Page 7 of Twin Warriors

“You want Cole and I to track the thief.”

Iron nodded. “Yes. You two are the best trackers I know. With your natural abilities, you will be able to find who this thief is and capture them. I fear it may be a child, Cane.”

Cane cursed, shaking his head. All the children in Mura knew that if they needed help they only needed to knock on the gates of the compound and they would be taken in. Many of the orphans from the poorest streets of Mura already called the Iron Compound their home.

“How do you know it’s a child?” Cole asked, a deep frown of worry on his brow.

“The thief is small. Small enough to fit through the window in the storeroom.”

Cane let his mind drift as Cole and Iron spoke of all the things that had gone missing over the last three weeks. His gaze drifted to the far wall of the compound. Despite this being a mostly desert planet, the compound bordered the only forest. Tall, thick trees stood close together, providing a wall of dark brown, red, and blue. The storeroom was at the back of the compound, not far from the wall and the trees beyond.

If a thief were trying to get in and out of the compound, that would be how they did it. But how did they get past the security? They had all kinds of sensors that monitored every inch of the walls, the entire grounds, and every window was fitted with a sensor that alerted security if opened without permission.

Whoever this thief was, child or not, they posed a very serious risk to all their lives. If they had a way to get past every defense and warning system, get into the building and get out without being caught or even noticed, then that meant that others could too.

The Iron Compound was a vast structure, housing over three hundred warriors, fifty children, and almost one hundred females that worked on the grounds. They could not allow anyone to get in and out the way this thief did without finding them and getting the information from them. Cane would never harm a child, no matter who or what they were, nor would he like to harm a female, but there were too many lives at stake. They would find the thief, bring it back to the compound, and hopefully be able to get the information they needed without hurting anyone.

A shaft of pain ran through Cane’s heart once again. Now that the adrenaline of the fight had receded, the empty void of loneliness filled him once more. For so many years, they had used the anger and pain that came with not having a mate to fight for those weaker than they were, but it was getting harder and harder to ignore. He knew Cole felt it too. He could sense it in his brother when they were alone.

It would soon be time to leave and find a place where they could die in peace. They would not risk anyone's lives here if the madness were to take them.

“Cane?” Iron’s voice broke him out of his thoughts, and he turned to face his commander.

“Yes?” he asked.

“Are you alright?”

Cane nodded, giving his brother a quick look. He knew Cole would be able to feel what he felt. It was a blessing and a curse for them. They would forever be lost in the endless flow of the spiraling emotions they both felt.

“I am. Cole and I will leave first thing in the morning to find this thief.”

Iron nodded, “Very well. Go get cleaned up and rest. I will have Sena and her team take care of this bloody mess.”

With a final nod, Cane spun and made his way towards the innermost building of the compound. Only Iron and his most trusted warriors lived in the inner sanctum.

Cole stepped up and matched his stride. “I feel it too, Cane. It will soon be time.”

Cane nodded. “I know.”

Cole sighed heavily, “If only, brother.”

Cane paused, feeling the pulsing waves of despair, regret, and sadness flow from Cole. “We had a good life, Cole. We did a lot of good for people who needed us.”

“I know. I just wish we could have felt it. Just once.”

Cane nodded. The it he spoke of was the joy, love and awe that came with finding a mate. The chemical reaction that happened inside their bodies that helped them find peace, and fulfilment, from finally being complete.

“I do too. But it is not written for us. There is nothing we can do to change that. All we can do is live as honorably as possible in our last days. After we find this thief, I will speak to Iron and let him know that we will be leaving. There is nothing else we can do. If we do not end it ourselves, the madness will take us. I fear we will hurt those we care about if we are left to it.”

Cole nodded, a dark shadow clouding his usually cheerful brown eyes.

Finally, he looked up and met Cane’s eyes. “From birth to death, brother,” he said, extending out his flesh arm.

Cane grasped it in a warriors hold, gripping him firmly just below the elbow.

“From birth to death.”

With that, they entered the building they called home and made their way to their own bedrooms. They had a thief to hunt down, and despite all the raging emotions they both felt inside, he would not disappoint the man that took them in, gave them a home and purpose and was more of a father to them then their own had been.

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