Chapter 31
Lola
Was I incredibly reckless? Yes.
Did I really care? No.
All three of us spent the whole day at the house, talking, napping, platonically bonding…
I was pretty damn sure that Dimitri and Carter were actually starting to get along.
At least, they kept siding against me on their quest to deny me more sex and “let me rest,” no matter how hard I tried—and made them.
By the time they both fell asleep surrounding me, I was almost certain their brain hadn’t seen a drop of blood in hours.
Which might play in my favor.
I used my full well of energy to create tight, dark concealing clothes, and snuck out of their embrace. I needed to find myself some allies, and Dimitri had been clear that he wasn’t ready to help me yet.
Carter was out of the picture too; he’d obviously tattle on me.
No. I needed a couple of other reckless people. People who would be eager to go there. And I knew at least one of them.
Once in the kitchen, I pulled up my phone and dialed Marcus’ number. It rang twice before he answered.
“Aren’t you too busy getting railed to be calling me at 10:00 p.m?”
I muffled a chuckle. “You’re just jealous. And no. Are you working?”
“The girls and I are off today and tomorrow, we just got our chips replaced.”
That was perfect. “Great. Can I—hold on. Is…Vladimir with you?”
Marcus groaned on the phone. “Thank Hell, no. He’s out, something about having a drink with Kai and not liking to be cooped up inside at night.”
I let out a relieved sigh. “Perfect. Can I swing by? I have a favor to ask. And it’s urgent.”
“Sure. But, I’m warning you, there are no condoms for you to borrow in this house.”
“You know Succubi can’t procreate.” I rolled my eyes, walking to the front door and grabbing my keys. “I’ll be there in less than five minutes.”
“Coffee will be ready. Be quiet and use your key, Aymeric is in bed.”
I made sure no one paid any real attention to me. After all, due to recent events, I wasn’t sure which guards I could trust, and there was no time for me to fight off a random attack or arrest.
Using my spare key, I stepped inside the building, determined to convince them to follow my insane plan.
Marcus was chilling on the couch, the girls bickering next to him while watching something on their phone, both of them holding a dark, closed cup in their hands. Probably having dinner, and hiding the vibrant red color so as not to upset Marcus’ weak stomach next to them.
I grabbed the espresso waiting for me on the kitchen counter and let myself fall ungraciously on the smaller couch to the side.
All three of them lifted their eyes to look at me, noticing my clothes.
“Oh no…” Marcus gritted his teeth. “Are you going to sneak out again? Don’t you have enough sex at home?”
Savi slapped his arm as Francesca leaned forward, signing, “What’s going on? Is one of them causing you trouble?”
“Want us to kick Carter’s ass?” Savi added, a mischievous smile growing on her face.
“Are they trash talking about me again?”
“No,” I said to the girls before turning to Marcus. “And learn to sign, that way you’ll know they barely even acknowledge you.”
Marcus brought a hand to his heart in mock pain. “Ouch, way to crush a guy’s feelings.”
I rolled my eyes. “It has nothing to do with me going out for energy, or me having trouble with my mates,” I explained.
“I’m done waiting for people to act and pull their head out of the sand.
” They stared at me, waiting. “I want to go to that prison. And I know I’m dumb enough to consider it, but I’m not so stupid as to do it alone. ”
The twins exchanged a look as Marcus simply gaped at me.
“Why not ask your mates?”
“Dimitri is still recovering and whatever happened there drained him,” I answered Marcus. “And Carter would blab to Dimitri if I asked him.”
Marcus let out another long exhale. “It’s dangerous, Lola. If Dimitri and Arc were caught and held there for so long, it has to be a fucking death trap. Not to mention Arc still hasn’t come back, and—”
“Exactly,” I interrupted him. “Arc is still there. As well as thousands of other trapped Immortals, perhaps even your lovers.” His face fell, and both girls looked at him with grim faces.
“I can turn myself invisible. Control the potential guards emotions. Savi and Fran are some of the best night scouts and you’re highly ranked among the camp’s guards which probably means you can hold your own. ”
“Probably?” He scoffed. “I’m one of the best here, thanks for the vote of confidence. And a lot of things aren’t working in your little plan.”
Savi gave me a concerned look. “That prison is over a day’s walk away. We can’t be out under the sun,” she signed.
“We can take one of the armored cars,” I suggested. “I saw them when Marcus used to force me to train in the military building. Don’t they have tinted, UV protecting windows?”
“What about the storm coming?” Marcus added. “There might be sand tornadoes and acid rain, you sure you want to be stuck there while it’s Hell outside?”
I frowned at him. “Didn’t you hear the part where I mentioned we’d be taking a car? Plus, it’s not like a little acid will melt our demon skin off.”
“A car leaves tracks,” he countered. “Which means your secret mission won’t remain secret for long.”
“Won’t the acid rain and potential tornadoes cover everything?”
He opened his mouth only to shut it, considering.
“Got you there, didn’t I?” I grinned.
Francesca chuckled before giving me a wide smile. “We’re in,” she signed, Savi acquiescing next to her. “We have missing friends too.”
Marcus cursed, falling back on the sofa. “They agreed, didn't they?” My smile only widened. “Great. Why not go the extra step and ask Carrie for a team?”
I shook my head. “It’ll either take too long, or she’ll blab to my mates. And I don’t want Dimitri to know.”
He would be mad when I got back. Really mad. If he didn’t find out before I did and came to pull me out of there himself.
“Fine,” he grunted. “Fuck, I’m gonna get in trouble with your mates, aren’t I…”
I hid a wince. He definitely would.
“Great. Not like I’m already terrified of your Nephilim, or whatever…”
My stomach knotted in worries. Could I really ask them to do this? To help me do this stupid, careless rescue? What if they got hurt? Or worse, if the girls were killed? They were only Vampires. Earthwalkers. Strong, but not unkillable.
“I’d understand if you don’t want to,” I said after a beat of silence. “If any of you want to turn back at any point, you’re free to do so. I know I’m asking a lot, but I can go by myself. It’s my dumb plan, you don’t have to die or put yourself in danger for it if—”
“And let you go alone?” Marcus interrupted sharply. “No thanks. Do you have any idea what your mates will do to me if they learn I not only knew about your plan and didn’t tell them, but also let you go without fucking backup?”
Savi winced. “Yeah, Marcus is a dead man walking either way.”
“Better he comes too so at least he’ll have some brownie points for having your back and keeping you alive,” Fran added.
“When do you want to leave?” Marcus asked.
My throat bobbed, the reality of what we were about to do sinking in.
“Now.”
I turned myself invisible as I followed them in the streets. They walked slowly, like if they were simply taking a night stroll outside, moving toward the military side of the camp.
Everything was going perfectly.
Until Aghen and Kai ended up running into them.
“Hey guys!” Kai said, stopping, ready to engage in any kind of conversation.
I leaned into Marcus' ear, hoping neither Aghen or Kai would hear my whispered words.
“Mind reader.”
Marcus’ back stiffened and I stepped back, walking around them only to stop near a building’s wall to the farthest side, close enough to listen if I strained my ear, but hopefully far enough so none of them would notice my presence.
What if Aghen could sense me with his Vampire abilities?
What if somehow, Kai tuned into my mind and heard my plan?
It was already a gamble…If Marcus wasn’t careful about keeping his thoughts under control, Kai would know.
And probably blab to whoever he thought could stop me.
“What’cha all doing here?” the Archdemon asked.
“Since we’re off for two days and we hadn’t had time off at the same time for a while, we thought we could go and train together like we used to when we were still on the same team,” Marcus answered casually.
Aghen’s eyes bored into him. Curious, assessing. Marcus was quick to put his attention back on Kai.
Had I truly traumatized him with all my mate troubles? He’d been avoiding my brother from the moment he uttered the word “mate” when Aghen showed up at our door. Or did something else happen since I left to avoid Aghen myself?
“That’s good,” Kai answered, giving an encouraging tap on Marcus’ shoulder. “You know, Carrie only needs your word, and you’re back to leading scouts teams.”
Marcus’ face blanched. I noticed. Aghen did too, his head tilting to the side, eyes narrowing in wonder.
“Sure,” my friend answered simply. “I’ll think about it.”
Kai’s smile faltered before he forced it back to his face.
“What happened that night wasn’t your fault.
You know that, right?” Marcus didn’t answer, giving a shaky nod.
“We can never really anticipate what’s going on outside.
We’ll get them back, I promise. And when we do, you’ll find the strength, I’m sure of it. ”
Hand motions caught my eyes next to Savi’s thigh.
“Go,” she kept signing discreetly.
So I did. I moved forward, casting one last look behind before taking the last turn to wait for them in front of the military district’s gate.
I let my body slide along the wall until my ass met the ground, waiting. Either for them to arrive or for someone to open the smaller door in the huge closed gate for me to slip inside, whichever came first.