"Are you sure you want to do this?" Jordan murmured to me, leaning down so we couldn't be overheard. "Rafe wouldn't want you to risk your life."
"You would leave him behind?"
Jordan jerked back like I'd struck him. "No! I plan on going, but I'd prefer you stayed here, where it is safe. Might be best so that we can relay information to you."
I loved Jordan. So many parts of him were absolutely perfect, but it was here that he and Rafe were total opposites. Day and night.
"I appreciate your concern," I told him with total sincerity. My words were almost drowned out by the helicopter; it was so close now. "But I don't need to be babied. And I never leave a man behind—especially if that man is Rafe or you. We’re getting him back, and there's nowhere else I'd rather be."
There was no more time for conversation, and as he straightened, tension pulled the muscles tight in his broad shoulders. He wasn't happy, but he also didn't argue.
The helicopter appeared at the side of the building then, another stealthy-looking beast like the last one. We moved toward it with the resistance member, and from the rooftop we tossed the dead bodies across the narrow gap into the open doorway, then went back for more. The resistance solider said they didn’t leave their dead behind, and he was serious about it.
Then it was our turns to make the leap.
When I landed steadily, I was already prepared for a fight. I hadn’t noticed the resistance asshole giving us away when he communicated with his team, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t a code word I’d missed.
This could legitimately be where we were ambushed.
Jordan landed behind me, protecting my back, and both of us remained in that stance as we waited for instructions.
Black headsets were handed to us, and I slipped mine on over the mask I wore, just like everyone else. Whatever meshy material they used in these outfits, it allowed sound to penetrate.
"Identify," a voice said in my ear.
The resistance asshole went first. "Death to the monarchy. Red East."
"Death to the monarchy. Red East," I bit out, not sure what the chick had sounded like, but hoping none of them would know the difference.
Jordan spoke up quickly as well.
We took our seats after that, everyone strapping in as the beast took off into the sky.
“The prince was secured,” one of the pilots said. “We lost ten members tonight, but their sacrifice will not be in vain.”
I almost lost my cool and killed them all before I reminded myself that I needed to get to Rafe and these assholes were my best chance. Patience might not be my strongest suit, but eventually they’d get what was coming to them.
The helicopter moved very differently than a plane, its motions jerky and rapid. In a blink we were out of the school grounds, the darkness hiding most of the landscape below.
Jordan reached out and grasped my hand, and I felt instantly better. We didn't dare speak, aware that everything would be heard through our headsets, which meant I was stuck with a running reel of horror in my head.
I could barely believe everything that had happened tonight. Arbon Academy had been attacked by the resistance with some form of “earthquake machine” that’d ripped the ballroom apart. It had been a ploy to take out a bunch of monarchs while they were in one place, and it'd succeeded.
Rafe's father... he'd been hurt badly. Neither of us had any idea if he was even still alive. Jordan had lost his betrothed, who was like a sister to him.
Despite his calm strength beside me, I knew he had to be devastated. Still, he never faltered, remaining exactly who and what I needed in this moment.
I was fucking lucky to have him.
Giving his hand one last squeeze, I settled back in the uncomfortable chair. I wanted to close my eyes and rest, knowing that this was the lull before the shitstorm, but I was afraid to let my guard down. If this was a setup, the moment I relaxed, they would take full advantage.
This wouldn't be the first time I’d gone into a fight sleep-deprived—in fact, it used to be a common part of my training. I could make it work either way.
It grew even darker the farther we traveled from the school, and outside of the occasional buzz from a radio with tersely barked orders, there was nothing but silence in the chopper. I almost couldn't believe that we'd managed to get this far without detection, but maybe luck was on our side.
We traveled through the night, stopping once at a station to refuel. This was where they dropped off their dead, and I was pretty happy about that—smells had started to creep through the helicopter, and honestly, no one wanted to be chilling with a ton of dead fuckers. Bad vibes.
With more space to spread my legs, I settled in for the rest of this journey. It was frustrating not knowing where we were going, but there was no discreet way to find out, so I’d just have to make do.
