Page 20 of Queen of Rebels (Shifters of Sherwood #3)

"Absolutely not." LJ's growl fills the small space of the shack. His good eye fixes on me with an intensity that would be intimidating if I didn't know the fear driving it. "Have you lost your mind, Princess?"

"Actually, I think I've finally found it." The words come with a certainty that surprises even me. Something deeper than just strategic insight pulses beneath my skin – an awareness of Sherwood itself, of roots growing deep into corrupt soil. "This isn't just about us anymore."

"Because it's suicide," Will cuts in, all traces of his usual polish burned away. "Or have you forgotten the car bomb? The one that nearly killed you less than twenty-four hours ago?"

"That's exactly my point." I gesture at my borrowed clothes, still smelling faintly of smoke. "He thinks he's won. Thinks he's scared us into hiding. Which means his guard will be down—"

"Or he's counting on exactly that kind of thinking." Tuck pushes his glasses up, hands trembling slightly. "Using your own determination against you. Like..." He swallows. "Like a trap in a computer system, making you think you've found a vulnerability when really..."

He trails off, but I catch the raw edge in his voice. Ever since the explosion, they've all been watching me with that careful intensity, like they expect me to shatter at any moment. Or maybe like they're the ones about to break.

Rob hasn't moved from his spot by the door, but something in his stillness sets off warning bells. “Maren,” he starts, voice carefully neutral. “C’mon now.”

"Don't." The force in my voice makes them all pause. "This isn't about tactics or risks anymore. Can't you feel it?" I press my palm flat against the shack's rough wall, feeling the pulse of something ancient beneath the weathered wood. "What he's doing to Sherwood – it's more than just corruption. He's poisoning the heart of this place."

Will's breath catches. "The old families," he murmurs. "The ones he's always talking about preserving..."

"They were stewards," I say, the knowledge rising like sap through old growth. "Not owners. Not rulers. They protected this land, these people." My eyes find Rob's. "Like you've been doing, without even knowing why it felt so right."

LJ shifts uneasily. "Princess..."

"I know how it sounds." I cross to him, reaching up to touch the scarred skin around his milky eye. "But think about it – why did Guy keep all those books about shifters? Why is he so obsessed with controlling this specific place?" My fingers trace the evidence of his cruelty. "He can feel it too. The power here. He just wants to own it instead of serve it."

"And you want to walk straight into his fortress?" The fear in Tuck's voice cuts deep. "Let him get his hands on you again?"

"Better me than Sherwood." The truth of it settles in my bones. "Better one person at risk than watching him strip away everything that makes this place sacred."

"No." Rob finally moves, crossing the space between us like a storm front. "There's always another way."

"Is there?" I meet his eyes, letting him see the steel beneath my fear. "You've been fighting this battle for years, love. Stealing from the rich, helping the poor – but the corruption just keeps spreading. Because it's not about money anymore. It's about the soul of this place."

Will makes a sound like he's been struck. "The way he talks about 'restoring' Sherwood..."

"He wants to remake it in his image." The words taste like bile. "Turn it into his perfect kingdom, with himself as the righteous king." I can't quite keep the bitterness from my voice. "And me as his perfectly polished queen, channeling all that old power through his 'proper' bloodlines."

"Over my dead body," LJ growls, but there's understanding dawning in his good eye.

"That's what I'm trying to prevent." I reach for him, feel the others drawn closer like moths to flame. "I don't want anyone else hurt. Anyone else blinded or broken or forced to bend knee to his vision of order."

"So you'll sacrifice yourself instead?" Tuck's voice cracks. "Let him..." He can't finish.

"No," I say softly, pulling him into our orbit. "Because I'll have you. All of you. Maybe not in the room, but..." My hand finds his chest, right over his heart. "Here. Where the real power is."

They crowd closer, four sets of arms holding me like they're afraid I'll dissolve into mist. I feel the wild magic in them – fox and dragon, wolf and bear – resonating with whatever ancient force runs through Sherwood's bones. Through my bones.

"He thinks he can control it," I whisper into the warm space between us. "Control me. But he forgets – mechanics know exactly where to apply pressure to make things break."

"Our impossible, beautiful revolutionary," Will murmurs against my hair, and for once there's no trace of aristocratic distance in his voice.

Rob's hands tighten on my waist. "If we're really doing this..." He pauses, and I feel the moment he truly accepts it. "We do it right. No half measures."

"Agreed," Will says, somehow managing to sound elegant even with his face pressed against my neck. "Which means we need a proper plan. Contingencies. Escape routes."

Tuck's glasses fog slightly from our shared warmth. "I can hack the security system. Get blueprints. Maybe even..." He trails off as an idea visibly forms. "Oh. Oh. That could work."

"What could work?" LJ's eye narrows suspiciously.

"Let me work out the details first." Tuck's fingers drum against my hip in that way that means his mind is already racing ahead. "But I think... I think I might know how to make sure you're not really alone in there."

I catch Rob's eye over Tuck's head, see the same mix of terror and determination I'm feeling. But there's something else too – recognition. He feels it too, this pull toward something bigger than ourselves. Than even our love for each other.

"We're really doing this?" he asks softly.

I think of Sherwood as it could be – not Guy's sterile vision of order, but something wild and free and fair. Something worth dying for, though I pray it doesn't come to that.

"We're really doing this," I say, then add carefully, "but not as a break-in. I go in as a guest."

"A guest?" Will's eyebrows shoot up. "At Guy Gisbourne's victory celebration?"

"Why not? He's invited half the county. One more society woman from the next town over..." I gesture at my borrowed finery. "Jack's already shown we can make me look the part."

"I can get his schedule," Zayn says quietly. "Daily movements, security rotations, everything." His jaw sets with determination. "And I'll escort you personally."

"Like hell you will." LJ's good eye blazes. "We're more than capable of protecting—"

"Are you?" Zayn's voice cracks like a whip. "Because last time I checked, a fox, dragon, wolf, and bear showing up at Guy's party might raise some eyebrows." His shoulders straighten. "I'm still a deputy. I can be there officially, keep watch without drawing attention."

"After what happened at the auction?" Rob's voice carries that dangerous edge. "You really think we'd trust you with her safety again?"

"That's exactly why it has to be me." Zayn meets Rob's gaze steadily. "You know what I owe you. Both of you." His eyes flick to me. "Let me make this right."

I catch the minute shift in Rob's stance – the way old loyalty wars with fresh fear. "Rob," I say softly. "He's right. We need someone who can move freely, who has legitimate reason to be there."

"We can find another way," Will starts, but I shake my head.

"This is the way. Me walking in the front door like I belong there, while you..." I smile slightly. "While you do what you do best. Watch. Wait. Be ready to raise hell if needed."

"Always," LJ rumbles, and the word carries the weight of an oath.

The familiar bickering washes over me like a blessing. These impossible, beautiful men who love me enough to let me walk into danger. Who trust me enough to have my back even when every instinct screams to lock me away somewhere safe.

Zayn clears his throat. "I'll need a few days to gather intel. Security patterns, guest lists, staff rotations – everything that might give us an edge."

"And I'll need time with Jack," I add. "If I'm playing society woman, I have to be perfect. One wrong move..."

"We'll be close," Rob promises, his hand finding the small of my back. "Maybe not right beside you, but near enough. Always near enough."

"I know." I lean into his touch, drawing strength from the solid warmth of him. From all of them. "That's what Guy will never understand. He thinks power comes from control, from forcing things into his perfect order." I smile, feeling that deep pulse of Sherwood thrumming through my veins. "But real power? That comes from trust. From letting go. From knowing your people have your back even when you can't see them."

We're coming for you, Guy , I think, surrounded by warmth and strength and fierce devotion. And all your pretty lies won't save you when Sherwood itself rises against you.