22. Riley
RILEY
S ly and I crouched low in the cabin as the carriage jostled when a shifted Dominant landed on the roof, his nails grating against the metal with every step he took.
I breathed out slowly, pushing my back further against Sly, who held me protectively, his grip the only reassurance I had that I could do this.
Strong was all I could be if I ever wanted to succeed in my dreams. For my family, for the Haven, but also for myself. I was not going to live the rest of my life underestimated.
His breath scattered warmth across my icy skin on the back of my neck, a welcome relief from the worry weaving its way through my body.
The carriage jostled more significantly this time, my arm snatching out to grip the support bar as the shifter jumped off and landed right next to the window we were hiding beneath.
We ducked lower, tighter against each other, as my eyes drifted upward, just high enough to peep over the edge of the windowsill.
A large, sleek, cat-like shifter prowled back and forth outside of the carriage, raising its nose in the air, scenting. I nestled in closer to Sly’s chest to make myself smaller, allowing him to pull me in tighter. His warm breath blew against the shell of my ear. “It will not scent us. My invisibility blocks sight and scent. Sound, I am still not entirely sure about, though.”
The cat’s ear’s flicked back and forth, as if hearing what Sly had just whispered, the muscles in my body coiling tighter. I lay my hand down and squeezed his thigh tight in warning, but the infuriating Omega behind me, in all his cocky confidence, didn’t seem to care as he sucked that same lobe right into his mouth, sending a shocked zing of pleasure straight down to my core. I gripped his leg tighter, another warning. We had never breached anything beyond close proximity before, and tonight was already leaping past so many of the boundaries I had placed between us.
But the devil of an Omega didn’t care about my nails digging into his leg, instead choosing to drag his irresistible lips down the side of my neck, kissing gently enough to not leave a mark, but with enough pressure to narrow my bodily awareness entirely to the places he touched. Tingles thrummed in my belly with every graze of his plump lips against my skin, marking it, scorching it.
This was wrong. This was breaching every boundary I had placed between us, but I didn’t dare move for fear of alerting the shifter to our presence. At least, that’s what I told myself.
His gifted hands trailed the front of my body, one gripping my hip, the other resting on my belly, sending heat spiralling to my core. I fidgeted, trying to edge away from him to put that distance between us again, but his hand merely applied more pressure to my stomach, attuning my body entirely to him.
“I cannot shield you unless I touch you,” he whispered, his breath feathering against my neck. Reactively, I tipped my head the other way, exposing my neck entirely to him. I didn’t truly know why I had instinctively done it, only that there was a terrifying and fierce ache inside me that I seemingly knew only he could relieve.
I felt his smile of approval, followed by his lips sucking the exposed skin, trailing heat as he licked higher to nip at my ear playfully. My nipples hardened in response, my body now tingling with need.
“You can tell me to stop. I am merely distracting you with something else,” he whispered quietly in my ear as I inhaled another nervous breath. Butterflies took flight in my stomach.
He hesitated, awaiting my challenge, though we both knew it would never come. There was a shifter still lurking near our carriage, after all.
Sly’s deft fingers slid beneath my shirt, tracing light patterns against the skin of my stomach. It was more innocent than some of the things I’d done before, but at the same time, it felt like something much more sinful.
I hated that I loved what he could incite in me. I didn’t want to want him, but it was undeniable. He was everything I ever wanted in a partner wrapped up in a forbidden package.
I bit my tongue despite feeling the urge to beg him to drift lower, right to where I was throbbing. Sly was so very good at distracting.
Instead, his finger swirled higher, lifting up and over my ribcage to caress the underside of my breast.
Every soft brush of his calloused hands felt like torture.
Because I wanted more and I knew I couldn’t have it.
Sly’s life would be destroyed if we were ever caught, and all of my dreams would crumble.
I sucked in a sharp breath the second his hand lifted and squeezed my breast, hard.
“Your thinking is always so loud,” he murmured before his lips dragged down my neck. I shut my eyes briefly before forcing myself to regain my lost control. I had a job to do tonight. I needed to stay focused.
My body became slightly rigid again, alerting Sly to the change. He paused and sighed softly before placing a soft peck on the side of my neck and slowly withdrawing his hands from under my shirt.
I exhaled.
“We need to focus,” I whispered. He didn’t reply, but I felt his reluctant agreement as he rearranged his position on the seat.
Disappointment swirled inside me to settle alongside the dissatisfaction already simmering within.
The shifter lingered for a few beats as we waited intently until a whistle sounded, and he quickly darted back over the top of the carriage and away across the expanse.
When I couldn’t hear anything further, I pulled away from the male who was slowly ruining me and tried to suppress any longing evident on my face at the loss of contact.
“Time to go,” I confirmed, and he nodded, looking wistfully at me.
I grabbed his outstretched hand and felt a cool energy slide over my skin, alerting me to the fact that we were now hidden.
There were two major problems with facing the desert and pulling this off. Bodhi and Raya were one, and the risk of the Dominants taking us was the second. It was a terrifying risk, but not moreso than continuing to watch my family and others endure the Outer Ring and being powerless to change it. I needed to do this, even if the cost would be great.
When we stepped up to the edge of the field, we were met with absolute silence. The lack of sound acted as on ominous warning that death had already swept in and seized every breath of air from the lungs of our defence.
We both didn’t dare move as our eyes swept the field, the light of the moon only just choosing to edge out from the clouds, casting luminous light onto the dunes before us. It was only then that we saw them.
Several unconscious Alphas from our own defence littered the dunes around the two males standing proudly in the middle of the wasteland. My gaze darted around the field, desperate to spot a body with a resemblance to my sister, but came up short. Dread mounted higher.
But I swallowed it down as we prepared to move.
I’d just have to hope for the best.
“Okay, let’s go. Keep us invisible until I say otherwise, and make sure you have your weapons drawn. Two squeezes to drop your shield, two squeezes to raise it again.”
Though the risk to my life was lessened by Sly’s handy gift, his involvement in tonight’s plan meant it was another life on my conscience if we got caught. It was why I hadn’t told him anything in the first place.
But I couldn’t back out now, not with the plan already in motion. Tonight, I was spurred on with a new need for collateral, mostly led by my fear of inaction.
We toed our way forward, my calves straining with each step we took over the shifting sand, a reminder of my need for training. I was not used to this kind of terrain anymore, and I worried for mine and Sly’s safety if we were attacked here. The air was even colder in the desert, with no shelter or structures to block the wind. I was glad I’d decided to wear a long sleeve top and pants, even though the freezing temperatures still penetrated through my clothing.
Sly stepped closer to me when a shiver wound its way up my body, his body rubbing alongside mine as we walked.
“Thank you,” I murmured with a glance, even though I couldn’t see him. It was a practised habit of politeness.
He leaned in closer and squeezed my hand in reassurance, that same energy he exuded bolstering and uplifting me. If someone like him believed in me, then surely, I could do this. After all, a leader must be brave.
We neared our targets, my shoes growing heavier from the sand that funnelled in between the cracks with every step. I could already feel specks of it rubbing between my toes, chafing them.
This had never been my favourite territory. There were some clear benefits to being Zander’s favoured, and one of those was definitely not having to suffer in this uncomfortable environment. I’d adjusted well to the privileges of the Inner Ring. I was desperate for others to experience even the most basic elements of the same.
When we were about thirty feet away from the two Dominants, we came to a slow stop.
One of the two eyed the area around us with a certain intensity, constantly assessing, as if aware of the threat before him. I quickly looked down at my hand to confirm I was, in fact, still invisible. His silver hair seemed to glow in the dark.
This must be Silver, the one they had spoken about at training. I was glad my attendance had come in handy.
The other tall, oversized Dominant with yellow eyes and pearly teeth watched him with interest, pulling out a knife and flicking it between his two hands. It was his eyes that told me who this one was. There was no mistaking this reptilian Dominant. Raid, they called him.
My hands shook lightly; they were an intimidating pair, far scarier than any Alpha I had ever seen walking around the Haven. Doubt crept in at the sight of them, but there was no turning back now, no other choice but to engage them, especially when they had what I needed.
I tampered down my nerves, which had begun to rise in their presence as I took a moment to prepare myself.
In my mind’s eye, I imagined myself as a queen to embody one.
“Don’t move,” I commanded, authority clear in my tone.
The knife landed in Raid’s palm, his grip tightening on the hilt in response to my voice. Two sets of piercing eyes landed on our location, pin-pointing the area my voice had floated from.
“How about you show yourself before you throw around weak commands,” Raid challenged, Silver’s gaze remaining cool and assessing. I noted they scarcely seemed concerned about my presence, Raid’s reply reinforcing the point. Something like irritation reared its head inside me, urging me to prove to them and myself that I was not weak.
“Not before you tell me where the Gifted female defence is?” I asked. I needed to ascertain Raya’s location to determine my next move.
There was no way they didn’t know who I was talking about, given the size and skills of the group that defended our city.
“Oh, you mean Raya?” Raid prodded with a humorous twinkle in his eyes.
I was glad I wasn’t visible now. I could easily hide the shock underlying my expression at his mention of her name. My jaw ticked in irritation. How the hell did he know her name?
“It’s all the same to me.” My response was sharp, and he smirked. He looked towards the cliffs for half a second, his face expressionless before pretending to ponder his answer.
I followed his gaze to the top, but I couldn’t see clearly in the dark. Raya’s sight was superior to mine; if she was up there, there was a chance she would still see me.
“She’s probably unconscious like the rest of them,” was all he said as he lifted a hand and picked his nails to spite me. I didn’t pay attention to his antagonising.
I began to gnaw at my lip worried now. Had they hurt her? I couldn’t derail from my plan. Do this now and find her after.
I squeezed twice to indicate that I was ready to show myself, and he immediately released his grip, allowing my body to come into their view. He knew to remain invisible.
Silver’s curiosity piqued the minute I was fully shown, and Raid’s eyebrows raised.
Raid laughed deeply. “Jakari will be disappointed he didn’t get to see you.” He held my gaze and lowered his voice with a slight dip of his head in mocking reverence. “Rose of the Haven.”
I suppose I should have expected him to know who I was, with my face plastered bedside Zander’s everywhere. I reminded myself that though I was associated with it, I would soon be associated with change.
I steeled my gaze, pinning my shoulders back, my chin lifted high.
“I’m glad you know who I am. You have something I want.”
“Is that so?” he said. “What could we possibly have that interests you, Rose?”
I let his sarcasm go unnoticed. “I have a memory from a book I had when I was younger, of a crystal that could siphon power and restore it.”
I promised to never tell a soul I still had this book, gifted to me by my mother, containing much wisdom within its pages. The same one still sitting in that vent. A family heirloom, she had called it.
Both male’s eyes lit up with curiosity. It wasn’t common knowledge, but I didn’t dare discuss the specifics of the book’s contents.
Raid smiled. “Why would you need such a rare item? And how, might I add, do you know of such a crystal?”
I twirled my ring around, looking towards the tall ivory tower looming in the distance. The building itself was a chamber of secrets. I just needed to siphon whatever powered its electrical system that prevented me from accessing that door.
The Dominants before me didn’t deserve any answers, not with the trade I was going to offer them.
“That’s not for you to know, Dominant.” My eyes held his, knowing I’d have to make it worth his while for him to aid me.
“But I’d like to strike a deal.”
He rolled his plump lips into his mouth. I knew they didn’t have ethics, but I was educated enough on what I needed to confidently make this deal, and with Sly’s help, execute it.
“Oh?” he said as he crossed his arms behind his back. “And what do we get in return for giving you something so rare?”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. There was only one thing they would ever want.
I opened my mouth, but the words could barely come out. “I will give you a single Omega.”
Raid laughed as Silver tipped his head, his lip quirking up.
“One Omega for a rare crystal? I think you can do better than that, Rose.”
I bristled at his mocking tone, my expression tightening. “What do you want, then, Dominant?”
“Two.” There was no ifs, buts, or room for rebuttal.
I paused and inhaled a long breath. Could I do this? Two to save the many?
Or perhaps I could find a way around their deal. Agree now and get out of it later.
They watched me intently, Raid quirking his eyebrow, awaiting my answer.
“Two then,” I agreed, and he nodded his head, acknowledging a deal done. I felt sick.
“It was a truly a pleasure, Rose. We expect the deal to be met at the time of the final thinning,” he replied before turning around and beginning his languid walk back to the barrier alongside Silver, who hadn’t spoken though obediently followed.
My gaze lifted to the cliff face where Raid had looked after I’d asked of Raya, deciding there was no chance I was leaving here without confirming she was alright.
I shuddered the moment Sly’s hand slid into mine again and his magic rippled across my skin, shielding us again from the world.
Either way, there would be a price for my action or inaction. Two Omegas, or the potential to change an entire community’s lives. My stomach rolled.
There was always an impossible choice to be made, and it was now up to me to decide which path I would take.