Page 34

CHAPTER 34

brIAR

“H ow are you feeling about today, baby girl?” Malachi murmurs into my shoulder as he tightens his hold to crush me even further against his hard chest. His arms are wrapped protectively around my waist as he holds me from behind.

The five of us are standing near Vale and his betas as we observe the thousand people milling around a clearing about a mile from the Wyldhart keep. While there are a lot of wolves, there are also a ton of shifters I’ve never seen in person before, like jaguars, bears, lions, hawks, and even snakes. My exposure to shifters has been pretty limited, admittedly.

I can’t help the mildly crazed giggle that slips out when I process his question. “Terrified. You?” I’m not sure what else I’d feel when we’re only an hour out from leaving to attack a Knights stronghold that’s a million times more fortified than the facility they broke me out of.

He hums into my neck. “Worried about your safety. I hate you being in the line of fire. You’re the only one we’re bringing with us who doesn’t have a ton of training, so I’ll feel better once it’s all over with.”

I snort at that. “I may not have any training, but Dido can kick all of your asses in hand-to-hand combat. I’m not really worried about that aspect of it.” If I ever need to fight my way out of a situation, I have full confidence that Dido can take over my body and handle it expertly.

“Doesn’t mean we don’t worry about you,” Saint rumbles from beside me. He squeezes the hand he’s holding comfortingly. All my mates are touching me in some way, like they need reassurance that I’m still here. Xander’s holding my other hand, and Bastian’s sprawled out on the ground with an arm wrapped around my legs.

“Yeah, we’re all worried about you, pretty girl. That’s why we made sure to nab you one of the new bulletproof vests. That way, a bullet doesn’t sneak through one of the existing holes.” Bastian grins up at me, and I gape at him.

Jesus Christ.

I didn’t know that was a worry about the bulletproof vests. Well, that’s a new fear unlocked, thanks, Bastian.

We’re all wearing vests and dressed in identical black cargo pants, black compression shirts, and black combat boots. Everyone else here is dressed the same. Even the shifters are wearing the bullet protection because of how heavily armed the Knights are. We fully expect the vests will get shredded from shifting at some point, but it’s a small price to pay to keep as many of us safe as we can be.

In my bulletproof vest, I have the pyramid-shaped crystal we found in the crypt and the potion Nan made us. I hope we won’t have to use it, but it’s better to have it just in case.

For the actual attack, we’re pairing a mage with multiple shifters. The mages can maintain defensive spells that deflect most of the bullets while the shifters can use their superior speed and strength, plus their claws and teeth to tear apart the Knights. By breaking up the various species, we should have our abilities evenly spread throughout the whole city.

I’m surprised how well everyone is getting along. No fights have broken out this morning, which is unusual for groups that hate each other’s guts. Mages think they’re superior to everyone else, and shifters think mages are a bunch of stuck-up posers. Yet I see mages and shifters chatting, laughing, and even sharing snacks with each other.

It would warm my heart to see the mages and shifters, both parts of my heritage, mingling in any other circumstances. As it is, it’s hard to feel anything but grim anticipation. My blood feels like icy sludge in my veins as I try not to picture everything that can and probably will go wrong.

We lapse into silence, all of us lost in our thoughts. At some point, Rhys breaks away from the mages he was talking with to stalk over to us. He stops in front of me and runs an assessing eye over my outfit. While all the guys look like total badasses in their all-black getup, I look goofy in my too-big vest that swallows me.

“You all ready to go, Briar?” Rhys asks once he’s satisfied that I’m wearing the proper gear.

I give him a wry grin. “As ready as I can be.”

By that, I mean not at all. I could prepare for this for years or even decades and still not feel ready, so this is probably as good as it will get.

His lips tip up in a reassuring half smile as he reads between the lines of what I said. “I know you haven’t done this before, so it’s understandable to be concerned. Honestly, you probably won’t see a lot of action. You won’t be on the front lines, and we have three teams assigned to you guys to get you where you need to go with the least interference from the Knights. It should all go pretty smoothly for you.”

“Should” being the operative word. If everything goes as we expect it to, that would be fantastic. I don’t think I’ve ever had anything go according to plan in my life, so I’m not getting my hopes up that it’ll be as easy as Rhys says it will.

I return his smile with a small one of my own. It falls when I think about how many people he’s assigning to us. “Are you sure we need three teams? I feel like one would be enough. I’m sure those teams can be better used elsewhere.”

“I’m sure. As soon as the Knights realize you’re there, they’re going to swarm you. Most of us will probably migrate to fight around you anyway, but the three teams from the start ensure that you aren’t picked off immediately. Honestly, if you didn’t have the power that you do, I’d be tempted to assign more. You will use your full power during the fight, right?” Rhys’s brows pull down in concern as he waits for my answer.

I nod. “Yeah.”

I really don’t want to reveal the fact that I’m the only hybrid, other than Ava, that we know of to a bunch of supernaturals I don’t know, but I doubt I’ll have much choice. I’ll use whatever power is needed to keep the people I care about safe, consequences be damned.

Hopefully the mages that work for Rhys are chill and won’t report me to the council, though. I’d like to be finished fighting for our lives for a while once I break the curse.

He shoves his hands in his pockets and rocks back on his heels. “All right. Well, if you don’t need anything else, we’re ready to roll out.”

I shake my head. “I’m good.” I hesitate a moment before tacking on, “And thanks, Rhys.”

He already partially turned around, but he spins back to face me, his head tilted curiously. “For what?”

“For being willing to fight with us. For coming to find me. And for caring.” He’s been at the Wyldhart mansion most days for over a month, helping solve a problem that doesn’t directly affect him.

Rhys shrugs. “You’re an easy person to care about. Nothing to thank me for.”

I refrain from snorting, because I’m not an easy person to care for. I’m pretty sure caring about me is more trouble than it’s worth, but I’m not going to argue with him.

“If you ever need anything, we’ll help, no questions asked,” Malachi rumbles from behind me. He sticks his hand out for Rhys to shake.

Rhys takes Malachi’s offered hand and gives him a genuine grin. “I appreciate it. Hopefully I’ll never have to take you up on that offer. Though, knowing my little sister’s luck, I probably will have to.” He shakes his head at himself and stalks off.

Vale reaches over to clap the closest Wyldhart brother on the back, which just so happens to be Xander. “You heard the mage, boys and Bee. Let’s go make sure all the shifters are ready to go, and then we can get this show on the road.”

The guys tug me along with them as they check in on the various shifter groups. Everyone seems to be buzzing with excitement at the opportunity to fight the Knights. Maybe because I’ve spent way too much time with the Knights over the past months, I can’t seem to muster the same enthusiasm.

After we make sure everyone is ready, Rhys and fifteen other mages open portals to the beach Jad gave us coordinates for. I’m pretty sure it’s the same dock as last time. Shifters and mages start pouring through the portals.

We’re some of the last ones to go through, and I’m unsurprised to see familiar white-sand beaches and inky ocean waters that seem to stretch on forever. What does surprise me is the entire fleet of modern-looking fishing boats waiting for us. They all look in much better shape than the one we took to the hidden city a few days ago.

Jad is waiting for us on the dock, his sharp brown eyes glowering at anyone who dares get too close. He’s leaning slightly on his cane as he scans the crowd for something, his white hair blowing in the gentle breeze. When he spots us, his face lights up, and he starts hobbling in our direction.

Not wanting to make the old man walk too far, I hurry to meet him at the end of the dock.

He dips his head at me. “My queen. Good to see you again. I trust that the arrangements I made are satisfactory?”

“Yeah, you did a great job. Where did you get all of them from, anyway?” None of them look like the rundown ones from the boathouse.

He smiles secretively. “You only saw the only ones I’m comfortable leaving that close to the Knights. I store the rest of my fleet somewhere much safer.” That’s a massive fleet for one dude to own.

Jad’s chest puffs up. “Yes, they are all mine, and, as such, they are yours as well. My family’s investments have paid off over the years. We always try to keep a fleet on hand should our queen need us.”

My eyes are wide in surprise. It’s been thousands of years since Dido died, so it’s impressive that one family has been in perpetual readiness for her eventual return for all these years. “Well, good thinking because this is exactly what we need.”

Jad preens at my praise. “I assume you brought people with you capable of piloting them? I was unsure if you wanted me to share your business with those in my employ, so I did not bring anyone with me.”

I nod. “Yep. We have some mages and shifters who know a thing or two about boats.”

His lips curl up in disgust at the mention of mages, but he smooths out his expression before anyone else notices. “Very well. You and your mates will be in my vessel. I don’t trust anyone else to get you where you need to go.”

I huff a laugh. “I’m good with that. I don’t know who the captains are, but I can find out. Do you want to show them what they need to know?”

“I know who will be piloting. I can gather them up for you,” Malachi tells him. When he gets a nod, he strides off into the crowd to get everyone.

It only takes fifteen minutes to load everyone up and set off. Our boat, with Jad at the helm, is in the lead with the other fifty trailing behind us in orderly rows.

Rhys, his top mages, Vale and his betas, some enforcers, and the other alphas who came with their pack are with us. I think the only alpha who wasn’t able to come was the Nightshade one, but I’m honestly not sure. All of the giant, scary, look-like-they-can-kill-you-with-a-thought alpha dudes blend together after a while.

We sit in tense silence for the entire hour it takes to get to the veil. When we approach it, Jad cuts the engine and signals the rest to do the same. He has to go boat to boat to get everyone across. One of the mages is going to portal him between the vessels, making it easier for the old man to reach everyone.

“Brace yourselves,” Jad calls before he turns on the engine and slowly sails our boat through the veil. Like last time, it feels like a giant hug when I pass through.

It must be really uncomfortable for the others because everyone grimaces, and one or two of the alphas hisses in pain at the crossing.

I feel a little more like a badass that I can do something big, scary alphas struggle to do, but that feeling fades as soon as I spot the heavily fortified hidden city. There are even more ships here than last time, with dozens of Knights scurrying between them.

Awesome.

Just what we needed. More Knights.

I shake my head but don’t say anything as one of Rhys’s mages, Max, portals Jad to the next boat. It takes Jad twenty or so minutes to cross the whole fleet. He stands in each vessel until it passes the barrier, then goes to the next. I’m honestly surprised he’s able to get everything done in that short of a time.

Once everyone is through, Rhys and his mages huddle up to discuss in hushed whispers how they’ll take down the barrier. After a few minutes, they break away and line up with their hands outstretched. Before they start casting, Rhys turns to me. “You want to help, Briar? We could use the power.”

I blow out a breath. While I know everyone was going to find out what I’m capable of at some point today, I didn’t expect it to be right now. It makes sense that the barrier will take a lot of magic to break, and I can help with it. The more mages who help destroy it, the less drained each individual will be, leaving them with more magic for the fight.

One of the mages scoffs. “How will a wolf help us?”

Sighing, I call my mage magic and let some of it seep out to pool in my palms. The mages gasp when they see my icy-blue power. “Because I’m not just a wolf.”

“How is that fucking possible?” one of the Alder brothers asks in disbelief, his blond eyebrows, which match his shoulder-length hair, raising. “She’s definitely a wolf, but I can smell the mage magic coming off her now, too.”

I shrug. “There is a lot of stuff that used to be possible that most people don’t know about anymore. Hybrids are one of those things.”

The other Alder brother narrows his brown eyes. “How can we trust you?”

I can feel my eyes turning the ice blue of my wolf. Dido infuses my voice with her power. “Because I’m risking a ton of people I care about to defeat the curse, when I don’t have to. I can already shift, but I’m doing this to help everyone else. Because I am one of two of my entire family that is left thanks to the Knights hunting us down. Because I put my life on the line over and over to stop the Knights. If you don’t trust me because I’m also mage, then you shouldn’t be here. We need everyone working together to accomplish this, and infighting will only give the Knights another advantage we can’t afford to give them.”

The bear alpha averts his eyes and mumbles, “Sorry.”

I raise my eyebrows at him. “You want a portal home? I’m happy to open one.”

He shakes his head but still doesn’t look up from the ground. “No. You’re right. This is bigger than whatever disagreements I have with mages. If your mage power gives you a better chance of defeating the Knights, then I’m all for it.”

Giving him a nod, I turn around and walk over to the mages. Rhys reaches back and pulls me in front of him so I can see the barrier better, much to my mates’ displeasure if the growling behind me is anything to go by.

Rhys snorts. “On my count, we’ll aim an attack spell at the barrier. Three, two, one! Adflictare .”

While Rhys and his mages all shout the same spell, I let my magic flow through me without much direction other than to get rid of the dome. I’m not sure whose magic or what combination of power shatters the spell because it breaks with a deafening boom and a blinding flash of light that looks like an atomic bomb just went off.

I squeeze my eyes shut to block out the explosion of light. When my eyes no longer feel like they’re frying behind my lids, I peek one open to see the Knights frantically scanning around for the intruder. When the guns on the naval ships start swiveling around and preparing to fire, I point at the boats. “Time to go! We need to portal in before they start firing those.”

Rhys follows my hand, and his eyes widen. “Yep. Let’s go. Cian, open the portal.” He grabs the radio on his belt and tells the other mages, “Portal everyone in now.”

A portal opens in front of us. I let the other mages go through first and wait for my mates. Turning to Jad, I ask, “Will you be okay?”

He smiles slightly and nods. “I will, my queen. One of the mages is staying with me, and I will work to get all the boats out of the veil as quickly as possible. Worst-case scenario, I can always leave the vessels. We can buy more.”

My lips twitch down, not liking leaving Jad, but it’s our turn to go through the portal. “Okay. Be safe.”

Jad nods at me grimly. “You too, Briar.”

Taking a deep breath, a step through the portal to the hidden city filled with Knights, having no idea what I’ll find on the other side.