Page 8

M y breath had finally evened out, the excitement settling.

Now that the adrenaline had worn off, I sat tired, slumped in the back of the Blackhawk while sweat trickled down my face and dried blood crusted my skin.

My gaze fell to my throbbing hands, glistening in ointment.

They were burned raw from the rope, and stained pink with the remnants of dry blood.

Some of it was mine, it turned out. But most of it belonged to Wes.

After dangling from the flying vehicle for what felt like hours, someone began reeling us in, pulling up the rope and bringing us closer and closer to the safety of the chopper’s cabin.

And I was so incredibly grateful, because as I gripped onto Wes for dear life, I could feel the strain of his muscular body as he held both our weight with one freaking hand.

And as he did, I felt my clothing dampen with his blood.

I turned my face to look at him next to me, tactical vest torn open and bloody gauze wrapped around his torso.

It was a crude job, but it was better than nothing.

I studied him, watching as he slumped against the back of the chopper, eyes closed, dozing.

The medic in the helicopter thought it would be best if they drugged him for the ride back to the North.

It wasn’t going to be a straight shot, though.

We were going to have to stop to refuel at a satellite camp—Camp Butte—which rested between Telvia and the Northern capital. But, for now, he slept.

And I watched.

Not in a creepy ex-girlfriend kind of way. I wasn’t his girlfriend. Never had been.

No…I watched him sleep and thought about the weird relationship we shared.

I had been betrothed to his identical twin brother.

Promised by my mother to marry the First Son of the North as a way to secure an army to take down Raúl.

But all of that ended when Raúl had Chase murdered in the arena.

I wasn’t promised to anyone anymore, and I was finally free to make my own choices.

Free of Raúl’s tyranny, and free of Belinda’s vindictive abuse.

She was my wicked-ass stepmother who enjoyed torturing me my whole life.

But none of that is what kept me staring at Wes.

I watched as strands of loose blond hair fell across his face and framed his right eye.

I watched as his chiseled cheekbones and angular jaw sat firm, making him look as though he were carved out of stone.

I watched as his chest rose and fell in soft movements, creating a delicious scene of pectoral muscles and perfectly carved abs.

I watched him, and I felt as my heart quickened, and my stomach churned.

I felt as heat flushed my body, burning low and slow, simmering deep within me.

I watched.

Once upon a time, I used to look at Wes and see nothing but Chase, and my heart would respond like this. My body craved his touch and gentle caresses. But I didn’t see that anymore.

I saw something different.

I saw a boy who was everything like his brother and then completely different at the same time.

I saw a boy who had grown up in the shadow of his perfect twin, held to the same standard but never given the same benefit of the doubt.

I saw a boy who loved and hated his mirror image because he desired the attention but feared the responsibility it came with.

And then, I saw a man…a man who fought hard to save my life the day the world burned down at the rebel camp.

I saw a man who was wrestling with his new identity as the First Son of the North—an entire region of the United Factions of America.

I saw a man who was nothing like his charismatic and charming twin.

Who was all hard lines, obscenities, and a granite shield that kept others from ever getting too close.

I saw a man who, despite his twenty-one years, was still only a boy in his heart…

afraid of what his future held in store for him.

But the biggest thing I saw was the thing that kept me staring. I saw Wes. I was looking at Wes and, for once, wasn’t being reminded of Chase. I wasn’t thinking of the replica that had died so many months ago. For once, I only saw Wes.

And that scared me.

I shivered, shaking my head to try and break the spell that had taken hold.

My body was hot, my heart quick, and shivers ran up and down my spine.

I always had these sensations when I looked at Chase.

I always had these sensations when I looked at Wes and thought of Chase.

But I had never experienced them when I looked at Wes and only saw Wes.

And that thought was unnerving. Because I was left wondering what these sensations meant.

What was my body trying to tell me when it shivered and quaked and ached for the touch of a boy who wasn’t anything to me?

But I guess that was the piece I was wrestling with…the part I was struggling to accept. That’s the truth I had been trying to bury as I dealt with the confusion I felt around Matias. Wes did mean something. I just wasn’t sure what that was yet.

“He looks so much like his brother, doesn’t he?” The medic was sitting across from us, watching me as I stared at Wes. “Hope he can live up to his old man’s expectations,” he added.

And just like that, a shot of something flurried within me, and I caught myself speaking without even thinking of my words. “He’s nothing like Chase. But he’s going to do a great job at whatever he’s expected to do.”

The medic looked at me, an eyebrow arched and the expression of what’s your problem on his face, but I turned away from him, looking back at Wes. I didn’t expect him to get it. I didn’t expect anyone to get it.

But I did.

I knew Wes had been compared to his brother his whole life and could never measure up.

And now, with Chase gone, he was expected to take on Chase’s responsibilities as the First Son of the North.

But I also knew he was hesitant. He had shared that with me in one of the few civil moments we had back at the rebel camp.

He shared he wasn’t sure if he wanted the role.

And even though he wouldn’t admit it, I knew he was scared.

I couldn’t blame him.

I took in another deep breath, trying my best to shake off my uncertainty.

There was so much to be done, so much I had to do, and I just didn’t have time to deal with all the feels right now.

I had to stay focused. Jacob needed me. My brother needed me to find him and rescue him before his time ran out.

I took another deep breath, held it for the count of four seconds, and then slowly exhaled to calm my nerves and settle my stress. I knew it was going to be a long flight, so I rested my head back against the Blackhawk and closed my eyes to get some sleep.

***

“We’re here.”

Someone grabbed my shoulder, shaking me awake. And when I opened my eyes, I realized the medic was practically shoving me out of my seat.

“I need you to move. We’ve got to get him into surgery.”

What?

Then my memory filled in the blanks, reminding me that Wes was still hurt and needed to have the bullet removed from his torso.

I scrambled out of the helicopter, not wanting to be a hindrance.

A quick look around told me we were located out on the open plains.

Nothing like the camp we had in the mountains.

No…this was all tall grassland and flat for miles and miles. Just darkness, grass, and stars.

I whipped around as the medic climbed out and another group of individuals arrived, red crosses emblazoned on white armbands. It didn’t take long for them to pull Wes out, long limbs limp in their arms, and put him on a stretcher.

“Is he going to be okay?” The medic had already told me he would be, but a small part of me continued to feel anxious.

“Yeah, he’ll be fine. We’ll get the bullet out, stitch him up, and make sure we get him some blood and antibiotics.”

“Can I go with him?”

“No extras in the medical bay. Sorry.”

I nodded, a grimace on my face. Yeah right, you’re sorry.

I sighed, mildly frustrated as they took him away from me.

Part of me wanted to tell them to shove it and follow them anyway, but I also didn’t want to be in the way.

In the end, I ended up taking deep breaths and standing next to the helicopter, not knowing what to do.

A few seconds ticked by, and I felt as the exhaustion of the night slowly crawled its way back through me.

“Are you Mara de la Puente?”

I turned to face a soldier who had snuck up on me. “Yeah?”

“You’re wanted in command. Follow me, please.”

Command? Who the hell here wanted me in command?

Curiosity bit me, and I followed. It wasn’t long before I was being guided into a very similar tent to the one I had seen back in the old rebel camp.

But unlike the one I was familiar with, this one had a rectangular table as opposed to the round one.

No maps hung from the walls, no added decor or fluff.

Just a rectangular table, chairs, and a little black box thing in the center of said table.

Jeez…a conference room was more interesting than this. I looked around, noticing that the room was empty. “Hey, who wanted—” My sentence dropped off as I turned to find the soldier gone, and I was alone. “Huh.” I furrowed my brows, turning back around to see the empty space.

And then, a flash of white-blue light shined upward from the little black box and formed a hologram. The woman was older, clearly in her mid-seventies, with long silver hair she had tamed in a braid that rested over her right shoulder. I recognized her immediately.

Sasha De’vor, leader of the Free People of the West and South—regions of the UFA before Raúl invaded and took over in one of the most successful coups in recorded history.

Sasha was the head of the rebellion, and the ass I had to kiss to get some semblance of support to go on this whacked mission in the first place.

For all intents and purposes, she was my boss, but she needed me.

She needed me to help garner favor against Raúl and motivate the people of Telvia to rebel against him. She needed me big time .

But I needed her too.

Because without her, there was no way in hell I was going to save my brother before my dad or the Telvian Council had him executed for his crimes of helping me escape… twice .

“Good evening, child.”

I turned to face her, my feet shoulder width apart. “Hi, Sasha.”

“I am told that you both survived.”

“Yes. Wes got hurt, but the medic said he’ll be fine. They’re working on him right now.”

“Good. I may not have agreed with this mission of yours, but I am happy to hear that you both made it through.”

I stayed quiet. I knew she was pissed. When I asked for this mission, she rejected it immediately.

But when it became clear I was going to do it whether she liked it or not, she reluctantly agreed.

Part of me was still super confused about why she was willing to go along with it, but another part of me suspected she needed to retain the illusion of control over me.

The truth was, since day one of my arrival at the rebel camp, I had been a bit of a loose cannon.

Running off, convincing Dissenters to help me break command, and so on.

And when it all went to hell in a handbasket, we agreed I would help her gain more support for the rebellion, but only if she helped me save my brother.

We had each other by the proverbial balls and, in a super weird way, we were both playing this constant game of testing out the limits of control we had over one another. Like I said…it was weird.

The blue light of the hologram flickered. “What information were you able to gather?”

I blew out a breath. “I didn’t get a good look at it. But he’s there. You were right. He’s at Bellfire Tower.”

She was silent for a moment, a grim look on her face before she gave one curt nod. “I’m sorry, child.”

I looked away from her. I knew she already knew he was there, but I had been hanging on to hope that they had placed him someplace else.

Never in a million years did I think that Belinda would allow her son—my brother and the First Son of Telvia—to be thrown into the shadows of Bellfire Tower.

I had never seen it, but I heard rumors. Rumors of—

I shook my head. I didn’t want to go there right now, to let my brain play in that torturous playground. I sniffed and looked back at her.

“Will you proceed with your plan?”

My gaze hardened. “Yes.”

She cleared her throat before rolling her shoulders back. “I think you need to reconsider.”

“I’m doing this, Sasha. We had a deal.” I replied, trying so hard to maintain control of my temper. “You want your rebellion and I want my brother.”

Silence fell between us. I could just hear the wheels in her head turning before she clucked her tongue and sighed. “Very well. Were you able to retrieve any data from the Telvian computer?”

I nodded, pulling out the thumb drive and holding it out.

“Good. Be sure to deliver it to Camp Butte’s general tonight before you go to bed. We’ll discuss everything further when you make it back to Fort Warren.”

I nodded again, tucking the device back into my pocket.

“Goodnight, child. Get some rest.”

The light flickered and the hologram disappeared.