Page 1 of Dark Rebel's Reckoning

1

MAX

The rotors thudded above in a steady rhythm and the fuselage vibrated with every push of the wind, creating a concerto of sounds that represented safety.

At least in Max's ears.

Still, even though the mission objectives had been achieved and all team members had made it out alive, the sense of urgency refused to abate. Most of the enemy soldiers had been eliminated, humans and Doomers alike, and the compound was going up in smoke behind them. However, he was well aware that they wouldn't be out of danger until they crossed the border into Turkey, and that was despite Yamanu shrouding both helicopters.

Mental manipulation and illusions didn't fool equipment.

Not that Turkey was friendly territory. It used to be a progressive country, but it had been slipping into the abyss of darkness for over a decade. Corruption was rampant, and with the right connections and enough money, anything could be arranged, and the chances of betrayal were high.

Max couldn't allow himself to relax until they were all on the jet and out of Turkish airspace.

The country had a formidable air force, and as a NATO member, it had all the latest jets, radar equipment, and armaments, and they were all in working condition. Yamanu's shrouding wouldn't help them against all that.

The infiltration had been even uglier than Max had feared, but they'd come out on top despite Drova and Yamanu getting hit.

Yamanu was already fully healed, his body repairing the damage in minutes, but Drova would take more time. The Kra-ell didn't heal as fast as immortals.

Although looking at the six women they'd rescued, the four humans were in better shape than the two immortals.

The damn so-called doctor, who was in a body bag in the cargo area, must have concocted a sedative that wreaked havoc on immortals. Kyra and Fenella were experiencing occasional moments of clarity, but they didn't last long.

Max was afraid even to hypothesize how the Doomer had managed that with no medical training.

Hopefully, no lasting damage had been done to them, and Bridget would be able to fix whatever was wrong with the two females.

As turbulence jostled the helicopter, Max braced his forearm against the cabin wall and tightened his hold on Fenella. Across from him, Ell-rom held on to the unconscious Kyra, and sitting next to him, Jasmine held on to her mother's limp hand.

Max wished he could trade places with either of them.

His instincts demanded that Kyra belonged with him, and he wanted her in his arms, but he couldn't say that without sounding like a lunatic.

There was something special about her.

Perhaps he liked the warrior type? The lionesses?

In the past, he'd been attracted to damsels in distress, but Kyra was now both. The lioness had been captured and had become a damsel for him to save.

He glanced down at the woman in his arms and wondered what kind of person Fenella had become since the last time he'd seen her. For all he knew, she was a rebel as well and as ferocious as Kyra.

Otherwise, she probably wouldn't have been locked up in the same place.

She must have joined the Kurdish rebellion.

Since Kyra had been so insistent on getting her free, she had to know Fenella. Then again, she could have met her in the prison, and the two could have become friends.

Did Kyra know the other four women they had rescued?

Those women had also been drugged and abused, but they weren't in as bad a shape as Kyra and Fenella—the two immortals who should have fared better. The humans were understandably shell-shocked, and even though Jasmine had tried to convey reassurances and had given them water and energy bars, none of them had said a word so far. At least they were well enough to sit on their own, strapped for safety on the narrow bench of the military aircraft. The two immortal females,on the other hand, had to be carried and held and weren't showing signs of getting better.

What had been done to Kyra and Fenella to bring them to such a state?

Was it chemical or mental?

And how had Fenella become immortal and ended up in the same prison as Kyra?

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