by CoraLee June
I shrugged. “Just wing it. You’ll figure it out.”
“Sounds risky,” he replied with a slow grin. “I like it.”
Crow stood and joined me at my side. Tomb positioned himself at my back, grasping my waist, and Risk faced me, holding my cheeks in the palm of his hands.
“Let’s build an army, Wicked Love,” he whispered.
“Let’s ruin Spector,” I replied.
Chapter 27
Risk worked efficiently to get everyone to the Between. Some got vertigo. Some started vomiting on the sheer vast nothingness. Some screamed.
Cheryl complained.
“All this white is washing me out,” she whined as she looked around the white nothingness that surrounded us. “I look terrible. And who even designed this place? I’m all for clean, modern spaces, but would a sitting area be too much to ask?”
I rubbed my temples. She was clinging to me like a spider monkey, though her annoying comments provided a good distraction. I embraced the predictable nature of her complaints to keep sane. I couldn’t grieve right now. Right now I had to fight.
Risk rolled his eyes at her comment. He was definitely not a fan of Cheryl’s. With a snap of his fingers, he made a chair appear for her to sit on and shut up.
Cheryl wrinkled her nose. “Mm, it’s nice...I guess,” she murmured before sitting down and crossing her legs.
“Nice?” Risk sighed while shaking his head. “What in the hellfire is wrong with it?”
“It’s just...black leather? That is so dated.”
I grabbed Risk’s arm to stop him from throwing a fireball at her head. He sighed like he was disappointed, and shook out his smoking hands.
I looked over at Russell who was currently perched on my shoulder again. Ever since he’d gotten separated from me when I was taken by the guards, he’d been particularly clingy. Crow said the bird evaporated and appeared at his side the moment I was taken. It was how the guys knew something was wrong. And although his beady red eyes were a bit unnerving, and his claws dug into my skin somewhat painfully at times, he had grown on me.
When I reached up to pet him, he nipped my finger playfully, and a small smile slipped over my lips. Across the room, I saw that Crow was watching the exchange with a sexy smirk on his face. He liked that his bird and I had gotten close. It felt like our own special thing. And when Crow looked at me the way he was now, it filled me with warmth.
“I miss Stiles,” Cheryl sniffed, bringing my attention back to her. Worry clung to her eyes. “He said he would be back right after the demonstration, but I haven’t seen or heard from him.”
I gently rubbed her shoulder in comfort while sucking in a steadying breath. “He’ll be okay. He has to be careful, but I’m sure you’ll hear from him soon.”
I didn’t let my own worry show, but I was really hoping we’d hear from him. Stiles was an intricate part of our plan. It wasn’t enough to fight Spector and their guards. We had to show the world what hybrids were capable of and what Spector planned to do with us.
Once Risk transported most of the hybrids, I took in my peers with trepidation. He’d managed to bring in about a hundred of us, and he’d already explained what we were doing and how time worked in the Between. And although time wouldn’t pass, having this many people in the emptiness was making the edges of this space vibrate with energy. It was like ripping fabric that couldn’t hold onto reality. We needed to work fast.
“So why are we here?” a shifter girl asked. “Is this another Spector test?” she was rocking back and forth on her feet and pinching her flesh with dull nails.
“No, we’re—”
My words were cut off as an unhinged elemental hybrid with wild eyes started backing up from the group. “No! I’m not doing any more tests!” he yelled. “You can’t make me!”
The mental health of everyone had been deeply warped with all of Spector’s tests and trainings. I was lucky enough to have my mates teach me to accept the two warring sides of myself, but I wasn’t sure everyone else was gifted with the same relief. One necromancer was breaking his finger over and over and over, just to watch the bone mend. I could hear the continuous crunch of his skeleton echo in the empty air.
“We’re here to bring down Spector,” I announced loudly, hoping to cut through everyone’s questioning worry.
Some stared at me with hopeful eyes, some scoffed. A few of them looked distrustful of me, like they couldn’t believe that this wasn’t a trick.
The worst ones, though, were the ones that had vacant stares. They were too lost in their own minds to comprehend what was going on around them. I realized that it was unfair to expect everyone to participate, but we needed all the help we could get.
“Spector has gone too far,” I began. I wasn’t one for making speeches; I’d spent so long in the shadows at Thibault that having everyone’s eyes glued to me made me nervous. But, just like at the demonstration, they were all looking to me for direction. “They want to commercialize these demon possessions. Make more of us and force more demons out of hell. You know where that will lead. They’ll use us for whatever schemes they come up with. I know none of us are naive enough to think that Spector will ever let us go. And I for one don’t want to be a Spector pawn for the rest of my life. I don’t want to be a member in their hybrid army,” I said, holding more conviction with each word I spoke. “They use our loved ones against us, lock us in cells, force us to train, and study us like animals.”
A shifter huffed, likely offended by my metaphor.
“Which is why we need to fight back.”
“Fuck yes!” the shifter girl from the demonstration called out, fist raised in the air. I’d learned her name was Tara. “That’s what I’m talking about!”
An elemental cleared her throat. “I don’t know...I tried to leave, but they threatened my baby sister,” she said. “I hate them, but how can we fight back? They have too much power, and I don’t want them to hurt my family.”
A few voices murmured in agreement.
My chest constricted with pain, and my spider surged forward to protect me from the onslaught of emotions coursing through me. Aunt Marie. “They killed my aunt,” I admitted out loud with a shaky voice. Russell ruffled his feathers and tipped his beak into my neck. Webs began to pool from my fingers and wrap around my trembling body, like my spider wanted to safely cocoon me, keeping me away from the fresh waves of pain. Wide, wary eyes watched me.
“I defied them, and they killed my aunt right in front of me.”
My words were greeted with gasps and pitying looks. It nearly undid me. But warmth at my back made me pause. My men were behind me, offering me their support.
I cleared my throat. “You might follow their rules, play their games, and deal with their shit. But a day from now, a month from now, or even a year from now, you could slip up. Get tired. Hell, get mad. And Spector could decide to flex their muscles. No one can keep up with their demands forever. We can’t live like this. We can’t bow down and submit, or accept that they’re holding our loved ones over our heads. We have to stop them. As long as Spector exists, our entire community is at risk. But I won’t force anyone,” I told them honestly. “It’s your choice—something that Spector also likes to take from us. I choose to fight them. And I hope you choose to fight with me.”
Everyone was silent, and I glanced around, my anxiety spiking. I meant what I said. Everyone had a choice to join us. It was a huge risk bringing them here and telling them this information. Any one of them could rat us out to Spector. But I had hope that we could band together.
“Spector outnumbers us,” a male said from the back. I recognized him as a Thibault graduate.
“They do,” I conceded with a nod. “But we’re hybrids. I haven’t seen what everyone can do, but I’ve caught glimpses in the training room. We’re strong. And we have the element of surprise.”
“I thought the demon was working with President Belvini?” a pixie-like female asked, her eyes watching Risk
with apparent nervousness.
“I enjoy playing the double agent,” Risk replied with a grin. “It raises the stakes nicely.”
I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes at him. “It’s time to decide. If anyone wants out, now’s your chance to speak up. My mate will return you back to Spector.”
“And just so we’re clear,” Risk cut in, “if any of you whisper a word of this to anyone at Spector, I’ll know. And I’ll personally tear the eyeballs from your sockets and shove you into hell where you can stumble around blindly for all eternity, trapped in darkness and fire.”
Crow sighed and shook his head. “Too harsh,” he mumbled.
“Eh, I think it was a good touch,” Tomb shrugged.
The hybrids looked like they were ready to pee in their Spector-issued pants.
“Okay,” I said, clapping my hands once to break up the tension. “On that happy note, who’d like to join us?”
Oddly enough, all of them did.
“You don’t need to rehearse, Cheryl,” I groaned out for what must have been the thousandth time.
She ran a hand through her blonde bob in annoyance. “Look, you asked me to put on this concert, Motley. You can’t just expect me to sing without any sort of preparation or warm up. I’m not fucking Beyoncé, okay?”
“It’s not a concert. It’s not even a middle school talent show!” I yelled back. “All I need is for you to scream and knock out as many guards as you can while we stand behind Johnny’s force field bubble.”
Johnny was a necromancer with quite the handy skill. It wasn’t overly impressive, but he could create force fields that blocked light and sound. He had a silencing demon, giving him the ability to trap his prey in a secluded, dark bubble, and block all sound from the outside until his prey went insane. It couldn’t stop bullets or knives, but he could stop Cheryl’s screeches. Though I wasn’t sure if I preferred insanity to her singing.
Cheryl huffed and scowled, and I stopped myself from snapping. She was an integral part of our plan, but if she asked Risk for one more sequined dress, I was going to lose my shit.
We had a plan. Everyone had a purpose and a part to play. It was shaky and probably wouldn’t work, but we’d at least slow Spector down until Stiles could get the word out.
“Little Spider, come here,” Crow called over his shoulder.
He was standing off to the side with my mates, all three of them huddled over something. I slowly sauntered toward them, dodging fireballs and acid mucus from the training hybrids. It was fucking mayhem in here.
“What’s going on?” I asked while peering over their shoulders. Russell happily flapped around above me.
“We’re thinking about building a house in the Between. Just in case we need to hide out for a while after this. But Tomb here seems to think you need some goddamn gothic cathedral.”
“It’s timeless architecture, Crow,” my gargoyle frowned. The two of them stared each other down for a moment, making me bloom with amusement.
“I like more modern buildings, myself. Sleek lines, an infinity pool, that sort of thing,” Risk interrupted with a wink.
Crow wrinkled his nose. “What’s wrong with something traditional? Why can’t we have a simple A-frame with a wraparound porch? And a kitchen, we need a big kitchen, of course.”
I watched them argue for a moment and let out a shaky sigh. If I were being honest, I didn’t think we’d get the chance to come back here. I didn’t want to get my hopes up with a house if we didn’t make it out of Spector alive. But I’d appease them. If they wanted to pretend that we could live happily ever after in the Between, I’d play along.
“I always wanted a big shower,” I mused.
“How big?” Tomb asked curiously.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve just always had tiny showers.”
“Would you like a shower big enough for company, Wicked Love?” Risk asked teasingly, dark eyes glittering.
Butterflies danced in my stomach at the suggestive look he was giving me, and I felt a blush appear on my cheeks when I remembered the sexy shower times I’d spent first with Crow and then all three of them.
“Maybe,” I hedged.
“She does,” Crow said, his violet eyes trailing over my body as if he could see right through my clothes. “Her moans echo beautifully in the shower.”
“I do like seeing her skin flushed and dripping wet,” Tomb added as he drew a hand over his jaw.
Fire sparked to life in my core. I loved this. The normalcy of sexual banter. Of sexy flirtation. Of thinking that we were actually going to be able to enjoy a shower together and live safely away from Spector. They were distracting me from the danger and my grief, and I loved them for it.
“If our mate wants a big shower, then that’s what she’ll get,” Risk said with a decisive nod.
“A big bed too,” I put in. “You guys take up too much room.”
Crow and Risk chuckled, but Tomb shook his head. “I like you sleeping on top of us.”
I jabbed him playfully in his hard, muscular chest. “Well, you’re terrible pillows. You especially because you actually turn into solid stone sometimes in your sleep.”
He captured my hand and placed a kiss on the inside of my wrist. The sweetness of the gesture made me sigh in contentment. “I like feeling your body on mine. Hearing your breaths. Smelling your skin,” he murmured.
“Grinding your dick into her ass,” Risk supplied, making me choke out a laugh.
Tomb didn’t miss a beat. “Yeah, that too.”
I smiled, shaking my head. “You guys are insatiable.”
Crow leaned forward and nipped at my lip, sucking it in his mouth for a moment. “You like it.”
I did. I really, really did.
“I—”
A horrible noise sprung through the air, and I cringed. I swear to gods, Cheryl was going to be the death of me. I turned so I could find her and tell her to shut the hell up, but Risk grabbed my arm and placed his mouth against my ear. “It’s not the siren. It’s the Between. It’s grown too unstable from so many of us in here. I need to get everyone out.”
I nodded, and just as he pulled away, the whole place began to shake slightly, a bare tremor that moved with subtle vibrations beneath our feet.
Risk went to grab me, but I stepped away. “No, everyone else first.”
He scowled. “Absolutely not.”
“You have to!” I argued. “We’re leading them, Risk. How do you think it would look if you took me out of here first?” I challenged. “Besides, it’s the right thing to do. And I’d just be worried that everyone didn’t get out. Go. Just hurry.”
I pushed him away slightly, and he clenched his jaw, clearly pissed. He cast a look to Tomb and Crow. “Watch her. And don’t let anyone leave this spot. I haven’t formed anything else besides this space in the Between. If anyone panics and tries to run, they could get lost in the unformed abyss, and I won’t be able to bring them out.”
“Don’t let anyone sprint into the abyss. Got it,” Crow said.
“Hurry,” I told Risk again.
With a terse nod, he turned and dashed away, grabbing the first group of hybrids he approached before disappearing in a swathe of smoke as he transported them out.
I rushed over to the rest of the cowering hybrids and found them looking at Cheryl accusingly. “It’s not me! I don’t sound that bad,” she huffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
Everyone looked at her dubiously.
“Who’s gonna tell her?” Tara asked with a smirk.
“Okay, everyone,” I cut in before Cheryl could really lose her shit, and then we’d never hear the end of it. “I need you all to just stay right here,” I said, while Tomb and Crow walked around the outskirts, directing everyone closer together.
Risk popped up, gave me another glare, and then stalked toward another group. He barked directions at them until their hands were linked, and then he disappeared with them.
“What’s going on? A
nd why is this place shaking?” someone asked.
“We have to get you out now. We stayed as long as we could, but the Between is too temperamental to hold so many of us. Risk is bringing us back to Spector.”
My demon reappeared again and took more hybrids out.
The vibrations steadily grew stronger, and the awful noise in the air became louder. I gave a worried look to Crow and Tomb. Risk transported in and started taking larger groups, but by the seventh time, I saw that it was taking its toll on him. His suit jacket was long gone, his shirt disheveled, and sweat coated his handsome face.
When there were only a dozen hybrids left, the ground—for lack of a better word—was shaking so hard that it tossed us all on our asses. It felt like an earthquake that was gearing up to rip the space apart. And the sound...I realized belatedly that it resembled something ripping apart. Like the fabric of existence was tearing in two.
Risk appeared just as colorless pieces of the Between began crumbling down around us. Hybrids screamed, and one girl tried to run off, but Crow exploded into action, sending his birds to surround her and cut her off, herding her back to us.
“Stay calm!” I yelled, but they couldn’t hear me over the sound.
Risk took one look at the pieces falling around us and grabbed hold of me. “No, Risk, not y—”
But my words were torn from my throat and my body was squeezed through time. One second I was standing in the shaking space as the Between collapsed around me, and the next, I was back in Risk’s bedroom alone.
“No!” I yelled at the empty room.
But no one heard me.
Seconds passed. Then minutes. I was biting at my nails, pacing around the room, tearing at my hair. What if it totally caved in and the bubble of the Between burst from existence? Would they all be stuck in the abyss forever? What if—
Risk suddenly popped into the room with Tomb and Crow in tow.
Relief washed over me for a split second before anger overruled it. I stalked over to him. “You son of a bitch! How dare you? I told you to take me last! The other hybrids—”
