Death eBook 9.8.16 (11 page)

“Falcone, or famine, is just that. He was made to balance the population to resources. A necessary evil and a job he has always loathed. The mortals have caused so much damage and pollution in the last few decades that he no longer has to be the cause.”

“I get to work toward prevention now,” Falcone put in proudly.

“That leaves Kayne, who was to be a form of renewal. Like composting, he was to break down the waste of the world and turn it into new growth.”

“Mother Nature,” Connor supplied, which I assumed was a very, very long-running joke.

Warren glared at his brother and then turned back to me and continued with, “But the gift turned on him, eating away his mind and then his body. His gift not being used is why global warming and other pollution-type matters are going to shit.”

It was Dean who squeezed my hand and delivered the final blow that would obliterate my safety mode, as he said, “The dementor thing from the train, it was Kayne.”

My mouth opened and closed, and opened again to blurt, “You’re the legendary Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.” The horror of everything clicked into place. Yep, I had entered full meltdown mode, even as my heart went crazy. I closed my eyes tightly and thought of that morning. I took a deep breath thinking about Dean and how amazing he’d been. Then as I exhaled, I listened to my gut and heart. They were telling me I was safe with those four men.

I opened my eyes and looked directly into Dean’s brown ones. Dang, he had drop-dead gorgeous
everything
. I gave his hand a reassuring squeeze back that time, and with a small smile, I turned my attention back to Warren. “All right, boss, hit me with the rest. It can’t be worse than the sound of the second shoe dropping.”

Wow, Warren was looking at me with an expression I’d only ever received from Fallon and once from Dean. When I’d asked Fallon what it was that first time, she told me it was pride; she’d been proud of me… and then she’d said my mother was a cunt because I should have seen pride all my life.

“No, Julie. That was the worst of it. The rest is just how Kayne became how he is today. I promise nothing more ‘mind-blowing.’ You have my word.”

Aw, how cute
. Big, badass Warren actually did air quotes as he said mind-blowing. Warren being adorable, who would have thought.

“Once we were born, grown, and well versed in our history and skills, the population had dropped to only a few tens of thousands. We helped relocate everyone and self-destructed the island and all trace of it. A group of Navah scholars built and maintained an enormous library to preserve the world’s history for our future reference, The Library of Alexandria. It was around 360 BC, as the last of our forefathers were dying off, when that shithead Plato met Kayne. We didn’t know it at the time, but Kayne’s mind was starting to deteriorate. Plato used this to gain his trust and access to the library. After the breach, the entire library was moved to a new and secure location. Kayne was put on watch as he became more unstable. In 1347, Kayne sensed our resolve to do something about him through the bond we all share. He had started what would be called the Bubonic Plague, but at the time we knew it as Kayne’s Touch. You saw the accelerated version on that train. At the time, it was to keep us busy while he formed a devoted cult of followers. After displaying his ability to both inflict and heal, they saw him as their god and became the Order of Decay.”

“What the heck? The Order of Decay? But I’ve heard of them. They’re like the Knights Templar or something, right?” Confusion swam in my already overworked brain. “They’re to do with you guys, you know, horsemen?”

“Not us exactly, but Kayne yes,” Dean said.

My brow arched. “But how would I and, you know, everyday people not know the link between the Order and the horsemen?”

Dean’s grin seemed pained. “Just like we erased memory of Kayne, we worked at ensuring there was no link between the Order and us. We had no hope of keeping the cult a secret, even though we tried. Lots of members we weren’t even aware of.” He sighed. “Are you really surprised that in the world we live in, even 600 years ago men craved power? It’s always been this way. They saw Decay, his power, his ability to overthrow the world in many ways, as their opportunity to achieve what they wanted. Greed”—his face became fierce—“is a terrifying desire. Not even we have the power to wipe that out.”

He looked at his brothers, who all seemed sad, and then added, “We captured Kayne five years later and entombed him in a location only known to the men in this room. We then moved to wipe all written history, and he was eventually forgotten.”

They all looked at me expectantly. My thumb and finger pinched my bottom lip before I mumbled, “Uhh… hmmm… yeah, I got nothing.” I shrugged. “Give me a moment to process?” I guessed the fact I didn’t run out of the room screaming was good, because they all, even Warren, smiled and waited as I gathered my thoughts. “So.” I cleared my throat. “Just to clarify, you all are four of the
five
horsemen of the Navah, who have been genetically altered to an advanced state so you may manipulate world events, thus preventing the apocalypse?”

“
Ding, ding, ding, ding.
Give the girl a prize! She got it in one.” Connor triumphed with a fist pump in the air.

I licked my lips, trying to get up the guts to ask something I was dying to know and afraid of the answer. “So, Hitler?”

Warren groaned. “He was one of the descendants of Kayne’s original sect of followers.”

My eyes widened in surprise. The determination of an order to survive centuries had the ability to unravel my already mushy brain. The Order, it seemed, were into some serious poop and had taken their allegiance to Decay a tad too seriously. I swallowed nervously as I continued to listen.

“He was quite brilliant and devious. He rose through the ranks quickly and was not only the leader of the Nazi party but also the Order of Decay. It wasn’t until the war was well over that we figured out the war had actually been a decoy in order to search for Kayne undetected. We had thought we stopped them, but it looks like they were just biding their time.” I could read the disappointment dripping off every word of Warren’s last sentence. He blamed himself for dropping the ball in 1940, and for Kayne’s resulting release, that much was clear.

Connor, never missing an opportunity to gloat, and I suspect wanting to distract Warren, which showed that Connor was actually turning out to be quite a softy when he thought no one was looking, said, “All the great depressions were my doing, but I think the Great Depression of 1929 was my favorite. The superpower nations left from World War II were getting a little big for their britches after such a huge win. After a few years of glory, they needed to be knocked down a few pegs. Well, except the Soviet Union… err, I mean the Russian Federation. Those poor bastards have been circling the bowl since the eighties.” Connor ended his boasting with a sigh.

“All of this leads us to now, and now you know the true reason why we had you move to HQ,” Falcone, who had looked lost in memories through most of their history lesson, concluded.

Taking another, much needed deep breath, I asked what I thought would be my final question, “Is that all? Nothing else to rock my delicate world?”

“Well, yes, except for the whole you’re-Dean’s-mate-and-are-about-to-become-immortal thing. But that can wait till tomorrow. You look like you need a nap,” Connor informed me.

“WHAT?” I was mistaken. I had more questions. Many, many more.

Chapter Nine

DEAN

I watched as shock flashed and stayed on Julie’s face. While my stomach prepared to barf up my delicious breakfast, worry seeped into my mind. What if she wouldn’t accept me as her mate? Fuck, what would happen if she’d prefer one of my brothers? I’d have to kill them.

Suddenly, her shock subsided, and Julie burst out into a fit of laughter. Her body shot forward and her arms wrapped around her middle as she held her stomach while her body shook from laughing so hard.

“Oh, oh.” She breathed out on a giggle. “You guys are too funny.”

Warren cleared his throat. “It’s not a joke, Julie.”

“Yeah, oookay.” She smiled and rolled her eyes. I watched as all my brothers, at the same time, winced.

Ouch wasn’t the right word for that situation. My stomach dropped to my feet and my heart plummeted to where my stomach should have been.

Maybe she hadn’t felt what I had that morning.

The connection.

The heat.

The bond.

Shit.

Closing my eyes, I pinched the bridge of my nose and tried to compose myself before I cried like a virgin taking a huge cock. The room fell silent. I opened my eyes to see Julie looking at me.

“You… me?” she whispered.

Running a hand through my hair, I looked to my brothers and asked, “Can you give us a moment?”

They all stood and started for the door.
c
Of course, Connor couldn’t leave quietly and suggested, “Maybe do her again and then she’ll get it.”

“Jesus,” Warren gritted out, and I heard his hand connecting with Connor’s head.

Groaning in discomfort, my eyes went to the ceiling and stayed there until I heard the door click closed. Then, I stood from my seat and walked over to the coffee station in the corner. I took the time to make us a coffee while thinking of the best way to approach the subject.

Taking the coffees, I placed Julie’s in front of her. She took it in both hands and offered me a smile. “So,” she started. “This isn’t really true, right?” I grimaced. “Dean,” she whispered. Regret filled her tone and her sad eyes told me she felt sorry for laughing and what she’d said.

“Is it so hard to believe after what happened this morning?” I asked and then sipped my coffee. Even though I wanted to hold her, reach out to her while we talked about us being mated, I didn’t. She already thought it a joke and my pride was stung by it,
especially
after the morning we’d had.

She bit her bottom lip and her eyes warmed when she said, “It was amazing.” Luckily, she wasn’t holding her coffee when she threw her hands up in the air and groaned. “Look, I don’t know what to think. I just learned you and your brothers are the four horsemen of the apocalypse,
and
the fact there’s a secret fifth brother, who’s crazy and hell-bent on taking you lot down, it seems.” She sighed raggedly. “I know I feel something between us and it’s intense in a sweet way, but my mind is a little messed-up right now, so please forgive me if I’ve found out there is yet another puzzle piece to fit in. A puzzle piece that says I’m your mate, whatever that means, but then Connor just blew my mind extra wide when he said I was immortal. What. Does. That. Mean? I swear, if this is some kind of joke, I will fry all your balls in a pan and dish them up for you all to eat.” She stood and started pacing the floor. I kind of wanted to place my hand over my balls right then. Instead, I gave her time to mumble to herself, which was what she was doing, because she was right. The information we’d shared was a lot to take in. At least she’d admitted there was something between us. A sweet something. My mouth tugged up in a smile. I hadn’t lost her just yet, at least I hoped.

So while she paced, I watched my mate’s gorgeous frame move back and forth and hoped to Christ she’d come to accept me as her other half.

What had happened in the kitchen wasn’t something I’d give up willingly.

Centuries we’d known of the prophecy of our fated mates. And centuries we didn’t believe it.

Our mates were told to be our saviors. Not only from loneliness but from ourselves. Only, we never understood why they hadn’t appeared many years before, and finally I knew; it was because they hadn’t been born yet. Weren’t needed yet, but with the release of Kayne… I guessed it meant we would each need something or someone more to help us through the coming fight.

Our mates would bring much happiness into our lives, and would birth the next destined horsemen. The burden we carried would never be one I’d want to pass on to our child, but if they had their own mate to find, like I had, then it would be something to look forward to. Something to cherish, like I would my jewel. Even though she would deliver the future horseman Death, our lives would still continue on, and I found myself looking forward to each decade with her.

It was strange in a way that our mates were born just for us. Everything she was appealed to me. Her body, her face, her expressions, her hair; it made me wonder if she felt the same for me.

Jesus. Did she? Would she?

Taking a sip of my coffee, I realized it was cold and bitter. My stomach was in knots and my chest hurt, so I rubbed it with my palm.

“Dean?” Julie asked, though she sounded far off.

“Hmm,” I grunted, still rubbing my chest. My leg started bouncing up and down. Could she be happy with only me forever?

There wasn’t a doubt I would be happy with her.

She ran through my veins. She ran through my heart and soul.

She was it.

My one.

My mate.

“Dean, you need to breathe.” Julie’s voice sounded panicked.

Searching for her, I discovered her kneeling in front of me. How hadn’t I noticed that? Her brows dipped low in concern.

Taking in a big gulp of air, I asked, “What’s wrong?” Beside the fact I was being a pussy having a panic attack over my mate. If she would accept me as her mate or not. The thought of losing her crushed my senses. Not that I would tell her what had happened. I was a huge manly man after all. There was no way in hell I’d tell a soul unless I was about to kill them, because if my brothers found out I’d turned into a sniveling twat, they’d give me shit each and every day.

She slumped back on her calves and sighed deeply, shaking her head. “You made me worry.”

My head jerked back, faking surprise. “How?”

She bit her bottom lip and shrugged. “Never mind.”

My whole body sagged with relief. She’d fallen for it, at least I thought she had. Julie stood and took the seat next to me once again.

“So,” she started, and then gave me a small smile. “This is all for real, right?”