Batse turned grave eyes to me, “I promise.”
“Wait, wait, wait. We all come back, or none of us come back,” I stepped out of Egan’s arms.
My Lusty Legion all exchanged glances. Now, I was absolutely not happy they were on the same page. Fuck the same page, I needed one of them in my corner to argue how ridiculous this was.
“Agreed.” They all simultaneously said; It was eerie as fuck.
“No, not agreed.” I slashed a violent hand through the air.
Yunez took pity on me and approached me with a great deal of caution as if he were approaching a wounded deer. “The future I want, for all of us, includes every single one of your Lusty Legion growing old with you. But there were other futures I saw. In those futures, not all of us survived, but there was one constant. You were always the Mazza to bring the change that would save the world.”
Nuh uh, I refused to believe I was the sole savior to the race. The only reason I didn’t fall apart daily was that I had the support and love of my Lusty Legion. “I can’t do it without any of you. Your bonds give me strength, remember? You can’t die and leave me vulnerable.”
Yes, I was trying manipulation. Too bad I had hardly any peopling experience to be any good at it.
Yunez took both of my hands in his as the LL closed in around us. Mannos surrounded us, though little more than strangers, they witnessed this intimate moment between us. But the others tried to give me the illusion of privacy.
“My love,” His eyes were gentle, but his words were as unyielding as stone. “I had not wanted to share this now… but if anyone of us dies, you will have to replace us. In every vision of victory, you had six bonds.”
I shook my head, left to right, right to left; this was not happening. Yunez was not telling me they were so easily replaced. The others were not agreeing with him.
“I love you all, there’s no way I could love anyone else. It’s not possible, my heart isn’t big enough.”
I basked in the love radiating off of my guys, but I knew myself. I couldn’t even pretend this was okay to appease them.
“You could, and you will if any of us don’t make it back. Your heart is stronger than you think.” Yunez dipped his mouth to my ear. “Remember when your LL told you that your sex drive is so strong, you can satisfy us all? The same goes for your heart. Your ability to love is infinite. You just have to open your heart.”
I gulped and looked off into the distance. If I caught any of their gazes, the tight hold on my anger and despair would cut loose and tears would flow. Exactly what we didn’t need as we were about to raid an enemy realm.
“Let’s agree to disagree, Kia is waiting on us, and I’d like to have a successful mission so I can take a nice long bubble bath.” When we got back, manipulation lessons were going on the schedule; I seriously sucked.
The muscle jumped in Yunez’s jaw. “Yes, Ado needs Kia safe before he can rest.”
With that, he slapped his bloodied palm over the sapling, then the next. I hadn’t even seen when he slashed his palm; was I that upset or that distracted? The guys came forward, lining up like we didn’t just have a horrible heart to heart. At least they could keep their heads on straight.
The Mannos moved into position, with their backs to us. I doubted they’d even sleep before we came back, their devotion was so strong and pure.
Egan pushed me toward the front, placing me right behind Sage, but ahead of my other three men.
So, this was it, this was do or die time. We better be doing, because dying was not on my agenda for any fucking one.
So, whoever created this realm clearly had a hand in creating the psychedelic era. Where the soothing lavenders and beautiful blues of Fennina seemed to blend effortlessly together, these colors contrasted so drastically, it was like looking at a painting straight out of the seventies. Bright golds, subtle teals, vivid reds, and murky navies.
The Waesaris dropped us in the center of a sprawling courtyard, not unlike Yunez’s estate. Sage went through quickly, but looking at him, he was a little green around the gills. Oh, he matched the color scheme perfectly. Ha! Okay, I was done.
“Are you okay?” I tucked myself into his side, gripping the front of his shirt as I yanked him down into my kiss. The lust zinging from my nipples straight to my core was unstoppable. My emotions were high, and it seemed to breed the perfect environment for my sex drive to take the reins; to lose myself for even a few seconds was a godsend, then he broke the contact.
His ragged breathing was a boost to my already racing heart, “You’ve found the cure to my fear, now you have to be with me every time I cross.”
“Absolutely, that’s no hardship.” I lifted on my toes to kiss his nose. “Why do you hate the portals so much? Is it really because you haven’t gone through very much in the years since the attacks?”
He gave a quick shake of his head, watching the others stand around the portal. “No, it’s because we went through the Waesaris the morning of the attack. Just back from a vacation to Earth. Ever since, memories I’ve tried to forget resurface when we go through.”
Yunez clapped once, “Let’s get inside, everything we need should be there.”
The house in front of me was about a third of the size of his castle. Even drenched in all the colors, the warmth was missing. It was more of a forgotten, wacky museum. We entered through the library, which was lined wall to wall with dusty old books.
“Yunez, who threw up the disco era on this house?” I loved books, and this would definitely have been my happy spot, but the wood framing was even tie-dyed. If we didn’t get out of here soon, my head would start hurting.
Yunez dropped his head back and looked to the ceiling as if asking for deliverance. When he finally brought his attention to me, his expression was nothing short of pained. “I redecorated in the seventies; I hardly ever come back, so it wasn’t worth the effort or time to update this hellhole.”
“This is yours?” Jari craned his head as he took in every nook and cranny.
“My childhood home. My mother taught me how to read on that bench under the window.”
“Where are your parents?” Sage rumbled, the words so low, I almost couldn’t understand them.
Yunez turned and continued through the library, disappearing through the next door when his answer floated back to us. “They were killed when they rebelled against the Supreme.”
My steps faltered.
I couldn’t see his face, but his shoulders bunched up to his ears. His fists clenched by his sides before he stepped out of sight. Was this why he fought the Shadow Society so hard? Because it was personal? How could it not be?
I looked to the guys, watching for any clue of how to go forward, but they were just as confused as I was. They were literally scratching their heads. When he lost his sight, he seemed mortal. Less of the god on the pedestal we’d all placed him on. Now with this revelation, he was a little more human.
“We need to catch up,” I took off after Yunez. When did I become the voice of reason?
They scrambled after me as I ran down the hallway. Damn, Yunez could speed walk when he wanted to. Small droplets of sweat dripped down my forehead as I braced myself in the doorway. Yunez was fingering a feather sticking out of a hat, and I had the strangest urge to call it macaroni.
As I caught my breath, I studied the room. This one room was the absence of color. Everything was black. The walls, carpet, ceiling. Although this wasn’t exactly a room, but more a closet. An armory that held not only weapons, but armor and cloaks.
“This is a little cloak and dagger, Yunez.” I wheezed.
Jari pushed past me, smirking over his shoulder as he headed straight for the collection of weapons, “Yunez, these are great, but where are the sex toys?”
The darkness surrounding Yunez lightened, as his gaze lifted to mine. “Not here, those are in the bedroom drawer,” he dropped his face, doing nothing to hide the devilish grin. “Do not fret; Isolde will be intimately acquainted
with them all at some point. Although the ones here are few and not very interesting, not like the collection at my Halfei estate.”
A smile broke out over my face. I didn’t even care if he was teasing me. I’d much rather be on the receiving end of the guy’s ribbing as long as the haunting echo of long-ago pain wasn’t as sharp as it was moments ago.
Nato must have felt the same when he slapped Yunez on the back, “Now that you’re bonded, don’t think we aren’t going to cockblock you at any given chance.”
For the first time that morning, Sage perked up. “That’s a great idea; I’m in.”
Yunez pursed his lips in displeasure. “There is no bond, you cunt lickers have apparently perfected your cock blocking ways, and you did not even know it.”
Nato glanced at Rand, his brow scrunched up in confusion. “I thought that was why you wanted Iss to yourself last night; we all figured you and Rand…” he trailed off.
Rand spoke up in a tone so dry, had we been outside, dead leaves would have fallen around us, “Made a Manno sandwich? With Iss as our tasty Mazza meat?”
“Made her a Manno pin cushion?” Yunez came behind me and gripped my arms; he breathed me in, his hot breath whispering across my cheek. The bastard released a bit of his Manno mojo, because suddenly my body was a molten lava pool of lust. Had he not been holding me in place, I would have climbed him like a tree.
“Fucker,” I gritted through clenched teeth, “Turn it off.”
A light chuckle sounded at my ear. “Sorry, my love, when my emotions are wild, my powers are not as controllable. My own wants are…leaking all over you, I’m afraid.”
He stepped back and strode back over to the highbacked chair where he’d left the feathered hat hanging from the elaborate black knob of the frame. “There is not much time, Ado was not able to share who injured him or why. He believed Kia was safe for a time, but there is no way to know if that is true. In this room are the cloaks and fittings that will blend in as we make our way through the city. Once we reach the compound where the Shadow Society makes their home, you must follow me exactly. It is riddled with traps and mercenaries; they are meant to keep out unwanted guests. See, even the people of Fiasla are not trusted. The Shadow Society is not the government as you would call it Isolde, but they are the reigning…terrorists. The majority of the people here are too afraid to act against them. So, they watch in silence as the Shadow Society recruits and carries out their plots.”
I had edged closer during his words. “Wow, you make it sound like a third world country here. Like there’s no one to protect the people.”
Egan laid a warm hand on the back of my neck, and I drew comfort in his touch.
“Because there is not; maybe at one time, but the Shadow Society murdered any threats to their power.”
Rand pulled a black cloak down from the wall, swinging it around his shoulders. “Yunez is the threat now, and they do not even know he exists, at least not in the truest sense.”
“Oh, they know who I am, and that I oppose everything they stand for. But they would never believe I have amassed such a following to combat theirs.”
Jari followed suit, finding a cloak, then handed one to me. “Then how are they blocking you?”
That paused Yunez; his body literally froze. I doubted he was even breathing, “Hmm, maybe I’m not such an unknown. There is no way they would know I have gained so much power, but they do know I hate them. They might have someone that blocks all sight from anyone outside their organization; we need more intel.”
And perhaps Kia would be able to provide it?
We all dressed, covering our weapons and donning hats that looked straight out of the Yankee Doodle rhyme. Yunez once again changed from the man I had come to know, to someone who could snap a neck without a second thought. When I met his gaze, I saw death and revenge stamped in the amethyst depths of his eyes. And somehow, I wasn’t afraid.
Jari stepped up next to me, and while he lacked the menacing aura, it wasn’t a surprise. He hadn’t recently lost someone so close to him, but when I looked to Rand, the lethal air about him was almost as deadly as Yuenz’s. He must have been close to Ado.
Today was personal to them both. It was a rushed plan of revenge, but also one of hopeful salvation. I couldn’t get a straight read on Rand, but every slope of his shoulder and tilt of his head belied his guilt for the death of his friend. It was up to us to make sure neither did anything foolish today. I locked eyes with each of my original bonds, and we’d come to know each other so well they understood what I was silently telling them. Or maybe they saw it for themselves. Either way, they all subtly nodded before following Yunez as he walked briskly toward the front of the house.
The wild array of colors nearly blinded me as my eyes adjusted. Once we were outside, in the direct sunlight, I was amazed and horrified all at once. This realm was the exact replica of Earth. For a moment, a pang of homesickness hit my chest, but then I studied the rest. Yunez’s house sat on the end of a deserted street. The other houses were drab and gray. At some time in the long ago past, they might have been vibrant, loving homes, but there was none of that now.
We didn’t slow our pace as we walked down the street. I turned back to see the psychedelic picture of Yunez’s house against all the dreary gray, but the house was gone. Not just camouflaged to appear as the other houses, but completely gone. A barren, gravelly field was in its place.
“They must not know I still visit my childhood home,” Yunez said without turning around.
“Do you have eyes in the back of your head?” I retied my blonde hair in a tight bun at the base of my neck before flipping the hood up to hide the shining, reflective blonde of my locks.
I could almost feel the smile in his words. “Don’t forget, I have the sight with everything else outside of the Shadow Society.”
Right. He could see my decisions before I made them if he was focusing on me. And, in this enemy place, I bet he was watching us all as much as he could. At what point would our decisions be cleared from his sight? When we stepped foot into the compound? Before?
I didn’t want to ask, not only was it the wrong time, but who knew what might be lurking around the corner.
A woman in a tattered gray robe sat on a broken stoop, not looking up as we passed. Then we crossed paths with two more people, who looked in bad need of a sandwich on the road taking us out of the residential area. It was so deserted, the few people we passed should have at least glanced our way. Instead, they had remained motionless, gazing at whatever held their interest.
“Are you controlling their minds?” Sage voiced my own question.
“Nah, I have only put a glamor on us so none will see us, the compound isn’t far now.”
The wind, which had been silent, whipped around our ankles, threatening to pull our hoods down. Every step became a hard feat until I latched onto Nato’s back. It was a lame move, but I needed his help to move forward. Together we pushed against the wall of air trying to stop our progress.
“What the fuck, Yunez?” Jari had one hand in front of him as if to ward off the weather, while the other shielded his eyes from the cutting gales. “I’m trying to combat it, but it’s too strong.”
“Rand,” Yunez snatched Jari’s hand, while Rand did the same on his other side.
The wind tapered off to a playful breeze, but the three stayed locked together. “Follow directly behind us. We’re almost past the worst of it,” the strain in Rand’s voice seeming out of place when the violence of the weather ceased to touch us. Where their arms were visible, veins stood out in stark relief, their fingers white from their grip.
Yunez, Jari, and Rand were holding the winds back. They moved forward as if walking through the thickest sludge. Then here the rest of us came, strolling behind them as if we didn’t have a care in the world. Unless you counted our constant scanning of the land around us, waiting for anything or anyone to jump out at us. Okay, so we were jumpy druggies taking a leisurely stroll down
a crack alley.
The road ended, and the only thing that stood between us and a concrete structure coming straight out of the hills like some kind of hobbit hole, was a neat and trim yard, complete with little flower pots. Pansies of all different colors danced in the breeze, the hill connected to the building was unlike any land we had passed so far; the grass was green.
“Why is the compound the only place with any beauty?” I whispered as our three weather keepers relaxed and released their hands.
“Shh.” Yunez slashed a sharp hand down.
Okay… bad timing.
He prowled along the side of the building, but there was no door. Abruptly, he stopped in front of an empty stretch of wall right in between two flowerpots. “Here,” he touched the wall, his fingers gliding over the smooth texture in search of something. A low keening, and then the wall rearranged into a doorway. “Remember, do not leave my side. We are invisible as long as you stick by me.”
And then he was gone.
Unsure if a single line would be close enough, I hurried after Yunez, crowding close to his back. My other guys had the same idea. The inside was everything you would expect of a secret sect of people, who believed they were the only ones worthy of living. Walls of obsidian glistened from the flames in the sconces, there was no guard at the door, and that surprised me. Did they think their booby traps were guard enough?
Yunez periodically held up a hand and motioned for us to step directly where he stepped. Back and forth, we weaved our way down the hall until he stopped at the edge of an open room. I let out a relieved breath. Yunez’s intel from Ado was fantastic because outside of hurricane force winds, we hadn’t hit any of the traps. I peeked around the guys to get a look at what was in the room. Typical of most of the structures of Fennina I had been in, this one room was the gathering place. The throne room. Only the platform with the thrones wasn’t at the back or sides. It was a circular stage in the center. And, above it, a silver gilded cage swung ever so slightly as if disturbed by the draft when we opened the door.
Secrets of the Mazza: A Paranormal Romance (Mazza Series Book 3) Page 19
