Ash’s bike came to a stop next to Warwick, his feet hitting the pavement. “The main entrance has been boarded up, no longer used for the old human religion. It would be well guarded and locked up.” Ash nodded at the structure built into the side of the mountain on the other side of the bridge.
The two neo-gothic turrets and pale stone church blended in with the terrain, appearing like part of the mountain. Unobtrusive. Hidden. And very much protected and restricted from the public. Any enemy descending on this city would probably miss it. Like Halálház, had the nectar been hidden in plain sight this whole time?
Luk, Kek, Tracker, and Ava stopped around us.
“We cause too much attention. You guys should stay here.” Warwick snarled at our new companions.
“Fuck off,” Tracker barked, his eyes flashing. “You are not leaving us out now. Kaptain wants us here the whole way until it is put in his hands.”
“Who the fuck said he would be the one to get it?” I felt a muscle in Warwick’s back flex, his jaw clenching. “You may do his bidding, but I certainly don’t. It is not his to have.”
“It’s not yours either, Farkas.” Tracker puffed up, fury straining his frame.
“You may be hot stuff at Povstat, human, but you’re in the big boy’s game now. You are going to get us caught.” Warwick sneered. “Or killed.”
Tracker started to climb off the bike, challenging Warwick. “Why don’t you come over here and I can show—”
“Track! Stop it!” Ava grabbed for him.
“Come on, legend... you all talk? Nothing behind the name?”
“Shit,” I hissed as Warwick started to get off his bike. I knew this would be bad. Tracker, an egotistical human, had no clue who he was challenging.
“Hey, hey!” I held my hands between them. “Everyone, calm down.”
“Damn, this is so hot. You get in there, pretty boy.” She poked at Luk. “You too.” She flung her hand at Ash. “And all you start wrestling, and then it turns into hate-fucking each other.” Kek grinned deviously, her demon eyes darkening, devouring the abhorrence and ego that was swimming between the two men, making Ash snort.
“Don’t tell me you wouldn’t want to see all this testosterone go at it?” Kek wiggled her blue eyebrows at Luk.
“Track.” Luk pointed at his comrade, ignoring Kek. “Take a breath. This is their terrain. In ours, they’d follow our lead. Here, we follow them. We can’t fight amongst ourselves and be able to battle our true enemies.”
“Wow, someone actually using logic.” Ash winked playfully at Luk.
For a moment, I swore I saw Luk’s cheeks heat, but he quickly turned to Tracker.
“Get back on your bike.”
Tracker’s chest rose, his glower on Luk now. I didn’t think many, besides my uncle, told Tracker what to do.
Just like someone else I knew.
“Too many alphas.” I pressed my thumb into the bridge of my nose. “Not enough brain cells.”
“Your fault. You killed them all yesterday and this morning, princess.” Warwick’s gravelly voice brushed up my neck, my eyes flicking up to the real man with a glare. His lips twisted in a smirk. “Though I wouldn’t mind your mouth wrapping around my cock right now.”
“You really are insufferable,” I grumbled, the side of his mouth hitching higher.
“Tracker,” Luk said his name like an order.
“Fine,” Tracker growled. “You can lead, but we all go.” Tracker plopped back down on the bike.
Warwick’s shoulders flexed, and I knew he was about to toss Tracker into the river.
“Warwick.” Invisible hands traced up his back and around his abs, my fingers following down his V-line, producing a slight rumble from his throat. “Behave.”
“You should know I don’t behave.” His actual hand clutched the top on my thigh, yanking me closer into his body, his thumb rubbing along the seam of my crotch. “If you want me to not kill this guy, you owe me. I’ve slaughtered men for less.”
“I promise to destroy those few brain cells you have left if we get through this.”
“Now I’ll make sure we do.”
“Hey, fuckers!” Ash yelled at us, our heads snapping to him. “Stop mentally screwing each other. Focus!”
It was a switch. Warwick cut off the link, his attention going in front of us, the warrior mode on.
“Follow me,” Warwick barked, revving the bike forward. The moment we crossed the invisible line on the bridge, we would enter the Buda side.
Killian’s realm.
The princess was about to steal and betray the dragon guarding the most coveted treasure in the world.
If he caught me, he would burn me to ashes.
Rubble and fragments of the old citadel were scattered across the hill like headstones. A sinkhole buried what was hidden under the stone and earth, but I swore I still heard the phantom cries of agony and the stench of death bubbling up to the surface. Everything was left exactly how it was after the bombing. A time capsule.
My stomach twisted into knots, a chill shivering my frame when Warwick stopped the bike at our old “residence.” The place still plagued my dreams, my soul forever stained with blood and trauma.
I climbed off, my feet taking me closer to the ruins, my chest tightening. I stopped at a chunk of stone. The notable statue, the woman holding the feather, used to look over the city and was a symbol in Budapest. Part of the woman’s face stared blankly up at me. A corpse left on the battlefield. The haunting screams and terror still saturated the ground.
This place can’t hurt you anymore. I inhaled deeply, trying to loosen the rope strangling my lungs. I didn’t think being back here would affect me so much. When I was here, I hadn’t been outside more than twice. Now, like vibrations from an earthquake, I could feel what was still underneath my feet, empty of life but filled with the ghosts who died, as if the Games and life in Halálház had never stopped. I had little doubt that below me were dead bodies of people I knew now were entombed forever.
Was Tad there? Did he make it out?
“Hey.” Warwick’s shadow pressed into my back, his warmth cutting out the cold wind gusting over the hill. “This place might have hurt and changed you, but they didn’t break you, Kovacs. You survived... came out stronger. Don’t let it take anything more from you.”
My attention darted to the man who was busy hiding the bikes, acting like he wasn’t also over with me, patching parts of my soul with his words. He could feel my weighted gaze on him, his eyes darting to me for a moment, connecting, before he looked away again. It would seem like nothing to the outside world, but to me, it felt like everything.
“Brex?” Ash waved me over, the rest of the group waiting for me. We might not have much time until another patrol came through here. We had seen one pass through the area right before us, not even stopping, just making sure everything looked undisturbed and quiet. This part was no longer of use or of importance.
Sneaking down by the bombed building, we came to the area where I remembered coming out. The almost seamless private door leading us straight into the heart of the fae city was hidden by foliage and large pieces of debris. The bomb had left this place in shambles.