“And knocking out the competition at the same time,” Livia muttered. “How do they think they’ll conquer Soma?”
Allie imagined her sister would take it as a personal insult that anyone other than herself would bring an end to the reign of Soma. She built it from the ground up. It was hers to destroy.
“With an army of Syntrophos,” Naomi said.
“An army? How many pairs?” Allie asked.
“There are five of us so far. Another three are being trained separately. I think they realized we were getting too close, so they wanted to create contention among us. The Initiative has scoured the world, hunting for us. They want us young before we’ve bonded with a Complement. We’re more susceptible to the training that way.”
Eight Syntrophos pairs? Young ones. Allie turned her focus back to her visions. She counted those with discernable faces. Fourteen in all, always drifting around in pairs. The puzzle piece she was missing. It seems I was right. “Aidan is protecting them,” Allie said. “It’s why he’s pulled away from the family. He’s taken it upon himself to try to save everyone. Not just himself.”
“It’s not in his nature to turn his back on them. They’re mostly just kids,” Naomi said. “Aidan and I were lucky. Some of the others came to the Initiative after losing their families to the Coalition. And most had next to no training with nowhere else to go.”
“Sounds exactly like Soma,” Livia said, crossing her arms over her chest.
“More of the same, indeed.” Allie’s fists tightened at her sides. “It’s always the same story. Powerful kids taken advantage of by those who should know better.”
“We’ve been training for this for years, Allie. In a few months, we’ll be infiltrating Sterling Tower. Once we’re inside, we’ll take over. The new group in training now will see to it we don’t fall down on the job. With eight Syntrophos inside, they won’t stand a chance. Our arsenal of abilities can’t be matched.”
“And you’ve all agreed to this?” Allie asked. Part of her was revolted by the idea that the Senate was exploiting the Syntrophos bond, but another part of her was exhilarated by the new information Naomi brought to light.
“Like we have a choice?” Naomi scoffed. “It was all sunshine and rainbows when they were recruiting us a few years ago. Now that they have us, it’s a different story. We’re a family now. No one understands us more than another Syntrophos. In the beginning, the Initiative was a place where we could learn to be what we are. Now, it feels like we’ve been groomed to be mindless weapons for a cause that’s not ours.”
“Leave with us, Naomi,” Darius begged. “Walk away while you can, and we’ll get Aidan out of there eventually.”
“Surely, you understand by now what this bond means to those like us,” Naomi said. “Would you ever leave Allie behind?” She shook her head. “No. It’s not even an option.
Allie glanced at Darius. She would kill before she would die before she would leave him behind.
“They use our love against us.” Naomi’s tone grew soft. “It happened so slowly, we didn’t notice it for a long time. We’ve been given the freedom to make our own choices. Live where we want and do what we please on our own time. But our freedom is an illusion. We can never leave together without escort or an unwelcome tail. No one followed me tonight because Aidan isn’t with me. They know we will always return for the one who matters most. And they know we will never abandon our Syntrophos family. So, we do what they ask. Their agenda is a good one, at least on the surface. We’re going to free the slaves of Soma and never let it happen again.” Naomi gave a half hearted fist pump as her voice grew hard and her eyes cold. “But they use the same tricks and mind games Soma does. At the end of the day, they are no better. We’ll do all the hard work, and they’ll reap all the reward.”
“You’re right; they will be more of the same under a veil of good intentions,” Allie agreed. “We have to put an end to this. The younger generations have been used and abused for too long, and no one does anything about it. It’s like it’s just the norm.”
“We scare them.” Naomi jutted her chin out. “We are stronger and more talented than they are. They have the years and experience behind them, but we have a strength and focus they will never understand.”
“It’s time for a change,” Allie said. She just didn’t know how to bring about that change when all she wanted was to bring Aidan home. But at the same time, she couldn’t stomach the thought of turning her back on others experiencing the same or even worse.
“Can you imagine?” Darius said. “Soma as it is but run by our government. People won’t know not to trust them.”
“At least Soma knows they’re evil bastards,” Livia said. “We never tried to hide behind a high horse of morality. We knew we were screwing people over.”
“We have to get you all out of there before this thing goes down,” Allie said.
Naomi shook her head. “Aidan won’t leave. He’s changed, Allie. He is not the boy you remember. He’s darker … more dangerous. And he believes in what we’re doing. That’s why I’m here. We can’t let this takeover happen, but I don’t know how to stop it.”
“Surely, he sees the manipulation going on all around him,” Allie said.
Naomi grew pale in the moonlight. “He’s so focused on Soma and what happened to Quinn and Santi there. He sees this takeover as a way to get real justice for them. The night Quinn came home, Aidan was attacked and wasn’t able to help fight with his family. He carries a lot of guilt for that. He thinks if he can be part of the team bringing Soma down, that he’ll be able to walk away feeling like he did his part.”
“He’s ridiculous if he thinks any of that matters.” Darius said. “My brother’s a noble idiot.”
“Yes.” Naomi smiled. “But that’s why we love him.”
“You’ve helped a great deal, Naomi,” Livia said. “Thank you for taking such a risk to meet with us.”
“You two are sisters?” Naomi’s brow creased in confusion. “I don’t see it. I could like you, Livia. But this one, I don’t get what’s so special about her.
“They say jealousy breeds blind fools,” Livia said darkly. “Maybe that’s the problem.”
“Be careful, Naomi,” Darius interjected. “The next time I see you, I’m taking you home.”
“Wait, we’re not leaving without a plan,” Allie said. “We don’t have nearly enough to go on yet.”
“I can’t stay much longer. I’m taking a huge risk just being here with you two.” Naomi glanced over her shoulder. “If the Initiative gets a hint of your bond, they’ll hunt you down. And then you will do Aidan no favors.”
“We will leave today,” Livia said. “We have what we came for.”
“Do we?” Allie asked. She came for Aidan and didn’t want to think about leaving without him.
“Information, Allie. We’ve learned a great deal since we arrived. We might not be able to help him now, but we will help him. And we will stop this Soma takeover.”
“So it seems we’re on the same side?” Naomi managed a grimace of a smile.
“I suppose so.” Allie wrinkled her nose. “We both love him. And we both know what he means to you.” She shared a look with Darius. “And that he’s going to do this his way and be damned if he’ll hear otherwise.”
“Classic Aidan,” Naomi said.
“I suppose we finally have a common goal.”
“Protect Aidan and the other Syntrophos, despite his good intentions to take the world onto his shoulders all by himself,” Naomi said. “Truce?” She offered her hand to Allie. “For Aidan?”
“For Aidan.” Allie grasped her hand. “Take care of him.” It killed her to say those words. Almost as much as it killed her to leave without him, knowing he was likely only a few hours away.
Be strong, Aidan. Wherever you are.
Chapter Eleven
Allie reluctantly sat between her sister and her Syntrophos. She thumped her foot against the seat in front of her.<
br />
“You do that the whole flight, and I’m going to chop off your foot,” Livia said.
“Sorry.” Allie wrapped her arms around her middle. “I just can’t stand leaving without them.”
“Them?” Darius smiled. “Has the hatchet finally been buried?”
“It’s not like I could leave Naomi behind. She’s his Darius.” Allie shrugged. “She’ll always be a part of him.” In a way I will never be. Like it or not, Aidan and Naomi were in it forever now.
“We will get them back, along with the other Syntrophos,” Livia said. “I will die before I see Soma fall into the hands of the Chief Justice. If I cannot tear that place down to the foundation with my bare hands, then I will see it become what it always should have been. A safe haven for those like you.” She took Allie’s hand. “Strong, young, and talented Immortals who need a place to learn. To become what they should be without all of the manipulation, lies, and deceit.”
“I don’t think I ever realized how lucky I was to have the McBriens to train with,” Allie leaned back, buckling her seatbelt. “Navid brought me to them for a reason, but I never really got it ‘til now. They carefully integrated me into this world with love and patience. They helped me hone my gifts. Emma has been the mentor and friend I couldn’t have survived without. I guess I thought that was something everyone had. I never realized how many young Immortals don’t have access to decent training with teachers they can trust.”
“Maybe it’s time to force a change,” Livia said. “It would be nice for me to be on the right side of things for once. Marcus would die of shame.”
“How do you even make a change like that on such a big scale?” Allie asked. “We have to start with Aidan and Naomi. And if we can manage it, we’ll stop this takeover and help the other Syntrophos, too. Then maybe one day we can do more.”
“You’re not thinking big enough, sister.” Livia shook her head. “Aidan and Naomi are perfectly safe for the moment. But there are so many more who aren’t. I have seen into the darkest depths of the Senate and into the lives of those representatives who are hungry for more and more power. The Senate is Soma’s best customer, and it seems they’ve taken enough lessons over the years to start generating their own slaves in the guise of this Milan Initiative.”
“What exactly are you suggesting?” Darius asked.
“We take Soma before the Initiative has a chance to, and then we focus on freeing the Syntrophos. We would have a much stronger chance of success with the power of Soma behind us.”
“What do you mean, take Soma?” Allie frowned. After all her sister had been through under Marcus’s rule, she couldn’t imagine how she’d ever want to go back, much less take over.
“It’s all there, Allie. The facility. Genuine people who care. The kids who need help. It’s all just in the wrong hands. I always tried to do little things to defy my father and protect the Soma kids when I could. In my absence, Jayesh has continued in that endeavor. We’ve been working together for years to make subtle changes Marcus wouldn’t notice, but it’s not enough. I’ll be damned if I see my life’s work fall into the hands of a corrupt government. They’ll do more harm than Soma ever did because they’ll be doing it from a high moral ground.”
“Where would you even begin?” Allie asked.
“We’ll discuss it when we get home,” Livia said, casting a glance down the aisle at the flight attendants preparing for takeoff.
“It’s a long flight, Liv. And I can give us the privacy we need,” Darius said. “Let’s discuss it now.”
Allie could see the physical evidence of Darius’s soundproofing gift at work in a way he couldn’t. A shimmery golden haze cast them in a warm, glowing bubble. “Pull it in a little tighter.” She guided him, watching the bubble shrink closer around them. “That’s it.”
“No one can hear us now,” Darius said. “This talk of saving all the suffering children of the world is all well and good, but Aidan is my brother.” His fists clenched in his lap. “And Naomi is my oldest friend. We grew up together with Aidan and Sasha following us around like puppies. Naomi presents a hard front, but you have no idea what she’s been through. She’s not as tough as she’d like you to believe. The Naomi I just saw, something’s happened to her. She’s heartbroken and terrified, and not just for the obvious reasons. We have to get them out of there as soon as possible. If that means we take over Soma, then let’s do it. So long as we’re doing something about it.”
“All right, what’s your plan?” Allie took Darius’s hand and turned toward her sister.
“It’s simple. We walk in and take it.”
“That’s easier said than done,” Allie said.
“Jayesh has placed people we can trust throughout the Soma system. Marcus and his loyal lapdogs wouldn’t know what happened until it was too late.”
“You’ve been preparing for this?” Darius asked.
“We’ve just been waiting for the right opportunity, but it will be risky. We need the right people on our side, and we need to plan for every possibility.”
“Who do we need?” Allie asked.
Livia gave her a hard stare. “We need you.”
“Me? What can I do?”
“We need the heir, Allie. A person the young ones can look to for support. A person who can quickly drive the kind of change we need to see. Someone your generation can get behind. And someone the old ones can respect.”
“But how?” There was no way Allie could be all of those things.
“Take your position seriously and use it to help not only Aidan and Naomi, but the countless others who have been used and manipulated for their power. The abuse starts high, and it rolls down hill. I never wanted to be what I became. I never set out to be a ruthless slaver but when I resisted my father’s orders, my mother suffered for it. I never had a choice. Soma is what it is because I was too scared to stand up to him. He no longer has me over a barrel. My mother is safe now, and it’s time to do something I should have done a long time ago. But I can’t do it alone.”
“It’s a good plan, Allie,” Darius said. “It has teeth. It’s bold.”
“Declaring myself to our world?” The very idea terrified her, but if she were ever going to use her position, it would be for something like this.
“It’s not what you say, it’s what you do. You walk into Soma like you own the place and you take it. You announce yourself and your agenda. You’ll win some over. Some will resist. And some will just want to leave.”
“All right, just for argument’s sake, let’s say I do that, and by some miracle, we pull it off. Then what? How do we keep it? Marcus will blow us off the map. And the Senate will paint us as the bad guys terrorizing innocent children. But more importantly, how would we keep those under Soma’s roof from being harmed in the process? This is about ending things like that. Not causing more unnecessary damage.”
“I have an idea just crazy enough to work. If Quinn can pull it off, Marcus won’t be able to touch us or anyone under our protection,” Livia said.
“Quinn?” Allie’s mind raced with ideas. Livia was right. Declaring herself would get the attention they needed. And it wouldn’t be about Allie agreeing to be some kind of ruler. It would be about using the title to get shit done. And Quinn could definitely help keep them safe while doing it. “You want him to use the dreamworld to protect Sterling Tower?”
“It’s been done before. If we can get in the building at the right time when Marcus is away, we can make this as easy as a change in management.”
Allie blew out a big breath. She couldn’t believe she was even considering this. “We take Soma before the Initiative can. We make it what it’s supposed to be, and then we go after Aidan and the others. Give them the same protection we’ve given the kids at Soma.”
“The Chief Justice won’t sit back and let it happen. They will come for us,” Livia said. “And they’ll make us out to be the bad guys.”
“Let them,” Darius said. “It needs to happen
and in time, we‘ll show the world we’re the ones looking out for their kids’ best interests.”
“It’s a stupid-crazy plan. But it could work,” Allie said, resisting the tremor of fear at the idea of actually doing what they were discussing.
“We’re going to need to visit Jayesh first. We have a layover in New York. We can change our connecting flight to Atlanta and meet with him tomorrow.”
“Just to talk about it, right?” Allie eyed her sister. “We’re not actually doing this yet?”
“Of course,” Livia said, pulling out her phone to text Jayesh before their plane took off.
“What will the ice queen have to say about all this?” Allie asked.
“She will get on board with anything that gets you to consider claiming your title. This is right up her alley. And Grandfather will be all over this.”
“And you two? Where will you be?”
“Right beside you,” they echoed.
Chapter Twelve
"I still don't think it's safe for you to even be in Atlanta again," Allie said as they stepped onto the MARTA train at the busy Atlanta airport. "You shouldn’t go anywhere near Sterling Tower. I’m going to meet with Jayesh alone."
"Not happening," Darius said, clutching the pole with a white-knuckle grip to steady himself as the train took off across the ginormous terminal. "We’re all going. I’m not letting you out of my sight, and Livia knows who to trust and who to avoid."
"So does Jayesh,” Allie insisted.
"What if you got separated from him? What if you got in and couldn't get back out?" Darius argued.
"It doesn’t matter; it's not open for discussion." Livia crossed her arms over her chest as the train slowed to a halt. "You need to get used to the idea that Darius and I will be at your side, always. We each have our roles to play. I am comfortable with mine. It's time you get acquainted with yours."
“My role sucks, want to switch?”
"I was not born to fulfill your role." Livia cocked her head, arching a perfectly sculpted brow. “I was born to fulfill mine. And my role is to be your right hand. While we are in Sterling Tower, you will not leave my side. Understood?"
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