12. Livana

Chapter 12

Livana

I rush through the trees, the cold, muddy earth sucking at my boots, slowing me down. I dip into my enhanced speed, still fueled by the feed Jagger gave me last week.

I skid to a stop, my entire body freezing at the sight of the fucking prince and a few collector core standing in the middle of the half-ruined village. The Collector's son looks menacing as ever dressed in all black instead of the royal colors.

He's at least a hundred yards away, and I duck behind the cover of a half-decayed tree trunk to ensure that I'm not seen as I assess the situation.

"We thought we found what you were looking for, your highness," one of the collector core says to the prince.

They motion to the little boy—who must be Fae or at least have a little Fae in him after his display of magic—who gave me the flower. He's crying as the other collector core holds him as he struggles before the prince. A woman, no doubt the boy's mother, is crying and on her knees at the prince's feet, sobbing as she begs for mercy.

The prince's eyes are a cold silver I can see even from this distance. His gaze is unfeeling as he looks from the mother to the boy and then to the collector core. He holds his hand out palm up toward the boy, closing his eyes like he's mentally searching for something.

I can't presume to know the extent of the prince's power beyond that of him being a shifter. And what in Aletha would he be looking for that would bring him all the way out here to the desolate village of Sparrow Hills?

His eyes snap open, and my blood runs cold at the sight of anger and malice in them as he looks at the collector core.

"You brought me out here for this ?" He doesn't need to raise his voice, his tone is lethal enough. "This boy has a mere drop of Fae magic in his blood and you think it's worth my time?" He steps in front of the core who is holding the boy, looking down at him with a furious gaze. "The next time you summon me and you don't have what I'm actually looking for, I will burn you alive."

The collector core nods, as do the two others who stand behind him.

"Leave this place," the prince commands, and adrenaline overtakes me.

He's in the open, and now is the perfect time to strike.

My body shakes as I gather my power, pulling it from the dregs of my soul where I keep it locked up. One sharp bolt of energy, that's all it'll take. It'll out me, and no doubt put the Collector on high alert, but if I can eliminate one of my targets now, it'll be worth it.

I feel my power reach my fingertips and I take aim?—

The prince spins around, a thick layer of purple smoke clinging and swirling around his body until I can't see him at all.

I take a step closer, abandoning my cover from the tree to get a better look as that smoke gathers until I can barely even see the village anymore. The ground beneath my feet trembles and I feel a crack of magic slice through the air before I see some giant creature, half hidden by the smoke, take to the skies. I only get a glimpse of a barbed tail and dark, inky-purple scales before the rest of that smoke covers it and disappears toward the horizon.

The collector core look at each other, those black helmets and red armor glistening under the setting sun.

My heart pounds, and I try to mentally will them to leave. They haven't let go of the boy, and the mother's cries are getting louder as they discuss something I can't hear.

I quietly move that direction, carefully and calculated to not draw attention to myself.

"Told you we shouldn't have summoned him," one of the core says.

"You know what he's looking for," the other fires back. "Excuse me if I want to get in his good graces so I don't end up becoming one of his beast-form meals."

"Both of you shut up," the third core says. He jerks on the boy, yanking him up by his shoulders to bring him to his eye level. "You caused us a lot of trouble, boy," he says, shaking his head. "You embarrassed us in front of the prince."

Excuse the fuck out of me? They're the ones who clearly messed up by summoning him. Why are they blaming the youngling?

"I didn't mean to," the boy says, his voice breaking my heart.

"Please," the mother says as I continue to draw closer. "Please let him go. He doesn't yet understand how to suppress his magic. It was an accident. If you need somebody to pay for this, it's me. It's me?—"

A core backhands her so hard she hits the ground with a loud thud.

"Mama!" the little boy screams, tears running down his cheeks as he struggles in the core's grasp. He swings his little legs trying to get free, trying to get to his mother, little sparks of cerulean energy crackling at his fingertips but unable to make connection. He doesn't have that much power, and he probably doesn't even know why he has that power.

And they're punishing him for it. I should ignore it.

If they would just leave ?—

One of those blue strings of energy zaps the core holding the boy, and he hisses as he throws him to the ground. The man shakes out his hand, hissing from the sting as the boy tries to scramble toward his mother.

The core kicks the boy so hard in the stomach he hurdles half a dozen feet the opposite direction.

All logical thought severs in my mind, and I lunge forward?—

Powerfully muscled arms incase me from behind, jerking me down.

I struggle against the restraint, looking over my shoulder to find Zev glaring down at me.

"Do not move," he says. "You draw any more attention to yourself and we won't be the ones handing you over. The core will have no qualms killing you."

"I don't give a fuck," I say, my heart racing so hard it hurts. Panic spiderwebs its way down my spine, but I can't think about myself right now. They're hurting him. They're hurting that little boy for no reason.

"They're going to kill you?—"

"They're going to kill him !" I struggle against his impossible hold, eyes falling on the little boy who is being picked up by the core only to be thrown to the ground again. His little body crumples from the blow, and my stomach churns.

Fuck this.

I jerk my head back so hard it cracks against the bone of Zev's nose. His grip faulters for a split second, which is all I need.

I use all of my speed, ignoring the pain in my chest and any strategic thought. The only thing I can think about is getting between that youngling and those three assholes.

I throw myself in front of the boy, the hard end of a baton splitting my cheek open as I take the hit meant for him. It's hard enough to rattle my brain in my skull, and it would've certainly killed him.

I bare my fangs, the power beneath my skin sizzling and begging to be set free, but I don't need it to kill this trash.

"Try and touch him again," I snarl. "I fucking dare you."

"You should have stayed in fucking hiding, monster," the Core who delivered the hit spits toward me.

I glance behind him, noting that almost all the patrons of this village retreated to their huts when the prince arrived, no doubt knowing from some previous punishment what would happen to them if they didn't.

The two other collector core buddies flank his side, drawing their swords as they bear down on me.

"Didn't your master tell you to leave?" I say as they approach. His mother is trying to crawl to him, but she's still stunned from the backhand she'd gotten.

"Move aside," one of them says. "Or we'll cut you down."

I bare my fangs at them again.

Audible hisses sound from behind their helmets, and they grip their spiked batons tighter.

They don't even try to mince words anymore, they just start swinging those weapons toward my neck in an attempt to lob my head from my shoulders.

Too bad for them I'm fully fed and fully pissed off.

I dodge their swings, utilizing every drop of succubus power I have, causing everything around me to slow. In seconds, I have one on his back, his baton clattering to the ground and sliding a few feet away from him.

The sounds of more collector core arriving down the road draw my attention for only a moment, and I find Zev and Jagger cutting them off.

"I'll give you this one chance," I say, returning focus to those in front of me. "Leave now and none of you have to die. Touch this boy again and I'll send you to Aletha."

They don't deserve to walk away, but I know there's some truth in what Zev said. I really shouldn't be drawing attention to myself, but they really shouldn't have laid hands on the boy and his mother.

The one on his back clambers to his feet, and the other two laugh.

"That boy caused me a lot of trouble today," one of the core says as he points his baton toward the boy behind me. "Which earns him a spot as my new pet. Don't worry, I'll keep him alive long enough to entertain me."

The core lunges at me, quick but not quick enough. I grip his throat and squeeze hard enough to feel muscle and bone crack. He hits the ground in a lifeless heap.

"Who's next?"

The remaining pause for only a moment before they're racing toward me, one slightly faster than the other.

I focus on him, dodging the mighty swings of his baton, which shuffles me a few steps away from the boy. I need to draw them away, need to give the mother space to get to him.

The first one takes the bait, sticking to me like sap on a tree in his fury. He swings and swings and misses, his hulking body tiring out with each heavy attempt. I'm smiling, toying with the asshole before I reach out to give the final blow?—

The boy screams, drawing my focus as I notice the other core has his baton pointed at his throat.

I hiss, my vision coated in red as I move toward the boy?—

A sharp, hot pain spears through my back and out my front, just above my left hip, ripping the breath from my lungs. I glance down, noticing the spiked baton sticking out of my stomach. The core used my moment of distraction to stab me in the fucking back.

A loud roar breaks the air, and I barely register golden eyes and silver hair before I see Zev crash into the core who stabbed me, jerking the baton out of my back with the impact.

My vision wobbles as the two fight behind me.

Lightning streaks of pain shoot down my left side as I stumble toward the boy.

I grab the collector core's blade, gripping it and drawing it away from where he was about to shove it in the boy's throat.

The sharp blade cuts the palm of my hand, digging into my flesh as I yank it back and put myself between it and the boy once more.

"Stupid succubus trash," the core says from behind his helmet. He yanks the blade back so hard that I yelp, the fiery pain rendering my right hand useless. I drop it to the wound on my stomach, both now bleeding, each beat of my racing heart pushing a little bit more of that blood from my body.

I tip my chin. "You can't..." I say but my words are weak. "Touch him." I use my good arm to keep the boy tucked behind me, ensuring that no part of him is a target for the core before me.

"You can barely stand," he says, nothing but arrogance dripping from his tone. "I'll simply kill you both."

With how weak I feel, he might deliver on his promise.

I do my best to cling to the last dregs of energy I have as blood pours down my side, drenching my thigh. I swallow hard, waving to him in a come-hither motion with my good hand.

I just need to get him close enough to strike.

The core laughs, and my vision blurs, sparkles of black bursting at the edges as I involuntarily drop my knees. Shit. I'm usually a fast healer, but these wounds are too big to knit together as quickly as I need them to. I keep my shoulders held high, ensuring that I'm still blocking the boy as the core raises his sword?—

The tip of a dagger bursts through his left eye, and I look up, sighing in relief as Jagger yanks the blade from the back of his skull. The core falls to the ground before us, and I let my body sag.

Jagger lunges toward me, but Zev appears out of nowhere, catching me before I hit the ground, looking furious and terrifying with blood splattered across his face.

"Insufferable succubus," he growls. "Was this worth your life?" he asks, shoving my hand off of my stomach wound and pressing his against it so hard I whimper.

"An innocent life..." I say, struggling to make my tongue work. "Is worth everything."

My eyelids are heavy, but I turn my head far enough to see the boy scrambling toward his mother, who scoops him up and holds on to him like she'll never let him go.

I roll my head back to look up at Zev, wondering how it's his arms that I'm going to die in. A fucked-up way to go, if you ask me.

Zev lets out one of his signature grunts before he closes his eyes, mumbling something in a language I can't understand.

White light emanates from his fingers over my wound. A burning pain penetrates through my side and tears a scream from my lips. I struggle against his hold, instincts demanding I run from the hurt.

"Jagger!" Zev yells. "Hold her!"

Jagger grips my shoulders, holding me against Zev's body where I'm draped over his lap.

Fire lances through the wound, burning me from the inside out.

"Please," I beg. "Please stop."

Teal eyes fill my vision—Jagger's eyes—etched with concern as he parts his lips, a few liquid notes rolling off his tongue and washing over me. I cling to his voice, the honeyed notes that unclench my muscles, relaxing me against Zev's magic.

"Almost there," Zev says.

A burst of tingly cooling magic floods the once burning wound. My jaw unclenches, and I go slack in Zev's arms.

He removes his hand, and I glance down. My torn flesh now knitted back together.

Zev grabs my ruined hand, repeating the process. Jagger is still singing softly in my ear.

My head spins from the sheer opposing sensations, and I part my lips to thank him?—

Zev releases me, leaving me to drop in an unceremonious heap on the ground before stalking off.

"Thanks, prick," I snap at his back as I watch him walk toward the little boy and his mother.

Jagger helps me to my feet. My balance waivers a bit, still feeling the effects of blood loss, but no longer on the verge of dying, thankfully.

Jagger takes my healed hand, examining it as if to make sure Zev did his job properly. His thumb grazes over the tear in my shirt where a hole should be in my stomach, the sensation of his fingers on my newly healed skin sending shivers down my spine.

"You would've died," Jagger says. "If Zev's magic didn't heal you…"

" He could have died," I say, nodding toward the boy.

Zev is speaking to the two, his features softer than I've ever seen them before. He bends down to be at the boy's level, and I nearly faint from shock. He checks them over, then says something that makes the boy laugh .

My jaw nearly comes unhinged. I've never seen Zev make anybody smile like that, let alone be as tender.

"What is that about?" I ask Jagger as I watch Zev scoop the boy up and put him on his shoulders, walking with the mother down the street to a hut that must be theirs. He ensures they're inside safely before heading back toward us.

"That's not my story to tell," he says, leaving me with a thousand more questions.

But by the time Zev makes it back to us, grunting that we need to move on before any more collector core show up, I don't have the strength to ask any of them.

The blood loss is taking its toll, and all I want to do is ride atop Rain and fall asleep as the horse carries me to where we need to go, but I won't give Zev the satisfaction of knowing just how exhausted I am.

I keep one foot in front of the other, focusing on the insurmountable task of walking in a straight line and not showing how dizzy I am or how erratic my heart is beating as we make it far away enough from the village to make camp in a wooded area that is just outside the edge of the town.

I'm more than happy when Zev barks at Jagger that he's going to hunt, and Jagger starts a fire as I settle against a tree trunk a few yards away, tucking my cloak tight against me.

Jagger gives me the space I need, thankfully, and I lean my head back, breathing deeply and willing my heart to return to its normal rhythm. I don't want to waste any of my medicine if I can get it to even out naturally.

I ball my hands into fists, squeezing them as hard as I possibly can for ten seconds before releasing them, a trick Sirius taught me to get my heart to restart itself the right way.

My heart palpitates, stopping and starting a few times before it finally slows, and I sigh as I feel it go calm.

I take deep breaths, silently thanking it for cooperating for once, and then mentally chide myself for how close I came to losing my life.

What a waste that would've been, not being able to finish what I've set out to do, but I knew I'd make the same choice if it came down to my life or that little boy's.

A tendril of warmth spirals over the underside of my forearm, and I find myself smiling softly as I look down at the golden script written there.

Weren't we just discussing something interesting? Six asks, and I shake my head as I close my eyes and respond, sending this line of script over the back of his hand.

We might've been. I can't remember. I think you disappeared on me.

Me? I'm pretty sure you're the one who left the conversation.

I want to ask him where he went, but then that would open the door for him to ask me the same. I definitely can't tell him the truth, because honestly how would he react? Yeah, sorry about that, I had to run off to kill some collector core before they murdered an innocent boy.

Six may think he has this undying loyalty to me because of fate pairing us as Matched, but I'm hearing the truth about me would be enough to scare him off.

Maybe I should tell him.

But I won't.

Because I can't.

Because despite all my logical reasons to push him away, to not allow myself the dream of having a Matched, I like him.

Did you have someone else stealing your attention? Six asks when I don't respond.

My smile deepens.

Maybe , I write back. Why? Does that make you jealous?

Not at all , he writes back instantly. I like the idea of someone taking care of you.

A flush bursts over my cheeks, desire that feels foreign pulsing down the connection we share. It's enough to make me gasp, and my toes curl in my boots as I lean into the sensation.

Six , I write back. I never knew the idea of me with other males would work you up so much.

Intrigue joins the desire fluttering down our connection, and my head spins with the newness of it.

I must say I don't hate the new side effect of our connection, Six writes back. I like that you can feel me.

The desire intensifies, making me shift where I sit, making it harder to think about anything else. I do my best to latch on to that feeling, to imagine myself gripping onto it and sending a jolt of it his way in whatever direction I can sense him.

Fuck , he writes back. Now I really like it. What are you doing over there, my Matched? And who are you doing it with?

I bite my lip, glancing across our little camp to see Jagger and Zev talking to each other near the fire.

I hate how much my heart skips at the sight of Zev next to Jagger, looking menacing and angry and all kinds of beautiful at the same time. Hate that my body reacts to the sight of him, even though he gets on my every last nerve.

Jagger on the other hand... Jagger I could never hate. Even though he's technically my captor, I appreciate his sense of fun and pleasure, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't already thirsty for another taste of him.

That's all for you right now , I write back. But I am traveling with two very formidable males.

And if I know you at all , Six writes back. I know that two isn't enough to satiate you. If you would let me come to you, I would be able to join in the fun. Give you what you really need.

Just like that? No qualms that I have two other males with me right now?

We've spoken about it many times before, and I know that Six understands my nature even if he doesn't really understand what I am yet. He knows me better than most people do and he doesn't even know my name.

I'd never be able to be just Matched with one male, not when succubi are built with many tastes that need sating on any given day. We also have the ability to Link with multiple partners. Not that I'd ever let that happen again.

Just like that , Six writes back. We're matched. That's something that no one else will ever be able to touch, but that doesn't mean that no one else can touch you.

It's a wild sensation, this connection between us that feels more real than even the ground I sit on. I just wish that I lived in a world that would allow us to explore it.

Well at least I've given you something to dream about tonight, Six , I write back, exhaustion settling in my bones as I lean heavier against the tree.

Every night , Six writes back. I always dream of you.

I close my eyes, letting the comfort and warmth of his words wrap around me like a blanket as I allow sleep to take me.

I startle awake, my body tense, as if sensing danger.

I blink away the sleep, gripping a dagger I ripped from my satchel before I fully register what's happening.

My heart is racing, but there's no visible threat that's stumbled into our camp.

No threat except my condition.

Jagger and Zev are asleep by the recently died fire, and I do my best not to groan as I shove the dagger back in my bag.

My hand flies to the center of my chest, and I suck in deep breaths, trying to fill my lungs with much needed air. It's nearly impossible with how my heart is stuttering, skipping and taking off like it's been struck by lightning.

Shit shit shit.

So much for Sirius's trick or rationing medicine.

My head pounds, and my fingers go numb as I rummage through my bag and grab one of the vials. I stand on wobbly legs, stumbling farther into the woods, needing more space, more openness, more air to breathe.

I grip the cork of the vial with my teeth, yanking it out before dropping some of the fine powder onto my tongue. I make it through an expanse of trees, stumbling onto the soft sand of the beach, the midnight ocean churning beyond. The night sky is clear and open and expansive, and I breathe through my nose as I swallow the medicine down, re-corking the bottle and putting it in my satchel. My heart submits to the magic, pumping hard once, twice, as if trying to fight the effects before leveling out.

I shake out my fingers in an attempt to get some life back into them.

Fuck, I hate that. Hate being so out of control of my own body. Hate fighting against something that's supposed to keep me alive. I've dealt with this for years, but it never gets any easier. Each attack is a panic response on my nervous system, all internal alerts shouting that something isn't working.

I inhale deeply through my nose and out through my mouth, doing my best to get as much oxygen to my brain as I can. Sirius told me that every time my heart goes out of rhythm it cuts the air off, and gets more dangerous every time.

The tingling in my fingers subsides, and I feel more rooted in my body than I had moments before as I gaze up at the stars. I didn't think I'd have an attack so soon, especially after feeding from Jagger, but I pretty much wasted that gift when I got myself run through by a spiked baton and lost so much blood.

If Sirius knew, he'd give me an intense lecture about how almost dying in combat certainly isn't the way to keep my heart steady.

I shake my head, almost laughing at the visual of the worrisome sorcerer, and lose myself to the beauty of the sky and the sounds of the ocean waves.

I feel him before I hear him.

Somehow, I manage to not turn around, even though every instinct in my body is screaming at me to. I don't want to give the prick the satisfaction.

The heat from Zev's body radiates onto mine as he stops directly behind me. I go wholly still, wondering if he'll be the second person to stab me in the back tonight.

"I can barely remember my mother," he says as if we've been in a conversation for hours. "She left me at the Drifter Academy when I was four," he continues. "But what I do remember of her is how much she loved the stars. She used to tell me that a star fell from the sky when she was pregnant with me and landed in her palm. That's why my hair is silver."

I turn around to face him then, finding him looking up at the sky, his features less guarded than usual. His golden eyes fall on me, and I'm struck by the intensity in them. Why is he sharing another insightful truth with me? Is he expecting me to do the same?

"Thinking of running, little succubus?"

"Maybe I wanted to lure you here so you could tell me stories about your past," I say, and he gives me an incredulous look.

My shoulders drop, my exhaustion crumbling any form of defense I might have. "Another attack woke me up," I say. "I needed more room to breathe. And my meds."

His brow furrows, a flash of anger slicing through his golden gaze. "You should not have risked yourself like that today."

I purse my lips. "No one deserves to die just because of who they are . Let alone an innocent youngling. I would do it again. I will do it again if we run into anything like that on the road. If you want me to survive long enough for you to use me to get what you want, you'll just have to keep dealing with that."

Something like challenge ripples all over his features, and I arch a brow. It looks like he enjoys the idea.

My excitement is just as easily dashed as my muscles start trembling, feeling like I might fall over any second. Damn it, I really didn't want to have to feed so soon again. It's one thing to want Jagger's blood, but to have to ask him for it...I'm not used to asking for help.

Zev looks me over, as if he can sense something wrong inside of me.

"You need to feed."

"I'm fine," I say, and do my best to brush past him, heading toward camp like a good little captive. My steps falter, my muscles locking, and I stumble.

Zev is there, catching me with a grunt. "The sorcerer told me you can't ignore your needs, it'll only make your condition worse. You need to feed," he growls.

"I'm. Fine." I snap and push away from him.

The last person I need to see me in a weakened state, weaker than he's seen me before, is Zev. As much as he can't stand me, he's probably getting off on it.

He growls, that low rumble in his chest I've heard so many times I'd recognize it even in an ocean of sounds.

His hand snaps out and catches my wrist, fire lashing my skin at the connection. "Succubus," he warns.

" Drifter ," I echo.

"I will not deliver you half dead."

I smirk up at him, the adrenaline crackling between us giving me a little bit of energy. "You want to feed me, drifter?"

He glares down at me like that's the last thing he'd ever want to do. Oh, this little game between us has breathed new life into my senses.

"How about this," I continue, stepping closer to him and smoothing my hands over his chest.

He goes statue still. That bittersweet flavor dances on my tongue, telling me he's fighting off his body's reaction to me.

"I'll feed under one condition," I say.

"And what is that?"

I reach up on my tiptoes, bringing my lips within a breath of his. "You have to catch me."

I take off running in the opposite direction of our camp.