THE FIRST ASSIGNMENT
Facinorous (adjective): atrociously wicked.
“The angels have returned from their scouting mission!” The alarm blared over the room’s enchanted speaker system.
Pain stabbed my temples.
The alarm burned my overly sensitive ears.
“The first ungodly infestation has been located, and RJE devices have been calibrated for coordinates. All legions and soldiers report to the cafeteria in .03 hours. Repeat. All legions and soldiers report to the cafeteria in .03 hours. Reminder to move stealthily, quiet must be observed in open areas. Do not compromise the base.”
I climbed out of my bunk.
Clothes rustled and voices swore as my legion mates rushed to pull on their standard-issue military gear that Orion said was all black: insulated undergarments, flexible snow pants, a thin but warm jacket, and heavy combat boots.
I was already fully dressed.
Ever since we’d moved into the war camp, I slept fully clothed.
I was always more prepared than everyone else. Planning ahead for every situation and iteration to make sure I didn’t inconvenience those around me.
My mates never judged me, but the rest of the world did.
I was the blind one.
I’d always be weak, no matter how many times I proved I was strong.
My ears rang as the high-pitched sirens wailed, and a crippling headache pounded against my temple.
“Are you okay?” Corvus asked as he massaged the base of my skull like he always did when I was around headache-inducing sounds.
I nodded at him.
Orion gave me a gentle kiss on the cheek, and I basked in his tenderness, then I pulled away regretfully.
We had obligations.
War.
Adrenaline pounded through my veins, and I cracked my neck back and forth.
Ever since we’d learned how alone we were in this war, I’d been itching to do something. I needed to take action. It was obvious that the High Court was wholly unprepared for what was to come.
Sounds erupted as my teammates scrambled to get dressed.
The voice that haunted my dreams swore softly, and I stalked across the room toward them.
“Do you need help?” I asked, every cell in my body highly attuned to her presence.
Arabella grunted. “I can’t find a hair tie, and my stupid curls are—”
I pulled the band off my wrist and held it out to her.
“Where did you get that?” Her voice was accusing, and she didn’t take it.
I sighed with annoyance. “Take the fucking hair band.”
“Explain.” She snatched it from my fingers.
“I have it on me in case Corvus needs to keep his pretty hair pulled back,” I sneered sarcastically.
There was a scratching noise as my Ignis ran his hands over his shaved head and snapped, “Really?”
Arabella chuckled, then stopped like she’d remembered who she was laughing with. “Tell me why you have it.” Two palms pressed against my chest and pushed me backward.
She was trying to be threatening.
I swallowed down a moan.
My Revered’s hands were on me.
She’d voluntarily touched me.
Ten warm fingers had splayed against my shirt for .2 seconds, and it was just long enough to send streaks of lust exploding across my senses.
I readjusted my pants.
“Tell me!” Arabella pushed me again.
I put my fist to my mouth and bit down to stop myself from giving her an explanation. I needed her to keep touching me like I needed to breathe.
It was fucking crucial to my survival.
She was my survival.
Nobody could understand but us.
Unlike other relationships, devil mates weren’t symbiotes of compatible souls that joined together.
A Revered was a male devil’s soul. Period.
Without her we were soulless monsters.
An enchanted voice boomed, “All legions and soldiers report to the cafeteria in .01 hours.”
“We need to go now,” Corvus barked over the sirens.
“Come on, Aran,” Luka said gruffly, and there was the sound of flesh against cloth as he pulled her away from me.
“Stay calm,” John murmured to her.
As our legion exited the room, Orion and I ran forward in unison and placed ourselves in front of Arabella. A Protector shielded his Revered.
Always.
Orion grabbed my elbow as he jogged beside me and led me down the paths.
I nodded my thanks in his direction.
We were on the same page.
Behind us, Arabella whispered, “Get out of my way.” She pushed gently against my back. “Also, explain the hair tie.”
I grunted from the ecstasy of her touch.
Chilly air slapped my face, and steam sizzled as the pine needles whispered, snow falling gently all around.
I tasted the cold radiating off Arabella; it was like a shot of adrenaline straight into my veins. It was addicting.
The noises of the new realm were foreign and disorienting. The landscape was quietly loud in a cacophony of hushed sounds. I’d never heard anything like it.
Orion and I fell back so we were closer to Arabella.
She huffed and tried to jog faster to get around us, but we picked up our speed and shielded her with our bodies.
She didn’t get it.
We were never leaving her unguarded.
Not in a foreign realm.
Not during war.
Not in a time of peace.
Never.
Flames crackled on Corvus’s shoulder as my Ignis ran at the back of the group, his breathing steady and controlled behind us as he protected our Revered’s flank.
Not for the first time, I marveled at how truly opposite they were—ice and fire. It was highly unusual because an Ignis and Revered were renowned for complementing each other’s abilities.
It seemed strange that they would be true opposites. The only complement they could provide was to stop the other. With Corvus’s tenuous control over his flames, a part of it made sense that Arabella was meant to ice him out when he lost control.
I grimaced.
There was something wrong with that dynamic.
It was utilitarian in its brutality, while an Ignis and Revered were supposed to be something more. Destined to help each other, not hurt.
My gut screamed at me that Arabella’s role wasn’t just to stop Corvus.
Last night, Orion had whispered in my ear that Corvus had kissed her like he was a dying man, and she was oxygen. I’d had to adjust myself in my pants.
Fuck, I wanted them both so badly.
In the present, scarlet flames crackled louder around Corvus; the temperature around Arabella dropped several degrees colder.
Instinct warned that their powers unleashed together would be cataclysmic and painful.
That was fine with me.
I welcomed the fallout.
Everyone else, including the soldiers we jogged beside down the path, were collateral. It had always been about her, but we’d been stupid fools unable to recognize it for what it was.
Now no one mattered but Arabella.
Period.
I was a Protector through and through.
When we entered the cafeteria, it was uncomfortably warm.
Soft breathing, rustling, and anticipation filled the largest structure of the camp and indicated about a hundred soldiers were present.
We gathered inside and stood at attention beside the rest of the camp.
Dick spoke loudly from the front of the hall, “The angels have located the first city-state and returned with coordinates. As you’ve been informed, this planet is composed of valley settlements separated by treacherous mountains.”
Steps echoed with the telltale click that all the boots of the High Court workers had as a person walked among the lines.
A worker shoved metal against my chest harshly.
I grabbed the sword and sheathed it.
“Don’t touch him like that,” Corvus threatened the worker softly beside me.
Orion breathed roughly through his nose.
As the only blind soldier at the base, I was used to the rough treatment and the whispers that followed me. I could practically taste the doubt radiating off the High Court workers in my presence.
I heard the whispers.
They didn’t think I belonged.
Corvus growled, and the worker gulped loudly.
Dick announced, “We will reiterate one last time that we suspect there to be dozens of portals hidden in this planet’s geography connecting it to other High Court realms.”
He paused.
A worker cleared their throat in front of me, and I held my hands out.
Knives were placed into my palms gently, and I threaded them through the straps on my belt.
“Better,” Corvus said as the person scurried away.
“As we’ve said before”—Dick sounded annoyed that he was repeating himself—“our data indicates there has been no coordinated push to escape through the portals. They seem to travel at random in small segments, and the High Court has had success eliminating those small sects. These operations do not amount to war.”
Arabella murmured under her breath beside me, “No. We’ve had success eliminating them.”
I agreed.
“The ungodly need to be dealt with at the source,” Dick said.
Feet shuffled, and a few men gulped.
The High Court kept dancing around explicitly saying that we had to eliminate an entire planet before they realized they were under attack.
A mass extermination.
“As I’ve stated before, the OPA forbid the High Court from waging direct war against another sentient species. This is the first and only mission we will be a part of. We have given you the tools and ability to locate the threat.”
The worker handed me a sword, and I sheathed it.
“Going forward, the shifter and academy legions will be in charge,” Dick said with authority. “The angel legion is second-in-command to them. They will convene and plan in the strategy room. Everyone except Jinx will RJE there. She stays at the base.”
Soldiers whispered.
I recognized a voice.
Knox, the angel captain with heterochromia, called Jinx a string of expletives, which was strange because he was usually polite and collaborative.
I narrowed my eyes.
We’d spent a lot of time with the shifter legion, and I’d come to enjoy Jinx’s presence.
I didn’t like his fucking tone.
Dick continued, “We have no knowledge about the civilization the ungodly have taken over. We recommend conserving your abilities and only using weapons in this first meeting to identify as much information as possible about your foes.”
The worker handed me a small silicone device and explained hastily, “It’s an enchanted earpiece so the champions and generals can communicate with each other. Press down on the top button once to speak. Hold it down to turn it off.”
I nodded and placed it in my ear.
It fit snugly.
“Per the OPA, all high-ranking members of the High Court will leave this camp immediately. How you choose to proceed is up to you. We are giving you all the tools you need to succeed.”
A rustle of unease spread through the room.
“A team of healers, weapons strategists, enchanters, and food workers unconnected to the High Court will remain to assist with the base operations. All concerns can be sent to the High Court through a secured, enchanted tablet, but note we may not be able to respond.”
Boots shuffled back and forth on concrete.
“Corvus and Jax have been handed RJE devices to the settlement. Wait for their directions. Good luck, soldiers. The fate of the realms is in your hands.”
There was a whirring noise. CRACK. Dick was gone.
The room erupted into motion.
Arabella scoffed beside me, “I can’t believe they just abandoned us here.”
“Don’t be stupid,” I sneered. “People in power always leave their messes to others. It was always going to be this way.”
“It’s still stupid,” she muttered. “Personally, I think we should let the ungodly do their thing. Who are we to intervene?”
Corvus huffed, “We’re the sun god’s kings. We’re built for war.”
“No,” she said. “You’re kings, I’m a queen. I was built for shopping and leisure.”
My Ignis choked, and I chuckled at how ridiculous she was. It was adorable. If I hadn’t fought beside her in gruesome battles, I would think she was serious.
My Revered liked to pretend she was a privileged despot. It was part of the reason we’d judged her so wrongly.
She hid her fierceness behind masks of sarcasm, but there was no mistaking that she was a force of rage and power.
She was savage.
And I couldn’t stop obsessing over her.
I grabbed her hand and threaded our fingers together, and hers were frozen like she was sculpted from ice.
Tension dissipated from my body at the contact, and I rubbed my thumb back and forth over hers. She tried to pull away, but my grip was steel.
The others gathered around.
“The champions and angels are going to RJE to the location for surveillance. Wait here for further orders. When we return, we go to war,” Corvus barked loudly in the quiet room.
“Yes, sir!” soldiers chorused back.
There was a clattering of wings as the angels walked over.
“You didn’t join us for the scouting trip,” Knox said in a smooth tone beside me. “We missed you.”
I bristled.
He hadn’t earned the right to miss her.
How fucking dare he talk to my Revered like he knew her? Orion put his arm around my shoulder and held me back.
Arabella chuckled awkwardly. “Yeah, well I can’t fly yet. I’m still working on it.”
“You’ll learn to fly,” he responded curtly. “You’ll train with us after this battle.”
“Don’t fucking tell her what to do,” Corvus snarled aggressively, and heat poured off him.
“That would work for me.” Arabella clicked her tongue. “But I’m really big on rest days. So let’s circle back to that idea next week.”
“Soon,” Knox said. “Until you learn to fly, you’re weak. You need to master your abilities.”
“Thirty seconds until we all RJE,” Corvus said. Wings clattered, and Knox made a sound like he’d been pushed to the side.
Jax replied, “Remember, we need to be discreet, no loud noises.”
“Got it, make loud noises,” Sadie drawled obnoxiously.
Arabella laughed.
It wasn’t funny.
Warm breath suddenly fanned against my ear. “Why did you have a hair band?” Arabella whispered so closely that she must have been on her tiptoes.
I closed my eyes and inhaled her intoxicating icy scent, and my heart pounded erratically like I’d taken a shot of caffeine.
“Tell me.” Her nails dug into the skin of my arm that was still gripping her wrist in a vise. She drew blood.
A shot of pure lust clouded my thoughts. Does she know what that means to me? Pain was my love language.
Her cold touch burned deliciously, and I grunted softly with pleasure.
The RJE device whirred as Corvus said, “Three seconds.”
I bent forward so my lips brushed against her temple. “Because you kept complaining about losing them, and I wanted to be helpful.”
CRACK.
The sound of jumping through time and space muffled Arabella’s harsh inhale, but I didn’t miss it.
I’d surprised her.
Cold air stung my cheeks, and I knelt on icy rocks. From the lack of hot steam, we were on the side of a mountain.
“Let go of me.” Arabella’s breath came out in uneven puffs.
My lips were still pressed against her icy skin, and it was like touching lightning in a blizzard. Electricity crackled between us.
“Never,” I promised as I released her hand.
She let out a little gasp like she was in pain, and I frowned.
Nothing should have hurt her, yet her breathing pattern clearly changed like it did when she was getting stitched up.
I didn’t fucking like it.
“Stay low, follow me. We’ll climb down the mountainside.” Corvus’s voice spoke loudly in our enchanted earpieces.
Arabella tried to take a step away from me, but I stepped closer. The battle might be starting, but a campaign was already being waged, and failure wasn’t an option when it came to her.
I would figure out whatever pained her, and I would destroy it. My Revered would never suffer in my presence, never again.
Orion’s touch guided me as we stayed close to our Revered and followed our Ignis into war.
