Crash (The Immortal Chronicles Book 2)

by Sloane Murphy

  “Okay, kid, I believe you. Hell, I’m hoping and praying you’re right. Just keep your shit together for a little bit longer, okay?” I say.

  He looks so desperate that I’m actually worried about what he’s going to do. He nods at me before turning and leaving the room. Well shit, I did not expect that. These past few days have totally messed with my mind. I need to get out of here. I leave. My guys are waiting just outside the front door. I catch a glimpse of Addie. Logan was right, she does look glassy-eyed sometimes, like now. I shake my head start to run, pushing off and releasing my wings to fly back to the reservation.

  I had hoped the journey back would help release some of the tension and anger, which has built up the past few days, but if anything, it’s unleashed it all. It’s brimming over the edge and I feel overwhelmed by it. I dive when I see the Reservation and come to a landing right in front of one of the wolves, Dani, the one Dimitri’s been sniffing around.

  “You bloody idiot!” I spit. “Did you not see me coming, you silly bitch – I could have killed you. Or is that what you want?” I tower over her, my anger finally getting the best of me. “I could help you out with that if you want. Poor little widow-wolfy. Want to go see your hubby? I’d be surprised if he wanted to see you since you fucking put him in his grave.”

  She starts to cry, but I can’t seem to stop myself. “Aw, the little whore can’t handle the truth, is that it? I’ll be surprised if those two boys of yours are even his.”

  “Kaden that’s enough!” I hear Celeste yell as she lands just a few feet to my left.

  “Stop being such an ass and apologize to that poor girl! It’s not her fault you’re so pissed off.” Michael berates me. I look at them both and just walk away before I start on them, too. I need to find my brother.

  AEVEEN

  “I’m surprised you trusted him so easily,” I say to Cole, watching the figures disappear in the distance. We’re out on the field where Kaden and his friends just left.

  “I don’t blame you for being sceptical, daughter, but you don’t know him the way I do. Kaden’s a loyal beast at heart. We’ve been through too much for him to ever really turn his back on me,” he replies.

  “Is that why you did not tell him of your plans to kill his brother?”

  “Kaden is a dear friend. Killing Xander will pain him, but he will understand. I merely do not wish to cause him any more pain than necessary. Now then, we have much to do. Things have changed, which means so have our plans. Kaden is obviously more useful to me alive, so we have logistics to work out.”

  “Why exactly is it that you want Xander dead so much?” I ask.

  “Xander took something very precious away from me a long time ago. He deserves to pay for that.”

  “But didn’t taking away the woman he loved equal that betrayal?”

  “No, it did not!” he roars, before composing himself. “Sorry, but no, it did not. What he took from me, what he stole, I valued more than my own life.”

  I nod as if understanding, but really, I do not understand his unstable quest for revenge. He is my father so I will help him as any daughter would, but I don’t think I will ever understand it truly.

  “Please don’t let him kill Xander. I’ll do anything. I’ll never speak again, but please I’m begging you, do not kill him, Aeveen. He is everything,” Addie says inside my head.

  “Addie, there is nothing I can do. I will not defy our Father. He is the reason I get to live.”

  “Please, Aeveen. I don’t know what I’ll do if he dies. I can survive not existing as long as I know that he does.”

  “Enough, Addie. There is nothing you can do. You had the option to merge with me, for us to live as one and you rejected me. You made your choice. You could have stopped all of this, but you didn’t fight hard enough. Now it is time to live with your choices.”

  “Aeveen. Are you okay?” I shake my head to rid me of her.

  “Sorry, Father, yes I’m fine. It’s just been a long few days. I should rest.”

  “Of course. You do that. I’ll get to work with the preparations. Kaden won’t be gone long.”

  “Do you really trust someone so fickle, so easily?” I ask. “It seems foolhardy to just welcome him back with open arms after he turned on you once already.”

  He seems to take this in and mull it over.

  “I have no reservations about him, but if it will help your unease, I can send a scout to follow him and report back to us. Will that settle your distrust?” He smiles down at me, as if pleased with himself for discovering a way to placate me.

  “Yes, Father, I think that’s a very good idea. I don’t trust him, or his friends,” I reply, smiling a small smile.

  “Very well, I’ll send someone out at once.”

  “How could you, Aeveen, Kaden is our friend! You’re going to get them all killed!” Addie pipes up again.

  “If he is lying to us, then it is his own fault. He is responsible for his own actions. If he’s here under false pretences, he isn’t here for anyone but you.” I push her back down until she’s nothing more than a whisper in the back of my mind. I can’t wait for Father’s plan to be executed so we can focus of getting rid of her once and for all.

  KADEN

  Kas and Xander pull me upstairs as soon as they discover I’m back, but I can’t bring myself to say the words I know will break my brother the way they broke me – she’s gone. They start grilling me about the layout of the compound, so I bring Michael and Celeste up to help fill in the blanks, Dimitri follows them up, so the whole team is pretty much here.

  “So, it’s basically a fortress once you’re inside the building?” Kas asks.

  “Yeah, pretty much,” Celeste confirms. “The only advantage we have is that they have almost no security outside – but that means we need to draw them out somehow.”

  “We can do that easily enough. Cole has never changed. We challenge him,” I say. “That will draw him out faster than anything. We’ve already lost our element of surprise by going in there, and even if we hadn’t, Jackson would have given us away anyway.”

  “Jackson?” Kas asks looking confused, and I realise none of us have mentioned him yet.

  “What about Jackson?” Kas asks again looking between us.

  “Let me start off by saying, we had no idea when we went in. But Jackson was working with Cole; he’s been feeding him information ever since we arrived.”

  “That god damn asshole!” Kas shouts. “That lying son of a bitch. Where is he now?”

  “Dead.” Michael answers from the edge of the room. “Cole heard Kaden out, then decided he didn’t need two traitors in his midst, so he snapped Jackson’s neck. I’m sorry Kas.”

  “I have the worst luck with god damn Betas! I can’t believe he betrayed us all like that. Fucking snake,” he says before continuing to cuss him out.

  “I’m sorry about Jackson, Kas, but we need to focus. Cole will be expecting me back in a few days and we need to act before then.”

  “Kaden’s right: we need to focus. I’m sorry about Jackson, too. He seemed like a decent guy before this, but we don’t have long,” Xander says, placing a comforting hand on Kas’ shoulder.

  “It’s not just Cole we need to worry about,” I say causing everyone to turn to me.

  “If this all goes to plan, and everything works out well, brother, you need to be prepared for the reality that we might not get back the Addie we knew.”

  “What do you mean?” Xander asks. I feel Dimitri’s eyes on me, too.

  I look to Michael and Celeste, but they drop their eyes to the floor. No-one wants to be the one to say it.

  I clear my throat and consider my words carefully. “When we were there, we saw Addie, but… she wasn’t Addie anymore.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense, Xander says, furrowing his brow. “How can she not be Addie? I know she’s been through a lot, but she’s going to survive this. I know it.”

  “You’re not understanding me, brother.
They don’t even call her Addie now. I managed to speak to Logan before we left, and as weird as that was, he’s as worried as I am.”

  “Spit it out, Kaden, I don’t have time for your riddles,” Xander shouts.

  “They call her Aeveen now. Apparently, Aeveen lived inside of Addie, she was Addie’s power, bound by Queen Eolande, and over the years she became conscious; her own entity, as it were.”

  “That can’t be possible.” The shock on Xanders face is concerning. This is exactly why I didn’t want to tell him. He’s already been emotionally unstable, and I’m worried this might tip him over the edge.

  “I’m sorry, Xander. I wish it weren’t true. Cole said they were meant to merge, but Addie wasn’t having any of it. Stubborn as she is, I can believe it. I won’t burden you with the gritty details, but Cole found a way to unleash Aeveen, and she’s currently the one in charge. Addie isn’t there.”

  “But there’s a chance they could still merge? Or that Addie could come back?” Dimitri asks as Xander stands, absorbing all of the information.

  “I don’t know. Cole seemed confident Addie was gone. But he doesn’t know her like we do. I think she’s still in there, so it might be possible. I can’t say for sure.”

  “Then I will still have hope. This changes nothing. We need to put an end to Cole and his crazy tyranny once and for all. We let things slip recently because he seemed to be keeping the Demons in check for the most part, but this shows me that we’ve been too lenient with him. This should never have happened. We’re going to make this right.”

  “We’re going to need more people, brother. Their numbers are high, and while I’m more than confident in our abilities, and that of the wolves, their sheer numbers are insane. It’s as if he’s been building an army of Shades, and we all know how many Demons he has at his disposal. The Seven heads of the demon faction all still seem very much on his team, so we have them to contend with too. It’s not going to be easy,” I advise.

  “Nothing worth having in life is ever easy Kaden. Sacrifices will be made, and lives will be lost. Theirs and ours, I’m sure. I will get a message to Marcus; he will help us in this. You know how much he despises Cole.”

  “I do, although he’s not exactly a fan of mine either.”

  “He will put aside his feelings towards you on this occasion. I’m sure of that. Is there anyone else that you can think of?” Xander asks.

  “We could always call upon the Shadows?” Kas says hesitantly.

  “I’d really rather not, but we need numbers. Will Jeremy come if you ask?” Xander asks.

  “Jeremy is dead. They have a new leader; Shytara. She is a strong wolf and beat him in a call out a few months ago. She’s made a lot of changes.”

  “She? Well, not going to say I’m not surprised by that! Will Shytara listen if you ask her?” Xander asks.

  “She’s the first female Alpha, and you know the Shadows, they thirst for war. The boys are restless at the peace treaties she’s instilled. I’m sure they’ll jump at the chance,” Kas replies.

  “What’s to stop them killing us? We’re not exactly high on their friends list.” It’s no secret how much the Fallen and the Shadows have clashed.

  “Shytara might not seem like much, but the fact she’s Alpha speaks volumes. She’s not been Alpha for very long, so I’m not surprised you haven’t heard of her. She is fair in her rulings, and brutal in her punishments. The wolves respect her, so you won’t have anything to worry about from that perspective.”

  “Then please call on her. It sounds like we’ll need their help. The shadows are nothing if not warriors.”

  “I couldn’t agree more. They have many more experienced fighters than most other packs. I’ll send word to her tonight.”

  XANDER

  I head back to my room, no closer to having any form of tangible plan in place. Frustration hits me like a freight train, but I resolve not to take it out on anyone else. I’ve been doing that too much recently. I need a punch bag to work it out, so I’m heading back to change into a tank and sweats before heading to Kas’ gym.

  I reach the door when I notice steps behind me. I spin and see Dimitri coming down the hall.

  “Are you okay, Xander?” he asks.

  “I’m far from okay, but I will be. Once she’s back here. I just wish we could come up with a plausible way to get her out of there safely, without having to go to war with Cole.”

  “I agree, but as it stands, Kaden’s idea seems to be the best one we have. It’s not ideal, but if Marcus and Shytara get on board, we have the numbers to win.”

  “And what if Cole didn’t buy a word Kaden was saying? What if he’s counting on us doing exactly what we’re doing?”

  “Then we need to deal with it. You could be right; we could be walking into a trap. Addie could die. Any of us could, but unless you see another way to do this, that’s what we’ve got.”

  “I’m going down to the ring – want to come and spar?” I ask him.

  “I can’t, man. One, you’ll kick my ass and I need to be fighting fit. Two, I said I’d keep Rose updated. Have you seen her when you withhold information? She’s definitely a Royal!” he says making me laugh.

  “I don’t envy you.”

  “Yeah, thanks. It’s going to be a freaking joy. I’m just glad I can escape. It’s Benny I feel for. The poor guy can’t run away as easy as we can,” he says still laughing.

  “Poor son of a bitch.”

  “I’ll see you soon, man. Don’t kill to many bags, okay?” he says before walking off to see Rose.

  Once in my room, I change quickly then make my way down to the gym. When I get there, there are only one or two wolves on the weights, lifting inhuman amounts. These guys look like line-backers: Total powerhouses. They ignore me as I work my way through the main gym and into the boxing gym out the back. Before the dark war, I used to box a lot. I found beauty in the elegance that led to such brutality. How one mis-step, one badly chosen bob or weave, could put you on your ass. Kaden and I trained together for years; it was the one thing we made sure we were always there for. It was our time to just be brothers away from it all. The humans knew no different; it was an ignorant bliss.

  I step up to the first bag and start off slow, then pick up my pace. Sweat runs in trails down my spine, but I keep pushing myself. It’s times like this, I wish I had my old iPod. Boxing with a playlist was as much an escape as I ever got. After Elaihn, a lot changed, and Kaden wasn’t there anymore. Music gave me a much-needed distraction. My mind is one track at the moment, and that track is Addie. I just need to escape my panic for her so I can see the bigger picture and work out how to do this without getting us all killed. I need to be who I was before.

  I step back from the bag and grab a bottle of water from the refrigerator in the corner of the room. I pour some over me to help cool me off before taking a few glugs from the bottle. The swish of the door behind me causes me to turn and see it’s Kaden, topless and in sweats being followed by Michael in the same get up.

  “Oh thank Lordy you’re here!” Michael exclaims. “Now I don’t need to get my sweet butt bruised. I’m far too pretty to be bashed up. Not that you’re not sweetness, too. I’m selfish like that.”

  I can’t help but burst out laughing and it feels so bloody good to laugh.

  “Thank you for that – I think,” I say. “You wanting to spar, Kaden?”

  “Yeah, but I know all your moves, big brother, it’s almost unfair to you to get your ass handed to you like that. Especially with an audience,” he says cockily tipping his head towards Michael.

  “It’s been a long time since we fought, Kaden; I’m pretty sure I’ve got you,” I reply, confident in my words.

  Kaden tilts his head from side to side and bounces on the spot, shaking out his arms.

  “You’re on, brother. Let’s do this.”

  “Just don’t hurt each other too badly. Remember, we still need your pretty faces on the battlefield,” Michael says, winking at m
e before sashaying to the bench at the other end of the room. “I get to play referee!”

  We climb into the ring and circle each other for a minute before Kaden strikes, planting his fist firmly in my eye. Jesus Christ, that hurt! I zone in on him. We exchange blows, each landing hits and missing some. By the time Michael calls time, I’m bruised and struggling to breathe after a punch to the ribs, while Kaden bleeds from his nose and his eye is swelling.

  “So much for playing nice hey, boys,” Michael jokes. “It’s a good thing you guys heal fast. Kas snuck his head in while you were making each other bleed; he wants to see you both. He has an idea.”

  “Why didn’t you stop us!” Kaden exclaims.

  “You needed this, so I let it play out. I bet you both feel better now – so you’re welcome. Now go and clean up, both of you, then meet us all in the war room.”

  DIMITRI

  I head to Dani’s after the team meeting with Kas, Xander, and well pretty much everyone. The news that came out of it wasn’t good, but I think we’ve got a solid plan now. We’re ready. I just need to speak to Dani before I go. If anything were to happen to me and I hadn’t said goodbye… and all of the other things that are swirling in my mind, I’d regret it forever.

  I may have only known her a few weeks, but I think I knew in those first few minutes that I was lost down the rabbit hole. She stole my heart with that first smile, and I don’t want it back. Knowing some of the things she’s already been through, I don’t want to add to her pain. I just hope she feels the same about me. Jesus, I haven’t even considered what I’ll do if she turns me down. She’s quiet, but behind closed doors away from everyone else, she’s spunky – and she has such passion. She keeps me on my toes and usually has me spinning so much I don’t know my ass from my elbow.

  It’s not just her, it’s her boys, too. The idea of children had never occurred to me, but those two boys have worked their way into my heart. I don’t want to lose any of them.