33. Chapter Thirty-Three Echoes of Rebellion
Chapter Thirty-Three: Echoes of Rebellion
Maverick
Tearing myself away from Tess and our plans for the rest of the night was unsettlingly difficult. It wasn’t uncommon for Lux and Stone to get a little nervous, and when they did, they liked to call these meetings. Half the time, they were more like group therapy sessions. Nothing substantial whatsoever other than psychological support and group bonding.
Normally, I’d be happy to eat, drink and be merry with my best friends to help them fortify their psyches. Tonight, I was absolutely livid at the idea I’d been interrupted for anything less than the impending apocalypse.
I phased into the kitchen, mad as a March hare, the acrid taste of frustration on my tongue. With the sudden shift in temperature from the cool night air to the stuffy warmth of the house, my skin prickled, ramping up the frustration deep in my gut. A low murmur drifted from the living room, punctuated by the occasional clink of glass on wood. I moved toward the sound, my footsteps echoing off the Italian tile floor.
Stone and Lux sat with Cross and Zara around the coffee table, each nursing a bottle of beer and all heads turned to me. The sharp, hoppy scent hung in the air, along with the faint aroma of various pizzas they’d ordered for the meeting, boxes stacked in the corner. Two boxes remained left over for me.
Stone’s leg bounced nervously, causing the couch to creak rhythmically. Lux’s fingers drummed an erratic pattern on his bottle, creating a soft tapping sound that seemed to echo my irritation.
I turned around to grab a drink from the fridge for myself, the cool metal handle a stark contrast to my heated mood. “Anyone need another yet?” I called over my shoulder, my voice sounding more strained than I intended.
“Right here,” Cross yelled back, his deep voice cutting through the tension.
I grabbed two bottles from the fridge, the glass slick with condensation, and brought them back into the living room. As I passed one to Cross, who I sat next to across from Stone, I caught a whiff of his nervousness. It wasn’t like him, but I still wasn’t moved. I could have had Tess’s hands all over me by now. The couch sagged beneath our combined weight, springs groaning in protest. Might be time for a new one.
“This better be good,” I growled, unable to keep the edge from my voice. “ I was about to—”
“We don’t want to know what you were about to do,” Stone interrupted, his eyes flashing red with ire. The lamp behind shined in my face, shrouding him in darkness, accentuating the worry lines. “Zara has some news from Hell.”
The room fell silent, save for the soft hiss of carbonation from the freshly opened beers. All eyes turned to Zara, her usually vibrant self subdued by whatever information she was about to share. The air seemed to thicken, charged with anticipation and a hint of fear. I couldn’t bear it.
“Oh does she?” I smiled at her, the sarcasm dripping from my voice like honey. “Please tell me Beelzebub and Gabriel have formed an alliance, and now there are huge riots.”
Zara smirked at me and shook her head, her dark hair bouncing slightly with the movement. “My friend in the fae realm heard whispers of a huge commotion in the seraphim sector.” Her eyes darted between us, reflecting the dim lamplight. “She couldn’t get details, but apparently, the Guard might be cracking down hard on the mortal plane.”
The room grew colder as her words sank in. I could almost hear the collective intake of breath from the others.
“Rumors from the fae? Oh how reliable.” My sarcasm reminded everyone of the truth, my fingers picking at the label around my beer bottle. Zara narrowed her eyes at me playfully, a hint of amusement bouncing in their depths. It wasn’t very diplomatic of me, but when had I ever been? She knew I had a point.
“If there’s even a grain of truth to this, we need to know more,” said Lux, his deep voice rumbling with concern. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, the movement causing the couch to creak softly.
Stone sat forward, too, his jaw ticking as he ground his teeth, ever the anxious one. The sound was barely audible, but I’d heard it so many times before. “We need to confirm this. Fast.” His words were clipped and tense, but that was the Stone I knew well.
I sat back and crossed my ankle over my knee, trying to project an air of nonchalance even for myself. “How many times have we heard they’re really coming for us now?”
“We should still look into it.” Stone’s gaze snapped to me, the intensity in his eyes almost palpable.
“So look into it then,” I replied, taking a long swig of my beer. The bitter taste did little to wash away the unease settling in my stomach.
Lux scrolled through his phone, the blue light illuminating his face in the dimly lit room. He tapped a name and held up a finger to us. The soft beeping of the phone dialing seemed unnaturally loud in the sudden silence.
“Yeah, it’s Lux.” His voice was low and urgent. “Heard anything interesting lately?”
We all waited, the tension in the room thick enough to cut with a claw. I could hear the faint, tinny voice on the other end of the line but couldn’t make out the words.
“Yeah, that’s what we heard, too. So it’s true?” Lux sighed, the sound heavy with implications. “Brok? Never heard of him.” His eyebrows drew together, and his mouth turned down at the edges, deepening the worry lines on his face. “Please do. We need all the info we can get on this. Thanks, man.”
He hung up and looked at us, his expression grim. The silence that followed was deafening, broken only by the soft hum of the refrigerator in the kitchen and our collective breathing.
“That didn’t sound good,” said Cross, his deep voice rumbling like distant thunder in the quiet room.
Lux shook his head, his long fingers running through his hair in a gesture of frustration. “Zara’s info was true. There’s a new General. His name is Brok. Real stick up his ass about seraphim on the mortal plane. Seems to think Alpin was just letting us get away.”
I laughed, the sound sharp and sudden in the tense atmosphere. “They were pretty pathetic.”
All eyes snapped to me, a mix of disbelief and irritation in their gazes. I shrugged, the leather beneath me creaking softly with the movement.
“Anyway,” Lux continued, shooting me a look that could have curdled milk, “I’ve asked Mac to find out anything he can, so we’ll have to get him some goats.”
Stone groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Will he not take any other payment?” he asked, exasperation clear in his voice. “It’s such a pain in the ass. He lives here, too. Surely he can use cash.”
Lux shrugged, his shoulders rising and falling like a wave. “He likes goats.”
“What does he do with the goats?” asked Cross, curiosity etched on his face.
“You don’t want to know,” I confided, my tone deliberately ominous.
Zara’s face scrunched up, her nose wrinkling in disgust, while Cross raised an eyebrow, his expression a mix of intrigue and revulsion. “You’re right, I don’t,” he conceded, settling back into the couch with a soft thump.
“I’m not okay with it,” said Stone, his jaw set in a hard line.
I looked at him, taking in the tension in his shoulders, the way his fingers gripped his beer bottle a little too tightly. “While your exclusive goat-only empathy is beautiful,” I drawled, “frankly, I don’t care. We need Mac’s information, and Mac wants goats.”
“Shut the fuck up, Maverick,” Stone snapped, his words cutting through the air like a whip. “You don’t care about Mac’s info anyway. ”
I paused, considering his words. The room seemed to hold its breath, waiting for my response. “That’s true,” I admitted, feeling the weight of the others’ stares. “I’m not worried. But I’m a team player, and everyone else here wants that info, so I’m merely relaying the message they’re too polite to say out loud.”
Stone huffed, the sound somewhere between concession and annoyance. Zara giggled, breaking some of the tension. Lux and Cross both looked exasperated at our antics, exchanging a long-suffering glance.
As I watched Stone’s irritation fade into the back of his mind, I was reminded once again of our bond. We were like blood brothers, always at each other’s throats but ready to lay down our lives for each other if it came down to it. The familiarity of our banter, even in this tense moment, was oddly comforting.
The room fell into a contemplative silence, broken only by the soft clink of beer bottles and the distant hooting of an owl in the forest depths outside. The weight of the situation settled over us like a heavy blanket, reminding us that despite our jokes and squabbles, a very real threat loomed on the horizon.
Cross leaned back and took a sip of beer, the leather of the couch creaking under his shift in weight. “Did Mac know anything about new plans or tactics?”
Lux shook his head, his expression grim. “Not yet. He’ll look into that. In the meantime, we have to lay low.” The room seemed to warm a few degrees as everyone’s eyes swiveled toward me, their gazes heavy with expectation.
I held my hands up, palms out, in a gesture of mock surrender. The silver bands on my fingers scattered pinpricks of light across the walls like a constellation of stars. “I have no plans other than to resume what I was doing with that witch when I was so rudely interrupted for a rumor that honestly could have waited twelve to twenty-four hours.”
“We don’t know that, Maverick.” Stone’s voice was tight with frustration. “They might come for us with force at any moment. We have to be ready.”
I sighed, the exasperation clear in my voice. “The seraphim guard can’t organize that quickly, you know that. Everything has to be planned, codified, signed off and approved by multiple boards. We have time to find out what they’re planning. I promise.”
Stone grumbled, the sound low in his throat like a disgruntled bear. Lux pressed his lips tight, creating a thin white line. His eyes met mine with reluctant agreement. He knew I was right, but he was more conservative, and we both knew we were probably better off that way.
“I’ll see if I can find out anything, too,” said Zara, her soft voice cutting through the tension.
Stone held up a hand, his fingers splayed. “Just be discreet.”
“I will, Stone,” Zara assured him, her tone soothing.
“Stone and I will source some goats tomorrow,” Lux announced, his voice matter-of-fact.
“For fuck’s sake.” Stone threw his hands up in exasperation. The sudden movement caused his beer to slosh in the bottle. “Take Cross.”
Cross shook his head, looking genuinely apologetic. “Can’t, man, sorry. I have a family thing.”
Stone groaned, the sound long and drawn out. He pinched the bridge of his nose, eyes closed. “Fine. I’ll go.”
“Thata boy.” I was unable to keep the smirk out of my voice. “Team players all around. We got this.”
He glared at me, his eyes narrowed to slits. If looks could kill, I’d have been a pile of ash on the floor. The room fell to silence as we quietly pondered the situation. I was optimistic that we’d learned to pivot and avoid the Seraphim Guard, but I knew the guys would need a lot more support than my confidence.
After a few minutes, the tension in the room began to dissipate as Cross shook his head. “You know, speaking of rumors, did you guys hear about that vampire coven in Brooklyn that supposedly started an artisanal blood bank? They’re paying a pretty penny for drug-free, vegan blood.”
Zara snorted, nearly choking on her beer. “That’s nothing. I heard the vamps in Vegas are offering week-long fully paid vacations...”
Lux leaned back, stroking his chin with a conspiratorial look in his eye. “Apparently, there’s a witch convention forming in Miami. They’re developing anti-vamp charms that actually work.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s about fucking time someone put them in their place.”
Stone, despite his earlier frustration, raised his eyebrows and joined in. “Actually, I heard something about Baphomet being on the mortal plane.”
“Baphomet’s here? What’s he up to now…” I wondered.
The room filled with awe, the earlier tension melting away as we traded supernatural gossip. A reminder that, despite the looming threat, our world still turned, and everyone else was fighting a rising tide every day, too.