“You were supposed to DIE!” he roared, slamming his hands down on the metal table, breaking the chains that held him to it.
It bent. Not a dent. It bent.
She jumped up and pulled Vincent back with her, glaring at the table. Axel was never that strong. She wasn’t that strong. No one she knew was that…
“Where is he?” she asked softly, looking back into the olive green eyes. They were wide, looking at his hands like he’d just made a terrible mistake.
“Sawyer…” Vincent sounded far away and stunned.
“We never found Missy’s body,” she snarled.
Axel gave them a twisted, angry sneer. “And you never will,” he purred. “Not a body, anyway.”
“WHERE IS HE?” she roared. “MISSY! WHERE IS HE?”
Missy just laughed, throwing ‘Axel’s’ head back in the process. It was an insane laugh, a hysterical one. She shifted back into her normal form, still laughing as Vincent dragged Sawyer out of the room.
“WHERE IS HE?” she screamed, trying to keep diving for the doppelganger that haunted her.
“Oh my god,” Vincent gasped, yanking her fully out of the room as guards ran in to grab the mad doppelganger, who just kept laughing. “How…That’s why he didn’t know…Because no one is going to report those things to a minion. He’s…”
“He’s free,” she snarled, glaring at the door to the room.
James was dead because Axel played a game with the WMC, behind the scenes, pulling the strings of people’s emotions.
She knew what her future held. In every variation of it, it involved him.
34
Vincent
Two days later, Vincent was numb. Not always. He had moments of anger and fear. He had moments of overwhelming sadness every time he thought about James.
But mostly, he was numb - because he shut it all down.
He had to drag Sawyer out of the prison that day. The next thing he knew, he was being interviewed and interviewing others, trying to figure out if it was true.
And it was. It was all true. Axel wasn’t in the prison. He was free, somewhere out there, playing his games quietly.
It felt like everything he had ever worked for was slipping between his fingers. Vincent couldn’t believe it, even with the whole story lined up in front of him on the table in James’ condo.
He’d put it together easily enough. Axel had been in prison, until he was jumped and injured. From there, someone had helped get Missy in and Axel out.
Just a simple exchange.
Sawyer had helped him further. They had to give Axel a similar scar to Missy’s, the one on the neck. Not hard to do, but it meant whoever was involved in the jump was a part of the conspiracy as well.
“It never ends,” he mumbled. “It never fucking ends.” This trip had been conspiracy after conspiracy. Starting from an angry IMPO agent who outed Sawyer, to assassins, the WMC, and finally to Axel, which had even more to it. Prison guards, Missy.
He was putting the pieces together already, little bits, but he knew he was behind. He was weeks behind. Axel had been injured a month before. Vincent closed his eyes. Was it a full month or three weeks? He didn’t remember. He would need to make a better timeline, something on paper. Normally he could remember these sorts of things, but there was too much and he was too close to it.
“Vincent,” Elijah called. “Are you ready to go?”
“I am,” he answered. “Everyone else?”
“Yeah. They all headed down to our rides already. How are you?”
“I’m fine.” He was lying. He was far from fine, but his emotional turmoil wasn’t important. He needed to be focused. “How are you? You shouldn’t be walking around.”
“It hurts, but I’m not going to be wheeled into this. I’m going to stand on my own feet for this.”
This. Sawyer’s pardon. The WMC and Thompson had decided on no public ceremony, just the Council, Thompson, and the team, with her, watching her be granted her freedom from prosecution over her past crimes. Well, legally. The public saw her as a hero now, most of them, but there would always be some that only saw the killer.
“I understand.” He grabbed his coat and threw it on as they walked out of the condo. After the funeral tomorrow, he had a meeting with Thompson over James’ will.
When they got downstairs, he went to her side, but she didn’t acknowledge him. She barely acknowledged anyone. From James’ death straight into Axel’s freedom.
He was rocked by it too, but he had something to focus on. He needed to focus or he would break. He wondered what was going on in her head. Her freedom on the back of all of this. He desperately wanted to know.
They drove in silence to the WMC building and were escorted inside without any issue. Thompson waited for them outside the main chamber. He shook all their hands, congratulating them.
Pleasantries none of them cared about.
Once inside, Vincent and the team flanked her as she was directed to stand in the center of the chamber. There was no smile on her face. No inclination of how she felt in any way, just a blank, ready face.
He had a feeling he knew why. She was about to be free, certainly, but Axel was also free. She would be a part of the effort to catch him. It wasn’t something to be excited about.
“Today, we’ve asked you all here to witness the pardon of Sawyer Cambrie Matthews from her past crimes as a criminal assassin under the moniker, Shadow.” It was one of the Councilmen that Vincent had no experience with. “However, due to recent information, we cannot grant this at the current time.”
Vincent let that hit him like a blow.
Everything that happened. All of them that had been hurt and bled. James had died. And they wouldn’t give her the pardon?
“And why is that?” she asked softly, looking up. “Say it out loud for the class, please.”
“We can’t justify letting you walk free while Antonio ‘Axel’ Castello does.” The Councilman shifted uncomfortably, looking away from them.
“You fucking promised!” Zander yelled. “Let go of me, Quinn! They fucking promised!”
“And what am I supposed to do about this?” she asked. He could hear the small quiver in her voice, but he figured only the team would. It was so small, so buried underneath her cold mask.
“He was sentenced to death.”
“Say it,” she demanded.
Vincent shook his head.
No. Not this. This couldn’t be the thing standing between her and her future. She deserved so much better than this.
“Find him, catch him, and execute him, and you’ll get your pardon…Shadow.”
35
Axel
Axel continued to shave in the mirror, staring at his scarred face. The things he had to do to get what he wanted. He would have been angry about it, but really, they were just the cost of his intelligence. He was smarter than all of them, and those were just a necessary evil to prove it.
“Sir,” Felix called softly from the other side of the door. “Our source brought me news.”
“Let me guess. They are sending her and Vincent, along with the rest of his little friends after me.”
“Yes sir.”
He figured. When the Triad failed to kill her and let the Councilman push them into mistakes, he knew it would come to this.
That was fine.
“I am almost amazed at her resilience,” he murmured, then rinsed his face. He patted it down with a towel and smiled at himself. The scars almost looked good. They certainly didn’t change how women treated him, and they made others fear him even more.
“Axel…” Felix hadn’t left.
“Yes?” He was always kinder to Felix than the others. He liked the quiet young man. They were of similar age, but Felix seemed much younger. He was also loyal, and that was Axel’s favorite quality in any person who had it.
“Missy has agreed to do as you asked since her reveal.”
That was one problem taken care of.
&nbs
p; “Does she know that I won’t be visiting her?”
“Yes sir.”
Good. He wasn’t in the mood for it.
“Thank you for the foresight to bring her back, Felix. Have I said that to you recently?”
“Yes, Axel, you have, but thank you. Anything for our future.”
“Yes, our future.” He walked out of the bathroom and smiled patiently. “There’s a couple things we need to get out of the way, but we have time.”
“Sir, if I can be so bold…”
“Say what’s on your mind.” Nothing Felix ever said was offensive to him. If anything, the Magi with necromancy was too passive for him on occasion.
“I’m glad to see you back in your prime. You seem more focused than you were before…Before the incident in Atlanta. You seem more like you were when…she…worked for you.”
Axel grinned. Yes. He felt focused. He felt like he could see his goals again and he knew how to play the slow game again.
Prison and his loss in Atlanta had reminded him of his best quality, one he’d thrown aside for his vendetta and anger at the bitch.
Patience.
Dear Reader,
Rest in peace, James.
Thank you for continuing this journey with me and Sawyer.
There’s one more. Only one more. A Night of Redemption will be the last piece of Sawyer’s journey.
I’m already beginning to miss her.
Whether you loved or hated the book, please consider leaving a review. Every review, even just a few words, is appreciated.
Continue on for a few more glossaries of information and my About the Author page, where you can find links to my social media.
Abilities
Glossary
Note:
It’s important to remember that every Magi is unique. Two Magi could have the same ability and use them in different ways due to their personal strength levels.
Legends are the exception. (ex. All Druids are exactly the same in power and abilities.)
Example: Sawyer can walk through a thick wall with Phasing but another Magi may only be able to pass through a thin door and push an arm through a window for a short time.
Ranking Code
Common- C, Uncommon-U, Rare-R, Mythic- M
Air Manipulation-C- The ability to manipulate the element of air or wind.
Animal bonds-C- The ability to bond with one to five animals. A person with this ability can feel emotional currents of the animal and use the animal’s senses by inserting themselves in the animal.
Animation-C- The ability to make inanimate objects do tasks for time periods. I.e. Dancing brooms
Astral Projection-R- The ability to use a non-corpeal form that can be seen by others. Renders physical body unconscious.
Blinking-U- The ability to teleport short distances (10-20 feet) within eyesight.
Cloaking-U- The ability to become invisible.
Dream walking-U- The ability to walk through the dreams of others and go through the person’s subconscious to reveal secrets and memories to the person.
Earth Manipulation-C- The ability to manipulate the element of earth.
Elemental Control-M- The ability to manipulate all elements and all combinations of them.
Enchanting-C- The ability to enchant physical objects with specific properties, such as never losing a sharp edge for a blade.
Fire Manipulation-C- The ability to manipulate the element of fire.
Healing-C- The ability to heal physical wounds.
Illusions-U- The ability to alter an individual’s perception of reality.
Magnetic Manipulation-U- The ability to control or generate magnetic fields, normally a very weak ability.
Mind reading-M- The ability to read another’s mind, normally requiring touch.
Naturalism-C- The ability to control the growth of plant life and identify plants’ properties.
Petrification-R- The ability to freeze a person’s movement without harming them by touching them. Can also be used to harm, by stopping basic life function for a short time.
Phasing-C- The ability to walk through solid objects with concentration.
Portals-U- Temporary holes through time and space to travel nearly instantly. (Not time travel)
Reading-R- The ability to read the abilities of others, requires touching the individual.
Shape-shifting-U- The ability to take the form of one animal, not chosen by the Magi.
Shielding-C- The ability to create force fields that block physical interaction.
Sound Manipulation-U- The ability to manipulate sound waves.
Sublimation-R- The ability to transform into a gaseous form, normally looks like black smoke.
Telekinesis-C- The ability to move objects physically with the mind.
Telepathy-U- The ability to send thoughts to others for silent communication. Cannot invade the thoughts of others. This is a one-way ability, unless the other person also has telepathy.
Tracking-R- The ability track a single individual by having a item that belongs to said individual.
Water Manipulation-C- The ability to manipulate the element of water.
IMPO and IMAS
Both organizations have a rank structure, but the IMPO is more relaxed than the IMAS.
International Magi Police Organization
Officer - Low level law enforcement officer
Detective - Case investigator isolated to the city they are assigned to.
Admin - Paper pushers, secretaries, assistants.
Lawyers - Self-explanatory. Magi lawyers who are experts in Magi law.
Special Agent - Case investigator that travels globally and carries out long-term investigations such as crime lords, internationally known criminals, and serial killers. Report to handlers and always work as a team.
Handlers- Normally retired Special Agents that act as liaisons between the Asst. Director/Director and Special Agents.
Assistant Director - Second in charge of the IMPO.
Director - The head of the IMPO. Reports directly to the WMC.
International Magi Armed Services
Chain of Command: 1 is the lowest rank,7 is the highest. Generals report directly to the WMC.
Enlisted
E-1, Private (Pvt)
E-2, Private 1st Class (PFC)
E-3, Lance Corporal (LCpl)
E-4, Corporal (Cpl)
E-5, Sergeant (Sgt)
E-6, Gunnery Sergeant (GySgt)
E-7, Master Sergeant (MSgt)
Officer
O-1, Lieutenant (Lt)
O-2, Captain (Capt)
O-3, Major (Maj)
O-4, Lieutenant Colonel (LtCol)
O-5, Colonel (Col)
O-6, Lieutenant General (LtGen)
O-7, General (Gen)
IMAS Spec Ops
Special operations (or special forces). Teams are named for gods and goddesses of war. (Ex. Team Ares or Team Mars)
Soldiers of all ranks may apply. Only the best succeed.
About the Author
KristenBanetAuthor.com
Kristen Banet has a Diet Coke problem and smokes too much. She curses like a sailor (though, she used to be one, so she uses that as an excuse) and finds that many people don’t know how to handle that. She loves to read, and before finally sitting to try her hand at writing, she had your normal kind of work history. From tattoo parlors, to the U.S. Navy, and freelance illustration, she’s stumbled through her adult years and somehow, is still kicking.
She loves to read books that make people cry. She likes to write books that make people cry (and she wants to hear about it). She’s a firm believer that nothing and no one in this world is perfect, and she enjoys exploring those imperfections—trying to make the characters seem real on the page and not just in her head.
She might be crazy, though. Her characters think so, but this can’t be confirmed.
You can join her in being a little bit crazy in The Banet Pride, her facebook reader�
�s group.
Also by Kristen Banet
The Redemption Saga
A Life of Shadows
A Heart of Shame
A Nature of Conflict
An Echo of Darkness
Age of the Andinna
The Gladiator’s Downfall
Wild Junction
The Kingson Pride Series
Wild Pride
Wild Fire
Wild Souls
The Wolves of Wild Junction
Prey to the Heart
Heart of the Pack
An Echo of Darkness (The Redemption Saga Book 4) Page 33
