Page 256 of Shadowblood Souls
Ishould probably stop being surprised by how fancy every vehicle Rollick owns is. I mean, do private jets thataren’tfancy even exist?
The leather seats are wide enough that I don’t feel at all squished even when the middle arm is in place, and padded enough that I can sink right into the cushioning. The bathroom is nearly as big and shiny as the one attached to my bedroom on the yacht.
It’s too bad I can’t enjoy the fanciness more. My pulse is thrumming through my veins at a heightened pace, and it speeds up even more when Rollick swivels his seat into the aisle so he can face all five of us.
“It’ll be difficult to come up with a definitive plan before we know what location we’re dealing with," he says. "But I've made my calls, and I have people on standby with the supplies to create some excellent disruptions.”
Riva straightens up in her seat. “And to get the shadowbloods we break out to someplace safe.”
The demon inclines his head. “Of course. I’m not sure how close we’ll be able to bring any vehicles while avoiding detection, but we’ll carry the young ones on our backs if we need to.”
He pauses with a slight grimace. “Unfortunately I won’t have as much backup for this mission as I’d prefer… Kudzu and his friends have spread the word through the community. Quite a few of my typical associates balked at getting involved, and I prefer to work with willing help.”
“We wouldn’t really be able to count on them if you were forcing them into it anyway,” Andreas says from where he’s sitting in front of me.
“There’s that too. But qualms don’t apply to my material resources, so we’re still well covered there.” Rollick’s dark eyes glint with amusement.
I haven’t been able to tell how much this “mission” is important to him and how much he sees it as a game to pass the time. But I guess it doesn’t really matter as long as we pull it off.
He clasps his hands in his lap, squaring his shoulders as if bracing himself. I understand why when he makes his next announcement.
“Also in the interests of avoiding detection… you need to be prepared that if we identify a facility where your counterparts are being held, you won’t be able to charge straight at it. That’ll give them time to realize you’re coming.”
I knit my brow. “Won’t they have more time if we take longer getting there?”
Rollick’s gaze settles on me. “The problem isn’t really the time. It’s how obvious you make it where you’re going. If we don’t want them picking up on your route… the five of you will need to split up to make the journey.”
A jolt of horror shoots through my body. We haven’t been more than a few hundred yards apart from each other in weeks.
The whole point is that we’re in this together.
Dominic tenses in his spot behind Riva. “You want us to go off on our own?”
Rollick shakes his head. “Not entirely. I think it should be enough to break off into two groups and then take an indirect route to reach the facility. I have two helicopters already standing by at the airfield we’re headed to. We only need to confuse the tracking efforts enough to obscure your intended destination.”
Jacob leaps out of his seat, his eyes flashing. “I’m staying with?—”
He cuts himself off as he swings around and his gaze sweeps over all four of us. His stance goes rigid, but he dips his head. “No. Never mind. Riva should have Dom and Drey with her. They’ve proven themselves.”
My throat constricts with a pang, both at his clearly pained acceptance—and the knowledge that I’m excluded from that proven circle too.
Before any of the rest of us can jump in, Riva clears her throat. “I don’t like the idea of us splitting up at all. But it does make sense. And if we have to, I think either Dominic or Andreas should be in the other group. That way, no matter what happens, we’ll be able to find each other.”
Her hand brushes over her collarbone where she showed us the marks that’ve formed on her skin.
The two guys who share those marks tighten their expressions, but neither argues.
The demon is watching our discussion with apparent interest. In the momentary silence, he speaks up.
“That sounds like solid strategy. I’d also suggest that your two physical powerhouses should split up between the groups, so that both have physical might if you need it.”
That means me and Riva. There’s no chance of me staying by her side, even if I deserved the spot.
But he’s right. “That’s fine,” I mutter reluctantly.
Andreas pushes to his feet like Jacob has so he can more easily look at all of us. “I’ll go with Zian, then. The two of us should make a good team if we run into any trouble before we meet up again.”
He hesitates and catches Riva’s gaze. “As much as I’d like to be right there with you the whole way, I’d rather know you’ve got Dom nearby in case you’re injured.”
