* * *
I’d never beento war. I’d killed nearly a hundred vampires but it wasn’twar. Now as I sat inside of a legit war bus that was ferrying us through enemy lands, I wasn’t sure I was ready. How in God’s name did my life get to this point? One day I’m praying to expunge every evil vampire from Earth and the next I’m in love with one and following his people into a battle to save my mother…
My mother who is a slave at a fey breeding farm.
I mean, at what point did I just break down and see a therapist? This couldn’t be healthy to go through so much change all at once, so fast.
I reached out and tapped my back pocket, feeling some relief at the burner phone there. I’d been waiting for Ruby to call me back. Something told me when she did, it was going to change everything and I’d get some of the answers I was seeking.
Liv got up from our shared bus seat, pulling me from my thoughts, and Luka slipped into the open seat beside me. My whole body reacted to being in this close of a proximity to him, heating up and leaning toward him in the hopes that our arms would brush each other or something silly like that.
He turned and looked down at me, eyes scanning over my weapons cache. It felt weird not to have any stakes, but such a thing was not needed with fey. I had two katanas crossed in an X at my back, one Glock in a high holster on my right leg, and over half a dozen throwing stars in my waist belt. To top it all off, I was wearing a thin chainmail long-sleeve top Luka had sent for me. These witches were going to drown in their own evil black blood.
‘Please be safe. Stay behind the front lines of my men,’Luka’s voice whispered in my head.
We couldn’t speak freely here with so many in earshot. Supernatural earshot no less.
I gave him a cocky grin.‘I’m a supernatural hunter, Luka. I’ll be fine.’
He rubbed his face, looking stressed. We hadn’t spoken about things since Carissa had so aptly declared she wanted to consummate their marriage. I knew he was playing the role he needed to in order to be the king we all needed him to be. I just tried not to think about the details.
He looked so damn sexy in his all-black battle gear. I just wanted to be with him, freely, no secret kisses in the feeder closet, which I’d stopped doing now that he was married. Fake marriage or not, it felt wrong.
I stared at the gold wedding band on his left hand and guilt gnawed at my gut. What if she loved him? Truly loved him, and wasn’t just trying to be queen and gain power?
I’m the other woman. That was so wrong and against every moral pillar I’d built my life on.
His hand snaked out and slid over my thigh, but I pulled away from him.
‘Did you figure out the stuff with Cassara?’ I asked boldly.‘What you’re going to do?’
His hurt at my rejection filtered through our bond, but he pulled his hand back and set it on his lap.
‘I’m working on multiple strategies.’
What did that mean? Either he was going to divorce her after we raided this fey slave camp or I was out. I’d still feed him to keep him alive, but nothing more.
I leaned my head against the windowpane, watching the trees and straw huts go past. We were on some old dirt road, and with each bounce my head knocked against the window.
Luka leaned in, pressing his body against the side of mine and whispered into my ear. “I need you to trust me.” His breath feathered over me, before he stood and walked back to the front.
Trust.Something that was in short supply after being lied to my entire life and basically joining a cult.
Liv slipped back into her seat at my side and gave me a sympathetic look. She’d had to deal with all my tears over this man and all I could do was pray it ended in a happy story. Otherwise it was just too depressing.
Luka stood at the front and cleared his throat. “I will not ask you to mindlessly fight in my name without knowing what you are fighting for. Drucilla was a fearsome leader but she fought wars for her own gain. I will not do that.” The vampires slapped their hands on their seat tops to make a noise of agreement.
“The women and children we are about to free are innocents,” he growled. “My informant tells me they are shackled, some of them pregnant, and have been forced against their will to sell their babies for a profit they clearly do not see.” The bus exploded in an uproar of angry snarls, and I saw the wisdom in asking only people who had volunteered on this journey. They were doing it for the right reasons.
“We will rip apart the fey who imprison these women!” Luka yelled, and the vampires pounded on the seats, showing their agreement as tears pricked the edges of my eyes. Liv reached out and grasped my hand and I knew she was feeling the same pride for Luka as I was.
Whatever became of he and I, him becoming king was the most important thing I ever could have helped with.
Luka stepped forward, clearly not done. “These women will be given back their lives, in a joint venture with the werewolves, because the new Vampire City that I intend to create as king is one that will be built on a strong moral foundation.”
His eyes met mine then and I smiled, my heart absolutely beaming with respect and pride. The bus erupted into screams of agreement, Liv and mine included, as we drove deeper into the Dark Fey Territory. The werewolves were right behind us. This was a joint venture, the dawn of a new age here in Magic City, where the peace between the werewolves and vampires would hold.
We spent the next hour driving. We passed villages full of fey that came out to stare at us. They looked like simple people carrying baskets of food and doing housework. But as I peered closer, I noticed one woman doing tarot card readings, and at one point I peered into a tent and noticed some crystal shards and the dead claw foot of a chicken. They reminded me of witches. I shivered, saying a quick prayer of protection. Luka didn’t seem worried about letting the fey know we were in their territory. I guessed it was because they were so behind the times. Not a cell phone or car in sight. By the time one of them rode a horse to the main city, we would be done. The bus stopped just at the base of a hill and Luka stood, addressing everyone.
