Secrets of the Mazza: A Paranormal Romance (Mazza Series Book 3)

by Blake Blessing

  “Damn it, Yunez, you really know how to kill the morning afterglow.”

  His lips twitched, but he remained silent as the others walked into the room. I quietly excused myself while they moved around the kitchen, making the Fennin version of tea and coffee.

  Yunez’s words were on a continuous loop in my head. Yesterday we infiltrated a Shadow Society Compound. If that wasn’t ballsy, I didn’t know what would be more dangerous than that. They must have stronger fighters, deadlier weapons, but where? How would we be able to find them and take them out before they took too many of our people’s lives?

  Our people. This has all been so new and frankly, one of the scariest things of my life. But, I was settling into this reality. And even though I hadn’t been with Yunez’s people long, they had already made an impression on me. I could easily claim them as my people, too. That meant I had a responsibility to protect them.

  “Ready?” Nato popped his head in the bathroom just as I finished getting ready.

  I nodded, not trusting what words would spill out of my mouth with these turbulent emotions flowing around my heart.

  “What’s wrong?” Nato let the door shut behind him as he approached me. He lifted me on the counter and stepped between my legs. I wrapped my arms around him, pulling his body in direct contact with mine.

  “Just some things Yunez said. I’m worried; I was happy earlier, but Yunez put it all in perspective for me, and fuck, now I’m scared. For you, for the guys, for the Mannos, and our friends. I don’t want anything to happen to them especially when it feels like I’m supposed to save them.”

  He studied me for a few seconds. That was Nato. Before Yunez snuck in and became our true leader, it had always been Nato’s role. He listened and watched, weighing his words when he did speak. I mean sure, bonding us in the beginning hadn’t exactly been his most shining moment, but to him, it was the right decision. He wasn’t quick to anger like Sage, or a prankster like Jari. In true fashion of a leader, he weighed the potential costs of the outcomes, based on our possible decisions.

  “I never told you about my family,” his sudden inhale was a ragged breath.

  “No,” I placed my hand on his palm, “You never did.” I knew all about Sage’s family history, Rand’s, and some of Egan’s. But Nato had been terribly tight-lipped.

  “I was the first of us to lose my family. My dad was a minor member of House Janer, and when he was barely a few years into his adulthood, he met my mother. She was a powerful courtier of the House of Zien. She was a strong healer, but only of the mind. She had an understanding of the brain that far surpassed others in her field. She was revered and loved; a gentle spirit. So naturally, we lived in the Zien ruled city. But we had a short holiday to visit my dad’s family. As we were entering the city, the road took us right by the Waesaris. That’s when the attack happened.

  “My father died instantly, but my mother survived; only barely. I was able to get her to a deserted building off of one of the major roads. It had been deserted because this area had already been hit by attacks two times before. Back then, people evacuated to save themselves if they didn’t need to go through the portal. It shredded my heart to have to leave my father’s corpse in the street, but I was eleven, and there was no way I could have carried my mother and my father with me.”

  “Nato,” his name fell from my lips, and I pressed my forehead into his chest.

  “Do you remember the vision you saw with the little boy who was accused of causing the attack? All because he lived?”

  I nodded, my forehead rubbing against the soft linen of his shirt. How could I forget the small burst of Zien powers and what it had left me with?

  “It was a fear of all people in the earlier attacks. So, I bunkered down with my mother and tried to keep us safe until she was healed enough that we could go home. But she hit her head so hard, I think she must have had a brain injury on top of her other fatal wounds.” He cupped the back of my head, “Her mind seemed scrambled after that. Not once in the days that followed did she say my name. And, late one night, she passed in her sleep.” His voice was so clinical. As if he could shove away the pain of the memory by pretending it didn’t hurt.

  My breath hitched in my throat. Why did all my guys have such sad stories? For us to truly understand each other, maybe we all needed to understand true loss. I didn’t like it, but it made a sad sort of romantic justice.

  “Don’t cry, Iss. I told you about them because I wanted you to know that you can worry for us all, but every one of the Fennins, the ones here in the castle, the ones who have suffered from the attacks, we need to go up against the Shadow Society. I’m sure most of us, if not all, have been touched by some part of the evil seeping from that crazy group of elitists. More than revenge, we need to stop what torment they would rain down on the younger generations.”

  He was right; I had always known we would need to stop the future they wanted to make a reality. But, I still didn’t want to lose anyone. Part of me would always be a little bit human, and I wouldn’t change it for anything.

  “I know,” I croaked as I dug my fingers into his back. There was nothing else to say.

  “Come on, let’s go show ourselves to the Mannos. Isn’t that weird?” He raised his eyebrows, trying to lighten the mood.

  I let him, smiling weakly with my next words. “You mean weird like a Fae like race coming out of the ether to tell me I’m their long-sought savior?”

  He tilted his head. “Yeah, I see your point.”

  I laughed as he pulled me out of the room.

  Today was different when we exited the suites. Servants lingered in the hallway carrying linens and towels, anything that would make it seem like they had a reason to be here. But really, looking at their exuberant and shining faces, they were here to catch of glimpse of us. Apparently, we had made it to celebrity status overnight.

  In front of me, Egan nudged Yunez in the side. “Why are they all staring at us like tween Beliebers?”

  “They are happy we have won this small victory; let me enjoy it, because the tide will turn many times before the end of the war.”

  Remembering what Yunez said about how tough it was going to be before the end beat against my thoughts, troubling me in a way that I had never worried before I met any of them.

  Doru met us at the entrance to the great hall with a smile so wide, I could count every one of his teeth. “The table is set. Sit! Eat! The Mannos wish to put on a show for you while you break your fast.”

  Yunez greeted each of the Mannos that stopped us by name as we walked up to the platform that held the same table as before. His spirit was high, and he laughed like a million things weren’t weighing on his mind.

  All things considered, breakfast was pretty fun. The food was fantastic, and the entertainment was amazing. The Mannos weren’t performers by any stretch of the imagination, but their skills were exceptional. They had knife-throwing contests, upping the dangerousness with each round. By the end, they were taking turns standing against the wooden wall they had wheeled, as knives vibrated around their body as they hit so close, pieces of their clothes were stuck with the blade.

  I clapped and whooped, totally choosing favorites. Especially when the generals got up to spar against each other. Batse was a favorite; I couldn’t help it, I loved the flirt.

  We were eased into a sense of safety, enjoying the moment. It was great for morale, even though we knew we were going to have to make some very scary decisions soon. I glanced at each guy in my Lusty Legion, and despite the slight lines of strain around their eyes, they seemed okay. Not freaking out like I would be without them.

  Then a jarring siren turned the Mannos from laughing, cocky men ribbing each other for sport, to hardened warriors that would stab a knife through the eye without any glimmer of remorse.

  That sense of safety was shattered in a blaze of fire, lighting up the windows on all sides.

  Nato and Yunez leaped over the table while Jari and Rand tried to us
her me away from everyone else. At first, I went with it, but when they were pushing me toward the door that would take us to our suites, I pushed hard on their chests.

  “Stop! We need to see what’s going on!” They pulled my hands out of the way and Rand bent to lift me over his shoulder, continuing down the hall.

  “Fuck this, you guys; we’re in this together.” I grabbed a fist full of his pants and yanked to give him the biggest wedgie known to man. It had worked on Sage, maybe it would work on Rand. I only needed a few seconds to get away.

  “Damn it, Iss!” He set me down to adjust himself, but I sprinted back to where Yunez and the others were grabbing weapons and strapping the belts on that would hold them.

  Yunez’s face scrunched up as his gaze locked with mine. “Get her back to the rooms.”

  I took a step back, Yunez had never tried to shelter me like this. He’d always supported my role in his world, in his life. Wasn’t he the one that just freaking told the Mannos I was the one they were all waiting for?

  Jari tugged on my arm, trying hard not to bruise me, but I wouldn’t budge. “Come on, Iss. There isn’t much time, Yunez’s shields are strong, but it feels like they’re cracking.” He tipped his head up, listening to something that was eluded my ears.

  I was jerked back around to face Yunez, and dread turned into something heavy and twisted in my gut, “Do you feel it?” He demanded.

  I shook my head. “Feel what?”

  “Exactly!”

  Oh shit. Now it was making sense. The blackness that edged my vision, the cramps that told me something bad was coming our way, was absent. The only feeling I had was in response to the way Yunez was freaked out.

  “I can see you understand; the blocker, he has to be here. If he is this strong, I do not want you anywhere near him until you have come into your full powers. I need to keep you safe.”

  Okay, damn. Damn.

  How were we going to get through this? I wasn’t a coward. Not by choice anyway. And allowing the guys to squirrel me away until the threat was gone went against everything in me. That was not the person I wanted to be.

  “Together, remember? I can’t hide in the room to chance one of you will be taken or killed,” I put every ounce of fear into my eyes.

  He looked behind me with what could only be described as a help expression.

  “I agree with Iss,” Egan took up position behind my back, placing a possessive hand on my waist. “Only bad things happen when we’re separated; maybe they’d still happen, but together, we’re stronger.”

  Yunez blanked his expression as he stared Egan down. “And if Iss gets taken?”

  Nato gritted his teeth, while Jari fisted his hands. The others looked away; they didn’t want to be separated any more than I did. But it was hard to be hit with the truth.

  “Then you will come rescue me, like we would rescue anyone of us that was taken.” That was the truth. We could not leave anyone to the Shadow Society. It ripped my heart to shreds just thinking about the possibility of leaving one of the guys with them.

  Yunez wasn’t done, though, “And, if we all get taken?” His words were quiet, steady.

  This time, Sage stepped up beside me. “Then we come up with a way to escape. We’re safer together, and let’s not even get into my separation issues.” He grinned sardonically, but an underlying edge of fear crept through.

  Mannos ran past, ignoring our little domestic qualm. A breeze lifted edges of Yunez’s hair, and he sighed. “This is a bad idea, not that I have a feeling, but everything in me is telling me Iss should be protected until she comes into her full powers. Okay, we stay together on one condition,” his lip curled in a mild imitation of a grimace, “Remember what I said about replacing your bonds if any of us should fall. You need six. One from each house and two Mannos. That is the only way you’ll ever defeat the Shadow Society. If we all agree that Iss lives even if we should die to save her, then we go out together.”

  Nato and the others agreed without hesitation. “No worries there, she’s our heart and we’d always give our lives for hers.”

  As much as I hated that, we had to go. No time to debate the importance of each of their lives to me. In under two minutes, we were rushing out the front doors to see a shimmering shield come in and out of focus as explosions of familiar purple smoke bombarded the perimeter.

  “You really have to fucking show us how to do that. I’m tired of that being the only weapon they use, but I need to know how to do it at the same time.” I crack the nunchucks in my hands, ready to kick some shadow ass. It would also be nice if one of my Mazza powers suddenly made a miraculous appearance and saved us, too.

  But…nothing other than wild anger and sharp fear traveling through my limbs.

  The smoke cleared, and a woman with glossy black hair and vibrant green eyes crouched on a wagon stopped right in front of the driveway. Her body was clad in a slick, black bodysuit. Who the hell was this woman? Was the Shadow Society recruiting women now?

  Whoa, I had to check myself; how sexist of me. Clearly, they did have women. Look at the crazy lady that ran the pub.

  “Can she see us?” I said without removing my gaze from Cat Lady. She reminded me of Cat Woman, so sue me.

  “No. As long as the shield holds, she can’t see through the glamour. But she’s incredibly strong to be staring right at it. The glamour should make anyone divert their attention.” Yunez sounded like he swallowed something sour.

  Fuck.

  “Okay, so what do we do?” Because now that we were outside and flanked by a hundred Mannos, my battle strategy was eluding me.

  “We wait.” And…that was the worst answer ever, but I didn’t disagree with Yunez. How could I, when I didn’t have any better suggestions?

  So, we waited. And, waited.

  The next time the fog cleared, a man with long raven hair joined her. He was tall and built like a brick shit house. He was also staring at the shield with a scary amount of intensity. Two ravens circled his head before landing on his shoulders. He reached up a hand and absently stroked the head of one. This had to be the Manno that was setting off the attacks.

  More explosions, then a white blond, shorthaired man stood on her other side. He was slender, almost too slender, but still of a decent height. Again, with the staring.

  Again, and again, the attacks repeated until a black man joined her, then a non-descript brown haired man, and a curly haired man with skin so white he had to be albino. Then, a man so beautiful, he rivaled Yunez, or maybe Rand. Hell, all my guys were beautiful, and he was just as stunning with strawberry blond hair down to his chin, and a wicked sharp face.

  I glanced around me and saw three guys on each side, then I looked back at this woman who looked like she could happily take everything I loved from me and not bat an eye. She also had three guys on either side of her.

  Oh, shit.

  “Yunez…” It was barely a whisper.

  “I see.” But he hadn’t seen. No time had he mentioned the Shadow Society would also have a Mazza. And, six fucking bonds. This group were the ones that were so powerful they blocked Yunez’s sight? Oh, hell no. We needed to go back inside and train some more before we took on this motley crew.

  The woman threw her hands out, and another explosion attacked the shield. A crack slowly made its way down the center, but it didn’t fizzle out like the minuscule cracks had before. It widened and widened until the shield blinked twice and disappeared.

  My spine shot ramrod straight as I prepared to attack these motherfuckers with everything I had. Seven figures appeared out of the violet haze still permeating the air. Now that they were closer, I got a very good look at them.

  Yunez went stiff at the same time my heart started pounding like a dumb girl trying to escape a serial killer’s hidey hole room.

  The man on the far left, the raven-haired man was staring right at me, and his eyes were as big and round as a freaking Ferris wheel. Uh huh, he recognized me too. And this fucker would
have been in a great position to see my marks. If he was who I thought he was, then I’d fucking skin his ass alive.

  I took in a slow breath. Cursing was so therapeutic, but I could admit I had a problem when I was upset. The curly headed guy noticed his buddy’s weird reaction, and within seconds, the whole line was staring at him.

  His hair was longer, and he was bulkier, but it was him, I knew it. But how could we spin this to our own advantage? Fuck it, I’d throw it out there and see what happened.

  “Brody.” I greeted with steel in my smile, “Funny seeing you here.” My ex bed buddy. The one I would see whenever he passed through town. Turned out he was here, in Fennina, tearing shit up.

  What a small fucking world.

  They stopped about ten feet in front of us, and Brody minutely shook his head. Was this clown really trying to give me a signal to keep his secret quiet? Well, this Mazza didn’t like secrets. So, no way in the fiery balls of Fennina would I keep his.

  The woman whipped her head over to Brody, an ugly and possessive look stamped across her face. Two things that should never go together. Call me crazy, but that spelled trouble.

  “Brody?” Oh, this lady ruled her guys with an iron fist. Her voice was like a sweet poison that demanded an answer and if she didn’t like it, said he was about to be in a world of hurt. It shouldn’t surprise me this latex wearing weirdo would be a dominatrix.

  “I don’t know her.” He pulled his shoulders back as if good posture would help his deception game.

  It was so weak even I rolled my eyes. “What I want to know is, if you knew I was The Mazza. And, if you did, why you never said anything.” Statements. They were questions, but I demanded the answers.