A Demon's Wings: Vice College For Young Demons: Year Three

by Marie Mistry

  Before the Strange God showed me that Aoife was a member of the Syndicate, she and Leonie had been close friends. And she was still Aeron's mother, regardless of how tenuous their relationship was.

  “And Hannibal plans to try and have all of the unshown tracked…” Leonie added.

  “I, for one, won't be tagging people like animals,” I reassured her. “I think my grandmother, Rutia and lots of others feel the same way.”

  “There are a lot of people who are very scared of the Resistance,” Leonie disagreed. “Many have good reason to be, with how they treat their unshown. Portinax was a brutal master. He liked to take the youngest unshown straight from Barren. One of the boys Bane rescued told me the things he'd do to them…" She shook her head. "Then there's the Grinzos. They're famous for their 'training methods.' They promise to have any unshown perfectly behaved within a week but, in reality, the unshown are just too scared of being sent back to step out of line ever again.”

  “Shit.” I shook my head in disbelief. “I never realised—”

  The seatbelt dug into me as the car lurched to a halt.

  “Leonie, what happened?” Blaze demanded, already moving toward the door, fire glowing in his palm.

  Aeron unbuckled his belt and got in front of me, blocking my view of the windscreen. So, it was a surprise when the normally-demure unshown started yelling.

  “My goddamned son has a death wish!” Leonie opened the window and stuck her head out. “BANE SEBASTIAN KROSSIAN, YOU GET YOUR ASS OUT OF THIS ROAD THIS INSTANT!”

  I peered around Aeron, who was shaking with silent laughter, only to see a lone figure on a bike in the middle of the otherwise deserted road. Bane may have been wearing a helmet and full riding leathers, but his posture was sheepish as his mother yelled at him.

  “Sorry, mum,” he called. “I did send Aeron a text…”

  As if on cue, Aeron's phone dinged. He chuckled and pulled the slim device from his pocket, peering at the cracked screen.

  “Tell the others I need to borrow Lilith. I will pick her up on my bike. Tell mum not to panic.”

  “Wait until your father hears about this…” Leonie threatened as Blaze jumped out of the car.

  I pushed past Aeron and followed my Wrath mate.

  “What do you mean you need to 'borrow' Lilith?” he demanded, as Bane took off his helmet.

  Bane grimaced. “I tried to persuade them out of it, I really did. But she made quite the impression today. The Rebel wants to meet her.”

  I saw the tension take over Blaze's body, his cheeks reddening till they almost matched the colour of his hair. So, I was surprised when he answered with a calm, measured: “No.”

  “Blaze, I don't have a choice. It's either me, or someone we don't know and don't trust.”

  “I don't trust you.” Blaze growled.

  Shit. Not this again. I rolled my eyes and stepped forward. “Blaze, I'm going.”

  My Wrath mate shot me an exasperated look. “If you get on the back of that bike, I swear to the Strange God, I will paddle your ass till it glows.”

  I rolled my eyes. “No, you won't.” For all that he'd given me that key to his apartment, I knew Blaze had no real intention of taking me there. But that was an argument for another time. “Look, I've wanted to speak to the Resistance for a while. We're facing the same enemy.” And I had some choice words and a good blast of odynokinesis lined up for whoever ordered Bane to seduce Lucinda. “It only makes sense to scope them out.”

  “You're not going without us,” Blaze insisted.

  “Seconded,” Aeron climbed out of the car, stringing his bow over his back. “I messaged Daron, who enlisted Kain's assistance. My bike should be arriving—” A second motorcycle appeared out of thin air, followed by a third, larger one, which could only belong to Blaze. “Hell, I wish I could use the shadow realm.” Aeron said, shaking his head as a wistful expression crossed his face.

  I was already crossing to Bane's bike, but Blaze held a hand out to stop me. “Sweetness, are you sure you know what you're doing?”

  I shook my head. “I have absolutely no idea. But I know I have to do something and this feels like the right move.”

  Blaze let me go and I carefully climbed onto the purring beast that was Bane's bike. When I was on, my Greed mate wrapped my arms around his waist, squeezing lightly.

  “I promise I'll keep you safe,” he swore. “And whatever you want, I'll support. I haven't told them you're my mate, but if you want to announce it…”

  I smiled but didn't say anything as I snuggled into the heat of him.

  I had plans for the Resistance, and questions for the Rebel in charge of it all. But best of all, I had a feeling that joining forces with them would be a thorn in the Syndicate's side. “Let's go.”

  The bike roared to life beneath me and my wings snapped out in excitement. Then we moved and I was lost. All I knew was the feel of the cold wind caressing my wings and the purr of power between my legs.

  Chapter 19

  We drove into the darkness, three bikes winding down into the depths of the countryside. Some of the roads were little more than dirt tracks. But I didn't care. My wings had been itching all day, and the air flowing over them as we rode was like a balm to my senses.

  But even the thrill of Bane's bike wasn't enough to make me forget where we were going.

  “Tell me what I need to know before I meet this Rebel.” I had to shout along our bond for the words to get through.

  To his credit, Bane didn't even hesitate. “His name is Torin Valec but he's not the sort of man you can describe. I can tell you he was Portinax's right-hand slave for almost a hundred years.”

  “And Portinax was a member of the Syndicate. So Torin knows about them…”

  “He probably knows a good portion of their secrets. But whether he'll tell us anything…”

  “You don't think he will want to bring them down?”

  “Torin wants many things…” Bane replied. “And I'm not sure that bringing Blaze and him face-to-face will do much good either.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Bane clammed up. “You'll have to ask him about it.”

  We pulled into a field and even past the engine noise, I could hear Aeron cursing about the mud. We rode around the edge of the tall maize. The plants parted before us as Bane used his power to keep them away from the wheels of the bike. Eventually, we reached a huge oak at one corner of the field.

  I thought we would stop, but Bane just kept driving directly at it. In fact, he was speeding up. Seemingly blind to the giant tree in our path.

  “Erm, Bane? There's a tree…” I tried to remain calm.

  I could feel his humour down the bond. “Relax.”

  I clung tighter to him, my wings finally snapping closed against my back as if to protect themselves from the inevitable collision. I didn't seem able to close my eyes or draw my gaze away, even as the huge tree loomed ever closer. I watched with morbid fascination as we reached the bank at the base of the trunk…

  … and passed straight through.

  Our speed increased as the bike started to descend steeply. I couldn't see anything; the darkness was almost complete. A light appeared in the distance, growing so slowly that I didn't even notice it at first. Bane sped up and the light gradually came closer until it started to illuminate the dry, earth walls of the tunnel we were in.

  We emerged into a bright hangar, with a huge number of black all-terrain vehicles parked neatly all around. I couldn't focus on the details, however, because there was a group of about thirty demons waiting for us, all of them pointing guns at me.

  I supposed, because it was the Resistance, that they must all be unshown. But they were dressed in regular clothes, rather than the head to toe brown coverings of most unshown. The absence of brown in what they were wearing made me smile. I'd be sick of one colour if I had to drape my entire body in it too.

  “Wraith, what is the meaning of this?” one of them snapped. “Your order
s were to bring the Lady Carazor and ensure she was contained. Not bring her and her entire entourage to our front fucking door.”

  Bane hooked down the stand on his bike and dismounted casually before helping me off. He completely ignored their guns, carefully placing his helmet on the seat and giving me a quick wink before turning around.

  “I missed you too, Fergus. Now get your fucking guns off my mate.”

  The whole group started muttering and a few of the guns dropped instantly.

  “Mate? Since when?” The one called Fergus growled.

  “Since last year.” I placed a gentle hand on Bane's shoulder and did my best 'haughty Vendra' impression. “Now, I believe Torin wanted a word?”

  The guns rose once again, but a slow clap echoed over the assembled group. People parted, guns dropped, or rose higher, depending on the person holding them, and a tall man in black fatigues pushed his way to the front.

  He had close shorn hair, an angular jaw and skin the deep bronze of the heart of the desert. But all his features were overshadowed by the huge, puckered scar that forked its way across his face. That scar made his left eyelid droop slightly, but the pale brown eyes with which he regarded me were clearly alert—and suspicious just the same.

  “Lady Carazor. You know how to make an entrance; I'll give you that much.”

  “Torin Valec.” I gave him the slight nod I would have given any other member of the Assembly. It was a recognition of his status and a courtesy I only extended because I wanted to come out of this meeting as allies. “Am I here as a guest or a prisoner?”

  Torin didn't answer but he nodded once and looked at the gathered gunmen. “At ease, all of you. This is the woman that killed Fraxis.” The guns instantly lowered and I hoped it was for good this time. Torin's gaze slid behind me to where Aeron and Blaze waited, and he stiffened. “Inferna.” He said Blaze's name as a curse as he shot a sharp look toward Bane. “Wraith, what the fuck is he doing here?”

  Bane looked to me first and I gave him a subtle nod. “Commander Valec, may I introduce my brothers-by-mating, Aeron Saxon and Blaze Inferna.”

  Torin cursed. “You sure do like to stir the shit pot, boy.” He turned on his heel, striding away in the direction from which he came.

  I led my mates after him, Bane and the others just behind as we followed Torin through the garage towards a door set into the wall. From there, it was a confusing mass of wide, dry and clean tunnels. I would have expected an underground stronghold to be damp and dark but the tunnels were the complete opposite. They were wide enough for a small car to drive down but had enough twists and turns to prevent me from remembering the way out.

  We eventually reached a large, metal door, indistinguishable from any of the one hundred or more other doors we'd passed.

  Torin held his arm up to a small panel. It glowed green for a second before the door hissed open.

  He led the way into an unremarkable meeting room. Well, I called it a meeting room but the blank walls, solid metal table and metal chairs made it feel more like an interrogation room than anything else.

  He sat at one end of the large table and everyone looked at me like I was going to do the same.

  But if I'd learned anything from watching Vendra, it was that it was best to keep people on their toes.

  With that in mind, I hopped onto the table and crossed my legs as though I'd truly made myself at home.

  I met Torin's level stare with my own, focusing on my mating bonds to keep myself calm. It meant that I felt it when Bane smothered a chuckle, his amusement a welcome distraction from the tension surrounding me. But Aeron and Blaze remained deadly serious, their protective energy threatening to end Torin, if he so much as blinked wrong.

  “So, two kidnapping attempts later, I'm finally here,” I began. “What do you want?”

  “I want the backing of the Strange God's Chosen and the support and resources of House Carazor.” Torin smiled when my eyes widened in surprise. “Yes, I know what you are. You're doomed to change the world, either by living or dying. Doesn't impress me. I have men and women dying for change every day and none of them were 'chosen.' I have sources who tell me that you are sympathetic to our cause. I'm willing to trade information for your assistance.”

  I smiled a smile that I hoped revealed nothing. “Who says I need your information?”

  “Asterio Prophecy.” When I blinked blankly at him, he smirked. “Yeah, that's what I thought. For all your gifts and mates, you don't know half as much as you need to, if you have a hope in hell of surviving this war. I could tell as much when you brought the Wrath responsible for crushing the US unshown uprising into the middle of my Resistance HQ.”

  I didn't dare glance back at Blaze. He'd said his scars came from putting down an uprising and I'd just assumed … Fuck! How the hell had I not put two and two together? Most shown demons had no use for guns!

  Nearly everyone here must want him dead.

  And Blaze came anyway. Because of me.

  I sent a pulse of irritation down my Wrath mate's bond and he responded with a burst of solemnity and regret.

  Before I could formulate any kind of response to Torin's bombshell, the door swished open.

  Torin turned, ready to give whoever was interrupting an earful.

  Only to come up short as Rutia swept into the room, followed by Babette.

  “She's an ally, Valec.” Lady Rutia had her stern gaze fixed on the Rebel, barely glancing at me and my mates. “She killed Fraxis and persuaded the Assembly to relax the reforms.”

  “Lilith!” Babette rushed up to me and I barely caught a glimpse of her glittery, barely-there top and skin-tight leather trousers before I was completely absorbed into her embrace. She only partially released me when she turned to face the Rebel. “She's on our side.”

  “Babette. What have I told you about leaving the civilian level!” Torin's face had rapidly changed from stern to exasperated.

  Babette ignored him, instead preoccupied with my horns and wings. She pulled me off the table, so I was standing again, and made me twirl with a huge grin on her face. “Strange God's tits! You've got extra horns and wings now!” She licked her lips. “Are you sure I can't tempt you to the dark side? Dicks are severely overrated … and ugly.”

  I felt Aeron take half a step closer to me. “You know she's mine, Babette.”

  Babette rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at my mate. “I missed you too, you growly ass.” She released me and flung herself at him, drawing him into a hug.

  Torin shook his head, as though he was used to Babette's antics. “Babette. This is supposed to be a classified meeting, to which you were not invited.”

  “I invited your niece, Valec,” Rutia interrupted him. “Lady Carazor is her friend and, as an Ajax, she may have valuable insights into the actions of her other uncle.”

  Babette stepped back from Aeron and took a seat, her excitement vanishing. “So, that's what this is about.”

  The sombre look concerned me and I found myself sliding into the seat beside her as Torin and Rutia started to argue.

  “Why would you bring her here?” Torin stood as he gestured to Babette.

  “She needs to be involved,” Rutia replied. “She has more knowledge of the Ajaxes than anyone in this room.”

  “She's just a child, and we can't be certain of the Succubus's intentions.”

  I glared at them both. “The Succubus intends to comfort her friend and then leave,” I told them, bluntly.

  But Babette grabbed my arm. “You can't leave. Rutia's told me all about the Syndicate, and that your wings are a sign of the Strange God's interest in you. I know things are complicated but Uncle Tor will help you.” She shot the Rebel a warning glare. “And in exchange, all he needs is someone who can buy the unshown we can't smuggle out of their homes and a bit of political support.”

  “Uncle Tor?” Aeron stared between them. “You have an uncle in the Syndicate and another in charge of the Resistance? Small fucking world.
”

  “Reece Ajax killed my parents and emancipated me from the Ajax line,” Babette snapped. “The only uncle I'm claiming is the one in front of you, and even then, only when he's not being an asshole.”

  “I'm not an asshole!” Torin growled. “It's just hard to keep the respect of my soldiers when my niece is constantly sneaking into their quarters to recharge!”

  “I can't help it if I'm going through a military-type phase!”

  Rutia held up her hand for silence, the impatience on her face suggesting that this was an old argument, and one she had heard too many times before.

  “Sometimes, Valec, I wonder if you're a hundred and thirty-seven or just seven,” she grumbled. “Can we all just sit down and discuss this rationally?”

  Reluctantly, Valec sat down again but this time, Rutia took a seat to his right. Bane sat on the side of me not occupied by Babette, while Aeron and Blaze remained standing. Their protective presence at my back made me feel safe.

  “I'm going to begin by making the introductions I think we missed…” Rutia raised a single eyebrow at Valec. “I am Lady Eliana Rutia, great granddaughter of Fay Rutia, who was Chosen of the Strange God. I serve as spymaster for the Resistance.”

  I blinked. So that was where I'd heard the name Rutia before.

  “Chosen Rutia had wings…” Bane was clearly thinking along the same lines as me. “She was a Wrath elder, who slaughtered everyone at a key treaty signing with only her pen.”

  Rutia grinned. “You know your lore, Wraith.” She paused, tucking away a stray curl. “This is Torin Valec, leader of the Resistance and his niece, Babette.”

  She trailed off and I took over. “You all know me. These are three of my mates, Bane Krossian, Blaze Inferna and Aeron Saxon.”

  Babette squealed. “Ohmygod! Mates! Really? I knew you two had something special!” Then she frowned. “Oh, girl, I am so sorry for you. Three ugly dicks?”

  Aeron coughed. “Try seven. But, for the record, my dick is not ugly; it's impressive.”

  Babette and I snorted in concert.

  “Seven mates?” Rutia asked. “Who are the others?”