by Rachel Angel
“It’s the tracking device to find the weapons 3 King Technology made and hid away!” I screamed out.
Ori’s face went pale. “Tempest’s company made weapons?”
“Her parents were working on them for the government, but Daddy tried to buy them from them. They refused, and they were shot down…”
“My God,” Ori shouted, in disbelief. “Your parents murdered Tempest’s parents.”
“I don’t know if they did, but I saw photos of their plane, crashed. And I discovered Tempest’s mother had been building a shelter on Arcadia, where her family was from. Daddy’s scientist gave me this device to look for weapons, and it started pointing at the forest.”
“So that was why the guys from the helicopter went into the forest,” Ori said.
He grabbed my arm and pulled me behind him. “You’re coming with me.”
“Where are we going?” I asked. I liked how strong he was and how rough he was getting. Perhaps one day Ori and I would be getting it on?
“Ori!” Kaz and Hunter’s voice called over to us.
“Found Veronica,” Ori said.
“Oh,” Hunter said, giving me a look of pure hate.
I looked over at Kaz, my heart pounding faster. He was delicious-looking.
Ori said, “It’s bigger than I thought.” He leaned in to whisper into Kaz’s ear.
“Fucking shit!” Kaz cried out.
Ori filled Hunter in, too, and the God that Hunter was started cursing.
“Now we have to see what this is all about,” Kaz said. “If the weapons are here, then it’s an international security issue.”
There was no way I was going to let anyone else get the weapons. Daddy trusted me to carry this mission through. I was his daughter after all, and I would not fail.
I pressed a button on my phone, which sent a signal to the soldiers I had hidden in the forest, ready to help me locate, dig out, and even blow up the mountain if I had to in order to get to the weapons.
Within minutes, ten soldiers were on Kaz, Ori, and Hunter.
“Never underestimate a crazy princess,” I called out to the K3s. “Especially one you’ve all rejected.”
Chapter 11
Tempest
Ricky and I were already close to the edge of the forest when a figure wearing a camouflage outfit shot out a few feet in front of us, followed by five figures in camouflage.
Soldiers, outfitted to blend into the forest.
“Ricky,” I said, “stay close. Thankfully, they didn’t see us.”
“What are we looking for?” Ricky asked, whispering into my ear. We were crouched low trying to blend into the trees.
I took out my tracking device, the one I had been working on for a few weeks, before one of the prototypes went missing which I later found out was sold into the black market. “This neon green beeping light against the map of Arcadia will tell us where my parents could have possibly hid away something very valuable and very secretive.”
“Weapons?” Ricky asked.
“How did you figure that out?” I asked.
“Because there’s military out here searching for the same thing,” Ricky said. “Why else would soldiers in camouflage go into a forest near Kingsbury Prep?”
“Ricky, they could be searching for a fugitive or …”
“They had Islandia patches on their uniforms,” Ricky said. “They’re either sent here by Kaz or Jordan.”
“They’re probably here to protect Kaz and Jordan,” I said, remembering their father was now in a coma so either Kaz and Jordan could become King.
I looked down at my tracking device. The neon green light was flashing bigger now as we followed the soldiers into the forest. We were following them at a good distance when all of a sudden, we lost them.
“Where did they go?” I asked. “I could have sworn they were right in front of me when…”
“Tempest!”
I turned around to face the familiar voice.
Jordan.
“Tempest, what are you doing out here?”
“What are you doing here, Jordan?” I asked, looking at his camouflage outfit. “Why are you dressed like that?”
Jordan lifted his hand in the air and a team of five men came out of the forest, camouflaged to match the trees. “Leading my team on a mission to locate some people,” he said.
I looked over at Ricky and said, “See they’re looking for fugitives.”
“Who might have weapons,” Jordan finished.
Ricky nodded at me, “Weapons. Was I correct in my guess or was I correct in my guess?”
“Score: Ricky one and Tempest one,” I said.
Jordan looked at Ricky and then at me. “What are you doing?”
“I…” I stopped talking, noticing how quiet and still Jordan and his men were. “Sorry,” I said.
Jordan walked up to me to hold me in his arms before he kissed me tenderly. “That’s okay, Tempest,” he said. He turned to his men. “This is Tempest, the love of my life, guys!”
The men smiled behind their camouflage makeup.
“Tempest,” Jordan turned back to me. “It’s too dangerous out here. The forests of Arcadia…have you heard the stories?”
I looked at Ricky. “A little bit, but not in great detail.”
“Well, I could tell you later. There are wild animals, even unexplanable things like light in the trees.”
“And magical folk,” I said. “I remembered that part. Fae or fairies.”
Jordan grinned, “Folklore from ancient days, but yes, the forest of Arcadia is supposedly full of them…a portal to the faery realms.”
Ricky came up to me and said, “Now I remember. There were rumors that the Kingmaker was part fae, which was why the Kingmaker had a touch of magic in his blood. It could also explain your beauty…the ethereal coloring, translucent glass-like skin.”
I elbowed Ricky. “Yeah right!”
“Your agility as a fighter,” Jordan joined in. “Your grace and strength. Not to mention, how irresistible you are…”
I started fanning myself, “Is it getting hot in here?”
Jordan turned to his men and said, “You guys lead the way. We’ll take the rear. I’ll walk with Tempest.”
“And Ricky,” Ricky said, a little miffed. “I’m here too, you know.”
Jordan ignored him and took my hand into his. He leaned in to whisper into my ear, “Even in muddy brown hiking wear, you’re irresistibly sexy.” He nibbled at my ear. “Tell me why you’re dressed like this…to torture me out here? To distract me from this mission?”
I looked at Ricky and then at Jordan. I took out my tracking device and said, “I have a tracking device that just blew up about something in the forest, and I wanted to check it out.”
Jordan took my device and started playing with it. “Do you know what it is tracking?”
“Weapons,” Ricky said.
Jordan’s eyes widen with surprise. “Why are you interested in weapons, Tempest?”
“Because they may be the ones my parents were working on before they were killed.”
Jordan reached out to hug me then, “I’m so sorry about your parents,” he said. “I wished I could’ve met them to thank them for having you.”
Ricky coughed, “Kiss up!”
I shot him a look the same time Jordan glared at him.
“I’m just looking for closure,” I said.
“Understandable,” Jordan said. “I’ll help you look.”
“Why are you and your team here?” I asked. “For real.”
“I got word someone was planning on blowing up Kingsbury and hid the bomb in the forest,” Jordan said. “My team landed by helicopter this morning to check it out. I’ve just joined them. Could’ve done it earlier, but I was busy giving pleasure to my woman.” He licked his lips looking at mine.
I had to clear my throat, trying not to get aroused, when I had to keep my mind on the mission. Something was in the forest that Lily had texted me about.
I was so sure it had a lot to do with my mother’s frequent trips to Arcadia when we were younger to supposedly visit ‘family’…more like a family of weapons.
There was definitely more to my mother than everyone knew.
“But why are you part of the team to stop it?” I asked. “You’re a prince, and it’s a military operation…”
“I’m in Islandia’s military. I serve as a commander in it. Prince or no prince. I hail from the time Kings still led battles. It’s my duty to serve.”
“So you’re doing this for Kingsbury Prep?” I asked.
“Yes,” Jordan said. “To protect the school. But also to protect your legacy as a Kingmaker.”
Ricky coughed again, “Kiss up!”
“Baby,” Jordan said, “I’d do anything for you. I’d protect you and everything you love.”
“Your Highness!” one of the soldiers called out to Jordan. “There’s a skirmish ahead.”
Jordan stopped smiling and said, “Stay with Ricky. It could get messy.”
Then he made his way up to the other soldiers. In a second, he was gone.
I looked at Ricky and said, “I’m not staying back. I get the feeling it’s all hands on deck.” I rushed over to where Jordan had been standing before he disappeared into the skirmish.
Ricky quickly joined me.
My jaw clenched as anger filled my entire body.
Veronica was there, along with about five to seven ninja-like warriors, beating the crap out of my guys, my princes…Kaz, Hunter, and Ori.
“Dammit, Bitch,” I flew into the battleground, an open area within the forest floor where my princes were fighting as best as they could against elite fighters from Veronica’s kingdom. “My princes just healed from their wounds, and you’re beating them up?”
I was on top of Veronica’s back like a crab, gripping her tight until she was screaming from the squeeze I gave her, which I was sure was starting to break her ribs. A punch to my back made me lose my grip on her and turn around to face the brave but dumb soul who dared to strike me from behind like a coward.
It was one of her ninjas. Grinning and taunting me like a shadow with a smile.
“You think just because you’re covered up all in black to hide how ugly you are, you’re something special?” I taunted him back. “All the black clothes in the world couldn’t hide how really hideously ugly you really are!”
I side-kicked him in the face before I flattened my legs out into a wide side split that lowered me to the ground far enough to reach out to give him my specialty move – my hand grip up to his balls where I squeezed with all my might until his balls burst.
He let out a high-pitch girly scream before he fainted.
I slid my legs up until I was standing and faced two of the ninjas, waving to them palm up to come forward. Bruce Lee-style.
They hesitated, glancing at each other. “Come on, Studs,” I cooed. “Come and get your comeuppance!”
Before they could move, I had already reached out with both hands one on each side of me to grab the balls of the two ninjas an arm’s length away from me. I squeezed and twisted their nuts until they burst like ripe tomatoes.
Blood gushed from my hands, dripping down to the brown dirt floor of the forest. The two ninjas screamed before collapsing to the ground.
The rest of the ninjas were so terrified, all I had to do was take one step forward, jump back, hop a little on both feet showing off how light-footed I was before kicking them in their face a couple of quick times before I place one finger to their forehead to make them collapse.
A move I learned courtesy of the late great Bruce Lee.
“That’s all you’ve got?” Veronica called out.
“That’s all you’ve got,” I called back to her.
Soon the floor of the forest was filled with Veronica’s soldiers.
Jordan came out of the woodwork then, along with ten of his men.
Kaz joined Jordan while Ori and Hunter joined Jordan’s team to fight Veronica’s men.
“Why is Veronica here?” Ricky asked me when he fought his way over to me.
“Weapons,” I said.
“You have them here, don’t you Tempest?” Veronica shouted to us. She lifted a small black device that looked like my tracking device. Looking closer, it was one of 3 Kings Technology’s devices. The missing one that was sold on the black market. No surprise there how Veronica and her crooked kingdom get weapons and devices only on the black market. That was how any 3 Kings Technology’s devices would ever end up with her.
Into a crazy insane bitch like Veronica.
“Remind me to look for the mole hidden in 3 Kings Technology trying to sell off our inventions into the black market or any market,” I talked into my phone.
Siri answered and said, “I don’t understand.”
“Just record what I said. Oh, never mind,” I said as a couple of men ganged up on Ricky and me.
In the distance, I could see Veronica running away from the battleground and into a cave in the side of the mountain.
“Let’s get out of this mess,” I said to Ricky. “And follow Veronica!”
Ricky grabbed my arms, lifted me like a champion ice skater, and let my legs fly like a helicopter propeller, knocking out many of Veronica’s soldiers until there were only a couple standing, which Jordan, Kaz, Hunter, and Ori began knocking out.
All that was standing were my guys in my harem and Jordan’s soldiers.
“After Veronica!” I shouted. “In the cave. She went in there.” I pointed to the cave and ran with my guys to it in a minute.
Soon we were following a path within the cave until we hit a solid wall. Where could Veronica have gone?
Kaz began knocking on the wall, while Hunter looked for holes. Ori and Jordan tried moving rocks around on the ground, while Ricky tried stepping on different patterns on the cave floor.
I felt along the wall for something different, then I found it. A painted mesh cloth used to cover up a hole in the wall. I pulled it away to reach in. A button. As soon as I pressed the button, the wall at the dead end opened.
I motioned for the soldiers to stay behind. They can be the lookout for Veronica and her soldiers.
Then I entered the room that looked like a high-tech military base. I could not believe my eyes.
I also wished Lily was with me right this moment.
Everything we saw and read about from the secret binder with their formulas on creating high-tech planes, tanks, and even motorcycles were in here.
“Dang,” Hunter said.
“You have enough weapons in here to destroy a continent,” Ricky said.
“The world,” Jordan said.
“No wonder Mom never took us kids to Arcadia with her. She didn’t want us to know. She didn’t want us to get involved. It would have been too dangerous. But she needed a safe and isolated place to hide them so they would not be found and used by someone for the wrong purpose.”
There was a maniacal laugh that echoed in the room.
Veronica. “Like me?”
“Get her!” Jordan said.
Kaz was already on her. Ori and Hunter were making their way to her, when she brought out a black ball. No, not a ball, but a bomb.
Shit.
“Anyone step closer to me and Kaz, I swear I will make this room and all these weapons light up the sky like a damn fireworks display,” she said.
I looked at everyone’s faces. Hunter, who was a few feet away from Veronica. Ori who was right behind Hunter. Jordan who was halfway to her. Ricky who was after him. All the men I have come to love.
All the men whom I would have been happy to just be loved by one.
I’ve never felt so loved and cherished as I did when I became the love of their lives, as they became the loves of mine. Each one of them meant so much to me.
And this maniacal laughing unhinged nutcase with a bomb was going to end it right now, right then.
While taking the lives of billions of people wi
th her.
Chapter 12
Veronica was staring at Kaz with tears in her eyes. “It comes to this, Kaz,” she cried. “Because you chose her over me…that purple-haired fighting fairy. Instead of me, the most gorgeous sexy princess in the world.”