Destiny Forgiven (Shadows of Destiny) (27 page)

_{Ascending three flights of stairs, he encountered more guards who he shot, Bolted, or stabbed then kept going, leaving their lifeless bodies behind. One more turn then he’d be in his father’s private wing. Undoubtedly, he’d be on the phone, arranging a helicopter to pick him up, leaving his men behind to die for his cause.}

_{At the door, he paused, remembering the number of times he’d answered a summons then mindlessly obeyed orders – orders to hurt, to manipulate, to kill. And the whole time he’d been the one manipulated. With a growl, he kicked open the door. The room was empty.}

_“Fuck!”

_{Just before he turned to walk away, a crack in the wall behind the desk caught his eye. He stepped into the room and looked closer. A hidden door? Of course. It made sense. Saith would have a secret escape route in case of a situation like this. Maddox shoved his fingers into the crack and pulled open the heavy door disguised as a segment of wall, and slipped inside the dark corridor.}

_{H
aggard figures filed out of the remaining part of the building. Small fires dotted across what was left. Felicity dipped down low and gave a caw to signal to them. A few faces looked up. The ones who seemed stronger helped the others skirt the edge of the cliff to avoid the fighting outside. They staggered into the forest as she flew overhead. There looked to be about twenty prisoners ready to follow her to where Dalton waited with supplies and rides into the colony. She spared a moment to look for Maddox, hoping he’d bring up the rear confident and unharmed. It wasn’t part of the plan but she waited anyway. He had to be in that part of the building. It was the only part left standing. Unless he hadn’t made it out in time…}

_{Flapping faster, she turned to the forest, refusing to follow that train of thought. She focused on leading the prisoners to safety instead. No one followed them. James and the others who’d stayed behind to fight must have been a force to be reckoned with.}

_{In the clearing, Dalton and his team ushered the escapees into the jeeps, applying medical attention where needed. Felicity landed where she’d left her clothing then shifted back to human form.}

_{“You’re safe,” Dalton said as she approached the crowd. She could see the tension melt away as he smiled at her. After a quick hug, he stepped back and asked, “Is everything okay? Have you seen Maddox yet?”}

_{She shook her head. “No, but it seems like things are going according to plan. He should be out in the next few minutes. The building is almost entirely gone.” Worry formed a knot in her chest. Sitting and waiting. Yeah, not gonna happen.}

_{The prisoners who couldn’t fight were safe. She’d done her job. Time was almost up for everybody to get out of
Marwolaeth Du
before Sage crushed the place. She hadn’t seen Maddox since he’d walked away earlier or James since he’d leapt over the front entrance.}

_{“I’m going back,” she said and turned away.}

_{Dalton caught her arm. “Bad idea, Felicity. Just wait for a bit and give him time to get here. They’re not behind schedule yet.”}

_{“Yeah.” She sighed. He was reasonable and probably right, damn him. No need to fuck things up by making a stupid move now. “I’m going to head that way anyway in case someone is injured or there are more prisoners lagging behind.”}

_{“Just be careful.” He pointed to the jeep behind him. “And get some weapons from the back.”}

_{After arming herself, she headed into the woods toward the prison. She jogged the distance, trying to keep from imagining all sorts of horrible things.
Visions of a funeral kept edging into her mind, refusing to stay at bay. She couldn’t be a widow yet – they hadn’t even gotten married. He hadn’t even proposed. Their future together – fighting in the rebellion, making a difference in the world, maybe even having kids someday – all hung in the balance. Coffee and cuddling in bed on cold winter mornings. Being wrapped in his arms while they slept. The smelly family dog and sticky kid fingers all over the furniture they didn’t even own yet. She wasn’t about to let all that slip through her grasp. Not again.}

_{Leaves above her fluttered as birds fled. Danger. She was getting closer. The sense of urgency intensified as the ground quieted and silence fell over the forest. Was it over?}

_{A figure appeared in her path. Startled, she gasped, then froze in place. Green uniform, graying hair, sinister smile… Shit.}

_{“Well, this worked out better than I could’ve hoped,” Saith said, stalking toward her.}

_{She gulped as her mind raced. Ideas came and went and she filtered through them, looking for the best tactic for the situation. Shifting was probably best. Just as her limbs started to tingle with the change, something hit her in the chest.}

_{She screeched. A shock of electricity seized her, squeezing her lungs. Pain radiated through her body.}

_{Instinct took over and she shifted to her predator form. Her line of vision fell nearer to the ground as she landed on all fours. The shock stopped and she zeroed in on her enemy and shook herself out of the oversized clothing. She noticed the Taser in his hand and growled.}

_{“A lynx?” he mocked, circling her. “You were such a brave little girl, I figured you’d pick a better form than that. I’m almost disappointed.”}

_{She copied his circling, staying out of reach. He launched a Bolt toward her and she sprung back before it hit. Another came right after and she leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding it.}

_{Fuck. He wasn’t playing around.}

_{She dodged the next orb and sprung to a low-hanging branch on the closest tree. When a Bolt cracked against it, she jumped to the next. Higher and higher she climbed, as flashes of orange chased her.}

_{They stopped and the world seemed to go still. Balancing on a branch with her claws digging into the bark, she looked down below.}

_{Another uniformed figure stood, facing Saith. Inside, she sighed a breath of relief as she gazed down at his bald head.}

_{“Felicity, stay there,” Maddox said, keeping his gaze on his father. Inside, a storm brewed. He stayed calm by reminding himself that she was safe, and as far as he could tell, unharmed. When he was sure she wouldn’t move, he addressed his father. “Leave my mate the fuck alone. You’ve ruined enough of her life. And mine.”}

_{Saith turned to face him. “You won’t win this war, son.”}

_{“I’m not your son.” As he said the words, a weight lifted off his shoulders. With the declaration, a part of him, the dark part, died. There was a sense of relief but also sorrow. The father he’d once loved and respected was gone. And now Maddox had no family left.}

_{His father
chuckled. “Changing your allegiance because of some slut doesn’t change your bloodline.”}

_{Maddox let loose a growl.
Hot energy flowed down his arms, yearning to burst free. He held it back. He wanted to take his father alive if he could. Though he was angry and hurt at the betrayal, Maddox couldn’t hate him. Saith had turned into a pitiful, desperate man, so filled with hate that it poisoned his heart. But insulting his mate would only feed the storm. And if Saith threatened her again, Maddox just might snap.}

_{“Y
ou’re naïve to think that just because you toppled a building with some cheap magic, you can take down the entire Council. We’ve been doing this far longer than you’ve been alive. Get on the winning side of the war, or you’ll regret it.”}

_{Maddox in
haled deeply to keep his temper. “You have one chance to leave this place alive. Come with me today as my prisoner. James will take you to the Underworld and that’s where you’ll stay.”}

_{Saith snorted in response.}

_{“It may not be your favorite place but at least you’ll be alive.”}

_{“You expect me to bargain with you?” He took a threatening step toward him. “I made you.” His face reddened as he gritted the next words. “I made you into the most efficient soldier the
Council has ever known. You had your whole life laid out in front of you and you threw it all away for some self-righteous bitch.” They stared each other down. Tension filled the air as he waited for his father’s move. Finally, he whispered, “I may be old but I can still crush you.”}

_{A Bolt shot from his hand.
Maddox flinched, ready to defend himself. But instead of hitting him, it went straight up in the air. A branch cracked and a frightened snarl echoed in his ears.}

_Protect.

_{He let instinct take over and unleashed the storm inside him.}

_{A
s the branch fell, she twisted in the air and caught the trunk with her claws. A green light flashed across her peripheral vision. She heard a strangled shout. She clung to the tree, afraid to move or look down. Quiet settled over the area and with it an eerie sense of calm.
Dead. He was dead, and she was next. Lethargy swept over her. She was tired of running and fighting. Tired of being afraid. If he was gone, she wanted to go with him.
She squeezed her eyes shut and waited.}

_{“Come down, love.”}

_{At Maddox’s voice, a wave of relief swept over her. She slid down the trunk and made the final jump to the ground, landing on all fours. A few moments later, she stood, naked and shaking in front of him.}

_{She looked him over but tears made her vision blurry. He was standing, alive, not even bleeding. To her right, Saith lay in a puddle of red liquid, his shirt burned through, exposing his singed chest with a knife sticking out of it. It took her a moment to process everything.}

_{Maddox frowned at her then opened his arms. Not dead. Bursting into tears, she numbly walked into his embrace. He held her tight as she sobbed into his chest.}

_{He’s okay. He’s safe.}

_{“Shh,” he soothed, stroking her hair. “It’s over.”}

_{She leaned back to look at him, just to make sure it was really him. Maybe she was dead and dreaming. If so, she didn’t want to wake up. His face and clothing were smudged with what looked like soot, like he’d walked through fire.}