Page 2 of Risen
A cool touch caressed my arm, trailing down to grasp my hand and guide me around some obstacle in my path.“We could always hide at the wild fae preserve,” Yukio joked, his rich voice edged with dry humor.“I’m sure the elder there would love to see you again.Maybe by the time we took a nap and had some dinner, a few months will have passed out here in the real world, the cult will have stopped trying to find us, and Acacia and the emperor will have killed each other and done all our work for us.”
I grimaced.“I’m sure the wild fae would be justthrilledto have us—for a price.”The reminder of my previous bargain with the wild fae made my gut twist.I wasn’t sure how long I had to fulfill my end of the bargain.Not that it mattered.I had no idea how I was supposed to personally kill the emperor of the paranormal syndicate when far more powerful people than me had been trying, and failing, for decades.
Yukio must have sensed where my mind had wandered off to.“Are you ever going to tell us exactly what that cranky old jackass asked of you?”
I huffed.“Someday.”
He didn’t argue with me.“Whatever it is,” he murmured, slipping an arm around my waist to hold me from behind, so he could rest his chin on my shoulder and whisper in my ear, “knowing the fae, I’m sure it’s some annoying thing that’s going to royally irritate Robin.And our princess seems to have enough on her plate at the moment.So, keep your little secret… for now.”
I relaxed back into his embrace, enjoying the lean strength of his body, the rare moment of public affection,andthe excuse to keep the details of the fae bargain to myself, at least for a little while longer.“What’s Sadavir saying about the naga?”I asked instead, hating that I couldn’t see him and Robin, read their signing, take in their facial expressions and body language.All I had to go by were a couple of agitated alpha auras and the feeling of determined insistence that I could sense through my true mate bond to Sadavir.
Yukio heaved a sigh, his breath ruffling my hair.“He is insisting that the magic in his blood doesn’t fail.That the naga are that way,” he took one of my hands and flung it out with his, pointing.“And that they are not all that far away.”He paused for a moment, wrapping both our arms back around my waist with our fingers intwined.“That direction, however, would be smack-dab in the center of Lake Erie.In case you were wondering how any of us could dare doubt your dear perfect, wonderful, slithery mate.”
I huffed.“Maybe across the lake?”
“That’s what—oh, hang on, Robin’s got a map.Let’s go see what they’re up to.”He planted a soft, lingering kiss on the side of my neck that made me shiver, before stepping away to lead me by the hand.
My skin tingled where his lips had been, and I wondered, not for the first time, how I was going to handle having lovers in one alpha’s court while true mate bonded to an entirely different alpha, when this whole thing was over.Sadavir and Robin hated each other.I doubted I could convince my naga that he should stay with the rebel court.But the thought of choosing between him and the rest of the people I loved made my gut clench with dread.
More worries for another day.If I ever made it to that fabled “someday,” I was going to find myself drowning in all the problems I’d been ignoring.
“...here,” Robin was saying as we joined the others.“Pee Lee is a small group of islands.And the southernmost one, Middle Island, was used by smugglers during the prohibition era.”
How do you know all of this?Cicely asked, sharing his question with me via mind speak as he signed to Robin.
Sanka chuckled.“Didn’t you realize yet, Cis?Our princess knowseverything.”
Robin’s reply didn’t hold any of Sanka’s amusement.“I’ve been around a long time, faun.And it’s just part of the city’s history—the Detroit tunnels, the way they connect to The Fox and several other public venues, and all the convenient little hidey holes I’ve discovered over the years and used to store weapons, supplies, and other treasures… much of it was built for—or taken over and used for—smuggling.Something many people have conveniently forgotten over the years.”
I huffed.“You… were obsessed with becoming a mobster in your youth, weren’t you?”I could just see it now.Little Robin, full of hurt and fury, seeing the smugglers and gangsters that came before her as role models to look up to—examples of how to gather and use power from the shadows, to fuel her ruthless revenge.
She snorted.“Me?Never.How pedestrian.”Then she returned to the conversation at hand.“It would make sense if that’s where they went.The islands are in Canadian waters, so they’re technically out of the local syndicate’s jurisdiction.And from what I recall, the area is closed to outsiders.The Ojibwe native to the area have provided some pretty graphic examples of what lengths they are willing to go to in order to avoid letting colonizers wipe out their remaining heritage there.”
Martina hummed in agreement.“If the naga found an in with the tribe, that would certainly help them disappear.”
Sadavir’s signing,Cicely told me.He says the naga people have been revered by many native people over the centuries for their connection to the earth.They share a lot of values with indigenous people here and abroad.It would make sense to him that they had formed an alliance with this tribe.He says his instincts are telling him we’re on the right track.
There was a long pause as everyone let this sink in, and Robin weighed Sadavir’s words and her options.But when she spoke, her words were decisive and sure.“I know where we can get ferry passage to Pee Lee, as long as that contact hasn’t been compromised as well.If they don’t toss us off the island there, we can make our way to Middle Island.I have a hunch that’s where they are—it’s supposed to be completely uninhabited.It would make the best place for hiding an entire clan of snake people.”
Things were a whirlwind after that, both too crazy and too simple for the gravity of the situation.Some more driving.A brief, terse meeting between Robin and one of her contacts, during which she threatened to slowly gut man and eat his innards while he was still alive if anyone happened to figure out we were here and follow us to the island.Then we were on our way.
Robin was convinced one of her contacts or allies along the way had told the cult about the safehouse and the Fox’s connections to the underground, and she was still feeling a bitheatedabout it, if her threats were any indication.
Any other time, I probably would have enjoyed the ferry ride.I had never been on a boat before, let alone in the middle of a lake the size of a sea.But I was too keyed up to fully take in the experience.We were operating on a whole lot of guesswork and instinct here.And even if we did find the naga, our enemies could follow us, bringing our problems to others, endangering people who had exiled themselves to avoid just the kind of trouble that we brought with us.
And… we were going to meet Sadavir’s people, the family, and friends, and who-knows-what-else of the man—theprince—I recently true mate bonded.I wasn’t a princess.Or a naga.Or anybody special.Just a mixed-breed paranorm who knew very little about the world and had lived most of her life locked away in a tower.Would they accept us?Help us?Cast us out?Or...would they expect Sadavir to stay with them and pick up where he’d left off, preparing to rule the naga clan.Would they make him break our bond and send me and the others away?
I jolted when a big, warm hand touched my thigh and gave it a squeeze.Sadavir sent his alpha influence outward, letting it unfurl and encompass me, soothing that needy thing inside me I had come to identify as my omega nature.Goddess, I had nearly forgotten that he could probably sense all the flavors of emotion and worry rolling through me right now, thanks to our bond.From him, I felt only love and reassurance.
“Okay?”he voiced softly.He had finally laid Josh down, placing him across a row of seats behind us in the ferry.I wanted to take the beta’s place now, climb up into Sadavir’s lap and hide like a child.
Instead, I squared my shoulders and reminded myself that I was more than a needy omega.I was also a witch, a banshee, and a full-grown adult who had survived more than her share of hardships.Sadavir might be projecting calm and confidence for me, but I knew he was nervous too.He didn’t need me making it worse.I did my best to sign, slow and awkward.It was taking me longer to learn than the others.But Iwaslearning.“I know it’s silly,”I mouthed as I signed.“But I’m afraid of what your family will think of me.What if they hate me?”
He took my hands and slowly, carefully pressed signs into my palm, tapping my chin when needed.“Not silly.Love you.Mine.”
I understood.He thought I was perfect because I was his mate.I felt the same way about him.I could never find him lacking, and anyone who did must be a complete and utter imbecile.But...still, I felt ridiculously self-conscious.Even though I had much more important things to worry about than whether or not a bunch of strangers were going tolikeme.
“Thank you,” I said, squeezing his hand.His reassurance did help.My alpha was here with me, at my side both literally and figuratively, no matter what happened.
