Chapter Thunderstruck
Thunderstruck
ROGUE
Luckily, the rest of the shopping was without incident.
Archie texted one of his dads—the one who handles his agent-type stuff—about the standoff before we left the parking lot.
I marvel for a moment at how fortunate he is that the response he got was quick, supportive, and ready to act on his behalf.
My adoptive parents would have lectured me about behavior that invites trouble and left me to flail about on my own.
That’s why when Mina started taking off online, she could wrangle and maximize it—she had the support I didn’t.
It’s also why I wasn’t able to jump in and vie for that spot; she had resources I didn’t.
Not that she’d admit it for a fucking second, of course.
Archie, however, has definitely had that and more the entire time we were growing up.
He’s got a fierce as fuck mom and five snarly dads who have made sure his dreams can come true.
I don’t begrudge him that; I just… I’m glad I have a more stable environment now, even if bad shit keeps happening to us.
The guys forming a family with me are the closest thing I’ve had to real bonding since they sent Reck away when I was a kid.
I didn’t realize how much I needed this, and now I’m determined not to let it slip through my fingers.
“You look more upset than me, Wheels. I deal with dumb shit with fans all the time. It could be worse.”
My head whips around, and I gape at Archie. “That is not okay, babe. If someone acted like that at the derby matches, both teams would give them an ass-whooping that would make us all disqualified.”
My new mate shrugs, looking uncomfortable for a moment before he replies.
“And you absolutely should, but… things change when you’re at the level of fame and pay we’re at on pro teams. It’s hard to say, but we become…
less than human to some people. Either we’re a product that is lauded for performance or harangued for failure…
or we’re an object people obsess over, aspire to be, or want to fantasize about.
There are a lot of things you have to make split-second decisions on, while weighing massive public consequences for whatever you choose. ”
Wrinkling my nose, I sigh. “I suppose it comes from all directions, too, right? Like fans, coaches, agents, owners, and everything in between?”
“Hell yes, babe. Throw in social media and multiple species? It can get scary as fuck, even if you’re a big strong dude like me.
” He looks uncomfortable for a second before he says, “I’ve had to decide whether I wanted to lose a fanbase, a sponsorship, or even whether I could realistically defend myself without being accused of harming a much smaller female.
Women can be… worse than men in some ways, especially because of size difference and societal expectations. ”
I work hard to get a grip on my rage at that sentiment, mostly because I don’t want to re-traumatize my gentle giant.
“People are way too comfortable with not being popped in the mouth,” I mutter instead.
“I promise that once we’re able to be public?
I will one hundred and fifty thousand percent knock some bitch’s block off if she rolls up on you.
” Grinning broadly, I bob my brows. “And you’ll never have to worry about it again when the word spreads that you have a feral mate who has zero fucks to give about all those trappings. ”
“My dad will be happy to hear that he and my other dad will handle your PR nightmares when we tell them,” Archie says as he chuckles.
“The two of them are the most put-upon members of the family anyway because they do my stuff and have actual clients. It’s a lot, and my mom gets on them all the time for being too plugged in. ”
“She’ll be happy to know I’m jamming for you, then,” I say as I lean back in my seat. “I bet it will even make her feel less worried about you when you’re at away stuff if all of us travel with you.”
The lion thinks about it for a moment and then nods. “Probably so. Reb has a quick temper and little patience for fools. The twins are known for viciousness, and Javi is the voice of reason. Sariah would likely say that’s a perfect combination of talents to keep me in line.”
I feel better now that the haunted look on his face has disappeared.
Despite being serious about how fervently the derby teams would protect one another, I know that many players at his level are on their own.
It’s not that the team doesn’t support one another; it’s simply that there are way too many angles and people with their hands in the pockets of the players and teams. That sucks, and I’d never want to be in that position, but I’ll sure as hell keep Archie from getting manhandled while he’s living his dream.
Of course, we may not have to worry about any of that if the rebels get their way and end up in some gross alternative universe where the villains run everything.
We’re almost home when a storm closes in on us, seeming to appear out of nowhere.
Archie is navigating the roads well, but my senses are definitely tripped.
Scenting the air, I look around the landscape as it whizzes by carefully.
The energy in the air is tickling over my arms, and I don’t know what it is, but I just have a gut feeling that something about the weather is off.
Turning to him, I murmur, “Do you feel that?”
“Yep,” he says quietly. “Have you contacted Reb yet? He should drop shit at the garage and get his sparkly ass here. I’ve been trying to pretend I don’t smell it so I reveal nothing to anyone watching, but something is coming.”
I nod, sliding into my mental link with my stepbrother.
~Archie and I are about twenty miles from the compound, and there’s weird shit afoot at the Circle K.
Either Ted’s landing a phone booth or we stepped onto a set for a new Greek mythology movie, but the weather is not normal.
Get your ass here and bring the others.~
Rebel growls in annoyance in my mind. ~You could have ordered groceries in. This is what I was worried about, Kiandra.~
~Stop using my real name, Cosmo Caspian.
~ I grin to myself as I use his true name; I don’t normally do that, but I’m tired of him scolding me with it like a child.
Archie looks at me in confusion, and I shake it off before I say, “Rebel is being his usual charming self. But I think he’s going to gather the troops.
The question is, will they get here before all hell breaks loose? ”
“I don’t know, Wheels, but if the storm keeps getting worse, I won’t have a choice but to pull off.”
My eyes focus on the road ahead, noting the lack of visibility as the rain gets worse. “This isn’t normal, but to most humans, it would seem like a freak storm. That’s been planned, I think.”
“Definitely. Since it didn’t start until we were within a short distance on back roads to our house, I think whoever or whatever is doing this knew when it would be most strategically advantageous to hit. That screams stalking or tracing us somehow.”
I slap my palm on my forehead. “We were so upset about the fans that we didn’t check for devices on the car.”
“Son of a bitch,” he growls, and I know Rebel is going to read us the riot act. That’s basic security shit, and the rattling experience inside could have been planned to distract us. “Reb’s gonna pitch a hissy; you know that, right?”
“Oh, I do,” I say as I keep my eyes on the road behind us in the mirror.
There’s no one there, but that doesn’t mean shit when the people after you have supernatural assholes at their disposal.
However, at the very least, I’ll see if someone is sneaking up from behind so Archie can correct his trajectory.
The storm picks up; the wind pushes against the small, speedy car we’re in, and I hold on to the hand grips as we race down the road.
If we get to the edge of the barrier Damon has, it will trip the alarms, and that will transmit distress signals to various places.
I could turn it off, obviously, but I’m not sure I want to, given that someone with elemental or nature-based powers is stirring this shit up.
I’m never a fan of calling the authorities rather than handling it ourselves, but this time?
Maybe there’s wisdom in letting that shit bring down the flood of demons who will be alerted when the twins’ compound is breached.
Of course, that only works if the goddamn demons aren’t part of this shit, but there’s no way to know that right now.
“We’re close, but if it keeps going like it is, we’re not gonna make it.” Archie’s hands are tight on the wheel as he maneuvers through the water and debris flying. “It’s picking up as we get closer, and I feel like that’s on purpose. Someone doesn’t want us to get inside our walls, Wheels.”
Sitting up taller, I look over my shoulder at the blackness in the sky behind the car.
It’s time for me to break out the Guardian shit, even if that’s not technically within the rules.
I put my hands on the roof of the car, using the metal outside to conduct my magic so it rises into the sky.
Faint traces of pink and purple sparkles zing around, searching for the source of the storm at my direction.
My tattoos glow from head to toe as I connect to nature itself, hoping to find friendly forces that might combat the magic seeking us.
“What the hell?” Archie says, and I shake my head. “Are you like… glowing in the dark?!”
“Yes, now shhhh!” I scold him quickly, not wanting his chatter to disrupt my concentration.
I’m good at this, but I’m also in a car going ninety in a rainstorm that I know isn’t normal.
My focus has to be on finding the caster or supe doing this, not on answering him.
Archie hasn’t been around as much when Reb and I do our thing, so he’s probably shocked, but this isn’t the time.
“I have to figure out what the fuck is going on so I know how to prepare to fight.”
“Prepare to fight… Fucking shit, Rogue, it’s a storm. How are you going to—”
“Shh!” I say again as my magic whirls around the growing tempest outside the car. “Whatever this is, it’s not one person. There’s interwoven powers joined. It’s a group.”
“I’d hope so,” he mutters. “One person who could do this is insane.”
“But not at all out of the realm of possibility, especially with the other realm fuckers we saw at the meeting,” I grit out. “However, I truly don’t think we drew the attention required to put us on their list for an attack this soon and this… public.”
Archie goes quiet again as I continue searching until a crack of lightning damn near hits the car, and he has to skid off of it to get out of the way.
My head hits the ceiling of the car, and I curse loudly as we thump over grass and field, then come to a stop in a completely open-air area.
We’re sitting ducks here, but I’d wager that bullshit just fucked up our getaway.
I turn to look at him, making sure he’s not injured, but all I see is the lion bleeding into his eyes as fury takes over.
“Are you okay?” I ask as I rub my head gingerly.
“I’m going to fucking kill someone.”
“Well, that makes two of us, and hopefully, whoever it is arrives before my temper gets the best of me.”
I may be dangerous when I’m angry, but when someone threatens the people I love, I turn lethal—whether it’s legal or not.