Monstrous Ends, page 23
“The government, the mayor, and Nano worked together to create a new species, then torture and kill them for sport,” I interject, “and when that same species fought for their rights, they were eliminated and labelled as monsters.” I take a deep breath. “The very same monsters we are spliced with. So tell me this. If they are monsters, then what does that make us, since we are half monster? Our world is one big experiment, one big test. We are treated like lab rats, and our children are starved and used. It is time for us to fight back. It is time to stand together for their freedom and ours. It is time to take back the world. This time, we do not fight the monsters. We stand with them.”
I cut the cameras, and Samael pulls me closer, burying his head in my neck. I stroke his back as he struggles to breathe, his body shaking with the force of his confession.
“You did so good, baby,” I praise him. “So good. You’re so strong.”
Lifting his head, he meets my eyes. “For you, only for you.”
“We’ve got this, Samael. We are going to end them for everything they did. I promise.”
“I know, pet.”
There’s a knock, and we clamber to our feet and open the door to see the room beyond surging with monsters. All at once, they drop to their knees with their arms over their chests. “We will tell our story. We will help the human.” They look at me. “For our king and for you, our queen. Tell us what to do, and we will do it. If this will help, then we will. If our king can be brave and tell his story, then so can we.” One man speaks, but the others nod, and I look back at Samael with a smile.
“You did this.”
“No, we did this,” he murmurs, and I glance back with a grin. “We need more film.”
THIRTY-NINE
LYRA
I took everyone’s stories. I will use some, but not all. Really, I felt like I owed it to them to listen. I broke down more times than I could count, and when they watched me cry, something seemed to heal inside them. I grieved for their innocence and their loved ones, and then I spent the next two days editing the footage.
There is so much pain and anger, I wish I could include them all, but it needs to be short enough to make a statement. After, I can showcase their stories so the whole world knows.
They deserve it.
After all, there’s an entire city with a story to tell.
Samael gives me some space, though not much. He helps his people, listening to them and validating them in a way he never did before. I can see their love for their king, and I’m just leaving the toilet when I nearly run into a monster. He grins down at me and then glances around before lowering his voice.
“We all want to thank you for giving our king his heart back. With it, you have given us ours as well—our purpose, hopes, and dreams we had all given up on. He gave us sanctuary and safety, and now you are giving us happiness. We are forever grateful to you for mating our king.”
Before I can respond, he’s gone, and as I move through their masses, they all smile and greet me. When I spot my king in their midst, laughing at something one of them said, I can’t help but stand taller. I always wanted to make a difference, and it seems I have, but I know it won’t be enough, not until this stops and they don’t have to hide anymore, so I go back to work.
I barely sleep or eat until, after two weeks, I finish. “It’s done.”
Samael jerks up from where he was sleeping. “Huh? What?”
Laughing, I rub at my eyes. “It’s done. It’s ready.”
“Can I see it?” he asks, and I nod before I nervously click play for him. When it ends, he looks at me. “It’s incredible, Lyra,” he croaks. “You . . . You told our story and did it justice while demanding change. It’s perfect. They cannot deny this now.”
“I know.” I rub at my face. “Okay, we need to access the broadcast system and get it out across the city.”
“How do we do that?” he asks.
“There has to be a system in the control room. Come on.” I download it onto the hard drive, and we go to the control room beyond the live broadcasting area. Once inside, I see the equipment is old, maybe too old, but I hold out hope as I hurry to the desk and plug it in, load the video, and then try to figure out the system. It’s not the same as the one I learned in school, but I make some quick guesses, lean back, and watch.
Only for it to be denied.
Fuck.
“Lyra?” Sam asks as I hammer away, trying to figure out what’s wrong. When I do, I almost scream. “Lyra,” he repeats.
“The bastard put up a wall around the broadcasting system in Athesa. I should have known. We can’t see what they broadcast, and we can’t broadcast to them. Think of it like a wall around their channels.”
“What does that mean?” he asks.
“Fuck, it’s not strong enough,” I practically scream. “All of this was for nothing! They won’t ever see it. We would need to be inside the system to broadcast—”
“No.” Sam glares, no doubt knowing where my thoughts have gone.
“Yes.”
“No, Lyra.”
“Yes, Sammy, we are going back over the wall.”
“No,” he snarls.
Groaning, I flop back on our nest. I can’t believe I’m saying I missed this prison, but I did. We have been arguing for hours. “Yes.”
“They will be searching for you, for us. We don’t stand a chance.”
“A small team could sneak through.”
“And get killed. Remember Henrik?” he snaps. I wince. I checked on Sascha when we got back. She’s awake, and she’s eaten, but she’s not there. Her eyes are completely empty. It’s hard to see, but for a moment, I saw a flash of life when the doc was talking to her, so maybe there is hope.
“Okay, then a bigger team so we can protect each other.” I sit up. “We have to do this, Sammy. We cannot let those people’s sacrifice be in vain. We have to get this out there, we have to.”
Pacing, he mumbles to himself as I worry on my lip.
“Maybe . . . Maybe we should ask the others for help.”
He growls, and I sigh.
“I know they weren’t exactly welcoming, but maybe we just need to give them a chance. Clearly they want this too. Sammy, they were wrong about you, so maybe we were wrong about them.” He freezes, his head swinging to me. “I know you don’t like asking for help, but I think we need it. This is how we end this, Sam. This is how we stop them. We have to see this all the way through to the very bitter end.”
“And if it gets us killed? If we can’t get back over the wall after? They will be angry,” he snaps.
All good points. I’m hoping after we can sneak back through in the chaos, but I know that might not happen. “I’m okay with that. I’m okay with dying for a reason. Both of us have lived with death for so long, Sammy, so let’s not back down now.”
“I can’t lose you,” he croaks.
“You won’t,” I promise as he crouches before me, gripping my head and pulling me to him until our foreheads touch.
“If we die, we die together. There is no way I could live with you gone,” he snarls. “Know that before we go over.”
The idea of being the reason for his death is terrifying, but I can’t let that hold me back. Being brave doesn’t mean you’re unafraid; it’s doing it even though you are.
“Together,” I agree. “We need them, Sammy.”
FORTY
SAMAEL
I hate that she’s right. I also hate that I’m going to have to go to the people who hate and fear me and ask for their help. For her and my people, though, and the hope she brought to their eyes, I will. This is bigger than me, bigger than us and our issues. We have a chance at change, one chance, and we need to take it.
It’s too late to travel tonight, so instead we spend it with our people, both of us knowing full well this could be our last time, and then I drag her back to our nest to spend the day between her thighs, worshipping her.
She’s right; death and I are old friends. I never feared it before, but now I do because I finally have something to live for. I want a lifetime with her, even though that won’t be enough, so we have to make it back, and they are our best shot.
Pushing all thoughts away, I pin my mate to our nest, watching her eyes dilate as she rolls below me, arching up to rub against me and make me hard once more.
“Make me forget, Sammy, just for tonight.”
“Anything for you, mate,” I vow as I get to work to do just that.
A meeting was called, and I wait nervously with Lyra at my side. I don’t think they will come, but she believes they will and seems quite relaxed as she lounges in my lap where we sit in an abandoned restaurant.
“They aren’t coming,” I grumble just as the door opens. I sit up straighter, and so does she. I watch the human—I think her name was Aria—stroll in with Akuji behind her. He glares at me and guides her over, putting her as far away from me as possible. Both of them look at Lyra, and she smiles.
“Hey, thanks for coming. Sorry for the radio silence.”
“We thought you were dead,” Aria replies happily.
“Damn it, Aria, we discussed not saying that,” the other human, Talia, calls out as they walk through the restaurant, Cato watching me carefully. I notice the bump the human is toting, and my eyebrows rise.
“Holy shit, are you pregnant?” Lyra blurts.
“Lyra,” I groan. She elbows me, making me grunt, and then she grins at Talia. “Congratulations, that’s going to be one big baby. It’s yours, right?” she asks Cato. He nods, sits carefully, and pulls Talia onto his lap to protect her—even though that’s stupid, since it will slow him down if he were attacked, but I don’t point that out.
“Well, we did,” Aria carries on, watching us as Lyra leans into me. “Clearly they have been busy fucking though.”
“Aria,” Akuji grumbles.
“She’s partially right.” Lyra shrugs, and then she presses her hands to the table. “We have some things to discuss, very important things, but first things first. You owe Samael an apology.” My head snaps around, and she ignores my growl of warning. The others all blink in confusion. “He is one of you, and I know he’s not the easiest to get along with—”
“Understatement,” Cato mutters.
“But he is one of you, and he has always protected you and your people. Not one of you ever asked him if he was okay or even cared about why he was so angry.”
“Pet,” I snap. Aria touches her gun in warning, hearing my tone, but Lyra is unbothered.
“They didn’t,” she snaps at me. “You were hurting, you needed your people, and they shunned you. They owe you an apology, and before I tell them jack shit about what we have found and done, they will give you just that, Sammy.”
“Sammy?” Aria whispers to Talia.
My eyes close, and Lyra giggles. “Oops, sorry, Sammy.”
“Dead, you’re dead,” I mutter, but she just laughs before it fades as she looks back at them.
“I mean it. Samael has been through a lot. I know you all have, but you had each other. He didn’t.” She crosses her arms and narrows her eyes. I’ve never been so in love before. “Now will do for the apology.”
“She’s right,” Cato says, and I jolt in surprise. “We never took the time to understand what happened to you, Samael. We just saw your anger, and instead of trying to work through it with you, we let it fester inside you and pushed you away. Lyra is right. We owe you an apology. I’m sorry, Samael. We should have been there for you.”
Talia smiles up at him with tears in her eyes.
Aria smacks Akuji, who sighs. “They are right. I’m sorry, Samael. I did what I thought was best for my people, but that should have included you.”
I never thought I would see the day, and part of me feels like I don’t deserve it, but it’s all thanks to my little Lyra. Uncaring about the repercussions, I pull her onto my lap, and she melts. They notice and smile.
“It seems Lyra has tamed the beast.” Aria grins. “So now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about you dropping that bomb and disappearing.”
“Sorry.” Lyra grins sheepishly. “I went to get proof.” I listen as my girl explains everything. They all are shocked about us going over the wall, but they seem impressed, and then Lyra pushes the hard drive into the middle of the table.
“The research, videos, and the edited version are all on this. I need to get over the wall to broadcast it everywhere so they can’t hide it.” God, she’s beautiful. She can undoubtedly feel my hard cock, but she ignores it. “We need your help. They will be waiting for us over that wall, so we cannot get through with just the two of us. I know it’s a risk, but we have to stop them before they start another war that leaves us all dead.”
“And if it doesn’t work?” Cato asks.
“It will work. I have proof, and I’m a face they will recognise. They will be unable to deny the truth, and when this is over and we are safe, Talia, you can work on the research and figure everything out—safely, of course.”
“We’re in,” Aria says.
“Us too,” Talia agrees. “We have been trying to find proof and a way to stop this. I have all of the research, but they won’t understand it, although it has helped me with my pregnancy and our mating. I think, with time, I can help fix all the issues.”
“I cannot promise you will come back over,” I admit. “I cannot promise your safety. Lyra and I have accepted that we might die for this, but you do not have to.”
Cato grips Talia closer and nods.
“Someone needs to stay here, just in case we don’t come back, to command and lead our people. I think it should be you.” I look at him. “You are the smartest and the most level-headed, and you’re the future of our people.”
“They won’t follow me,” he mutters.
“They will,” Akuji interjects. “They really will. He’s right. Cato and Talia should stay here. They are the future. This is our fight, but we cannot do it if we have nothing to come back to. We are willing to take the risk.”
Talia starts to cry. “But what if you don’t make it back?” She grips Aria’s hand.
“Nah, you know I will.” Aria winks. “I’m too badass to kill.” Aria reaches across and takes Lyra’s hand, connecting the three humans from very different lives. “We can do this, we have to do this, but they are right, Talia. You are holding our future in your body and in your brain.” She looks at Lyra. “Are you okay with dying?”
“I’ve nearly died every day of my life, so what’s one more?” she replies, and I kiss her neck, making her sigh.
“Then it’s decided,” Akuji states. “We go in two days. That will give us time to prepare and make the announcements. Our people will cause a distraction again, and we will sneak through.”
“We cannot go the way I did before; they will be watching it,” I admit.
“I have another way,” Akuji offers. “We will meet at the lab at sunrise in two days’ time. Any objections?”
There are none, so I stand with Lyra’s hand in mine. “Thank you for helping us.”
Reaching over, Cato and Akuji clap my shoulder. “You were always one of us, Samael, even when you didn’t think you were. We are both honoured to help you save our people. I cannot think of a better monster to do just that, or one more deserving of happiness.” Akuji looks at Lyra. “Thank you for loving him, even when he doesn’t make it easy.”
“He’s worth it,” she replies as she looks up at me. “And in two days, the whole world will know how much you survived and sacrificed to save your people. I am the one who’s lucky.”
Throwing her over my shoulder, I nod at them. “I need my mate.” I storm from the building, their laughter following me.
Two days.
That’s all we have.
I’m going to treasure every second.
FORTY-ONE
LYRA
Two days isn’t a long time when it comes to going to war. Samael and I are very aware that we might not make it back over the wall. It’s a risk we are willing to take, but it doesn’t stop me from stressing about what is to come. We eat, drink, and celebrate with his people like normal, but I know he can sense my apprehension. He drags me back to the nest and spends the remainder of our time between my legs, reminding me how much he loves me.
“I can hear your thoughts whirring, pet,” he mumbles, burying his head deeper into my breasts where he’s sprawled on me. “Shh, and sleep.”
“I can’t,” I admit softly, stroking his head until he lifts it, his eyes squinting in his sleepy state.
“Fine, if you can’t sleep, I’ll keep you entertained.”
I scrub every inch of my body in the bath and wash my hair twice. I don’t know why, but some part of me will feel better if I look better. I need to be confident, and I feel anything but, so I do everything in my power to fake it.
Samael helps me, and then he dries me off, leaving me standing in a towel as he grabs a paper wrapped parcel from the side and hands it over.
“What’s this?” I ask with a smile.
He shrugs nervously, avoiding my gaze, so I take it from him and unwrap it.
“Sammy,” I whisper.
“Now you will look like the queen you are,” he murmurs. “Do you like it?”
“They are beautiful.” He’s taken an old pair of black jeans and sewn fur into the belt, and then across the right hip is a sewn claw mark, no doubt his, the possessive bastard. The shirt is plain, but the jacket is a fur-lined coat that screams royalty, and tucked within is a diamond necklace. “Where the hell did you get that?”
“There are plenty of abandoned jewellery shops.” He chuckles as I finger the diamond that would cost an entire year’s salary, maybe two. It has a teardrop red jewel at the end. Turning, I lift my hair and let him put it on me, feeling it hang between my breasts. “How does it look?” I ask when I turn back.
