Page 30 of The Magic of Destiny
“Precisely,” Khol confirmed. “I'm not expecting to encounter many demons with higher level powers, like telekinesis or biokinesis. Just... be on the lookout for flying objects if we're discovered. Cam, your wind manifestation magic will be useful. Fischer and Faris, I'd like the two of you to work together as a team. With your powers combined, you're the ultimate weapon,” he told the two men, who looked exactly the same, but were incredibly different. Faris grinned like a maniac and Fish nodded seriously. With Faris being able to compel people and Fischer able to feel their emotions and read their minds, I really pitied anyone who went up against them.
Kohl cleared his throat, looking at me expectantly, and I snapped myself out of my daydream of the terror twins causing carnage. “Here,” I said, digging in my pocket and retrieving a small brown bottle with a dropper top. I passed it to Kai. “Everyone put a couple of these drops on your tongues. It will negate the ability of any demons to freeze you in place. Aside from Asrael, I’m not expecting anyone to have that level of power, but it’s better safe than sorry.”
“What is it?” Goldie asked curiously.
Kai spluttered, his face screwing up in disgust. “Tastes like dirt,” he choked out, and passed the bottle to Fischer.
“It’s a tincture with extracts of several different plants. That tiny bottle is incredibly expensive, not to mention you have to get it from an alchemist, and they’re usually nuttier than squirrel shit,” I explained, and then laughed heartily at the revolted look on Faris’ face as he took his dose.
Khol turned to the dark-haired shifter. “Kai, when we have boots on the ground, I want you to see if you can pick up on Sloane or Annie's scents. See if there areanyfamiliar scents. There’s an underground entrance that's about a mile or so out from the main building. That's where we'll go in. They're not expecting us—at least, I hope they're not. I have no clue how active or populated this lab will be. We have to be prepared for anything,” he said sternly, reminding us of the danger ahead.
“Got it, Sir,” Kai replied smoothly.
“And what about me?” Goldie piped up.
Every male in the room focused on her, not that that was anything new. Anytime she was near, we were aware. Constantly watching. It might've been creepy if we weren't all—aside from Khol—head over fucking heels in love with her.
Or maybe it was still creepy.
Whatever, I don't give a fuck.
“You'll have the task of getting Annie,” Cam told her, and her eyes widened.
“If she's there—which I fully believe she is—we'll want to get her out as quickly and as safely as possible. She knows you well, so she won't fight you when you find her,” Khol explained, and I agreed fully with his line of thought.
“Goldie,” I said, my voice deep and commanding. “This isnota time for you to be a hero. You're strong and powerful; you're a fucking force to be reckoned with. But this is your first time doing anything like this. Even fresh graduates who’ve gone through the academy don’t get to do things like this, not until they’ve gone through years of training and mock missions. You see that little girl? Grab her, open the portal, and get the fuck out. No hesitation. No. Matter. What. Got it?” I questioned, studying her face to make sure she understood the severity of this.
People died on assignments all the time. And that was in this fuckin' realm—not in gods damn Besmet, where the powers were leveled up and the inhabitants much less civilized.
“Yes. I understand. Get Annie, get out. I'll bring her right back here. I swear it.”
“We just need you safe, Sprout. If things start getting dicey, you need to go. With or without the girl,” Kai told her gently. That was also a possibility. Success was never a guarantee during an extraction—we just had to be positive and hope that we could get both targets out.
“I promise. Let's go get them,” she said firmly.
“Whew! That was like a scene from a movie…” Bette blew out a breath, fanning her face. “By the moon, you boys really are the real deal, huh? I mean, I know you’d told us about your job before, but I figured there was a certain amount of exaggeration, and a bit of male posturing, ya know? Trying to win over my Saige with super fancy spy jobs. I gotta be honest, I'm equal parts scared to death and aroused.”
Her humor was always a welcome break in serious situations for me, and I enjoyed riling up the old lady. “You should see us dance when we're in these outfits,” I teased with a wink, and Goldie smiled at me while mouthing “Thank you.”
She didn't need to thank me. I knew Bette also used her humor as a defense mechanism, and the last thing I wanted was for her to be even more worried while we were gone. Confidence was ninety percent of this gig. Fearlessness was the other ten percent. Believing in yourself, despite knowing you could die—it was impossible to control all the variables in life—that was all you could do. But being afraid to die? That had no place in this line of work.
I looked around at my team, my newly acquired family. These men were the best of the best. It had been too long since we'd worked together in this capacity, and I found my fingers twitching and my heart pounding with anticipation. The rush always got me going.
“You feeling it too, huh?” Kai whispered, grinning at me as his eyes flashed yellow.
My horns responded to the small display of his magic, and I grinned like a feral beast.
“Hope Besmet's ready. Their crown prince is returning... and he's out for blood.”
“Please, please, no more,” I begged. My eyes were swollen and I was fairly certain my nose was broken. I almost wished my eyes were damaged beyond repair so I wouldn't have to watch them torture, rape, and break my family any more.
“Shift.”
“F–fuck. You.” I spat a wad of blood from my mouth, not caring where it landed. Hopefully in this motherfucker's face.
A blow came to my ribs with so much force that I felt all of the air in my lungs evacuate. The crunching of bone and sharp pain that exploded through my torso had me crumpling into a ball.
I'd figured out they were studying me in my dragon form, and after the atrocities they'd committed... I refused to shift.
