“But a part of you wanted her to?” She pushed, and when he paused, she knew she had him. “Admit it, holding that bottled up won’t do you any good, trust me.”
“Maybe, but it doesn’t matter now.” He stripped off the jacket he’d been wearing and tossed it on the nearby chair.
“Where are you going?”
“I need to go for a run. There’s too many people here, I need to clear my head.” Ardyn disappeared through the exit to the Hub.
“Okay, wolfy,” she whispered after him.
“What’s up with him?” Bruto appeared by her side in true barbaric fashion, with no shirt to cover his full pecs and hard abs. She knew exactly what that meant.
“Nitara,” she sighed. “That woman really knows how to fuck with a guy’s mind, doesn’t she?”
“You’re not too bad yourself.” Grabbing her, he pulled her into a long embrace and covered her mouth with his.
“Tell me something I don’t know!” she growled, and as she ruffled her hands in his thick, red hair, they disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
“Nice of you to return.” Graham nodded at Ardyn who had spent the entire night and the next day on the run. As the sun fell again and he returned to the Hub, he was careful to miss Sarah’s men who were out hunting for them. He left Reverie entirely because he needed to get as far away from the place as he could. When Ardyn returned the next morning, everyone was getting their things together, preparing to go and rescue Mike from Sarah.
“Ardyn, you’re back!” Nitara ran up to him but halted short of hugging him when he looked at her with eyes that held sorrow and pain. “Where did you go? I came looking for you.”
“I needed to run.” He grunted, but then softened as he looked at her. They were still friends, still family. He let Rosie get in his mind and convince him that he wanted more from her than he actually did. That wasn’t her fault.
“Well, I want to thank you for everything, for going through so much to save me.” Nitara hugged the man. Over her shoulder he spotted Rosie; still instigating matters, she winked at him.
“Of course, you know how much I care about you. I could never just sit back and let you get taken away like that.” He looked around the room. “Apparently, there are a lot of people who feel that way about you. You’re truly a loved woman.” It was as close as he would get to saying what he wanted. Especially with Jinn standing just a few feet away. It was the first time that the man hadn’t looked at him like he wanted to kill him. He wouldn’t poke the bear!
“Really, thank you.” She followed his gaze. “All of you. I know I’ve said it so many times in the last twelve hours, but really I appreciate the sacrifice that each one of you have taken for me.”
“All right, enough of all this sappy shit. Are we ready to do this or what?” Bruto boasted. Always ready for action, he pounded his chest and got slapped on the arm.
“You really need to calm down,” Rosie teased. Then leaned into him and whispered, “Save that for later.”
Boxi, who was too close for comfort, overheard the comment and groaned.
“Hell, you know I was pent up for too long. I need that bit of action! Besides, who knows how many more of these blazing glories we’ll get to be a part of. We have to savor every moment!”
“I just want to get back to my babies.” Rosie pouted. And by babies she meant her island of penguins. The woman had a thing for them, and when the world went crazy, she claimed a home full of them. Bruto loved action, but she was a homebody and her body had been away from home for far too long.
“Yeah, you’ll get there soon enough.” He winked at her. He would be right there with her, and those annoying ass birds.
“Look, Mike has been by my side for a long time. Even when I didn’t want him there. He’s also done a lot for everyone in this room, even when it didn't seem to benefit him much.” Jinn took hold of the room. “He is one of us! And I will not leave this damn place until he is by my side. We go in there, and we don’t leave until we have him! Understood?”
While the others nodded in agreement and started to pump themselves up for the fight to come, Graham snuck out the back. Briar, who saw him make his exit, decided to follow.
“Hey, Graham,” she called out to him.
“Yes?” He turned to her.
“Where are you going?” she asked, giving him the chance to cop out of his cowardice and return inside.
“Excuse me?” He looked over his shoulder as if she was directing her comment to someone unseen. “Last I checked, I don’t answer to you.”
“You’re coming with us to get Mike, right?” She glanced back at the others who vanished as the wall solidified and closed them out.
He laughed. “No, I think I’ll sit this one out.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Briar rolled her eyes at the sad excuse of a man.
“What’s your problem?” he huffed as he turned to continue his escape route.
“My problem? What’s yours?” He continued to walk away from her, but she kept on his heel. “What the hell problem could you possibly have with Mike, you don’t even know him!”
“I know enough about him and his kind to know I want nothing to do with them.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, that’s so.” He grunted at her.
“And what is it that you know?” Briar wanted to light the vampire’s ass on fire, but she held back.
“I know that they are weak, cowards, and they will stab you in the back the first chance they get,” he growled as his steps became heavy with his growing rage.
“Okay, I get it, someone hurt you. I’m gonna take a wild guess and say it was a slither. Am I right? Fine. Be mad at that person!” she yelled. “Not at Mike. He doesn’t deserve that, not after everything he’s been through.”
“Everyone wants me to think he is some great hero.” He finally stopped walking and turned on his unwanted shadow. “I don’t buy it!”
“Think whatever the hell you want, but he is a hero! To a lot of people, that man is exactly that.” She paused for a moment before continuing. Yelling at Graham would do nothing but give him more fuel for his ignorance. “Mike is the one who realized what Daegal was up to, he is the one who found Nitara. If it weren’t for him, none of us would be here. When it was time to stand against that bastard, I remember your people were called, because of your strength, and not a damn one of you answered! Like the rest of the world you sat back and let us handle it. But Mike and his people were right there by our side. They were fighting to protect not only themselves, but every fucking life on this planet. And you have the nerve to stand there and question his actions?”
“Whatever.” Graham didn’t have a solid retort, but she could see that he would ignore even the clearest logic.
“Yeah, whatever. Tell me something, vampire, how brave were you? What did you do to try to save your people? Tyrellis was here stirring up shit, running things into the ground, and what did you do? Nothing! I can tell you what Mike did for his people. I can tell you he faced hell itself to make sure that his people's suffering ended. Hell, if you were half the man he is, you’d be lucky.” She turned to head back inside the Hub to rejoin the others. “We’ll just be out there, saving your people from the bitch that wants to take over. But feel free to step in and claim your victory when the dirty work is done.”
This time when they approached the vampire capital, they went full force. Sarah would be expecting them, and she would have her people in place to be damn sure they would have to fight like hell to make it through their borders. Bruto was at the lead of their charge—the djinn rode down the main street of the town that led right to her door on a cloud of orange smoke. Blasting classical music as he moved through the streets, he used flashes of orange light that temporarily stunned any vampires who tried to attack him along the way. The aim was to subdue, not kill, at the request of Graham. They were still his people and they didn't deserve to die because their leader was an insane bitch.
“All right, boys and girls, this is what we came here for!” she called out as she swayed her hips and paced slowly in front of the gate. The vampires hissed from the other side. “They have our friend, and we aren’t leaving here without him. Beyond these gates, those who stand against us, must suffer the consequences!” The band of heroes cheered her on and she basked in their adulations. “Let’s show these damn blood suckers what we can do!” Rosie turned to the gates, held out her hands, and pummeled the enforced bars with her magic. They shook beneath the blow but remained intact. She peered over her shoulder at Ardyn. “Come on, wolfy, give a girl a hand.”
Ardyn joined her and together they blasted the gates. The green and pink streams hit with full force, but it looked as though they would fail. Briar landed beside Ardyn, nodded at him with understanding, and added her magic to theirs. They needed more power; the sun was set, and her magic wasn’t as strong. She called to Boxi who used her affinity for earth to shake the ground beneath them. The bars began to bend and the vampires on the other side prepared for the destruction to come.
With a massive explosion, the frame burst into jagged pieces that went flying into the inside. The shattered bars turned into spears that impaled some of the vampires who charged them and cut down their opposition’s numbers instantly. The explosion shattered the windows behind them and shook the foundation of the massive home. Their enemy struggled to recover from the attack, and their lost focus gave the intruders the upper hand. Rosie issued her battle cry and the group ran forward.
Nitara pushed through the doors that barely remained attached to their hinges. Behind her the battle waged on, and though her side had taken a few casualties, they were winning. At the top of the grand stairs, where the man who she was forced to serve once held his position, was his sadistic widow, Sarah. She was perched atop his throne, dressed in a long, red dress. With her legs crossed, and an expression of pure pleasure on her face, she scented the air and smiled.
“Don’t you just love that? The smell of rage!” Sarah gazed down on Nitara who continued her approach.
“You are one sick bitch, you know that?” Nitara looked around the room where there were fallen vampires; they’d been taken out with the explosion outside.
“People keep telling me that.” She sighed. “Smart, yes! Calculating, oh yeah! Innovative, check mark! But sick? No, I am not sick. I saw an opportunity and I took it!”
“You killed him!” Nitara screamed.
“Oh, look, I think you got a case of Stockholm syndrome.” Sarah laughed. “Did you love him? Will you miss the little twit ordering you around?” She stood from her seat. “A better question still, how the hell are you alive?”
“Nitara!” Jinn entered the doors, catching up with her.
“Oh, isn’t this just lovely? How sweet that you all came back for your little friend.” Sarah clapped. “I’m assuming that is why you’re here, right? This is another one of your pathetic rescue missions. Don’t you people ever get tired?”
“You bitch,” Inda spat as she landed through the shattered window. “Where is he?!”
“Oh goodie! It’s the fire bird! You, I particularly enjoy.” She tapped her foot on the step beneath her. “Too bad our last encounter was cut short.”
“If you want a repeat just pucker up and kiss my flaming ass!” Inda smirked, commenting on burns that still hadn’t healed on her hands, and the ones masterfully covered with makeup on her face and chest. The fire of a phoenix was different from anything on Earth, and the vampires who encountered it often never healed completely.
“No need to be disgusting,” Sarah snipped. “You can have your friend. Take him and go.”
“Yeah right, what’s the catch?” Jinn asked. “Why would you hand him over so easily? What do you want?”
“Smart man! Fine, what I want is simple. Nitara stays here. Or whichever one of you wish granting beings who want to fall on the sword. You’re all so self-sacrificing. Really, I don’t care which one of you do it.”
“You’re crazy if you think that’s going to happen.” Jinn pushed himself forward. “No one is staying here with you.”
“She,” her crimson-painted nail pointed to Nitara, “belonged to my husband, and upon his death, all of his belongings transferred to me. But you stole her from me so that means I’m owed a djinn. Any one will do.” She held up a silver bracelet. “Just climb the stairs and put this on. It’s kinda like that binding thing you had going on with Tyrellis, only this one was crafted for me.”
“You think either of us will just offer to do that?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact I do.” From the balcony above they could hear chains rattling. Within a moment, he came into view. Mike was bound by barbed shackles that dug into his flesh. Sarah pointed at one of the vampires who pulled on the chains. They tightened, and Mike screamed as they cut deeper into his flesh. “I don’t think he’s going to last much longer.”
“Mike!” Jinn called out and leapt to the balcony above. The vampires who guarded him attacked but before they could land one blow, they all fell to the floor wrapped in strings of blue flame that burned their flesh. Their screams quickly ended with their deaths. Mike leaned against the banister, tired from the torture they subjected him to.
“I wouldn’t touch those chains if I were you,” Sarah warned, but Jinn ignored her.
Jinn reached for the chains and the moment they touched his hand the flesh was seared. “Fuck!” he yelled as he pulled his hand back.
“Well, I did warn you.” Sarah laughed as she began to descend the stairs. “Like I said, I am a calculating bitch. I saw an opportunity to make a few allies when all of the world was focused on the shit happening in dragon land. There were a few, those who were afraid of what would happen to them if he succeeded. They were looking for a safe place to stay and I offered that to them. Well, wouldn’t you know it, that put them in my debt.”
From outside, Briar ran in. “Fae!” she yelled, and through the window they could see Sarah’s unexpected allies. “The others can’t get in, I barely made it. They’ve reinforced the barrier!”
“Well, now you’ve gone and ruined my grand reveal!” She stopped in the middle of the staircase. “Oh, but no matter. I have fae on my side, which means, you will do as I say, or you will all die!”
“I have to say, you really surprised me,” Nitara spoke as she approached Sarah.
“Is that so?” The woman was nervous now, and Nitara could hear in in the way her voice trembled. Even with having the upper hand, Sarah wasn’t as confident as she wanted them to believe.
“I never suspected you.” Nitara stepped forward. “All this time, I never thought you were the kind to betray him. I was so busy looking outside of the home that I didn't realize the biggest threat was living inside its walls. I guess you fooled us both that way.”
“Yes, well, now you know. I don’t have all day here. Are you going to step up and save your friend or not?” She held out the bracelet, dangling it from the tip of her finger.
“No, she isn’t.” Jinn leapt from the balcony above and landed between the two of them.
“And you aren’t either.” Nitara pushed him back. She was done being saved by him and everyone else. This was her fight.
“Mike is my friend, and you’ve been through enough with this shit.” He looked back up to where he left his friend. “Besides, I owe him. If it weren’t for him, you wouldn’t be here now.”
“Look, I don’t care who does it.” Sarah sighed. “A djinn is a djinn.” Ju
st as she took another step toward them, a fae girl emerged on the balcony with Mike. “Oh look, and now I have him again!”
Mike’s body went flying over the edge of the balcony and the chain binding him shot to the ceiling. With a sharp jolt, the line snapped and left Mike’s body dangling in the air above them. He screamed from the impact for a moment before the searing pain knocked him unconscious. Through the front and side doors, a combination of fae and vampire filed into the room.
“Isn't this just delicious? Yeah, apparently there's a little bad among all of us.” She smiled. “You try anything, and they will make sure none of you leave here alive. I wonder how long you’ll last. Already one of your team members here is weaker than you’d want me to believe. Your fairy queen is all but useless with the moon hanging above us!”
“You will never get what you want!” Nitara spat at the vampire.
“Oh, but it seems I will.” Smiling, she held out the spelled bracelet once again. “Now, who’s it gonna be?”
Nitara looked over her shoulder to Jinn and they made brief eye contact. That was all that they needed to have complete understanding of how things would go down. Their connection was just as strong as it ever was. They needed to buy time. The slithers who had taken a back entrance were nearly in place. Ardyn confirmed it with the green flash of light that displayed outside of the window. They needed only a few more minutes before they could strike. Nitara slowly nodded to Jinn. His eyes flickered to Mike and back. That was the cue.
Things were going to move fast. With the moon in the sky, Sarah had the upper hand. She was right about the fairies; they weren’t as strong, but they were still a contender. Besides, they had a lot more fire power on their side. Bruto had done more scouting and the orange flare on the opposite side of the building was their confirmation that Sarah had pulled all of her aces.
Jinn, with eyes trained on Mike above, walked closer to Sarah who remained on the steps. She kept a brave face but the slight tremble at her fingertips betrayed the poker face she attempted to hold. She was anxious, and that energy would play against her.
Djinn Rebellion Boxset (Books 1 -30: A Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy Page 36