Arise (Cruel and Beautiful World Book 3)

by L. Stoddard Hancock

  “No,” said Ronan, his little face sinking. “Did you hear about Mommy?”

  “I did and I’m so sorry, Ro.” Dakota squeezed him a little bit tighter.

  “Dax.”

  Dakota glanced sideways at April, who tapped the invisible watch on her wrist. He nodded.

  “Ro, I need you to listen carefully, okay?” He placed the boy on the floor and knelt so they were about eye level. “The three of us have somewhere we need to go right now, but we will be back for you. If someone who isn’t one of us comes in, you need to hide and make them believe that you’re already gone. Can you do that?”

  Ronan nodded, wiping his tears on his sleeve. “Don’t be long, okay?”

  Dakota smiled. “Okay.” He kissed Ronan on the top of the head and approached the man in the wheelchair. “Hello, sir.” He held out his hand and Asher shook it. “I’m Dax and this is April. Shall we get started?”

  Asher looked at April, studying her up and down. “You’re one of the others.”

  April raised her eyebrows. “Yes, I suppose I am. Is that a problem?” She gave him that cold stare of hers that could kill a million soldiers. Dakota flinched on instinct, but Asher stared back strong.

  “No,” he said simply. “My sister always dreamed of contacting others. It only seems fitting that her grandson was the one to succeed.” He turned his wheelchair with a quick maneuver. “This way.”

  Dakota looked at Ronan one last time and gave him a wink before following Asher from the room. The man stopped before a blank wall.

  “The switch is up there,” he said, motioning to a lever just out of his reach. “It used to be voice activated, but my son decided I didn’t deserve the ability to open a door after I let your friends out. We’ll need to have that fixed in order to get back in.”

  “It’s odd that he doesn’t just kill you.” April grabbed the lever and pulled. “What floor are we going to?” she asked as they walked down the hallway.

  “Ninety-five.”

  Of course, they already knew the answer, thanks to Luka’s map, but the Resistance still wasn’t sure if they could trust Asher Saevus. Yes, he had contacted them about Ronan shortly after they had discovered what had happened to their friends, but he was still a Saevus. For years he had ruled Utopia as a tyrant. While he hadn’t executed quite as many citizens as his son, he wasn’t exactly a kind and just ruler either.

  Even now, Asher wasn’t thinking about the freedom of his citizens as he helped them. All he wanted was freedom for himself.

  April activated her gravpack and used it to carry Asher down three floors while Dakota followed on foot. They walked through the door and were immediately met with another, this one made of thick metal.

  April tested the handle. Unlocked.

  “You first.” She kicked it open and pushed the wheelchair forward.

  When the chair came to a halt, Asher glanced over his shoulder. “If I were going to ambush you, wouldn’t I have done it in my room?”

  “You can never be too careful,” she said, putting her hands on her hips as she scanned the room. It was the president’s personal surveillance room, where he could view every camera placed around the city. The majority of screens were showing different areas in his tower, but there were a few focused elsewhere. Dakota stepped forward and looked them over. One was pointed at an apartment building and in the bottom corner it read Finley Scout Home.

  Well, that was creepy.

  He’d also been watching Atticus’s and Elvira’s houses, and even Xander’s old building was still on surveillance.

  “This is what you want,” said Asher, wheeling his chair over to a lone console that didn’t hold any screens.

  “Are you sure?” asked April, giving it a good look. “It seems pretty unremarkable.”

  “Positive.”

  Dakota unclipped the handheld two-way from his belt and turned it on. “Izzy, do you copy?”

  He tapped his foot nervously while waiting for the tunneler to answer. She’d been more than happy to volunteer as hacker again when Nita and her team had gone to recruit them. While the two groups normally didn’t get along, the tunnelers were just as eager to end the war as the Resistance was. In the end, they hadn’t needed much convincing. But they also hadn’t expected it all to go down only two days later.

  “Roger that. Are you in?”

  Dakota released a breath when she answered. “Yes, we’re in.”

  “Is there a place to install that chip I gave you?”

  Dakota took the chip out of his pouch while April scanned the console. “Right here.” She pointed to a small slot.

  “Yes, we’re installing it now.” Dakota popped the chip into the slot.

  “Okay. Just give me a minute.”

  Izzy went silent.

  April watched the door while they waited.

  “Okay, I’m in. You ready to get this bitch started?”

  Dakota chuckled and said, “I’ve been ready for five years.”

  “Then let us begin.”

  • • •

  Deryn’s eyelashes fluttered as the heaviness of sleep slowly began to leave her body. She instinctively reached for Xander beside her, only to find that he wasn’t there. Her eyes opened and she searched for him in the dark room. As they began to focus, so did her mind, and it didn’t take her long to remember that she was not in the safety of her bedroom in Blackbird. She was in Saevus’s tower, locked in a room with a man who was obsessed with her.

  Deryn shot up and frantically ran her hands across her body. She was fully clothed. Relief rushed through her. Her eyes swelled with tears as she clutched onto the fabric of her shirt.

  “You can relax. I didn’t touch you.”

  It took Deryn a moment to register the damaged voice. She gulped as she looked to the edge of the bed, barely making out Soren’s silhouette sitting there in the dark. His back was to her, but she could see that he had his Element resting on his knee. A silent warning.

  “How long was I out?” she asked.

  “Less than ten minutes. I didn’t want to put you out, but I assumed correctly that you wouldn’t come with me calmly.”

  Soren stood and flicked on the light switch. Deryn leapt off of the bed and got ready to strike. His eyes saddened as he placed his Element in its holster.

  “I’m not going to touch you, Deryn. You can stop with the defenses.”

  Deryn froze. “Why are you calling me that?”

  “What would you prefer I call you? My precious Outsider?”

  She shook her head.

  The corners of his lips twitched. “I only ever said that in jest.”

  Deryn eased her stance. “I don’t understand. You wanted revenge against me for stabbing you. You threatened Xander so he would try harder to find me. You bought a tent and all those capsules to run away with me. You stole a mind-control chip for me. You used Sewick Blum to trick me and then you had him executed. You have been trying to get me back in your possession for months. Well, you’ve done it. You have me.” She held out her arms and presented herself. “Defenseless. So why aren’t you doing anything?”

  “You’re hardly defenseless,” he said, pointing to his bruised nose.

  “I’ve learned a few tricks since I’ve been free,” she said proudly.

  “Yes, I’ve noticed. You know how to fight without a weapon. But you’d probably do better with one.” Soren took a knife, her knife, out of his pocket and held it out to her.

  Deryn looked at it hesitantly.

  “Go on,” he said. “Take it. There’s no ulterior motive other than to help you defend yourself.”

  She kept her eye on him as she reached forward and snatched the knife. Then she tried to take a step back but immediately hit wall.

  “Sewick and I made a deal, one I knew I couldn’t keep. It was the only way I could get him to bring me to the base.”

  “What was it?” she asked.

  “He wanted Talon dead, and he wanted to be as far away from the dea
th as possible so it couldn’t be traced back to him. He knew the president only intended to imprison him and that wasn’t good enough. I don’t know what your brother’s told you about me, but there are only two people I would ever consider giving my life for and he’s one of them.”

  Soren didn’t need to tell her who the second person was. It was already quite clear.

  “I never intended to expose Sewick so quickly, but when the president found out Elvira never killed her mother I was afraid he’d kill the both of us. Or just me as a form of retaliation, and I wasn’t ready for that.”

  “So you used your slave to get my friend to betray me,” Deryn said with disdain.

  “That trap was meant for Xander.”

  “You tried to stun me.”

  “I had to make it look real.”

  “You slapped me downstairs. Twice.”

  “If I showed you any compassion down there, you never would’ve been given to me.” Soren’s hand lifted and cold fingers brushed against her cheek. “Don’t you understand? He would’ve given you to someone else to punish me.”

  Deryn recoiled from his touch. “Stop that.”

  Hurt flashed in his eyes, but he listened and moved his hand to the wall beside her.

  “I don’t understand you,” she said. “I stabbed you. I stabbed you in the gut, I slit your throat, and I left you for dead. You barely crossed my mind before I found out you were still alive. I feel nothing for you. So why are you doing this? Why are you giving me my knife? Why are you not forcing me onto that bed right now and having your revenge? It’s what you want, isn’t it? To fuck me one last time! To rape me!”

  Deryn shoved him back and aimed her knife at him. But Soren just stood there. He did not take out his Element or tense in anger. He was, if anything, completely calm.

  “You’ve been spending too much time with Xander. Foul language doesn’t suit you.”

  Deryn’s nostrils flared as hot tears dripped down her cheeks. She kept her knife poised, her finger touching the button on the hilt.

  “I know it sounds revolting,” said Soren, casting his eyes to the floor, “but I truly didn’t believe that I was. Raping you.” He closed his eyes and a shudder ran through him. “Not beyond that first time. I thought that since I was kinder than the others ... that you liked it. That you wanted to be with me.”

  It took Deryn a moment to register that he was crying. Her hand lowered slightly.

  “I look back at it now and I see I was wrong.” Soren lifted his eyes to meet hers. “Because you never looked at me like that. The way you look at him. Not once.” He moved forward, pinning Deryn’s hand with the knife to her side and touching her cheek again. And then, with his damaged voice, he slowly whispered, “I love you.”

  Soren pulled her head forward and forced her to kiss him. Deryn tried to bite him but his grip on her was too strong. She brought her free hand up to his chest and powerfully shoved him away.

  “Stop it!” she shouted. “I don’t belong to you, Tash, and I never will!”

  “I know,” he said, his words breaking. “I just needed that last time.”

  Soren grabbed her hand and dragged her toward the door. Deryn pulled away. He turned and gripped her wrist.

  “I’m well aware that it’s against your nature but, from here on out, you need to cooperate.”

  Soren pressed a button on his citizen wristband and a hologram map appeared.

  “The red dot is Xander,” he said. “I slipped a tracker into his pocket. Sixth floor, right near the northern stairwell.”

  He opened the door and peeked into the hallway. It was clear.

  Still clutching Deryn’s wrist, Soren dragged her from the room and hurried down the hall.

  “What are we doing?” she demanded.

  Soren stopped before the corner and peeked around it. Clear. He marched on.

  “We’re getting you out,” he answered.

  “What?” Deryn pulled back, but he kept a firm grip and dragged her forward. “Stop! STOP!” She pointed her knife at him.

  Soren stopped walking and faced her.

  “Why capture me if all you’re going to do is let me go?”

  “I told you, the plan was to capture Xander. Then you were going to come back here with an army and kill that son of a bitch who’s kept me in his pocket since the day I was forced to marry his daughter. You deserve better than to live your life in hiding.”

  Deryn stared blankly at him. She lowered her knife, nodded, and let him pull her around the next corner toward the northern stairwell. She was going to take a gamble and trust Soren Tash. Hopefully, this wasn’t something she was going to regret.

  • • •

  Xander lay on the bed with his eyes wide open and aimed at the ceiling. He’d woken up a good five minutes earlier and, after tearing the room apart, he’d discovered that there was no exit, aside from the locked door. There wasn’t even a damn window.

  His fists clenched at his sides, his nails digging into his flesh as he thought of Deryn locked in a room with Soren. The man who’d been lusting after her for years.

  It killed Xander that he had to rely on Luka and Finley to save her, but he’d done all he could. And he’d failed.

  Why had he lost control and gone for his father?

  And Deryn had protected the man, stepping in front of Atticus and refusing to let Xander kill him. Without that death on his hands, it had truly all been for nothing. He’d failed her for nothing.

  What if his friends were too late? What if Soren did something to her before they could get in? What if he had a slave collar and mind-control chip and ran with her? What if his obsession possessed him to kill her?

  Tears fell silently from Xander’s eyes, his body numb. If his actions had cost Deryn her life or, worse, her freewill he would never forgive himself.

  Xander could hear faint voices outside of his door. He pulled out of his thoughts and tried to listen. There was definite arguing and then a loud thump.

  The voices went quiet. The lock clicked and then his door was opening. Xander shot up. They couldn’t have gotten the wristband prepared already. Even though he had no concept of time in that room, he knew it had been twenty minutes at most.

  Xander leapt off of the table and prepared himself for the worst. But then a soft hand curved around the door. His heart stopped as Deryn stepped through.

  She searched the dark bedroom until she found him. They both sobbed the moment their eyes met. She seemed as surprised to see him as he was to see her.

  “It’s really you,” Deryn whispered.

  She left the doorway and ran into his arms. They both cried as they held each other.

  “I’m sorry, Xander,” she said. “I’m so sorry I went after Quigley without you. I should know by now that things only ever work when we’re together. Please forgive me. You know you’re everything to me.”

  “Deryn.” Xander pulled back and cupped her wet cheeks in his hands. “I’m fucking pissed about that, don’t think I’m not. But we’re going to get through this.”

  She nodded.

  “I love you. And nothing will ever change that. I tried to leave you once and it didn’t work, remember?”

  She nodded again.

  “Because you’re everything to me too.”

  Xander pressed his lips to hers as hot tears dripped down their cheeks.

  Someone cleared their throat.

  Xander opened his eyes. Soren was in the room, tossing an unconscious guard onto the floor. He shut the door.

  Xander moved Deryn behind him and stood protectively in front of her.

  “What the fuck are you -”

  “Xander, it’s fine,” said Deryn. “He’s the one who brought me here.”

  Xander looked at her and cocked an eyebrow. “Why?”

  She shrugged. “I’m not really sure, but he says he wants to get me out.”

  Now Xander looked at Soren, eyebrow still cocked. “Why?”

  Soren fidgeted and looked
elsewhere. “Do I need a reason?”

  Xander laughed. “Fuck yeah you do. You’ve been trying to recapture her since the day she escaped and now you want to let her go? Perhaps you can understand why I’m skeptical.”

  “What could he possibly gain from bringing me here? We’re already captured and unarmed,” said Deryn.

  “Yes, but -”

  “He’s as defenseless as we are right now. So why don’t you just -”

  The door to the room creaked open. They all froze. Shit.

  An eye peeked in. Deryn’s fingers dug into Xander’s arm.

  Then the door burst open and Finley came flying inside. She latched her arms and legs around Soren and knocked him to the floor, pinning his arms while Luka stepped inside and shut the door.

  “What just happened?” asked Deryn, staring down at Soren struggling beneath Finley’s death grip.

  Finley looked up at her. “What? He’s not in here trying to kill Xander?”

  “That’s still under scrutiny,” said Xander.

  Deryn rolled her eyes. “No, it’s not. You can release your spider monkey hold on him.”

  “I’m not even going to pretend to know what a spider monkey is,” said Finley, climbing off of Soren.

  “One false move and I won’t hesitate to kill you, Sorey,” said Luka.

  Deryn looked at Luka. Only after hearing his voice had it hit her that his being there was odd. “Luka, what are you doing here?”

  He smiled at her, that cute boyish smile she’d come to love over the last few months. Seeing that familiar smile, Deryn knew instantly.

  She ran forward and threw her arms around him, accidentally knocking them both against the wall.

  “You lying bastard!” she screamed. “Don’t you ever, ever sacrifice yourself for us again! You hear me?”

  “Ow, Deryn! You knocked my fucking head -”

  “YOU HEAR ME?”

  “Yes, yes!” he said with a laugh. “No more sacrificing. Got it.”

  “Deryn, if you could get off of the other man now, I’d really appreciate it,” said Xander, grabbing her hand and giving it a tug.

  “Sorry,” she said, still clinging to Luka with her free hand. “He’s a liar.”