Soul mates and blood matched and finally equals in every way.
Chapter Thirty-One
“All right. All right,” Gabe called from her left. They’d managed to get a lot done in the week since the explosion. And it was finally time to put that plan into action. “Shut up and let Reyna speak.”
She turned her eyes to Beckham and swallowed. “Speak?”
“You’re taking them into war. You have to rally them,” Beckham said.
Reyna’s eyes darted to her friends. Meghan and Jodie gave her an encouraging nod. Gabe winked. Tye smiled. They were all counting on her.
“Public speaking?” she hissed.
“Want my advice?” She nodded. “Don’t faint.”
“I hate you.”
He grinned. “Knock them dead.”
Reyna hooked her foot up on the stool and climbed onto Beckham’s sleek kitchen table. Her knees felt wobbly as she faced the crowd of people.
Her two fears: needles and public speaking.
She’d had to face one repeatedly. Seemed as if it were time to face the other.
“Hey. Hey!” Reyna raised her voice.
She waited for the room to quiet down. It took a while, considering how many different groups of people were congregated into one space.
She could see Drew standing in the crowd. All of the Elle members had been relocated, and the remaining Elle sleeper agents had been brought in. The anti-vamp cult looked pretty pissed to be standing so near Beckham’s circle, who had apparently called in some favors. Now the vampires were a solidthirty strong. All in all, she was looking at her own little army. A terrifying thought, to say the least.
She cleared her throat and tried to recount all of the reckless ideas she’d implemented since becoming Beckham’s blood escort. It was a long list that culminated with this moment. And if she had been able to get through all of that, well, public speaking shouldn’t be that bad.Shouldn’tbeing the optimal word.
“Thank everyone so much for coming,” Reyna said, her voice barely above a whisper.
A groan of dissent came from the crowd. She was losing them already. She needed them to rally with her to do what must be done. But they’d already decided. They were going in. She could do this much.
“I said thank you for coming,” she shouted into the crowd. The silence was swift and secure. Her stomach flipped. Sweat accumulated on her brow. But she continued. “Many of us here are from different walks of life. We have different beliefs. We have different values. We want different things.”
The crowd was nodding. Her nerves settled with Beckham at her back. Her hands still shook slightly but she balled them into fists.
“Our differences aren’t what brought us together. Our differences aren’t the thing that make us want to fight. It’s how we are similar. We all want to save humanity. We all want a shot at a life after this that isn’t controlled by Visage. That isn’t controlled by anyone.”
More nods. A deeper silence. Her heart was in her throat.
“At the beginning of this, I was no one. I was a person desperate to help provide for my family. They’re the ones that I was always fighting for. They’re the ones who I wanted a better life for. I joined Visage under good faith, and they took that faith and shattered it.” Her chin wobbled slightly and she feltBeckham’s reassuring gaze on her shoulder. “They put their foot on my neck and said stay down. But I refused.”
“Yeah!” someone shouted from the crowd. And then more and more were cheering at her proclamation.
“I still refuse!” she called back. “I refuse to stay down, to stay silent. I rose up. I became something powerful. And all of you here today are just as powerful.” She pointed into the crowd, made eye contact with as many people as she could. They were here. They were with her. “So leave your differences at the door. Because today we don’t fight just for ourselves, we fight for humanity, for equality, for freedom.”
A cheer rose up from the crowd. Reyna’s eyes swept the room. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips. These people were going out to fight with her. They trusted her to make this work. It was daunting, but also incredible. So many people from so many places, all here, now, willing to work together.
“Today we take back our world!” she cried as she pumped her fist into the air and grinned at the sea of people cheering with her.
So much excitement as they all went into battle. Her heart hardened against the consequences. She couldn’t think about what could go wrong or else all she would do is fear that she had made the wrong choice moving forward. And it was clear that there was really only one choice: the right one.
Beckham held his hand out and she hastily jumped off of the table.
