Tangled Fates

by Carly Fall

  for it. Perhaps that was why she latched on to Blake so quickly. He was kind to her and

  accepting, and at the end of the day, didn’t we all just want to be loved? Yes, they cared for each

  other, but it wasn’t the feelings of lovers, of that she was certain.

  Cohen had groaned and she pushed her fingers through his soft hair. She didn’t

  understand her feelings for the male who had been so awful to her. She cared deeply for him, and

  him coming forward and explaining himself only deepened that feeling. She had heard that SR44

  males fell in love hard and fast, and perhaps that was true of SR44 females. What she did know

  was that she had never felt this way about another male before—or anyone for that matter.

  Before she had lost her sight for the daylight hours, she grabbed a washcloth and wetted

  it down. Every now and then she wiped his face with the damp rag. Otherwise, she lay behind

  him, not really sleeping, as her hearing became so acute with the loss of her sight. The Platoon

  was a noisy bunch as they went along with the daily activities upstairs. She heard the muffled,

  deep rumbles of voices, some laughter, and their heavy footsteps.

  “Call them. Now,” Micah said, his voice laced with impatience and anger.

  In the daylight hours as she lay in bed, her thoughts had shifted. If she could keep the Six

  Saviors away from The Platoon, no one else would be hurt. She and Cohen would simply be

  collateral damage, and there was too much at stake for everyone else within the Six Saviors’

  realm. She didn’t like this option, as perhaps she and Cohen could find peace within themselves

  and in their relationship now that Cohen had explained his feelings for her. However, the rest of

  the Six Saviors, except Talin, had mates. Her and Cohen were alone and might very well always

  be. They could sacrifice for the greater good, because she didn’t see a way out of here with

  Cohen in the shape he was in.

  As she turned and looked at Cohen, who was curled up on his side, his bare, broad

  shoulders glistened with sweat, she realized that he hadn’t exactly said he was on board with the

  idea. In fact, he’d said nothing at all as he was still unconscious. Having said that, his breathing

  was labored and his face was flushed. She was making the decisions for both of them.

  She looked back up at Micah.

  “Last time, Annis. Call them.”

  “No.”

  She saw his big hand coming, but did nothing to stop it. Her head swung as his open palm

  connected with the side of her face. Closing her eyes, she let the pain run through her, giving her

  strength.

  After a few seconds, she looked up at Micah.

  “Like I said, Annis, call them.”

  She said nothing.

  Micah nodded to Jael, who withdrew the pistol from his waistband and pointed it at

  Cohen.

  “I’ll kill him, Annis. Make the call.”

  Annis was surprised at Micah’s words. The look in his eye told her that he was dead

  serious. She couldn’t watch Cohen be killed.

  Grabbing the phone from his hand, she decided which number to dial: Liberty or Blake’s.

  It was a simple decision. Annis knew Liberty would be worried, as would Blake. However,

  Blake had the training to keep a level head, whereas Liberty didn’t.

  Annis needed to talk to someone with a level head who would listen to what she had to

  say.

  The phone rang twice. “Hello?”

  Annis couldn’t help but smile at the deep voice.

  “Blake, it’s Annis.”

  “Where are you?” She could hear the concern in his tone, and she also noted a bit of an

  edge.

  “I’m in Phoenix, although I couldn’t give you an address.”

  “Is Cohen with you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Has he hurt you?”

  “No. But I need you to listen to me, Blake.”

  “Because if that cocksucker has laid a hand on you, I will—”

  “Blake. Cohen has been injured.” She looked up at Micah. “He was shot by The Platoon.

  We are . . . guests of theirs.”

  There was a long stretch of silence. “Are you kidding me?”

  “There is nothing funny about what I have said.”

  Annis looked back down at the floor.

  “Guests?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, if you’re a guest, then leave if you want to.”

  If only she could. “I guess I used the wrong word.”

  There was more silence. “So you are a prisoner.”

  “I suppose that would be an accurate term.”

  She listened as Blake let out a string of colorful curses and yelled for Hudson.

  “What do they want?”

  Annis inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. “They want Noah and the rest of the Six

  Saviors.”

  “Oh, fuck.”

  “Yes.”

  Chapter 29

  Blake paced the War Room, staring at his cell phone on the black marble table. Hudson

  sat on one side and Talin on the other. Hudson tapped his fingers on the table while Talin stared

  into space. They were waiting for Noah, Jovan, and Rayner to call so Blake could deliver the

  news of what had happened to Cohen and Annis.

  He shut his eyes and squeezed the bridge of his nose. This was getting fuck-all ugly.

  Micah was still under the impression that the Six Saviors were responsible for the

  decimation of SR44 and was hell-bent on getting his so-called revenge. What a dumb-shit.

  He especially wanted Noah, but to make him really happy, he wanted all the Six Saviors.

  Blake really didn’t see this ending well.

  He knew from his run-in with The Platoon that Micah was lacking in common sense and

  probably a few brain cells. The guy was dumb, and dumb was dangerous. Dumb didn’t have the

  ability to think things through and see consequences for actions. Dumb just acted.

  There wouldn’t be any sit-downs to talk things through.

  The intercom beeped on the table, and Talin reached over and hit a button on the black

  box, bringing the War Room in Phoenix to life on the big, white screen. Jovan, Noah, and

  Rayner all sat around the black marble table there as well.

  One thing Blake appreciated about the Six Saviors was that they kept things standard. He

  couldn’t tell the difference between the War Room on the screen and the War Room he sat in. He

  liked the consistency.

  “Hey, guys,” Noah said with a smile. “Just got the message a little while ago that we

  needed to have some face-time. What’s up?”

  Blake looked at the three on the screen. All were leaned back in their leather chairs either

  with their hands behind their head or their legs stretched out in front of them, lazy smiles on their

  faces. Their SR44 colors glowed from their eyes.

  Then he looked at Talin and Hudson. Both sat ramrod straight at full attention, their faces

  dead serious, their eyes also glowing.

  Contradiction, anyone? Their lackadaisical attitude bugged the shit out of him, but he had

  to remember that they hadn’t heard the news yet.

  “I heard from Annis,” Blake began.

  “Yeah, we saw her leave the party with Cohen last night,” Noah said.

  “This seriously isn’t about that, is it Blake?” Jovan asked, leaning forward. “I mean, if

  she left with Cohen on her own, she’s pretty much made her choice. We’re not going to interfere

  in her—”

 
“They were captured by The Platoon,” Hudson interrupted. “Blake got a call about an

  hour ago from Annis. Cohen’s been shot.”

  All the once-relaxed men on the big, white screen sat up at full attention. Gone were the

  lazy smiles and kicked-back postures. Nope, full business mode had taken over, and Blake was

  happy to see it.

  “What did she say?” Noah asked. “Is Cohen alive?”

  “She said they were being held by The Platoon, Cohen was still unconscious, and that

  those rat-bastards had some demands,” Blake said.

  Jovan’s eyes narrowed. “I bet.”

  “And?” Noah said.

  “And they want you, Noah. They specifically want you, and the rest of the Saviors would

  be a nice bonus.”

  Noah was quiet and looked down at the table.

  “Well, we know that’s not going to happen,” Rayner said. “We need to find a way to get

  them out. Where are they?”

  Blake shook his head. “Annis didn’t know. At the end of the conversation, Micah said he

  would call back tomorrow. He didn’t give a time.”

  Talin stood up and went over to the bank of computers.

  “Talin, put a trace on Blake’s phone and let’s see if we can pinpoint where these fuckers

  are,” Noah said, still looking down at the table.

  “On it,” Talin said.

  “How’s Beverly?” Noah asked Hudson.

  “Better.”

  Noah turned toward the door. “Abby!” he yelled. A moment later he said, “Hey, honey,

  can you get a plane for Hudson and Talin down here?”

  Blake heard muffled talking, and Noah turned to the screen. “Blake, you don’t need to

  come. It would be like walking into a hornets’ nest. You stay tucked away up there.”

  Blake shook his head. “I’m going down there, Noah.”

  There was a beat of silence. “Are you sure you want to do that, my friend?” Jovan asked.

  Blake nodded. “Dead sure.”

  He and Annis might never be lovers, but he cared deeply for her, and he was certain he

  always would, even if she couldn’t return the feelings. His life would be empty without her, and

  he would fillet The Platoon to get her back.

  Chapter 30

  Cohen lay on the bed in the middle of a heavy fog. He didn’t know where he was, but he

  knew in his heart that the fog represented his vow to Mia.

  Someone was walking toward him. He could hear the swish of fabric caressing skin, but

  he couldn’t see anyone.

  He was dreaming again, right?

  After a moment, Annis broke through the fog and came toward him, her golden gown and

  eyes shimmering. It was a breathtaking sight, one that made his heart and body ache, and he

  realized that his feelings for Annis ran deeper than just lust. He admired her greatly, and he had

  watched and listened to her from afar. He had gotten to know her, even though she knew very

  little about him. Had he gone and fallen in love? Was that what this ache in his chest was?

  She said nothing but stared at him. A red-rose haze formed around her like a second skin.

  It slowly grew outward, pushing away the fog so it formed a bubble around Annis.

  As Cohen watched it morph, he got the strangest sensation that he was being watched. He

  looked around, but saw nothing beyond the fog, the red-rose haze, and Annis. It was an odd

  feeling, but this was a dream, and weird shit could happen in dreams.

  The haze kept expanding and growing until the fog was almost gone, and there was

  nothing but Annis in a large, red-rose haze, her golden eyes and gown shimmering.

  “Let it go,” Annis said.

  Cohen woke up, but didn’t open his eyes.

  Guilt raged through him as he thought about the dream. The fog had definitely

  represented his vow to Mia, of that he was certain. The rest of it he didn’t have an idea, except

  for the feelings. Yes, he knew that he cared deeply for Annis.

  He tried to roll over and realized that he had a couple of things going on. First, there was

  someone in bed with him, and second, his back hurt like someone had set the damn thing on fire.

  Whoever was behind got up from the bed and a cool cloth was placed on his forehead a

  moment later. He was a sweaty, fevered mess.

  Opening his eyes, it all came back to him. He had been shot, and The Platoon had thrown

  him and Annis into a car.

  Oh, shit.

  “I’m so glad to see you finally open your eyes,” Annis said as she dabbed his forehead

  with the cloth.

  Cohen looked around. “Where are we?”

  Annis shrugged. “We’re in a house that belongs to The Platoon. We drove for quite a

  while, but I couldn’t tell you where we are or what streets we took to get here.”

  Cohen struggled to sit up but failed. Pain lit up his back.

  “You should stay still, Cohen. They removed the bullet and mended the wound, yet it

  looks like it may be getting infected.”

  Cohen nodded. He could feel the fever. But he did need to use the restroom, so he needed

  to get vertical.

  “Can you help me up, Annis? I need a toilet.”

  “Of course.”

  Annis stood and took his hand to help him to a sitting position. She then sat next to him

  and put his arm over her shoulder and stood up. She was solid and strong, and he felt as if she

  were as capable as one of his fellow Warriors. They slowly made their way to the restroom and

  stopped at the doorway. Their eyes met, and she turned her back but didn’t shut the door.

  After relieving himself, Cohen flushed the toilet, then splashed cold water on his face.

  Meeting his own dark eyes in the mirror, the pain from the fever and wound raged on, almost

  making him dizzy. He wished he could take out the blasted contacts because his eyes felt like

  they were swimming in sand. Behind him, Annis turned around and met his gaze in the mirror.

  She still had on her gold dress, but her face was make-up free. Her hair was pulled back

  into a ponytail, and she took his breath away as she cocked her head to the side.

  “Cohen, what does a Healer do when injured?”

  “Natwa powder,” he said.

  Her brows furrowed. “I’ve never heard of it.”

  Cohen nodded. “You wouldn’t unless you were a Forest Dweller. You city folks don’t

  know about that stuff.”

  Annis smiled. “And I don’t suppose you have any on you?”

  How he wished. He hated healing on human time. If this fever didn’t get him, he

  wouldn’t be up and around for a good few weeks at the minimum.

  “No.”

  Annis nodded, and Cohen noted her shoulders sagged a little bit as if he’d just delivered

  bad news.

  “Ready to get back to bed?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  Once he was back in bed, he threw his arm over his eyes and felt the mattress dip as

  Annis sat down next to him.

  “What’s the deal here, Annis?” he asked in a low voice.

  She sighed. “They made me call Blake, who in turn was going to call Noah. They want

  Noah. Micah wants all of you, but especially Noah.”

  “Still?”

  “Yes.”

  “How stupid is this guy?”

  “I believe humans have a saying of ‘all brawn and no brains.’”

  Cohen laughed a little, but Jesus that hurt. “That about sums Micah up. He’s built like

  Godzilla.”

  Annis snickered, and Cohen r
emoved his arm from his eyes so he could watch her. He

  loved the way her smile lit up her face, the way her eyes crinkled slightly at the corners, and the

  dimple in her right cheek.

  They grinned at each other for a beat, then Annis looked away as though she were

  uncomfortable with the situation.

  “Would you like something to eat?” she asked, moving over to the dresser, her hips

  swaying softly beneath the gold dress. “They gave us some microwave soup and a microwave.

  It’s definitely not Hudson’s cooking, but it fills the stomach.”

  Cohen didn’t feel like eating, but he figured he should get something in his gut. “Sure,

  thanks.”

  As Annis unwrapped the plastic from the Styrofoam cup, he thought about what he had

  said before he had been shot.

  Man, he had really laid it out on the table for her—just let it fly. He had poured his guts

  out, and there was really very little left to say except that he cared about her, and he hoped that

  one day she would forgive him for the way he had treated her.

  He actually felt pretty good about clearing the air with Annis. Yes, he’d been a complete

  jackass, but he had put his pride aside and not only apologized, but gave her the why’s behind it.

  It was tough carrying around such a strong dose of self-hatred, and to let someone know about it

  brought him a little bit of relief.

  The microwave dinged, and Annis wrapped the cup in a paper towel. Turning to him, she

  gave him a slight smile. “Can you sit up to eat? Perhaps we can put some pillows to your back so

  there isn’t so much pressure from the headboard?”

  Cohen nodded, and this time was able to sit up on his own. Annis hurried over and put

  the soup down on the nightstand. Reaching across him, she rearranged the pillows.

  As her arm brushed his chest, little electric currents danced across his skin. He inhaled,

  her scent reminding him of the fresh-cut lilacs Abby had brought home one day and set in a vase

  in the Great Room. The air had been permeated with the smell, and Cohen had enjoyed it

  immensely.

  “Okay, I think that will support you,” Annis said, straightening up. “Do you need help

  moving back against the pillows?”

  He thought about saying yes just so she would have to touch him again. “Nah. I think I

  can cover six inches.”

  She sat down on the bed next to him. “Can you eat?”