ignore it and you all perish—either way, there’s a change upon us now. It’s all up to you, Marcus.”

  Crying, screaming. My brothers screamed for me. I closed my eyes, reliving the vision. Cold, frozen forever in stone…. Until the fire burns out.

  Had our fire finally burned out?

  “Marcus, let’s think about this for a minute. You don’t know any of this for sure, do you?” Isaiah stepped forward, raking blonde hair from his face. “Do you?”

  I caught the shaman’s flinch. “I see things, Lion. I’ve helped your family before.”

  “But, are you helping us now?” Lucas stopped beside Isaiah.

  The biggest of us all bought up the rear. Zadoc lowere
d his gaze. The bright study lights bounced off his smooth head. “Answer, witch.”

  The spark of tension erupted into flames as the old woman fell silent. The sight of her so small and fragile plucked a string inside me that sang.

  I raised my hand, calling those inside the room. “We all had the same vision. We all fell. Maybe the witch is right, maybe she’s wrong. All I know is that if she is right—if we’ve neglected our responsibilities, then we’re in serious trouble and a damn witch hunt isn’t going to help us. I know you have questions. I have questions, too.”

  She turned away. “No. Not tonight. I’ve travelled a long way and I need sleep—some of us haven’t neglected our responsibilities in the last few thousand years. You called, so my payment comes from you, Bloodletter. Bloodstone. Before dawn.”

  The old woman crouched and grasped the handles on her worn bag and waddled from the room, leaving a rattle of bones in her wake. I turned to my sister, finding a flicker in those spliced black eyes. Her white skin seemed to repel the glaring study lights.

  Alone, I forget what I am—even some of my brothers might pass for normal—but I never, ever forget what Xael is.

  She slung the heavy mass of ebony hair behind one shoulder with a jerk of her head and snarled. “You told me you weren’t concerned, and yet, I find you cavorting with the fallen.”

  I forced a smile and fiddled with my cufflinks. “I hardly think a glimpse into the future is cavorting, but whatever. Someone had to do something.”

  “Why?”

  I turned my head, staring out at the stars that sparkled through the glass wall and sniffed. “You know why.” I tried to quell the pounding of my heart. Don’t scare them, not yet. Not until I understand what’s changed. “Besides, the bodies are piling up. Soon, they’ll bring more than coyotes to our door.”

  She raised her hand. Her elegant fingers changed shape. Black scales replaced soft pink skin, manicured nails grew to razored talons. “Let them come. You think we care for humans?”