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  Warrior

  Rose Wynters

  The Endurers: Book One

  Copyright Notice:

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, and events listed in this book are products of the author's imagination or used fictitiously.

  Warrior

  © 2019 Rose Wynters

  All Rights Reserved

  Re-released 5/8/2020

  Originally published as Rubenesque Rapture

  © 2013 Rose Wynters

  All Rights Reserved

  No parts of this book may be used, duplicated, copied, or reproduced without written permission from the author, with the exception of small quotations used in reviews or articles.

  This book is provided by the author for your private viewing only. Sharing publicly is prohibited.

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  http://www.rosewyntersbooks.com

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Foreword

  First Prologue

  Second Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Epilogue

  Foreword

  THIS BOOK WAS ORIGINALLY published as Rubenesque Rapture. It has been updated and rewritten with additional characters not included in the original book. Although it has a new title, the series' name and position remains the same.

  There are a total of four novels in this series. The remaining books will be released throughout 2020 and possibly 2021, all rewritten and with new titles. To get more information on the release dates, visit my website at: http://www.rosewyntersbooks.com

  First Prologue

  MANY, MANY, MANY YEARS ago...

  Four angels hovered over what could only be described as a mortals' paradise.

  Below them, the earth was lush and green. The water from the streams was clear and clean, and in the distance, they could hear the peaceful sounds of a waterfall. Animals of all kinds grazed on the grass. Trees were filled with fruit, so much so the branches bent from their heavy load.

  The sun was bright and shining. In its rays, a man and a woman talked and laughed in the grass next to a stream. For all intents and purposes, the two appeared to be content. They had everything they needed, including each other. Their lives were easy. There were no demands on their time or even their energy. Everything was provided to them. All they had to do was love one another and be happy.

  “It's beautiful, isn't it?”

  The voice came from a big ball of light. There was no face and no body.

  The four turned.

  “Father, why have you called us here?” a dark-haired man asked as he stared at the light, unflinching.

  “I have something to show you, Arch.” the faceless voice replied. “I have something to show all of you. Just watch.”

  The woman stood up and walked away from the man who had dozed off. She was beautiful, with long dark hair and brown eyes. Her body was perfectly formed, from the size and shape of her face all the way down to her feet.

  As she walked along the banks of a stream, she looked bored. She stopped to smell some flowers, and then she picked up a stone to skip along the water. After it sank, the woman stared at the water for a moment or two, a distant expression on her face.

  With a sigh, she turned and slowly worked her way to a grove of trees. In the middle, a tree stood to itself. It was bigger than the ones around it, and it fairly sparkled in the sunshine. A snake lowered its head from a branch.

  “This is the beginning of the end,” the voice from the light thundered to the angels. He didn't fear discovery. Humans couldn't hear him. Not unless he wanted them to. “This is the moment where it all changes. Watch closely.”

  The woman came upon the snake and stared at it as if she were transfixed. The snake changed form, taking on the appearance of a man almost too beautiful to look at. His lips moved, uttering forbidden knowledge and tantalizing promises, as he offered her a juicy red apple from the sparkling tree.

  She accepted it, her eyes never leaving his as she took a bite. Then she took a second one, as things she was never meant to know, think, or even feel flooded her mind. Their eyes met and held, as she stared at him in amazement.

  He took her into his arms. The apple fell to the ground, forgotten for the time being. He penetrated her, their dark passion wild and frenzied. The woman had discovered evil, and it was addictive to her.

  After their passion was spent, more words were exchanged. She cried and even pleaded to stay with the man, but his mission was complete. What he'd started out to do was done. His smile was as cold as his eyes, when he instructed her to return to her mate and to share everything she'd learned.

  With tears streaming down her face and his seed chilling on her thighs, she picked two apples from the tree. Reluctantly she left, appearing years older than she had before. The life she'd known was over. Nothing would ever be the same for her again.

  She returned to the sleeping man she'd left behind. Waking him, she offered him an apple. He bit into it, his eyes widening.

  Back in the grove of trees, the other man laughed. He laughed and laughed, a victorious expression on his face. Altering the fate of humanity had been easier than he'd expected. He shifted back into snake form and quickly slithered away. His work there was done, at least for the time being.

  “I'll go after Lucifer,” one of the four said, breaking the silence. He pulled his sword out of its scabbard as he prepared to give chase.

  “It's too late, Germael. What's done is done.”

  Germael looked appalled, but he didn't argue. Instead, he asked, “What's next, Father? How may I serve you?”

  A heavy voice replied, “What you just saw changes everything for mankind. A doorway was willfully opened, my commandments defied. It has set into motion a chain of events that will last thousands upon thousands of years. Mortals will have to coexist with immortals. Good will have to survive evil.”

  The four exchanged uneasy looks.

  “There are only two here now. However, the day is coming where this world will be filled with people. The planet will be bursting, not only with humans but Lucifer's minions as well. Lucifer will use my humans as his own personal playthings. As the population increases, so will the demons who will walk among them. Let me give you a glimpse of the future, so you will know what's to come.”

  All four angels suddenly paled, as knowledge filled them.

  An angel named Onafiel gasped and managed to choke out, “You want us to live among the mortals?”

  At the same time, another angel named Zakum asked, “You want us to be mortal?” He looked sick at the possibility.

  Germael dropped his sword and fell to his knees, an expression of awe on his face.

  Arch crossed his arms and remained silent, his eyebrows drawing together, his expression revealing nothing of his thoughts.

  “Just as I created Adam and Eve to be stewards over animals, you're to become stewards of men. Your duties are changing.” He paused long enough to give his words time to sink in, then continued, “They're changing, but not as you think. I'm dividing this world into four sections, and each one of you will be responsible for protecting the humans under your guardianship. For now, that will be easy. But someday, it will be impossible for you to maintain your regions by yourselves. There will be too many people, and there will be too much evil. With time, though, I'm going to gift you with helpmates.”

  Onafiel inhaled sharply, an expression of
horror on his preternatural face when he interrupted to ask, “You want us to marry? You want us to take on one like Eve?”

  “No,” He replied, in a dry tone of voice. “Having mates is not meant for your kind.”

  While they were talking, Germael had stood. He picked up his sword and returned it to his scabbard and asked, “If not that, then what, Father? More angels?”

  “As I said before, you'll be stewards of men. This will include immortal men that you will guide and watch over, while they help you to protect the human race. They won't come to you all at once, though. Instead, they will come to you when the time is right. When they are needed the most.”

  The ball of light began to recede. “We'll talk again once I have made my plans. For now, though, I've got two mortals to attend to.”

  He disappeared into the sky.

  As the four watched, the sun darkened. The mountains shifted, as the landscape rearranged itself, and the heart of paradise—the garden—disappeared from sight. The trees began to wither—what was once lush turned brown and brittle. The animals ran away.

  The beauty they'd once been surrounded with was gone, replaced by a barren landscape.

  Second Prologue

  A REMOTE CABIN IN ALASKA...

  Present day

  The door slammed with a resounding thud after Anna walked into the log cabin she had lived in with her mother, Iris. She turned and locked the four locks on the heavy wooden door before throwing her purse down and entering the small, but comfortable, living room. The house felt lonely and empty without Iris. It was impossible to believe she was truly gone.

  Anna had left a lamp on before the funeral so she wouldn’t have to return to a dark, empty place. Ever since the nightmare of events five years before, she'd made sure to never be alone in the dark. The illumination gave the room a gentle glow as she sank down on the worn couch, tears streaming down her pale cheeks.

  Only four days before, her mother had sat on the same couch, watching a Christmas show as she waved goodbye to her only daughter. Anna was taking one of her rare excursions into town to do some last-minute Christmas shopping. After giving her mom a hug, she'd left, having been caught up in the spirit of picking out the perfect Christmas gift. Returning, her life had gone straight to hell. She'd found Iris dead on the couch, the Christmas movie still playing in front of her.

  The police called it a natural death, convinced Iris had died from a heart attack. The coroner smugly assured Anna that it would have been quick, that she wouldn’t have suffered for long. Anna knew better. She had seen the look of horror frozen on her mother's face, and there wasn't anything peaceful about it.

  Anna didn’t bother trying to correct them as they took her body away. The police continued to give her cold glances as if they expected her to give them some kind of outlandish story. It wouldn't do any good to tell them the truth. They hadn’t believed her five years before, and what could they do anyhow? They were only human, without the knowledge and resources to fight the monsters that went bump in the night. She'd learned five years ago not to waste her time.

  Snow and ice surrounded the cabin, but the blizzard couldn’t match the chill inside her body. She wrapped her hands around her middle and rocked, as the pain hit deep. Iris meant everything to her. She had been both mother and father, best friend and confidant. Without her, Anna didn’t know how to go on.

  The never-ending ache inside of her grew stronger. Was Iris trapped somewhere, far beyond human understanding, experiencing the same agonizing despair? The preacher had said she wouldn’t know any pain where she was at, and Anna prayed he was right.

  A lifetime of pain and regret would be hard enough, but an eternity of suffering would be unbearable. A hoarse sob tore out of her throat, the sound harsh in the silent room. Maybe what they said about death was really true. It was only the people left behind that had to suffer, and oh, how she suffered. The thought of Iris in peace and happy was the only thing that gave Anna comfort.

  Gazing around the small log cabin, Anna remembered how happy Iris had been to finally have a home. From the moment of Anna's birth, their lives had been unstable. It wasn’t until Anna was ten that they'd finally found a permanent place to live. The furnishings were secondhand, the curtains worn, but it was home.

  Her mother had been proud of it.

  But she’d only had fourteen years to enjoy it.

  The funeral had been small with very few people attending. The town blamed Anna for the events that had happened several years before, and it left the two of them with little friends. Her mom had deserved better than the tiny handful of people who attended. She would have given the very shirt off of her back to anyone who needed it. She'd never received the life she so richly deserved. And now, she never would.

  Anna crumpled over and sobbed into the couch. Her mom's favorite afghan was spread out, and she buried her face into it. Day slid into night, but she was beyond noticing or caring. She not only cried from grief but from guilt. Ever since the nightmarish night five years ago, she’d wondered when they would be after her again. How could she live with herself if the demons who wanted her had returned, just to take her mother in her place?

  Anna's experience with demons was limited. One dismal night, she'd barely survived an attack and learned that Hell was real. It had altered her life and not in a great way. Fearful they would one day return, she had read and researched everything she could get her hands on. Unfortunately, it hadn't been enough. Each day, she'd secretly lived in fear, wondering if it would be the last. There was no way to fight the indestructible.

  It was a terrible burden to carry, suspecting that she might be responsible for the death of her cherished mother. Now, it was too late. She should have gone on the run after the night they nearly got her, instead of merely having the cabin blessed by a priest. Iris might still be alive, if she had.

  Now she would have to live with her selfishness, knowing Iris was gone because of her. The rest of her life stretched out endlessly, lonely and unbearable to face, as Anna grieved over the only person who had ever loved her.

  THE UTTER DESOLATION of one of his own reached him, prompting him to pinpoint the location. Immediately he located the source of a pain and grief so strong, that it demanded his immediate attention. In the blink of an eye, he was there, in a form undetectable to the human eye.

  Releasing a deep sigh, he reminded himself it would always have to be this way when dealing with mortals. Elemental power and energy emanated from him in such a way it would be deadly to ever reveal his true self to a mortal. There were times he wanted so badly to comfort someone with a touch, but there was a price to pay when one was as powerful as he was. There were also distinct advantages.

  His knowledge was eternal throughout the ages, from the beginning to infinity. He was the Alpha and the Omega, and nothing in the universe had ever been or would ever be hidden from him. Her soul spoke to him softly in a language only he could understand, telling him the thoughts, fears, and feelings even she couldn’t put into words.

  He filtered through the two scenarios her life could take. It was an uncertain time for humanity. He felt sad that the woman had seen so much evil. Without his intervention, things would only get worse for the young soul in front of him. She had been targeted by forces she could never hope to stand against—at least not alone. Instantly, he knew what he was going to do, and a trace of a smile haunted his lips. He granted free will to all until one of his own cried out for an intervention or until the forces of Hell decided to play dirty and muck up his plans for humanity.

  Armageddon was already beginning. The world was experiencing its birthing pains. Humanity stood poised at the edge of an apocalypse, and they didn't even realize it. Demons had wandered the face of the earth since the times of Adam and Eve, and throughout the ages, prophecy was slowly being fulfilled. The woman before him would play an important role in the upcoming apocalypse. Humanity was sitting on the cusp of events so horrific that they would change mankind f
or an eternity. Both sides of the equation were making plans, playing with lives, sending out their best players, and getting ready for war. It would be a showdown that the world had never seen before.

  Within seconds, a decision was made. His will be done. He smiled with satisfaction, as he departed from her presence.

  Chapter 1

  LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

  Shayne slammed the empty mug down on the glossy surface of the wooden bar, and then held it back up to let the bartender know he wanted another one. The music sucked, but the atmosphere was festive. A man sang about love and his dog, his voice driving nails into his skull. Shayne hoped it ended before he became violent. If music like that was the best the bar could play, no wonder the people surrounding him got so drunk.

  It was Christmas Eve and the party was on, at least for everyone else but him. The bar was packed with people, but they made a wide berth around the surly man sitting on the bar stool. There was something lethal and dangerous about him that warned them away, on a conscious and subconscious level. Shayne liked it that way.

  Although he looked like a man determined to drink his troubles away, the exact opposite was true. The holidays were busy times for the endurers. Demonic activity was always at its highest when people were at their lowest.

  It was even worse now that Armageddon was on the horizon. The fools getting drunk didn’t realize that all hell was breaking lose. The holidays were the worst time for demonic activity, as demons prepared all year for a free-for-all. With a disgusted snort, Shayne shook his head. Demons were just like Santa Claus, only they didn’t bring gifts that any sane person would want.

  The flashing multicolored bulbs reminded him of the demon who came dressed as Santa Claus one year. He’d decided to get festive for his attacks upon humanity, but it hadn't ended well for him. That was the year Shayne had found an inventive use for flashing Christmas lights. His lips curled upwards briefly. Arch hadn’t found it too amusing, but Shayne found it very “electrifying”.