Page 25 of Retaliation
“Sorry, little boys,” I taunted, loud enough for them to hear. “I don’t think you could handle me.”
When the light turned green, I flipped the visor back down and zoomed onto the highway. The Camaro followed, speeding between cars to keep up with me. I laughed again. What a fucking night. I weaved between cars and was mildly impressed when they were able to keep up.
I felt a shadow come over me and turned, trying to look up and around, but nothing was there except for the endless night sky. A sharp wind slipped down beneath my catsuit and made me shiver. An uneasy feeling came over me, like something—or someone—was watching me. The Camaro zoomed next to me, and I gave the boys a little wave before taking off, deciding to lose them well before they could see my exit and follow me home. I quickly outpaced them and made it back to my dingy apartment. I parked in the back, as usual, and climbed the fire escape up to my place, carefully avoiding the holes in the grated steps. The window shoved open slowly, the track rusted and uneven, obviously decades old. I slipped inside and dropped my backpack onto the kitchen table. I flopped onto my bed and lifted my legs to remove the boots.
The adrenaline was slowly wearing off, and thoughts of my younger sister flooded into my head. Next Friday, I would get them back. At least two of the Princes would be at the party. Dev would be working at the bar. To make sure Ty was at the gym, I planned to offer him a rematch. With the four Princes occupied, I could sneak into Vespertine Hall, dispatch the low level guards, and free my father and sister. We could be together. And I could finally be reunited with the only family I had left.
The idea of seeing my father after so many years brought mixed emotions. The ache of his abandonment still stung after all these years. He said it was for our protection, but he took Michaela and he just…left. I didn’t even get to say goodbye to my sister. Why? Why did I have to stay behind?
I went over the events leading up to that day. Lailah was so strangely calm. She played with me and Michaela, which was rare. Our mother was trying to hide her fear, but I could feel it. And our father followed her around the house, whispering and agitated until the day we packed up the car and left our home.
After Lailah and our mother were killed, my father drove us away without looking back. We drove for hours and hours until we finally stopped. And he left me all alone. I needed to know why. Why was my Lailah murdered? Why did The Obscuritas think murdering my sister was going to do something for them? Magical sacrifice to a higher power? Give me a fucking break.
I was an atheist and a skeptic of anything I couldn’t prove with my own eyes, even in my younger years. So the idea of this cult murdering people for some magical power was insane and just made me want to kill them all quicker. Tibby still couldn’t find exactly what The Obscuritas were trying to achieve. I couldn’t remember much, having been hidden away for most of it. And until we had eyes or ears inside their little wicked rooms of magic, we were basically going in blind. Tibby found the blueprints for Vespertine Hall, though, so I at least had that for the party.
After a quick shower, I crawled into bed and curled up with my pillow. My heart beat slowly, and the silence felt heavy. Music helped me drown out the bad memories, so I grabbed my headphones and chose a soothing playlist. Even with all of the adrenaline spent and the semi-good night, the nightmares still came. They always came for me in the dark.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Devon
“Fucking hell.” The words slipped out as Ty Radnor stalked into my bar, grinning like a maniac.
I shoved the last of my regulars out the front door and locked it behind them. I didn’t need any bloodied bodies in my bar, especially not the paying customer kind.
“What the fuck are you doing here, Radnor?”
“I’ve missed you too, Parrish.” Ty chuckled like the daemon he was. Even before this fucking mess, Ty was more daemon than man. “We have a…mutual friend, it seems.”
“Oh yeah?”
I grabbed a bottle of Jack and two rocks glass from behind the bar as Ty dropped his massive frame onto a bar stool. It creaked under the weight of all that muscle. I pretended not to notice, even though it irritated me he would always be stronger than me.
“So, Dev. Who is renting your apartment upstairs?” Ty asked, his voice laced with danger and amusement, an unnerving combination.
I poured the whiskey and shot mine back before responding. “What’s it to you?” I arched an eyebrow, unable to hide my surprise at his question.
Ty smirked, his eyes glinting dangerously. I could tell he knew the answer to his question, but I wasn’t ready to give him any information on Sara. He pulled out his phone and pressed a few buttons before placing it on the bar top, the ringing echoing in the empty space as he switched it to speaker.
“Hello, brother,” Levi answered on the second ring, his overly peppy tone already grating.
I poured another shot of whiskey.
“Levi.” Ty gulped down his own whiskey before continuing. “Meet any incredibly attractive, sassy as fuck, blue-haired women lately?”
I nearly spit out the liquor, choking it down as I absorbed Ty’s words. What the fuck?
Levi was silent for a beat. “Funny you should ask.”
“What the fuck is going on?” I slammed my fists on the bar, and Ty arched an eyebrow at my outburst.
Levi laughed, and suddenly I heard Andras’s stern, I’m-Always-In-Charge voice added to the call. “Why do you ask?”
“I think we have a problem.” Ty tossed his empty glass into the air, catching it before it shattered on the dirty floor of my bar. “Sara Braun.”
What do they want with her? My heart was racing, but I kept my face as neutral as possible. “How do you know Sara Braun?”
Ty cocked his head, assessing me before answering. “She’s apparently a regular at my gym. I met her tonight.”
