Dahlia: A Novel of Dark Desire Read online

  Dahlia: A Novel of Dark Desire

  By Viola Calvary

  Author's Note

  Thank you so much for supporting me as an indie author. My readers are truly the life's breath of my art and make its continuation possible.

  Your feedback and messages of encouragement are always heard and always appreciated. Please reach out to me with thoughts and honest reviews on Amazon, GoodReads, or email.

  Best wishes,

  Viola Calvary

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty One

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Chapter Twenty Three

  Chapter Twenty Four

  Chapter Twenty Five

  Chapter Twenty Six

  Chapter Twenty Seven

  Chapter Twenty Eight

  Chapter Twenty Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty One

  Chapter Thirty Two

  Chapter Thirty Three

  Chapter Thirty Four

  Chapter Thirty Five

  Chapter Thirty Six

  Chapter Thirty Seven

  Chapter Thirty Eight

  Chapter Thirty Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty One

  Chapter Forty Two

  Chapter Forty Three

  Chapter Forty Four

  Chapter Forty Five

  Chapter Forty Six

  Chapter Forty Seven

  Chapter Forty Eight

  Chapter Forty Nine

  Epilogue

  Prologue

  He could feel his palms trembling slightly as his ears strained to pick out noises in the dark. There weren’t supposed to be any guards here tonight. So where were the soft steps coming from? He felt his heart race, beating against the worn journal in his jacket. He couldn’t be caught. Not here, not with this. There would be too many questions that would reveal him as an outsider.

  He turned a corner and froze. Two guards stood before him, their backs were turned but they couldn’t help but notice him now. Panicked he moved, fast as a snake, drawing his sword. He clapped his hand over the first man’s mouth and slit his throat. Blood sprayed out into the night. Before the dead guard had time to drop, he had turn to the other guard and run him through as well, slamming the man’s head into the wall and muffling the shout. He felt the guard’s blood soaking his jacket as the man’s life expired. Leaving both bodies on the ground he fled into the night, praying he wouldn’t encounter another. His master would have preferred the retrieval of the journal to be discreet but it hardly mattered. Soon enough they would start to see the plan unfolding. Their arrogance would leave them blinded to its end though. They’d look outside their walls when the true threat lay within. His master would take the tools he needed, take the demon masquerading as a woman, and use them to destroy everyone within the walls.

  Chapter One

  Dahlia arched her back and moaned in anticipation as the man beneath her pressed his hips up, stroking deep into her. Powerful, wild, like the tiger his wealth of tribal tattoos invoked. They curled around his arms, thighs, and neck. She’d already come once and was looking for another climax. She placed her hands on either side of his head. His shockingly cardinal red hair spilled between her fingers. Her sheer robe fell to cover their intertwined bodies. Her shift forward gave him a new angle to thrust even deeper and she could feel his cock straining as he pushed against her with every stroke. A deep rumble sounded in his chest as her breath caught and she felt him release and pump into her.

  She chuckled as he shifted under her. “Why Lieutenant! I heard you just yesterday bragging to your second about your stamina. But if you need to, by all means take a break before we continue.”

  The door to the room burst open and a young man rushed in. Seeing the scene on the bed he stopped cold, blushed, looked down, and stammered, “C-c-captain DeMorra, urgent message…”

  Dahlia looked at the young member of her barrack and put on a mockingly serious face, “Nel, wait outside for me.”

  Blushing and stumbling over his feet, the soldier frantically backed out of the room and closed the door.

  Lieutenant Traedon grabbed her leg and rolled over so he was on top of her. He pressed his fingers into her, stroking her until he was rock hard again, then slid into her. Dahlia hooked her legs over his hips and rocked against him, feeling the tension in her body building as he moved inside her. She let out a moan of pleasure and raked her nails lightly down his chest.

  She pushed her thighs hard against him, encouraging him to take her harder. He complied and she felt him sinking deep into her with every thrust.

  She arched her back and dug her fingers into his shoulders as the ecstasy of an orgasm ran through her body. Her lips parted and he pressed his mouth to hers as she rode the waves of pleasure that washed over her. She felt it as Traedon came again and she played her fingers over his tattoos for a moment before playfully pushing him off her. He rolled out of bed and set about locating his clothes.

  Dahlia pulled her simple linen wrap under her robe and around her willowy frame, tying the belt at the waist. She tied the front of her robe loosely closed and turned as Traedon placed his hands on her arms.

  He drew her close, “You’ll come back?”

  Dahlia smiled and pressed her lips against his as she ran a hand through his hair. “Mmmmm...I’ll come back. Not tomorrow though, don’t wait up.”

  Satisfied, he let her go. She ran a hand appreciatively down his arm then turned and walked out to meet the young soldier standing outside the door.

  Nel had managed to compose himself and mask his discomfort. Poor boy. However carefully he schooled his face she could feel the uncertainty coming off him in waves. Officers weren’t supposed to have relationships with other soldiers but it wasn’t uncommon and was almost always overlooked. She imagined he was trying to figure out whether he should apologize or pretend nothing had happened. Oh well, the sooner he got over all the rigidity and strict discipline of training the better off he’d be. Especially with her. She hadn’t exactly been promoted based on her discipline and strict adherence to norms.

  She smiled warmly, “Ok Nel, you have my attention, what’s the message?”

  Nel met her eyes uncomfortably. “Captain Mazaran has called for your immediate presence.”

  She eyed him curiously, “That’s all? Nothing more?”

  “Yes, Captain.”

  “Alright then, our barrack is on the way, I’ll walk back with you.”

  Dahlia set off down the dimly lit path. She’d walked this way so many times that she required nothing but starlight to go by. She heard Nel stumble behind her and slowed down to match his unsure steps.

  They walked in silence, the noises of the summer night soft and soothing. She noticed Nel preferred to walk slightly behind her. Another habit he must have picked up in training. She hoped he’d drop it soon, it was like having a puppy dog. She tried to think of something to say to make him feel more comfortable but nothing came to her so she let the silence persist. She’d never been great at putting people at ease anywa
ys, quite the opposite actually. Whatever she said he’d probably just feel more awkward. She decided to simply let it go.

  They left the area assigned to Barrack Eleven when she heard another set of footsteps.

  “Captain DeMorra, are you on your way to Captain Mazaran’s summons as well?”

  Dahlia turned on the ball of her foot to face the voice. A tall, tanned man watched her. His pale silver eyes held a light even in the soft starlight. He gave off a subtle feel of confidence and dominance in the way he held himself.

  “Good evening, Captain Horan. Yes, once I’ve seen my man back to his post.”

  “Surely he can continue without you, I’ve heard the summons are rather urgent. Come, walk with me.”

  Dahlia smiled pleasantly, “A new recruit, I’ll see him back.” She didn’t appreciate the implied order. She was the newest captain on the force but that didn’t give anyone but Mazaran authority over her.

  Something flickered over the man’s face. Dahlia felt mental echos coming from him. Either he was sloppy or purposely letting his emotions spill out, trying to intimidate her. She fixed her smile firmly and didn’t react. This wasn’t a good situation.

  Horan moved quickly, faster than any normal man, and entered her space. His face was only inches from hers. She held her ground and refused to be cowed by such a blatant display.

  He brought his hand to her jawline and, in a low purr so only she could hear said, “You should be careful, Dahlia, walking in the moonlight half undressed makes you look so vulnerable. Wouldn’t want anything to happen to you.”

  Still smiling, Dahlia brought her own arm up and struck his down with the blade of her forearm. She held his gaze. “Nakedness only makes you vulnerable if you have vulnerabilities. A captain should rip them out by their roots.”

  Horan pulled back, sneering at her. “I know where you’ve been. You’re wasting your time.” Aggression radiated off of him.

  “Is that so? I don’t see how it’s any business of yours.”

  “I want you, Dahlia.” His breath rasped in his throat, she could feel his desire like a physical heat. Not for her. No, what he wanted was dominance over this new, female captain.

  Dahlia made no outward movement but suddenly Horan took an involuntary step back and his face twisted.

  Dahlia spun back to face Nel, taking advantage of Horan’s distraction as he fought against the emotions she’d pushed up and the natural revulsion she’d made him feel.

  “Come, Nel,” she said calmly.

  They walked off, leaving Horan to replace the smirk on his face and stride off. Jackass.

  As she heard the sound of his footsteps fading, Dahlia closed her eyes and replaced the wall surrounding her mind. She’d been careless just now. A side effect of her abilities was an amplification of her emotions that resonated and increased the responses in people around her. Normally she kept it under tight control but she’d been riding a natural high and had let her guard slip just a little. Coming from her lover, she’d been feeling sensual, aroused, desirable. It wasn’t unusual for people to react to her amplified emotions, but she didn’t force them to react in an unnatural way. The most Horan should have done was made a subtle pass at her. That he’d reacted so aggressively meant he’d been predisposed to behave like that towards her. That was unsettling.

  Worse, Horan was a senior captain with alliances and history with the other nineteen captains who would be more likely to believe whatever lie he told. If that had turned into a real confrontation it could have been very nasty for her whether she won or lost. She’d taken the only option she’d had. She’d fully released her ability to project--in this case disgust and anger--and forced him to respond to that. Since the extent of her abilities had been kept quiet she had been able to catch him off guard long enough to extract herself from the situation.

  She glanced back at Nel. Interesting that he hadn’t reacted to her. Even if he didn’t harbor any amorous feelings towards her she would have expected him to respond as well and come to her defense reflexively. Instead he’d held his position and let her handle it. She wondered…

  She reached out to touch the edge of his psyche. She felt the tinge of awkwardness still lingering from the earlier encounter and now enhanced after watching another captain behave like a lout towards her. She pushed as lightly as she could to see if she’d get a reaction.

  Nothing. She didn’t feel any increase in the emotion. Fascinating. She made a note to start him training in mental defense and explore the area. He seemed to have a talent for resisting manipulation. That could serve him well.

  They arrived at his post where the other members of his watch stood. Genji, her third ranked officer and Nel’s assigned mentor, was among the group. A smile slid onto his face as he sized her up along with Nel’s discomfort. Genji was used to her by now and had likely been the one to guess where she was. It would be like him to send the new member to deliver the message, anticipating Nel’s blunder in not knocking and the resulting episode. She mentally shook her head. That man had a bizarre sense of humor.

  She looked at Nel. “You’re fine. You’ll find that our barrack is nothing like training and it’ll take a bit to adjust.”

  She could feel Genji holding back a laugh. Satisfied she’d at least tried to make Nel feel better she ignored Genji and walked off to meet the summons. The night was fine and she enjoyed the feel of the cool summer air on her skin while she had the chance. Anything Mazaran had called an immediate meeting for was sure to disrupt the peace around the barracks that she’d been enjoying until tonight.

  Chapter Two

  She entered the captain’s meeting hall to find it already full. A dozen of the twenty-one captains were already present, some in similar states of casual dress. A number of them must have been pulled out of bed. She saw Traedon’s captain standing off to the side and gave him a nod. As she approached him he returned her greeting.

  “Captain Borreal,” she said, “I see you received a request as well.”

  The shorter man nodded, “It seems we all did and are merely waiting for the captains who took longer to rouse themselves.”

  “Any idea what this is about?”

  “None.”

  One by one the rest of the captains trickled in. The late comers looking like they’d taken the time to put themselves together. She couldn’t fault them for it. After all, she’d taken time to finish her affair and walk her barrack member back to his post.

  Once they were all present an older-looking man with short, steel grey hair stepped to a raised platform at the back of the room: Captain Mazaran. The captains fell silent as he began to speak.

  “We have an urgent and potentially dangerous matter on our hands. I sent a summons as quietly as possible and downplayed the urgency because I did not want to arouse undue interest. We have found two guards slain at their post by the research library. They were not guarding the development center and the guards in that area report hearing nothing. While there is nothing but research information the intruder could have stolen the implication is not good.”

  “The area is so low risk the fact that we placed two guards there was not well known, even internally. This was a coincidence, one of the guards was being trained. Since no other guards encountered an intruder nor any sign of one we have to fear the worst: that the killer came from within our own ranks, mapped out a path to avoid the areas well-known to be guarded, and was surprised to find these two.”

  “Select members of research have been alerted and are conducting an inventory to see what has been disturbed or taken. This event is to remain quiet. We do not need a panic looking for infiltrators. Please inform your lieutenants and no one else. Does anyone have information that may relate to this?”

  The captains looked grim. An infiltration could mean traitors in the midst of their barracks. An unpleasant prospect all around.

  A woman with short hair and a scarred face stepped forward, “Captain Mazaran, may I ask how these men were killed? And di
d no one hear them raise an alarm?”

  “Both good questions, Captain Lenoi. One had his throat slashed from behind, the other was run through from the side. Given that he did not have time to turn and face his attacker we can assume the attacker was exceptionally fast. I do not think this rules anyone out however, a member of our barracks could be concealing their abilities.”

  Lenoi stepped back and another captain stepped forward, a dark young man with vibrant blue eyes. “Captain Mazaran, may I ask when the bodies were found and if we know when they were killed?”

  Captain Mazaran nodded and addressed the young captain, “Captain Jenue. They were found roughly forty minutes ago at twelve fifteen this morning. Dr. Allan is examining them now. I will inform you all as soon as we know the results of his investigation.”

  Captain Horan stepped forward. Dahlia masked her impulse to twist her face in disgust. “Captain Mazaran,” he asked, “may I ask what our next actions will be?”

  “Captain Horan, I will inform you all when the investigation of the bodies and the investigation of the research library are complete and what we’ve found. I will call on you as needed to assist the efforts to find the infiltrator. Captain Borreal will command the investigation.” Beside her, Borreal shifted slightly. Likely a surprise to him then, though not unexpected. Borreal was well respected among the force and recognized as being extremely intelligent and thorough with anything he did. She’d actually been assigned to his barrack as a new soldier, in part because she had been such a wild card.

  Captain Mazaran continued, “All of you should remain alert and report anything worth a second look to him. I ask that you not draw attention to it by investigating anything yourselves.” Captain Horan nodded and withdrew.

  An enormous man, heavily muscled and scarred, wearing linen sleep pants and an open shirt stepped forward. All eyes were drawn to him. Captain Ravin of Barrack Nine, the combat specialists. He would have been handsome save for a long scar that marred his face. It ran from his forehead through his left eye and down to his jaw, giving him a savage look that matched his reputation.