Page 25 of Risen
Robinlookedevery bit the strong, poised princess she was.Her long legs were encased in supple leather pants and knee-high thick-soled boots, and her tailored black long-sleeved shirt fit like a glove, clinging to every lean, deadly inch of her torso and arms.Her long red-gold hair was pulled back in a high, tight braid.She had a dagger strapped to her thigh, and a handgun at her hip, but I knew her best weapons were invisible.The knife and gun were a good backup, but our alpha came with her own built-in weapons—fire, claws, and teeth were more than adequate.
And maybe it would do the beast inside her some good to mete out some bloody justice with her bare hands.
A rush of heat flooded my body as the demon side of me responded to that thought.I shifted my weight.Don’t go gettin’ a hard-on right now, dude.There’ll be time for that later.But damn, my alpha was a sight to behold when she really let loose.And I knew tonight she was going to fully unleash on the bastard emperor.
Her golden eyes met mine, their glow and their slit pupils hinting at how hard the dragon was riding her right now, even if her demeanor didn’t show it.She raised one perfect eyebrow at me as if she knew exactly what I was thinking.“Focus, sorcerer,” she sniped, flipping her braid over her shoulder and turning to snap out orders at the gathering that was turning into a small army.
I didn’t miss how she seemed to move in Ruya’s orbit, always keeping an eye on our omega without appearing to, turned away from her but never moving more than six feet from her.“Snake!”she drawled, in that tone that probably tricked most people into believing she was completely relaxed, when in reality she was wound tight enough to snap.“Keep your mate at your side.I don’t have time to waste making sure she stays out of trouble.”
Neither Sadavir nor Ruya reacted to the insulting words, clearly aware it was just Robin’s way of expressing her worry.She wouldn’t ban Ruya from participating tonight—she respected our omega enough to let her make her own decisions about her safety.But it had to be driving her mad.I wasn’t even an alpha and the thought of Ruya in the middle of a battle with the syndicate made my entire body clench with the urge to protect her, swaddle her with bubble wrap and hide her somewhere until it was all over.
Ruya just rolled her eyes.Sadavir shook his head at the dragon shifter and signed, “You don’t have to tell me to look after my true mate, princess.”
Robin gave them both one last narrow-eyed glare that said just how much she feared for Ruya’s safety before silently turning away to bark orders to the naga general and his troupe.I went to our pile of gear and started triple-checking every item with magical enchantments as Martina laid the things out in orderly rows on a table for the court and our allies to grab when it was time to go.
When I was done with this, I’d head down to the basement to do a check on the weapons and goodies Robin had collected over the decades.We usually kept them stashed in hidden locations all over the city, but Robin had tasked our contacts in the city with moving everything to this staging location.I hadn’t done inventory and maintenance on the shit for a while, and it wouldn’t do to have something malfunction at a key moment.I paused, though, when Yukio flew through the entrance and landed lightly on his toes before Robin.
“They’re here,” he said calmly, but I could sense the edge of excitement that flickered through his icy aura.Even the most stoic person got a little giddy when they were about to meet one of the legendary races.
Robin squared her shoulders and ran her hands down the front of her body as if she was wearing an evening gown, rather than tactical gear.Then she strode off toward the side exit, toward the runways.
I huffed.Damn it.I needed to check over our toys...but I wanted to see the pretty birdies too.
Fuck it.Turning, I hurried after Robin and Yukio.Just a quick peek, then I’d fuck off to do my job.I passed Josh on the way, and reached out a hand to snag his arm and drag him after me on impulse.“Come on, bud, you don’t wanna miss this.”He could use some cheering up.
He gave me a wide-eyed look, but didn’t protest as I dragged him along.Poor fucker.He had waitedweeksto finally be rid of Acacia.I couldn’t even imagine the let-down he was feeling right now.But hey, while it would have been preferable to have his bond severedbeforewe tore Acacia’s fucking head off—to prevent any harm to him when she died suddenly—shewouldbe dying tonight.That had to count for something, right?And maybe the flying kitties would lift his spirits.
“Sanka,” he whispered, and I thought I saw just atinyhint of an exasperated smile flit over his pretty lips at my antics.“Where are we going?”
I grinned at him.“To greet Robin’s allies.Do you like cats?”
He raised an eyebrow at me.“Cats?What-- I...suppose?”
I laughed as we reached the far side of the terminal and exited out a door with a faded sign stating it wasn’t an exit.“Look,” I said, pointing to where Robin, Yukio, and Dusek stood beside the long L-shaped landing strip.
Darkness and cloud cover hid them until they got fairly close.Then the moonlight glinted off their wings, turning the golden color to shining silver.The first few beasts gracefully touched down on the runway, trotting right up to where Robin stood, then assuming a guard position as they waited for their leader.
“Are those...griffin shifters?”Josh breathed in wonder.“They’re supposed to be extinct!”
I scoffed.“So are naga.And yet...”I jerked my head behind us, back toward the building that currently housed a naga prince and a whole troupe of naga warriors.“The syndicate attempted to wipe them out, the same way they did the dragons, and any clan of creatures powerful enough to stand up to them.But like your clan, this one managed to escape and go into hiding.”I winked at him.“We may have helped them in exchange for a favor or two.”
Josh pulled his attention away from the griffin leader who was now shifting back and bowing politely to Robin as they greeted each other.The vampire’s hazel eyes flashed with that eerie sheen of a predator who was comfortable hunting in the dark, but the expression on his face pure human-like awe.“She really does plan to take out the entire syndicate, doesn’t she?Not just the emperor.I thought...well, you all said so, dozens of times, but I thought that was more of a… long-term goal.”
I grinned and slapped him on the back.“Oh, Joshie, the rebel court never does anything by half.You’re about to be part of history.”
Twenty-some massive, battle-trained lions with eagle wings had now gathered on the runway.Josh swept his eyes over the group, then looked to the sky as if to confirm that was it.He glanced back at the building behind us, where the naga troupe was waiting—another twenty or so allies.I saw him adding things up, trying to figure out how many syndicate shifters, fae, or vampires a single naga or griffin could really take on.
Then he met my eyes again.“There’s more.There has to be.”
I grinned.“Now you’re finally starting to appreciate what we’ve been doing all these years, yeah?”I leaned in closer to whisper in his ear.“Salamanders.There aren’t any dragons left in this country, besides Robin.And the ones overseas are too insular to get involved in our little war.But salamander shifters are close enough, don’t you think?”
He blinked at me, and I knew exactly what he was thinking.Yet another extinct race.How many more were hiding out there, biding their time, presumed dead by the syndicate?I shrugged.“Enough,” I said in answer to his unvoiced question.“They just needed a reason to move.A spark to start this fire.Someone willing be the detonator.”
I shot a meaningful look toward my alpha.If anyone could be the sark that started an explosion...
Josh’s shocked expression finally cracked as he started laughing with sheer disbelief.
I patted his back again, noting the way some of that heavy despair had lifted from his aura.“Acacia dies tonight,” I promised him softly.“They all do.”
