“You two have been busy during breakfast,” Memphis said.
Jaxson grinned as he multiplied in the already small space, showing off his ability. “Even so the bastard won’t talk.”
Sitting in the chair across from the guard, smoothing his jacket, Memphis blatantly stated, “You have obviously chosen not to comply with our wishes.”
The guard spat blood at his face. “Adair will finish you once he finds out you survived.”
Scoffing, Memphis leaned in. “And how will he? Your men are dead, and you have no idea where you are or how you got here. I would say it’s in your best interest to tell us where Adair’s been hiding all these long years.” He deliberately paused. “Where. Is. His. Kingdom?”
Interlocking his long fingers, he waited. A flicker of doubt sparked in the man’s eyes, as he took in his words, his façade slipping.
Nyx stalked toward the guard with lithe grace. She grasped his cheeks, locking her violet eyes on him, whispering, “You will tell us where Adair is. Now.”
The guard convulsed in pain, a silent battle going on between them. Memphis watched in silent horror, knowing exactly how much pain Nyx was assaulting on his consciousness. Blood started to gush from his nostrils like rivers, and Memphis barked, “Enough.”
Gasping, the guard slouched forward in his restraints. Memphis leaned toward him. “Are you ready to tell us now?”
Silence met them like a wall, and Memphis nodded to Jaxson and Wyatt. They bounced, but the man cried, “Wait. Wait.” He looked to Memphis, then said quietly, “The Draken Mountains.”
Nyx froze as if she’d been slapped. His heart pounded at an uneven rhythm as he choked out, “As in the Draken Mountains? Past the Ruined City?”
The man was laughing now, blood bubbling from his lips. “Those are exactly the mountains I am talking of. We have built another society in the mines. One which is clear of Mixed Bloods.”
Spitting in his face again, Memphis’s resolve broke. “I dare you to say that again traitor. Mixed Bloods? How can you even say we are different when we live in a world of super charged abilities? Adair is a power-hungry madman. One that caused this war. We are just trying to end what he started.”
The guard was laughing uncontrollably, not listening anymore to a word that came out of his mouth. Spit flew from the guard’s mouth in a disgusting display, and Memphis stood up, looking to Brokk.
His second-in-command stood with him, sadness welling in his golden eyes. Memphis stretched out his hand, Brokk passing him his curved twin blade. He grasped the hilt and turned to the guard, whispering, “I’m sorry.”
Thrusting the blade forward, the man choked, and the light drained out of his eyes. When the guard died, Memphis turned to the group, his voice flat, “We meet in Command in a half hour. Be ready.”
Filing out with Nyx, he gripped her hand, the tremor shaking through his body. Nyx squeezed his hand back, as she led him down the hallway toward his room. The heaviness in his heart lifted, when they reached his door. Opening it, Memphis walked in, Nyx quietly following.
“You did what you had to, Memph. Don’t mourn those who don’t deserve it.”
Turning, he closed the space in between them. “I know it’s what I had to do, and that is exactly why I acknowledge every life I take. I never wanted to be in this position—to lead a rebellion.”
Brushing his blood-stained hands against her cheek, Memphis leaned in. “But I have to say, having you by my side always makes it easier.”
He brushed his lips against hers, lightly at first, but then his tongue hungrily parted her lips. Her hands moved with practiced precision, unbuckling his armored chest plate as it clattered to the ground. Fire burned through Memphis’s veins, his body begging for more. Nyx kissed him back with equal vigor, shoving him roughly toward the bed, “You’re a smooth talker, Carter. It’s one of the many things I love about you.”
His breath caught as he lifted his shirt off, revealing his defined and scarred chest. Nyx’s violet eyes glowed mischievously as she prowled toward him, and they lost themselves in each other before they had to go back to meet the others.
Chapter Thirty
Brokk
The waves of nausea crashed into him, and Brokk sat tensely next to Memphis. Sitting in Command, the clamor of shouting echoed around the small room, overlapping and cutting each other off as they tried to find a solution.
Except Brokk and Memphis had the solution, and they had kept it hidden for the last six years.
Slamming his fist hard on the table, Memphis seethed. “We can’t allow Adair to destroy us. Look what he has already done to Kiero. His armada is vast, the dabarnes ruthless. The darkness that has bred into our country is too much for us to stand a chance. We have no edge, and if we show our hand, he will destroy us.”
The room fell silent, ghosts of the past playing behind all their eyes.
Memphis pressed on. “We have his location, and we need to flush him out. We started this rebellion on bare bones, with nothing more to support us than the bonds of friendship, and our hope that, together, we could win against his forces. The question isn’t the Rebellion’s ability to fight. I don’t doubt your spirit, or heart.” He looked at them. “It’s about being smart enough to know that we cannot overpower Adair. His ability is too great. That leaves us with the question about how we approach this situation.”
“There is no one left to stand up to him,” Nyx said. “The monarchy was built on the Faes’ name, but who is left of that line? Emory is gone. Being a leech, she would have been the last person who could overpower Adair. To have the
