Chapter Twenty-Three
Kai
Although I’m trying to keep an eye on everyone and make sure that no one strays away from the group and ends up getting themselves in trouble it’s unsurprising that the majority of my attention is on Sage.
This is a dangerous mission and one that ideally I’d have her nowhere near.
Despite knowing that she is more than capable of handling it.
What is surprising is that I find my focus more on Jax as well.
I say it’s surprising but really it’s not.
I’ve been attracted to him for a while now but I’ve not really thought of taking it further, unsure if he feels the same way and therefore not willing to risk our friendship and the team dynamics.
I’m still not sure at all how he feels about me but I do think that it’s more of a possibility now than I was aware it was before.
Sage doesn’t seem to mind in the slightest which is a massive bonus.
I refocus on what’s going on at the moment.
Ghost and Knot fly ahead checking for any more guards and leading us through the labyrinth of streets.
Its still fairly early in the evening although its getting darker now, the streets seem surprisingly quiet.
The familiars lead us down quieter side streets and we only encounter a few people all of whom keep their heads down and scurry past us like they’re terrified.
“Boy! Where do you think you’re going you little fucking shit.” I hear an angry voice growl and the hair on the back of my neck stands up.
My mind tries to flash me back to a time and place where it would be me on the receiving end of those harsh words and the pain that would usually follow them.
I growl as I feel my eyes heat with anger.
“You ok Brother?” Hunter says quietly and I nod viciously pushing down my memory.
“Fuck.” Levi curses suddenly and my eyes immediately snap to where I last saw Sage.
Since she’s the only person who can make Levi curse with such force. Sure enough she’s not there, I finally catch sight of her back moving stealthily down the alley way where the angry voice of the fucker came from.
“Whelp I guess we’re checking that out then.” Erin says and strolls casually after Sage with her weapon out.
The rest of us share a look, those two together are a force to be reckoned with.
Of course we fucking follow, they may be able to protect themselves, more than capable of it actually, but they aren’t immortal at least I don’t think they are so we will protect them because at the end of the day they are our souls and without them fuck knows what might happen to us.
Sage stops at the end of the alley and we come up behind the girls looking out at the small deserted street, lit by old style lamps.
Off to the side stood directly beneath a tall wrought iron street lamp is a guard with a small boy with bright orange coloured hair and pointed ears that are barely visible through the dirty and bedraggled strands as the guard holds him up by his throat.
The guard must be a shifter of some kind as blood drips down the child’s throat where the fuckers claws dig in.
He also has claw marks running down his cheek and side.
The asshole has clearly been playing with the boy.
I barely suppress my growl so I don’t give our position away and focus on Sage’s reaction. There’s no way that anyone wants to leave the boy in the hands of this bastard but we are here on a mission and are trying to keep a low profile for obvious reasons.
She is so incredibly still that I have to really focus to make sure that she is even breathing.
“Jax,” I start to warn since he’s the closest one to her and can grab her the easiest.
Its too late though before any of us can stop her she’s walked out of the alley and all of us just stare in shock as within the blink of an eye she appears behind the guard with one of her daggers to his throat.
I didn’t even see her move she got there so fucking fast. There is absolutely no fear coming off of her at all and I can smell that now.
The only thing I can smell is fucking boiling rage.
The guard freezes and we stop our approach letting Sage take the lead.
“Put the boy down.” Sage says calmly, too calmly.
“Who the fuck do you . . .” The guard starts before his words cut off abruptly as a small bead of blood drips down his neck as Sage pushes the tip of her knife harder against his throat.
“O-o-k-k,” he stutters fear starting to bleed into his voice as he drops the child.
The boy scrambles to his feet and stumbles off towards an alley close by, arms immediately wrap around and I guess that its his mother as she pulls him close and he buries his head into her skirts as she comforts him.
My attention quickly switches back to Sage and the guard now that I know that the boy is as safe as he’s going to be in this fucked up place.
“Good boy.” Sage practically purrs at the guard and my dick hardens.
She is so fucking hot normally but when she’s like this she drives me fucking wild. My reaction to her is completely inappropriate right now but try telling that to my fucking dick.
“I did what you asked now let me go!” The guard demands.
Wrong move asshole.
“Hmmm, nope I don’t think so.” Sage replies grinning wickedly and I swear that for just a moment her eyes turn completely black.
What the fuck? That’s new.
I watch in fascination as for the first time in days her Nyx swords make an appearance in a whisp of black and purple smoke. The goddess clearly approves of her next move as she easily severs the assholes head and watches stoically as it falls to the floor with a thump.
“No way, Nyx’s swords.” Asher exclaims his eyes wide.
“It’s so hot when she does that.” Jax comments and we share a heated look. That moment we shared in the bathroom of the plane plays on repeat through my mind, normally in the small hours of the morning, when I can’t sleep.
Sage is still looking down at the severed head. As we all approach her.
“You ok Beautiful?” I ask cautiously, as her eyes completely shaded black flash in my mind again.
Seriously what was that.
“Huh?” She says distractedly.
“That was fucking badass.” Erin says holding her hand up for a fist bump which Sage returns with a grin once she’s put both the Nyx swords in one hand.
“Thanks. I’m good sorry I delayed us. I just couldn’t let him kill the boy.”
“If you hadn’t killed him. I fucking would’ve.” Kysen growls harshly, his tail whipping back and forth agitatedly behind him.
“I don’t think these are in any rush to disappear.” Sage says gesturing to the Nyx swords in her hand. “Do any of you want my other two swords so that I can put these ones in their sheathes I don’t know how to make them disappear again. Apparently they have minds of their fucking own, of course.”
“Sure, I’ll take one.” Erin says.
“Me too,” Says Asher.
She hands her two curved blades off to the others and then places her Nyx swords in their sheaths.
As she’s handing them over I survey the area making sure that we aren’t about to be snuck up on.
My eyes snag on movement in an alley not too far from where we are standing and my grip tightens on the dagger still in my hand.
The only reason I don’t launch it straight away is because that’s where the boy ran to his mother.
They should be long gone by now though. My eyes heat and suddenly I can see perfectly clearly into the darkness that shrouds the mouth of the alley.
Surprisingly the mother and boy are still there, I smile hoping that I don’t seem as threatening as I probably am and I put my finger to my lips asking her to keep quiet about us being here.
She nods her head vigorously and mouths thank you before she ushers her son further into the alley.
“That is so fucking cool.” Ty comments brining my attention back to Sage and the others as the sheathes on Sage’s back transform into the right shape to match her swords, the brown leather turning black as golden runes and turquoise stones appear on them too.
“Wicked.” She comments and I study her more closely, something seems slightly off and I’d be willing to bet that it has something to do with the blackness that I thought I saw completely encompass her eyes for a moment as she slit the guards throat.
As always when it comes to Sage though it will do absolutely no good to pressure her or even ask, she will tell us when she’s ready just like I hope that she will fill the guys in on her nightmares even though she doesn’t seem to be having them anymore. Not since Creep entered her dream.
As the others start to move off through the tiny, cramped streets after Ghost and Knot, I catch Sage’s hand in mine and give it a squeeze, she tilts her head and looks up at me her beautiful purple eyes soft.
“Are you ok, Beautiful?” I ask quietly sweeping some hair that’s escaped her braid off of her face.
“I’m good. I just think I need to talk to you guys after all this is over there’s something odd going on with me. Nothing serious it can wait until after this is over.”
“Ok Beautiful. If you’re sure?” I ask unable to keep the slightest thread of worry from seeping into my voice.
“I’m certain Kai.” She says as she pulls me to a stop and gently kisses me. “Lets get these Centre’s and kill a few bastards on the way.”
“So damn sexy, Beautiful.” I grin as my heart leaps at her smile.
We follow after the others and thankfully don’t come across any more guards that need dealing with.
My demon is practically begging to use the strength that courses through us.
We are the same but I’m still getting used to the stronger and more violent part of me that has emerged.
Finally we come across the grey stone wall that surrounds the castle grounds.
Suspiciously enough there doesn’t seem to be any guards walking along the length of it or even patrolling the edges. Not that I can see or sense anyway.