Forged in Flames

by Harper Wylde

  Rini reached out and squeezed my knee. “I understand, Nix. And it’s a smart move where the Council is concerned. They’re going to be fucking thrilled to learn of your ‘obedience.’” She rolled her eyes at the word. “You know, I almost didn’t go to college. I’ve always known that at some point I was going to have to drop out myself.”

  I gaped at her. “You’re planning to drop out?”

  “At some point. It’s inevitable, really.”

  “Why do you feel that way?” I was truly curious. I’d felt alone in my decision, but hearing that Rini might feel the same way I did actually made me feel a little better. Validated in my decision. Less alone.

  “You can’t really join a war and expect life to be normal, can you?” She shook her head in defeat. “Plus, I’ve always known that someday I’d need to settle down and mate. The triplets have been so patient. Hell, they moved here for me and bought me this house. They left the commune to be closer to me while I went to college. They followed me into a rebellion for fuck's sake. They love me and I love them.”

  “They’re in the rebellion too?” It made sense, but I wanted to hear the answer from her lips.

  “Donovan was actually more involved in the rebellion than I was. They’re all firm believers in disbanding the Council.” The disdain for them was clear in her voice and it fully resonated with me.

  “So you’ve been involved in the rebellion for…” I trailed off.

  Rini picked up my thought. “It’s been years. I was kind of raised in it.” Her gaze pierced mine. “My mom. But it’s really been these last few years that I’ve become much more involved.”

  A million questions ran through my head and I barely contained them from spilling off my tongue. Last night I’d lain awake thinking of what Rini’s role in the rebellion was, and if there had been any signs I’d missed along the way that I should have clued in to. Without knowing about the rebellion though, only one came to mind that had seemed unusual. “What’s your role in the rebellion? You mentioned sensitive information and receiving orders. What kind of work do they have you doing for them?”

  “I’m a spy,” Rini said nonchalantly, like you’d think we were discussing the whether.

  I, on the other hand, had to pry my jaw off of the damn floor. Images of Rini dressed as a female 007 ran through my head, and I had to mentally shock myself out of my stupor. A spy? “That sounds ridiculously dangerous.”

  “It is.” She didn’t sugarcoat the reality of her job.

  “So, you gather information on the Council and pass it back to the rebellion.” It wasn’t a question. I just needed to verbalize it so I could wrap my mind around the massive bomb she’d just dropped on me. “Holy hell, that’s what you were doing as a waitress at the Gala.” My eyes implored her for the truth. I couldn’t help but wonder why she’d been working as a waitress at the event, and I hadn’t had time to bring it up. Now, it made perfect sense.

  “I thought you were going to rain down an inquisition over my head on why I was at the Gala. I wanted to tell you I would be there, but I didn’t know how to explain it at the time.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t tell me, because I’m pretty sure you would have had to lie.” It was unsettling to realize that there was such a huge part of my best friend’s life that I didn’t know about before now, and I vowed that we’d always be as open and honest with each other as we could be. Rini’s friendship was invaluable, and I never wanted anything to jeopardize it. She was the first true friend I’d ever had.

  “I’ve never lied to you, Nix, and I don’t plan on starting now.” A promise shone in Rini’s gaze. “I’m going to try and answer as many of your questions as I can, but just as Ciarán has told you, there are some topics I’m not allowed to discuss until you’re an official member of the rebellion.”

  “It’s so much larger than I ever imagined. Do you trust them?” For someone who’d served in the rebellion for as long as Rini had, I was truly curious about her answer. Rini was a good judge of character. If she thought they were trustworthy, and had the best interests at heart for the future of the shifter world, that would definitely weigh into my decision about the leaders I’d met and whether or not I was comfortable moving forward and joining their cause.

  “For the most part, yes.” Her short brown hair bobbed as she nodded. “I know that the rebellion isn’t perfect, but it’s really developed since I was a child, and every day we’re gaining new members… not just here in Alaska either. It’s all the communes. The only thing I’d change about any of it are the factions. Ideally, we’d have a better grasp on the type of government that we’d like to see in place when it’s all over and form one united group, but right now overthrowing the Council is the most important end game.” Rini slid her eyes to mine. “And it’s going to take all of us.”

  Fifteen

  Nix

  Rini and I talked into the afternoon and I was feeling better about the rebellion, although I had no idea how we were going to go about completing the impossible task they’d asked us for. However, I was more peaceful after having spent time picking my best friend’s brain. There were numerous things that Rini couldn’t divulge, but overall I felt like I had more information walking away than I had going into our conversation, so I claimed it as a win.

  The front door opened and closed silently as Donovan entered the house on quiet feet, placing a finger to his lips when he spied Rini and me in the living room. Rini’s back was to him, unable to see anyone enter. Taking his time, he crept into the room, ready to scare Rini. I made sure my eyes were glued to my pixie-like best friend so as not to give away his surprise, but a moment before he pounced, Rini’s lips tipped up in a Cheshire grin.

  “Good try, honey,” she called, before polishing her nails on her shirt in victory, and then glancing over her should at a pouting Donovan and tapping her nose. “You can’t beat the super smeller. You’re never going to win.” Her voice sparkled with mirth.

  “That won’t stop me from trying.” he wiggled his eyebrows, resembling Ryder.

  “We’re having girl talk.” She smiled sweetly at her mate and he winked at her.

  “I know when I’m not wanted.” He threw his hands over his heart in mock injury. Heading toward the kitchen, he motioned back and forth between the two of us. “Do you ladies need anything before I disappear?”

  “We’re good, babe.” She blew him a kiss as he sauntered out of the room, whistling a happy tune.

  I smirked at Rini’s overly happy face. It was nice to see her so settled and content. “Can I ask you something?” I prompted with a slight bit of hesitation, my mind awash with curiosity.

  “Of course.” Rini picked at the label on her water bottle, eyeing me and the way I bit my lip before I finally spit out my question.

  “Why haven’t you mated with your bears? Officially, I mean.” It’d been something I’d always wondered about but hadn’t voiced. They seemed so in tune with each other and wildly in love. They’d also been together much longer than I’d been with my guys, and yet they weren’t officially mated.

  Rini let out a long sigh and gazed around the room. I gave her the time and space to form her answer. Shifting on the couch, Rini brought her legs up, crossing them at the ankle, and hugged her knees to her chest, folding in on herself. “I haven’t been ready.” She paused. Her brown eyes swam through a million emotions before she finally spoke again. “At first, I wondered why, and I figured maybe it was because I needed to do something more with my life. It’s one of the reasons I always planned to go to college. To earn a degree. To become more than just a mate and future mother. Then I blamed it on the rebellion. It’s grown so much and I became involved. Really involved, and I told myself that I wanted to wait for a better world. I wanted to be part of something bigger than all of us. Create the change I want to see in the world—at least our world.”

  “Those are all very valid reasons.” I waited, sensing there was more.

  “The truth, though, is that
I didn’t feel settled. I wasn’t ready. But I think I will be soon.” There was hope in her brown-eyed gaze. “What about you?” Rini diverted the attention from herself and put me in the hot seat.

  “What about me?” I played innocent.

  “I’ve never seen the guys so hooked. I’m telling you, they’re all in love with you.”

  The blush that worked its way up my neck was enough of a tell, and Rini had a satisfied gleam in her eyes.

  “We haven’t said it to each other… not really.” I reached for the bowl of berries.

  “Maybe not out loud, but the feelings are there. It’s so obvious.” Rini leaned forward and snatched a handful of berries from the bowl, popping the mixture of blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries into her mouth.

  “I hope it’s not too obvious. I’m supposed to be playing the role of swooning debutant for the Council.” I couldn’t keep the acrid tone from my voice.

  “Being your best friend grants me a backstage pass to your life. From the outside, I don’t think it’s discernable. You guys are very careful.”

  “We have to be. Especially now that I’m supposed to be showing interest in other men.” My nose wrinkled in distaste.

  “Just remember it’s short term. It’s just a part you have to play for now. Not forever.”

  “I feel guilty. Some of those guys actually seem nice, but I’ve found my group.” I popped a strawberry into my mouth and hummed at the sweet flavor. “It’s going to be extremely hard to ‘date’ other people.”

  “Fake date,” Rini murmured around another bite of berries. “And speaking of dates…” She checked her phone for the time. “Molly is actually going to be here any minute! I’m helping her get ready for a date with one of her suitors.” Rini waggled her eyebrows at the same time I winced. “What’s that look for?” she asked quizzically.

  “She’s so… young,” I finished. “I can’t be the only one who feels uncomfortable about such young girls choosing mates.”

  “She’s not that much younger than us.” Rini shrugged, clearly not as bothered about the whole ordeal as I was.

  “I get it, but at our age… even two years makes a big difference.”

  “I know it’s got to look odd to someone who was raised in the human world, but remember that just because girls like Molly choose who they’re going to mate with at a young age, doesn’t mean they’ll actually mate until they’re older.”

  “Or they’ll simply get knocked up and be praised by the Council for reproducing.” I rolled my eyes.

  Now it was Rini’s turn to wince. “I know. I don’t agree with how pressured the mythologicals are to breed. While the Council generally treats us like crap, they do tend to leave us regular shifters alone in our mating and breeding choices… a perk, if I ever did see one.”

  A knock sounded at the door, prying us away from our private conversation.

  Grinning, Rini bounced her way to the door and dragged a wide-eyed, giggling Molly into the living room after her.

  “Nix!” Molly screeched and rushed toward me. “I didn’t know you were going to be here!”

  I tensed from the hug attack Molly smothered upon me, but quickly released a deep breath and focused on relaxing each of my muscles one by one. Molly may be overly enthusiastic, but she was harmless. “Surprise! Honestly, I didn’t know I’d be here today, but I hope you don’t mind if I crash your girl date with Rini.”

  “Not at all.” Clutched in Molly’s hand was a makeup bag that was larger than any purse I’d ever used in my entire life. I had no idea who needed so much makeup or what half of it was used for, but in zero seconds flat Molly and Rini had it open with various tubes, powders, lipsticks, and nail polishes spread across every inch of available surface space.

  As the two got to work, I found myself studying Theo’s little sister. She was the same height as me and her hair was a few shades darker than her brother’s golden blond. Her eyes were cerulean, with a sandy gold starburst effect that ringed her pupils. She was petite, curvy, and gorgeous. I didn’t see why she needed makeup at all, but Rini powdered her face, lined her eyes with a brown pencil, and thickened her lashes with mascara while we chatted.

  “Are you excited about your date tonight?” I queried, smiling at the way Molly was vibrating with energy.

  “I can’t wait. Hawthorne is dreamy and has been such a gentleman so far,” she gushed.

  “What kind of mythological is he?” I picked up a bottle of nail polish and shook it before inspecting the color.

  “He’s a Manticore.”

  I ran through my knowledge of mythological creatures, hoping I’d landed on the correct information. “That’s a lion shifter with the tail of a scorpion, right?”

  “Mmhmm,” Molly hummed, while Rini covered her lips in pink gloss just darker than her natural color. It suited her. When she’d pressed her lips together she turned to me. “Except he also has wings, so he can fly.”

  “Does your brother like this guy?” I felt terrible for not getting all the details on Molly’s suitors from Theo. I wished, not for the first time, that our life wasn’t so complicated. The more time I got to spend with Molly the more I liked her, and while I’d grown up alone without any family to speak of, she was starting to feel like the little sister I’d never had. My protectiveness over her was growing the longer we were together, and I suddenly wanted to know every detail about the guys she had chasing after her.

  Molly gave me a soft smile and pivoted in her seat to face me. “Don’t look so worried, Nix. Do you really think Theo would let me go out on an unsupervised date with a guy he didn’t approve of?”

  I thought about it and saw her point. “I’m glad you’re letting him help you through this journey. He’s a good judge of character. If he likes this Hawthorne guy, then I hope you have a great time tonight.”

  Molly beamed at me. “And what about you and my brother? Has he asked you out yet?”

  I gaped at her. “We… uh… I mean… we live together?” I ended on a high-pitched note, unsure how to answer her question or how much she knew of our situation. Just the other week I’d been at her house for family dinner and Theo had practically introduced me as his mate. However, now we were playing by the Council’s rules, and I had to pretend like I didn’t already have my mate choices picked out.

  “Just because you’re living together doesn’t mean the courtship has to stop. I’m going to have to have a word with my brother. He can be clueless sometimes. I swear… he’s so smart, but that technical brain of his isn’t geared toward romantic gestures.” Rolling her eyes, Molly inspected her face in a handheld mirror, going over every little detail to make sure her makeup was perfect. “Thank the stars in the sky he has the other guys to make up for the skills he lacks. Maybe I should talk to Damien instead.” She ran away with her commentary, musing over which of the guys in my group were the most romantic while I stared at her, trying to keep my jaw closed.

  “Don’t worry. Molly understands your unique situation, and she’s a vault. She’d never share what she knows about your relationship status with the guys. Especially while the courting is going down.” Rini, having picked up on my emotional turmoil, eased the situation.

  “I’d never do that to my brother, the guys, or to you. You make him so happy.” Molly smiled softly. “I will say though, you have some good guys in your group of suitors too… you know… if you decided to take on more mates.” Molly broke eye contact, mindlessly sorting through her makeup.

  It made me wonder. “Molly,” I said softly, my heart aching a little. “Is there someone you like that put their bid in on me instead?” I felt terrible, but if I was reading her sudden avoidance correctly, then I needed to know.

  She tensed and then melted on a sigh. “Joshua. He’s a good guy… deep down.”

  “Councilman Williams’ son?” Rini shot me a look that clearly said ‘uh-oh.’

  “He’s so much older than you.” I shook my head and Rini sent a warning look in my dire
ction. I grimaced, realizing I sounded more like a mother than a friend. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” I threw an apologetic look at Rini, worry creasing my forehead. I had no idea how to handle this.

  “I know.” Molly met my gaze with a sad smile. “There’s just something about him. He’s refined and handsome and even though he’s on the track to power, he holds differing views to what most of the Council believes.” Guilt rose up in my stomach, sending bile up my throat that I had to swallow down. The fact that Joshua was one of only two basilisks in the area had my hands growing cold in anticipation and anxiety over having to collect his venom to pass the rebellion’s ridiculous challenge. Out of him and his father, Joshua was the easier target, a fact that I knew the guys would land on shortly… the same as I had.

  Clearing my throat from the gravel that had settled in, I responded, recalling the only interaction I’d had with him thus far. “I’ve noticed that about him. At the Gala, he talked about moving away from the old ways.” Out of all my suitors, Joshua had been one of the ones I’d walked away respecting and hoping to form a friendship with. Hearing Molly thought highly of him only solidified my own opinion of the man that much more. This sucked.

  “I’ve talked with him a few times and he seems like a really nice guy. He’s never bid on anyone and I thought after befriending him, there may have been a chance he’d have bid on me.” She sighed.

  “How did you meet him?” Rini’s eyes were serious as she observed me from the far end of the couch. I widened mine in protest, but the look she refused to relent, and seemed to say ‘use this opportunity to your advantage.’