26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Ruya

I t had been three days since Josh disappeared. Robin had sent my mother away early this morning. I knew Achlys didn't want to leave me, after we had only just been reunited. But I also understood why she agreed to leave. She had been caught up in other people's political machinations for the better part of thirty years. She deserved some peace. And I agreed with Robin when she insisted that it was safer this way. She had arranged with a contact in Norway to take Achlys in and set her up in a sequestered safehouse there. Where she wouldn't be an easy target for Acadia or anyone else who went after our court.

My magic was building up inside me, my temperature rising and my body starting to ache with the need to release some of my power. But I held it back, only letting out a trickle here and there as I touched my nestmates in passing—just enough to remain sane.

I was afraid. Terrified that I'd need my magic when we finally did find Josh. Vulnerable as I was compared to the others, I was still a witch. My constitution and ability to withstand abuse and mistreatment were stronger than a human's. I wasn't a naive little girl anymore. I had seen enough of the world—and enough of this rebel life in particular—to know that I might end up needing every ounce of my strength to keep Josh alive once we got him back.

If it really was Acacia who had stolen him away, I ached for him. She would be cruel. I had no doubt. I had witnessed what she did to Sadavir, to her favorite, treasured slave. She had nearly killed the powerful naga, tortured him, beaten him and left him dying while she took out her hunger and rage on him. And that was with a possession she actually cared about keeping around. She wouldn't show any restraint when it came to a human, especially one who had betrayed her by running away with her treasure.

I rubbed my forehead, pushing down the slight headache and the wave of heat that came with containing my healing abilities. It did no good to dwell on "what-ifs." I reached the balcony area of the Fox, where everyone else was gathered in the informal sitting area used for guests. Yukio and Dusek had just returned from yet another trip around town looking for leads and gossip. They hadn't found anything—I had already wheedled that information from Dusek via text message. But I knew Robin wouldn't wait too much longer to make a move. The odds of something awful happening to Josh rose every day.

I could sense Sadavir and Robin taking up opposite ends of the space, their powerful alpha auras pulsing and warm in my senses, calling to me. Martina's aura was a softer, but more solid force in the middle, probably sitting on the long couch that took up one wall. I could almost picture her sitting beside Sanka, double checking the charms, amulets, and spells that the sorcerer had laid out before him. I could sense the magic, the contained power that was distinctly our demon-blooded beta's hallmark.

Hello beautiful, Cicely said in my head. A warm hand touched my elbow as I stepped off the top stair and onto the landing, and my faun's comforting golden glow wrapped around me like a warm hug. Okay ?

I nodded. "I'm fine," I said softly. "We all knew it was going to come to this eventually."

They were planning to pay the vampire coven a visit. Not to attack, necessarily. At least, not at first. But to demand answers and the return of our human. Which, knowing Acacia and Robin would end up in a fight.

Acacia wasn't going to just hand Josh over. She would probably demand Sadavir in exchange. And though Robin said she'd welcome the chance to get rid of the naga, I knew better. Making demands of an alpha dragon shifter was a very bad idea. It would set off all kinds of offended dignity and ego. Even if she truly hated Sadavir—which I doubted—he was under her protection. Therefore, he was part of her hoard. And there was no way she was going to give him up. She might kill him herself for irritating her and daring to call me his mate. But she wouldn't just hand him over to someone else.

Alphas—and dragons in particular, I had learned—were a royal pain in the ass to deal with. And I had no doubt Robin would be in full-on princess mode.

"Ru!" Sanka came to me and pulled me into a bear hug, and I took the opportunity to nestle into his broad chest and take the solid comfort he offered. Just for a moment.

When he pulled back, he kissed my forehead, then led me to the big couch where he deposited me next to Martina. I gave him a wry smile and a head shake to let him know I was onto him, but I allowed him to steer me to the seat. He was in top beta form right now, placing me next to Martina—the most stable alpha in the room currently. Keeping his omega safe.

Robin snorted, and I smelled a faint whiff of smoke. Ignored how it was like perfume to my senses. "Sanka, don't be an idiot," she snapped. "No one is going to harm our omega."

Sanka's voice was mild and congenial. "Of course not, princess. I just want her to be comfortable. Wouldn't want her to… trip and fall or something. Because of the blindness."

A moment later, Yukio was shoved onto the couch next to me with a huff.

I laughed. I didn't often trip and fall. I was pretty good at navigating. What Sanka was saying was he didn't want me to be in the wrong place at the wrong time if an alpha lost their temper. And he'd set Yukio here to protect me. I expected Yukio to protest his "idiotic" beta ways. But instead, the pixie slipped an arm around my shoulders, his cool, wintery aura brushing up against my own in delicious waves that cooled some of the heat from my building magic. He toyed with a lock of my hair as he relaxed against the back of the couch, pulling me with him. "Let the idiot do his thing," he murmured in a bland voice. "There's no stopping him when he gets all… beta."

He said the word "beta" like it was a disease. But I knew he loved that about Sanka. We all did. He was such a powerful sorcerer, big and burly and at times crass. But he was also the most caring person I had ever encountered.

I felt Cicely come to stand beside the couch and spared him a soft smile. Well, maybe Sanka wasn't the most caring. All of our betas had hearts of gold. Even the human one. I suddenly missed Josh with a pang that had me pressing a hand over my chest.

"Now that everyone is here," Robin said, ignoring the theatrics over on our side of the room. "We need to go over the final details for this afternoon."

I heard the shifting of soft fabrics and the clink of a glass before she spoke again. I could almost picture her there, a princess on her throne, dripping silk and sipping wine. I had a sudden urge to go to her and kneel at her feet. To feel her hand in my hair. I shook myself. No. While everyone in the room would no doubt understand the omega urge to be near her alpha in times of stress… I couldn't let myself sink into that feeling or I'd never focus.

And… if any of the warmth I was feeling was due to an impending heat, and not just my building magic… well, no one could afford that sort of distraction right now. Not when Josh needed us all at our best. The last thing we needed was for all of the alphas—the powerhouses, the planners, and schemers, and the leaders in this situation—to lose their focus.

Martina coughed lightly. Yukio pulled me closer and sent his magic flowing over my skin. Cooling. Helping me focus.

Robin continued as if no one noticed anything odd. "We will pay the vampires a visit this afternoon, while most of them are still asleep and slow to respond to threats. I will do all of the talking," she said firmly. There was a pause that I assumed was a warning look in Sadavir's direction. "And if we are very lucky, we will walk out with either a human, or information. Either is acceptable."

Sadavir hissed.

I swallowed down the urge to comfort him. Not now. Not here. It would only set Robin off. But I couldn't stand for my alphas to be upset. I wanted to fix it. To ground them. To feel that solid, unshakable feeling of security and safety that all of us experienced when I was with them. I fisted my fingers in the hem of my t-shirt. Martina sighed beside me.

It was Dusek who spoke up, interrupting the tension with a surge of fear and darkness. "Even if we don't manage to nab the human this first visit, we'll have more of an idea what she wants and what we're up against. So we can go back in later more prepared."

Robin heaved an impatient sigh. " As I was saying. If our attempts are not fruitful this afternoon, we will return a couple of hours after dawn and raze the cathedral. Without," she added firmly, "giving ourselves away."

Martina spoke up from beside me. "Right. That's my cue. Snake, I know you don't know how things work around here, so I'll explain. Just put your fangs away." The firm command in her tone didn't waver in the face of another alpha. A true indicator of Martina's own, often overlooked, alpha status. "We've got tech. We've got bombs. Poison. Gasses. Sanka's magical hoo-doo." The evil grin in her voice was obvious as she added, "And we've got a bubak. Chaos is the key. Once we know where Josh is, all we have to do is cause enough panic and confusion to slip in and get him out. No one will be the wiser. Or at least, they won't be able to prove it was us."

Robin's husky voice was full of dark delight. "And that," she informed Sadavir, "Is half the fun. No one knows exactly who we are or what we stand for. Or exactly what we are capable of. Always keep them guessing. Half the weapons will have traces of fae magic woven in. The other half will reek of shifter. Not of us. Of the other syndicate factions. We will ensure the vampires blame their cohorts for this attack. Acacia might have her suspicions, but she won't be able to prove anything."

Silence followed her explanation, but Cicely filled me in with mindspeak. Sadavir says this is all nonsense and he'd prefer to take snake form and eat the vampires. His mental voice conveyed humor. Amusement at the straightforward, impatient naga's statement. Can you imagine? How big is he in snake form, anyway?

A faint smile ghosted over my lips. I'd only experienced his naga form. If his snake form was a similar size, then… yes, he'd be quite capable of eating people. And if it was even larger, then… the implications were staggering. I suddenly envisioned a dragon and a giant snake rampaging through the vampire cathedral snapping up vampires like they were bite-sized snacks.

I shuddered. It shouldn't be amusing. They both probably could—and would—do just that if given the opportunity.

A faint tapping sound reached my ears and I realized Robin must be tapping her long nails on the arm of her chair. "Yes, yes," she said dismissively. "That would seem to be the solution… if one had no cleverness and absolutely no sense of dramatic flare. That is where you and I differ, snake. I am able to use my head."

Another hiss followed that statement, and I stood, ready to go play peacemaker. Again. But the sound of a gong rang through the theater, and Sanka interrupted the drama. "Somone's tripped the back wards," he muttered. Heavy footsteps told me he was hurrying down the stairs to see who was prowling about the property. Dusek's power flared, then vanished as he no doubt took on incorporeal form and went to assist. Martina stood and I heard her softer steps on the stairs as well.

"Ruya," Robin said calmly, as if she could care less who had come calling. "I know you'll want to be involved in our little outing. I only ask that you remain in the car, please. Where you'll be safe, but close by should we need to call upon your powers."

I nodded. I wasn't about to insist on being right in the center of the action. I might wish I could be there, but I knew where my strengths lay. I wasn't a fighter. I was a healer. And I would be no good to anyone if I was injured or killed myself.

Sadavir hissed again. Cicely sighed and translated in my mind. He doesn't want you in danger. Says we should keep you here where you'll be warded and not out there where the vampires could take you, like they took Josh.

Some silly part of me agreed with him. I twisted my sweaty hands together in my lap and tried to remind myself that I was an adult. That I could do scary things. As much as I had grown in my time with the rebel court, that old pattern of wanting to disappear and let others decide my fate was hard to completely snuff out. The cult would have locked me away. Hidden me in my tower in the pocket world and refused to give me any responsibility. They had done that to keep me under their control, weak and compliant, and afraid of the outside world.

I knew Sadavir wasn't objecting for the same reasons. He was simply worried he'd lose me like he'd lost Josh. He didn't realize that this was Robin's way of showing me respect. She included me. She knew I wouldn't agree to being left behind, and she never suggested it. But she was an alpha. A protector. She wouldn't put me in danger unless absolutely necessary.

And that was where the difference lay, I reminded myself, my urge to fidget subsiding and my spine straightening. Sadavir wasn't attempting to keep me weak and at his mercy. Robin wasn't ordering me to go. If I disagreed, I knew they'd both listen to my opinion and respect my free will. "I agree with Robin," I said evenly. Honestly. "If something happens to one of you, or if Josh is injured, I'll need to be close at hand. But I promise to stay put and not rush out into danger."

Some of the tension in the room eased… until a chittering sound announced the arrival of one of my rat friends who sometimes lurked about The Fox when Robin wasn't looking.

"Vampire! Vampire!" Cheese Crackers informed me in his little voice, just as Sanka and the others returned with our visitor in tow.