Chapter 11 – COSIMA
COSIMA
The skeleton of what was once clearly a grand train station looms ahead of us. Now, it isn't more than a few dilapidated buildings and huge metal arches sticking out of the ground like the rib cage of a huge beast.
Knight tenses beside me as we approach the side of one of the buildings, the dust covering the door wiped partially clean by countless handprints grabbing the handle. He doesn't like confined spaces, and it's pretty clear from the low growl that he doesn't intend on going in there.
"It's okay," I murmur to him, caressing his arm. "We won't be here long. And you don't have to go in."
His head dips in a slight nod.
"I'll be right back," says Raven, flashing us a smile and a little wave before disappearing into the structure. The rest of us wait in the shadows of a collapsed loading dock, keeping Knight out of sight as instructed. Knight shifts restlessly from foot to foot.
Geo growls, too, from where he's leaning against the rusted remains of a shipping container. "If he's not back in ten minutes, I'm going in after him."
"And do what?" Nikolai scoffs, pacing like a caged animal. "Knock down walls until you find him? Kill everyone? That'll really help us stay inconspicuous."
"Shut up," Geo says flatly, his single eye focused on the entrance where Raven vanished.
I stretch my legs, relieved to be on solid ground after hours of riding Knight's massive shoulders. "Do you think anybody normal actually takes this train?" I ask, more to break the silence than out of genuine curiosity.
"Traders, mostly," Geo answers, surprising me. "Neutral parties that both sides find useful. Medicine, tech, food… war makes strange bedfellows."
"And now us," I mutter, leaning into Knight's warmth as the evening air cools rapidly around us.
Knight's massive hand settles on my shoulder, the touch hesitant at first, then more assured when I don't pull away.
We've developed our own silent language over these past days.
A nod here, a gesture there. Understanding without words.
It's refreshing after a lifetime of parsing double meanings and hidden agendas in every conversation.
Despite trying to seem like he isn't worried, Geo looks like he's going to pass out from relief when Raven finally pops out from the door, his smile bright even in the encroaching darkness. "All set," he calls softly, beckoning us forward. "Our chariot awaits."
I breathe a sigh of relief of my own. "What did you do, bribe the conductor?" I ask, joining him.
"Better," he says with a wink. "I own the conductor. Or rather, I own the information that would send him to a Reinmichian prison, which is effectively the same thing."
Knight follows with obvious hesitation as we slip through the side entrance. The loading area is dimly lit, most of the bulbs long shattered or burned out. The ancient train sits there like a massive metal serpent, its windows dark except for a single car near the center that glows with warm light.
"This way," Raven murmurs, leading us along the platform. "Move fast. The train departs in fifteen minutes, and the fewer eyes that see Knight, the better."
Knight's heavy footsteps are loud despite his attempts at stealth. He's simply too massive to move silently, and it's worse when we have to cross a few metal grates haphazardly covering ruined tile. But the platform is deserted, and we reach the illuminated car without incident.
"After you, goddess," Raven says, sliding open the door with a flourish.
I take the alpha's offered hand and he lifts me effortlessly into the waiting car. I step inside and freeze, momentarily stunned by what I see.
The car has been transformed. Instead of the rows of hard metal seats I expected from a train like this, the space is open and inviting.
Plush rugs cover the floor, heavy curtains frame the windows, and an assortment of cushions and pillows forms what can only be described as a nest in one corner.
Smoky sandalwood rises from a bronze incense burner shaped like a swan on an end table.
"What is this?" I breathe, taking another step inside.
Raven comes in behind me. "I wanted us to travel in comfort," he says, sounding as anxious as he is pleased. "You specifically."
Knight ducks through the door behind him, his shoulders brushing the door frame. He glances around the car, his blue eyes wary behind his mask as they flick around like the luxurious items might bite him.
"That must have cost a fortune," I murmur, my eyes drawn to the nest-like arrangement of cushions.
Something deeply—and weirdly—omega stirs inside me at the sight of it.
Instincts I've had to suppress and bludgeon into submission to survive in the harshness of the Outer Reaches.
The instinct to burrow in, to make it mine, to pull my alphas close and—
Fuck. My alphas? Where did that thought come from?
"It was nothing," Raven says with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I know it's not a proper nest, but I hoped it would be comfortable enough for the time being. The journey to the border takes about two days, factoring in the cargo stops."
He looks so earnest, so eager to please, that my heart softens. Without thinking, I reach out and caress his golden hair. He freezes at my touch, his eyes widening with surprise.
"You don't need to try so hard," I tell him softly. "You're solidly in the second favorite spot."
He melts beneath my touch, his eyes fluttering shut briefly as he leans into my hand.
The raw vulnerability in that simple gesture tugs at something deep inside me.
This dangerous alpha, a man who has killed without hesitation because another alpha disrespected me, turns to putty at the slightest affection.
"Wait," Nikolai growls, his voice edged with indignation. Raven's eyes snap open at the sound of the other alpha's voice. "You have a favorites list?"
I stop stroking Raven's hair to roll my eyes at Nikolai's outburst. "Of course I do."
Geo snorts as he closes the door behind him and Nikolai with a solid thunk. "Got a list of my own, Vlakov. Guess where you rank."
The train whistle blows once, signaling our impending departure. Knight moves to the nest of cushions, inspecting it cautiously before lowering himself onto the floor at the edge of it with a sighing growl.
"Who the hell is first on this list?" Nikolai persists, eyeing Raven with suspicion as he moves further into the car. He's pointedly ignoring Geo.
I laugh, the sound surprising even me. I don't laugh often. "Isn't it obvious?" I gesture toward Knight.
Knight stares at me.
Nikolai's face falls comically, and I can't help but laugh again. I cross to the nest and sink down beside Knight in the pillows. He shifts to make room for me, but I lean into his warm side without hesitation.
"So where do the rest of us stand, then?" Nikolai demands, crossing his arms over his chest.
I pause, pretending to consider carefully. In truth, I hadn't actually ranked them in my mind, but watching Nikolai squirm is too delicious to pass up.
"Well," I say slowly, "Geo is third."
Geo, who has been busying himself with checking the car's security, pauses and looks over his shoulder at me. "I didn't know I was even on the list." There's genuine surprise in his gruff voice.
"Of course you are," I tell him. "You feed me, you taught me to shoot, and you haven't once tried to force me to do anything. That puts you far ahead of most alphas I've known."
Nikolai's mouth drops open in outrage. "That means I'm last? After everything we've been through?"
"Until recently, yes," I say. "But Azarel is last now, so by default, you're fourth."
The train lurches into motion beneath us, the sudden movement punctuated by the clank and groan of ancient metal finding its rhythm. Nikolai stumbles slightly before catching himself on one of the built-in tables and almost taking the incense swan's beak in his good eye.
"Guess I'll have to work with that," he mutters, but there's a gleam in his eye that wasn't there before. A challenge accepted.
Gods, he is such an alpha.
Knight's arm slips around my waist, hesitantly pulling me against him. I happily let him, watching Raven fetch a bottle of wine and several glasses from a cabinet near the front of the car.
"I think this calls for a celebration," Raven says, expertly uncorking the bottle. "To our first night on the rails, and to toppling princes from their pedestals." He pours generous measures into four glasses, hesitating when he reaches Knight. "I'm not sure if... do you?"
Knight shakes his head once, the motion curt but not unfriendly.
Raven nods and passes the glasses around, saving mine for last. Our fingers brush as he hands me the glass and his eyes meet mine briefly. For once, his easy charm slips to reveal something far more genuine beneath.
"Thank you," I murmur, and we both know I'm thanking him for more than just the wine.
He inclines his head in a small bow. "My pleasure, goddess."
The wine is surprisingly good. Rich and fruity without being too sweet. It warms me from the inside out, loosening the knot that's been sitting between my shoulder blades since we left the black market. Since I learned the truth about Azarel's identity.
Geo settles onto a cushion across from me, looking hilariously out of place amidst the opulence. The battered leather jacket doesn't help. He palms his wine glass in one hand, the stem sticking down between his fingers. "Not bad for a transport train," he muses.
Raven shrugs, settling onto a cushion near me, but not close enough to crowd me. "I paid the staff off. They won't bother us."
"And they're reliable?" Nikolai asks, still standing despite the comfortable seating available. He's never been one to relax easily.
"As reliable as anyone can be these days," Raven replies. "But I made sure they understand the consequences of betrayal. Plus, I've used this route before. The staff doesn't care who they transport as long as the price is right."