by Kristie Cook
“In other words, we can’t lose our cool,” Tristan said as his hand landed on my knee and gave me a squeeze.
“Okay, I got it. You’d better tell the rest of our team, though,” I said, thinking specifically about Vanessa.
“We have, darling. They all understand what is at risk.”
I sat back against Tristan and crossed my legs. “So checkpoints and traps and no flashing.”
“Flash if you must,” Mom said, “but be prepared for problems if you do. I’d recommend good old Norman transportation as much as possible. It may be slower, but it’s safer and helps you blend in.”
“Understood. Anything else we need to know about?” I asked.
Mom and Rina exchanged a look, but Mom shook her head.
“That’s all we know at this time,” she said. “We do have people listening and watching, trying to gather more intel. But for now, all I can say is to be careful, honey. And remember your role—protect the Amadis and all of humanity, even when they’re being difficult.”
“Listen to their minds, Alexis,” Rina said. “Find out who they serve. If your lives are in danger, do what you must. I know you will make the right decisions, whatever you may face. You are ready for this.”
Mom stood and went over to Rina’s desk, opened a drawer, and pulled out a bag of what looked like weed. At least, what I’d seen in pictures and on TV, since my own experience with the stuff was standing in a haze of smoke at a college frat party Tristan had taken me to when we first met.
“And don’t forget,” Mom said, “we still need another daughter. Blossom will ensure you drink the tea.”
She tossed the bag into my lap, and I wrinkled my nose when I recognized the herbal leaves. “Blech. The nasty tea I spit out all over the floor?”
I tried not to gag at the memory of drinking the concoction that tasted like gasoline.
“It will prime your body for pregnancy,” she said. “It worked for me, so hopefully it will work for you.”
I nodded with resignation. I still wasn’t sure we needed a needed a daughter—I still wanted to believe Dorian could lead the Amadis one day—but I would certainly try my damnedest to produce one. I felt as though a daughter would complete our family . . . although I struggled with the idea of bringing a baby into this world. She would bring a whole lot of hope to the Amadis, though, and hope was always a good thing.
“Anything else?” Tristan asked. “Or can we begin our mission?”
“The rest of your team is being prepped,” Mom said, “but you should be able to leave tonight.”
“We do have an addition to your team,” Rina said, and I suppressed a groan, expecting Julia to walk in at any moment. But she didn’t. Nobody did. “He is also being prepared.”
My brow lifted. “He?”
“Jaxon, the were-crocodile from Australia.” She smiled when my jaw dropped. “You must have made quite an impression on him, darling. We had not heard from him directly for decades, and not only has he traveled all the way here, but he has specifically requested to be assigned to your guard.”
Tristan looked at me with a smirk as he shook his head. “Yeah, quite the impression,” he murmured.
“Do not worry, Tristan,” Rina said. “His intentions are noble. I made certain of it. However, Blossom, the dear, may have caught his eye.”
“Really?” I asked.
“I believe so. They crossed paths only briefly in front of my office door, but his thoughts about her came quite clearly. And loudly.”
“I can only imagine,” I muttered.
This could become very interesting . . . or a problem. Blossom needed a distraction from her breakup with the vampire-barista on Captiva, and she deserved a good guy like Jax. But none of us needed either of them to be distracted from our missions with a budding romance—or worse, a disastrous one. Of course, Rina hadn’t said anything about Blossom having similar thoughts, so there may have been nothing to worry about.
Besides, love was not something to worry about anyway. We had real problems to conquer.
Mom explained that Jax would make an excellent guard. “His species, the saltwater crocodile, is the biggest and most dangerous form of reptile in existence today. He’s an ideal soldier against other were-animals and vampires. The power of his jaw could hold any creature captive without tearing it to pieces . . .”
“Unless that’s the goal,” Tristan said, but when he looked at me, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly. “He’s no match for me, of course, but he’ll hold his own with anyone else.”
“He is a perfect addition to your team,” Rina added before dismissing us. I could tell she’d already had a strenuous day and hoped she’d be able to catch a nap.
A few hours after the sun slid behind the horizon, she announced in all of our heads that the jet was ready and waiting for us.
I immediately jumped to my feet from the couch in Mom’s office, dumping Sasha onto the floor. The lykora let out a snuff of annoyance as she glared at me. She’d been in my lap while I poured over a list of names of norms who could help us if we needed it, while Mom studied reports at her desk, mumbling to herself about how first-graders would do a better job than the idiots in political office. Listening to her confirmed my thought—and Rina’s opinion—that I didn’t belong here, doing their kind of work. I belonged in the field, and it was finally time to go.
“I wonder if we should leave you here where it’s safe,” I said aloud to Sasha, and she cocked her dog-like head to the side.
Tristan, who’d been sitting with me, rose to his feet. “There’s a reason I gave you the nickname I did. Like you, a lykora isn’t meant to be tucked away in a safe place. She’s meant to defend, to fight.”
Mom came around from behind her desk to accompany us to the airstrip. “Let her serve her purpose, Alexis. She’s stronger and more resilient than you can imagine, and she wants nothing more than to be at her master’s side. She’s probably aching to find Dorian as much as you are.”
I scooped her up and gave her a pat on the head. “I guess that’s settled then. You come with us.”
Her blue tongue swiped over my hand in agreement.
Before flashing to the airstrip, we stopped by Rina’s office to say goodbye. I wrapped my arms around her frail little body, hoping she was wrong about not getting any better. She’d once said she believed I’d gone through the Ang’dora at such a young age because the Amadis needed as many daughters as possible for this war. I held on to the belief that she would be with us for many years to come.
“Thank you,” I murmured into her ear, “for letting us find our son. I promise if there’s anything we can do for the others, we will.”
“I know, darling. I know you will be the leader you are meant to be.”
I pulled back slightly to look at her. “I love you, Rina.”
Tears glistened in her eyes. “And I love you.”
“We’ll see you soon, right?”
She pulled me into a hug and whispered, “I hope so, dear. But that is in the Angels’ hands.”
Sadness welled up in my chest and constricted my throat as we held each other for a moment longer.
“Go now, darling,” she said as she pulled away from me. “Go find your son.”
We flashed from Rina’s office to the airstrip where my team began to gather.
“Don’t forget your main objective,” Mom reminded me as we strode over to the others.
“I know. Protect humanity. Convert everyone we can. Build our army.”
She slipped her arm around me and pulled me closer to her. She whispered into my ear, “And have lots of sex.”
“Mother!”
She chuckled. “What? We need a baby girl. At least one of your missions is fun.”
I shook my head, then was suddenly saddened by Mom’s still single status. “Have you met anyone on the island?”
“Hmph. Those who live on the island aren’t exactly my type.”
I understood. Most of the island
residents were Amadis who weren’t strong fighters for one reason or another. They lived here because it provided a place of refuge. They wouldn’t know how to handle Mom, and she’d get frustrated, needing someone strong and adventurous.
“Don’t worry about me, though,” Mom said. “Time with my true love may have been short, but it was more powerful and full of more passion than most people get to experience in a lifetime. I have other things to worry about, as do you.”
We reached the bottom of the steps to the jet, where the others congregated. Everyone who came to the island with us had arrived, as well as Jax, except Bree. I opened my mouth to ask if she was coming when she appeared in front of us, all golden and shining in the night.
“I wondered if you were coming with us,” I said. “You’re the last to arrive.”
“Well, no, I’m not.” Her mouth stretched into a grin that lit up her inhumanly beautiful face, and although I was disappointed she wouldn’t be coming with us, her excitement for whatever she’d be doing was undeniable. “I’ll still be helping you, though, but in other ways. I get to return to the Otherworld!”
“Oh! That’s wonderful!” I threw myself at her in a hug.
“The Angels told Ms. Katerina I had served my duty here and performed it to their satisfaction. They’re allowing me back with full fae privileges.”
I stepped away so Tristan could congratulate her and say his goodbyes. They didn’t have anything resembling a normal mother-son relationship, not after what they’d been through, but they held mutual respect and adoration for each other. Bree loved Tristan unconditionally as parents do, and I thought Tristan had grown to return that love once he came to know her as the person she really was, not the evil witch the Daemoni had made her out to be.
I had my own mother to say goodbye to, and it was a lot harder to do so than I’d thought it would be when we first arrived last night. I’d thought her uncaring and hard-hearted at the time, and I should have known better, but had been too single-mindedly focused on finding Dorian.
“I wish you could come with us,” I said as I held on to her in a tight hug. “Why don’t you? You are a strong converter.”
“I wish I could, too, to be honest,” she said. “But I am needed here. Rina requires my assistance.”
We hadn’t even left yet, and my chest already tightened with longing. “I’ll miss you. I already do.”
“I miss you, too, honey. But you do what you need to do now. As soon as you get pregnant, you’ll be back here, and we’ll get sick of seeing each other so much.”
“I doubt it. You were always my best friend.” I gave her a tighter squeeze. “But for now, I must find Dorian.”
“Yes, you must. Go get our little boy, Alexis, and bring him home. This is where he belongs, at least for a few more years.”
A lump formed in my throat as we gave each other one last hug and said our “I love yous.” Why did I always feel when I left my mom that things would only be worse the next time I saw her?
Chapter 10
“You’re sure you’re up for this?” I asked as my team flew across the Atlantic Ocean at warlock speed once again. Jax sat across from me on the Amadis jet, decked out in new fighting leathers. Part of me couldn’t be happier about him being here, but I worried about him. “I know there’s a reason you stayed away from people all those years. Please don’t feel like you have to do this.”
He stroked his chin as he looked out the window, though the only way to distinguish the sky from the ocean below was the smattering of stars that showed every now and then when the clouds allowed us a glimpse.
“At some point in his life, a bloke’s gotta rock up and do what’s right. The Amadis are the closest I got to rellies, and it’s time for me to stop bein’ a piker and take care of ya.” He puffed up his chest as he gave me a smile. “I’m fit as a Mallee bull. No way could I hide in the bush when my mates need me. ’Specially you, princess. I’ll do whatever I can to help you find your lad, even if it’s just keepin’ you and your team of pretty sheilas safe.”
Tristan, who sat next to me, let out a low growl.
Jax gave him a mischievous grin. “Well, maybe you’re no sheila, but you are a beaut, too.”
Tristan growled louder. Jax threw his hands in the air in surrender.
“No worries, mate. I’ll behave.” Yet right after making that promise, his eyes slid over to Blossom who sat with Vanessa and Sheree.
Rina must have convinced everyone else of Vanessa’s trustworthiness because the three of them sat with their heads close together, in deep conversation. My grandmother hadn’t quite convinced me, though. With her assessment, I felt ninety-nine-point-nine percent sure Vanessa was good, and I hoped to strengthen our relationship. However, I would still keep hold of that sliver of doubt, just in case. That suspicion would keep me alert if I turned out to be right about her being in on Owen’s plan for massive betrayal.
My anger bubbled up again at the thought of my former protector, creating an ache for the chance to zap him with a few billion volts of electricity. I looked out the window to see us zooming toward dark storm clouds and lightning, apropos for my mood. Sasha, who’d been sleeping on Tristan’s lap, sensed my ire and nuzzled her snout against my hand. Tristan noticed, too, and the arm he held around me tightened.
I pulled on his love to calm me, closed my eyes, and told myself to sleep while I could, because as soon as we landed, we’d be heading out on our mission. We’d already lost too much time. Everyone else had settled down, and the cabin became quiet, though Jax let out a loud snore now and then. I was just about to doze off when the plane hit some turbulence.
“We’re headed for some rough weather near the coast,” the copilot’s voice said over the speakers. “We’re going to keep our speed, so hang on. It could get a little bumpy.”
A “little bumpy” turned out to be the understatement of the day. The jet bounced, rose, and plummeted like a roller coaster, making my stomach dip. Everyone woke up instantly. Tristan dropped Sasha into my lap, then leaned over to jab a button on the console, turning on the information screen that hung on one wall so we could see how close we were to Florida and how long we’d be flying in this weather. The image of our plane nearing the coast of South Carolina and Georgia flashed on the screen, and then it went blank. The entire cabin fell dark.
Lightning lit the sky outside and flashed through the windows. A burst of thunder shook the plane. My seat came out from underneath me as the jet lost hundreds of feet of altitude, and then I slammed back into it. Blossom screamed.
“This isn’t good,” Tristan said.
What’s going on? I asked the pilot.
“Mayday! Mayday!” came the only response as the pilot tried to call for help.
Another flash of light. The plane rocked sideways and downwards. My body banged against the seat and the wall, and Sasha fell off my lap. I grabbed for her and held on right before the plane rolled over and then upright again.
“Ms. Alexis, the storm tore through my shield! The Normans have spotted us and are firing at the plane,” the warlock copilot said to me.
What?
“You must leave!”
The jet shuddered again as something slammed into the side of it.
And then the metal and fiberglass tube began to spin like a top as we plunged toward the earth.
“Flash! You all need to get out of here,” the pilot yelled in my mind.
“We’ve been hit!” the copilot shouted. I hesitated for a fraction of a second, not believing what I heard. “Hurry! We’re going down!”
“We have to flash out of here,” I yelled over the thunder outside as I shoved Sasha into the front of my jacket. I threw on my backpack and lurched for the center of the cabin as the plane continued to rock side to side and back and forth.
Tristan’s hand wrapped around my wrist, and he tugged me closer to him. He reached his other arm out to the others, and yelled, “Come to us, and I’ll lead us for the flash.”
/> Everyone’s movements looked disjointed and awkward in the lightning that lit up the cabin in strobe-like fashion. Charlotte lunged for Tristan, and Vanessa grabbed my hand and stretched for Sheree and Blossom, who reached for Jax, but the jet tilted again, throwing us off balance. I fell to the side, catching myself on a seat with my arm to protect the lykora in my coat, and pushed myself upright.
I stumbled again for the center of the cabin, as did the others. Lightning flashed, imprinting my team’s faces on my brain, their wide eyes filled with worry and their mouths set with determination. We had nearly formed our circle when the plane jerked once more with the sound of thunder cracking all around us. Wind suddenly whooshed through the cabin, knocking us off our feet. And that’s when I realized the ear-shattering sound hadn’t been thunder.
“The jet’s breaking apart,” Tristan yelled.
At the same time, I also realized we weren’t surrounded by only Amadis mind signatures. Several Daemoni were nearby, probably the real cause of the impending crash.
Sasha shuddered inside my jacket with a growl, and she squirmed her way to the top of my zipper. As soon as she freed herself, her wings burst from her back, and her body began to grow.
“Is she in there?” a Daemoni yelled from outside the plane.
“Be careful if she is,” said another. “She has a helluva bite!”
I didn’t know who they spoke of—me? Vanessa? Sheree? I didn’t wait to find out.
“Let’s go!” I yelled, holding my arms out.
Vanessa grabbed my hand again as the jet split farther apart and another powerful gust of wind knocked us into a wall. Something sharp cut through my leather pants and jagged across my hip. I clenched my jaw against the sting before the cut healed. Charlotte and Sheree braced themselves on the other side of the break, and Charlotte busted the cockpit door open. Blossom and Jax were behind me, near the plane’s tail.
And my husband blurred past me toward the chasm between the two parts of the jet. He dove downward. Out of sight.
“TRISTAN!” I screamed as I tried to follow, but the gap between the two parts closed.