I kicked at the bars, and they creaked, weakening. A sudden clamoring above briefly paused me. Running and yelling?
Lady?I said in my mind
Oh wow, yes,ladyhere.Replied the woman.Or Jalisa. And yes, we’re here, and there are a lot of others welcoming us. Give us a little bit of time to get to you.
Jullian and Jacob are down here with me in the basement. I can take care of them.
See you in a bit, Mister,she replied in a sardonic tone.
I tried not to let it affect me that she was annoyed by my lack of memory. I didn’t blame her.
Jullian, grasping at his reddened throat and bleeding head, looked up to the ceiling. “What is going on up there?” He looked over to Jacob, whose purple eyes were giving off an unnatural, yet oddly familiar glow. “Take care of him, and if he gets out of hand, kill him.”
Jacob frowned, eyes remaining on me. “I thought we were supposed to keep him alive?”
“If the bastard gets out of hand, then we will have no choice. I’ll deal with this family if it comes to that. Now, I need to see what’s happening up there.”
I stayed still as I watched Jullian leave. He would be easy to kill. Jacob, the alpha, was my focus now. When I heard Jullian open a door from somewhere I couldn’t see and close it, I smiled back at Jacob. “Looks like it’s just us two.” I rolled my shoulders back, extending my claws.
Jacob didn’t look the least bit phased. Instead, he took a step forward and bent the bars, surprising me. “I think we both know you aren’t getting out of here alive. I don’t like loose ends. And you are a loose end,” he stated as he stepped inside my makeshift prison.
He was a bold one. Time for him to learn a lesson. I ran at him, retuning the punch he’d given me earlier. He barely moved.
Right, so maybe this wasn’t going to be so easy. I took another step toward him, encasing my hand into ice to strengthen my impact, but before I make another move Jacob opened his mouth, releasing a wind so strong I thought I was trapped in a wind tunnel. My body lifted, and I was slammed against the back wall, momentarily impaired by dizziness.
When I could focus again, Jacob was standing in the center of the room, but this time he had white feathered wings that were close to fully extended. They were almost the size of his body, and I knew without a doubt that I was looking at another dragon.
A wind dragon.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Jalisa
We had stormed the proverbial castle. Actually, it was a run-down mansion, but it was close enough. It was a mix of broken windows and floorboards, walls with peeling paint, cobwebs, and dust. No one had lived there in ages, and it was secluded with not a neighbor around for miles. It was the perfect homebase for the dissenters. This was the level of the group that I had never been privy to because the place was totally unfamiliar to me. Whoever came here in the dissenters’ group, they were the real trouble. I was a pawn, low in the rankings. I barely even recognized any of the ten to fifteen fae who were there. And we were outnumbered.
Not only did my father come, but he called in two associates, who looked more like soldiers, to help us. I called Aaron, andhe contacted Yosef, who brought his pack, including Lila. That made eight of us. We were a small but mighty team.
After connecting with Ivan and learning about Jacob and Jullian, it made total sense that this place would have plenty of fae already there. Jullian would always be prepared because he knew he had too much to lose. I would make sure he lost it all this time.
I bobbed and weaved through attacks as I made my way to Ivan. I wouldn’t be the face he’d want to see, he wouldn’t know me from any other fae, butIneeded to seehim. I had no idea what door lead to the basement, so I had to pause at every door to open and check. This opened me up to attacks, but my father was right at my back, knocking out rebellion followers as if they were merely gnats. I was strong, but I knew better than to not have back up because I was a tad out of practice. He might be older, but my father was still an alpha and in great physical shape.
Suddenly, a rumbling shook the building and knocked us off balance. I stumbled forward, almost falling, but my father grabbed my arm, keeping me upright. “What the hell was that?”
“No, idea,” my father stated, looking around. “I think it came from below.”
I tightened my grip on my sword. “That’s where Ivan is.”
We quickened our pace to the next door, but I stopped when I heard my father yell. I turned to see a dissenter jump on his back, tackling him to the ground. Before I could help him, a force grabbed the back of my head and bashed me against the wall. Sharp pain racketed my shoulder, and I felt the cold touch of blood drip down the side of my head. My vision dimmed for the briefest of seconds, but I shook my head to remain alert.
A glint of light caught my eye, and I swung my sword out meeting a clang of metal. Excruciating ache gripped at my injured shoulder as I lifted it to move my sword. However, I hadto ignore it for now. To give in would mean death. Biting back a cry of pain, I pushed from the wall and twirled around, swinging my sword with me. I raised my brows in shock as I came face to face with my assailant.
Nepa Coldpath. Ivan’s cousin. She bared her teeth at me, holding tightly to her sword, turquoise eyes wild in rage. “Why couldn’t you stay away?” she shouted. She swung her sword, and I met it with mine.
The woman was a giant, tall and muscular. Not to mention she was a soldier. None of my experience would match hers, but I did have my omega magic and my bond with Ivan. I suspected that was the only reason my sword was still keeping me from being cut down. Although, as she pushed into me and my arms shook against her force, I wondered how long I could hold up against her.
I gritted my teeth as I strained to push her back, my injured shoulder on fire and threatening to give out. “Ivan is here.”
“I know that. I was coming to get him.”
