As We Rise: Savage (As We Rise Saga Book 2) Read online

  Phoenix’s lips crashed into hers, and the world collapsed until it held only the two of them. Sky didn’t have time to be insecure or worry about technique. She explored his lips in slow languid movements as she ran her fingers through his soft hair. Phoenix moaned against her lips, and the sound sent shockwaves of pleasure straight down to the apex of her legs. Sky gasped at the intense sensations and Phoenix deepened the kiss.

  Sky was lost and Phoenix was her lifeline. His touch ignited a need that defied reason. Just as she was about to pull away, their frenzied desire melted into lingering kisses delivered with a heart-stopping tenderness Sky had never experienced before.

  With great reluctance, she dragged her mouth away from his. They stayed wrapped around each other, not willing to let go even when their heaving breaths slowed to normal. Sky smiled, her lips warm and slightly sore. Phoenix’s returned grin was toothy and proud.

  “You are amazing.” Phoenix kissed her nose. “Just so you know, that was my first real kiss too. It was more than I ever imagined.”

  “You imagined kissing me?”

  “Yes.” Phoenix’s hands slipped lower and Sky blushed as he brushed the sides of her bottom. He grasped her thighs, lifted her, and set her down on the counter. Sky’s giggles tempered as Phoenix stepped between her legs. “I have pictured kissing you in many ways before my better judgment stopped me.”

  “What does your better judgment say now?” Sky asked breathily.

  “I buried it the moment you touched me.” He lowed Sky’s hands from his neck and placed them back on his chest. He pressed his forehead against hers. “I could never go back to before that kiss. Please tell me you are with me.”

  “I am with you, Phoenix.”

  “Good,” he whispered against Sky’s lips. “Because I don’t think I can give you up.”

  “I knew it!” Rana’s squeal broke the moment. Sky met Phoenix’s gaze before they both exploded in laughter. They laughed until their sides hurt, and Sky had to hop down from the counter so she wouldn’t fall. They laughed until Sky’s fear and anxiety over their impending mission was replaced with cautious optimism.

  Everything was going to work out.

  She was going to save her people.

  Twenty-One

  Sweat pooled at the base of Sky’s spine as she hovered outside Bludhaven with Rana. They perched behind a large hover bike attached to a cart filled with medicine and clothing that Lark had secretly provided after the council shot down Sky’s request for assistance. Lark had messaged Sky on a secure channel to plead with their little group to stop Beast at any cost and had promised to rally support on her end. The walls around Sky’s heart regarding her people lowered a fraction. It felt good to have an ally among the clans again, even if it was only a select few.

  Phoenix shadowed further into the village to gather intelligence, but Sky could tell by the lack of people roaming the streets that sneaking in wouldn’t be too difficult. Getting out, on the other hand, was another matter entirely.

  “Where is everybody?” Rana whispered.

  “I’m guessing the warriors are with Beast or stationed at strategic points around the landing field. The rest of the villagers will be in their homes waiting for the okay from their elder.”

  “Can we go over the plan again?” Rana’s hands shook as she wiped them on her trousers.

  “Phoenix will shadow onto the landing field and distract Eltanin’s men and Beast’s warriors, while we lead the kidnapped people to the forest.”

  “By distract, you mean kill,” Rana stated.

  “If need be. Do you regret sharing information regarding the GC battle armor’s weaknesses?”

  “No,” Rana shook her head vehemently. “I want you two safe, even if sharing tech secrets goes against everything I was taught.”

  “I understand.” Sky grabbed Rana’s hand gave her a reassuring squeeze. “Going against such an ingrained belief is hard on the soul. That betrayal you are feeling, I understand it. When I stole that research vessel and fled Kore, my heart was torn. It was forbidden for clanspeople to leave the twin moons. Keeping the clan on-world guaranteed the safety of all. The clans believed and lived by this rule, but I had to protect myself. It was hard, but I chose to disregard the status quo. Thank you again.”

  “I will live with my choices.” Rana lifted her chin and erased all emotion from her face, wearing the regal mask she hid behind when she first awakened on the Kismet. “Once the victims are safe, you will join Phoenix…” Rana’s voice faded as she looked at Sky expectantly.

  “Yes, I will meet with Phoenix, and we’ll lure Beast away from his warriors. Once they notice their elder is no longer with them, they will abandon the Elitians to protect their leader. We hope the Elitians decide to abandon the trade.” Sky pulled up the satellite feed on her UAB; the Elitian vessel was hovering in geosynchronous orbit just outside of Kore’s atmosphere.

  “Our plan is flawed,” Rana muttered as she adjusted the straps of her back sheath for the third time.

  “Yes, it is. We have limited data, and there are only three of us, but we must try to stop Beast. Not only because those are my people he’s sacrificing, but I cannot let the Elitians get our technology—the entire system will suffer if we fail.”

  “Mmhmm.” Rana’s delicate features pulled into a grim expression.

  Sky knew that Rana still struggled with the ideologies of her people, but it didn’t stop the slight surge of resentment Sky felt toward her reluctant friend. Sky understood Rana’s point of view, but at the same time Sky couldn’t grasp why Rana wouldn’t speak out against the wrongs her people committed.

  “What if you or Phoenix are injured?”

  “I had Phoenix upload a map to your UAB with directions to his hut. Take the hover bike and hide. Once you are safe, message Jo. I already informed her of our plans, and she promised to be close by if we need her and the Kismet.”

  “I don’t like the idea of abandoning you two.” Rana finally lifted her head, and Sky’s heart melted at the fear etched on her face.

  “Rana, everything will work out the way it is meant to be.” Sky smiled even though her stomach twisted in knots. Rana didn’t need to hear about Sky’s own fears regarding their plan or its unlikelihood of success. Rana needed to see Sky confident and calm. “I feel in my soul that we are making the right decision.”

  “Is that true?”

  “Yes,” Sky answered. She was being honest with her friend. Sky did feel that they were on the right path, even if the idea of engaging a small army made her physically ill. The two of them were well-trained and supernaturally enhanced warriors, but the odds were against them.

  Silence stretched between them as Sky studied the satellite image again. The Elitian ship hadn’t moved, but her chest tingled with anticipation and she knew it would be entering Kore’s orbit soon.

  “Aren’t you glad that you and Phoenix finally kissed?” Rana teased.

  “Now isn’t the time to talk about it, Rana.” Sky tried not to let her annoyance bleed through, but she knew she failed when Rana winced slightly and looked away. “I’m sorry. We can talk about it after today’s battle, okay?”

  Rana nodded, her cheeks flushed. Sky wondered if she was angry or embarrassed by Sky’s obvious annoyance but didn’t get the chance to find out. Her UAB pinged as the Elitian vessel began entry procedures.

  “Come on, Phoenix,” Sky whispered as she scanned the village. The butterflies in her stomach fluttered violently as every possible scenario flashed through her mind. Caught. Injured. Dead.

  “You called?”

  Phoenix’s raspy voice startled Sky, and she had the urge to punch him, but refrained. She didn’t want to risk injury to him or her hand before their battle.

  “The Elitian ship is entering the atmosphere.” Sky angled her wrist so Phoenix could see the holoimage on her UAB. “Did you discover where they are holding the villagers?”

  “I did,” he swiped at his UAB and a holomap of Bludhaven
rose from the device.

  Rana stepped closer and hooked her arm through Sky’s, their small argument forgotten.

  “Here between the field and the market district are three repositories. The first two are full. One with typical clan merchandise for trade, and the other contains Elitian weapons, medicines, and other items I cannot name. The final building rests closer to the forested area. This is where the victims are being held.”

  “What luck!” Rana whispered excitedly.

  Sky smiled at Rana’s caution. She continued to whisper even though both Sky and Phoenix were talking normally.

  “Yes, it seems that way, or it could be a trap,” Sky stated.

  Phoenix grunted in agreement and zoomed in on the field. “There are roughly twenty warriors with Beast, all carrying packs. I can only assume they are the tribute that Eltanin demanded. There are warriors posted in pairs around the edge of the clearing, just inside the forest line and out of direct sight. I don’t have an exact number, but I’m guessing thirty in all. Beast has two warriors with him along with his general, Thorne, and his captain, Ivy.”

  Sky pursed her lips as she compared the trajectory of the Elitian vessel and a map of the field. “It looks like they will be landing close to the repository. It’s almost too close for my comfort. I don’t want the Elitians to see Rana.”

  “My hair is covered and I am wearing clan armor. I should be undetected, but I will stick to the shadows as well.” Rana bit her lip. The hand she had wrapped around Sky’s arm trembled slightly.

  “Don’t worry, Sky. I promise to keep their focus on me,” Phoenix said with an almost cocky confidence.

  A boom followed by the roar of engines silenced their conversation. All three looked up as the Elitian vessel entered the atmosphere.

  Phoenix and Sky’s eyes met. She hoped hers expressed the admiration she felt for him while she poured encouragement through the bond of their divine marks. They both ignored the fears unspoken. Phoenix reached out both of his hands, palms upturned.

  “It’s time to go.”

  Twenty-Two

  They materialized in the shadow of the repository just as the Elitian vessel’s landing gear brushed the grass. Sky studied the ship. It was smaller than the Kismet, but the similar bulky design indicated that it could be a cargo vessel. Unlike the Kismet, this ship was retrofitted with weaponry that rivaled a battle cruiser. Emblazed on the hull were a white interlocking G and C surrounded by the stars, the symbol of the Galactic Consulate, and below, in bold lettering, Prowler.

  Sky snorted softly. What an appropriate name for a ship destined to abduct her people. Phoenix shot her a knowing look before turning back to the ship.

  The cargo hatch released with a hiss and Sky held her breath as the ramp lowered. They were about to discover how many soldiers Eltanin brought with him. Sky agonized over the missing intelligence, knowing that this pivotal moment would indicate whether they would succeed or fail.

  Two soldiers in full battle armor exited the Prowler, followed closely by Eltanin and then two more fully geared soldiers. Sky watched the cargo hold for more soldiers to exit. The hold remained empty, and Sky didn’t know if she should feel relief or worry. There had to be more souls on board. A ship that size would require a crew of at least five, and Sky doubted Eltanin and his escorts had navigated the ship from Leonis. That begged the question of whether the remaining crew were military or civilian and if they were hiding additional soldiers on board.

  Eltanin strode across the field toward Beast and his warriors as if he owned the land he stepped on. Sky growled internally at his pretentiousness. Her mark flared, and power flowed just under her skin as she weighed the souls of Eltanin and Beast. The scales tipped toward the darkness for both men, and Sky allowed the outrage she had been holding back to freely flow.

  Phoenix squeezed Sky’s hand, pulling her attention away from the vile men. The fire of her anger was tempered by his tender gaze. He leaned in and brushed a soft kiss on her lips. Sky wanted to press herself against him and disappear from their perilous situation, but instead she accepted this small comfort. Before the warmth left her lips, he disappeared in a cloak of shadow.

  Sky swallowed and braced herself for battle. She glanced at Rana, whose mechanical eyes were fixated on the exchange happening on the field, and whispered a silent plea that her friend would come out of this battle unscathed.

  A startled shout had Sky turning back to the meeting. Phoenix had appeared between Eltanin and Beast, disarming them before he evaporated into his shadow. Half of Beast’s warriors backed away in fear, while the others dropped their packs and circled both leaders with the GC soldiers mixed throughout. Phoenix materialized behind one of the soldiers, his swords raised. With a flick of his wrists, Phoenix’s swords sliced through the seal between the helmet and the armor, decapitating the soldier. The body stood while its head rolled across the grass on the ground. Sky watched in morbid curiosity as the headless body slumped to the ground, its hand outstretched toward the helmet as if it were trying to recapture it.

  Sky whispered another desperate plea for Phoenix and turned away from the bloodshed. She crept along the wall of the repository, Rana close behind, until they reached the rear exit. The massive double doors were between two slim window panes and Sky peered inside to confirm they were at the correct building. In the back, bundled together in a tight, makeshift enclosure that looked like a livestock corral, huddled approximately thirty young women and at least double that amount of elderly.

  Sky waved Rana over. “Wait here,” she whispered before moving on to the doors. Rana peered in the window while Sky studied the access panel. It was standard issue, nothing Sky couldn’t bypass with enough time. She removed her multitool from her belt and pried off the screen, exposing the wires underneath. Sky groaned. Whoever installed this system was either incompetent or an evil genius. Instead of neatly bundled wires, Sky was faced with a mass of tangled cable.

  She spared a glance at Rana and then concentrated on her task. Sky was so deeply engrossed in her task that she didn’t notice Rana had moved until she was next to Sky, her ethereal face twisted in anger. Twin tracks of tears marred her porcelain skin and her hands stretched toward the door.

  The protest died in Sky’s throat as an alarm bellowed from the building. Sky jumped from her crouched position and grasped Rana’s arm.

  “What have you done?”

  “We have to hurry,” Rana shouted over the siren.

  “You just alerted the warriors to our position!” Sky roared as she shook Rana’s arm.

  “I couldn’t let them be treated like animals any longer.” Rana’s eyes filled with tears as she shrieked her reply.

  Sky let go of Rana’s arm and pulled her blazer from the holster, firing a single shot into the tangle of wires. The silence that followed was heavy but short lived as Beast shouted from the field, ordering warriors to protect the assets. Sky whirled around to Rana and unsheathed her swords.

  “Release the prisoners. I’ll hold them off while you get them to safety.”

  “Sky, I’m sorry. I didn’t think,” Rana pleaded.

  “No you didn’t, but it’s done.” Sky risked a glance over her shoulder. She met Rana’s wide, mechanical gaze. “It’s your job to get them to safety.”

  Sky sighed in relief as Rana nodded and disappeared into the darkness of the building. If she could keep the enemy trained on her, maybe they would think she was acting alone.

  Three warriors rounded the corner of the building and Sky charged them. She dispatched the first warrior with an upward swipe of her sword and twisted away from her opponent. Entrails hit the ground with a wet plop before the warrior’s gurgled scream.

  She blocked a blow that was intended to decapitate her while sweeping her leg at the other warrior. Her foot caught a knee, and as Sky knocked her opponent off balance, she pushed against the sword at her throat, using the momentum to bury her other sword between the warrior’s ribs. Sky felt a little resistance
before she pushed through the lungs, piercing the heart with ease.

  With two warriors down, Sky turned to her final opponent. He had rolled to a stand and began to circle around Sky. Keeping the warrior in sight, Sky shifted her stance. She feinted right, but the warrior didn’t fall for the move. The chime of their blades meeting over and over echoed through the forest to Sky’s left while the sounds from Phoenix’s battle came from her right.

  Sweat dripped in Sky’s eyes as she parried another blow. She searched for an opening, but couldn’t find one until Rana stepped out of the repository. The warrior stumbled when the captured villagers began to trickle out of the warehouse behind Rana, and Sky ended her opponent with a downward jab to the neck.

  Sky slid her swords back in their sheaths as she watched Rana stop just inside the tree line, gesturing wildly for the villagers to run. Relief lifted the weight of worry from Sky’s limbs temporarily before she registered the considerable distance between her and Rana. Without realizing it, she had battled her way back to the first repository.

  Sky ran, throwing a cursory glance in the shadowed space between the first and second buildings. The thundering boom of engines igniting jerked Sky’s focus away from her path. She searched the air and wondered if Phoenix succeeded in his mission.

  Pain exploded from her temple. White light filled her vision as she stumbled. Before the light melted into oblivion, Sky reached for her power, asking Luz to protect her friends.

  Twenty-Three