Immersive

by Becky Moynihan

  Tears smudged the stars from the sky. One second, I was elated by his words, and the next, a sick wave of nausea swept through me.

  “Hey.” Bren tilted my chin toward him, revealing his worried frown. He wiped away my embarrassing tears. “I’m sensing fear. What happened? Do you regret—?”

  “Don’t you dare say it, Brendan Bearon,” I said sternly, but my voice shook. “I could never regret what we shared. I’m just scared. Scared because I’ve never loved someone this way before and I can’t lose that. I can’t lose you.”

  His eyes held sympathy. I knew he understood. His fingers traced my jaw before tipping my face up to his. “You won’t lose me.” He pressed his lips to mine in a slow caress, soothing my fear.

  “You can’t promise that,” I whispered against his mouth. When the kiss grew more heated, scattering my thoughts, I pulled back. I made sure he was looking at me as I said, “You’re still planning on returning to Tatum City, aren’t you.”

  It wasn’t a question.

  His gaze dropped, but I brought a hand up, brushing my knuckles across his cheek. When his eyes lifted, there was so much turmoil inside them that I wanted to cry.

  “Please don’t, Bren. If Renold knows you’re a spy, he’ll torture you. Maybe even kill you. You can’t go back. It’s too risky.”

  He sighed and wrapped his arms around my middle, pulling me close. “Someone has to make a stand, Lune. I’ve been preparing for this moment my entire life. It’s my chance to atone for my sins. Knowing I put children in there, knowing I destroyed their families . . . I have to make it right, little bird, or the guilt will eat me alive.”

  I trailed my finger up a vein in his forearm, deep in thought. “What if . . . what if the guilt won’t go away until you forgive yourself?”

  He didn’t say anything for several moments. “Guess I’ll have to carry the guilt for a little while longer then.”

  Oh, Bren. His pain was palpable. If only he’d let me carry some of that burden for him.

  I jerked as an agitated male voice tore apart our little cocoon. “So I swoop in all stealth mode, expecting to rescue you two from a manhunt, only to find you schmoozing under the stars? I’m disappointed, guys. Real disappointed. And a bit nauseated at all the ooey-gooey crap.”

  Bren was already on his feet, blocking my view of the intruder before I could so much as twitch a finger. Just as quickly, he lunged forward and tackled the man. No, they were hugging. Hugging? What in the—

  “You came,” I heard Bren say with relief. As I stood, they separated but still clasped each other’s shoulders. I squinted for a better look at the newcomer, barely making out dark skin and short black hair on top of a solid black outfit. It was the dazzling white teeth as he grinned that had shock zipping through me.

  “Jaxon,” I blurted incredulously. “How—?” I trailed off as he took three giant steps and swallowed me in his arms. I was too surprised to protest when he lifted me off my feet.

  “I’m glad you’re here, Jax, but you chose the worst possible moment to attempt a rescue,” Bren said from nearby. “Two dozen men are on the hunt for Lune tonight. It’s only a matter of time before they catch on that I’m with her and track my scent instead—especially Ryker. I’m surprised he’s not here already.”

  Jaxon stepped back and peered down at me sternly. “How come you left The Ridge with that doofus? He’s bad news. And you,” he said, pausing to scan Bren’s body. “I thought you were in serious trouble. What am I missing here? ‘Cause my remote-controlled drone doesn’t have voice detection.”

  I gaped at him, feeling heat rise to my cheeks. “You’ve been watching us?”

  His hazel brown eyes narrowed. “It’s my job, remember? Sleek, panther-like drone? Now stop giving me that koi fish look and spill the beans.”

  I started to explain what happened the day Ryker showed up at Medical when Bren suddenly grabbed my arm and dragged me behind him.

  “Someone’s here,” he said, squaring off with the northern edge of the roof. “I sure hope you’re armed, Jax.” I peeked over Bren’s shoulder only to have him nudge me out of sight again. I stared at his broad back, feeling both the urge to kick him and hug him for being so protective.

  “Uh, about that,” Jaxon muttered almost nervously. “My covert operation ended up with a stalker sidekick. You have to understand, she’s been impossible ever since Lune disappeared. She was ordered to stay at camp until we could extract you two, but . . . but she snuck in after me, man. I didn’t know until it was too late.”

  Bren slowly turned to his friend, every muscle on his frame taut. “Who? Jaxon, I swear. If you—”

  “Jaxon, I think I heard something. It could be one of the clansmen, and I can’t—” A gasp. “Bren!”

  Alarm flared through me at the sound of that decidedly female voice.

  Bren jerked, whipping toward the voice. And swore.

  He rushed to help his sister over the roof’s ledge, glaring daggers at Jaxon the whole time. Crap, there was a ladder. Our hideout was more accessible than we thought. Bells threw her arms around her brother, talking so fast I could barely catch the words. She also wore solid black, her dark brown hair weaved into a thick braid.

  I thought about using the moment to speak with Jaxon about my plan, but the timing was all wrong. Neither side would listen under these circumstances. This was incredibly dangerous for all three of them. They were in this predicament because of me and needed to leave the city now.

  Even Bren. Especially Bren.

  But he would have to leave me behind.

  Despair punched me in the gut. The violence of the emotion stole my breath.

  Focused on breathing through the pain, I didn’t see her approach until arms were enveloping me in a hug. Probably feeling my distress with her Empath ability, Bells crooned little nothing’s into my ear, gently rubbing my back. Still unused to female touch, it took me a moment to return the embrace. But when I did, I had the strangest urge to cry my eyes out.

  “I had to come,” Bells said softly. “I’m scared witless to be back here, but shortly after you left, it hit me. You didn’t escape The Ridge to betray us. You went to save my brother because you love him.” She hiccupped, pulling back to blink at me with sad, amber brown eyes. “I’m right, aren’t I? And then I realized how pathetic I’ve been, hiding behind parties and dresses and books. I’ve been too scared to fix things like you and Bren are, and I felt ashamed. I’m so sorry that I’m not more brave, but I’m trying now.”

  “Oh, Bells.” I drew her into another hug. Tremors rocked her slim frame as she broke down in tears. It was a dangerous thing to be overly sensitive in a violent world, but that very thing was also her strength. Kindness—empathy toward others—kept humans from tearing each other apart. But those gentle souls—like Asher, Iris, Mum, and even Bren—needed protecting, oftentimes from themselves. They carried too much so others wouldn’t have to.

  “You are brave,” I reassured her. “You survived and never stopped believing in the goodness of others. That takes a lot of courage. Everyone has their own battles to face, but they don’t all look the same.”

  “Lune’s right,” I heard a new voice say.

  Bren cursed again, but didn’t move to block me this time. I realized why a second later as Ryker slipped over the roof’s ledge, leveling a gun at Jaxon’s chest. A growl formed in the back of my throat. Bells stiffened against me but didn’t pull away.

  Blue eyes rimmed in black swung my direction, but Ryker wasn’t looking at me. His intense gaze was wholly focused on Bells as he said, “You’ve always been brave.”

  Bells gasped and jerked around. When Ryker saw her face, he froze midstep. They wordlessly stared at each other. No one dared move while his gun was still trained on Jaxon. He seemed to have forgotten about it, about everyone and everything. Except Bells.

  He finally blinked, swallowing hard. “Isabella.” Her name was soft on his tongue. My brows crept upward. His eyes flitted over her again.
“You’ve grown.”

  She collected herself, raising her chin defiantly. “I just turned seventeen.”

  His mouth lifted in a ghost of a smile. “I know.”

  She gawked at him a moment, obviously tongue-tied, then blurted, “Can you put away the gun, please? You know how I hate those things. And I go by Bells now.”

  Ryker glanced at me. “So I’ve heard,” he simply said, then shocked my socks off by lowering his weapon. “You all need to leave. Now. Everyone except Lune. The men aren’t far behind me and won’t hesitate to shoot first, ask questions later. If they detect your presence, they’ll chase and capture you.”

  “Too late. I can sense someone close by,” Bren muttered, striding toward me. “We’ll take the long way down, over the rooftops. Chances are we’ll still have to fight our way out, though. All of us. We have what we need, so let’s get out of here.”

  “I don’t have what I need,” Ryker interjected. “And Lune’s going nowhere without me.”

  Bells gasped, then quickly clamped a hand over her mouth. I grimaced, realizing how terrible Ryker’s words must sound to her. And I didn’t have time to explain.

  Not when Bren rounded on Ryker and snarled, “Why do you want Lune so badly? And for heaven’s sake, why did you give me up to the boss? You hate him. You know what? Screw this. You’ve always had questionable motives and I won’t let my mate be a part of them.”

  Ryker reared back, shooting us both death glares. “Your what?”

  Crap on a cat. Couldn’t these two chill out already?

  A shoulder nudged mine. “Mate, eh?” Jaxon whispered. “Kinky. I like it. So does that mean you—”

  I elbowed his arm. Hard. Bren was in so much trouble for this. I was going to yell at him, then bite and lick him. Wait.

  Get it together, you love-sick fool!

  “Guys, stop!” I hissed, placing myself between them. “I agree with Ryker. You all need to leave before it’s too late. But I have to stay and so does he. I’ve got a plan, and as long as we—well, when we do the—when I become princess, everything will be fine.” Well, that was painful. I turned pleading eyes on Bren. “You have to leave, too. If the boss finds out what we did, who knows what the punishment will be. You know how it feels to have a loved one used against you.”

  Despite my reasoning, he looked ready to throw me over his shoulder and apologize later. I was gearing up to deliver some choice words when Bells let out a startled squeak. I turned toward the noise. And almost swallowed my tongue.

  She was out in the open. Unprotected. With a gun pointed at her head.

  And the one holding the gun was none other than the boss.

  “No one’s going anywhere,” he drawled, his tone convincingly amiable. If it weren’t for the chips of ice in his eyes, I’d think he was in a good mood. Lightning quick, Ryker raised his gun. And pointed it at his father. Rollie almost looked bored. “Shoot me and she goes down, too.”

  Jaxon shifted beside me, slowly unholstering his weapon. I grabbed his arm and squeezed. He froze. What I couldn’t do was stop Bren if he decided to attack. He hadn’t moved a muscle, but fury poured off the taut lines of his body. I scrambled for a way out of this that didn’t involve bloodshed. But came up empty.

  “How did you get up here?” I blurted, desperately needing to divert his attention. “You didn’t use the ladder, and I didn’t see you jump.”

  He threw me a smirk. “I own this city. No one knows its secrets like I do—not even my traitorous son. The deal still stands, by the way. I don’t care if you gave yourself to another man like a tramp. You will marry my son. That’s right, lass, I heard everything. It didn’t take you long to betray me, and I told you who would pay the price. Bren will be taken care of, but first . . .”

  He paused, soaking in the fear and trepidation oozing from our pores. “But first, I have to take care of my son’s weakness. I warned him that females were treacherous to a man’s heart—they steal it, make it beat for them, then skewer it to the wall—but he didn’t listen. My mate, my mate,” he growled, losing his composure, “betrayed me tonight. I never wanted to be like my brother, but I won’t let love blind me from doing what’s best for the clan. If you’re all against me, then I’ll destroy you—starting with her.”

  Rollie steadied the gun, his focus solely on Bells. Yet his words were for me. “You can’t save the girl, lass, but return what you stole from me and I’ll consider sparing Bren’s life.” The blood drained from my face. “Where are the backpacks, Lune?” he roared, spittle flying from his mouth.

  My pulse went sky high, pounding in my skull as he cocked the gun’s hammer. Adrenaline whooshed through me. I felt sick. Helpless. Powerless. And yet, I was angry. So very angry. I had the greatest urge to reach out with my mind and demand he lower the gun.

  The feeling intensified. It thrashed in my chest, a wild instinct I couldn’t control. Couldn’t shake. My sight narrowed to him. Only him. The rush surged through me like a raging river, threatening to sweep me away.

  And I couldn’t.

  Hold.

  On.

  I was screaming. The sound a galewind. A twister in a storm.

  It hurt.

  I needed to release it. Let it go. Before it swallowed me whole.

  My mouth opened. The inferno charged.

  Then, as though immersed under water, the faraway voice of Ryker shouted, “Stop! I challenge you for head alpha.”

  My limbs twitched with aftershocks as I watched father and son strip to the waist.

  The guns had been tossed aside. Barely a word was spoken after Ryker had challenged Rollie. The King of the Recruiter Clan had looked shocked, then furious. But he honored the code he himself had instilled, allowing Bren to reach for his sister and pull her to safety.

  Bren kept darting worried glances at me, probably from sensing the strange manifestation I’d just experienced. Beside me, Jaxon had reversed my hold on his arm and now firmly held mine, keeping me from shaking right out of my skin. He was frowning, but remained tight-lipped as we watched the men prepare to fight. I ached to step forward and demand we reach an agreement that didn’t involve violence, but I knew it wouldn’t make a difference.

  This wasn’t the time for negotiations and alliances.

  This was Ryker’s moment to prove himself. To free himself of an abusive father and reunite with an imprisoned mother. Judging by the scars on his back, he’d been waiting his entire life for this moment.

  But the challenge was premature. He wasn’t ready—or so he believed. After seeing his reaction to Bells being held at gunpoint, though, maybe her presence alone would give him the strength needed to defeat Rollie. He cared for her. A lot. Bren wasn’t the only one fighting to protect her anymore.

  A commotion to the left caught my attention. Three clansmen clambered onto the roof, and Jaxon whipped out his gun. Before a shootout could commence, Rollie whirled, bellowing, “No weapons! There will be a ceasefire as you all witness this challenge for head alpha. We fight to the death in hand-to-hand combat. The loser is not allowed mercy. Anyone who interferes forfeits their lives.”

  The men nodded, pounding fists over their hearts. “Honor the code, respect the clan,” they said in unison, casting suspicious glares at Bren and Jaxon. Despite the hostility permeating the air, there was also a palpable sense of anticipation. They were excited about this fight.

  Jaxon holstered his gun, muttering under his breath, “Honor the crazy, respect the cult, is more like it.”

  Although I agreed, Rollie was without a doubt dedicated to the clan’s survival, and he was nowhere near ready to give up his throne. Which was why fear gripped my throat. Ryker may be younger and fitter, but his father was a boulder of dense muscle.

  Sure enough, I heard the boss jeer, “You’re not fit to rule, boy. You’re a disappointment and I’m ashamed to call you son. Bow out now and I’ll spare your life, for your mother’s sake.”

  Ryker simply shook his head. “We fight. It’s t
ime to end this.”

  The king’s lips peeled back in a silent snarl. “So be it.”

  Then he rushed his son.

  Ryker faced the attack the same way he would any other vicious predator—with a bored air. At the last second, he jerked back. Rollie’s powerhouse punch sailed past his shoulder. He expended little energy as the boss pursued him across the roof with savage thrusts and kicks meant to maim.

  We followed at a safe distance. A part of me didn’t want to watch, but I couldn’t look away. I knew Bells felt the same. Her hands were pressed tightly to her mouth, eyes round and unblinking. Bren had a firm grip on her arm as if afraid she’d try to break up the match. Smart. She probably would in the name of this newfound bravery she’d discovered. One blow from Rollie could kill her.

  Scratch that. One blow from either of them could. Ryker finally made a move, punching his father’s jaw with an audible smack. Blood sprayed from the older man’s mouth.

  Jaxon did a little cheer, whisper-yelling, “Go, Team Ryker!”

  I glared at him.

  He shrugged innocently. “What? He may be a douche, but you wouldn’t believe the stories I’ve heard of daddy-o. My money’s on the broody one.”

  “Money?” I waved a hand dismissively. “Never mind.”

  I was too focused on the stunned look both men were giving each other. My guess was that Ryker had never hit his father before. His eyes flicked to the blood spattered on the rooftop. Rollie used the distraction. A crack rent the air—the sound of bone giving way.

  Ryker doubled over, clutching at his ribs. Bells whimpered. I clenched my teeth, willing him to get up again.

  Push past the pain.

  I had never seen a father injure his child before—only ever experienced it. Watching was worse than I’d imagined. Before Ryker could recover, Rollie’s fist plowed into his cheek, almost bringing him to his knees. He staggered, bent at the waist, but remained on his feet. And from that position . . .

  I saw the move coming, but Rollie didn’t.