Crimson Mist

by Rachel Jonas

“You gave me enough rope to hang myself,” I interjected with a sigh. “Nice.”

  “I … sorry, ma’am. I—”

  “It’s fine,” I cut him off, laughing at how he stuttered when his nerves got the best of him. “All is forgiven. Seriously.”

  Relief swept over him and he seemed to think it best not to speak again, so he stepped back without a word.

  Next, Glenn placed his hand on the shoulder of the brunette who’d come down with him, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She was young. My age maybe, but there seemed to be so much more to her.

  “I’d like you to meet Abigail.”

  I smiled warmly when she did the same. “Nice meeting you, Abigail.”

  She offered a shy smile in return and stared at my hand when I extended it toward her. But then, she did something completely unexpected. Warm arms wrapped around my neck and her body quivered against me. Caught off guard, I wasn’t quite sure how to react, but then I guess I just did what came naturally. I hugged her back.

  “Thank you,” she said, breathing the words against my skin. “You’re the reason I wasn’t afraid.”

  Confusion must’ve marked my expression as soon as the feeling that I’d missed something set in.

  “Um … what is it you weren’t afraid to do?” I asked, still not understanding.

  “You made me brave enough to play my part.”

  Her answer cleared up nothing, so I looked toward Glenn from over Abigail’s shoulder.

  “You may not recognize her by name, but you may be a bit more familiar with her Harvest Identification Number,” he said with a grin. “Meet HIN—190487.”

  My body went still. That number had been emblazoned on my brain since first hearing it.

  “You’re … her,” I whispered. “The one who successfully passed along the blood sickness through her offspring.”

  “For the resistance,” she answered.

  “How did you … I overheard that you escaped the Tine Facility, but—”

  “Aaric,” she answered, cutting off my sentence. She leaned away to cast a grateful glance his way. “His abilities made it possible for him to slip in undetected, and we practically walked right out the front door.”

  I swallowed deeply, trying hard not to feel anything toward him. At the top of that list of things I didn’t want to feel … was admiration.

  There was a conversation Silas and I overheard from the guards that night we broke into the facility. They couldn’t understand how she’d been able to slip out unseen, but things finally made sense. Being taken in the middle of the night myself, right out of a window, had been quite the eye-opener.

  “He even let me go to the East Wing to save my baby,” she added thoughtfully. “If he hadn’t, she would’ve been subjected to whatever monstrous experiments they had in mind for her.”

  When Abigail paused, the tears she shed made my own emotions swell.

  “I’ll never forget what you did for me. For us,” she continued. This time she’d turned to speak directly to Aaric.

  In response, he offered a gracious nod, but didn’t speak. I noted that there was no haughtiness about him. Only humility, sincerity—sides of him I never would’ve imagined existed had it not been for this very moment. When the veil had been lifted. When I saw him in his truer form.

  I was overwhelmed, in more ways than one. My throat squeezed tight as I fought tears, but there was no use. They fell anyway.

  “I don’t know what to say,” I choked out, swiping moisture from my face.

  “Just say you’re with us,” Glenn chimed in, meeting my gaze with a grin. “Say you’ll help us finish what your mother and father started all those years ago, their legacy.”

  This had been quite the turn of events, but this crew had done a lot to prove that our objectives were indeed closely aligned.

  Glenn offered a gracious smile after speaking, and I couldn’t deny that it warmed my heart. He’d been kind to me at a time when I needed a little kindness, and he’d been very patient with me today, as I tried to put all the pieces together.

  “I … okay,” I conceded. “I’ll at least agree to be open minded.”

  “For now, that’s good enough,” he answered. And with that, he took my hand, leading me toward the staircase he had just descended with Abigail and Tomas.

  “Where are we going?” I asked hesitantly, knowing he felt how my feet dragged as he led the way.

  That smile he wore widened into a full grin now. “We’re going inside,” he answered, “to meet about five hundred of your most devoted followers.”

  I swallowed hard and peered up the stairs toward the door at the top.

  “Shall we?” he asked when we reached the last step.

  Without making it obvious, I peered back at Aaric where he stood a few inches away, looming over my shoulder as we waited on the landing. Apparently, these people sought answers, direction, and they thought I had both.

  My gaze met Glenn’s and I gave a nod to let him know we could move ahead. Having been out of the loop for so long, my only hope was that I didn’t let them down somehow.

  Chapter Eight

  Roman

  “What the heck happened to you?”

  The question barely left Jon’s mouth before I pushed past him, letting myself into his home without invitation.

  He eyed remnants of blood left behind from a deep gash. The wounds from being punched by Julian had healed quickly, but the one it left on my soul would likely fester for the rest of my life.

  My temper still hadn’t cooled, and it had been hours since the ones I once considered brothers forced their way onto my jet. They proved to me, once and for all, that whatever familial connection we shared in the past was now completely severed.

  Dead.

  Because of her.

  “Do you have her?” I asked coldly, positive I seemed completely out of my head at the moment. “Where did you take her?”

  “Take who?” Jon asked distractedly, following closely as I made my way into his living room. “You can’t just barge in here like this,” he protested.

  He was singing a much different tune now that I was no longer on his hook, no longer of much use to him. He had what he needed—proof that Corina was Blackbird—and now I was pretty sure he had her in custody. Whereas I’d been welcomed in with open arms before, it appeared he now wanted nothing to do with me.

  Typical.

  “Where is Corina?” I grumbled sternly.

  The perplexed look on Jon’s face didn’t prove his innocence in the matter. I’d known him to be quite the actor.

  “Where have you taken her?” I shouted, hearing my voice echo off the hard surfaces in the space. “I demand that you take me wherever you’re keeping her, so I can finally put an end to this.”

  I ached with need, just at the thought of being the one to see Blackbird take her last breath.

  Jon’s brow furrowed with curiosity as he secured the belt of a burgundy, silk robe before cautiously taking a seat on the sofa. It was then that I noticed the fresh glass of blood and half-eaten bagel resting beside the newspaper on the coffee table. Apparently, I’d interrupted his breakfast.

  “She’s missing?” The question left his mouth sounding convincingly sincere, but I still couldn’t be sure.

  When all I offered was a weary glance, he leaned back in his seat.

  “Okay,” he said with a sigh. “Did you tell anyone what we know? About Corina being Blackbird?”

  Squaring my shoulders, I told the truth. “I shared the information with my Dynasty Brothers, giving them one last chance to right their steps and—”

  “Are you insane?” Jon was on his feet again with the question. “Who’s to say they haven’t taken her into hiding?”

  “They aren’t involved,” I seethed. “Who do you think came to question me about her whereabouts?”

  Jon stared a moment, keeping both hands perched on his waist while he surveyed me. We had a peculiar relationship. One where I don’t th
ink either of us trusted the other much, but our objective was so tightly aligned it bound us in a way.

  “Tell me what you know?” His tone was flat as he dropped down, returning to his seat where he retrieved a notepad and pen from the side-table drawer.

  “All I know is that Corina’s missing, and the princes seem to think you and I are responsible.”

  He jotted down a few notes and then stood to his feet. “I need to get on this. As soon as I know more, I’ll be in touch.”

  “You’ll do no such thing.” With the words, I gripped his arm before he could pass, and the dark look we shared said volumes about our tumultuous dealings with one another.

  “If you’re suggesting that we work this case together, like partners, I’ll have to respectfully decline.”

  “On what basis?” I countered.

  “On the basis that the most pertinent piece of information in this entire case was shared with the other princes,” he shot back coldly. “You can’t be trusted. When it comes down to it, you choose your loyalty to them over all else,” he accused. “Even above your loyalty to the Dynasty.”

  My shoulders rose and fell quickly when I drew in a sharp breath.

  He had no idea how true that statement had once been, but he also had no clue how drastically things had changed.

  His gaze stayed trained on me when I reached beside me to a shallow ledge that separated this room from the foyer. With his tape recorder in hand, I dropped down into an armchair. When I gestured for him to have a seat, he eventually complied.

  “You don’t trust me,” I acknowledged. “And the only way to restore that is to provide you with leverage. You’ll have what you’ve always wanted.”

  “And what’s that?” There was an air of greed in his tone, from suddenly having the thing he wanted most right at his fingertips.

  “Everything,” I answered. “You’ll have everything you need to prove your theory to the Magistrates and take down all parties involved,” I assured him. “Including me.”

  Those words nearly had him salivating. He stayed silent as the device whirred to life with the click of a button, and then peered up again when he seemed to fully grasp what I had in mind. If it would cost me my soul to see Corina brought to justice, then that price would only be fair. This was no longer about protecting the other princes, because I was more than aware of where I stood with them. This was about righting all the wrongs, setting the record straight once and for all.

  Placing the recorder on the coffee table in front of me, I felt like I was doing the right thing for the first time in a long time.

  “My name is Roman Fairchild, known heir to the South Quadrant’s throne in our beloved Lydian Dynasty,” I began, “and what I am about to share is the full truth behind the biggest scandal our kingdom has ever known.”

  Chapter Nine

  Corina

  From across the room, I briefly locked eyes with Aaric. He’d been perched on a stool—one foot resting on the bar beneath it, both arms crossed over his chest while he stared unashamedly. I eventually snapped out of it and looked away, but the damage was already done. He knew I was attracted. And he knew that I knew he was attracted to me.

  Those were inconsequential details, though. The result of him forcing me into the blood bond and nothing more.

  But one thing was for certain, I no longer questioned my captor’s intentions, nor his motives that night at Blackthorn, and I only felt myself softening toward him as the seconds wore on.

  It was hard staying angry with someone who’d done so much to help restore humanity to its rightful state. Especially when that someone had every reason to be on the other side of the war.

  Only … Aaric was not my enemy.

  For the past several hours, I’d been bombarded with hugs, questions, and praise—all things I never saw coming out of this encounter.

  Another tight hug went around my neck. “It was amazing meeting you,” a girl gushed. She was young and human, but the blonde she bounced over here with was most certainly an Ianite. They were close, like sisters from what I could tell, which spoke of the atmosphere here among Aaric’s people.

  Thinking of him, I peered up from over the girl’s shoulder, finding that same silver stare locked on me.

  “The pleasure was all mine,” I said with a smile, refocusing long enough to shake both girls’ hands before they parted.

  I was pretty sure I’d greeted everyone—all five-hundred or more.

  “Need a break?” Glenn asked, sneaking up on me from behind.

  I peered over my shoulder to meet his gaze and wasn’t surprised to find him grinning.

  “I’d do okay without a break, but a snack would be nice,” I admitted.

  He winked. “We’ve got you covered, kid.”

  I didn’t hesitate to follow him through a set of double doors off to the right. And as we exited the two-story warehouse where I’d spent most of the morning, I felt no fear whatsoever. Not even when I noticed a tall figure clad in dark clothing hawking me and Glenn.

  Glancing back as casually as I could, I met Aaric’s gaze as he closed the distance between us. There was no denying how my breaths quickened whenever he was near. Like now.

  An electric hum above accompanied a quiet flicker. The room was bathed in cool fluorescent light the next instant. It was a kitchen of sorts, minus a proper stove, but the space had a refrigerator and microwave set against the far wall.

  The metal feet of a chair scooted across the tile and I refused to look back when Aaric took a seat. Instead, I stayed focused on Glenn. He scanned the shelves of the fridge and there was no shortage of food. And from what I could see—tall stacks of boxes to my right—there were tons of dry goods as well.

  He spotted me staring at their stash.

  “We keep enough to make sure our human brethren are well-fed, and then we do our best to distribute the rest under the radar. As I’m sure you can imagine, that’s gotten to be more difficult in recent months. The authorities are finding new ways every week to sniff out our operations.”

  I knew all too well how hard it was to do this work in secret, acquire vital resources such as food. If it hadn’t been for the princes, I had no idea how my team would’ve gotten by where food and meds were concerned.

  “Here we are,” Glenn groaned, bending to grab a small cup from the bottom rack.

  I smiled. “Pudding? Haven’t had this since I was a kid.”

  Accepting it from his hand, I remembered the few times my mom managed to score a few packages on runs.

  “Thank you,” I said after the moment of nostalgia passed.

  “Anytime.”

  I spotted a seat and, just as I made it there, Aaric leapt to his feet and pulled it back from the table.

  My gaze locked on his for a moment, and then I sat. “Thanks.”

  He only offered a nod, and we said nothing else to one another.

  Glenn leaned casually against the counter beside him, glancing down at his watch anxiously.

  “Expecting more guests?” I teased. Only, when he didn’t say I’d gotten that wrong, curiosity made my brow quirk.

  “They should’ve been here by now,” he huffed, and there was no missing the concern in his tone.

  “I can put a call into our Sentinels,” Aaric offered. “They’ll be able to track them down.”

  Wait … they had Sentinels in their pocket? Their operation ran much deeper than I realized.

  “We’ll give it a little more time,” Glenn reasoned. “No need to jump to conclusions. I’ll just head down the road a bit and see if I spot anyone.”

  With that, he stepped through the same doors we’d entered through a moment before, but he stopped and popped his head in again.

  “And don’t go spoiling the surprise about who’s coming while I’m gone.”

  His warning prompted Aaric to put both hands up in surrender when he smiled. “Your secret is safe with me.”

  Glenn kept his gaze trained on him a moment longer, and
then it was just the two of us.

  Aaric and me.

  The only sound was that of me scraping every morsel of chocolate pudding from the cup that I could manage. It would’ve been awkward if I weren’t so hungry, or if I cared about stuff like that. Food was too precious a commodity to pretend I didn’t like to eat.

  “So … this is weird, right? Sitting here, listening to me eat pudding.”

  When Aaric cracked a smile, it lightened the mood some. “I suppose I’m not quite sure what conversations are off-limits,” he admitted.

  I chuckled a bit, stopping myself when the urge to lick the inside of the cup came and went.

  “Well, if it helps, I still have a ton of questions you can answer, seeing as how we’re forbidden to discuss whatever weirdness Glenn is hiding from me.”

  That devilishly handsome smile returned, and I bit back a girlish sigh that would have given me away.

  “I’m all ears,” he answered.

  I popped my cup and plastic spoon into the trashcan. “Your eyes,” I said outrightly. It was, after all, my most pressing question.

  He seemed to have expected it when his smile turned into quiet laughter. “You aren’t one for mincing words, are you?”

  I shook my head. “I suppose we’re alike in that way.”

  “Touché,” he nodded. “There’s a short answer and a long answer, Which—”

  “Detailed version, please,” I interjected.

  Staring, the corner of his mouth quirked upward. “Very well then.”

  I settled deeper into my seat, giving my undivided attention.

  “I was brought up in the West Quadrant. Mother and I had meager living accommodations compared to most. It was like that for most of my childhood from what I can recall, but there was no shortage of love,” he shared. “It was difficult for her to find work because she had no identity, no paper trail to explain why she’d left the South Quadrant so hastily. I suppose most assumed she’d done something terrible and tried to outrun it.”

  “Did she?” I didn’t hesitate to ask.

  Aaric met my gaze thoughtfully, and only shook his head at first. “No,” he answered. “My mother was the most pure-hearted person I’ve ever known. She lived by a very strict code and practically drilled those principles into my head every day.”