“There should be another door up here on the left,” Sage whispered.
“How do you know where we are?” I attempted to keep my voice down but I was so out of breath, I didn’t think I succeeded.
“I used to run the streets in Louniva. I knew the entire city like the back of my hand at one point. Now shush, until we get underground.”
Feeling thoroughly chastised I kept quiet even when we stopped.
Sage let go of my hand, knocking randomly on the wall. He kept rapping with every step farther and farther away until he hit something that sounded metallic. The metal screeched, killing my eardrums in such a tight space.
“I found it. Let’s clear this place before they find us.” Hands patted my arms and one came around to my boob, giving a nice healthy squeeze.
“Now is not the time!” I slapped the hand away from me.
Surprisingly, it was Jari who laughed. Whoops, I had totally blamed Sage in my head.
“Jari, can’t you like, do a light globe in your hand or some shit like that?” I stretched my arms out and slowly made my way toward the direction of the screeching metal.
“I got you, Iss,” Nato had super night vision because he found my hand right away.
“I can bring in a lightning bolt because there’s electricity in the air, but I don’t think you want me to do that when we’re in a metal hallway. I can only use what’s actually present.” Jari schooled me as we carefully descended down a curved stairwell.
I reached my fingers out and sure enough, the walls were made up of cold metal.
“Rand, can you get the door?” Sage called from the lead.
“Got it.” Rand pulled the door closed but it was a few minutes before I heard his footsteps on the stairs again.
“Did we just seal up the entrance?” I asked.
“Yes. Rainer will undoubtedly be able to undo it pretty easily but it will at least slow them down.” Nato squeezed my hand. We moved down the stairs as quickly as we could without taking a complete tumble, which was still horribly slow. I wish I had taken some ninja warrior courses to be better at this type of stuff.
Wait. That would help me do the spider wall. That was technically not the right type of skill, but could still come in handy.
Soon, we hit the bottom of the stairs and a faint light glowed at the end of another very long tunnel. There was just enough light that I could vaguely make out the features of the LL. Sage held up a hand and walked back to the mouth of the stairs, pausing at the bottom. I held my breath so I didn’t interfere.
It was completely silent outside of everyone else’s breathing. Once Sage was satisfied we weren’t being followed, he nodded and took up the lead again.
“Where are we going to come out at?” Hair stuck to my sweaty face, cooling quickly in damp underground air.
“On the outskirts of the official court, right Sage?” Egan walked next to me.
“Yeah, unless they know the tunnels inside and out, they won’t have any idea where we’ve popped up at.”
“We should fill Jari in,” I shared with the greater group before addressing Jari directly. “Did you get any information while you were away from us?” Heck, for all I knew the guys were sending regular owls or something.
“Yunez filled me in when you all had some trouble, bringing Nato and Egan to you sooner than he anticipated.”
“Did he tell you what the trouble was? Iss wasn’t properly masked. The men went crazy over her.” Sage was clearly still salty.
Who was I kidding, so was I.
“What? He didn’t tell me what the trouble was. Are you kidding me?” Jari’s voice echoed in the closed space.
“I’m afraid not. At first we thought it might have just been a fluke, but when we visited the Rusty Nail to gather intel, the men not only were affected, they knew why they were affected. It was quite the clusterfuck.” Rand added in.
“Damn. I’m sorry you had to deal with that sweets.” I was barely able to clearly make out the frown on Jari’s lips when he turned my way. “How did you three get out?”
“We almost didn’t. Rand almost didn’t.” I pressed my hand against my heart. I swore it just skipped a beat remembering we almost lost Rand. “Cabbie and his Cherries came to the rescue.” I finished on a false cheer.
“No kidding? That would have been a sight. Why the Cherries and not the Stags?” Jari swiped his palm over his chin.
At the end of the tunnel was a set of stairs but this door was to the outside, I could see the stars through several of the window panes. Sage stopped, gazing up at the night sky. I didn’t think he was ready to leave the safety of the stairwell quite yet.
“The Stags went crazy over Iss the first night, so it was best to isolate her from as many men as possible. The Cherries enjoyed saving the day anyway,” Sage shrugged.
“So what happened after that? Cabbie got you out...” Jari prompted as he wrapped his arms around me and rested his chin on my hair.
Gross.
Did he realize I was sweating my ass off from all the running in the streets? But I didn’t push him away because, hell, I was a needy bitch and enjoyed the affection.
Sage grunted. “To give you the highlights, Travon came and got us, Iss got her Zien powers, making Travon feel threatened enough to lock us in the basement. Theon freed us and took us to the guest suite, but not before he offered to be Iss’s Janer mate. He was put out that the spot was already taken. Then we had the dinner where you showed up.”
“Wait, wait. Are you telling me that Iss is completely bonded?” Jari’s arms twitched around me.
I thought he had figured it out at dinner but maybe not. He might have thought the lack of horny men was because of Yunez, not the completed bonds.
“Uh...” I wanted to blurt out that Sage was my Janer mate but for some weird reason, I almost felt like I cheated on Jari since he hadn’t been here as the whole Janer fiasco developed. “Sage is now my Janer mate.”
Jari’s mouth went slack, then morphed into a wide and disarming smile. To say he was ecstatic was an understatement. He clapped Sage on the back and plucked me off my feet, spinning me around in dizzy circles.
“That’s brilliant! Congrats.” Jari smacked me with a deep, wet kiss.
Heat shot straight to my core as he set me down and gave Sage the same treatment, minus the kiss.
“Sage, it’s us four. And Iss is more incredible than we could ever hope for as kids,” I could tell the exact second that everything was not as it seemed because Jari’s brow knitted together and he canted his head. Sage tried to smile but it fell flat. I smiled encouragingly when Sage met my gaze, but it was no use. He totally felt awkward and uncomfortable with the Rand incident.
My lips stretched into a grimace and I turned away. This was so painful to watch. Everyone looked somewhere other than Sage and Jari. Rand actually took two steps away from the group as if he was afraid Jari would blame him for Sage’s unhappiness.
Sorry, Rand. That’s actually all me.
“It isn’t a love match. At least not right now.” There was a hollow hope in his words that broke my heart. “We saw firsthand how dangerous it was going to be for Isolde until she had all her bonds. I was the most logical choice. Maybe one day we’ll be the happy family we wanted to be.”
“What?” Jari pushed Sage to arm’s length. “That’s not what the real problem is. I know you too well not to see you’re giving me half-truths.”
I cleared my throat. “This is probably a conversation to have later. What I want to know is, what was the secret mission that Yunez needed you for?”
Jari pursed his lips and his eyes ping-ponged between Sage and me a few times before his stance relaxed. “It was actually pretty eye-opening. You wouldn’t believe what I learned and who I met. I—”
Three rapid knocks on the door above us startled me. I gasped, torn between hiding behind one of the guys and running back the way we came. I waited for something else to happen. Could someone have found us or ha
d we unknowingly stumbled onto someone’s rendezvous spot?
The guys were just as cautious as I was because no one immediately moved toward the door. Another three knocks sounded, followed by two slow knocks. Jari’s expression cleared and he jogged up the steps two at a time. When he pushed on the door, a cloaked figure stepped inside.
“You’re just in time. For a moment, I was afraid that my intel was incorrect.” A cultured voice came from the newcomer as he started down the stairs.
His cloak was black just like ours and it swayed around him as he walked down the stairs. He wasn’t in any hurry, climbing down at a leisurely pace. Jari walked right along with him, a small grin on his face. That had to be a good thing, right?
When the man stepped right into the center of our unintentional circle, he pulled his cloak back. He eerily resembled Yunez, only his hair was light brown and his eyes looked black, but that could be the limited light.
When he met my gaze, my instincts flared, tiny wisps of knowing floated around my body and mind alike. A sense of calm fell over me and I got a warmth covering my hands and feet. That was weird.
What my instincts were telling me was that he was on our side. He was a friend. I almost felt like he could be a brother to me.
“Are you related to Yunez?” The words tumbled out before I could stop them. But it seemed right. I had this feeling that he was somehow connected to Yunez. I just didn’t know how.
The newcomer smirked boyishly and I swore he could have been Yunez’s twin.
“We’re distant cousins. I’m surprised you picked it up.”
“Anyone who’s met Yunez would see the resemblance.” That came out a little snotty. I tried again. “I just mean, you look very similar.”
Jari laid an arm around this guy’s shoulders and grinned at us. “Meet Jan. Jan, this is my Mazza Isolde, and this is the Lusty Legion I told you so much about. Nato is our self-appointed leader.”
Nato scoffed and crossed his arms, but he didn’t dispute it.
“Egan is the Caen mate, and I’ve just found out Sage is the Janer mate. All of Issy’s bonds are complete.”
Each man nodded his head when Jari introduced them.
“And this is Rand, from house of Janer.”
Jan narrowed his eyes on Rand, but dipped his head in greeting.
“I met Jan while I was away from you. Let’s get to a safe location and then I can share what we know.”
Jan held up a finger. “I have a place to take you that’s secure. If all goes as planned, once you all are inside, no one will know where to find you.”
“Perfect. Let’s go.” Jari sounded so certain of this guy, turning to head toward the stairs.
Jan and Jari made it about halfway up the staircase before they paused and turned around, realizing no one else was following them.
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to follow Jari. I would follow Jari anywhere, but I didn’t know Jan from the glory hole in the wall next to me. Which by the way, gross. I hope it wasn’t really a glory hole and I just made that up.
Resisting the urge to gag, I gauged the rest of the guy’s reaction to the situation. As suspected, their expressions mirrored my own untrusting thoughts.
“Guys, I promise, nothing shady is going on with Jan. He’s good people. I’ll explain it all when we get out of this building and somewhere safe.”
Nato’s brow slanted low and he minutely shook his head. He wasn’t going to want to put the safety of our entire group in this guy’s hands, even if Jari vouched for him. He caught my eye and I jerked my head toward Jari and Jan.
He may not have liked it, but we didn’t really have any options right now. It was a stroke of luck that we managed to lose Rainer and his men in the first place.
“Let’s go. I’m ready to get out of this dark tunnel.” I looped my arm through Nato’s and walked to Jari.
The light from the door up above shone from behind Jari and Jan, preventing me from seeing more than their silhouette. All I could make out was the curve to Jari’s cheek, giving away his smile.
When we’re within grabbing distance, Jari took my hand and pulled me up to his side. His other hand gripped the curve of my hip as we climbed the remaining stairs. The smell of fresh clean rain filled my nose and I turn my head toward Jari, taking in as much of his scent as I could.
He bent toward my ear and whispered, “Did I tell you I missed you?”
A sappy sigh escaped me. What the fuck? I melted into a puddle anytime any of my guys were near.
Must not melt in public.
The door was mostly glass, revealing an empty street as pale yellow light filtered through from a nearby street lamp.
It was so odd here. There was so much technology from Earth and then not nearly enough to be a replica. There was electricity and running water, but no phones or cars. It couldn’t be by their design. Who would prefer to send owl messages when they could call in seconds, getting rid of the lag time?
Cosplay people. That was who would prefer this.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts as I twisted the knob, pushing the door open.
My heart started to race as night air seeped into the stairwell. Crickets and the occasional bird call were the only sounds coming from the outside. A sea of rolling apprehension and fear caught me off guard as I stumbled through the door.
Hands bunched in the back of my dress, yanking me back and saving me from smashing my face against the cobbled stone.
“Sweets, you all right?” Jari wrapped his body around mine once I was standing upright again.
My breath was coming twice as quick as my heartbeat and when I looked up at Jari, his face was blurry, the corners of my vision going black.
“Something’s wrong,” I gasped.
Heat surrounded me as the others crowded my back.
How did they get here so fast?
“Iss, what’s wrong?” Egan’s hand landed on the back of my neck, grounding my insane emotions just a tad.
“I don’t know…” My eyes were still locked on Jari even though I was trying to make sense of what was happening.
“Oh, hell.” Jan, I think, cursed behind me. “I’ve seen this before. We need to get out of here right now. This way.” His footsteps slapped against the stone as he ran down the street.
“I got you, Issy girl.” Egan swept me up into his arms and we were all chasing after Jan. Well, not me. I was being carried after him.
My vision was almost completely fogged over and sweat beaded on my forehead.
Egan tightened his arms to minimize some of the jostling as we rounded the corner. He turned sideways as we collided with someone else, knocking the breath out of me. Egan was at least able to keep his feet after a few Staggering steps.
“What a surprise to see you here.” Rainer’s voice was heavy in sarcasm.
Just like that, at the sound of Rainer’s voice, the crazy feelings and emotions flooding my body evaporated.
Rainer towered over us as Egan curled over my body. I shoved at Egan’s chest until he released me to my feet, but he still hovered beside me. I discreetly rearranged my dress back to the normal length while getting an idea of what I was facing here. Hopefully he couldn’t see how shaken I was from the residual symptoms of that… episode.
Rainer stepped back and casually clasped his hands behind his back. And by casual, I meant he was smug as fuck because about twenty men and women flanked him. All dressed in the same black soldier uniform, standing at attention like stiffies at the strip club.
I fucking loved it when we got bombarded by people who want to do bad things to us.
Not.
“Probably a rookie question, but how did you find us?” I lifted my chin. I raised a foot to step forward but I was pulled back into a hard body. When I glanced up, Rand stared back at me.
He had been distant since the incident at the pleasure house. Now Rand was pressing into my back with murder in his eyes. It was a dramatic change from when we were stuck at the lodge
but I was glad to have him back.
Rainer tsked. “That’s my little secret I’m afraid, dear. And we know all about secrets, don’t we Rand. I must confess, I never suspected a thing. I was happy in my own little world. But I’ve learned so many secrets since you left.”
Rand’s fingers dug into my sides where he was holding me, grunting under his breath.
“What are you trying to do here?” Rand stepped to my side, while keeping one hand firmly planted on my hip.
“I thought I was trying to save our people, do the right thing by both races. I thought I was grooming my son to take over everything I’ve worked so hard to achieve.” Rainer’s nostrils flared on the last few words.
“You say that as if you actually cared about our people instead of all the power you would gain.” Rand’s voice was like ice as he glared at Rainer.
It was like the rest of us didn’t even matter. Maybe this was a personal vendetta against his son that he couldn’t let go of. Rainer’s cronies were content to stand back and let the conversation happen and our guys… from the raised eyebrows and blank expressions, it seemed they were watching the show in sick satisfaction.
“I do care. How many people did we lose? Did other families lose? This has to stop sometime and I’m going to stop it, damn it.” Rainer’s hands bunched into tight fists, but otherwise there was no change in his voice or posture.
Rand snorted. “You cannot spout that bullshit at me. You don’t give a metal melting fuck about anyone else. You want control of the Earth governments, heavy sway on Fennina, and the respect that goes with it. You can’t deny that’s your end goal.”
“I can’t deny the end results but the main goal is to free our people from pointless deaths.”
“Right.” Rand muttered.
“How did you find us?” Nato parroted my earlier question. “If you knew where we would be, you could have just followed us instead of setting a trap.”
Bonds of the Mazza Page 19