Changeling Winds: Episode Two (The Bachelor Battles Book 2) (32 page)

Bbbaaaaammmmmm
!

Something else exploded. I knew by the shudder of the ground we were on, and I screamed in agony as more heavy shapes piled on top of me. The scent of them was thick, familiar, and I sank into the darkness.

Angelica

“Jason?”

He moaned, full of pain, and I forced myself to keep waking him.

“Jason.”

His lids fluttered before flying open to reveal wild, bruised gray eyes.
“Who won?!”

I placed a light hand on his shoulder to keep him back, and felt him cringe.

“Please! Say something!”

My heart thumped. “You can’t see me?”

“Angel?”

He groped out, and I swept him against my body in grief and sorrow. “I’ve got you. She’s gone.”

He let me keep him close, but he didn’t return my embrace, and I hurried to offer comfort that was likely a lie.

“It’s the flash. It’ll wear off.”

He didn’t answer and I gently held him back to see a single red drop rolling from one glassy eye.

“I’m blind.”

His tone said he wasn’t going to be able to handle it, and I jerked an arm at one of the surviving medics.

Jason flinched again at the movement, listening to the steps. His face grew into full panic.

“Please don’t leave me here. Please! Don’t leave me here for her!”

I swallowed my awful hell, and held him still while a weeping medic shoved the needle into his arm.

“Who...” I gathered myself, knowing he needed this. “Who are we?”

The drugs worked quickly, but he never lost that wild tone.
“Pruetts!”

“Hold onto that, Jason. I’ll be close.”

He sagged in my arms, more bloody tears falling, and I kept him in my grip as we started for the only other shelter near here. He didn’t move as we traveled, and I was grateful to my Changeling state for the first time in my life. It let me carry him all the way.

As we walked, another storm began to flash and rumble behind us, but none of the surviving rebel males flinched from it. The Network had cured them of that fear with two harsh blows in broad daylight.

Those around me appeared exactly like we had after the Network had sent one of its bombs to Stone Mountain - covered in soot and angry, shocked fallout. For an instant, I was back there, trying to keep the falling rock from crushing Baker.

Baker!

I found him leading our small group and was glad, but the rock of pain in my gut didn’t ease. Jason had been hurt because of my arrogance.

I ducked into the mucky storm drain as Sam’s remaining Runners secured it, moving to a back corner. I hated to let go of him, even for a minute, and forced myself to lay him on the filthy ground so that I could dig through my pack for the medicines that might heal his burns, and a cloth to bind his eyes. There was a small chance…

I wrapped the bandage around Jason’s head with a feeling of anger so severe that it would have flipped me into the Change if I hadn’t already been there. My claws were light as I smeared the ointment over his arms, those blistered shoulders and neck. If not for his hands automatically coming up for protection, his face might have been burned beyond recognition and I let out a ragged breath. I’d been so busy with Rankin that I hadn’t protected him.

I swept my fellow survivors, spotting those I was closest to, but only a handful of the rebel males. I realized those missing were probably buried inside the cave.

The need to make the Network pay flamed into a dangerous new level. They’d hit us twice now, taken more than a cut this time. Out of the seventy total people we’d had in the caves, I saw less than twenty here now, and there was no way we could go back and try to dig survivors out, not with Rankin’s guards all over the place, opening fire on anything that moved. We weren’t the only ones who’d been betrayed, and they knew it.

“How did they know Baker was there? They didn’t get close enough to spot him.”

Sam was furious, her normally loud voice subdued with tight control that I recognized. She was on the edge of flipping over their crimes against us.
Good
. We would need every fighter we could get.

“They probably picked us up on satellite after the storm cleared. We’re only ten miles in,” Candice stated quietly.

Next to her, Daniel’s mane of golden hair was catching the dim light, drawing her attention again and again. Not for the beauty of it, but because the side of Daniel’s head and neck was covered in crimson. The fact that it wasn’t his blood was a painful, guilty relief. The Hulk had given his life for Daniel’s during the battle, catching a bullet. Animal Man sat on Daniel’s other side, muttering under his breath.

My cousin’s eyes turned full red without her body flipping into the Change. Advancing another level at almost losing her mate? I’d never known of a Changeling to make it to total control, but if it could happen, she’d be the first.

“They had to know Rankin would get caught in the blast,” Daniel stated.

“She’s expendable, too.”

“They’re done following us.”

“Yes. They’re probably hitting the Safe Zone right now.”

Sam’s worry had me turning to Baker. He shook his head, words heavy with hatred.

“Won’t do ‘em any good to bomb what they can’t reach.”

We stared in confusion, and the rebel leader’s tone matched our fury as he answered.

“I knew this might happen. I moved them underground months ago. As for us, we’ll probably only have the clothes on our backs, but we will survive. Our anger will carry us.”

“And we’ll win!”

Greg’s scarred hands were shaking, but even in his rage, the tones of his voice drew attention from the closest females.

Rose snarled in warning at her fellow Runners, and they quickly turned away. I didn’t smile when she gently wrapped her two-sided cloak around Greg’s shaking shoulders. I was too worried, too furious, to be happy for them.

Relieved, agreeing voices came as I turned back to the blinded male I couldn’t imagine ever being apart from now. So many of the things that I’d promised him wouldn’t happen…
had
. There was no end to my guilt, my fear.

Jason

I hated waking up in the pitch black. If not for the sound of Angelica’s rough voice nearby, I might have started screaming.

I couldn’t see!

It hit me in waves and I tried not to let anyone know I was awake. I needed time to figure out what I was going to do. Would I still be able to help the rebels? Be a father and mate?

No.

I was now a burden to be cared for. My dreams of a happy family returned, charred violently in the ashes. I’d never
see
my children even if I had them. I’d lost everything in one blinding flash.

“Jason?”

I cringed from the hot hand that settled gently onto my brow. “Go away!”

“Please listen.”

I refused to answer, suffering in my private hell.

“I’d like to adjust the terms of our deal.”

I couldn’t stop my hurting reaction. “Just leave me here! I don’t need you!”

I felt more of those thick tears roll down my cheek, and then a trembling touch wiping them away.

“But I do need
you
.”

It was so unfair, not to be able to see her when she said that!

“For what?
So you can care for me like the baby you won’t willingly have?”

I cringed under her pain, instantly wanting to pull it back, but I was in too deep.
Gone.
It was all gone!

I heard her move away from me, knew what she intended, and snarled. “I don’t need to be sedated!”

The needle sank into my arm an instant later, and I yelled at her - the first time I ever had. “Get out!”

“Not until you listen!”

The drugs weren’t dragging me straight under, but I felt calmer against my will and realized she’d lightened the dosage.

“I need to adjust the terms.”

“Our deal ended with my sight!” I snapped, but a small pinprick of hope was shoving its way into my darkness. Did she still… want me? She had to know I was only a burden now.

“Then I’d like to make a new one.”

Now there was a larger light that I struggled against. “Why?”

“Because I want you.
I have since you touched my hand and… I’ll agree to any terms you want.”

Because I was blinded, helpless.
She was willing to be burdened with me out of pity! The drugs couldn’t drown my anger.

“I’m not a train male like my dad! Keep your pity! I don’t need…”

Her lips slammed against mine with a growl of lust that distracted, pulled. She was burning against me, baking heat and rippling passion, and I understood she meant it. Even blinded, Angelica would take me… and on my terms.

But I didn’t have any of those now, and I slumped under her rough caress.

She drew back with a sob of shame. “I’m sorry.”

For being drawn to me when I was injured, and my mouth shot open in challenge. It, at least, seemed to be working fine. “What about children?”

“If they’re yours… yes.”

A stunned silence from me.

“I’ll help you get settled somewhere, if you don’t want to be… with me.”

I listened to her move away.

“I’ll come back for your answer…” she paused. “
When I think I can stand it.”

I started to tell her I’d already made up my mind - I didn’t want her pity! -
but
Angelica’s next words sent light flooding into the deepest shadows of my desolate mind.

“The medic said your sight will come back slowly. Don’t take the bandages off yet.”

There was the sound of a door closing, of soft voices coming from a distance.

I wasn’t blind…

And Angelica still wanted me enough to bring children into this world, so long as it made me happy. It was too much to roll through my rattled head at once, and I surrendered to the darkness.

Chapter Twenty One

Day 24

Angelica

 
“I agree. If we go to the Safe Zone now, we kill them all.”

“What if we stayed underground? There are other exits from these tunnels.”

 
“They couldn’t track us, but you know what it’s like down there.”

“So does the Network. They won’t send in fresh troops. We’ll fight Rankin and her survivors, that’s it.”

A thoughtful silence went around the dank room, and I was very glad Baker had known this storm bunker was here. The seven large rooms made of concrete would keep us protected and hopefully allow us time to make a new plan.

We had trudged through the rats and inches of water carefully, but without loathing. Buried thirty feet under the ground, it was wet and stank of mildew, but a dangerous shelter was better than none at all. We would make it work.

On the second floor, closer to the surface and the pressure, the walls were slowly caving in, gaping cracks running along the walls, but the ceiling was intact. We’d already begun settling into the bottom five rooms while waiting for our injured on the top floor to heal.... or die.

“What should we do?”

Even though the rebel males had been our biggest loss, there wasn’t resentment toward any of the females, but there had been an effect. It brought us together. Before the blasts, we’d been learning to accept each other,
and doing a bit of scheming to get what we each wanted
, I thought. Now, the Runners and the rebels were sitting together, lending their comfort in short hugs and soft words. We were bonded, and the Network couldn’t take it back. They’d brought us together in a common goal - their end.

“There’s only one thing left that we can do, isn’t there?”

They all turned to me, still unable to believe I hadn’t sunk back into myself. I was a snapped Changeling, firmly controlling the rage through solid red vision. “We take them down.”

My family liked it that I was finally declaring my loyalty to the rebellion.

I gave one of my Games grins. “Hard and fast, and they won’t know we’re
comin
’ until it’s too late.”

Candice was eager, but Baker wasn’t about to risk more of his males. Of the original 150 from Stone Mountain, less than a dozen were with us. I didn’t recognize many of their faces.

“How do we do it?”

Before I could answer, another voice rang through the large room where we were meeting. This one was angrier than mine.

“We capture Rankin. She can get us inside.”

The room erupted into half welcome at Jason’s appearance, and half disbelieving protests of the suggestion.

I didn’t look away from the lightly-scarred male now moving slowly into the room. He’d made a remarkable recovery in the week we’d been here, and Daniel’s instructions had helped. At the complex, my cousin’s mate had helped in the advanced Network medical bay instead of attending the normal bachelor lessons. I was grateful.

When Jason headed for me, the small crowd of people quieted to hear what he might say. His eyes were still bruised, but they saw clearly and I was grateful for that, too.

I met him halfway, unable to stay away from him a second longer. Everyone had been keeping clear of me, trying not to trigger my rage while I was still
changed
, but Jason didn’t hesitate. He moved into my dangerous embrace like he belonged there.

I’m complete again.

That was all it took. The bloody red chill faded, leaving me a black-eyed, trembling mass to be comforted. The others hadn’t understood that I was keeping the Change tight around me as a shield… in case Jason had died.

Noise levels rose again, but I didn’t move from his warm embrace, even when he tugged us down onto the bench. Having him away for all this time had
hurt
.

“So, grab Rankin and make her take us in, huh?”

Sam was in the corner, her big friends lurking near the exits. Only twelve of her original two dozen Runners were left, and the carefree lightheartedness was gone from my sister - maybe forever.

“We get in, grab the kids, and get out.” Jason’s voice was hard anger.

Sam’s was cool logic. “Dig deeper for a bigger view. Would you leave the males they’ll bring in as replacements if we steal those? What of the children born next month? Or next year?”

Jason clearly hadn’t gotten that far into his thinking, but I had, and icy Pruett courage laced my words. “What if we got in… and stayed there?”

There was a pregnant silence, where they all considered what that meant. We would take over the New Network City complex and control - of everything.

“Now that’s seeing a bigger picture. I’m proud to be her sister. I’ve mentioned that, right?”

I gave Sam a grunt as I tightened my grip on Jason’s arm. I sensed her sudden cheer was only a good act, but I refused to go that way. I would face my darkness now… embrace it.

“We’ll need help,” Baker stated pointedly.
 
“A
lot,
and it can’t be male.”

My sister showed us in a quick flash that she was very committed to the cause.

“I’ve got a list of credits built up. If I reach out, we’ll have plenty of hands for a quick, ugly ambush.
But an invasion?”
Sam shook her head. “We’d need an
army
to attack the complex crews and win. Most are hired right after they dominate an episode.”

I wanted to ask Sam where she’d gotten that information - I hadn’t thought she knew anything about the games - but Jason’s voice demanded my full attention.

“What about the West Coast? Maybe you could find an army there.”

Even I turned so that I could see at him, but I didn’t let go. “What do you know about the West Coast Outpost?”

Jason’s healing face flushed. “A lot more than I should… Rankin liked to brag…”

At his wave of fear, I concentrated and brought the Change back out to surround him with my fierce protection. He relaxed against me as the plotting continued. “Tell us what you can.”

 
“Anything might help,” Baker encouraged.

I could see the rebel leader was working on a plan. I also noticed Sam giving him odd looks, and filed it for later.

“They were banished by the Network right after the dome went up, for not supporting male slavery. They’re also power-hungry tyrants that the Network worried might grow strong enough to challenge their control. They sent them away to establish a west coast hub.”

“Do they follow the same leadership, report to the east?” I asked gently, cursing myself for not picking his brain long before now.

Jason nodded. “Yes.”

“Keep going.” I rubbed his cold arms with my clawed hands, and he pressed closer against me.

“Unless there’s a big meeting, they don’t even have contact except through the Head Defenders, and the wall screens - and that’s only when the weather will let them through. Sometimes, they go years without seeing each other.”

“How are they getting to the meeting?” Sam shouted over the flood of questions.

We all quieted, realizing how important that was.

“Guards are being sent out to those important enough, to escort them into the closest station. They take the Network Rider from there.”

Approving mumbles went around the dank room, and I wondered how many different plans had just started. I currently had three, depending on what else Jason knew.

“Who goes to this meeting?
How many?”

Jason
shrugged,
filling them in on the things we’d learned on the way here, things he’d already told Baker. I wasn’t sure why the rebel leader hadn’t told the others before now.

“The entire council, I think, plus heavy protection.”

“This is a transition of power year…” I only needed more confirmation to finish any of the three plots I was brewing. “When is the meeting?”

“Two months from your match.”

More muttering.
Five weeks away. Was that do-able? There was a lot of traveling required.

“We’ll need a good distraction to keep them from sending in recon troops now.”

I understood Baker and I had at least one crossing scheme. “Yes. We’ll have to split up again. Half will go to New Network City. The others will go west.”

“But they still serve the east!”

I calmed Daniel’s worry. “We’ll all gather our allies, like Sam said, and maybe we’ll find that they still don’t approve of slavery.”

“Enough to help us fight?”

“I hope they’ll be as furious as we are when they know all the truths we’ve uncovered, but with that mob already around the dome, I hope we’ll be covered both ways.”

Baker nodded. A slim chance was better than none at all. “What type of a distraction?”

“Not sure yet,” I sent back. “Bombs don’t take them away for very long.”

“What if there was another Pruett about to go into the lion’s Den?”

We turned to Sam as the implication became clear.

She flushed like none of us expected, and crossed her arms over her chest. “I signed up six months ago.”

“Is it scheduled?” I asked, beyond surprise or even shock. Sam had broken, and we hadn’t known, never saw a sign.

“No, but I bet if Rankin advised it, the Network would move it up, like they did yours.”

Baker picked up our line of thought. “They don’t know you’re with us!”

Sam’s tone was smug, telling us she’d planned it this way from the very beginning.
“Nope.
They probably think it was our parents, or Bruce and Mary that met them at the train. They believe I’m on a bounty run in the west. Sightings are currently rolling into the complex.”

My sister, the genius.
Likely, one of her big Runners was on a vacation trip and playing the part at the same time. “That’s the last place they want you, especially if the west is sympathetic.”

“Exactly.
They’ll schedule it to pull me in, to know I’m under their roof and not out here planning a payback.”

Baker shook his head. “We’ll need to take in prisoners if we’re
gonna
play it like Rankin…”

Daniel had been shaking his head while we worked through it. “You don’t know her. She’s never going to be forced to do this.”

My arms tightened on the male in them as Greg, still scratched and bruised from his dive out of the exploding cave, waved toward us.

“But, she’d do it for him, right?
Her pet?”

Jason

It was my nightmare and I cowered at the thought.

“Perhaps you’d like to explain?”

The playboy answered softly, and I didn’t blame him. The threat in Angelica’s tone was ugly enough to make the big Runner next to him glower with red eyes in response.

“If Jason asks her to, makes a deal...”

“No!”

Angelica stood up, towering over me in her Changed form.

“I won’t let that happen!”

Understanding it might be the only option, I tugged on her clawed hand. “Sit down.”

Angelica snapped her mouth shut… dropped back down to surround me with her heat.

The others were all surprised, but I wasn’t. The Change was here to protect me now, if I wanted or needed it, and I wasn’t afraid anymore.

I looked at Greg, no longer afraid of the Changeling now curling a clawed hand into his scarred grip, either. I wasn’t scared of them anymore at all. Rankin was my terror, always Rankin.

“What do you mean by a deal? I’ve spent fifteen years as her…
pet
. I won’t do it again, not even for the rebellion.”

I hated to say that, but I knew Daniel understood.

“We’d never ask that of you.” Candice spoke up for the first time. “Nor would Angelica allow it.”

Everyone quieted. Baker might be the rebel leader, but with Candice, we knew to listen. He was good. She was lethal, perfect for his wise right hand.

“I want to be sure I’ve covered it all, every possible thing that could go wrong and get those kids hurt.”

Total silence as we understood she had a complete plan, a way to beat them.