Arise (Cruel and Beautiful World Book 3)

by L. Stoddard Hancock

  “I don’t think you should wear this around your neck anymore.”

  Deryn lifted her eyebrows. “I shouldn’t?”

  “No, it definitely belongs on your finger. After all, your father did request that I make an honest woman out of you.” He pulled the chain so the clasp released and let the ring fall onto her chest.

  She stared down at it and then back it him. “Is this really how you’re doing it? Right after sex, before you’ve even vacated the premises?”

  Xander’s cock twitched. It was quite happy in its current premises and he did not imagine it would be vacating anytime soon.

  “As I recall, I told you I loved you for the first time in a similar manner.”

  “Yes, but at least then I was clothed from the waist up.”

  “But your breasts are so lovely,” he said, giving each one a kiss before picking up the ring with his teeth. He winked and plopped it into his free hand, the other still holding tightly onto hers. “Don’t worry, I’m not doing it now. You’ll get this back when I see fit,” he said, placing the ring and the chain on the nightstand, which he was just barely able to reach without letting go of her hand or ‘vacating the premises’.

  “You have one week to give that back to me,” she ordered.

  “As you wish,” he said. “Now, where were we?”

  He enveloped his mouth around her left nipple, watching her watch him as his hand slipped between their hips. She bit her lip, her heavily lidded eyes never leaving his as he grew hard inside of her. He continued to tease her clit but released her nipple in favor of her lips.

  It was going to be a long and wonderful night.

  CHAPTER 31

  Finley stood in her usual spot between Lona and Luka, watching as Elvira dragged the prisoner across the twentieth-floor balcony.

  “But I didn’t do anything!” the woman cried, collapsing to her knees and refusing to take another step.

  Elvira took out her Element, pressing a button that released a flash of blue light and whipping the woman across her back twice.

  “You gave Xander Ruby a mind-control chip, which he used to enslave one of our own,” spat Elvira, pointing at Luka. “You’re working with them. The Resistance!”

  The woman shook her head, crying onto the cold, metal floor while blood dripped down her back. “No, I was following the orders of one of my president’s top Guardians. Nothing more.”

  “Then why didn’t you report it?” demanded Elvira.

  “He ordered me not to!” she snapped, her hands clenching as she stared scathingly at the woman accusing her of such heinous deeds.

  Elvira just smiled. “Hopefully in your next life you will make better judgment calls.”

  She grabbed the woman by the ponytail and dragged her the rest of the way to the guillotine. Soren had to come over and help lock in the woman, since she would not stop fighting.

  “Lona.”

  Lona looked at the president, standing a step higher than all of them on his perch. He nodded toward the guillotine.

  Finley slyly reached over and gave Lona’s hand a squeeze.

  Lona kept her head low as she stepped forward. It was unclear how she got the sudden role of executioner.

  “He’s trying to break her,” Luka whispered between his teeth.

  “She won’t break so easily,” Finley whispered back.

  But she wasn’t so sure. Lona’s eyes were unfocused when she arrived at the guillotine. She did not spare the crying woman a glance before pressing the button. The laser beam moved fast, its cut smooth as the woman’s head fell forward. A collective gasp sounded from the ground, the audience far less excited for this execution than they were for the one just two days earlier. Perhaps they were finally starting to realize that those being executed were innocent and no one was truly safe from Saevus’s wrath.

  No, he was out for blood. Xander’s blood. And he would kill as many people as it took to get it.

  CHAPTER 32

  Deryn sat on a large rock in the forest near Redwood. She had an earpiece in her ear but had yet to press the button. Xander leaned against a nearby tree, incredibly aware of their surroundings. If a twig snapped a mile away he’d hear it, his head snapping and his hand immediately going to the weapon strapped to his waist.

  “Just me!” called the distant voice of Nita, who had started making sounds intentionally.

  Despite Xander’s unease, they were perfectly safe. Nita and her team were scouting the area, and Sam and April had brought several hovering cameras belonging to the Peace Ops. They were significantly smaller than a S.U.R.G.E., could fly much higher and communicated with each other.

  Talon had just shown Utopia’s main entrance to Sam and April, giving them a general idea of what it was they were dealing with. According to Sam, it was one of the bigger cities he’d seen. The majority of people lived in smaller communities consisting of maybe a few thousand people.

  When several S.U.R.G.E.s were seen patrolling the perimeter, they’d left. But Sam had then asked to see one of the Outsider villages. So Talon took them to Redwood.

  Deryn wasn’t ready to go back there. She hadn’t been to her home in over eight years. Not since the night she was taken to Utopia to train as a guard. She didn’t want to taint the memory of her home with the ghost town it had become. Homes burned, others decaying or destroyed, people she knew buried in mass graves because their friends and family weren’t given the opportunity to bury them at sea. They were trapped, haunting the place with the evil that had occurred there and none of the good.

  But one day soon they would be at peace. And, on that day, Deryn would return home.

  So while Talon, Sam and April explored, she had been given the task of contacting Asher Saevus, something she just couldn’t bring herself to do.

  What was she supposed to say to him?

  Yes, he had saved them, but he was also partially responsible for Utopia’s cruel government. He could have changed things when he was president, but he hadn’t. He hadn’t even wanted to make a difference until the very end, when he became aware of his mortality. Even then, he hadn’t wanted to fix things for his people. Only himself. He was a selfish man, the exact opposite of his sister, and Deryn didn’t have much interest in getting to know him.

  But they might need him someday.

  “Seriously, Deryn, just call the fucking man,” said Xander. “I know he’s a terrible human being, but he helped us when he didn’t have to and maybe he’ll even agree to help get Luka out.”

  Deryn bit her lip. That was true. She really wanted to get all of their friends out before all hell broke loose. And if he could get Luka out he could also get Fiona. And if she was out Bronson and Quigley would have no reason to stay. And if they threw Lona and Finley onto that list, Odette and Neo would bring her boys back to them, along with Del and her whole group.

  It would be nice if everything worked out perfectly like that. But, as it often went, something was bound to go wrong.

  With a heavy sigh, Deryn closed her eyes and finally pressed the button on her earpiece. And then she un-pressed it.

  “What should I call him?” she asked Xander.

  He shrugged. “Asher?”

  She shook her head. It sounded too personal. She lifted her hand and pressed the button again. “Hello, Mr. Saevus, are you there?”

  Xander chuckled. “That sounds weird.”

  Deryn glared at him. “Asher Saevus, are you there?”

  She removed her finger and waited. A minute passed before she finally heard static, and then -

  “Hello? Is it you? The Leon girl?”

  Deryn pressed the button again and said, “Yes. Deryn Leon, sir.”

  A pause. And then, “I thought you were going to contact me sooner.”

  Deryn looked at Xander, who raised his eyebrows. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Saevus. Is no one prepared to track us at the moment?”

  “No, of course not,” he said immediately. “That’s not what I meant. If you think I’d
be loyal to my son after he locked me in a tower you’d be dead wrong. I realize how pathetic I am, waiting for a prince on a white bloody horse to come and get me the hell out of here.”

  Deryn chuckled and pressed the button. “You’ve read fairytales?”

  “Of course I have. It’s been a tradition in my family for generations to read them to our children. Why do you think our family crest is a dragon?”

  “I did always find the dragon odd.”

  “Tell him he should consider redesigning his logo,” said Xander, recalling Deryn’s words in the shower all those months ago. They both laughed.

  “Elvira hasn’t visited me since she was searching for you. Collin came to me that evening and accused me of helping you. I denied it, of course, but considering my floor has the only exit from the tower I’m fairly certain my words held no merit.”

  Deryn blinked, searching her memory until she recalled that Collin was President Saevus’s first name. No one ever called him that. Not anyone she knew, at least, but she wasn’t exactly surrounded by people who knew him on a personal level.

  “I’m sorry to hear that. I myself was isolated for five years, but I much preferred that to the human interaction I got during that time.”

  Silence.

  A click. Static. Nothing.

  Another click. “I am so sorry that happened to you.”

  Deryn tensed and said, “The slave trade was active during your reign, as well.”

  “Yes,” he said weakly. “My father created it as a reward system for his loyalist Guardians.”

  “I know why it was created.” She sighed. “I should go.”

  “Wait!”

  She let a beat pass. “I’m listening.”

  “I just ... I hate asking this of you.”

  “Just ask. Although I can’t guarantee an answer you’ll want to hear.”

  Another beat. “Get me the hell out of here.”

  She smiled. That was exactly what she wanted to hear. “I can’t. Not yet, and not without a favor.”

  “And what’s that?”

  She glanced at Xander, who smiled at her. It was enough to give her the confidence to ask for what they needed. “We’re going to take down Utopia’s walls, and we’ll need your help to do it.”

  “My help? If you haven’t noticed, I’m a little incapable of -”

  “You know the tower. We want a map of every floor. And we need a way in.”

  “I get the needing a way in, but why the map?”

  “I’m afraid I can’t tell you that,” she said. “But if you help us and prove yourself loyal, I will personally transport you out of that place.”

  A sigh. “You’re not going to win this war.”

  “I believe differently. Care to take a gamble?”

  “I suppose I have no choice.”

  “Great. You get that map done. I’ll contact you again soon.”

  “When?”

  “I can’t tell you that either. Goodbye.”

  Deryn took the earpiece out of her ear and clicked it off before he could respond.

  “That went surprisingly well,” said Xander.

  She nodded. “I really don’t know if I trust him.”

  “Why not?”

  “What exactly is his plan if we get him out? It’s not like there are paved roads outside where he can use his chair. He’d be just as stuck.”

  Xander shrugged. “I doubt he wants us to just drop him outside. He wants human interaction. And he has no reason to be loyal to his son.”

  Deryn sighed. “I guess. But I just ... I don’t know. I’d prefer it if we could do this without him.”

  “Maybe we can. He’s just an option we’re making available.”

  She nodded.

  Something rustled nearby. They both turned, their hands falling to their weapons.

  Talon stepped into the clearing with Sam and April following behind him.

  “Finished?” he asked.

  Deryn nodded and told them about her conversation with Asher.

  “Why did you ask for a map of the tower?” asked Sam.

  She shrugged. “Couldn’t hurt. Plus, we saw what was on several of those floors while rescuing Xander. We’ll know if he’s lying about the layout.”

  Sam gave her one of his wide grins. “I like you Leons. Such strategists. You’d make good soldiers.”

  Talon and Deryn looked at each other.

  “Once this is over, being a soldier is the last thing I’d want,” said Talon.

  Deryn said nothing. While she agreed with her brother, she got the feeling being a soldier for the World Peace Ops was drastically different than what they’d been through.

  “We should head back. I’ll call Neetles and the others.” Talon took out his two-way and walked off.

  “Being a soldier sounds appealing to you, doesn’t it?” Sam asked Deryn.

  “Being a soldier in a war like ours? No, absolutely not,” she said, looking at Xander.

  “Very few countries in the world are at war with one another. We make sure of that,” said April. “This war of yours will be the biggest one in our lifetime.”

  “Not to say everyone is at peace, but it’s far better than when the human race fucked up the earth the last time,” added Sam.

  “The biggest war in our lifetime, caused by a frightened man trying to prevent war,” said Xander. “Gotta love the irony.”

  “Is that really your president’s logic?” said April. “Lock everyone up and war will be prevented.”

  “Sadly, yes.”

  “And how about you?” Sam asked Xander. “Any interest in being a soldier?”

  “Absolutely not,” he answered. But then he looked at Deryn. “But if that’s what you want, where you go I go.”

  Her mouth twitched. “Let’s just survive the biggest war of our lifetime first.”

  • • •

  When they arrived at Blackbird, Deryn immediately went back to work. She’d missed a lot of it since Sam and April arrived and was eager to finish a few projects.

  She had barely pulled up the hologram notes and diagram of her knife when the door opened. She looked over, more surprised than she should have been to see Sam and April walk in, their eyes scanning the room.

  Sam smiled when he saw her. “Well, looky here. Our green-eyed vixen working in Weaponry Development.”

  “You knew she worked here,” said April, picking up a gun that Chelsea had been working on for months, very similar to an Element. “Is this one of Utopia’s weapons?”

  “It’s modeled after one,” said Deryn. “But Chelsea is working on improvements. They’re fairly complicated and take some training.”

  “Do you have a real one?” asked April.

  Deryn nodded and took her Element out of its holster. She handed it too April. “This is an older model but essentially the same. The new models need a fingerprint I.D. and blood sample to operate. Saevus didn’t like that Outsiders used Utopia’s weapons in that first battle.”

  “Show me what it does,” said April, handing it back to her.

  Deryn went into the open space of the room reserved for testing. She pulled up a screen from the computer system and placed a shield around the area. Then she pulled up a test dummy, switched to the button that created a blast of energy and fired. The dummy blew to bits. She pulled up another, switched to the button that stopped someone’s heart and fired again. The dummy fell back, dead. Another. This time she whipped it with a flash of light.

  “That’s plenty,” said Sam.

  Deryn locked the weapon and removed the shield.

  “Impressive,” he said, taking the Element from her. “Now show me something you’ve made.”

  Deryn blinked. “Me? I’ve been here less than three weeks. Nothing I’m working on has been completed yet.”

  “Then show me something incomplete.”

  She showed him her knife, giving the same demonstration she’d given Xander a few days earlier.

  “I like that
,” said Sam, taking the knife from her and turning it around in his hands. “Have you heard of swords before?”

  Deryn chuckled. “Of course. Why?”

  “I’d love one of these in a larger model.”

  Deryn glanced up, thinking about how that would work. “But the point of the knife is to be a last resort. When you’ve lost your weapon and you need something small but powerful to defend yourself. If I made it any larger it would be more like a gun replacement.”

  “Exactly. A gun that doubles as a blade.”

  She pursed her lips. “I guess that makes sense, but it hardly seems practical.”

  “I’ll leave the practicality up to you,” he said, handing her back the knife.

  April had made herself comfortable sitting on top of Deryn’s work table. As Deryn went back to her computer, April grabbed a strand of her hair. Deryn glanced at her and raised her eyebrows.

  “Everyone here has such drab hair,” said April. “Are the people in Utopia any better?”

  Deryn pulled her hair out of April’s hand. “I’m not sure what you mean, but people do cut it to varying lengths. I just haven’t because there hasn’t been much opportunity in the last five and a half years.”

  “If I were a slave with no control over anything for five years, chopping my hair off is one of the first things I’d do,” said April. “But to each their own.”

  Deryn frowned. She stared down at her hair and ran her fingers through it. It was significantly longer than she’d ever worn it before, but she was pretty sure she didn’t have the face to pull off short hair. Still, a few inches shorter might be nice.

  “Do people in Utopia dye their hair?” asked Sam, fiddling with something on Danny’s work table.

  Deryn looked at him curiously. “Dye?” she repeated. “How do you mean?”

  “You know, make it a different color. If you think April’s hair is naturally as black as her soul, you’d be incorrect.”

  April huffed and threw a pen at his head.

  “People change their hair color?” asked Deryn, staring at April’s hair for any sign that it was naturally something else.