Page 22 of The Dark Rises
“I will kill her!” the guard shouts at me. “Move back!”
I’m fucking pissed at her right now. “Are you going to take care of him, or do I need to save you?”
The guard sputters obscenities.
Infuriated, her bright eyes flash in return, and in a single move she unarms and kills him. “There. Happy now?”
“It shouldn’t have happened in the first place,” I snarl at her.
“It’s not like my enemies know I’m here tonight,” she protests, her jaw locked in anger.
“The night Leandra found me, I was relaxing with a friend in his home. A place that should have been safe. By the time I thought to raise my shield, she’d immobilized me and killed him,” I bite out furiously. The memory is as fresh in my mind as if it was yesterday instead of three thousand years ago. “The location doesn’t matter. Your ability to wield magic may or may not be greater than hers, but in the end, if she slips through your shield, it doesn’t matter. Same for Denir. Wrap your fucking shield around you and make it impenetrable.”
I brush past Cormal, who’s eyeing the dead guard with a murderous look on his face, and finish closing the doors. “We need to go. Now.”
At the port, we quickly load the weapons.
Once he’s confirmed they’re all there, Hyne shakes the hand of his second in command and orders him to watch his back. With a swift move, he vaults over the railing and lands on the dock next to us. The ship begins to move behind him, leaving the port with its precious cargo.
“Everything okay?” He glances between Meri and me, but when we don’t answer, he glares at us. “Whatever it is. Get over it. Brixton’s an asshole, but he’s sharp. The meeting is set for tomorrow evening, which means our diversion needs to happen tonight. We need to trigger the traps to draw the Phoenix from the Forbidden Sea. Once on land, they’ll be able to follow the blatant trail left by my men. To keep them occupied, we added surprises along the way. Hopefully, it’s enough to give us the time we need to meet with Brixton and save Rivan.”
Cormal curses and picks up his phone. “Kavi, get Lux and meet me at the rendezvous point. Fifteen minutes.”
I immediately slip into the shadows. Thankfully, Aamon’s still in the Wilds, which isn’t far from here.
CHAPTER TEN
CORMAL
Hyne, Meri, and I get to the rendezvous point first. The Phoenix laid traps along the shore, hoping to catch the Water Fae. We’re going to use all their hard work to trick them into thinking it worked and draw them away from the island.
Kavi appears with Lux. Hyne mutters furiously under his breath when he sees the dark little monster. Bristling, I turn toward him and shake my head. “He’s harder to control when he’s pissed off. Shut the fuck up.”
Hyne chokes at the tone in my voice, but an unhappy Lux is like a destructive genie, and damn near impossible to put back in the fucking bottle. I watch the dark demon skip over to us.
He stops and looks at Meri. “You’re pretty. Are you my friend?”
I flick a warning glance at Meri, but she’s already bending down to his level. She studies his face for a minute. “Do you want us to be friends? It’s a big question, so make sure you thinkabout it. Friends are there for each other and enjoy spending time together. We support and trust each other. Still want to be friends?”
His small face is serious as he considers her words. “What if I make a mistake? Or do something bad?”
“It depends,” she replies with a rueful look on her face. “Sometimes it’s easy to forgive each other and sometimes the hurt goes too deep.” When his shoulders drop, she takes his hand. “We can try, though, can’t we?”
Staring at him and Meri in disbelief, I realize I’m never getting rid of Lux now. I put my hands on my hips and glower at her.
Standing, she raises their clasped hands. “Friends?”
With a dark grin, he nods. “Friends.”
“We need to get a move on,” I snarl, irritated beyond belief.
I look around and spot Madoc and Aamon behind me. The look on their faces as they stare at Lux and Meri makes me want to bang my head into the nearest tree. Two more conquests, although I suspect Madoc’s been teetering on the edge for a while.
Because of the pact with Leandra, I couldn’t spend too much time around Meri, but I had men watching her. Report after report would come in, telling me about her strays. Beasts, demons, people, kids, lost souls, it didn’t matter. Her loneliness created a hole inside her, and the only way she knew to fill it up was to befriend another. I used to worry they would get her in trouble, but if anything, they often deflected Leandra’s wrath.
“Lux,” I say quietly, motioning Madoc and Aamon forward. “This is Aamon. He’s going to stay here with you and make sure you do exactly what I tell you. He’ll let you know when it’s time to leave, okay?”
Lux’s red eyes assess the monster before him. “You’re like me, aren’t you? Never grew up.”
