Chapter 54
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
JAX
Iwas raised in a household full of strong, independent, fiery, stubborn women. All of them equally terrifying if you got on their bad side.
Yet…Phoenix surely takes the crown when it comes to being stubborn.
Once she falls asleep in my arms, I close my eyes and try very hard to find peace, too. Her soft breathing, and the warmth of her body against mine, is comforting. But it’s not enough to ease the anxiety that claws at my chest.
I’ve dealt with Talbots enough to know this won’t go down the way she imagines it. No way will Reizei stand down and surrender.
It will be violent.
My mind runs a thousand miles per hour imagining all the possible scenarios. I try to run over different plans and strategies Reizei may employ.
He’s less like the honorable Ezkai Phoenix knows and much more like my father. Someone who only pretends to play by the rules.
There’s no way on earth he doesn’t know we’re coming. He must have been anticipating it. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have kept Vera in the same location.
Unless he wants Phoenix to come for her…
I scarcely get any rest during the night. Once the dawn breaks, I give up trying.
Careful not to wake Phoenix, I slide out of the warm cot into the cool morning air and put my boots back on. It takes me a minute to find my shirt in the dim light, but once I do, I push my arms into the sleeves and head for the exit.
With my shirt still unbuttoned, I walk into the crisp morning air…and Ezkai Bjorn stoking the fire I built right at the tent’s entrance. Light drizzle wets my hair immediately.
Slowly, his gaze rises from the tips of my boots all the way to my face.
I guess now everyone will know for sure we share a bed.
Oh, well.
“Morning,” I say to the grumpy Ezkai.
He grunts and returns his focus to the fire pit.
I don’t linger. Buttoning up my shirt, I head for a walk to stretch my legs.
Ezkai Bjorn has deemed me unworthy once more, after I left Phoenix alone to hunt the dragon. All the camaraderie points I’ve gained back at the monastery…gone.
Can’t say I blame him.
As I circle the camp, more Ezkai rise and get ready for the day.
So many unfamiliar faces.
I bet even Phoenix hasn’t learned all their names yet. She has had so little time as the Ezkai General. Is Noire sure all of them are loyal?
All I can do is trust in his judgment. But trust is one thing I don’t have.
Once I’m back to our tents, Phoenix is up, too. With a frown wedged between her eyebrows, she watches the grey sky.
“Good morning, sunshine,” I say, approaching.
“It hasn’t stopped raining for days now,” she says. “Is it like…rain season in Ekios or something?”
“No,” Ezkai Bjorn answers, his voice rough.
He speaks so little it’s startling to hear words coming out of his mouth. Phoenix’s gaze snaps to him.
“Rain is a sign,” he adds.
Immediately, my chest tightens.
This can’t be good. Even Phoenix must see it.
She must hear my thoughts, because her gaze hardens before she whirls on her heel and returns to her tent to pack up.
The urge to follow her and try once more to change her mind is overwhelming.
I close my eyes and inhale a deep breath.
I can’t.
There’s no point.
She has made up her mind, and nothing in this world has the power to change it.
I can only make sure she doesn’t get hurt due to her stubbornness.
“Let’s run through the plan once again,” Nix says after a long silence.
We’re in our carriage together with Noire. It’s been hours since we last stopped. We’re traveling at a rigorous pace.
“Of course, General,” Noire says with a nod. “We’ll arrive at the location late at night today. It’ll give us perfect cover.”
Nix nods. “Good. We’ll lead the men to Reizei’s gate and demand that he comes out to face me.”
“Why don’t you send your spies to investigate the area before?” I glance at her.
Nix pouts. “The longer we linger outside his house, the longer he’ll have to come up with a plan to evade us.”
“Oh, he’s got a plan already. Potentially six different ones,” I murmur.
Noire nods thoughtfully. “Highly likely.”
Phoenix throws me a long stare before continuing. “We don’t send spies. But we should have men watching all sides of the estate just in case he chooses to run.”
“Good idea,” I say.
“I can guard the back, Ezkai Xander and Blood Sentineal can guard the sides, while you approach at the front,” Noire suggests.
“Jax will stay with me,” Nix says without missing a beat. “Ezkai Cassandra and Ezkai Xander can guard the sides.”
I can’t help the sigh as I look out the window at the miserable weather. The drizzle turned into pouring rain right after we hit the road.
“Have something to say?” Nix’s words are sharp.
I don’t turn to face her. “No. Nothing to add, General.”
A long, silent beat passes. Then Nix continues the conversation. “Even if Reizei runs, I don’t want him getting hurt, Noire. You hear me? The Ezkai must catch him, not kill him on sight.”
“Absolutely, General.”
In my periphery, I see Nix nod to herself.
I’m no Decarios, but that unease that swirls low in my belly, and the tight feeling in my chest…it’s not all mine.
She may put up the mask of full, calm control, but inside she’s unsure. Doubtful about her own choices.
Maybe that’s for the better.
That gives me hope she won’t be reckless.
Arrogance and blind confidence are responsible for more deaths than anything else.
The rest of the way, we travel in silence.
Noire sits calmly, snoozing lightly. Phoenix, on the other hand…Her doubt only deepens the closer to our destination we get. And with that, my uneasiness grows.
By the time our carriage halts, it’s suffocating me.
I jump to my feet first, opening the carriage door and inhaling a greedy breath of fresh rainy air. Heavy drops pour down me as I stand next to the carriage, Reizei’s secret estate looming ahead of us.
Clearly, it’s lived in. There are guards stationed at the gate, and many lights in the many windows of this grand estate are lit up.
Phoenix is the last to step out of the carriage. But when she does…she’s regal.
Shoulders back, chest wide, chin held high she approaches Noire, Ezkai Cassandra, and Ezkai Xander to once more go over the plan. Ezkai Bjorn and Ezkai Emil immediately flank her sides.
I don’t bother approaching, remaining by the carriage.
The rest of her army waits patiently, lined up in pairs farther away from our group.
It’s kind of amazing, how dutifully the Ezkai follow their orders. How eager they are to serve, no questions asked.
I guess standing in the cold night’s air with rain pouring down their heads is not the worst these men and women had to survive to get where they are.
Phoenix is lost in a serious conversation with her advisors. She’s so beautiful when she wears that determined look on her face.
Her eyes are full of fire.
Just like her heart.
I glance at the Talbot estate once more. The guards haven’t moved. That worries me.
Surely at least one of them noticed us, even in the darkness, the storm.
Caligos can’t be that reckless.
Surely someone has to go report to Reizei we have arrived.
Unless…he already knows.
I rub the middle of my chest, trying to ease at least some of the tension.
If Phoenix is walking straight into a trap…
What if Reizei kept Vera only to lure Nix here?
What if Vera isn’t even alive anymore, and we’re only here driven by hope?
No.
My only duty is to keep Phoenix safe. To keep her alive.
And that’s exactly what I’ll do. Even if she doesn’t agree with me on my ways.
I steal a glance at Phoenix and her advisors. Still deep in conversation.
Slowly, I slip back into the carriage. I need my blades before I sneak inside. Just in case.
My fingers are quick as they strap my small blades to me. I grab my lock-picking tools, too.
Once I have it all, I sneak back out of the carriage. Phoenix is speaking with Noire now.
I have to be quick.
Quicker than her.
Hiding in the shadows, I sneak around the carriage.
If I go around this side she—
“Where the fuck are you going?” Nix’s voice behind me stops me in my tracks.
Slowly, I turn to face her.
“You forgot I can feel you through our bond?” She crosses her arms. “You really think me so stupid not to notice?”
I offer her a lopsided smile. “Honestly, I hoped you’d be too preoccupied to notice.”
She glares at me, lips pressed into a thin line.
I sigh. “Fine. I was going to sneak inside and see if Vera’s even there. No point in barging in to save her if she’s—”
I want to say “dead,” but I can’t force the word out.
For a moment, I think Phoenix may slap me. But instead, she exhales through her nose and says, “Then I’m going with you.”
“No,” I say before she can even finish her sentence.
She arches an eyebrow in challenge.
I shake my head. “You’re the Ezkai General. You can’t leave your army behind and sneak in like a thief.”
“Yes, I fucking can. You’re not going in there alone.
” She takes a step closer to me. “I’ve been down this road before.
You say it’s for my safety and well-being as you set me aside and do things in secret.
But that’s not what I need. I can keep myself safe, and I sure as fuck can handle doing what needs to be done.
I need a partner. Not a controlling asshole. ”
I open my mouth to argue. Then, close it.
She’s…right.
I watched Daegel keep her in the dark, clueless about what was truly happening. I saw how damaging that was for her.
I won’t do it to her.
I can’t.
“Fine,” I say. “But you’ll follow my lead and do as I say. We need to get in and out quick and unnoticed. You may be the big bad Decarios with super powers, but this is my expertise.”
She tilts her chin up. “Great. I know how to follow orders.”
I give her a look.
She scoffs. “I was raised a soldier, remember?”
Before I think better of it, I close the distance between us and place my hand at the back of her neck. A surprised breath escapes her when her back meets the carriage, and I gently fist the hair at the back of her neck and angle her face to mine.
“Sure, and yet you’re terrible at it,” I whisper over her lips. “Nothing we can’t work on improving, though.”
Watching her body melt against mine in real time at my words gives me satisfaction like nothing else.
Unfortunately we don’t have time to indulge.
So, I let go and step away to give her some breathing space.
“Whenever you’re ready, General.”
She blinks. Clears her throat and gives me a sharp nod. “I’ll tell Noire to surround the building. Then we go.”