by Lizzy Ford
“They’re called Team Reject for a reason,” Heidi said. Zoey heard something in her tone that worried her.
“Does not play well with others. Failure to respect authority,” Zoey recited.
“Outbursts of violence towards other Halflings,” Ginny added.
“Either cannot or will not follow instructions,” Lydia added shyly. “I had my first hearing yesterday.”
Zoey laughed. “So you do fit in!”
“I guess.”
Zoey glanced at the Professor, who looked more worn down than she’d ever seen him. She flipped off her mic and addressed him. Laden with rain, his clothing clung to his slender frame and made him appear almost nondescript, for an incubus. At his sexual peak, he never would have been overlooked or mistaken for a human.
“Are you okay?” she asked, concerned.
“I’m well, kiddo.”
She handed him a bottle of water. “You’re not okay.”
He accepted it and gave her a distracted smile. “I had hoped not to see the day where everything we built came down like this.”
Zoey said nothing. She had no affection for the place that had become her home or for most of the girls she was supposed to fight with. Only Team R and the Professor. The school was bloated and self-important, filled with girls chosen more for looks than potential to fight. No, there was no love lost.
But it was her home, and the tremor of emotion that went through her scared her. Where did she go, if the Professor’s house was blown up? Did she go to Declan, whose agenda wasn’t clear? Did she go to Olivia, who chose a horrible time to reveal their relationship?
Why did Olivia reveal it today?
“I knew it would come soon,” he added. “This has been building for awhile.”
“What has?”
“The internal struggle in the Incubatti. The Cambions never should’ve been granted power in the first place. Now, there’s no way to fix it but by force.”
“You think there are parts of the Incubatti that don’t believe in what the Cambions do?” she asked.
“I know it to be true. Declan’s father has planned this for many years. I don’t know that he anticipated the Cambions attacking the Sucubatti, though. It’ll drive a wedge between any cooperation the two might have,” he explained.
Thus far, the Incubus whom Olivia told her not to trust seemed to be telling the truth. Declan didn’t believe in protecting Cambions. He was fighting them in his own way. Relief spread through her, soon replaced by a chill that slid into her core. If the Enforcers and IAB were temporarily allied to fight the Cambions, what happened if they parted ways? Where did she go then?
“Olivia said she blocked all transfer orders for Team R. Why does every Hunter get transferred when they turn twenty two?” she asked, recalling something else she read in Vikki’s journal.
“They aren’t transferred per se,” the Professor said slowly. “Most end up killed off.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, if you weren’t the daughter of the head of the IAB, you would be dead by now. There has never been a clean, easy way of handling Hunters that go mad from sex energy. There comes a point where too much is built up, and the only alternative has been to destroy the Hunter.”
“You’re telling me every girl here is gonna end up dead?” Zoey demanded.
“Many end up the mates of Incubatti. It’s how Incubuses are born,” he reminded her. “Those that don’t are killed off. You have Declan to stabilize you. Vikki has Liam. The girls on Team R won’t follow that path, but the rest …” he shrugged. “It’s why I and the other Bennies stayed with the Sucubatti. Philosophical differences aside, we knew the only way to find and protect the soul-mates of our brethren was to be where they were bred. Here.”
“I am going to need some serious therapy after this shit.”
“Zoey! Mic!” Wes shouted. She flipped on the mic, her gaze on the Professor.
“No meltdowns,” the Professor said with some of his old cheerfulness.
“Fuck that. I’m gonna have the king of all meltdowns before the day is over.”
“Calm, Zoey,” Wes said in a quiet voice. “Stay focused.”
Though she liked none of the Hunters, she knew they weren’t exactly told their fates when they were recruited. In fact, they were lied to. No one told them they’d go crazy on their twenty-second birthdays and ended up killed like they did Cambions.
“There aren’t really any good guys, are there?” she asked the Professor, disturbed at all he’d told her.
“Leave your mic open, Zoey,” Wes said over the radio. “Good is a relative term.”
“There are,” the Professor said. “People like you who want to do what’s right. Team R is strong that way. The security apparatuses of both societies have a common goal to protect the innocent and different ways of reaching it.”
“It doesn’t matter, if they kill each other off first,” she said, frustrated. She glanced through the scope. Her hands were sweating as she realized whatever was happening today, it was going to make breaking up with Eric feel like winning the lottery.
“I forgot. This is from Chrissy.” The Professor pulled out what looked like a watch and handed it to her.
Zoey accepted it. “Who?”
“Chrissy. The girl you rescued. The one who made you the high heels with –“
“Oh yeah! I like her!”
The Professor rolled his eyes at her.
“What does this do?” she asked, interested in it. “Poison compartment? Strange folding knife?”
“It’s a watch,” he responded.
“No shit. Is that all it does?”
“As far as I know.”
“That’s just weird.” Zoey frowned, but put it on. “You still have her number for when things go back to normal?”
“I do,” he confirmed. “You like your watch?”
Zoey stared at it, perplexed. It was lighter than normal with a Velcro strap and digital timekeeping. But it was a watch. Not titanium-reinforced knives in her shoes or a dress that moved with her body.
“Yeah, it’s fine,” she replied and then turned her attention back to the question she intended to ask her teammate, before the Professor handed her the plain, black band. “Ginny, you want to start a vigilante movement?”
“Vikki already asked me.”
“Me, too,” Lydia said.
“First I’m hearing of this,” Wes said casually.
“We need a better name than Team Reject,” Zoey said. “I, um, have a private investor who will fund us. How about Team Rogue?”
“Private investor?” Ginny asked. “Do I want to know who?”
“Nope. Someone’s gotta step up and knock off the Cambions. I have a feeling things are gonna get messy,” Zoey said. “You guys in?”
“Maybe we should talk about this,” Heidi said.
Zoey suppressed what she wanted to say to Heidi. After today, there was no way in hell she was going to work for Sucubatti or Incubatti.
“I’m in,” Lydia said.
“Me, too,” Ginny agreed. “I’ve got movement.”
“From this direction as well,” Zoey said, watching the Cambions moving down the street.
“Hold,” Heidi ordered. “We’re awaiting the directive to open fire. All rules of engagement apply, Zoey. None of that selective ROE.”
“Roger,” Zoey said blandly.
“Five bucks says I kill more,” Ginny said.
“You’re on,” Zoey said.
“Engage at will,” Wes directed.
Zoey took out four of the Cambions down the street before they fled for cover. She waited then picked off a couple more who ventured out. She heard the report of Ginny’s weapon and focused hard, squeezing off rounds and guiding them with magic.
“Ten,” she said.
“Twelve,” Ginny replied.
Zoey took out several more then caught movement a block over, a forested area.
“Heidi, I’ve got twenty I
can see and a whole bunch moving up from the southeast that are hidden in the forest,” she said. “You’ll need a squad on the ground to flush them out of the forest.”
“Got it,” Heidi said, then relayed the instructions to the command center.
A moment later, Zoey saw a team of Hunters headed towards the forest in the southeast corner. Zoey glanced at the other Cambions still cowering down the street then shifted her weapon to cover the girls moving towards the forest, at once critical of the way they approached the forest. Team R never moved like that, without weapons ready. These Hunters acted either like untrained newbies or cheerleaders out for a stroll.
Zoey fired a warning shot over the head of the girls, irritated. They took the hint and drew weapons.
“Zoey,” Wes chuckled. “Declan hasn’t calmed that temper of yours.”
“Are you kidding?” Ginny asked. “This is night and day for her. The Zoey I know would’ve rappelled down the side of the building by now and be knee-deep in Cambions.”
Zoey was surprised to realize Ginny was right. She was calm and focused, despite the amount of devastating news she’d received in such a short time span. It wasn’t a normal state for her, but it was like fighting sober: somehow much easier than she expected.
“She is following instructions today,” Heidi allowed. “Declan could calm the fire of anyone.”
“No one in their right mind would piss off Declan,” Ginny said. “Though I would’ve loved to have been at the inquiry yesterday.”
“You following the rules, Zoey?” Wes asked.
“Rules? He’s had to tell her more than one in what, the two days she’s known him?” Ginny laughed. “Zoey, they only tell you rules when you break one.”
“What are they?” Lydia asked.
“It’s what happens when a Halfling fucks over her soul-mate,” Wes said warily.
“What are you up to, Zoey? Twenty?” Ginny was still laughing.
“Fuck all of you,” Zoey said acidly.
“I know one,” Ginny said. “What’s the second?”
“What’s the first?” Lydia asked.
“Rule one: don’t ever draw your weapons on me again. Rule two: don’t ever lie to me again,” Zoey recited. “Rule three: know the difference between where you play and where you sleep.”
“Three rules in two days!” Ginny exclaimed.
“My god, Zoey. It’s definitely a record,” Wes said. “I feel bad for Declan. What did you do to him?”
They were all laughing at her. The Professor was near tears. Zoey gritted her teeth. She thought Declan was giving her a run for her money while he was coasting. She felt somewhat vindicated realizing she was testing him as well.
I love a challenge. His voice was a husky whisper in her mind. It made her blood stir remembering how he turned her anger into passion. The magic fusing them was subtle again today, so much so she barely noticed it, except when she focused on it. Her calm came from him and the bond.
She turned off the mic again then asked, “How many rules are there?” Uncertain if he heard her words or not, she squeezed off a few more shots to cover the girls fighting near the forest. The Cambions down the block were venturing out of hiding once more. She swung around to shoot a few more down before returning to the forest. Flipping on the mic, she spoke to Heidi.
“Squad one is out of commission. Cambions headed onto campus. Five minutes until contact with the front gate. Where the fuck are the evacs?” The parking lot below was surrounded by the Hunters.
“How many are headed this way?” Wes demanded.
“Twenty so far out in the open. Nineteen. Eighteen,” she counted as she picked them off.
“Wes, they’re shifting towards the forest,” Ginny reported.
Zoey heard a boom and a crunch, similar to what the houses and dorms sounded like as they crashed. She raised her head, looking around then finally down into the parking lot. The center of the parking lot had collapsed. Cars, Halflings and elders dropped into the sinkhole.
“Shit!” she exclaimed.
“On my way. Take out the Cambions,” he ordered.
She shifted her eyes away with some effort, horrified by the sight below. Zoey picked off the Cambions as quickly as possible while more spilled from the forest. Those down the street were charging as well. She focused on those already clambering up the gates surrounding campus, her agitation and magic rising within her.
Four, Declan answered. Stay calm or you’ll be learning the final one tonight.
She drew a deep breath, knowing he was right. Breathe. Hold. Squeeze. She took out a few more before Wes reached her. He looked out over the parking lot, listening to whoever addressed him on the other channel.
“Zoey, Ginny, grab your gear and head to the armory,” Heidi said over their channel. “Our evacuations have been rerouted. The humans alerted the police; we can’t risk involving them in this. We’re moving the elders out of here ourselves while Olivia buys us time before the cops arrive.”
Chapter Seventeen: Zoey Unleashed
No sooner had Heidi said the words than Zoey was pulling the Professor to his feet. She stripped off any weapons that might hinder her movement and stuck with knives and her sidearm. She tossed the vest, until she wore only her leggings and the tight tank. On the other side of the building, Ginny was doing the same. Zoey fastened her belt and emplaced the extra weapons around her body using Velcro and straps then dumped a couple knives in the Professor’s pockets.
“I really don’t know how you survive this shit,” Wes said from a few feet away. He was looking her over critically.
“You’re about to find out with Lydia,” Zoey said and glanced up. “You ready to deal with what Declan’s dealing with?”
“Declan might be more diplomatic, but I’m more patient. The rite won’t be an issue for me,” Wes said.
Zoey almost laughed.
“Final count?” Ginny asked over the radio.
“Forty three,” Zoey replied.
“Forty nine.”
“Dammit. I owe you. Double or nothing next round?”
“Deal.”
Wes’s gaze lingered on Zoey’s breasts. She knew if she turned around, they’d go to her ass. She released a bit of the magic, and he met her gaze, sensing it.
“So predictable,” she said. “Cambions do the same thing. That’s how we survive.”
“Now I see why he told you rule three. Reckless, Zoey,” he warned, familiar interest on his face.
She held his gaze as she chambered a pewter round in the sidearm. Being a super-Incubus, he was more sensitive to the sex energy, and she wasn’t about to push someone with Declan’s level of power too far. She grinned at him playfully then turned her attention to the Professor, looping her free arm around him.
“We’re headed towards Site Z,” Wes said over the radio. Ginny waited for them at the stairs while Lydia trotted to them.
“No, Olivia said Site X,” Heidi countered.
“Declan says Site Z.”
Zoey exchanged a look with Ginny and Lydia, both of whom appeared uncomfortable as the Succubus and Incubus squared off. Heidi cocked her head to the side, listening to the earpiece for a moment. Her eyes swept over Zoey.
“Fine. Site Z,” she snapped and whirled, marching towards the stairs.
“Declan always wins,” Wes said with a wink at Zoey.
“Don’t I know it,” she muttered.
Zoey made her way with the Professor. It took her a little longer than the others to reach the bottom of the stairs, where the elders of the Benefactors had been gathered. There were thirteen elders, and all appeared to be there, along with several Hunters.
She wondered where the rest of Olivia’s IAB officers were, and why Wes was there at all, instead of letting the Sucubatti handle this. Heidi broke them down into four groups, with the Professor and Ginny in her group, along with the other four elderly Benefactors. Zoey looked again at Ginny, whose eyes lingered on the other three groups.
&nb
sp; “Seem odd we’ve got all the Incubuses on our team?” Zoey asked.
“Very. Either it’s because we’re damned good or it’s a set-up.”
Zoey thought the same. She checked Ginny over for weapons, aware her fellow Team R partner was capable of fighting as well as Vikki. She handed Ginny one of the energy drinks Olivia supplied, suspecting they’d need them.
“Ginny, Zoey, you’re going south, through the worst part,” Wes said then paused. “You know to call for help, Ginny? Because I know Zoey doesn’t.”
“We don’t need help,” Ginny retorted.
“We’re good,” Zoey seconded. “In fact, I bet you we beat you to the site.”
“You should know now not to make a bet with an Enforcer,” he replied.
She flushed and turned away.
“I’ll send you the address to the site when you’re close enough,” Wes added.
Zoey motioned the Benefactors in front of her to start moving.
“Zoey, forward?” Ginny asked. “We can start moving towards our café.”
Zoey nodded, blood humming with adrenaline. She trotted out of the building and studied the situation expertly. The Cambions were swarming the campus, the Hunters engaged. Uneasiness broke over her as she realized just how many Cambions there were. They took no chances that anyone escaped and even brought saws to cut through the fences. There was no route that wouldn’t be contested.
Mind on the Professor, Zoey chose the safest path possible and started forward, gun in one hand and knife in the other. She waited until she was within striking distance of the first Cambion then loosened her magic and instincts, smashing a kick to the back of his head then whirling to slice the throat of the next one. The third, she shot. Several more heard the commotion and broke off from the Hunters they were battling. She guessed they were under orders to grab or kill the elders, for the Hunters seemed to be of little real interest.
“Watch your back, Zoey,” Wes advised.
She whipped around and danced away from a strike aimed at her head. A slash of her lucky knife, and the attacker fell. Another shot, and the guy behind him did. She waved the small group forward. Ginny broke away to engage a Cambion charging from a different direction while Zoey pushed their route forward. Her body warmed in the cold day as she fought to clear their path. She soaked up the sex energy around her and gathered it, releasing it in bursts to confuse the Cambions and letting it feed her adrenaline.