“We know where they are. There aren't any eyes inside unsurprisingly, but I've got it on good authority that their watch changes over at midnight, it’s when they're the least prepared, so that's when we hit,” I tell them.
“Do we know numbers?” Danny asks and I shake my head.
“No, we're blind in that respect, like I say, no eyes inside, so beyond the blueprints I managed to get my hands on, I've got no idea what's happening inside those four walls.” I wave to the blueprints of the warehouse I had my friend pull, and let them pour over them. I've stared at them enough today, I could draw them in my damn sleep.
“Looks like a pretty standard layout,” Elijah says, and I nod. “So what if we...” he starts directing which points are the weakest, the easiest to infiltrate, and I let him get on with it. I know my strengths and weaknesses, and there's a reason I went to him for help. Between him and Danny, they could literally overthrow countries, so leaving the planning of this to them is a no brainer.
“Sounds good to me man, let’s gear up,” I say, and laugh as I notice the new kevlar the guys have on already.
“I've got some for you in here.” Elijah points to the duffle at his feet.
“Good looking out man.” I laugh and head to the weapons cache in the sitting room. Some people have bookshelves, we have fake shelves that open to a gun cabinet, crammed full of all sorts of goodies.
“Damn man, you upgraded.” Danny claps me on the shoulder with a smile as he peers in behind me. “But, I brought you some new toys too.” I grab my sawn off shotty, and slip a glock in my thigh holster, before following him back to the kitchen.
The duffels are open on the table, and Elijah hands me a vest. It’s lighter, thinner than usual, but if these guys have it, it’s probably some new, not yet seen, military grade shit that isn't available elsewhere. I take off my t-shirt and slip the vest on, before shrugging back into my t-shirt, and making sure I have enough ammo to sink a god damn ship before I'm ready to head out.
“You boys good to go?” I ask, and nods around the room greet me.
“Then let’s head out.”
Chapter Nine
Remy
“Where the fuck are we?” Roman asks as we clear from the mist, and much as I want to roll my eyes at the question, because fucking duh, I get the sentiment.
“In the middle of nowhere, it would seem,” Creek responds and I smirk at how flippant he is. Despite everything we’ve been going through, I can’t help but be thankful that it’s all helped bring these guys closer together.
“So this level is what? Envy?” Levi asks and I nod.
“Yeah I think so,” I tell him, trying to work out how this level is going to work. Because the view before me doesn’t really mesh with what I’d have suspected, but then, nothing about this place is what I would have expected yet. The red sand beneath my feet shifts, as a rumbles roars through the air.
“What is that?” Kain asks, and we all look around frantically to try and see what on earth could be causing it, when I see it in the distance. A blanket of darkness in the sky moving towards us.
“Fucking banshees,” Levi hisses. “We need to move and find some sort of cover in this godforsaken wasteland. There’s got to be a cave in those mountains somewhere where we can take cover from them.”
Usually I wouldn’t consider running, but I’ve never encountered a banshee, let alone that many of them. The light from the glow of the sky grows dimmer as they approach, and we take off at a run towards the mountain in the distance. No-one says a word as we haul ass, running across the sand. My thighs burn, as I struggle to breathe, the very air growing warmer and drier, as if I’m swallowing sand with each breath.
The red rockface looms above us as we reach it.
“I'll go up and see if I can find anything,” Levi says unfurling his wings, and shooting into the sky.
“I'll head this way, and see if I can find anything mon amour,” Kain says, pointing behind him. Going backwards and splitting up doesn't seem like the greatest idea, but what choice do we have.
“I'll go with you,” Creek says, and they take off in a blur.
“That leaves you with me, princess. Let’s get a move on, see if we can't find somewhere to hide, and maybe stay for the night, you look tired,” he says softly, cupping my cheek.
“We're all tired Roman, I have no idea how long we've been gone, but we've not stopped since we got here. Come on, let’s get going.”
“I didn't mean...” he starts and I stop him.
“I know, I'm sorry. I'm feeling hot and cranky,” I apologize and start running along the rockface trying to find any sort of opening that we can hide in, while I try to ignore the disappearing light and the screeching of the banshees heading towards us. Roman catches up to me quickly and we run together, while I hope that we find something.
Anything.
“Remy!” Levi's voice calls out just before he lands in front of us, dropping to one knee before he stands. “I found a cave, it’s pretty far up, but it’s more than big enough for all of us.”
“Okay, let’s start climbing. Can you let the others know?” I ask him. He shakes his head and puts his arms around my waist.
“No time, this is quicker,” he says as he pushes off and I grip onto him as we soar upwards.
“A little warning next time, please?” I tell him, half laughing, half angry.
“If there's time,” he says as he reaches a ledge, and puts me down. “I'll go get the others now, get inside. Quickly.”
Before I get a chance to respond, he disappears from sight, and I enter the cave. It's dark in here, there's scattered wood and god only knows what else, but it’s empty and that's what counts. The temperature in here is cooler too, which I'm thankful for. I spin at the growl from the entrance, but relax when I see Roman.
“Fucking Angel,” he grumbles, but comes in towards me. “I've stayed in worse.” He shrugs and then wraps his arms around me and kisses me.
“I've wanted to do that all fucking day,” he sighs against my lips as he threads a hand in my hair, and then kisses me again, so frantic and desperate, as if he might not get to kiss me again.
“Don't mind us,” Kain chuckles as he enters the cave with Creek and Levi behind him. I can't help the blush that rises on my cheeks, luckily it’s dark enough in here that it’s hidden, even with their superior sight.
“Let me sort a fire, so we can at least see. Especially since it's colder in here, then I'll take the first watch while you guys get some rest. Fates only knows how long it will take for the banshee legion to pass,” Levi says, gathering together some of the scattered logs and branches in here. He crouches down and summons a spark of his power which ignites a small flame that he tends.
“Are you sure?” I ask him, slightly concerned because he’s seemed a little off since his run in with Phoenix, well, since we got here really.
“I’m sure. Try and get some sleep,” he says, walking towards me. He wraps his arms around me and kisses the top of my head. “We don’t know how long we’re going to be stuck here, you should rest while you can. I don’t need as much sleep as the rest of you.”
“Thanks man,” Creek says then takes off his hoodie, and scrunches it into a ball before lying down and using it as a pillow. Kain and Roman lie down too, and all three of the them look at me expectantly.
Awesome.
“Maybe I’ll come sit with you out there for a bit, try and work out what’s happening,” I say, trying not to squirm. Creek smiles at me and closes his eyes, rolling over and getting as comfortable as possible on the rocky floor.
“No, go on, sleep. I’ve got us covered. We don’t know when we’ll get the chance again, and if we’re going to find Fallon and survive whatever else this place throws at us, you’re going to need to be rested.”
“Fine.” I sigh and let him go. I look between Roman and Kain, and Kain stands. He walks towards me and takes my hand, leading me over to Roman.
“Sleep, mon amour, we’ve got you,
” Kain says. He watches as I lay down next to Roman. Once I’m settled, with Roman at my back, Kain lies in front of me and watches me until I close my eyes.
I hear footsteps as Levi heads back towards the entrance of the cave, and try to drift off when I hear a crack echo around us.
I sit up straight, looking towards the entrance when it happens again and then I hear Levi.
“Fuck!”
“What’s wrong?” I ask, walking towards Levi with Roman at my back. Levi raises his fist and punches towards the cave mouth when the crack rips through the air again and a red shimmer covers the cave mouth.
“We’re trapped,” Levi hisses. “I should’ve checked… I’m sorry. I just wanted to get you out of the path of those fucking banshees.” He looks back at me, and I’ve never seen him look so tortured. I look at Roman and he nods, before heading back to the others, leaving me with Levi.
“You have nothing to be sorry for, you got us away from the threat,” I tell him and place a hand on his chest as he turns to face me.
“And led us, into quite possibly, a bigger one. Why else would we be trapped in here?” He sighs.
“This isn’t your fault, we’ll figure it out. Now are you going to tell me what else is going on with you, you’ve seemed off since we got here, more so since what happened with Phoenix?” I ask him, looking up at him and he closes his eyes.
“There’s a reason Angels don’t just come here unless they’re Shadow Walkers. This whole place is designed for Demons, the antithesis to Angels. The very ground emits a sort of vibration that knocks me off balance. It makes me slower, I can’t think quite as quickly as usual, my reaction times are down. It’s why I didn’t even think about securing this place or checking for Demon marks, which would have shown this place was spelled. If it wasn’t for your blood around my neck, I have a feeling I’d be utterly useless,” he says, his tone despondent.
“Levi, why didn’t you say something! You should have stayed back with Colt and Marie. This is insane. We need to send you back.”
“Not a chance,” he says with more spirit than I’ve seen from him since we got here. “I might not be my usual self, and I don’t have my usual strength or speed, but I’m staying. I’m not leaving you here, Remy. Not a fucking snowballs chance in hell.”
“Okay, fine, I’m not going to force you to do something you don’t want to do, but we need to find a way to make this easier on you too,” I tell him, and rise up on my toes to kiss his chin.
“First we need to find a way out of here,” he says wrapping his arms around my waist.
“I know, the to do list is growing. And here was me hoping that something might be going our way,” I sigh.
“We’ll figure it out.” He tells me softly and leans down to kiss me gently again. I melt into his kiss and hold him tighter. “Now go on, go and sleep. I’ve got the entry covered, you really do look exhausted.”
“You charmer you.” I wink at him with a soft chuckle. He swats my behind before turning me around and leading me back to where the guys are waiting for me. Creek is still completely passed out, but Kain and Creek are sat, talking quietly where we were laying before.
“Wake me up if you need me, okay?” I tell Levi before kissing him quickly on the cheek again and heading back to my spot between the other two.
“Ready to sleep, princess?” Roman asks quietly as Levi walks away from us.
“Sure.” I smile tightly.
“Is he okay?” Kain asks and I shake my head.
“He will be,” I say, determination set in my heart. I won’t let him suffer a second longer than necessary. I lay down between them, and try to get as comfortable as I can.
“We’ll make sure he’s okay, princess. Now sleep. You’re still essentially mortal. You and Creek need more sleep than the rest of us. He’s been out for the count for a little while, so I know you must be exhausted underneath it all,” Roman says, lying behind me and draping his arm over me, his hand resting on my hip.
Kain lays in front of me and pulls me towards him, so my head rests on his chest. “We’ll make sure everyone’s okay, mon amour.” He kisses my head and my eyes flutter closed. They’re not wrong, I feel tired all the way down to my bones, but I’ve felt that way pretty much since I discovered I was a Hunter. I can’t believe that was less than six months ago, it feels like a lifetime.
I take a deep breath and Roman and Kain’s arms tighten around me. As comfortable as I’m going to get, I try to let go and fall into a deep sleep.
I walk into the house, lighter than I’ve felt in what feels like forever. We’re finally free. We dealt with everything coming at us, and now we’re enjoying our time together, and each other, as much as we want to. I head towards the main room, which we converted into a bedroom for all of us, with a bed even bigger than the one Levi used to have here.
I hear the groan before I reach the room but brush it off, until I open the door and find Levi lying on the bed with Serafina riding him. “Fuck you feel so good baby.”
His words pierce my heart, but my feet are leaden, and I can’t move. I can’t even stop watching as she fucks him, making him create those cries that are meant to be for me. She leans forward and kisses him and he kisses her back with so much passion that I think my knees are going to give out.
This can’t be happening.
“Levi,” I cry, but he doesn’t hear me, or pretends not to.
“You’re the best I’ve ever had, baby, fucccck,” he hisses just before he comes inside of her, her screams make my ears ring.
Fuck this.
I try to move towards them, but I’m fixed in place. Why the fuck can’t I move? I don’t want to see this.
“Is it my turn yet?” Creek says appearing from the bathroom. That’s when Roman and Kain come up from behind me, and pass by me as if I’m not there.
“Maybe we can all play together,” Kain suggests.
“I’m up for that, just give me a minute,” Levi laughs.
“Oh you guys, what would Remy say?” Serafina giggles.
“Who cares, she served her purpose.” Roman shrugs and stalks towards her, kissing her once he lifts her from Levi. “You know we’ve always loved you really. This was all just a means to an end.”
His words shatter me, and I can feel the tears run down my face as my anger flares.
I’m going to kill that bitch.
Hell, I’ll gut them all.
How fucking dare they. I’m worth more than this.
I watch, unable to look away as Creek walks up behind her and kisses her neck while Roman kisses her lips. Creek’s hand snakes around her waist and down, and her moans are like needles in my skin.
A death from a thousand cuts.
I squeeze my eyes closed, trying to shut them out, even if I can’t move, but I can’t stop hearing them, much as I try to pretend this is anything but what it is.
“You motherfuckers!” I scream at the top of my lungs.
“Remy, wake up!” Roman’s voice wakes me up, and the anger from my dream follows me to consciousness. I jump up and head to the opposite side of the cave, pacing, my breath heavy, as I try to calm myself down.
It was just a dream.
I take a deep breath, because calming down isn’t happening. Rage flows through me, I can still see them inside my head. My blood feels like it’s literally bubbling beneath my skin. It’s almost painful, and my skin feels like my nerve endings are on fire.
I don’t remember having ever felt like this before, but I can’t shake it off.
“Remy, are you okay?” Creek says from the other side of the room. All four of them are looking at me warily, like I’ve lost my mind.
“Nope. Not okay. Give me a minute,” I say through gritted teeth. Even the sound of his voice makes my anger ripple again. He tries to speak again but I put my hand up and shake my head. “Don’t.”
I slide down the wall until I’m sat on the ground and bring my knees to my chest, gripping them tightly, trying to ge
t myself under control. I feel like I’ve lost my goddamn mind.
I close my eyes and I see them in that bed again, and clench my fists. This is unreasonable, even for me, but fuck logic right now. My emotions are riding me hard, and I can’t seem to push past them or lock them down.
What is happening to me?
“Remy,” Levi says softly. “What’s going on?”
“I can’t,” I say, trying not to let tears run down my face, I’m so angry. I tilt my head back, and try to blink away the tears. I feel Kain inside my mind, and I know he feels it, that he sees it, the replay from my dream that I can’t escape.
“It has to be this place, this level. It’s in her mind, like a parasite,” Kain tells the others. “Visions, to make her angry, envious, jealous, in the most unreasonable ways. She’s fighting it, but I’m not sure how much longer she can last.”
Sweat runs down my back as I try to shut down the emotions that crash down over me, wave after wave. The intensity increases the more I try to push it back, and I can feel my mental walls trembling beneath it all.
“If she loses control, I don’t know what will happen,” Kain says, and I can hear his panic, I can see it on the others too, but I shut myself off from it all, shutting down the bonds with them and focus inside myself.
Laughter rings out from the cave entrance, and the click of heels on stone echoes as whoever it is heads towards us. I try to move, to defend against the threat, but all I can do is open my eyes. I find the guys in a similar position, except apparently they can talk.
“Who the fuck are you?” Roman growls as the leggy blonde appears at the entrance to where we are. She crosses her arms and leans against the wall. Her painted red lips stretched into a wide smile.
“Oh, wolfie, I’m your worst nightmare. I have to wonder how you stumbled across my little play area, someone must not have liked you guys very much to leave you here. All the better for me though.”
My anger increases when she looks at me, and I can’t help but scream as the heat inside of me intensifies, as if I’m burning up from the inside out.
A Crown of Shadows and Secrets Page 8
