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“You don’t know where we are,” Danika shouted, before I placed my hand on her lower back in an attempt to calm her raging wild side.
“I know exactly where you are. I will find you and a way into your hideout,” he replied. That couldn’t be true. He was lying.
Kira screamed in the background. It was a horrible, bone-chilling sound and I knew he was hurting her. I hoped she could hold it together a little bit longer. We had to figure out some way to rescue her.
Kira had always been the foundation of our sisterhood. She’d led us away into the woods after the Vakarrans had attacked and she was the one who helped us to survive those many years in hiding. She’d always been our fearless leader and I’d always loved her and looked up to her for it. She didn’t deserve this. I had to figure out some way to make him stop whatever he was doing to her.
“Tell me what you want, so that you’ll stop hurting her,” I replied calmly, trying not to panic and let my concern
for Kira cloud my senses.
“I just want to talk to the three of you. In person at the football arena. Alone. My men have purposely left the area unharmed. In exchange, I’ll give you back Kira. Unhurt. Mostly anyway,” he said curtly.
“What do you want to talk about?” I asked cautiously.
“Terms of surrender. If we can come to an agreement, I won’t attack your forces. If we can’t, you leave safely and then I’ll destroy your measly Resistance at my leisure,” he replied coldly.
I stared at him, trying to figure out if this was some kind of trick. Turning back to my Vakarrans, I met their eyes. Despite their apparent calmness, I could see their fury boiling beneath the surface. They stood tall, hands clasped behind their backs. I took a step toward Tavik and lifted my chin in order to look up at him.
“Is this usual, Tavik? A meeting like this?” I asked quietly. He knelt down by my ear.
“In rare cases, it is. The Vakarrans don’t typically ask for surrender, they demand it. Unless Nix is thinking about the money here, all the women and usable working men. It’s a far more profitable venture if he can take the majority of our forces peacefully. It would be more expensive for him to destroy us. But still, I don’t like it. Not one fucking bit,” he answered softly, low enough so that only I could hear him.
“The arena is about a mile from our central location here. We have an entrance that will lead to the surface near there,” Alaina whispered.
“How do we know you won’t attack us?” I asked Nix then, raising my voice so that he could hear me.
“You just have to trust me, that is, if you want your sister back,” Nix said, and Kira screamed again, a sound that wrenched me apart, making me want to cry. Kira had been like a mother to us all and I knew in my heart that I would do whatever I could to get her back.
“If you do not come alone, I will kill her. I’ll deliver her body straight to you, but in pieces. Remember, I’ll be watching,” Nix said with a dark grin and then, all of a sudden, the screen went black.
“Deploy the survey drone,” Tavik demanded and Ryder nodded. At once, the scanner reappeared on the projected screen, as well as a flying survey view of Atlanta. The city was decimated, except for the massive football arena they’d built long ago. The roof was wide open, showcasing the stark green of the manufactured grass below. Nix had been right. The stadium was left untouched, leaving a bare area easily observed and defended from the sky.
I knew what we had to do.
“We have to go,” I said. “It may be Kira’s only chance to survive and escape him. If there is even a chance of that, we have to go. If all he wants to do is talk, we can just hear him out and reject his offer.”
“You’re not going without us,” Tavik said firmly and I shook my head.
“You can’t. He’ll kill her if he sees you.” I responded.
“He won’t see us,” Zane and Valdus said together. I gritted my teeth and shook my head.
“How do you propose we do that and still rescue Kira?” I pressed.
“Let’s gather around and form a plan,” Alaina replied. She raised her chin, stared at me and then my sister. I blinked, narrowing my eyes in confusion. She’d spoken to me and her lips hadn’t moved. Danika looked from me to her and then nodded.
“I have the capability to talk to the men of the Second Battalion, not with my voice but with my mind. I had thought the ability had stopped there, but when I spent time with you, my sisters yesterday, I began to feel it expand. I’ve been feeling out the connection for several hours and now, I know it’s real,” Alaina began.
Next to me, Danika’s skin began to change color, camouflaging into the background and then she was gone. She reappeared moments later, several feet from where she started, but in her hand, she had a knife and she threw it straight at me.
With lightning fast reflexes, I reached out into the air and caught it by its handle.
The entire room fell silent.
“Kaela, you’re strong and fast. Danika, you can disappear into thin air on a whim, and I can communicate with the two of you. The three of us could coordinate in secret, and Nix will be none the wiser,” Alaina continued.
I grinned, beginning to catch onto her plan.
