by C. M. Owens
Karma looks as weary and in pain as I am, but Chaz’s eyes are closed and he doesn’t speak as Sadie starts pulling away.
“Gage,” I say more forcefully, panic rising, but I’m too weak to try and stop her.
“He has to stay back until we’re clear of this place. He’ll catch up,” she tells me, gassing the car and squealing away from the isolated hiding spot that is nowhere around whatever place we were being held.
“Chaz,” I say in a pained whimper. “Make her stop.”
“Shh,” he shushes. “I have to concentrate. It’s taking all my strength to keep the ruse up. Just be quiet. Gage will be fine.”
“How can you know that?” I ask, looking to Sadie when Chaz doesn’t respond.
“Because we planned this all out. I had to wear a different face to make it inside, because we weren’t sure where you were exactly, and Gage pretended that he had to help Chaz through the facility. Everything is planned down to the second,” she answers, skidding around a curve, and punching the gas harder.
“Why did you have to go in as a guard?” Karma wheezes, needing answers now, just like I do.
“Because saving you was only part of the plan. The other part was planting a seed. I planted that seed, watered it, and made sure it grew before I left. They trusted that face, and when he wakes up, he’ll believe it was really him that said it.”
She smiles proudly, but I’m not done worrying about Gage. I don’t give a damn about anything else.
“But—”
“Shh,” she says softly. “Sleep.”
My tears pour out, but then I feel the undeniable tug of sleep that I’ve had to deny for five days, and despite all my best efforts, the safety of the car brings the exhaustion I can no longer deny my weakened body.
***
GAGE
“You truly want Morgana?” Gavin asks, appearing to be stalling.
His eyes flit back to the bodies on the ground. Even though it’s just an illusion, it’s hard as hell to see Kimber lying there, her head severed like Karma’s, as the bodies bleed out. It’s a brutal imagery, but it was the only way to keep him from going to check on a pulse.
Just a little while longer, and Kimber will be safely distanced from this place. I can’t fight Gavin. Not here. Not with my magic strained and his fully active under the protective spells and markings this place has.
“Yes—Morgana for the weapons. You stole her from me once, so now I want to return the favor.”
He narrows his eyes at me, and then he turns his attention on the illusion of Chaz at my side.
“You’re going to just let him get away with killing a member of the royal family and then hand the weapons over to me for a girl you don’t even know?”
Fake Chaz shrugs, appearing bored. He can’t answer, which means his power is weakening the farther away he gets. It’s almost time to get the hell out of here.
“You must be growing bored with her after all these many centuries.”
Gavin cuts his eyes back toward me. “You’d be a fool to want her. She’s never going to love you. You might have just killed the only girl who does love you.”
Kimber. He has no idea what I’d do for her, even if it costs me my own life. But he never saw Chaz coming. Hell, I never saw Chaz coming, and I’ve known him for decades. At least now I know why Karma was initially wary. She did see him.
“Think about it brother. Give me your answer soon.”
He growls low in his throat. But he thinks I have all the leverage now. And technically I do.
“I’ll find someone you care about.”
I wink at him. “You already have. I’m trying to make a deal for her life,” I lie.
Morgana chose her life. I freed her, and somehow she managed to save him. She’s no doubt the reason he’s alive. She loves him, and even though she deserves so much better, I can’t help her until she’s ready to help herself.
He won’t give her up. For whatever reason, he can’t seem to leave her alone, so this is all to stall. They’ve had time, and when I see the illusion in front of me flicker, I know it’s time to get the hell out of there.
Gavin’s head darts to the illusion of the two limp bodies on the floor as the image sways again, losing more power.
“What the fuck?!” he roars, running over and swiping a hand through the faux imagery, and I use that distraction to dematerialize and push myself up and out, straining against the protective magic that doesn’t want me using my power in here.
I feel it the second I’m free, because the resistance shatters, making it easier to rush through the planes, driving myself farther and faster than I ever have before. I push myself until I reach the brink of using too much power, channeling every ounce of control I have before finally materializing on the road, but the second my feet hit the pavement, I start running.
I’m at least twenty miles away from that motherfucking compound, but he’ll be chasing, and now I’ve exerted too much magic to face him without losing my shit immediately.
A car screeches to a halt in front of me, the black tinted windows lower, and Zee waves me over.
“Get the fuck in, jackass.”
I vaporize and appear in the seat, and he gasses the car to squeal away, heading back toward my house.
“Is she safe?” I ask, panting slightly from all the strain.
“Yeah, but you won’t be. Everyone is fucking pissed at you. Why the hell did you plan a rescue mission without telling us?”
I smirk while leaning back, feeling the first calm settle into me since Kimber went missing.
“Because I had to. It was the only way we could do what had to be done and get her out safely. Besides, we included you in on the plan.”
He scowls at me. “As an afterthought. Chaz called and said you were going to need a ride, and told me to drive like a son of a bitch to meet you around this area. I’ve been driving up and down this stretch of road for over forty minutes.”
Zee drives faster around every bend in the road, and finally we reach the underground garage. I leave him behind when I dematerialize out of the car and rematerialize in the house.
Thad is at the bottom of the stairs, and he scowls over at me. They can be pissed all they want to. All that matters is the fact my girl is safe.
“Where is she?”
“They’re both in your room.”
I once again split the planes and appear in my room, looking down at the soft blonde hair that has been cleaned by magic. It’s no longer bloody and dirty like it was in the cell. She’s under the covers, sleeping peacefully, and Karma is beside her, resting just as safely.
“They woke up,” Chaz says, limping as though he’s hurt. That had to have taken a lot of power out of him, and that’s not something that can be magically healed. It’s going to take a while.
“For how long?”
Sadie was supposed to put them to sleep.
Dray walks out of the bathroom, drying his hands, and he looks exhausted. It probably took him a lot of power to heal them.
“Not long,” Kane says, holding Kimber’s hand in his.
Alyssa wipes her eyes before taking a seat on the edge of the bed beside Kimber. Dice is lying down beside Karma, affectionately rubbing her cheek.
Drackus will hopefully come down from his rampage now, and he can come back to see his daughter safe and sound.
“They both kept refusing to be healed first,” Dray says. “They wanted the other to be healed. We had to heal them at the same fucking time just to get to work.”
Dice smiles proudly, his eyes not moving from Karma. “That’s how they survived. Neither would tell him where the weapons were,” he says in a voice that doesn’t match his usual snarky wit. “He promised the one who told would live. But the other would die. Tough, stubborn girls.”
Thank God for that.
“Where is she?!” Ella demands, barging into the room. Apparently she broke free of the lockdown Kane and Alyssa put her under.
Her
whole body relaxes the second she sees Kimber resting peacefully in the bed, and she comes over to throw her arms around my neck.
I stagger backwards from the harsh and unexpected contact, and I pat her back uncomfortably. Never been much of hugger for people I don’t know too well.
“That’s for saving my sister,” she says into the crook of my neck.
I smile lightly, but just as quickly, I’m gasping for air and dropping to the ground after taking a blow to the stomach by her knee. Yep. She has a lot in common with Kimber.
“And that’s for saving my sister without me,” she adds, sounding a little angry.
Kane’s lips twitch, but he says nothing before returning his attention back to Kimber.
“I hate to break up the reunion,” Thad says, his voice strained as though he’s been emotional, “but Sadie told us there’s a part two to this plan of yours. We need to be filled in on this.”
I nod, and everyone starts standing. “Just give me a minute,” I tell them.
Alyssa comes up and hugs me, and I feel nothing but platonic emotions for her. It’s amazing what happens when you find the person you’re actually meant for. It makes you see things for what they truly are.
“Thank you,” she whispers softly.
I squeeze her side in acknowledgment as she walks off, and Kane comes up to me, his green eyes unreadable.
“I was wrong, Gage. I don’t usually admit it, but I was. You’re good for her. And I’m fairly positive she’s crazy in love with you. Thank you,” he says, but he walks away before I can acknowledge it, and he wraps his arms around his wife before kissing her in a way that use to spark envy. Now I can smile and understand why Alyssa couldn’t let him go. It’s real love.
“You can fill me in on everything later,” Dice says, getting closer to Karma and wrapping her up in his arms. “She only has me. I don’t want her to wake up without me.”
Alyssa’s smile breaks across her face, and she shoots me a look. Yeah, I’m a little surprised by the doting incubus as well.
“She has a family, Dice,” Kane says. “You don’t go through something like this and not have a family. Kimber will consider her a sister now.”
Dice smiles lightly, kissing the top of her head. “And my sister’s sister is my sister,” Ella says, smiling over at him before kissing Kimber on the cheek.
She walks toward me and points a finger at me. “You don’t ever do anything like that without me again.”
“He wanted me to bring you, Ella. He wants you.”
Chaz steps up, interrupting whatever retort she is about to have. “And I won’t let you walk into a trap. So shut up and get off him. If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at me. It was my plan.”
She tilts her head. “What happened? What did you do?”
He wraps his arm around her shoulders, steering her out. “What we had to. It’s all a matter of misdirection. Let’s focus on the problem instead of the rescue.”
I have no idea why he needs this to be a secret, because everyone here would accept him without fail. But it’s not my secret to tell, and he risked everything to save Kimber, so I won’t press him to risk more.
I go to climb into the bed beside Kimber, and I pull her to me, breathing her in and feeling her safely tucked in my arms. I pushed her away to keep her safe, but apparently I can’t keep her safe enough no matter what I do.
Considering I left her defenseless in my quest to keep her safe, I decide the necklace has to go. With a soft touch, it breaks off, and I float it over to a drawer and tuck it away.
“Always wondered if we’d end up in bed together with two hot chicks,” Dice says, and the illusion of him being a normal immortal being is shattered as I snort out a laugh.
Then his face grows serious once again. “Thank you. I couldn’t have saved her. Thank you for doing it for me.”
“I’d have saved her regardless, but in some twisted way, you’re family. I would have saved her for you even if I wasn’t the type of guy I am.”
His smile spreads, and he shuts his eyes while inhaling Karma like he can’t get enough.
“Thanks, brother.”
Dice giving me a genuine thanks and calling me brother. This world really is fucked up.
Chapter 26
KIMBER
The room is dark when I wake up, and I take the first easy breath I’ve had in so long. Glancing over, I see Dice and Karma curled up with each other, and I can’t help but smile. Then my mind turns to thoughts of Gage who isn’t in here, and my heart sinks as I scramble out of the bed.
Hushed voices find me as I reach the stairs, but my heart is thudding in my ears. The second I reach the bottom of the stairs, I head into the living room, running full speed, and my eyes immediately find the dark user.
Gage looks up, his eyes meet mine, and he stands from the sofa. In a blur of motion, he has me in his arms and his lips come down on mine, bruising me with the kiss I’ve wanted. The kiss I’ve needed.
He tugs my bottom lip into his mouth while backing me up, pushing us out of the room and away from the prying eyes, and I thread my fingers through his hair, pulling him closer. His lip rings press into my lower lip, teasing me with the sensation.
The tears on my face grow hot and announce their presence, but I don’t care. I kiss him even as they invade my mouth, and he pushes me against the wall while hungrily kissing me with all he has.
“I love you,” I whisper between breaths, refusing to move my lips from his for very long.
He grins against my lips. “I know,” he says cockily, and I laugh despite of the past five days of brutal torture. I survived Gavin. I’m alive because of Gage.
“I helped save you, so do I get a kiss like that?” Chaz jokes while walking by us, and Gage pulls back just slightly to laugh at the duster.
That reminds me of the strange way Gavin was acting as he looked over at us.
“How did you save us?” I ask, my eyes seeking Gage’s and Chaz’s, looking back and forth between the two.
“They won’t give details,” Thad says while coming to pull me out of Gage’s arms and giving me a hug.
His embrace is almost too tight, but I hug him back while resting my head on his chest. My family. All of them. Now Gage is my family, too. And Karma sure as hell is.
“I find it’s best to keep some secrets,” Chaz says, exchanging a look with Gage.
If Chaz wants to keep a secret, that’s fine by me. The mystery isn’t clawing at me. In fact, for the first time since my visions were stolen, I’m not fixated on a mystery at all. It feels as though a weight has been lifted from my chest.
“Sadie?” I ask, moving away from Thad and back into the arms of Gage. But that is short lived because Ella strips me away and pulls me against her small frame, hugging me almost too tightly.
I smile into her hair as Thad says, “She went to find Liza. She stayed until she knew you and Karma were healed.”
The woman who once held me against my will risked her life to break me free from the repeated fate.
“What’re you guys discussing?” Karma’s voice draws everyone’s attention as Dice carries her into the room. I cock an eyebrow questioningly, and she rolls her eyes. “He doesn’t want me walking even though I’m completely healed.”
Dice glares at everyone, daring us to say something, but only a few snickers emerge as he cradles her in his arms, holding her like a bride. And Karma isn’t complaining. Her arms are wrapped around his neck, and she’s resting her head between his neck and shoulder.
“Well,” Ella says while backing away from me, “we were discussing the next phase of the master plan when Kimber showed up and Gage abandoned us to go maul her.”
I smile just before Gage’s arms come to wrap around me and tug my back flush against his front.
“At least he cleaned the place up,” Dice says, kissing Karma’s head.
“What do you mean?” I ask, looking around. “It looks exactly the same.”
Gage cl
ears his throat, and I turn to face him. “I… sort of… well, destroyed everything.”
“Me, too,” Ella chirps. “But magic heals all superficial wounds. Now back to the plan.”
I run my hand up Gage’s smooth cheek, and he gives me his panty-dropping smile.
“How did your brother get so fucked up?” Karma asks, and Gage’s smile falls. “I mean, how did you become the hero and him the villain?”
Gage looks up from me, meeting the eyes of the demon hybrid. “I wasn’t always a hero, and he wasn’t always a villain.”
Kane leans over the counter. “A villain is just a victim whose story hasn’t been told,” he says insightfully. “If our world tells us anything at all, it’s that.”
Gage’s lips press together, and he shrugs. “I know Gavin’s story all too well, considering I helped him write a big piece of it. We were together when we were young. It wasn’t an easy situation. My mother sold us both in her quest for power. When we found her, we were both desperate to be taught, and we clung to the only family we had—her and her sister. But our mother was corrupt, and her only way of teaching was to corrupt us as well. I came back from the darkness, and he dove in deeper.”
Karma leans up, and her eyes meet mine. “We discovered a few things while we were in there,” she says, letting her eyes drift around the room. “They don’t have an anointed person. And… Gavin may be in the inner circle of power, but he’s not the top dog. Someone else is running the show.”
“What makes you think that?” Ella asks, studying us as she pours a very large glass of vodka.
I hold my finger up, motioning for her to pour me one, too, and she does. I sure as hell need a drink.
“Because what boss of an operation does the simple-minded task of torture?” Karma asks.
“A sadistic one,” Gage says, his teeth grinding.
“He was brutal, but not sadistic,” I say quietly. “He was following orders. I could feel his reluctance, and he was so damn happy when he got to call you. It meant the torturing was almost over.”
“And he could have done a lot worse to us,” Karma adds. “It’s almost as though he was a puppet on strings. And we could tell he didn’t want Morgana anywhere around that cell. We think someone has trapped them both into what they’re doing.”