Consort of Rebels Read online

  Turning, I crept silently down the corridor. I pressed myself to the wall near the intersecting hallway, listening intently. Whoever it was had gone quiet, but the sound of breathing met my ears. Coming closer.

  Bursting around the corner, I darted into the hall, raising my dagger at the same time I summoned a ball of flame above my other hand.

  The fire flared in the darkness, almost blinding in its brightness. The man before me grunted, raising his forearm to block my strike. He swept his arm up and around, wrapping his other hand around the back of my fist to control the dagger.

  “We really have to stop meeting like this, kitten,” he drawled.

  My blade clattered to the ground.

  “Akio?”

  Chapter 4

  The incubus’s dark eyes glittered in the light of the fire that still burned above my raised palm.

  “Hello, Lana.”

  I stared at him as he spoke my name, a million questions burning on the tip of my tongue. What was he doing here? Where were the others? How had they found me?

  But none of those thoughts made it past my lips. I was frozen in place, held captive by the sight of his angular features, his deeply tanned skin, and his jet-black hair. I’d often thought Akio looked like a god, but in this shadowy hallway, illuminated only by the dancing glow of my flame, he looked like exactly what he was—a demon.

  The best fucking kind of demon.

  Emotions too powerful to name slammed into me, making my breath hitch. I realized for the first time that I hadn’t truly expected to make it out of here alive, hadn’t expected to ever see my four again. And coming face-to-face with Akio like this left me reeling.

  I didn’t think. I wasn’t even aware of moving until the flame above my palm abruptly snuffed out and I found myself pressed flush against him, my lips seeking his in the sudden darkness.

  He stiffened with surprise when my mouth crashed into his, but then his body softened against mine, his lips warm and smooth as silk. The unique, spicy scent that was all Akio surrounded me, filling my nostrils as I wrapped my arms around him, devouring him with my kiss.

  A sound almost like a purr rolled through his chest when our tongues met, and my legs went weak.

  “Akio!” a whispered voice called urgently in the dark. A blue-white glow filled the corridor several yards away.

  He tensed again, his hands on my hips stiffening, and I suddenly realized what we were doing. I wrenched my lips away from his and stepped back, embarrassed, though I wasn’t sure why.

  Maybe it was because our relationship had never really been one of overt affection.

  Or maybe it was because despite my injuries and exhaustion, despite the danger of our situation, all I wanted was to keep kissing him until the sun burned out.

  The incubus’s gaze was inscrutable in the dim blue light. He licked his lips, and I was sure he tasted mine on them. I sucked my own bottom lip into my mouth, biting it hard to keep from throwing myself into his arms again.

  Before I had to think of something to say, Corin’s low voice echoed down the hall.

  “Lana? Lana!”

  The blond man strode toward us quickly, a look of almost pained determination on his face, and I vaguely registered two other figures behind him before he enveloped me in his arms. His large, muscular body was warm against mine, and I could feel his heart hammering against my chest. He showered my face and mouth with kisses, not seeming to care that I was covered in sweat and grime.

  “We found you. Thank the gods, we found you.”

  He pulled back just enough to look into my eyes. His blue irises glittered as he bent to claim my lips again in a kiss that was soft and deep.

  With every breath I took, every moment our mouths were connected, my soul knit itself back together a little bit more, the magic inside me settling back down into a happy, warm glow.

  Jae and Fenris approached and stood nearby. I could feel their presence down to my bones, like a soothing balm applied to fresh wounds.

  I hadn’t realized how broken I was until I became whole again.

  Fen waited with more patience than I would’ve expected from him, but when Corin showed no signs of letting me go anytime soon, the wolf shifter tugged on my arm.

  “Gimme.”

  That was all he said, and Corin reluctantly released his hold on me.

  I expected Fen to kiss me too, but instead he pulled me into a crushing grip and buried his face in my hair. He sucked in deep drags of air, like he was trying to absorb my very essence. His large body shuddered in my arms, and he kept murmuring, “Fuck, killer. Fuck,” over and over.

  The raw pain in his voice brought tears to my eyes, and I stroked the back of his shaggy hair, trying to soothe him.

  “I’m okay. It’s okay.”

  He finally pulled his face away from my hair and pressed his forehead to mine. His chocolate brown eyes were dark pools in the dim light.

  “I love you so fucking much, Lana.”

  The tears that had been hovering in my eyes spilled over at that, and I leaned into him to kiss his lips. The scruff on his cheeks scratched my face, sending shivers down my spine.

  “I love you back, Fen,” I whispered. “So fucking much.”

  The light beside us flared a little brighter. I looked over at Jae. Fenris let go of me, and I stepped hesitantly toward the mage. His elegant features were smooth, but his emerald eyes blazed like fire. He stepped slowly toward me, seeming as unsure as I was about what to do next.

  One long-fingered hand reached out to stroke my cheek, and I unconsciously leaned into his touch like a cat. He cupped the side of my face, the cool contact of his palm making me feel unaccountably warm.

  “Are you all right?” Worry wrinkled his brow as he took in my appearance.

  “Yeah.” I smiled.

  The movement made the bruise on my cheekbone from Kate’s face kick throb like a son of a bitch, but I was okay.

  Now.

  Jae started to drop his hand, but I reached up to grab it, lacing our fingers together and holding them to my chest, just under my collarbone. I wasn’t ready to let our contact go yet.

  My gaze flickered around the group of men huddling in the cramped tunnel with me as my brain slowly came to grips with the fact that this wasn’t a dream. “What… what are you all doing here?”

  “We came to rescue you,” Fen answered. “I didn’t think we’d find you so quick though. What were you doing?”

  “I rescued myself.”

  He grinned wolfishly, looking more like his usual self, though his voice was still strained with worry. “Fuck yeah, you did.”

  “I couldn’t find a door that wasn’t warded though. The open one at the end of the corridor, was that you guys?”

  “Yes. We brought a powerful spell stripper. We weren’t sure what we’d find here.” Jae nodded solemnly, his eyes still scanning me. I had a feeling he was cataloguing every one of my injuries, his concern growing with each new cut or bruise he noted.

  If he wanted to heal me, I would gladly accept his ministrations, but it’d have to wait until we were out of here. The five of us had already wasted way too much time on our reunion, though I couldn’t regret it.

  “Good. Then let’s get the fuck out of here before Rain comes back.”

  “Rain?” Corin’s head reared back in surprise, his eyes going wide.

  “Yup,” I said grimly. “He’s the asshole Christine was reporting to.”

  “Oh shit!” Fen’s voice rose. “Does that mean he knows where the Resistance headquarters is? Did she tell him?”

  I shook my head. “I’m almost positive he doesn’t. She told me she never gave up that information, and I think she was telling the truth. She was fucked up and did a shitty thing, but she never wanted to hurt the Resistance members. And I don’t think Rain was very concerned with the Resistance, to be honest. We were the perfect scapegoat for him.”

  Jae’s brows drew together. “Where is Christine now?”

 
A shudder passed through me. “Dead. He killed her after she brought me to him. And he’s done worse… much worse. But there’s no time to explain it all now. We need to get out of here.”

  “Hell yes to that.” Fenris wrapped an arm around my waist, supporting some of my weight. “Come on, killer. Let’s get you home.”

  I would’ve insisted I could walk on my own, but I really couldn’t—not as fast as we needed to go anyway. And besides, I liked the feel of Fen’s strong arm holding me, his solid body next to mine. So I just wrapped my hands around his middle and headed toward the door that stood slightly ajar, flanked by the rest of my men.

  The inky blackness beyond the door gave way before Jae’s light, revealing a narrow corridor much like the one we were in now. But when we stepped into it, I realized the walls were made of earth, not stone. The musty smell made me sneeze, which made me hiss in pain as my cheek throbbed.

  We walked through the dark tunnel in silence, Jae’s glowing ball of light floating ahead of us, casting all the men’s faces in harsh shadows. After a few minutes, we reached another door, and Akio pushed it open.

  Fresh air flooded my lungs. I sucked it in gratefully, squinting in the afternoon sunlight. It was almost hard to believe it was daytime. I’d lost track of the hours inside the windowless room where I was kept.

  “Where are we?” I asked, looking up at the tall pines surrounding us.

  “In the Rocky Mountains.” Fen gave me a squeeze. “About ten miles south of where you and I went running that day.”

  I shot a glance back as we began our trek down the steep terrain. Behind us, a slab of red, lichen-covered rock rose high, and tucked into the place where it met the earthen side of the mountain was the door we’d just come through. Even now, if I didn’t know exactly what I was looking for, I would’ve missed it. It was well camouflaged, and I wondered how many entrances to Rain’s underground compound were hidden in this area.

  “Was that door warded, or the inner one?” I asked Jae.

  “The inner.”

  I grunted. “Makes sense. Wards out here could draw attention. As it is, the entrance is almost invisible, but still protected where it counts. Rain is smart; I’ll give him that.”

  “I can’t believe it was Rain.” Fen shook is head, his brown hair flopping over his forehead. “He was the only one of the Representatives who seemed at all concerned that you’d gone missing.”

  My eyes snapped up. “What?”

  “Yeah. Jae went to the palace to find out if they were doing anything about your disappearance, and it was just business as usual there. I think most of them were glad they didn’t have to deal with you anymore.”

  “Except Rain.” Jae’s face was grim. “He pulled me aside before I left. Told me he was worried about you after what happened to your grandmother and offered to help us find you. He asked if we had any clues as to your whereabouts.”

  “That slimy fucking asshole!” My voice rose higher than I’d meant it to, and a startled chipmunk darted out from under a bush ahead of us. I wrestled the lid back on my temper and spoke in a quieter voice. “That must be one of his signature moves. Pretend to befriend your enemy and ask for information under the guise of trying to help.” I hesitated, almost missing my next step, and Fen’s arm tightened around me. “Wait. How the hell did you guys find me? If you had no idea it was Rain who’d taken me, what led you up here?”

  Akio shot a glance over his shoulder. He’d taken the lead in our little expedition, and he somehow looked as effortlessly graceful and sophisticated tromping down a mountain as he did wearing a suit and sipping champagne.

  “You did, kitten.”

  His words startled me so much I actually did miss a step this time. Only Fen’s grip on me and a steadying hand from Corin stopped me from tumbling down the steep incline.

  “What?”

  Fen grinned down at me. “Yeah. A few days after Christine snatched you, I started having the strongest pull toward the mountains. I thought it was just my wolf reacting to the stress, needing to blow off steam, you know? So I ignored it for a while. There wasn’t time for that—we were too busy searching for you. Then Corin mentioned he noticed a pull toward the mountains, and Jae said the same. When Akio walked in and told us he felt like going for a hike, we knew something was up.”

  Akio looked back again, rolling his eyes, and I chuckled.

  I held onto Fen tighter, and his firm stomach flexed under my hand. “But how could you all have felt a pull toward me? My magic was suppressed inside that cell. I couldn’t even feel it.”

  “The magic within you was repressed,” Jae confirmed, stepping up to my other side as the trees around us cleared. “But the part of your magic that exists outside of you, in each of us, wasn’t. The bond has grown even stronger since it first formed, and it led us to you.”

  “So you just… wandered up into the mountains with a spell stripper and who knows what else, not even sure if you’d find me?”

  “We knew we’d find you.” Corin’s firm voice came from behind me. “We had to.”

  My heart clenched, more glad than I could ever say that fate brought these four men into my life.

  I hadn’t thought I wanted magic. I hadn’t thought I wanted emotional attachments—had seen them as a weakness, even. But I was finally starting to realize they could be my greatest strengths.

  “Thank you,” I murmured, my voice soft with emotion. “For coming for me.”

  Akio stopped and turned suddenly, bringing our entire troupe to a halt. His eyes glittered like dark jewels as he regarded me.

  “Kitten, we will always come for you.”

  With that pronouncement, he resumed walking down the mountain, his gait smooth and controlled. I stared after him for a moment, a riot of emotions ricocheting through my chest, before Fenris tugged me gently into motion again.

  We lapsed into silence for a while. My injuries and exhaustion were catching up to me, but I tried not to let them show. Jae kept shooting me worried sidelong glances, and I knew if he saw even the slightest hint that my strength was flagging, he’d insist on stopping to heal me now.

  As much as I appreciated his concern, I wanted to get off this fucking mountain and back to the safety of Beatrice’s house. I could’ve tried to heal myself as we walked, but I was pretty sure I’d definitely fall down the mountain if I did that.

  By the time we reached the low foothills, where the downward slope eased into a more manageable angle and the clusters of pine and rocks were replaced by swaths of tall grass, it was impossible for me to hide my weakness any longer. Both my calves were cramping, my mouth felt like sandpaper, and the bruise on my face throbbed in time to the beat of my footsteps.

  Fenris had offered to carry me, but I shook my head stubbornly. He’d only ever given me one piggyback, and I didn’t want to spoil that memory with this one. But I did accept gratefully when Corin came around to my other side so the two men could support me between them.

  We trekked about a quarter of a mile down a winding mountain road, and I was about to ask the guys if they’d walked all the way here from Denver, when Jae’s car suddenly popped into view ahead of us. He must’ve put an illusion spell on it to hide it.

  The mage’s shiny silver vehicle was one of the most beautiful sights I’d ever seen. Mostly because it meant I wouldn’t have to keep holding my body upright.

  He removed the wards and unlocked it, and I clambered gratefully into the back seat. Akio and Fen climbed in on either side of me, and seconds after Jae started the car, my eyes fell shut, my head lolling on the incubus’s shoulder.

  I heard snippets of the men talking as we drove, discussing the new information I’d shared and what to do about it. There was more they needed to know, so much more, but no matter how badly I wanted to join in the conversation, I couldn’t force my eyes open.

  When the gentle movement of the car stopped and the rumbling engine cut off, my body jerked upright. I looked around quickly, trying to orient myself
.

  “It’s okay, killer.” Fen smoothed my hair back from my face. “We’re here.”

  Behind him, through the car’s window, I saw the enchanted fountain that fronted Beatrice’s estate. The large drops of water-fish leapt lazily from the pool, unaware of all the turmoil the house had seen over the last few weeks.

  I turned to peer out the opposite window, and gasped.

  “What the hell happened to this place?”

  Chapter 5

  Fenris chuckled. “Jae happened. Do you like it?”

  I shot a glance at Jae as we all piled out of the car, Fen holding my elbow to help me walk. “Were you guys under attack?”

  “No.” He shook his head, casting his gaze down. “But I didn’t want to risk it. With you gone, your grandmother no longer here to run the estate, and almost a dozen Blighted people living in the house, I didn’t want to take the chance that Peacekeepers would show up and try to forcibly remove us.”

  “Holy shit,” I breathed, gazing up at the enormous mansion. The cherry wood front door was framed by several tall, ornate white columns, and the pale facade of the mansion looked as pristine as ever.

  What drew my attention, though, were the wards. Plural. As in, more than one.

  Beatrice had kept a pretty strong ward over her house. The spell hadn’t faded after her death, which meant she wasn’t the caster—it was probably purchased from a security company. That had seemed like plenty of protection, even for a house as lavish as this one. But now, at least two new wards glittered over the one that had already been in place, making the whole building shimmer with a multicolored glow.

  I ripped my gaze away from the glowing house and looked at Jae again. “You did all this?”

  “Yes. If the Representatives decided to come after us, they could force whoever put her ward up to remove it, leaving us exposed. I simply made sure that can’t happen… and added a few other protections while I was at it.”

  “No kidding,” I murmured as we approached the front door. “This place is like a bunker.”