AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“He kept going on and on about this beautiful woman that outshined everyone at the academy, even him. He honestly wouldn’t shut up about her.”
“Syrinox wanted to try the mission with just us, and then go find the babe after.” Cerise says, smirking at Syrinox who flips his middle finger up into the air, nobody needs to know sign language to know what that means. “But Dree pointed out that if we try our plan and it fails, then it’ll be next to impossible to try a second time, so we came here to find … Well, you I guess.”
I roll my eyes, trying to appear unimpressed with their sweet description of me. Inside though, I’m bouncing around like a little girl whose first crush just said she is pretty. I obviously enjoy their efforts to woo me, I just refuse to show them that I do.
“So what is this glorious plan?”
“You get into the keep while the rest of us distract the guards, you kill the Dragon and sneak back out before anyone notices he is dead and we all walk away just a bit wealthier.” Glavior says.
My eyes just about pop out of my head with how wide they stretch. There is absolutely no way in actual fuck that is their entire plan! It’s a suicide mission. If the guards don’t kill them on site, they sure will by the time I get inside, much less kill the highly guarded man and back out! Not to mention, we have no idea what traps and magic they have guarding the keep or what skills and abilities the Dragon has!
“Wow, way to simplify a complex plan and leave over half of it out.” Dree draws, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms over his chest. Glaring at Glavior, he fills in the rest of their plan. “There's a long trek between here and the Keep, and the Slum happens to be on the way. We’re planning on going around the Slum to the Keep, using magic and a few other tricks we have to disable the magic barrier and distract the guards. We know that the Dragon is known to enjoy female company in the evenings, so the easiest way, if you're down, is to have you go in as a whore. You’ll get him alone and you’ll be able to sneak back out.”
“Once the dumb fuck is dead, we can circle back to the Slum and kill all the dumb fucks there and save the babies.” Cerise says, a smile on his face.
“We have to come back here to collect the bounty, and after that, well ... who knows.” Onyx says.
Hmm, yes, who knows.
“So how long is the trip?”
“About two weeks through the forest, we can assume there will be traps and monsters around the Slum to keep people away, and there is at least one lagoon we have to get across.” Glavior says, his voice quiet.
“Well, let's get packed so we can get going, we’ll go over everything we know about the target and fine tune the plan on the way.” I say, thinking over everything I need to do to get ready.
I nod my head, thinking about their plan and the trip. I guess I’m stuck with them for the next month at least. I’ll have to honor Ahazu’s request and give them an honest chance to convince me to accept the mate bond. Not to mention I just got Ahazu back, now I have to leave him for a month. I want to finish this mission, but I don’t want to leave my brother. I also don’t want him to come because this is going to be dangerous. Looks like I’m stuck with these five for the next few weeks. This is going to be the longest month of my fucking life!
It doesn’t take long for us to pack up. I’m really the only one that has to pack anything at all. Ahazu, Boo, and Dallie are laying on my bed as I get durable clothes for the trip and a few outfits that would fit the whore persona I’ll be adapting to get the kill. I debate bringing my makeup, but Dallie says I should take some of her human makeup so if I have to leave it behind or it gets ruined, I won’t be as upset.
I pack a second bag of weapons. Daggers, throwing knives, magic bombs, acids and poisons all get organized much more gently than my clothes did. Weapons get much more care than clothes any day.
“I can’t believe you have to leave for work when we just got home!” Dallie whines, she throws a pillow at me but I dodge it and keep packing.
“Yes, well, this will be the last assignment I take for a bit. I want to be able to spend some time with you guys.” I tell them, mentally wondering what I’m missing.
“Leave her be Dallie, she is funding our clinic.” Ahazu says, rubbing Dallie’s back and smirking at me as I flip him off over my shoulder.
I honestly don’t mind giving them the start-up funds. Their clinic is going to help so many people around here and I’d do anything for my brother. Plus, with all the assignments I had while they were gone, our house account is padded well enough that none of us have to worry about money for a while, and this job is going to almost triple it.
“Our little Astra, going off on an epic adventure with five men. She won’t be the same when she gets home.” Boo flicks a fake tear off his cheek, but the sarcastic smirk on his lips ruins the effect he is trying to get.
“Shut up, Boo. You’re the one that went off to heal the world and came back mated to my brother and Dallie.” I say, counting the number of blades I have in my pack, again.
“Seriously, big sister. Make sure in all the chaos, you take time to get to know them. Chase your happiness, be an active participant in making life everything you’ve ever dreamed it could be and stop avoiding your desires because of the ‘what ifs’ playing in your mind.”
Az hugs me around the waist, not making a noise as he gets off the bed and crosses the room. I swear if his heart wasn’t so big he’d make a better assassin than me. He would never though. He spent years denying himself the comfort of touch after accidentally killing two men who were actively attempting to take his life. He’d never willingly do that again, and I’d do a great number of things to make sure he never has to.
“Ahazu, what happened to your gloves?” I whisper, not wanting to upset him, but wanting the answer. It’s been bugging me, dancing in the back of mind since I saw him last night.
“I found my mates. Elizis helped me, well, forced me more like it, to see that I’m in control of my magic, not the other way around. I learned I didn’t have to fear what the goddess gave me because she would never give me something I wasn’t strong enough to handle.”
He looks deep into my eyes, saying so much more than the words coming out of his mouth. I get it. The goddess sent me a group of men, she tailored them to be perfect for me, and all I have to do is be brave enough to accept her gift. Just like he did.
“I’ll try, little brother. I really will.”
I hug him once more, not wanting to let him go. A throat clears at the door and Az and I both turn our heads to see who needs our attention, not letting go of the hug. Dree is standing in the door, his face full of warm affection as he watches me and my brother.
I heave a sign, not needing his words to know it’s time to get on the road. I squeeze him one more time, trying to imprint my love onto him. He is my whole world, and I have to leave a piece of my heart again as I go save the world, just like he did. Maybe, somewhere along the way, I can be brave enough to chase my own happiness just like he said I should.
