“Steph!” I cut her off, fully aware of who was distracting whom now.
She swallowed, nervously taking the hilt in her hand. “Okay, Vi. Cut. Don’t hesitate. Got it,” she said, her hand and voice shaking equally.
I nodded. “Good,” I said. “And when they tell you it’s time to move out of the city, promise me you will go.”
She nodded solemnly. “I’ll run like my ass is on fire.” After a beat, she added, her voice now less sure, “Vi?”
I met her eyes and, seeing how they glistened, sat down beside her. “He’ll be okay, Steph. Zoe will be by his side and they’re a great team. They’ll have each other’s backs and they’ll be on high ground.”
She nodded, a tear slipping down her cheek. “I know. It’s just…it feels like I’m so close to happiness and everything I’ve ever wanted. I’m scared.”
I pulled her toward me, my arms encircling her protectively. “Me too,” I told her, holding tightly until finally Steph sniffed and said, “And he looks so damn delicious in a tuxedo.”
Relieved to hear the familiar sass in her voice, I grinned and sat back. “More importantly, tell me about your dress.”
“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”
Abraham Lincoln
Apart from a moderate storm pattern, the weather stations showed no hint of the impending natural disaster—evidence that Sammael wanted to keep his intentions hidden from both humans and exiles. When the hurricane hit, no one would be ready, and despite our attempts to notify the right people and arrange an evacuation of the city, we were getting nowhere fast.
“We have no proof,” the conductors pointed out again. “We have people in power, but they cannot arrange for an entire city to be cleared on no notice with no verification. And on top of that, we’re out of time.”
I glared at the Grigori pair, hating how they appeared so unaffected, but Lincoln listened calmly and sent them on their way. When he looked at me and registered my frustration, he simply said: “We pick our battles. It’s a conductor’s job to look at it objectively. Our best hope is to concentrate the official resources we can draw on to evacuate as many of the surrounding suburbs as we can. Within the city now, people’s best chance for survival will be to stay in their homes.”
I dropped into the chair beside him. “I’m scared,” I whispered in a rare admission.
“I know.” He turned and knelt beside my chair, his hand going to my face. “I wish you could see what I see when I look at you, the warrior you have grown into—how strong you are both inside and out.” The corner of his mouth lifted. “How beautiful.”
“I don’t know that beauty is going to help us here,” I said, even though the compliment sure hadn’t hurt.
“I don’t just see the beauty on the outside, Vi. I see all of you, and you’re luminous.”
Before I could respond, Zoe barreled into the room. “Linc, we’re running out of room up there!”
We both stood. “What do you mean?” I asked.
She huffed, out of breath but with a tinge of excitement in her eyes. “Come and take a look for yourself,” she said, turning tail and heading for the upper deck.
With a quick glance at one another—part intrigue and part disappointment that our brief moment together had been so, well, brief—we followed.
The sight that met us was staggering. Hundreds upon hundreds of Grigori covered the large deck of the navy vessel. Steph stood on a podium flanked by navy guys who looked more miffed than anyone else as she called out orders, sending Grigori this way and that as she, along with Gray and the conductors, allocated newcomers to groups.
Lincoln and I stood, holding hands in the midst of the chaos. “How many?” I asked Zoe, who was looking around wildly.
“Almost two thousand, last I heard,” she said, before darting off.
“Look,” Lincoln said, pointing to the helipad, where a Black Hawk chopper had just touched down and Josephine, followed by Drenson, Adele, Seth, Decima, Hakon, and Valerie were offloading. I beamed when I saw the last person to step off the helicopter. He had the same dusty brown hair, though for the first time, it looked in need of a trim, and was wearing one of his usual navy button-down shirts and tidy black pants, which, despite his recent travels, looked freshly pressed. But, as always, it was his light gray eyes that drew me in and had me exhaling with relief to see him.
Griffin.
The Assembly members moved right into the fray, a number of senior Grigori quickly closing ranks around them, and I knew it wouldn’t take long for Josephine to assume control. The question was: Would that be the best thing?
Lincoln started to walk in their direction, but instead of following him, I felt a pull behind me and I turned to look back over my shoulder. Phoenix stood at the bow of the vessel, hands in his pockets, looking out to the river as the sun highlighted the streaks of silver and opal in his hair. I was overcome by his loneliness. Phoenix’s shoulders stiffened, and I knew he had sensed me, but he didn’t turn.
Lincoln gently took my arm, pulling me back in his direction. “You can’t give him what he wants, Vi, but that doesn’t mean you’re to blame for his sadness.”
I bit my lip and nodded. “I know,” I said.
But I wasn’t sure I did. I wanted peace for him. Desperately.
We made our way toward the Assembly. Josephine spotted us first. Her eyes went straight to our joined hands, and for a brief second, it actually looked like she smiled.
Probably a muscle spasm.
“I see most of the troops have arrived,” she said, looking around.
I ignored her and threw my arms around Griffin, who pulled me tight. “She’s awake,” he whispered in my ear.
I pulled back, my stomach twisting with the news that Nyla was back.
Griffin braced my shoulders. “She’s still adjusting and hasn’t said much yet.”
I nodded.
“But she asked me to give you a message,” Griffin said, and my heart missed a beat as I waited nervously to hear that she hated me for bringing her back. “She said to tell you that the bond was worth it.” Griffin gave a quick nod to Lincoln before looking back at me. “But it seems you’ve already figured that out.”
I nodded, my breath leaving me in a hurry.
Griffin’s eyes softened, and he smiled crookedly. “And she said to tell you: thank you.”
I bit down on the inside of my cheeks trying to halt the tears, but then Drenson spoke and that worked even better.
“I can’t believe we’ve lowered ourselves to this level,” he said, looking at the large group of Rogues to his right and then settling his unfriendly gaze on me. “Though I suppose once you start letting in the trash, more inevitably follows.”
“Feel free to leave,” I hissed, taking a threatening step in his direction.
Drenson’s eyes narrowed, moving beyond me to Lincoln. I didn’t need the bond to know Lincoln would be showing nothing but complete support for me. Drenson’s ever-quiet partner, Adele, took a step closer to him. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was a display of support or because of a fear that he might try to challenge us. Individually, Lincoln and I were powerful. But together…
Josephine, no doubt sensing the building tension, raised her hands in a placating gesture. “Rainer and Wilhelm have remained behind to run the Academy and tend to Nyla. You’ve called for the full resources of the Academy and Grigori from all corners of the globe, and you have been answered. More would have come if not for the flow-on effect that the exile tournaments have left in their wake,” Josephine explained.
“We appreciate you mobilizing so much support on short notice,” Lincoln said.
“And now that you have us all here, I wonder, do you have any idea what you are doing?” Drenson asked, his tone mocking.
As his voic
e had risen, the entire deck had quieted and was now listening in.
“We are doing everything we can to stop Sammael and help the people of New Orleans,” Lincoln said levelly.
“And you expect us to what? Put our trust in her?” he spat, pointing at me. “A child who has shown time and time again that she has no place among us?”
“If you are very lucky,” Lincoln responded, his voice low and flat. “What is it that bothers you, Drenson? That she is powerful, or that she is more powerful than you could ever hope to be?”
And that is how to make an entire navy destroyer able-to-hear-a-pin-drop silent.
“I’ll remind you who you are talking to,” Drenson ground out, his face red with fury and possibly embarrassment as he regarded Lincoln as if really seeing him for the first time.
Lincoln simply delivered a blank look. “I’m fully aware of who you are.” He waited a beat before adding, “And who we are.”
This reply only served to further Drenson’s rage, but before he could carry on with his attack, I spoke up.
“I can assure you, Drenson, that we know what we are doing,” I said, feeling the eyes of an army at my back. “Perhaps after this is all over—if we survive—it will be me who will have the pleasure of returning that question to you.”
Drenson bristled and Josephine surprised me by calmly smiling. “And as interesting as that promises to be, let’s settle for focusing on the problem at hand for now. I’ve read through your battle plans,” she said, addressing Lincoln. “As per your request, all Grigori have been given the option to stay or go—no surprises, they have all chosen to stay and fight.”
I couldn’t hide my surprise.
“Try to remember, Violet, that every Grigori has a purpose. It appears you have finally accepted yours, just as all the Grigori who surround you have previously accepted theirs.” She turned her attention to Lincoln while I absorbed the truth in her words and felt rightly chastised. “You have your forces divided into five teams. I see you have left the nomination of leaders blank. Do you have a proposal?”
“You’re not going to appoint them?” Lincoln asked warily.
Josephine smiled while Drenson sneered. “This is still your mission.”
Lincoln looked at me.
Hell.
I shrugged, passing it straight back to him. This was definitely his department.
He turned back to the Assembly and stepped up onto a nearby platform looking out over the two-thousand-strong army.
“Team one,” he called out loudly enough for the Grigori to hear him clearly. “You are all glamour users and will be led by the conductors to keep our battle from human eyes. You will remain elevated where you can and be armed accordingly. It will be impossible to contain everything, but the conductors will instruct you on the priorities. They will be waiting for you in the eating hall below deck after this.”
Lincoln stood tall, never wavering in his authority. “Team two: you are our frontline fighters. All gifted warriors, you will have the privilege of being led by the two greatest warriors of our history—Seth and Decima.”
There were a number of cheers, and when Lincoln looked to them, both Seth and Decima gave a vacant nod of approval.
“Team three,” Lincoln continued. “You are a team of Rogues, and your cunning will be our key to attacking the exiles and fortifying around our own people, who will fight Sammael’s hurricane. I ask that you follow the leadership of your fellow Rogues Gray and Carter.”
Again a few hoots went up, some in agreement, others arguing, but all in all, they took it well. Carter threw me a wink, and for the life of me, I’d never seen the man look so damn proud of himself.
“Team four: you are our heavy lifters and telekinetics. You will work hand in hand with team five and follow their ultimate directive. When you are not working with team five, you will be on the ground fighting. You will be led by the Academy Vice, Josephine, and by Griffin Moore.”
Josephine looked intrigued, but she nodded Lincoln on all the same. As I expected, Griffin simply accepted his place and would do his part.
“Finally, group five: your contribution to this battle will be the most vital. You are some of our most gifted Grigori—our nature users.” Lincoln paused and took a deep, calm breath. “If he will agree, I ask that you be led by Phoenix. I’m sure you all know who he is and that he is an exile. What you may not know is that he is only here with us because he sacrificed his own angelic nature in order to save the only Grigori ever made by one of the Sole. He is an exile, he is human, and he is our ally.”
I looked toward where Phoenix had been standing alone. He was closer now, listening to Lincoln, his hands still in his pockets. Gradually, all eyes on the vessel moved in his direction.
Phoenix finally looked up and out to the crowd, as if making a decision. He pressed his lips together briefly before speaking. “Some of you will die. Perhaps all of you. I will not lead you to your death—but I will go, and I will stand at the helm to fight for the life of this city. If you choose, you may follow.”
His words were so…Phoenix. A complication.
One by one, the nature users walked toward him, moving to stand behind him.
Lincoln nodded to Phoenix and then they shared a flash-smile. I looked at Lincoln for an explanation, and he bent to whisper in my ear. “I just made Josephine and her entire team answerable to a dark exile.”
I tried not to smile as I quickly looked to Josephine, who once again threw me completely by simply flashing me her own knowing smile.
“I really hope she doesn’t try to kill Phoenix before the fight even gets started,” I murmured.
“We move out in three hours,” Lincoln announced. “Be ready and well armed. We will have additional weapons set up in the weaponry below that have been…enhanced,” he said, glancing at me and winking. “Our base of operations will remain here, but if the hurricane manages to…” His words trailed off, but everyone knew what he was going to say. “There will be a secondary base that has been set up at a nearby sports dome southwest of here. This will also be where we send any people in need of help. Maps will be provided.” He looked out over the masses of Grigori before him.
We were going to war. We all knew it. There was nothing more to say. Lincoln clearly felt this way too, simply nodding and repeating, “Three hours.”
The crowd began to disperse, heading off with their teams to find weapons. Lincoln wrapped his hand around mine, and I could tell he was keen to slip away and start our preparations, but Gray was in front of us before we managed to do so. He crossed his arms and looked every bit the big bad warrior as he stared down at me. “I still don’t like you two going up there alone.”
I shrugged. “You’ll get over it.”
His eyes narrowed and he turned to Lincoln. “I see you haven’t done anything for her attitude.”
Lincoln laughed. “I like her attitude.”
“You bloody well would,” Gray said before clasping Lincoln’s hand and turning worried eyes back on me.
I started to squirm, not ready for this discussion.
The one where people figure you’re about to die, so they say something nice.
Gray took my hand and kissed the back of it. “I’ve been honored to follow you.”
I snorted. “You don’t follow me, Gray. You don’t follow anyone.”
He smirked. “Princess, I’ve been following you since the day you showed up in my city a year ago. You just never realized.” He dropped his head fractionally. “And my service remains yours, eternally.”
I froze, my eyes fixed on Gray’s retreating figure as he walked away.
Rogues most certainly do not serve anyone, ever.
“Are you really that surprised?” Lincoln asked softly.
Ah, yes. Yes I am.
Attempting to thaw from the shock, I could only manage t
o stare at Lincoln’s amused eyes. He seemed to have no trouble hearing my unspoken response.
Once I had my faculties back under control, I glanced around and caught Josephine’s eye again. She’d been watching, and I could almost see her mind ticking over, making me wonder, yet again, if she was playing another angle.
“Onyx is right,” came a familiar voice from behind me. “There is never a dull moment with you.”
I turned to see Dapper leaning against a steel wall, watching me with a knowing smile. I knew why instantly.
He can see my aura. Our auras.
“Why?” I asked Dapper, noticing that Onyx was there too, standing apart and talking quietly with Chloe. Grigori were here to play their part in the fight, but Dapper and Onyx were not able to fight and yet had willingly entered this city knowing it was likely a one-way ticket.
“I heard that a lot of Rogues were going to be here, and I figured you could use someone with some extra healing abilities on standby.”
I nodded, pressing my lips together to fight back the tears. Rogues rarely still had their partners, which made healing a problem. Dapper’s help would be very much needed.
I glanced over to where Onyx and Chloe were still talking, their body language awkward yet a genuine bond evident between them. “What’s the story between those two anyway?” I asked.
Dapper was watching them too. “Oh, it’s one of violence, death, regret, and forgiveness.” He turned back to me. “You know the type.”
I already knew that was all he was going to say. “I have an idea,” I said, smiling as Onyx sauntered toward us.
“And why did you come?” I asked, looking at Onyx.
He waved a hand in the air, feigning nonchalance. “It might have something to do with that family thing we talked about the other day.”
Dapper rested his hand on Onyx’s shoulder and squeezed. For Dapper, it was a major PDA.
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