Unstoppable
A Pyte/Sentinel Novel
R.L. Mathewson
Rerum Carta Industries,inc.
Copyright © 2012 by R.L. Mathewson
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
For my Children.
A special thank you to Melissa Ryan Casey Leigh, Laura Rose, Anjonette Vandercook Zable, Naja S. Moore, and Ashley Gordon
Pytes live in a world where their immortality, strength, speed, and ability to withstand the sun should make them gods on earth. Instead, they are forced to live in fear. Their ability to create a stronger, more powerful army of vampires has Masters all over the world waging wars to find them and Sentinels determined to do whatever it takes to get to them first.
Even as they fight for their freedom, they know that one day they’ll have to choose a side…
Contents
Introduction
Unstoppable
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Epilogue
Bonus Material
Afterword
Also by R.L. Mathewson
About the Author
Introduction
Welcome to the next installment of the Pyte/Sentinel Series.
For those of you who haven’t read the series in a while and are in need of a refresher on the series, you can find all the information, character bios, and information about the different species in the Pyte/Sentinel Cheatsheet.
Unstoppable
1131 A.D.
York, England
He had to kill him, Kale told himself as he stood there, struggling to hold on to the large rock as his arms trembled and-
He couldn’t do it, Kale realized with disgust, throwing the rock aside with a heavy sigh before he sat down on the ground and leaned back against the cave wall while he considered the lad passed out across from him. He never should have helped him. At the very least, he should have questioned why Conn was after the lad before he agreed to hide him in the cave, but at the time, Kale had been more than willing to do whatever it took to get back at Conn.
But now…
Now, he didn’t know what he should do, Kale thought as he dropped his head back against the jagged rock wall as he took in the man that had barely been bigger than him a month ago and was now bigger than every male in his Pack. It hadn’t taken Kale long to realize that the lad wasn’t human and even less time to realize that whatever he was, that Conn was going to come looking for him during the next full moon. When he did, he was going to find Kale’s scent all over the cave.
Kale wasn’t afraid of Conn, but he was afraid of what Conn could do to his family. With his father dead, there wasn’t anyone to stop Conn from banishing his family from the Pack and Kale couldn’t let that happen. Not yet. He still needed the protection of the Pack, but once Kale reached his immortality, he was going to make Conn pay for what he did.
Until then, he had to find a way to protect his family, Kale thought even as he couldn’t help but wonder if he could make this work to his advantage. He’d saved the lad’s life, helped get him safely out of the village, and had watched over him to keep him safe. The lad owed him, Kale thought as he slowly exhaled, wondering if-
“Kale?” came the shout that had Kale closing his eyes on a resigned sigh as he grabbed the candle that he’d stolen earlier and got to his feet. As he headed back the way he came, he wondered why he didn’t lock her in the stables when he had the chance.
“Go home, lass,” Kale said when he spotted his little sister, personal tormentor, and favorite person in the world shifting nervously by the cave’s entrance a little while later, worrying her small fingers in the threadbare apron that she was forced to wear so that she could spend her days on her hands and knees scrubbing piss and garbage off an English prick’s floors.
The reminder of what their Pack had been reduced to in order to survive had Kale grinding his teeth together, more determined than ever to reach his immortality and take control of the Pack before the bastard got them all killed. They shouldn’t be here, but especially not Aine. She was barely six winters old, kind, sweet, and full of mischief. She deserved to run free on their lands, playing in their fields, and finding new ways to torment them all with her devious little smiles instead of scrubbing floors for a bowl of old oats and rotten vegetables, and a slice of stale bread, hoping for a scrap of meat, and he was going to make sure that she got it.
With that in mind, Kale turned around and with a firm nod, kept going, determined to make sure the lad helped him. He was done waiting for Conn to come up with a way to get their lands back and get them out of England. They didn’t belong here, never should have come here, and if his father had still been alive, they never would have been driven off their land and forced to flee in the first place.
“I want ta go with ya,” Aine mumbled sadly, making Kale stop with a heavy sigh.
“Go home, Aine,” Kale said more firmly as he glanced over his shoulder to find his sister worrying her bottom lip between her teeth as she stood there by the cave’s entrance with the saddest expression that he’d ever seen.
“But I want ta go with ya,” Aine mumbled, making sure to let her bottom lip tremble a bit there at the end.
“No,” Kale said even as he couldn’t help but chuckle. She was a devious little thing. Always had been and probably always would be. He pitied the poor bastard that found himself mated to her, Kale thought, knowing that he’d tear the bastard’s throat out if he ever made her cry.
Sniffle.
“That’s not going ta work on me,
” Kale pointed out, only to roll his eyes with a grin when she mumbled, “Yes, it is.”
He should take her home, but…
“Fine,” Kale grumbled as he turned around and started walking again.
“Conn’s looking fer ya,” Aine said as she caught up with him and wrapped her small hand around his.
“Don’t care,” Kale said absently as he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze that everything would be okay as he raised the candle higher so that they could navigate the cave’s tunnels.
“He seemed mad,” Aine said with a long-suffering sigh that had his lips twitching.
“He’s always mad,” Kale pointed out as he led her towards the tunnel that veered off to the left, past the tunnels where they stored their grain and kept going.
“He’s always mad at ya,” Aine amended.
“That’s because I don’t listen ta him,” Kale reminded her as he paused to look over his shoulder and make sure that no one was following them.
“He’s in charge,” she said with a helpless shrug.
“No, he’s not,” Kale said as he returned his focus back to where they were going since it was pointless to argue about this.
Conn wasn’t an Alpha and had no business trying to pretend that he was. He was barely a hundred winters old, was almost as small as their females when he shifted, and when he wasn’t…
They never should have listened to him.
“He thinks he is,” Aine pointed out with a sly smile that caught his eye.
Biting back a smile, Kale asked, “Did ya hear that, Aine?” as he made a show of stopping to look around them.
“Hear what?” Aine asked after a slight hesitation, making Kale bite back another smile as he went still and looked over his shoulder.
“Ya didn’t hear that?” Kale asked, frowning as he raised the candle higher as though he was trying to get a better look at something.
“The wind?” Aine asked, trying to sound brave, but he didn’t miss the hitch in her voice.
“We’re too far in fer the wind ta reach us, lass,” Kale said, sighing heavily with a sad shake of his head as though there was nothing to be done about it and continued forward.
“What was it?” Aine whispered as her grip tightened around his and she doubled her pace to keep up with him.
With a resigned sigh, Kale shook his head as he said, “I’m not sure ya really want ta know what that was, lass.”
“Why?” Aine whispered, swallowing hard as she glanced back over her shoulder.
“Do ya really want ta know what’s in here waiting fer ya?” Kale asked before sadly shaking his head with a murmured, “I don’t think it’s a good idea, lass.”
“Oh, come on, Kale! Tell me,” she said even as she reached over and grabbed hold of his tunic with her free hand and held on tightly as she moved closer to him.
“I don’t know…” Kale said, letting his words trail off even as he had to wonder if there was anything more enjoyable than tormenting his little sister.
“Come on, Kale! Ya tell me everything,” Aine reminded him in a harsh whisper before adding, “Please!” making him chuckle even as he had to admit that was true.
There was one thing that he hadn’t told her, but it was for her own good. That, and he didn’t want to share this secret. He always had to share everything, his food, his spot on the floor, his tunic if one of his younger siblings was cold, his spot by the fire, which was fine because one day he would be the Alpha of their Pack and it was his job to take care of everyone, but this secret was his.
As soon as he shared it, it wouldn’t be his secret anymore, which was why he hadn’t told anyone about the lad before. He probably should have told someone when he first came across the lad, but he’d promised not to say anything. He definitely should have said something when the lad started to change, but…
He’d been curious.
“Ya might want ta stay here, lass,” Kale said even as he couldn’t help but wonder when the lad was going to wake up.
It would be better if he woke up before the next full moon, Kale thought, still wondering what he was. He wasn’t a leech. He knew that much since the lad had been able to tolerate sunlight. Maybe he was also a shifter? Kale wondered only to immediately dismiss the idea since shifters didn’t fall into a deep sleep and change into a grown man in less than a month. That left demon, Kale realized, wondering what type the lad was.
Not that it mattered, Kale decided since none of the men left in the Pack were Alphas. They wouldn’t be strong enough to take down a demon in human form and during the full moon…
He’d worry about that when the time came, Kale decided with a firm nod because this could actually work, he realized as he headed down the tunnel that the villagers were afraid of. He would wait until the lad finally woke up, remind him of everything he did for him and ask for help protecting his Pack until he reached his immortality and could finally…could finally…
“What is that?” Aine asked in a terrified whisper as Kale found himself staring into a pair of bright red eyes and-
“Run,” Kale mumbled hollowly when the soft growl echoed throughout the cave as the lad that was finally awake spotted them.
“Kale?” Aine whispered, her small hand trembling in his as the soft light from their candle revealed two sharp fangs and-
“Run!”
Chapter 1
Manhattan, New York
Present Day
“Do you not care that I’m no longer speaking to you?” the man that she was using as a mattress demanded as he wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss against the top of her head as Charlie debated between starting another Harry Potter marathon or watching something that would probably give her nightmares.
“I do. I really do, but watching movies helps dull the pain,” Charlie murmured absently as she scrolled through the horror movie options on Amazon, only to end up turning her head so that she could glare at the man that plucked the remote out of her hand.
“I demand a do-over,” Devin said, making her frown as he tossed the remote aside.
“What are you talking about?” Charlie asked, unable to help but notice just how good he felt as she shifted to get more comfortable.
“I want another chance to make this right,” he said, pushing a loose strand of her hair back behind her ear.
“You’ve lost me,” Charlie said, frowning at the incredibly handsome man that she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about all day.
“Our first date,” Devin said softly as he wrapped his arm back around her.
“What about it?”
“I want a do-over.”
“But we’ve already moved on to the second date?” Charlie pointed out.
“We have?” Devin asked, looking adorably confused.
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Five minutes ago,” Charlie said with a sad shake of her head and a mumbled, “I’m really going to need you to keep up here.”
“Isn’t it a little too soon for a second date?”
“Who writes this garbage?” Ashley asked, shaking her head in wonder as she turned the well-worn book over in her hands and looked for the name of the author responsible for writing something this bad.
R.L. Mathewson.
Mrs. Marshall really needed to set standards for the books that she accepted for donation, Ashley thought as she turned the book back over and continued reading. With a wistful sigh, she turned the page and leaned back against the metal bookshelf to get more comfortable while she read this horrible book that she fully planned on putting down soon.
“It’s never too soon for a second date,” Charlie said, only to ask, “How long has it been since you went on a date?”
“A little over seven years,” Devin admitted with a rueful smile.
“That explains it,” she said with a sympathetic wince.
“That explains what?”
Sighing sadly, Charlie said, “Things have changed
.”
“Have they?” Devin murmured as he ran his hands over her back.
“They really have,” she promised him.
“Then I guess you’re going to have to catch me up,” Devin said as one of his hands snaked beneath her shirt and ran over her back.
“I suppose I could do that,” Charlie said, placing her hands on the armrest so that she was leaning over him.
“What am I supposed to do now?” Devin asked, looking up at her as his other hand found its way beneath her shirt.
“You’re supposed to kiss me.”
“Is that what I’m supposed to do?” he murmured as his gaze moved to her mouth.
“According to the new guidelines,” Charlie said, leaning down closer as the blanket slid down her back to pool around her waist.