Page 52 of Call of the Ride
Vasi stood from Nox’s lap and began pacing the length of the hut. “I always believed that as well, but apparently, me becoming Yaga wasn’t part of the plan.Ialone did that.I changed my fate.And Mokosh made it sound likethatwas the key to beating Koschei.”
“But,how?”I rasped, still desperate to help even though I couldn’t.
“I don’t know!” Vasi yelled, punching her claws into the wooden wall, making my dick twitch with her sexy show of violence. “All these gods and divine beings only speak in riddles…” she trailed off, brow furrowing as if considering something.
“Speaking of riddles,” Asa handed me a wet cloth, which I draped over my neck instead of cooling my insistent hard-on. “Any thoughts on why completing Koschei’s riddle didn’t show you what we seek?”
Vasi snapped out of the daze she’d fallen into. “Oh, yes! Apparently, the forest destruction I saw wasn’t a generic vision—it was a memory of when Nox and I were escaping from the Facility.” Her gaze met his and just tasting the desperate love between them returned some of my strength. “I think Koschei’s death may be hidden there somewhere.”
It was right under our noses.
“Fuck,” Nox eloquently replied. “The Facility covers thousands of square meters—mostly wooded. How are we going to find thissvoloch’sdeath? What does a piece of death even look like?”
Our witch was suddenly curled up in his enormous lap, their domestic brawl apparently forgotten. “I’m not entirely sure, my Darkest Midnight. But the answer to all of this is on the tip of my tongue…if I could just…” she sighed, and I ached, feeling her intense frustration through our bond.
My sweet witch.
Ace slid onto the bench opposite me. “Well, we should probably complete our previous mission, while we’re there.” He smiled kindly when Vasi looked at him in confusion. “Remember, sweetness, we did not detonate Veles’ bombs like we were supposed to. You were so distraught, thinking we may accidentally blow up Nox in the process, we couldn’t bring ourselves to do it. In fact, I believe we may have accidentally left the duffel bag of bombs in Matthew’s office...” Ace grimaced, the perfectionist in him no doubt upset by the discovery of this loose end.
I remembered the absolute chaos and horror of those moments. How we’d watched Nox disappear, along with any sign of Matthew, only to be left with a half-crazed witch raging in a smoky room. We’d never discussed how Ace and I had used our powers to sedate Vasi, but I hoped she knew we were just trying to get her out of there before she became even more upset.
Although it may have taken some a while to accept it, our witch was made of tougher stuff than the three of us combined. And while the idea of her squaring off alone against Koschei made me see red, Ineededto believe fate wouldn’t be so cruel as to not give her the tools to escape his clutches.
And if not, I will take fate into my own hands.
Vasi was deadly quiet, her gaze distant. It only took a moment for her expression to grow fierce again, although I could immediately tell her anger wasn’t aimed at us. “Well then,” she growled, looking a hell of a lot more badass than I felt at the moment. “We should return to that cursed place and finish the job, once and for all.”
Chapter 40
Nox
Passing through the battered front doors of the Facility, I couldn’t believe I’d ever seen this hellhole as home. So desperate for my father’s approval, I’d allowed my personal values to be overshadowed by mindless ambition. I’d allowed my respect for the natural world to be replaced by hatred for anything different. When Ace first announced he wanted to stay behind with Vasi in the woods, I’d thought he was crazy. But that was only because I was still drowning in denial of where I belonged.
Luckily, I’d since pulled my head out of my ass and realized the chicken leg hut in the middle of magical bumfuck nowherewashome. It felt this way because it reminded me of my grandmother’sizbain the north, and because myfamilywas there, including my witch.
I stole glances at the others as we walked the eerily quiet hallways of the Facility. Tan was the first person after my baba died to draw me out of my shell—in his ridiculous, Tan-like way. Despite my attempts to scare him off, he selflessly healed something deeply broken in me by giving me the easy friendship I hadn’t known since I was a kid. Luckily, the mudak refused to be deterred by my hard exterior, and I’d be forever thankful he’d persisted.
Asa and I may have never connected if it wasn’t for Tan practically jumping his bones when the poor kid first arrived as a recruit. Protectiveness soon eclipsed my indifference, and I found myself defending Ace from the homophobicsvolochs whomistakenly saw him as an easy target. However, it didn’t take long to recognize he justfitwith us. We were a natural team. And I now realized I only butted heads with him because I stubbornly believedIwas the one in charge of our crew. ButAcewas the natural leader among us—and I’d follow him anywhere, even if he wasn’t my brother.
And Vasi. That sexy as fuck little demon won my heart by refusing to take my shit—even if it took me a long time to accept it. I’d fought against my destiny because it didn’t fit with my own misguided vision for the future, and had almost missed out on the precious gift fate was dropping in my lap. I still didn’t fully believe I deserved Vasi’s forgiveness, but something about her made me not only want to be a better man, but believe I could be. And I knew better than to doubt my witch’s intuition.
Plus, she could literally kill me.
Vasi and Tan held hands as we walked, combining their witchy powers to guide us toward wherever Koschei’s death was buried. I shouldn’t have been surprised when it became obvious we were headed straight for my father’s office. Of course, he would sit his ass above something like that—like a rotten king ruling his domain while the earth died beneath him.
What I didn’t expect was the visceral reaction that shot down my spine when we entered his office. The hateful memory of every time I’d crossed this threshold washed over me, including when Vasi and I first arrived at the Facility together. I’d been terrified my father would hurt her, and even more terrified he’d know I cared, even if she didn’t. And of course, I couldn’t help remembering the last time we’d been here—when I’d thrown myself into the fray before the love of my life could kill herself.
Although, apparently, the woo-woo bombs don’t work that way…
“Are you done looming in the doorway like an ogre of doom?” Tan called over, making Vasi snicker and Asa politely hide his smile. “We believe we’ve found where Koschei’s death is buried, so come over here.”
I took a step forward, then stopped, my eyes darting around the room, as if I’d find a different solution hidden in the wreckage. My gaze snagged on the discarded duffel bag full of bombs, but I knew nothing could help me stop the inevitable from happening. As soon as we found the death, Vasi would turn back time to before The Devouring. Once her duty was complete, Koschei would swoop in with his whirlwind and steal her away from us.
“We have to do this, Nox,” Vasi softly spoke, picking up on my hesitation. “It’s our legacy.”
But I can’t lose you.
I recognized the fierce determination in my witch’s expression and knew there was no way to change her mind. And even though I hated it, she was right.Thiswas exactly why Vasi needed her Riders. It was why we’d been created in the first place. There were bigger things at stake here than my selfish desire to keep her.
