Crimson Mist

by Rachel Jonas

  My cause.

  As fate would have it, we were not only on the same side. Somehow, he and his people had come to revere me as their frontrunner, the face of the movement, their leader.

  Mind … blown.

  Chapter Seven

  Corina

  My hands shook wildly. Whether it was anticipation or traces of lingering fear, I couldn’t contain it.

  The engine died and we came to a stop outside a large, steel building. It resembled a warehouse, but I had no idea as to the purpose it once served when this was all owned and operated by the Ianite government.

  Aaric climbed out and I did the same, despite having a feeling he intended to come around to open my door. Standing outside the unassuming building, I peered up at all three stories of it, ominous in the haze.

  “They’re inside, but I’ve arranged for you to be greeted by a … welcoming committee of sorts,” he said.

  I glanced at Aaric for a moment, but then turned toward the building again when a heavy, metal door screeched open. Three ascended a rickety set of stairs and I held my breath. Two were not strangers to me at all.

  A sense of relief washed over me when my eyes landed on Glenn. His kindness from the night Levi and I spent at his home had made quite the impression, and it had been wise for Aaric to include him in his “welcoming party”.

  Deep wrinkles creased the sides of Glenn’s eyes when he smiled. So many moving pieces were beginning to fall into place.

  While I had braced myself for a handshake at best, I was nearly bowled off my foundation when a friendly hug surrounded me instead.

  “It’s an honor to have you here among us, your lowly servants,” Glenn uttered, a hint of jesting in his tone.

  A tense laugh fell from my lips as I processed everything. He stepped back and took a good look at me.

  “Had I known I was sheltering the great Blackbird several weeks ago, I would’ve provided you a better meal than veggies from my garden,” he joked.

  My cheeks warmed and I could only guess his statement had made me blush a little. I really wasn’t as wonderful as they were making me out to be. I was just me. Corina.

  “You were very kind,” I assured him. “That meal was far better than the ones I had before meeting your grandson.”

  Glenn’s smile tightened and I found it hard to read, but then remembered the tension between he and Julian. However, now that my secrets seemed to all be out in the open, I imagined that meant many of Julian’s were too. Soon, Glenn would have no choice but to see his grandson in the light under which he truly deserved to shine. He’d have to admit that Julian was a good man.

  “The book,” I reminded him. “You knew I’d need it one day even though you had no idea who I was.”

  Glenn’s shoulders lifted with a shrug. “Call it a hunch,” he chuckled. “I saw something in your eyes that night you made your way into my library. You knew more than you would ever say. I recognized that look because we all have it.” With those words, he glanced around at the others. Aaric, Tomas—whom I was pleasantly surprised to see was alive and well—and a small brunette I still hadn’t met but knew one thing about her for certain.

  She was human.

  “Thank you,” I offered, aware of the humility in my tone. It was honest and heartfelt. “You were kind to me without needing a reason to be.”

  Glenn gave a gracious nod. “My gut hasn’t failed me in all my years,” he stated with a laugh. “Now, my daughter? She took a bit more convincing.”

  My brow furrowed hearing him mention the Empress. I would never forget the one and only encounter I had with the woman. It could be summed up with one word—unpleasant.

  My expression must’ve given me away, because Glenn’s quiet laugh became a full, hearty roar.

  “I know my Laura has somewhat of a bristly exterior, but I assure you none of this could have been possible without her.”

  That still didn’t make me feel any better about the woman.

  Glenn gestured around him, at the vast open space surrounding us.

  “She’s the reason we have the luxury of owning places like these. All across the Lydian Dynasty,” he informed me. “She buys up harvesting camps, under the guise of making plans for future use of them, and sets up headquarters for local factions of the Resistance.”

  Nothing made sense in that moment, as I tried to wrap my mind around Empress Laura Westower herself being a part of this operation.

  “It’s a lot to process,” Glenn mused. “Just know that she’s on our side. Even convinced her to hand-deliver your key not too long ago. She wasn’t too keen on it, for fear of bringing Julian too close to the heat, but I assured her you were on the level.”

  “But you didn’t actually know that,” I interjected.

  He patted his stomach again. “Told you. My gut hasn’t steered me wrong my whole life. It led me to Aaric when he was just a boy, led me to Blackthorn where Dr. P had left behind all that research he’d done, and it led me to your father, Alan Prescott.”

  My brow twitched with the mention of my dad. “You … knew him?”

  Glenn gave a nod. “Knew both your parents. Quite well, actually. We worked together on several past missions, likely before you were even a twinkle in your mother’s eye.” He was thoughtful for a moment. “Braver souls didn’t exist.”

  I felt like I needed to sit. The closest thing I could find to a chair was the hood of Aaric’s car and he winced a bit when I dropped down onto it. His lips parted, but Glenn held up a hand.

  “Your precious vehicle will be perfectly fine,” Glenn muttered under his breath, stifling Aaric before he had a chance to speak. “If our fearless Blackbird wishes to sleep on it, dance on it, and eat all her meals right off the seats I better not hear a single word leave your mouth.”

  Holding in a laugh after being thoroughly put in his place, Aaric gave a nod. “Yes, sir. Duly noted.”

  Glenn turned his attention to me again. “The keys,” he said. “What do you know about them?”

  I pictured the thin piece of black metal Empress Westower had placed in my hands that day.

  “Not much,” I shrugged, “only that they’re not given out often, and that the dolls who receive them become a part of the Black Key Society.”

  His gnarly gray hair shifted when he bobbed his head with a nod. “Correct,” he confirmed, “but there’s much more to these women than that.”

  Intrigued, my head tilted slightly. “Like?”

  “Well, for starters, each belongs to a man of stature, high-powered Ianites who hold key offices within the government. These women are incredibly courageous, and some of the best actresses I’ve ever met,” he added with a laugh, although I had yet to understand what was so funny.

  “They’re a part of our team,” he revealed. “And they are of great importance.”

  “Once we’ve successfully formulated a serum—now that our main objective is no longer to spread the blood sickness—they’ll be responsible for administering it to their Masters, should Plan-A fail,” Aaric filled in.

  “Plan-A?”

  His silver gaze shifted from Glenn to me before answering. “Well, with the elite having adopted the practice of keeping private blood supplies since panic has spread regarding the blood sickness, it’s created a logistical dilemma. In short, while the general population will be easy to affect, the elite are more out of reach than they’ve ever been. So, ideally, we would be able to gather several from the upper echelon into one place to consume blood from a tainted supply. The empress is working tirelessly to devise a plan that won’t seem too suspicious to the public, but it hasn’t been easy coming up with a viable excuse for a gala. One that will be good cause for the upper crust to bother attending,” he explained.

  “So, if that’s Plan-A, what’s Plan-B?” I asked.

  Glenn and Aaric shared a look I didn’t miss before Aaric’s gaze returned to mine. “Plan-B is a pact the Black Key Society made upon the inception of their sisterhood. They wil
l, by any means necessary, administer the serum to their Masters, even if it costs them their lives.”

  My heart sank hearing this, mostly because I’d been so high-minded when it came to dolls. Now, to hear that this small sector of them had acted as sleeper cells, all waiting to play their fatal part in the mission, my eyes were beginning to open.

  “So, why was I invited in?” I inquired. “I’m certain Empress Westower didn’t intend for me to administer the serum to Julian?”

  Among the many things I’d come to know about her, the deep love for her son was among them.

  “She would never hear of it, but in this operation, unlike in her quadrant and kingdom, she answers to me,” Glenn explained. However, when he glanced toward Aaric, I wasn’t certain why. “Uh … perhaps the remainder of this explanation would be better coming from him.”

  Curious, my gaze shifted when Glenn pointed.

  “Well,” Aaric began, lifting a hand to rub the back of his neck, “I … may have taken it upon myself to follow you after your escape.”

  “I knew it!” I hissed, narrowing a glance his way.

  “And I’m still waiting for an explanation of how you got into my house without tripping any of my alarms,” Glenn grumbled at Aaric, missing the point.

  “All those times I felt you there, you—"

  “Before you get upset,” Aaric interjected, “You must know I never spied on any of your private moments.”

  “They were all private moments!” I argued. “Because you weren’t invited into any of them!”

  He blew out a breath and stayed silent for a beat. Judging by the look on his face I gathered that he didn’t disagree.

  “What I mean is, I never kept eyes on you when you were … indecent,” he insisted. “I was only ever a gentleman.”

  “Is that what you call yourself?” I scoffed. “Gentlemen don’t sneak into girls’ rooms without them knowing. You know what I call that? A stalker!”

  Another deep sigh puffed from his mouth and as his lips parted, Glenn stepped in again.

  “Perhaps I made a mistake letting Aaric speak,” he reasoned with a gruff chuckle. “I only hoped it would shed light on how I came to know your true identity. You see, there was an incident Aaric witnessed and knew enough to share it with me. One you weren’t aware of because the princes, apparently, made certain my grandson’s synth took you on a walk around palace grounds. During that walk, the three who have bound themselves to you were paid a little visit from Roman.”

  My skin crawled just hearing his name. It’d been a while since I’d seen him, and I preferred to keep it that way.

  “It was during that visit that the princes, too, came to know that the one they have suddenly become so fond of is none other than the thorn in our Dynasty’s side,” he added with a grin, making it clear my cover had been blown to Julian, Silas, and Levi several days ago.

  “But … none of them said a word,” I stated distractedly, recalling the many interactions I’d had with each since taking that walk with Elle that Glenn just mentioned.

  He shrugged. “My only guess is they were waiting for the right time. Can’t imagine that’s an easy thing to work into everyday conversation,” he reasoned. “But I assure you, they definitely know you’re no ordinary girl.”

  Glenn and Aaric shared another look and when Aaric’s gaze flitted back toward me, I was already staring.

  “At the risk of sounding like a broken record today, I truly am sorry, Corina,” Aaric groveled. “For everything. I can admit to being very black and white when it comes to this resistance, which has caused me to make some starkly impulsive decisions in times past. But, most recently, one of those choices caused you great harm and you can’t imagine how much I regret my actions.”

  Emotion hung heavy in the air and my heart felt the weight of it. He was sorry—overwhelmingly so—but his regret didn’t change the facts.

  Didn’t change our past.

  “You drugged me, and then bound me to you for life,” I forced out. “You stole my choice to feel all these … things that run through my head on a constant basis. Feelings a woman should never feel for the man who brutalized her. And all for what? To save your own skin when this life catches up with you?” I scoffed. “Some might think you were being resourceful that night, but only one word comes to mind when I look at you,” I seethed. “Coward.”

  Aaric held his composure when our gazes locked, and for a moment, a spark of the old him was apparent. I saw it in the way his nostrils flared when I hurled that word at him like a flaming sword.

  “Now, hold on a moment,” Glenn cut in, stepping closer to me then. “What’s this all about?”

  I nodded toward Aaric. “Didn’t your golden boy tell you?” I scoffed. “The whole reason he bit me was so the Magistrates won’t end his life when they find out all he’s done. Because he’ll inform them of how his life is linked to those of the princes.”

  Glenn’s brow furrowed with confusion. He volleyed a look between Aaric and I, and Aaric lowered his gaze toward the ground, seemingly furious after my accusation.

  “That what you told her?”

  I peered up when Glenn asked the question, aiming his gaze toward Aaric, who only responded with a nod.

  “Figures,” Glenn huffed. “Boy has a way of being a martyr even without trying. Not to mention, he’s a tad impulsive, as I’m sure you’ve come to realize.”

  Understatement.

  However, feeling confused, I listened harder.

  “Biting you, while not being something I would have advised,” Glenn clarified, “was a means of insurance.”

  “So I’ve been told.”

  Glenn shook his head at my reaction. “Not in that way. It was insurance that, should the princes, my grandson included, become an obstacle when our plan is designated … Aaric positioned himself to ensure they could be dealt with from a distance.”

  I blinked a few times, until the meaning within his words became clear.

  “You were … going to sacrifice yourself to kill them,” I concluded.

  When Aaric’s gaze lowered and focused on the ground, I knew I was right this time. The attack he unleashed on me was all about making sure the princes were never infallible. Even if it cost him his own life, Aaric—like the Black Key Society—was prepared to fall on his own sword for the cause.

  “As I’m sure you can gather, news of what he’d done didn’t sit well with myself or the Empress,” Glenn explained, “but Aaric here seems to think we’re better off having all our bases covered. After all, we did each take an oath, vowing to put the mission before all else. Even family.”

  The thundering in my chest was brought on by a mixture of thoughts and emotions. Partly, trying to imagine Aaric taking matters into his own hands the night we met, knowing his actions implemented relatives of those he worked with so closely. But it was like Glenn said; he had an impulsive side. One that, seemingly, only saw what was in the best interest of the cause.

  My gaze lowered as a realization set in. “I … think I get it,” was my confession.

  I met Aaric’s gaze just as his brow quirked. “Get what?”

  “I’ve been wondering why I hadn’t felt much of a change since you claimed me,” I stated quietly, understanding several things as I spoke. “You and I … we’re already so much alike.”

  Never in a million years would I have dreamed those words would leave my mouth. Never in a million years would I have believed they’d be so true, but they were. With him, with me, the mission always came first.

  Always.

  “I can’t speak for the Empress or Glenn, or to how you indirectly betrayed them, too, that night you attacked me, but … I forgive you,” I freely admitted. “But know this. The princes are not who or what you once believed they were.”

  That had been a realization that I, myself, had to overcome.

  Aaric nodded. “I’m aware of that.”

  “And you must also know that they’re off limits,” I asserted
sternly.

  This group had lent me some measure of authority over them, and now was the most fitting time to use it.

  “Understood,” he agreed.

  “I recognize your intentions,” I said, “and I can only respect someone who’d fight so recklessly for the Resistance, but the princes are important to me. They’re as close to me as I am to my team. They’re family.”

  When that last word touched his ears, his gaze rose to meet mine. It was then that I believed he understood the certitude they carried with them. It was then he realized how fiercely I intended to protect the ones I love.

  “Understood,” he confirmed with another nod.

  Our eyes stayed locked for a moment before Glenn cleared his throat to speak.

  “Well, before we take you inside to meet the whole brood, I believe these two have a few words they’d like to say to you.”

  When prompted, Tomas stepped forward, stopping right in front of the grill of Aaric’s car where I rested.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he gushed. “And my apologies for the way we met. And for the way I deceived you,” he added casually.

  Smiling faintly, I was just about to shake his hand, but paused. “How did you deceive me?”

  He passed a nervous glance toward Aaric, and continued after being given the okay with a nod.

  “Well, you see, setting you free wasn’t so much your idea, as much as it was Aaric’s.”

  Of course it was his idea.

  “I reported back to him after you recognized my band,” Tomas explained, touching a finger to the purple sash tied around his bicep. “It surprised me that you knew it was a symbol of having been separated from a loved one liberated from the Dynasty. So, I told Aaric what we discussed, and I was advised to play along.”