Not until recently. Not until now.
A glass door slid open somewhere behind her, and footsteps echoed across the thick teakwood planks of the deck beneath her feet. Sydney didn’t look, instead keeping her eyes on the gorgeous view. “How are they taking it?”
Sam moved up beside her, echoing her stance as he leaned against the railing and looked out over the lake. “They’re…processing. I think Xander and Morgan are the most upset. They’re kicking themselves in the ass right now for not questioning their orders to bring you in. Expect some groveling in your near future.”
She snorted. “If they want my forgiveness, they already have it. If they want forgiveness from a higher power…well, then they’re on their own.”
Sam chuckled, then fell silent. Sydney let the serenity of the valley below soak through her senses, taking advantage of the stillness to allow her frayed nerves a chance to heal. She was glad she’d brought the guys up here for their first in-person meeting. No matter how tense they got—and with fourteen ex-Marine soldiers all stuffed together in one house, it was bound to get tense—Sydney could always slip out here, take in the mountain air, and recharge her batteries.
It had taken two months to set up this personal meet-n-greet. The Fox Company men had been scattered all over the world, and tracking them all down had been an adventure in itself. Telling them that the Agency they’d worked for had been corrupted by the creatures they were supposed to hunt down…
Well.
Some of them had taken it…badly. A few, like Xander and Morgan, had already had their suspicions, so it hadn’t taken much to convince them. The others grumbled, fought, argued, and tried to deny it, but eventually, they all agreed to leave the DEA. They were committed to her cause now, come hell or high water.
My bet’s on hell, personally. But that’s neither here nor there.
Now, the remaining members of Fox Company were all crammed in her living room, “discussing” what to do next. Sydney had told them all the truth about herself, her kind, and about her connection to Levi. To say they’d been stunned by the revelation would have been an understatement. Some of them couldn’t be convinced that she was not, in fact, an angel. Maybe they preferred to think of her that way because it made it feel as if they were fighting on the right side.
Not that it mattered, in the grand scheme of things. Let the humans think whatever they wished about her. Right or wrong, angel or demon, they would have to fight either way.
She’d told them that, too. The last part of the puzzle. The real reason she’d been chasing Levi for the past hundred years. Yes, he’d killed her daughter. Yes, he’d Broken her husband and forced her to murder him. Yes, he’d stolen the souls of countless humans, turning them into depraved monstrosities that had become a blight on all humanity. And, yes, he deserved to die because of all that. Deserved to rot in the darkest corner of hell, if such a place could exist.
But that wasn’t the reason he needed to be stopped. Levi was like the boulder that could set off an avalanche. A pivot point. A catalyst.
And if they didn’t find a way to bring him down, a whole new war would begin. One the humans would not—could not—survive.
The sliding glass door shushed open again. “They say they’re ready to find out what comes next. Have you figured out your plan?” Dex said.
Sydney sighed, twisting around so her ass rested against the railing, and cradled her coffee cup against her stomach. She met Dex’s gaze, gave him a soft smile, then looked over at Sam. “I have. I’m afraid you aren’t going to like it, though.”
Sam snorted. “What else is new?”
Dex rolled his eyes as he stepped out onto the deck and moved to take up a position on her other side. “Just tell us, Syd. You already know we’ll express our opinions about whatever crazy scheme you’ve got cooked up in that head of yours.”
She smiled, looking down at her coffee cup. Then she took a deep breath. “That night, when I told you about my history. I told you that the world you know…isn’t the world you know.”
Sam nodded. “You told us about the Seraphina and Sedum….the original angels and demons.”
Sydney chewed her lower lip. “I also told you that the legends about angels and demons were based on cold, hard facts.” That made both men perk up. Sydney took another deep breath. “But they’re not the only creatures who’ve sparked such legends. Every legend, every myth, every fairy tale story came from somewhere. The reality might not quite match what those myths claim to be true, but…they are out there. A lot of them.”
Sam straightened, crossing his arms, as Dex came to stand beside him. “Okay. What kinds of…things…are we talking about here?”
“Like…werewolves and mermaids?” Dex asked, cocking his head. “Vampires and dragons and trolls and shit?”
Sydney chuckled. “Something like that. It would take me years to go through all the stories with you, show you what’s real and what’s been modified for the sake of a good story. The reason I’m telling you this isn’t to make you wonder what’s true and what’s false. It’s to give you a basis for what comes next.”
“All right,” Sam said, face solemn. “We’re listening.”
Sydney ran a fingertip around the edge of her cup. “We need to find a way to get to Levi. That’s our primary goal. However, I can’t risk any of you going anywhere near him until we find a way to shore up our defenses.” She looked up and met their eyes. “I can protect you, but only if you’re with me. That’s fine for the three of us, but the other guys, your Fox Company men, won’t always be close enough for me to protect them. That has to change if we’re going to have a chance in this fight.”
“Defense before offense,” Sam said grimly. “So what do you propose?”
“We need to recruit someone. A few someones, actually. That’s where your guys come in.”
Sam’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline. “Wait…are you saying you want to find another Seraphina? Someone like you?”
She shook her head. “No. Well, not right now, anyway. Eventually, I will have to…reach out to the immortal community. But for right now, I just want to focus on recruiting more allies.” She paused for a deep breath. “And I think your friends Morgan and Xander can help.”
“Why them?” Dex asked curiously.
Sydney cracked a smile. “Because they’re the snatch-n-grab experts. And because the person we need to recruit might not be…all that willing.”
“Okay, what the fuck does that mean?” Sam barked.
“Who are they supposed to grab?” Dex said at the same time.
Sydney met their eyes, one after the other. “Are you familiar with the legend of the Sirens?”
…To Be Continued.
About the Author
Contact me at [email protected]
Visit my website at http://rhiannonayers.com/
Rhiannon Ayers has lived in many cities over the years, having grown up the daughter of parents who suffered from wanderlust. Currently, she and her husband reside near the Gulf of Mexico with their children, both the two- and four-legged variety. An artist to the bone, Rhiannon spends her days dreaming up snappy headlines and creating eye-catching artwork for clients all over the world, though telling stories has always been her first love. After writing her first epic adventure series at the tender age of eight, she went on to garner several creative writing awards, including the prestigious Vanderbilt Award for Excellence in Creative Writing. Becoming a published author is her single greatest achievement to date.
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Other Books by Rhiannon Ayers:
Demons Within
Angel Without
Saints United
The Darkling Hunters: Fox Company Alpha (Fox Company Series Book 1) Page 39
