14. Chapter 14
Chapter 14
Sage
An excited look adorned Peach’s face as she dropped three duffle bags next to four wooden saw horses.
“What the hell are we doing out here?” I asked.
“Practicing!”
My brows pinched as I thought about all the reasons this was a bad idea. “We’re going to spar in the middle of the forest?”
Peach handed Lyric and I both a leather knife holster. “We’re not fighting. Strap these on.”
I fastened mine onto my right thigh and adjusted it, and when I looked up, Peach held out two daggers.
“Those are genuine Argentium silver, and you can kill vampires and wolven with them. Which is good since we don’t know who Venom is working with. Just make sure you both keep them strapped on you as much as possible.”
I took one from her and turned it over in my hand, admiring the beautiful markings on the handle.
Next she pulled a glow-in-the-dark target out of her bag and hung it on a nearby tree. “I want each of you to practice throwing them at that target.”
Lyric went first with Peach correcting any mistakes she made. Even though we’d trained in throwing stakes, daggers, and knives, it had been a while since either of us had practiced. I went next and after a while, it seemed almost natural again.
“That’s enough. Let’s move on to shooting.” Peach dug in her bag and handed Lyric and I both ear plugs. After pulling out some water bottles, she lined them along the saw horses. I held up the lantern I was holding to get a better view.
“You know me and Lyric only have human vision, right? We won’t be able to see the targets to shoot them.”
Peach ignored me, instead screwing the lid off a bottle. She dropped something into it, replaced the lid, and gave it a shake causing the bottle to light up like a glow stick.
Lyric squealed. “That’s cool! I did something similar once for a science project.”
“Ravage showed me how to make them. He’s a genius with anything relating to science.” Once Peach finished making twelve bottles glow, she dug back in her bag and handed us each a gun. “I’m assuming you both remember how to use these.”
Lyric said nothing, instead turning toward the bottles and quickly shooting two before dropping the gun to her side with a smile. “I remember.”
“Good job, Lyric!” Peach took the lantern from me and nodded her head toward the targets. “Your turn.”
I raised the little Glock 43 and stared at it. “The last time I held a gun, I killed two people.”
Peach rested her hand on my arm, soothing me. “You did what you had to do just like they were doing. Life isn’t always fair and sometimes, we’re dealt sucky cards. It’s an evil game but someone has to be the dealer, and if you don’t keep playing the game, then you’ll never win a round.”
I let out a hard sigh before eyeballing the targets. The bloodshed I had caused was all I could see as I stared at them, and I shook my head.
“I don’t know if I’m ready for this.”
“Marcus said if you don’t practice, then you can’t go on the mission.”
My head whipped back to Peach. “Are you serious?”
“And I agree with him. Don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re no good to anyone if you can’t protect yourself. It would cause a weakness to the group because someone would need to constantly watch your back. And what’s the purpose of saving Luka and Strike if multiple people die in the process? It’s not fair to value one life over another.”
Peach’s words settled in me, accelerating my breaths. She was one hundred percent right. If something happened to one of my friends because they helped me save the man I love and his brother, I would be in worse shape than I already was.
The fire inside of me flickered again, building higher. Without hesitation this time, I raised the gun and took aim. My instincts took over, my muscle memory doing the work for me when I quickly took out four targets.
“Wow. Great job,” Peach exclaimed. “I guess you really want to go on this mission.”
“No person or thing will stop me.” I looked down at the small 9mm gun. “Except maybe this. It’s not my normal style. Do you have anything else?”
“I like the 43. Do you want to trade for my 19?” Lyric held out her gun, and I shook my head.
“Do you prefer a 1911?” Peach asked. “I have a Kimber in the bag. Not Drag’s sister.” Peach grinned teasingly and Lyric giggled. I shook my head again. “I also have a Luger, another Glock, a Sig, a musket, and a Flintlock back at the cabin.”
“How old are you?” Lyric asked, and I laughed.
Peach ignored her. “Oh, I also have a Beretta.”
If I had been born a dog, or a wolven, my ears would have shot up. “Is it an M9? That’s what I normally use.”
“It is. It’s custom and has sights. It’s up to you if you want to use it.”
Lyric took the Glock I had, and Peach stuck the other back in the bag before pulling out the Beretta and handing it to me.
It was black with gorgeous walnut pistol grips that had the Beretta insignia, a larger circle with three arrows and three small circles inside of it, engraved into them, and had a custom slide.
The weight in my hand felt familiar, easing me. I practiced for a while, and truly began to feel like my old self, but hopefully a better version.
After we exhausted our targets, we headed home.
“Do you want to head over to see Drag’s niece?” Peach asked as we reentered the camp. “You haven’t seen her yet.”
“I’m not big into babies.”
Peach’s brows rose as a shocked look took over her face. “You don’t like babies?”
Lyric shook her head. “Sage has never liked them.”
“What do you expect? They cry and poop a lot. I’ll stick to my cat.” I grinned nervously at the two women who stared at me like I was a foreign object. “Umm, but I’ll go with you guys.”
Peach let out a small laugh. “It’s four miles, so let’s drive.”
She led us to the side of a cabin where a brand new Jeep Wrangler awaited. It matched the color of the one I’d left at Venom the night of the attack, but this one had four doors.
My heart palpitated in excitement that I hadn’t felt in a while when I ran my hand down the smooth sting-gray coat of paint. “Whose Jeep?”
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Peach asked as she opened the driver’s door and gestured her hand. “Check it out.”
I slid into the seat, the smell of a new car filling my lungs. “This is so nice! Mine was the basic factory model, but I still miss her.”
Peach held out the keys to me. “She’s all yours.”
My eyes bulged, my mouth falling agape. “You can’t buy me a car, Peach. I can’t accept it.”
“I didn’t. He did.” She pointed toward the passenger side and when I turned to look, Marcus opened the door, grinning as he slid in.
“Do you like it?”
“Marcus, I—”
“Before you go saying I shouldn’t have done it, like you have some idea on how much money I have, don’t bother. I have plenty of funds. So much so, when I cleared out my bank account after the battle, I didn’t know what to do with it all. I had been looking for the perfect one for a while, and I actually paid cash for it. That’s how much money I have, Sagelynn. And you can drop the shocked look off your face because we aren’t taking it back. Not only are you going to need it for this mission, you’re the closest thing I have to a child. Plus, I do what I want.”
My gaze left Marcus and went to the smooth leather steering wheel beneath my hands. “Why do I need this for the mission?”
“I’ve been helping Winnie map out White Sands and everything around it. Jeeps are perfect for off-roading. If something happens, you can flee in it.”
I whipped my face back to Marcus. “If you think I’d leave you if something happens, you’re delusional.”
He laughed before his face turned serious. “If we get caught and have to flee, those vans we have might not make it far in the sand. You’ll have to take as many people as you can in this thing and run. That’s why we got the four-door.”
My mind reeled with different scenarios as I counted out the seats versus how many people would be going. “There’s only five seats. Even if we stick two in the trunk area, that’s only seven. There’s nine of us once we find Luka and ten if we find Strike.”
“Luka and Erik will have to take the front since they’re bigger. Winnie, you, Lyric, Lynx, and Strike will have to fight over the back seat or trunk.”
“Wait. That’s only seven. What about you, Ravage, and Zeke?”
“We’re the elders. We’ll figure it out.”
“First thing, you’re only forty-one, so you aren’t that old. Second, we aren’t leaving you, so come up with a better plan.”
“I agree with Marcus,” Peach said through the window.
I rolled my eyes and sighed. “Of course you do.”
“This is a worst-case scenario, Sagelynn. Everyone else has hesitantly agreed to the plan.”
I put my elbow on the door handle and leaned my face against my fist. “It’s a stupid plan, Marcus.”
“And what do I always say?”
I side eyed him while reciting his words from memory. “It’s better to have a stupid plan than no plan at all.”
“Exactly.”
“You guys done?” Peach asked. “We need to get going before it gets too late.”
Marcus looked around me, locking gazes with her. “I’ll miss you, Peaches and Cream.”
Peach smirked, but behind her blueish-green eyes was a glimmer of passion. “Get out of the car, Marcus.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“You can sit in the front, Peach,” Lyric said, opening the rear door and sliding in.
“You ladies have fun.” Marcus had pure adoration plastered on his face as he held the door for Peach, and my heart melted. His smile was wide when he shut it.
“Listen, I know it’s not my business, but Marcus is a great guy.”
Peach’s head turned toward me. “I know. And it’s literally impossible to ignore how amazing he is.”
Lyric leaned in between me and Peach, her excitement contagious. “For the record, I think you guys would make a perfect couple.”
Peach nodded before turning her gaze away from me, and I pulled out of the parking lot, heading toward the other campground.