Fated Insurrection (Book 3)

Chapter 19

"Every man has his secret
sorrows which the world
knows not; and often times
we call a man cold when
he is only sad."

~~Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow

****************

~Nevada~

The glass was cool against my heated flesh as I pressed my forehead against the window. Rain had begun to fall not long after we had left August's home behind, large drops splattering the SUV and obscuring anything I could have seen passing by. Not that it mattered much anyway, my thoughts were fragmented and careening around like wild monkeys on a sugar high.

I had no idea where we were or what time it was, but that didn't really matter either. Our sanctuary, the safe haven August had given us, had been violated and taken from us. Nova had asked the question I had been thinking but no one had been able to give him an answer. The truth was, we hadn't actually thought that far ahead, focused on how to deal with any threats that got too close. We hadn't considered the possibility that anyone would make it this far or what we would do afterwards.

It was reckless and stupid because it always happened in the books and movies, aomething I should have remembered or thought about, and there always had to be a back up plan. We had plans for so many possible attacks but somehow had overlooked one important detail… where would we go if our fortress fell?

Now here we were, crammed into August's SUV with blood on our clothes, magick on our skin, and our few remaining possessions at our feet with nowhere to go. I could smell the blood, coppery and bitter, drenching the air in the enclosed space. It was nauseating especially after the taxing amount of power I had used, my body not accustomed to such high levels of repetitive magick. The adrenaline had faded, my head spinning mildly every time I moved and fatigue promised to overwhelm me if I wasn't careful.

Turning my face away from the glass, I silently studied Nova beside me. His elbows were braced on his knees with his head resting on his forearms, blonde hair sticking up at odd angles. I couldn't help but think back to that moment with Julius, how I could sense a darkness in my brother, and could feel his desire to take the vampire's life. It was a side of him I hadn't even known existed before tonight… and it scared me. 

"About time you answered your phone," Robbie said, his sudden voice startling me. "Where are you?"

I looked at Robbie in confusion but quickly realized he was on the phone, the device pressed to the side of his face.

"It was an ambush," he spoke again after a moment, anger coloring his words. "Julius Allworth and his band of sour patch kids led the attack… We're fine and could've handled them but a massacre wasn't the goal so we were forced to retreat for the time being."

Shuddering at the idea of possibly going back to face such bloodthirsty individuals, I met August's eyes in the rearview mirror. He wasn't happy about how things had gone down, that much I knew, but despite losing his home there was still warmth in his eyes. My heart melted as his love washed over my frayed mind, soothing the fear that reality had harshly delivered. Tears blurred my vision and my bottom lip trembled but I managed a watery smile for the man that held my heart.

"No, I think we need a Plan Q at this point. What have you got, brother?" Robbie spoke again, shattering the small bubble of comfort I had found. "Alright, that will work for now. Send me the coordinates and I'll check in when we get there."

A short pause.

"No, just leave it be for now," Robbie directed, looking out of his window. "The key assets are secure and the rest is collateral damage. What's your 20?"