by Mara McQueen
But Banu and Dima had gotten cockier each time Raiden had left the Capital on missions. Even with him only an hour away, on the same Capital island, they'd start feeling invincible. They'd make a mistake and Raiden's Elite would be there to witness and record it all.
He'd have the proof he needed to destroy them without risking an uproar in his Clan.
Too late, though.
He was about to lose the only person who mattered.
He couldn't let that happen.
Raiden snapped Shinzan's reins. The horse trotted and stopped right next to Azor.
Raiden saw the shift in Ava instantly. Her neck stiffened, her shoulders tensed. Her gaze no longer took in the wonders surrounding them. She looked straight ahead, jaw clenched.
Shinzan fell into pace with Azor. The darkness and the light.
For the longest time, the only sound enveloping them was the hooves hitting the gravel. Each one felt like it was stomping on Raiden's brain.
He steeled himself and parted his lips—but Ava beat him to it.
"What do you want?" she asked fast, the words slipping out.
Maybe she hated the silence between them, too.
To beg you to stay. "To talk to you."
"About?"
"Anything."
Ava sighed. "I'm done fighting with you, Raiden. I said all I had to say yesterday. You did, too. Plenty."
"We're two intelligent people," he said smoothly even as he gripped the reins tighter. "I'm sure we can find something to discuss."
"Ah, yes. It's important to keep up appearances, isn't it? Fine, I'll bite. Why didn't we use the Capital's underground cars?"
He grinned. Finally, a safe subject. "Because making an entrance on a horse is better. People can see you. And those vehicles aren't exactly pretty to look at."
"They're armored, aren't they?" Ava huffed a laugh. "Are you planning on taking over the entire world?"
"And face outright resistance from the civilians? The Clans already rule them through their puppet leaders. Why bother revealing ourselves?"
"Then what's with the army and the 'vehicles'?"
"Precautions."
"For?"
He shot her a sharp smile. "In case the rest of the world needs to be reminded where it stands in the real hierarchy."
"See, I want to be offended at that and scream and rail, but if the past year's taught me anything is that most people are stupid and mean, Clan or not." Ava shrugged. "I don't know which is worse. Them pretending to be wholesome while ruining lives in the dark or the Clans wearing their viciousness like a badge of honor."
Raiden knew who was worse. The ignorant ones who refused to open their eyes. Better ruthless and knowing it than an ignorant leaf in the wind.
Silence engulfed them again. Raiden wanted to smash it.
"Do you really hate it here?" he asked, aware the third guard on the right of the leading line tilted his head a bit, so he'd hear their conversation better. Probably fresh off the training benches, that one. Raiden couldn’t send him away—that would seem suspicious.
Ava sighed hard. "I have to go."
Raiden gripped the reins until his knuckles turned white. "Why?"
"Because I won't find what I need here."
The fucking richest, most influential Clan in the world. The secret island that was considered a modern paradise. The title of Princess. And she couldn't find—"We can renegotiate the contract."
What. Did. She. Want? The moon? Because Raiden knew people who could bring her at least a dozen lunar rocks to decorate their house.
Ava's lips ticked into a sad smile. "This is the kind of need that can't be negotiated."
Raiden wanted to roar. Instead, he chuckled low in his throat. "Everything in life can be."
"You haven't lived a happy life, have you?" She finally looked at him, eyes sad.
Raiden felt as if she'd punched him in the gut.
"I'm the heir to the Brotherhood throne. Royals don't get happiness, we get responsibilities we need to take care of so others can be happy."
"Grandpa Baron used to say the same thing." Ava's eyes glazed over, as their horses trodded up the steep hill in front. "Used to call me his little leader. I was born to lead the Syndicate. Be feared in all the Underworld. And yet...here I am."
Here she was, so painfully close to leading an even bigger Clan, at Raiden's side. But he couldn't say that.
"You have more power now than you would have had back home."
"It's not enough," she said suddenly, some of that darkness inside of her seeping to the surface. She shook her head as if to clear it. Like it was a mistake instead of her birthright.
She was Clan and she'd always be, no matter how hard she tried to deny it.
As soon as they reached the top of the hill, Ava's eyes widened. "It's beautiful."
Raiden looked down at the small town. The dark roofs of the houses had been decorated with gold and red garlands, making them look like small rock flowers. The sweet scent of roasted nuts clung to the air. A mighty waterfall bubbled outside the limits, water vapors shimmering a flecked rainbow above the town. Music rang out through the entire valley, mixing in with laughter and cheerful claps, which grew as Raiden and Ava rode into the square.
People flanked the road to watch them, dancing and cheering. The festival had officially begun.
"They're looking at me," Ava whispered in awe. "Smiling."
Then she smiled even wider than the people around them as she looked at Raiden.
The air left his lungs. Here, now, she was perfection personified.
"Stay," he mouthed before he could stop himself.
The joy vanished from her face, replaced with the cold mask she'd worn around him since the wedding. "I can't."
Chapter Thirty-Five
AVA
Why couldn't she hate him?
Ava cursed herself for the millionth time as she dangled from the beams in her room.
She'd been busy all day, running around the town with offerings and dancing up a storm whenever the townspeople invited her.
By the third dance, her feet had blisters on top of blisters. But she kept saying yes and twirling among them. They were smiling and looking straight at her, she couldn't say no. None of that kneeling, staying-out-of-her-way mess from the Capital city. Even Seleka had joined in at one point, swaying from side to side.
Her feet had paid the price, but she'd loved it. It wasn't like she'd ever gone to a party—unless you counted her two weddings, and she really, really didn't want to.
Now that the music had died down and the last of the ceremonial fires were being snuffed out, her mind raced back to her conversation with Raiden.
Who the hell was he to tell her to stay? Had he gone mad?
All he'd done since the wedding was ignore and push her away and now that Ava finally found a loophole to break free, he was suddenly paying attention to her again?
No way. She wasn't putting herself through more heartache.
Ava learned from her mistakes. She'd been stupid and fallen for the first pretty face—and, boy, what a gorgeous face he had—that had smiled her way.
But it had been more than that, hadn't it? Raiden had made her feel seen, for the first time in her life. He hadn't cared she said what she thought, hadn't cared she'd been raised in the wilderness, hadn't cared that no matter how hard she tried to tame it, her hair still did whatever it wanted.
He'd liked all of it. Or pretended to.
This was just another act and she was not falling for it this time.
But a small part of her wanted to. Really wanted to believe and hope and dream that maybe, just maybe, some small part of him liked her, too.
"You're a fool," she whispered to herself.
Hoping for scraps, that's what she was doing. For a kind word here and a glance there.
She couldn't live like this.
Ava groaned in frustration and swung her body from left to right, trying to get the tension out. Her ha
nds gripped the beam tighter as gravity tried to pull her back down to earth. She felt her muscles stretch, her vertebrae align.
She hadn't been able to sit still in the sprawling bed, so she decided to hang from the beams in her room to give her feet a break.
But it didn't help. She was still restless.
She let go of the beam and fell to the floor easily. She groaned as she felt every blister.
She wasn't going to sleep with all this pent-up bitterness bubbling inside. A walk, that's what she needed. Clear her head.
Not too far away from the royal residence, though. Ava wasn't that reckless.
She'd almost gotten killed. Twice, now. And here she was, wondering if she was doing the right thing by leaving.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid," she muttered as she walked out into the courtyard.
Seleka was doing her rounds. They exchanged a quick nod.
Ava wasn't in the mood for company. She wanted to wallow. Alone.
Not only did she have her own problems to worry about, but her cousins were up to something. Something big and dangerous.
Ava had passed on the message to Enzo, like she was supposed to in order to avoid getting tracked. But that's where her contribution began and ended.
She felt left out. She could be vicious, too, damn it. She was sick and tired of everyone protecting her everywhere she turned.
What did she have to do to be involved in their plans? Kill somebody?
She made her way down the rocky path, flanked by lilac trees and fairy lights. She inhaled deeply. She really did love this place. Its cheery vibe, the smell of nature all around her, the waterfall roaring in the background.
She was woman enough to admit she'd miss this place. Even the Capital. Seleka. Marcella. Rossen. And, despite herself, Raiden.
Ava already knew he'd haunt her forever.
Her sigh echoed in the stillness. Even her steps sounded sad.
The path weaved through clusters of trees, taking her back around to the house Raiden and Kimbra would be sharing during the festival.
Out of the corner of her eye, Ava noticed the lights on.
Don't look. Don't do this to yourself. Don't look, don't look, don't look, don't—
She looked.
She gasped.
She didn't understand.
Through the window, she could see two figures kissing—Kimbra and Bethany. What the hell was going on? She shouldn't be seeing this.
As she made to turn and rush back to her room, a strong hand grabbed her from behind. A hand covered her mouth, stealing her scream.
Chapter Thirty-Six
RAIDEN
Raiden never felt this happy or angry. Definitely not at the same time.
He grimaced at his monitor, watching in silence as Axton—The Shadow. The Gunman. The most feared assassin in the world, the Brotherhood Commander—was forced to kneel in front of Banu and Dima.
The plan was going exactly as they'd predicted.
Ella had been taken—by Donnie, Axton’s own trainee, who’d been recommended by the advisors’ themselves—and was probably driving her kidnappers insane, like she'd been waiting for.
Axton had called the official emergency line to ask the Brotherhood's help to get her back.
Instead of trying to reach Raiden, who'd had his phone on him all day, Banu and Dima had intercepted the call. They'd been waiting for it and they'd decided not to help Axton, a man twice their worth, save his fiancée.
"The Prince can't be reached at the moment, he's out with his wife," Banu said, her eyes shining with unearned pride.
"Which one?" Axton bit out.
"The only one that matters." Dima ran a hand down his beard, oozing self-importance. "He would tell you the same thing. The Treaty says you're still in a transition period—"
"I didn't call you to recite the Treaty back to me. I called for back-up to get my fiancée back."
Dima shook his head. "You can't go out on a mission. You agreed to that when you agreed to marry her."
Raiden gritted his teeth until it hurt. What were the advisors planning? They had to know Axton would tell him about this. Were they that conceited—or that power-hungry?
They never did anything without a clear motive.
Something big was going on. Important enough that they'd risk Raiden's rage for it.
"If something happens to her, the Treaty is void." Axton's right hand shook. "The entire Syndicate will come down upon us. Donnie is Brotherhood."
"Then Donnie knows he can’t harm her," Dima said slowly, as if Axton was a child who needed to be chided. "He'll probably call you in an hour or two with some ridiculous ransom for your fiancée. You can afford it. Plus, we heard you two didn't get along."
"And if he doesn't call?" Axton's voice rose as his entire body shook with fury. "If he's working with someone else? Or for someone?"
"Who could he possibly be working with or for?" There was an evil glint in Dima's eyes, even as his face played at ignorant surprise. "He's been under your supervision for six months, one would assume he would only answer to you."
Laying the ground to accuse the Commander, were they? If anything happened to Ella, Axton might take care of Banu and Dima before Raiden got a chance to.
Axton squared his shoulders. "I called a code red. The protocol says—"
Banu scoffed. "You are in no position to do that."
"I am a Brotherhood Commander," Axton finally shouted. "I have given my life to this Clan. Bled for it. Have you?"
Raiden’s hand shook. He couldn’t reveal himself. Couldn’t let Banu and Dima discover they were being watched.
He knew Axton was playing his part, but he was worried about Ella. The plan could still go wrong. Fast.
"Such disrespect." Banu fanned herself, snooty nose held high. "You forget your place, Commander. We are this Clan's advisors, second only to the royal family. You do not get to question us."
What had gone wrong in Banu and Dima’s lives to make them crave hierarchy so badly they’d destroy their daughter and Clan to achieve it?
Axton fell to his knees on the floor. "I ask you to enforce code red and help me rescue Ella."
"That's more like it," Banu purred with delight.
Axton touched his forehead to the floor. "Please."
Dima sighed. "We've invalidated the code. You are not allowed to go after her. Wait by the phone, I'm sure you'll have your fiancée back soon."
The screen went dark on the advisors’ end.
They'd turned their backs on a Brotherhood member in need. They refused to help one of their own.
In their Clan, that was grounds for exile. Death, if the refusal had led to another member dying.
A life for a life was the Underworld's way.
But Raiden knew no Brotherhood members would die—at least not ones who hadn't already betrayed the Clan.
This recording would help him prove Banu and Dima no longer had the Clan's best interests in their cold, ugly hearts. Nobody would support them. No army, no followers, no allies—at least not inside the Clan.
If Raiden played his cards right, he'd rid himself of Banu and Dima the day he returned to the Capital.
He'd be free. Ava, too.
The screen popped back to life. This time, it didn't show the advisors' self-satisfied grins.
It showed four other faces. The people Raiden trusted with his life and his secrets.
The most feared in the Brotherhood Elite—Axton, Patrice, Logan, and Mason.
They'd all heard the lies. The advisors must have thought they'd already won to dare be so pompous in front of Axton.
"Everything was recorded," Patrice said, jaw ticking with anger. "Treason. From the Clan's advisors. Unheard of in over three hundred years since we've been protecting this planet."
It was done. They had proof.
"Keep that recording safe," Raiden said, each word dangerously calm. "I’ll need it when I get back to the city."
To destroy people he’d kno
wn all his life, and stupidly respected at one point.
Raiden rose, feeling all the frustration and fury of the past weeks rolling off him.
He hadn't breathed this easy since Ava had agreed to come with him to the Capital.
No. Since their wedding. The moment everything had gone so very wrong.
Now, Raiden had a chance to defeat Banu and Dima and, most importantly, win Ava back.
Raiden ran out of his room and out into the courtyard, straight for Ava's house. It was late. His guards were on patrol tonight.
Seleka stepped in front of him. She shook her head and jerked her chin at the trail past the lilac trees.
"But you didn't hear it from me," she said.
Raiden grinned. "Never saw you tonight."
They shared an assassin's nod. Raiden turned and retraced Ava's steps, heart in his throat.
Three more days. Three more days and they could be together, for everyone to see.
He slowed his steps when he caught sight of her, strolling past the trees.
She was annoyed at something. Probably him. She kept wringing her hands, rolling her wrists, fisting her palms. He wasn't sure she was even aware of it.
He followed her for a few minutes, watching from afar. He knew that once she saw him, that cold mask of hers would pop back on.
All he wanted to do was feel her heart beating against his chest. Run his hands up her thighs. Tug on her hair and kiss her lips red.
As she neared Kimbra's house, she froze. Raiden tore her gaze away from her, looking into the lit window.
For fuck's sake.
How many times did he have to tell Kimbra and Bethany to be careful? What if one of Banu and Dima's guards walked past? Three more days and they'd be free, too.
He ran to Ava's side, as silently as he'd been trained.
She made a move to turn.
Raiden wrapped his arm around her, pulling her into his chest. His other hand covered her mouth, feeling her hot scream against it.
She squirmed and raised her leg. She wanted to kick him in the balls, didn't she?
"It's me," he whispered in her ear.
