I moved with slow sadness, watching my mate’s beautiful presence twisted up with torment. “Spector is to blame for this. Not you, not me. Them. I need time to grieve, but that’s going to have to wait, and you’re going to have to let go of your guilt, too. We have to work fast to bring Spector down, and that means we need to focus. So what are we going to do?”
My men went quiet. Tomb got up and wrapped his arms around me, pinning me in his stone comfort. “You’re right,” he said in his gravelly tone. “We need a plan. And I’m so damn proud of how strong you are, Motley. But just know that we’re here with you, and we have your back.”
Slowly turning, I faced him and cupped his cheek. Tomb looked worried yet determined. Of all of us, he knew the horrors of Spector best. He understood their toxic methods and deadly games. He had the scars and trauma to prove it.
I remembered our time in the tank together—his plea to escape Spector, his desire to leave it all behind for good. At the time, I didn’t get it. But now I did. It was easier to bury yourself in the darkness sometimes. It had been easier for me to hide behind my monster. Easier to slip away and fade into nothing rather than face reality. But Tomb found a reason to live with me—because of our mate bond. And I didn’t take that lightly. I wasn’t going to give in to the numb darkness again. I was going to find a reason to fight for them and Aunt Marie.
And that meant figuring a way to get the fuck out of here.
An idea suddenly struck me, and I turned back to my demon. “We need to go to the Between.”
He tilted his head to the side and scratched at the dark scruff on his strong jaw. “It’s risky for supes. I wasn’t even completely sure you’d survive it. It’s a place for demons,” Risk answered.
“Since when are you afraid to take a risk?” I asked with a small smile. It was the most amusement I was capable of.
He didn’t smile back. “Since I almost lost you.”
I swallowed hard at his reply. I broke away from Tomb and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him close with a sigh. “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere,” I promised in a raspy whisper. He breathed in my smell, burrowing his nose in my neck with a steady inhale.
“We need to get all the hybrids to the Between for a meeting without Spector’s prying eyes,” I said, pulling back to look at him. “Time doesn’t work the same there, right? We could go, rally the troops, and figure out how to bring Spector down.”
“Are you even sure they want to fight? Spector is holding everyone hostage with punishments and threats. You aren’t the first to have a loved one killed. They aren’t afraid to use brute force to keep everyone in line,” Tomb explained.
“They’ll help,” I replied. “They were ready to fight at the demonstration. They just need some organization.”
Risk pondered my statement for a moment, his hand cupping the back of my neck and fingers brushing over my skin as he thought. “The more people in the Between, the more temperamental it is. There’s hundreds of hybrids here. It would take a lot of power to maintain, and I’m not completely confident I can keep it running for too long,” he mused.
“We won’t need more than that. Spector’s been training us for months. We just need a lot of planning and a little time,” Crow interjected.
“I’m still not sure they’d survive the trip,” Risk replied, his fingers now lightly massaging my scalp. “Supes get ripped to shreds while transporting there. It’s a demon safe haven.”
“But we’re demon hybrids,” Tomb replied.
Risk nodded. “You’re right. That’s why Motley survived it. It was why I attempted it in the first place.”
Tomb bristled and stared Risk down with brutal intensity. “I’m going to ignore the fact that you risked our mate’s life,” he deadpanned. “But we will be discussing your recklessness later.”
Risk tugged on my hair playfully as he looked back at my fiercely protective gargoyle. “I look forward to the fist fest, Rocky Balboa.”
I rolled my eyes at their banter. They’d bonded so quickly, it almost seemed seamless, like we’d all known each other for years. And what had happened yesterday seemed to solidify us more. We were in this together.
“Are we doing this?” I asked them all, making sure to look each of my mates in the eye. Risk with his sly grin, Tomb with his protective gaze, and Crow with his unfailing devotion.
“It’ll take some time to bring them all and take them back. We’d have to be careful,” Risk pointed out.
I shrugged. “Just wing it. You’ll figure it out.”
“Sounds risky,” he replied with a slow grin. “I like it.”
Crow stood and joined me at my side. Tomb positioned himself at my back, grasping my waist, and Risk faced me, holding my cheeks in the palm of his hands.
“Let’s build an army, Wicked Love,” he whispered.
“Let’s ruin Spector,” I replied.
Chapter 27
Risk worked efficiently to get everyone to the Between. Some got vertigo. Some started vomiting on the sheer vast nothingness. Some screamed.
Cheryl complained.
“All this white is washing me out,” she whined as she looked around the white nothingness that surrounded us. “I look terrible. And who even designed this place? I’m all for clean, modern spaces, but would a sitting area be too much to ask?”
I rubbed my temples. She was clinging to me like
