We Wreak Havoc Too: Atina And Ridge, #2 241972

We Wreak Havoc Too Atina and Ridge N. R. Hairston

Copyright © 2021 by N.R. Hairston All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Cover Design: Covers by Christian Published By

OTHER TITLES BY N. R. Hairston Magic and Mischief Series A Magical Reckoning, Book One A Symptom of Magic, Book Two A Victim of Magic, Book Three Sun Cursed (Set in the Magic and Mischief world): Cursed Magic, Book One Savage Magic, Book Two Lethal Magic, Book Three

World Breaker Rogue Magic, Book One Bloody Magic, Book Two Battle Magic, Book Three World Breaker Beginnings (Novellas set before events in World Breaker, though you don’t have to read one to read the other.) Read this series for free when you my mailing list, here. Rebel Magic, Book One Stolen Magic, Book Two Crooked Magic, Book Three Dirty Magic, Book Four Feral Magic, Book Five

Lawless Magic, Book Six

Rise of the Dragons Fire and Ash, Book One Smoke and Flame, Book Two Dust and Cinder, Book Three

Atina and Ridge We Got Powers Too, Book One We Wreak Havoc Too, Book Two We Got Witches Too, Book Three

Rebel Writers Anthologies Street Spells

Contents

Chapter 1 Atina Chapter 2 Atina Chapter 3 Ridge Chapter 4 Atina Chapter 5 Ridge Chapter 6 Atina Chapter 7 Atina Chapter 8 Atina Chapter 9 Ridge

Chapter 10 Atina Chapter 11 Atina Chapter 12 Ridge Chapter 13 Ridge Chapter 14 Ridge Chapter 15 Atina Chapter 16 Atina Author Note Other Titles by N. R. Hairston Acknowledgements About the Author

We Wreak Havoc Too I have two clubs in two different worlds. When multiple people overdose at both my clubs I know I'm being targeted. I've pissed off some powerful people lately and any one of them could be after me. I grew up in the streets. I had to fight for every ounce of respect I got. They made a mistake in thinking I was weak. They miscalculated in thinking I wouldn't hunt them down one by one. With the help of my boyfriend Ridge and a few of our friends, we take on one of the most powerful men in all the universes. We defeated him before and killing people at my club is his revenge. I can't let him get away with it. This will be the fight of our lives. Either he goes down or we do. One of us won't make it out of this alive.

Chapter 1

Atina

BLOOD SHOT FROM HER mouth onto the dance floor. Her breath came in short gasps, her hands gripping her throat like she didn’t understand why she couldn’t breathe. My eyes widened. Yete was a regular at my club and someone I liked a great deal. She came in at least five nights a week and usually stayed on the dance floor until closing. I hurriedly put down my drink and headed her way. Yete’s skin bubbled and hissed, open sores and blisters popping up on her arms, neck, and face. What the...? She began to shake, her eyes going to the back of her head. She continued to wheeze like her lungs couldn’t get enough air. I watched, horrified, not sure what was happening. I’d been living on the world Jeguate for a year now, but I’d never seen anything like this. Mostly I’d been working toward my real estate license. That’d taken four months here. I also had another universe I called home. I’d gotten my real estate license there too. After I’d gotten my license, it’d been easy to find cheap property in need of a little renovation. I’d bought a club here and one back home at dirt cheap prices. Now that I owned clubs on both worlds, and sold real estate on both worlds, my time was a lot more limited. Both my clubs had been open three months. I was still getting a handle on how to run them, though I’d interned under my friend Todd at his club and restaurant. Even with his meticulous training, this was all still new to me. Yete dying right in front of me wasn’t something I’d prepared for. Yete was the same age as me, twenty. She loved coming here, relieving stress on the dance floor. I saw nothing wrong with that. Yete was beautiful inside and out. The thought of her being harmed filled me with rage. She fell to the floor, body seizing, foam coming from her mouth. I hastened my

steps, but before I could reach her, the guy behind her fell to the floor. His skin bubbled and blood poured from his mouth. I turned toward him, but then the woman beside him hit the ground. My heart thumped like it was ready to burst out my chest. I needed to help the most severe case first, but it was hard to tell who was hurt worse amidst the chaos. “Atina, are you alright?” my boyfriend Ridge asked. He was beside me in an instant. Looking at Ridge and myself side by side, we couldn’t be more different. Ridge stood six feet tall, had shaggy black hair, was slim of frame, and had very pale skin. He scored a perfect ten on the emo scale and was usually closed off from people he didn’t know. I was five-six. My skin was a light brown and my hair at the moment was done in micro braids. I liked micro braids. It cost a couple hundred dollars to get ‘em done, but I usually kept ‘em for a few months. If I got my edges redone, then they held even longer than that. Ridge and I were from different worlds, but we lived together on Jeguate. We’d bought a house here. We also had homes on... Well, I didn’t like to call it Earth. We weren’t hopping planets, just going to alternate universes. So, the other world we lived on was called Routine. That was the universal name for a world with no powers. Neither of us were native to Routine, but it was the world I’d grown up on and knew the best. I could tell you little facts about New York, Virginia, Florida... I knew the universe Routine better than any other, but the people there had no powers, so I had to hide who I was whenever I went home. Ridge and I both did. The music in the club stopped and all eyes turned to the floor. Five bodies lay convulsing. Ridge put a hand on my back, and that helped to calm me. His presence always grounded me, and I was glad he was here tonight. “What’s going on?” Ridge’s sister Chibo ran up to us, my cousin James right behind her. Chibo was the same height and weight as her brother. Like him, she also had

long black hair and pale skin. Chibo didn’t talk much to others, but over this past year, she and I had formed a nice friendship. James was six feet tall. He had brown skin like my own and on Routine, he was a ed nurse. He worked in a hospital here on Jeguate too, plus he did consultant work at a few firms. I’d taken on a bit of consultant work myself. It’d helped pay for the renovations of this place. It was good money. Our base price was two million. Since James’ and my powers worked by absorbing the properties of anything we touched, it was easy to run our hands over a contract and pull apart every single detail that wouldn’t work or was worded in a way that would hurt our clients. No one else here had that power so we were in very high demand. James and I were originally from the world Xley. It was a high-powered, advanced-technology world that was so noisy and bright it made my head spin whenever I went there. Ridge and Chibo’s homeworld couldn’t be more different. From the way they’d described it, they were from a world that reminded me of ancient Rome. An ancient Rome where everyone had powers and they had a lot of high-tech equipment. “What did they take?” James asked. It was easy for James to slip into nurse mode when he saw people hurt. It came naturally to him. I swallowed hard, shaking my head, trying to calm my beating heart. I had to keep it together. These people were depending on us to get them help. James would probably accompany them to the hospital. It’d be good if he could tell the doctors what they’d taken. It’d also be good if we knew what they’d consumed before we tried to heal them. James was very thorough when it came to his patients. He treated each one like he would a member of his family. Everyone in the club gathered around us, making me feel like I was under a microscope. I tried to keep my composure, but the smell of alcohol and vomit was so strong I breathed it in no matter where I turned.

Hushed whispers and gasps could be heard throughout the crowd, everyone trying to figure out what had happened. “Can you heal them?” Ridge asked. “I’ll try.” I dropped to my knees, James right beside me. I put my hands over Yete. She’d been the first to fall, and she looked the most severely Injured. Chibo hit Ridge on the shoulder. “We need to check the club, see if anyone else’s hurt.” “Good idea.” I nodded, and she and Ridge took off in opposite directions. James and I were Hissyen born. That was our family name. Breath, or voice magic, ran strong in our bloodlines. That’s what I hoped to heal these people with. Yete’s skin still festered and burned. It looked like someone had poured gasoline on her and set her aflame. My eyes watered, but I blinked it back, though my heart was beating triple the normal rate. I put my hands over her chest and closed my eyes to concentrate. “Re pe di.” I said the spell to heal her. A blue twinkling mass shot from my mouth and onto her arms and legs. “Re pe di,” I said again, focusing my intent, and pouring power into each word I spoke. Another blue mass came out of me, healing her face and neck. Beside me, James was doing the same. Healing someone took a lot out of your body. If James and I didn’t recharge after a healing, we’d be down for days. Slowly, Yete’s skin began turning back to its regular tan color, but the healing wasn’t working as fast as it normally would. I should have finished with Yete and been on to the next by now. “Re pe di,” I said one more time, then figured I could at least start healing the others before coming back to Yete. I had a few healing potions and charms in my office. My own concoctions. I’d mixed the potions and empowered the charms myself.

I didn’t feel comfortable using the elixirs, though. Not until I had a better idea what type of drug or poison we were dealing with. The last thing I wanted was to cause an adverse reaction. Together James and I healed everyone we saw, but it wasn’t working as it should. They weren’t healing as fast as they should be. We’d done what we could, but they needed to get to the hospital. They had very skilled healers there, doctors and nurses who’d been doing this for years and could probably spot the problem right away. Chibo came back, carrying a small woman in her arms. She laid her carefully on the ground. She didn’t say anything, but I could see the strain on her face. I looked down. I didn’t recognize the woman, probably because her skin had started to deteriorate and peel away. James and I both put hands over the woman and began healing her together. We’d already healed so many and it was starting to take its toll on our bodies. Sweat dripped from my face, into my eyes, making them burn. I could feel the energy seeping out of me, making my arms feel like they had a ton bricks weighing them down. I’d be drained soon, but I couldn’t stop. Not until I knew everyone was okay. “I found three more like this,” Chibo said. She took off in the direction she’d come from. James and I shared a look. Three more? What in all Jeguate was going on here? Ridge came back to the floor. He carried a man over his shoulder. He lay him on the ground, a confused look on his face. “Saw two more like this. Isten’s getting them now.” Isten was from the world, Quate. My first portal hop had been to Quate and the first person I’d met had been Isten. Ridge, James, and myself had helped his world fight off the Yango. The Yango were from a world that conquered lesser worlds. They were no longer a threat, but at the time, they’d been formidable. To show

us his appreciation for helping, Isten had gifted us a few items. He’d given us money, for one. We’d been broke at the time. It was from that money we’d bought our first house here on Jeguate. James, Chibo, Ridge, and I had all put money in to buy the house. We owned it together. They didn’t do small here on Jeguate, so our house had three floors, seven bedrooms, and ten baths. It also had loads of extra rooms, plus a pool and a few jacuzzies. Isten’s skin tone and facial features put me in mind of someone who might have Mexican heritage. Isten wasn’t from Routine, though. He was from Quate. He didn’t know what Mexico was. Chibo came back. She’d decided to use her telekinesis this time. Three bodies floated behind her. She took careful steps, being as gentle as she could when laying them down. Isten’s powers worked by manipulating energy. Ridge had said Isten was getting the last two. He had them wrapped in his energy, floating them in the air. He lay them down in front of James and me. My arms shook, my insides turning to mush. I was u way too much energy. I needed to stop. I couldn’t, though. I wouldn’t let these people die. Not if I could help it. James wiped sweat from his face. Like me, his body was worn down, but he wouldn’t stop either. James was a natural-born healer. If there was a way for him to help, he’d keep going until his body stopped him completely. James and I kept healing, but I could feel myself shaking. My arms were heavy like lead, my heart was beating erratically. It wouldn’t be long before my body shut down, and then I wouldn’t be able to help anyone. “Who here can teleport?” I yelled through the crowd. Four people stepped forward. I nodded thankfully. James tried to heal one of the females on the ground in front of him. His brown skin had turned pale, and his arms trembled over top her. “What’s the best hospital?” I asked James. He looked at one of the teleporters. A woman with blond hair and pale skin.

“Give me your com.” The lady handed over her handcom with no issue. James began to type fiercely. “These are their symptoms. Make sure you give this information to the doctors. Take them to Jegu Regional. That’s where I work. I put in my employee identifier code. Tell the nurse James sent you. I’ll send them a message too. They’ll be waiting for you.” James fell back on his haunches, a desperate look on his face. He wanted to go with them. I knew he did, but we needed to regain our strength. We wouldn’t be much good to anyone if we didn’t. Even though he was weak, he still pulled out his com and shot a message to the hospital, so they’d be on the lookout. The blond teleporter sent the information from her handheld com to those of the other teleporters. Quicker than I could blink, they transported all twelve injured away. I stood, knees shaking. Ridge was beside me in an instant, wrapping strong arms around my waist. “I’ve got you,” he said, voice soft, reassuring. I let out a breath of relief, more than happy to lean on him. I felt safe in his arms. I always felt safe when Ridge was around. I’d lived on the streets for many years, and a lot of times I hadn’t felt safe. With Ridge by my side, though, I didn’t worry. No matter what happened, as long as we handled it together, we’d be okay. That was a feeling I held very close to my heart. Ridge meant everything to me... Before I could think on it further, my phone rang. I looked at the number and saw it was Lena. Lena managed my club on Routine. My phone slipped from my hand when I tried to answer it. I was covered in sweat, and my insides felt like they were melted together. I’d overdone it. James and I both had, but we’d seen no way around it. Ridge caught my phone before it hit the floor. I swiped right to answer and put it to my ear. “Come quickly!” Lena yelled. “People are dying on the floor. Something’s wrong with their skin and they have blood coming from their mouths.”

Chapter 2

Atina

SINCE NEITHER JAMES nor myself were in any shape to open a portal, Ridge had opened one with a device called a porter. James and I were natural portal openers. Ridge and Chibo were not, but porters allowed those without portal opening skills to hop universes. Isten was a natural portal opener, but Ridge had beat him to it. Neither Ridge nor Chibo had had porters when James and I had first met them, but they’d since acquired a few. James and I needed to eat. That’s how we regained our strength from a healing. Ridge portaled us into my back office at my club on Routine. The door was locked, and no one had the key but me. It was often jarring leaving other worlds and coming to Routine. Routine was the only world I knew that didn’t have powers. If people here saw what we could do, they’d probably freak out and call the authorities on us. Images of us being carted off to some government lab were one of the top reasons I kept my powers hidden here. That, and I didn’t want to scare the people around me. People I’d come to love and care a great deal about. Both my clubs had full-fledged kitchens. They both also had an area where partygoers could sit down, relax, and fill up on food. Ridge pulled me to him. “Chibo and I will get what we can from the kitchen.” I had a strict policy that the kitchen at both my clubs stayed open until the last guest left. People sometimes needed to feed their alcohol. I often got hungry when I drank, and I didn’t want my customers going somewhere else to eat. We had a full menu here, and we catered to every diet from Carnivorous to Paleo, to Keto, to Vegan. Chibo put an arm around James’ waist, helping him to the eating area. I called it the ‘Munch Down Zone’ on both my clubs. Hey, no one ever accused me of being original. James and Chibo had been together for over a year now. They connected on a level unique to the two of them. Chibo didn’t talk to many people, but she’d let

James in right from the start. While Ridge gathered up food, Isten walked with me to the main club area. I was unsteady on my feet and had to hold on to his arm to stay upright. The dance floor was a mess. Plastic cups were tossed everywhere. The floor was covered with paper towels, napkins, snack paper, and a host of other things. It looked like someone had emptied a garbage truck in here, but it usually looked like that when the club shut down for the night and all the guests went home. The scent they’d left behind was stale booze and body sweat. That smell permeated the club, making my nose itch everywhere I turned. Lena stood in the middle of the floor looking around helplessly. Lena’s skin was a beautiful dark black. She was five-eight, medium weight, and had box braids in her hair. Lena’s style was phenomenal, and I often envied her fashion sense. Lena was a very capable person and I trusted her to handle things when I wasn’t here. She was the person you called when you had a million activities waiting for attention and didn’t know where to start. She’d come in, take charge, and soon she’d have you believing everything would be okay, no matter the situation. Lena swallowed hard. I’d never seen her so rattled. “I already called the ambulance. Those hurt are on their way to the hospital. I closed the club for the night.” She shook her head. “I don’t know what happened.” Her eyes searched the room. “They took some bad stuff, is all I know.” My mind went to Heyjay and Roland. They were big time drug runners on Routine. James and I used to work for both of them. My club was situated in between their two territories, and I knew both men liked to hang out here from time to time. “Call Heyjay and Roland,” I said to her. “Get them here now.” Last year this time they’d tried to kill us. They’d accused us of stealing their money. Turns out, the thief been a guy with superspeed named Rangdus. He was from Xley. Rangdus saw James and me as a threat because of our Hissyen bloodline. James and I grew up alone on Routine because our parents had wanted to hide us

from Rangdus and his followers. They’d meant to come with us but had been captured by Rangdus’ men before they could make it through the portal. Heyjay and Roland didn’t know that part. All they knew was, we’d gotten their money back and presented them with two of Rangdus’ fingers. We’d been good with them since. I thought about it. Could Roland and Heyjay really be involved with the overdoes at my club? I didn’t think so. Jeguate was a place full of power. No one on Routine even knew other universes existed, so how had the same drug ended up on both worlds? I was the obvious connection. It’d happened at both my clubs, but how? While Lena talked on the phone, I let my eyes roam the room, looking for anything that could help me figure out what had happened here. The sound of Lena’s shaken voice filtered to my ears. She was talking to either Heyjay or Roland. Lena was thirty-three, a bit older than my twenty years. I’d known her for a very long time, though. James and I had lived on the streets since I was thirteen and he was fourteen. That’s where we’d first met Lena. She’d been living on the streets too. This past year was the first time me, James, Ridge, or Chibo had a permanent home. Chibo and Ridge had also lived on the streets when they’d been on their homeworld, Emor. Their parents had been murdered when they were thirteen, and they’d been left to fend for themselves on the hard streets of Emor as a result. Everyone I employed on Routine had once lived on the streets like James and myself. We’d come so far, it was only natural to give back. Lena swiped at her phone then put it away. Her hands still shook, but she took a deep breath and regained her composure. “They’re both on the way.” I swayed backward, and Isten put a hand on my waist to keep me steady. “I need to eat,” I said to no one in particular.

Lena and Isten followed me to the Munch Down area. James was already there, holding on to the back of a chair like he was trying to keep himself from falling over. Ridge and Chibo helped the kitchen staff pile the table high with food. I snatched up an empty plate and sat down. Ridge already had me covered, though. He handed me a plate filled with some of my favorite foods. Did I say how much I loved Ridge? Just thought I’d throw that out there in case I hadn’t. The table was covered from one end to the other and it still probably wasn’t enough food for James and me. “Keep the food coming,” James said to Trite. “This won’t be enough.” Trite’s eyes widened, but he didn’t say anything. He was used to us eating a couple hundred pounds of food every now and then. He never questioned it, though I knew he didn’t understand. Trite stood five-feet-six. He had light brown skin and long dreadlocks hanging down his back. When we’d lived on the street, James and I had squatted in a building away from everyone else, but we’d still hung out with Trite and others from time to time. Since I’d known him, Trite’s main focus had been on food. It was hard to find places to cook when you were homeless, but Trite carried a few hot plates around with him. Whenever he could find a socket, he’d plug one in and make something amazing. Nothing seemed to give him greater pleasure than crafting something fantastic and watching others become immersed in what he’d created. Trite usually had a staff of six under him because the food here was one of our main attractions and the kitchen stayed busy to closing. The entire kitchen staff were people we’d known from the streets. Some had a love for cooking, most didn’t. I figured they’d cycle out once they found jobs that better suited them, and that was okay with me. Isten placed a plate in front of James, while Chibo sat beside him. Ridge sat beside me. I dug into my food. I had twenty hot wings, two large pizzas, a

mountain of fries, ten T-bone steaks, and a couple pounds of chicken tenders. Isten headed to the kitchen. “What else do you have? Show it to me! I like eating food from different places.” Lena gave him a strange look, and Isten turned and quickly hurried away. He wasn’t used to hiding who he was, so slip-ups were bound to happen. Trite waved at him. “Follow me.” Isten went to the kitchen with Trite and I focused on the food in front of me. With so many conflicting smells hitting my nose, I hardly knew where to begin. Everything just looked so delicious. I ate greedily, slowly coming back to myself, but still needing more. I’d just finished my fourth pizza when Heyjay and Roland sauntered through the door. Their eyes went to the mess of food in front of me. Heyjay shook his head, while Roland raised a brow. They were used to me being weird, so they didn’t say anything. I’d done a lot of strange stuff in front of them. James, Chibo, and Ridge had as well. Both Roland and Heyjay took a seat at the table, eyes watching us carefully. Roland had pale skin like Ridge and Chibo. He stood five-feet-eight. He wore his hair cut close to his head and was of medium build. Roland was a businessman through and through. The only thing that mattered to him was his bottom dollar. Heyjay had bushy black hair going down his back. He looked like a football player. He stood well over six-three and his shoulders were the size of trucks. His muscles were huge. I was convinced he bench pressed brick houses in his spare time. His skin was brown, not unlike my own. Heyjay wasn’t very nice. He could be hard and cold, especially if his money wasn’t right. Roland had brought three of his crew with him, same as Heyjay. They stood behind the table, watching us like this was their damn place of business. When it came to Roland and Heyjay, I had to assert my authority. It was the only way to make them respect me.

Ridge put a hand on my back. “Okay now?” he asked, and I nodded. Ridge was an empath. He could read emotions, influence them. He could also influence a person’s power, make it do whatever he wanted it to. He could read Roland’s and Heyjay’s emotions and intent. If they were lying, he’d know it. Heyjay tossed a plastic bag of pills on the table. The bag was small, only big enough to hold four pills. I gave them a look. They were yellow and oval. They looked so innocent, but they’d caused so much harm. “People got sick after taking these?” I asked, just to be sure. Roland nodded. “We went into business with a new man on the scene. He talked about a drug that blissed people out so much they came back wanting more at triple the normal rate.” I hit him with a glare. “Anything for the almighty dollar, huh?” Roland held up his hands. “We discussing this or not?” James wiped hot sauce off his lips. “Find the source. A lot of people got sick here tonight. We can’t let this go.” Heyjay adjusted in his seat. He looked uncomfortable and he probably was. He and Roland had called us street trash this time last year. Now I owned a club and James worked at one of the highest-rated hospitals in town. Heyjay turned the bag of pills over. “It’s bad for business,” he said. “Selling shit that kills. Motherfuckers want to get high, but not that damn high.” Yeah, I imagined death would be bad for business. “How long have you been selling this?” I asked. Roland folded down his collar. He generally liked things to go smoothly. He was a cool character, though. It was hard to see a chink in that armor. The whole club could catch fire and he wouldn’t even blink. “We did a test run tonight, right here in your club. We haven’t sold it to anyone. We didn’t sell it here. Just ed it around to see how folks liked it.”

I thought back to my other club. The same thing had happened there. How were the two connected? “Why here?” I asked. “Why do this shit in my club?” Heyjay still held the bag of pills in his hand. “The guy wanted to meet here. He gave us free samples. Told us to test it out before we bought any, see how people liked it. A mutual acquaintance set it up. Dude we’ve done business with for years. He vouched for the guy. He’s vouched for dudes before, and it’s always worked in our favor. Thought this would be the same.” Trite and Isten came from the kitchen. Trite had two plates in his hands. One he placed in front of Roland, the other in front of Heyjay. Roland and Heyjay were frequent guests in my VIP section, so Trite knew what they liked to eat. We always took care of our guests here. Trite probably saw this as a business meeting and thought he’d be hospitable. I nodded at him to show thanks before he went back to the kitchen. Isten had a good fifty hot wings on his plate. He had sauce all around his mouth. He held his plate in one hand, the other he used to gnaw on a chicken bone. All eyes turned to him, but he didn’t seem to notice. Roland’s head slowly turned in his direction, and I saw his eyes spark. Isten took a seat beside Chibo. He snatched up a bottle of ranch dressing and poured it on a different plate. “I was told these are even better with a little of this on them.” He held a hot wing in the air, looking at it like it was a puzzle he needed to solve. “This is the most magnificent thing I’ve ever eaten. I’ve never seen anything like it before. Simply amazing!” Roland and Heyjay’s gaze went from Isten to me. I looked at the small package of pills like nothing was out of the ordinary. It actually wasn’t. Isten had never tasted hot wings before. That was all. Roland’s voice was strained when he spoke. “Atina?” “Yes,” I said, turning his way. Roland gestured toward Isten. “Who’s your guest?” “A friend.”

I saw his jaw working. He turned to Isten again. Isten licked his fingers. He met Roland’s eyes and I saw explosions go off. Isten held up a wing. “Have you tried these?” he asked. “You can have some of mine if you want.” Roland gave him a searing look before turning back around in his chair. I cleared my throat, bringing the attention back where it belonged. James picked up the bag of pills. “Can you get in touch with this dude? He sold you a fucked-up product. You think he didn’t know that? He was trying to do damage. What about your friend? The one who vouched for him. Heard from him tonight?” James’ words echoed in my ear. It did sound like this mystery dude had tried to do damage. He’d also used someone both Heyjay and Roland trusted to get them to agree. That meant he’d done his research. Not only that, but if this dude was at both my clubs, he was a world hopper. That meant I’d made an enemy of someone not from Routine. Were they from Xley? Jeguate? Me and my friends hopped worlds a lot. It was fun entering new universes, getting the lay of the land. Apparently, I’d pissed someone off on one of those worlds. I just needed to find out who, and why. Heyjay and Roland both took out their phones. While they did that, James dumped the pills on the table. He ran his fingers across one. I picked up a different one. If we could break down the properties in the pills, we’d know their ingredients. If we knew what they contained, we’d have a better idea of where they came from. My hand ran over the small pill. It was smooth in the middle but grainy around the edges. I sensed a few chemicals I didn’t recognize, but one stood out. Juie. Juie was used to fumigate on Jeguate and a few other worlds. It was very potent, strong enough to put down a horse or bear. I flipped the pill over. Why would someone put something like this in a drug used to get people high? The intent had been to harm. But why do it at my club? Maybe the intent was to harm me as well?

“You got that?” James asked, turning to me. We couldn’t be obvious. Heyjay and Roland had no idea who we really were. I nodded, and we put the pills back in the bag. Our powers worked the same. We could break down the properties in anything to its barest element. Because of that, I knew we’d come to the same conclusion. Roland put down his phone. The air around him suddenly turned deadly. “The number for the guy who gave us this shit is no longer in service. Our friend who set it up, well he’s not answering the phone right now.” His voice was hard, tight. He’d been played, and I could see the wheels turning in his head. He probably thought it was a rival drug runner trying to push in on his and Heyjay’s territories. He probably thought their friend, the one who’d vouched for this person, had already switched sides. Knowing him, he was making a list now. A list of who needed to be killed. I needed to stop that line of thought. I didn’t want him torturing innocent people. “This is not about you,” I said. “This person came into my club and the effect was immediate. You never released these pills on the street. People overdosed in my club. That’s what everybody’ll be talking about.” Heyjay’s eyes went to my black and gold accented walls. My club was nice. Very nice. I’d traveled from universe to universe getting the material I needed to fix it up. This club had a lot of perks you wouldn’t find anywhere else. My consulting fees brought in a hefty amount of money, so price hadn’t been an option. I’d fixed my club exactly how I’d wanted it and was proud of what I’d accomplished. Heyjay’s eyes landed back on me. “Very exotic club you have here, Atina. You pay a mortgage on this place?” I couldn’t follow his line of thought. He was hinting at something. I decided to play along until I could figure him out. “I got my real estate license. The office I work for represents hundreds of

properties. Some sell fast. Others linger. People won’t take a chance if it costs too much to renovate. People like to make their money back on an investment. The company I work for said this building had been on the market for three years. I got it for next to nothing.” Roland nodded, but he looked bothered that I now suddenly owned a club after living on the streets for so long. I didn’t know what he and Heyjay were thinking, but I knew to be on my guard. These two could turn deadly in an instant. “How’d you get the money to fix it up like this?” I picked up a slice of avocado. It was one of my favorite fruits. I sprinkled some chili lime seasoning on it before taking a small bite. The flavor was rich and creamy. Avocados had a smooth taste to them that I really enjoyed. Heyjay and Roland watched me eat, waiting for an answer. They’d have to wait a minute because this was my club. We were on my time. They may have ruled the streets, but they didn’t rule shit up in here and they needed to know that. “I sold a few houses,” I said, finally answering Roland’s question. “Got some nice commissions, put it all in this place.” I hadn’t done that at all. My first job on Jeguate had been with a construction crew. I’d hired them to fix up my club here. I’d paid them top dollar to really turn this place into something special and they’d done a fantastic job. I’d paid them with money from Jeguate of course. Money from Jeguate could be used in all universes except this one. Also, the consulting made me rich, so why not spend it on something that was good for me and my community? Jeguatens were used to doing jobs on other universes when the money was right. They usually hopped to worlds where the people had powers, though. Worlds like Routine were protected by an interworld treaty. Anyone who came to a powerless place like Routine and caused harm by exposing their powers would be killed immediately, no questions asked. Plus, Ridge had used his empath ability to assure me no one on my construction crew posed a threat to Routine. Of course, I couldn’t tell Roland and Heyjay that. They were suspicious enough

already. “You know,” Heyjay said, scratching the small goatee on his face. “You two have come a long way this past year. Where’d you get the money for real estate school?” “None of your fucking business!” I’d had enough of their questions. The air tensed and the men behind Heyjay and Roland took a few steps forward. Their hands went to their sides like they were reaching for their weapons. “Haven’t we been here before?” I asked, looking from Heyjay to Roland. Ridge chuckled, but it was low and dangerous. He looked at Roland and Heyjay. “We’ve been here before. How’d it end last time?” Isten dropped the chicken wing he was holding. “Do we get to fight now?” He sounded excited. Roland raised a brow. He turned all his attention to Isten. “You see six men standing around you with guns and your first instinct is to fight?” Isten looked at the men standing behind Heyjay and Roland’s chairs. He waved a hand like they were the least threatening thing in the room. I was glad his hand didn’t have energy crackling around it. “They don’t scare me. Plus, I like to fight. It’s a good way to release energy, stress.” Roland gave him a pointed look, then turned back to me. His eyes went to the pills. “How did you make an enemy out of a man like this?” “A man like what?” James asked. “You haven’t told us anything about him.” “He was tall,” Roland said. “He had olive-colored skin. He had a tattoo on his neck, a piece of bacon.” I gave him a hard stare because he had to be fucking with us. Roland threw his hands up. “You got cameras. Roll ‘em back.” I nodded but didn’t tell him the truth. We had no working cameras. It was a

hazard. I used my powers all the time. I couldn’t have the camera capturing that. How would I explain it? I looked around the room. Lena sat at the end of the table typing away on her mini laptop. She was taking notes of the meeting. I hadn’t asked her to, but Lena was just efficient like that. “The streets talk,” I said. “Keep your ear to the asphalt. You have my number. I need to close shop, let my people go home.” I also wanted to check on those who’d been hurt here, see how they were doing. “We need the bag.” Ridge pointed to the pills in Heyjay’s hand. “Maybe someone will recognize the pills. Give us more information.” “Take ‘em.” Heyjay tossed the bag over. “I got no use for a product that kills.” He looked at Roland, who nodded in agreement. I picked the bag up. “This drug doesn’t have a name. What’s it called?” Roland’s eyes jumped, like the question bothered him. “Rage.” Rage. The name felt thick on my tongue, wrong. I stood. “Goodnight, guys. Time to shut it down. I think you both have my number, right?” “But they don’t have mine.” Isten wiped food from his mouth. I shook my head, but his eyes told me how serious he was. I turned to Heyjay and Roland. “Is it okay for me to give Isten your number? In case he has questions?” “No,” Heyjay said, his tone leaving no room for discussion. “If he can help, I don’t mind,” Roland said. “You do whatever.” After they left, Lena, Trite, and the rest of my staff went home. Once the club was clear, I turned to Ridge and the others. “This drug has juie in it. That means a world hopper did this. I don’t know who, but I plan on tearing apart as many

worlds as I can to find out.”

Chapter 3

Ridge

WE WENT BACK TO JEGUATE. Someone was gunning for Atina and this was where she felt the safest. Our living room was filled with large comfortable furniture that rested six inches off the ground. The furniture had come with the house. To make it easier, Isten had given us Bogos, round disk-shaped devices that rose in the air. Bogos were used for transportation on Quate. They could fit one person or even a whole family comfortably. We probably had a million of them floating through the house. They really came in handy. Today, though, we sat on the floor. The carpet was nice and fluffy, so it was comfortable. Atina sat beside me, right hand laced in my left one. She was worried. I could feel the nervous energy radiating off her. I squeezed her hand tighter, wishing there was some way I could make it better. She toyed with her phone, flipping it over. “I called Xen and Blu over. I figured they’d probably know something.” We’d met Xen and Blu our first time here. I Atina saying, had they lived on Routine, she’d think them of Asian descent, Chinese maybe. Atina had thought them hip and cool when we’d first met them. Xen and Blu were brother and sister. We’d mistaken them for a couple at first glance, but that wasn’t the case. We’d since become good friends with them. They’d helped Atina set up her club here on Jeguate. Atina had fixed the club exactly how she’d wanted it and she credited them with knowing all the underground shops that carried the best stuff. They’d also gotten word out about the club, bringing in more and more customers every night. They were good people with good intentions. I was an empath. If they’d had ulterior motives, I’d have known it. They were a little older than us, but we still got along well. Xen was twenty-nine, Blu twenty-eight. They came ten minutes after we called. Blu only lived two streets over, while

Xen was five blocks away. Xen was tall with short black hair. She was psychic. She also controlled wind. Xen was an electronics designer. It wasn’t unusual for her to lose herself inside a piece of equipment. She worked with phones, handcoms, computers, and a couple of devices I’d never heard of. She created all sorts of new gadgets and often gave them to us to test out. She owned two factories that solely produced her inventions. She also had contracts with companies here and on a few other worlds. Xen seemed happiest when she was talking about her newest creation, but she was also a woman who loved to party. I read her as loyal and faithful, willing to do anything for those she considered family. She walked through the door with a frown on her face. “Bad rap, what happened tonight.” She plopped on the floor with the rest of us. Like his sister, Blu was tall and had curly black hair that reached his shoulders. He was a telepath. He could also bend water to his will. Blu owned a water bottling factory. We had a few cases of his water here. It was some of the best I’d ever tasted. He also produced other beverages in his factories, but bottled water was what he was known for. Blu was serious about his work but ready to party the moment the office doors shut. He liked to have a good time and often encouraged us to come out our comfort zone. “Lot of lip flapping going on.” He sat down on the floor too. “Like what?” Atina asked. She was tired and had a few house viewings in the morning. She wanted to go to bed but needed to find out what was going on. Xen stretched her legs out in front of her, looking relaxed, calm. “Yuyo was the one ing out pills. He said some guy fronted them to him. Told him it was the best high ever.” James’ head snapped up. “Sound familiar?” Atina nodded. Her whole soul was tired, weary. She needed rest. I wanted to

pick her up and carry her to bed, but I knew finding out this information was more important to her. “It’s the same guy,” she said. “It has to be.” Chibo sat beside James, legs drawn up, hugging her knees. “It’s a coordinated attack,” she said. “We knew who it was last time, but he’s dead.” Atina nodded. “I’ll talk to my Aunt Aven. Rangdus was sure to have family. I’ll tell her to find out what she can.” Atina and James went to see their Aunt Aven as often as they could. Rangdus’ vendetta against their family was the reason James and Atina had been hidden away on Routine. It was why they’d grown up alone. In this past year, they’d met many of their family back on Xley. Their Aunt Aven had two children who’d also been hidden away. Since Rangdus was dead and no longer a threat, they too had come home. Atina and James enjoyed spending time with the pair. I could tell how much family meant to all of them. Atina had told Blu and Xen about that whole ordeal with Rangdus, so they knew who he was. When she’d called, she’d updated them about the situation at the club on Routine, so they knew all about that too. “You said Yuyo had the stuff?” Atina asked. Xen nodded. “How do you want to handle it?” Yuyo moved a lot of product, but most of it was legal here on Jeguate. His business was important to him. I couldn’t see him jeopardizing it by selling something that killed. Like Heyjay and Roland, he’d been fooled. We might have been dealing with an empath or telepath, someone who could make others do their will without the other person even knowing they were being controlled. “We’ll talk to Yuyo.” Atina came to her feet and swayed. I stood up and caught her before she hit the floor. She was drained. She’d eaten to recharge, but the healing really did exhaust her. “Tomorrow,” I said, knowing Atina did nothing unless she absolutely wanted to.

“For now, you need to rest.” Her shoulders sagged, but she nodded in agreement. “Are they okay?” she asked Xen and Blu. “The ones who overdosed here? I haven’t gotten word about the ones on Routine yet. But we were able to heal the ones here before they were teleported to the hospital. How are they?” Xen stood. “I’ll find out and let you know.” Atina wrapped her arms around me, and I pulled her close. She smelled like lemons and sandalwood. It was her natural scent and inhaling it always made my breath hitch. Those two scents stirred my desire like nothing else and I couldn’t get enough. I ran my nose up and down her neck, pulling her even closer. She pushed me away and turned to Xen. “Find out what else you can. Tomorrow we go hunting.”

Chapter 4

Atina

IT WAS OVER. I’D SHOWN my last house and now I could breathe. Last night I’d gone to sleep as soon as my head had hit the pillow because my clients deserved me at my best. It wasn’t fair to them, having a lackluster real estate agent. When I’d risen, I’d taken a nice hot shower and eaten a ton of food. That’d put a little more pep in my step. I hadn’t sold any houses today, but the buyers were still deciding what they wanted to do. Hopefully one would come through. Ridge and Chibo had taken jobs here about eight months ago. It felt good, having money in our pockets. Ridge and Chibo had also taken jobs on Routine. Good jobs that really fit their personalities. Now that work was done, it was time to see Yuyo. I didn’t see the point of waiting. It was best to get on top of this thing in case more overdoes happened. I made a call to the others. We met up on Yuyo’s side of town. As I’d already mentioned, they didn’t do small here. That’s what Riza, our real estate agent, and my now boss, had told us when we’d first bought our house here. Jeguate was an elaborate world. We could probably take the most extravagant mansion on Routine, and it would be considered small and quaint on Jeguate. The house we owned had seven bedrooms, ten baths, three floors, pools, and jacuzzies. Here, that was a nice starter home. Just a little something to get your feet wet while you earned enough to purchase a real home. Yuyo lived in a house that probably took up three blocks all by itself. Business must have been good because he’d spared no expense. The porch itself was longer than any street. Xen and Blu came with us. They’d known Yuyo for years. We’d have an easier time getting information if they were here. The sidewalk leading to Yuyo’s front door was probably a mile long. It was wide enough to drive a car up, and it curved and winded around the yard. Which

meant we curved and winded while walking it. “It’s like the yellow brick road,” I said, making James laugh. The others just looked confused, including Ridge and Chibo. Xen walked with long strides. Today she wore black heeled boots with silver designs on them. Xen and Blu always looked like they’d just stepped out of a fashion magazine. When I’d first met them, I’d thought they were the coolest, most stylish people I’d ever seen. Xen also wore a black shirt that was short in front, though the back curved around her knees. The silver design on her shirt matched the silver on her boots. She also wore black jeans with silver earrings that looked dazzling under the light of the sun. Xen had a strange looking device in her hand. It was small and square, no bigger than a domino piece. She kept fiddling with it, so I assumed it was her latest creation. Usually, when Xen started working on something new, she didn’t stop until she got it exactly right. I’d seen her go days without food or sleep, trying to figure out her latest project. Since I knew how important her work was to her, I was thankful she’d taken time to meet us here. Xen placed a finger on her chin. Her nails were black, with silver designs. “You know, once inside, I can get a feel for what’s going on. If you get him talking about the dude who gave him the drug, I’ll be able to piece together a few extra details.” “Thanks.” I squeezed her hand. I didn’t know exactly how her powers worked, but she was usually spot on. Ridge put an arm around my waist and pulled me close. “How was work?” I loved how he always asked me about my day. We’d sit for hours sometimes talking about his job or mine.

Ridge had opened his own business here on Jeguate. Many high-powered agencies needed empaths and the pay was excellent. Chibo worked as a car mechanic back home. Her telekinesis made it easy to tear a whole car down and build it back up. On Jeguate she worked on spacers. These were flying cars shaped like spaceships. She’d fiddled with them some on Emor, so she knew her way around one. Ridge worked at a state agency back home. The job had required a lot of training and a few degrees, but the agency had provided it all. Ridge helped people fighting addiction or those escaping abuse. He helped them find jobs and stay off the streets. He also worked with clients dealing with mental health issues. It was meaningful work and something he thrived at. I lay my head on his shoulder for just a second. “I didn’t sell anything, but I got two maybes.” He smiled then looked at Yuyo’s front door. “You ready for this?” I nodded. “Yeah.” Might as well be. We’d been living in peace for well over a year now. I’d gotten comfortable, used to my new way of life. I was still that same girl who’d lived on the street for years, though. I knew how to handle myself. We all did. Living on the streets made you grow up way faster than you needed to, but it also made you able to spot bullshit a mile away. If Yuyo wasn’t on the up and up, we’d know it. James still wore his purple scrubs from the hospital on Routine, where he’d been working today. He maneuvered his hands a few times and his scrubs turned into a pair of jeans and a black short-sleeved shirt. I, myself wore a pair of black work capris with a short-sleeved blouse. Nice and respectful, without looking casual. Hey, I was coming from the office, so I had to dress this way. Riza required it. Jeguate could be very hot depending on the time of year. Today it felt like we were melting into the sidewalk. The sun shone so brightly I’d swear it was only inches away, breathing down my neck, setting my skin on fire.

The outfit I wore was comfortable and cool, but had it been my choice, I would have thrown on a pair of shorts and a tank top. James pulled out his handcom and swiped at it few times. He was probably checking on his patients here. James was as dedicated as they came, which made him good at his job. He wholeheartedly cared about every patient under his care. He did everything he could to help them or make their situation easier. “All the ones who overdosed here last night are expected to be okay,” he said, looking at me. “Us healing them right away helped. They’ll make a full recovery and probably never buy product from Yuyo again.” Relief flood my veins and I let out a breath of air. “What about the ones on Routine?” It’d been weighing heavily on my mind. We hadn’t been able to help those people. Also, they didn’t have the benefit of healers who could close wounds and yank out illness within seconds. James shook his head. “They all went to the same hospital. The emergency room doctors couldn’t figure out how to stop the poison, so they put them in medically-induced comas.” I gave James a look. We had to go there, and we had to heal those people. He knew it as well as I did. We couldn’t let them die for something that had nothing to do with them. James and I were close. Sometimes it only took a simple glance for one of us to know what the other was thinking. He nodded, and I knew we understood each other. The moment we stepped on Yuyo’s porch, he sauntered out his front door. Because he moved so much product, I was sure he had cameras watching every inch of his property. Yuyo was medium height and weight. He looked like an ordinary guy who spent his life typing away at a computer, but I knew him to be so much more than that. Yuyo had short brown hair that stopped at his ears. He appeared so unassuming, you’d never suspect he ran one of the largest drug empires on this side of Jeguate.

“I know why you’re here,” Yuyo said. He took a seat on one of the brown rocking chairs on his porch and began energetically rocking back and forward. It was cooler here on the porch. At our house, we had vents on our patio, deck, and any outside area. We even had them in the front and back yard. A warm day could turn cool in an instant. I assumed that’s what Yuyo had here. A cool breeze from above brushed against my skin, making the sweat that’d accumulated there disappear in an instant. I looked up and saw vents covering his entire porch ceiling. I still didn’t know all the mechanics of how this world worked. I was just thankful for a nice breeze on a hot day. Instead of sitting down, I decided to stay standing. The drug dealers I knew back home often had a house full of people protecting them from anyone trying to rob or kill them. Heyjay and Roland went nowhere without their crew. Yuyo traveled with an entourage too, but for the moment he appeared to be alone. Looks could be deceiving, though. Since I didn’t fully know what we were dealing with, nor what part Yuyo played, I figured I needed to be on my guard, ready for anything. Yuyo kept rocking. “I record everything I do,” he said. “You can never be too careful. People often renege on their word.” He shrugged. “Or they try to.” He tapped a few buttons on his watch and a holographic image popped up. It was big enough for us to see without straining our eyes, which I did appreciate. I looked around. We were on camera now. I knew that we were, yet no cameras were visible. How many knew Yuyo recorded every move he made? If it wasn’t a well-known fact, then maybe this person hadn’t known they were being recorded. The pop-up image showed Yuyo sitting in my VIP section, a long Thunder-Twist in his hand. Thunder-Twist was a tall dark drink. It was big enough and strong enough to keep you floating for the whole night. It cost five times more than a regular drink, but most seemed to love it. I wasn’t a skilled bartender by any means, but I had learned a few things interning under my friend Todd and his boyfriend Coen.

Thunder-Twist was my seventh try at a drink, and I was happy this one had taken off. The others had been disasters. A tall man with dark skin, and short black hair appeared on the image. He didn’t look suspicious, just cool and calculating. He struck me as someone who ate, slept, and drank business. He could probably search the whole dictionary and still not know what the word ‘fun’ meant. He walked toward Yuyo, his steps deliberate and sure. Yuyo’s men didn’t pat him down. I figured Yuyo had an empath or telepath on the payroll who could sense what the guy wanted. They waved him through. That shocked me. They’d given him access to Yuyo, so obviously they hadn’t read his intent as harmful. It made me wonder if maybe he was a telepath, able to blind others to his true intentions. The guy talked with Yuyo for a while before ing a bag over. The bag was clear and had drawstrings on the end of it. The guy said a few more words. He and Yuyo exchanged numbers, and the guy left. Yuyo pushed a few buttons on his watch, and the image cleared away. “You’d never seen him before?” I asked. Maybe he was native to Jeguate. Yuyo shook his head. “All I have is a name. Wiete.” “Call the number he gave you,” I said. Yuyo raised a brow, and I got the impression I’d said something wrong. “I called him the moment bodies started dropping at your club,” he said, eyes on me. “The number was already out of order.” I looked to Xen. She was the psychic here. I wanted to see if she’d picked up anything. She closed her eyes. “He’s been living on a world called Beti, but that’s not his homeworld. I don’t know which world he’s originally from. I just know if you kill him, he’ll still be there. Death won’t get rid of him.”

She shook her head. “That’s all I’ve got.” “What?” I asked. That last part made no sense. Xen shrugged. “Had I been there, I could have gotten a better impression. This is like five, six times removed. I’m reading the energies around Yuyo’s recorder. I was lucky to get this much.” “Thanks,” I said, knowing I was taking her away from her work. I looked to Yuyo. “Have you tried to find him?” He gave me a hard stare. Of course, he’d tried to find him. Yuyo was a professional. He’d been at this for years. My questions were amateur hour, and apparently, he didn’t mind letting me know. “Sorry,” I said, my mind going in a million different directions. “Thanks for your cooperation.” He gave me that look again. I realized the only reason he was even talking to us was because he wanted to find this guy as much as we did. “We’ll be going now,” I said before I did anything else to piss him off. “Thank you,” I said to Xen and Blu, once we were off Yuyo’s premises and away from any recording devices. We parted ways at the end of his street. Xen and Blu hurried back to work while Ridge, James, Chibo, and me went home where Isten ed us. “What do you guys think?” I asked the room as a whole. We sat six inches off the ground, on the furniture in the living room. I liked sitting up here. It was exotic and different, at least to me, anyway. Ridge sat beside me. He pulled his handcom out and began to swipe. “His name’s Wiete and he’s from Beti. Let’s see what we can find out.” Ridge swiped at the screen for a few more seconds but then shook his head. “I can’t find him online, but there’s a lot of information about Beti.” Ridge ed his handcom over to me. Chibo, Isten, and James cued theirs up.

We needed to learn as much as we could about Beti before we went there. From my research, Beti was a very quiet world. Not much seemed to happen there. They had a lot of beaches, more than average. I figured a lot of Betis made their living from the sea. They were known for their amazing seafood. I strolled through the information, but I knew appearances could be deceiving. Beti presented itself as a nice quaint world, but that didn’t mean it was. We wouldn’t know what Beti truly was until we got there. If Wiete had researched Yuyo thoroughly before he’d approached him then he may have known he was being recorded. If he was a psychic, empath, or telepath, he absolutely would have known. If that was the case, then he’d probably be expecting us. “We could be walking into a trap.” I let the others know. “We need to be prepared.” Beti was a big world, and since I had no clue how to find Wiete, I picked up the phone and called Xen. I hated to bother her again so soon, but I saw no other way to find him. Plus, we could use the backup if things went haywire. “Alright,” I said to the others after I’d hung up the phone with Xen. “Let’s stay on guard. This guy already tried to kill two clubs full of people. He won’t hesitate when it comes to us.” I opened the portal and we stepped through.

Chapter 5

Ridge

BETI WAS FREEZING COLD. We’d researched it before coming and dressed appropriately. I was bundled in a thick coat with a stocking cap and gloves, but the icy wind still bit into my skin like kisses of frostbite, covering every inch of me. I looked around. Beti up close was different than how it appeared online. We were in a residential neighborhood. I noticed each house had four to five economy-sized porches. Instead of one large porch, the porches were broken apart. They were side by side. It was weird to see four porches all belonging to the same house. The spaces between the miniature porches were separated by either grass or a sidewalk. Each porch had its own awning. Some people were outside in the cold, and even though they sat on different little porches they still talked back and forth. Beti seemed like an okay place so far, but we’d only just arrived. Atina had on a black coat, with a scarf, boots, gloves, and a hat. She was wrapped up tightly, but I could tell from how she shivered the wind was biting into her skin. “Which way?” she asked, looking at Xen. Xen rubbed her arms with gloved hands. She closed her eyes for a couple of seconds, and when she opened them, she pointed south. “We go that way,” she said. “Something’s there waiting for us. Wiete’s there, but something else is too.” Atina stared in that direction. “Why would a man from here come to my clubs and cause a ruckus?” I linked my arm with hers. “Maybe he just doesn’t care for your hospitality.” She smiled like I’d hoped she would. There was no better feeling than seeing a smile light up her face. “Maybe the kitchen at one of my clubs served him burnt food, and this is his revenge!” she said, eyes shining. Chibo scoffed, but she wasn’t annoyed, only pretending to be. “Could you guys be serious for once? We have no idea what this guy’s up to.”

James put a hand on her back. “They’re trying to ease the tension. Who knows what we’re about to face?” That was true. This was a serious situation. People could have died, and they still might back on Routine. Atina and I weren’t making light of that. Atina took this very seriously. She and I liked to banter off each other because it helped us come up with ideas. Sometimes the banter was fun, and we were just goofing off, having a good time. I liked those times the best. Isten had silver energy wrapped around him. I could feel he was trying to generate a little heat. It didn’t get cold often on Quate, so this wasn’t something he was used to. “I’ve been to chilly worlds before,” he said, teeth chattering. “But this is criminal!” Blu laughed and threw an arm around Isten’s shoulders. “I could heat the water in your body. Just enough so the cold doesn’t bother you.” “Well do it, then!” Isten said like he didn’t know why Blu hadn’t taken action before now. “Go ahead and make that happen.” We walked ten minutes before we turned a corner. “He’s right up here,” Xen said. I could pick up the emotions and feelings of at least ten men and women. They were angry and ready to fight to the death if they had to. Someone had assaulted their leader and they wanted them to pay. “This may be about Rangdus,” I said to the others. “We’re surrounded by his followers, so be careful.” Now Chibo did look annoyed. “Thought we killed all his followers.” Atina’s body went on alert like she was waiting for Rangdus’ people to jump out. “We killed the ones on Xley. It’s not strange for a man like him to have followers on more than one world.” “We don’t know how far his reach is,” James said. “He could have followers on this world too. Followers who are now without a leader.”

The wind picked up even more. It was so cold, it felt like tiny icicles were stabbing me in the face. Xen called the wind to her, then released it, rocking the trees and windows nearby. We stood on a long, curvy road, but we were still in a residential area. Xen sent blasts of wind everywhere and suddenly the street filled with people. Both men and women came tumbling out of their hiding places. I could sense they’d wanted to sneak up on us, but Xen’s wind had ruined that. Atina walked forward, hands up to show she wasn’t a threat. “Where’s Wiete?” she asked. “We only came to see him. We have no fight with you.” “He’s here,” Xen said. “I can’t tell which house he’s hiding in. He’s watching, though, watching every move we make.” A guy stepped forward. A tattoo of a large piece of bacon was on his neck. I zeroed in on the bacon. What an odd thing to tattoo on your neck. Roland and Heyjay had said Wiete had that same tattoo. I tried to get a read for what it meant. I concentrated on the guy's emotions. In order to get bacon, you had to kill the pig. These guys saw themselves as that bacon. They were willing to sacrifice their lives for their leader. The guy rubbed a hand down his face. He had olive skin and a long nose that gave him an upper-class look. “You think you can go against the most powerful man alive without any consequences? This is only the beginning.” “Okay,” Atina said, hands still up. “Let’s just—” A blast of red energy went by her head, and she ducked. These people had energy power like Isten, every single one of them. Atina stood and uttered the words, ‘Pi ti di.’ The guy who’d thrown the energy at her exploded. Once he went up in flames, the others charged toward us. Angry energy whipped around them, and I could sense how badly they wanted to hurt us.

A woman shot a blast of energy at Atina. Atina turned her body into Melin. It was a hard metal found on the world Syon. It could withstand fire, wind, rain, and just about anything else. The metal was high priced. Many universes used it to build their homes, businesses, and vehicles. Atina kept a keychain full of different objects like this. She’d brought the small piece of Melin after we’d fought with Rangdus. She’d been a little skittish and wanted to protect herself in case something like that happened again. She usually just turned her arm or hand, but this time her entire body was covered from head to toe. A woman with red hair threw yellow energy at her. It bounced off Atina’s skin the second it hit. Atina walked forward, punching the lady in the face. Melin was the hardest metal in the known universes. When Atina hit her, the lady’s head almost snapped from her neck. Two men tried to fry my head with their energy. Instead of ducking, I tapped into their powers, using it to throw energy back at them. Then I tapped into Chibo’s power, using her telekinesis to rip their heads from their shoulders. A woman held out her hand. She sent blazing red energy toward Chibo’s face. Chibo used her telekinesis to throw the energy back. It hit the woman in the face. Chibo made a yanking motion with her hand and the woman’s heart flew from her chest. One man hit Isten in the face. Isten took the hit, then used his silver energy to fry the man’s eyes out his sockets. James picked up a rock and turned it into a shield made of Melin. A man slung energy at his head. James held up his shield, blocking it. Then he uttered the words, ‘pi di ti’ and the man exploded. A man tried to hit Blu in the head. Blu ducked, then blinked. The man screamed and began tearing his eyes out. The man thought bugs were in his eyes. He could feel them moving around. I could read his emotions clearly. Blu was a telepath. He’d stepped into the man’s mind and made him believe what he wanted him to.

Another dude tried to sneak attack him. Blu leaned back to miss the hit, then smoke came from the man’s ears. He began to shake, his skin turning red and blistering. Blu also had the power of water. When you heated the water in a person’s body to the boiling point this was what happened. The man was being cooked from the inside out. Xen called the wind to her. A woman threw energy at her head, but Xen used a strong gust of wind to knock it in the opposite direction. Then she began to spin. She called hurricane-force wind to herself, controlling it so it only affected those she wanted it to. The wind whipped around four of the men and women charging at us, lifting them in the air and tearing them limb from limb. When the dust settled, we were the only seven left standing. Xen had blood on her hands and her face, but other than that she looked okay. “Wiete’s gone,” she said. “He must have slipped out while we were fighting.” Atina’s clothes were a bit ruffled, and she had smudges of dirt on her face. She was fine, though. I’d have known if she wasn’t. I pulled her close to me, needing to feel her in my arms. You never knew the outcome of a fight like this. You could always lose a friend or loved one. “This is definitely about Rangdus,” Atina said. “His remaining followers are attacking. how conniving he was? We should expect the same from his followers. This fight was just a distraction for Wiete to get away.” She leaned onto me, body shaking. Breath magic took up a lot of energy. She was tired and drained. “We have to be careful,” she said, looking at each of us. “This Wiete seems vicious and he’s still out there. His number one goal seems to be kill and destroy. That means we have to take him out before he has a chance to end us.”

Chapter 6

Atina

OUR NEXT STOP WAS XLEY to warn my Aunt Aven. If Rangdus’ followers were after us, they were probably after her too. She’d been key in bringing Rangdus down. It’d been her hand that’d delivered the final blow. Also, Rangdus and his followers were from Xley. She was probably in more danger than any of us. My Aunt Aven lived in a modest-sized home. It always smelled like fresh baked cookies and cinnamon here. Aven liked her spray scents and this particular one never failed to make my stomach growl. The smell was so prevalent, if she told me she was pumping it through the vents, filling up each room, I’d believe her. It was always so nice and comfortable at Aven’s house. This was one of the few places I could let my guard down and still feel safe and secure. My Aunt Aven sat in a chair across from James and myself at the dining room table. Ridge and the others were in the living room talking with my two cousins, Aven’s son, and daughter. They’d been sent away to protect them from Rangdus, same as James and I had. The only difference was their father had gone with them and taught them all the ways of Xley. All three were back now, and it seemed Aunt Aven and her husband were tight as ever, even though they’d gone twenty years without seeing each other. Uncle Ketve. He was at work now, but James and I both liked him a lot. He’d raised my cousins on his own, always fearing Rangdus and his followers would one day find them. Under such circumstances, I thought my cousins had adjusted well. Mika was twenty-three and just like my Aunt Aven, she was tall, with dark brown skin. My Aunt Aven’s hair was in curls to her shoulders, but Mika wore her hair short. Her power worked by taking on the properties of something and breaking it down to the barest of elements. She could pull out each element and separate them.

She worked as a scientist in a high-powered lab. She was also a singer. She wrote her own music, and now that this thing with Rangdus was over, she was gaining traction. I wanted her to perform at my clubs one day. It was just something we’d been talking about. Tex, her brother, was twenty-four. He stood well over six feet and like James, wore a close cut. Tex could take on the properties of two different objects, break them down, then fuse the components to create something new. He didn’t work in a lab like his sister, but he did create items that were used on many universes. Tex didn’t sing, but he did paint. In fact, he had a show opening next month here on Xley. I was very excited to attend. I figured I’d get some stuff for home and for the clubs. The four of us hung out from time to time, just getting to know one another. We world hopped for the fun of it, meeting new people and learning about different places. I also world hopped with Ridge and the others. Ridge and I often bought homes on the universes we liked the best. James and Chibo did the same. Maybe it was because of the years we’d lived on the street. I just knew it gave each of us a sense of security knowing there was always someplace we could call home. Aven fixed James and myself a plate of food. She had chicken covered in bacon, tomatoes, onions, and cheese. She also had biscuits, and cabbage mixed with sausage. I dug in as soon as she set my plate in front of me, always eager to taste her good home cooking. “I haven’t heard a peep out of his followers,” she said after James and I had explained what was going on. “We crushed them here, but I don’t know what other universes they occupy.” She placed a large pitcher of sweet tea on the table for James and me to enjoy. Looking at my aunt Aven sometimes was like looking in a mirror. We’d grown closer this past year and I enjoyed spending time with her.

We had a big family and most of them had come back to Xley once Rangdus had been killed. It’d been intimidating getting to know them at first, but little by little James and I were feeling more like part of the family. I felt at home here, at peace. “So, you’ve heard nothing,” James asked, a frown on his face. Aven shook her head. “No, but , for years Rangdus was obsessed with finding you two. He ranted and raved about it all the time to his followers. They heard your names thrown around so much, they probably became obsessed with you too.” I drank some of my aunt’s tea. It was sweet and tangy, leaving a tantalizing taste on my tongue. To me, nothing tasted better, and I immediately poured myself another cup. “It makes sense,” I said. “But I think we’re missing something. There’s something bigger going on here. They just used the club overdoses to set it off. We need to figure out what it is.” James picked up a biscuit, licking butter off his fingers. “Rangdus did search over twenty years for us.” James bit into his biscuit and butter dripped down to his chin. “He also searched twenty years for Tex and Mika. If we’re in danger, they probably are too.” “I know,” Aven said quietly. Her face looked tired. This was a woman who’d had to hide her kids away their entire lives. Her husband had fled with them to a different universe to keep them from falling into Rangdus’ hands. James’ father and my own had fled with us. They’d sent us through a portal to Routine, but Rangdus’ men had gotten them before they could us. Rangdus had already captured our mothers and our aunt Aven by that time. James and I had been left on our own, with nothing but our family name to bind us. The power of a name ran strong through the Hissyen bloodline. It was what’d brought James and me together on Routine. Because their father had been there to teach them, Mika and Tex were much more experienced in breath magic than either James or myself, but we were learning every day. “I’ll tell them to be safe,” Aven said. A sad smile formed on her lips, and she grabbed my hand. “You be safe too.”

I squeezed her hand back, then asked the question I vowed every time I wouldn’t. “Have you heard anything? Any clues?” Aven’s shoulders sagged. The entire Hissyen bloodline had reconnected after the death of Rangdus, but neither my parents nor James had been among them. James’ mother, my mother, and Aven were all sisters. I hated to ask the question because I hated to remind my aunt of what she’d lost. It hurt, seeing the pain in her eyes, but I had a burning desire to know my parents, to look upon their faces. Right now, all I had were pictures. Most of our family thought they were dead, but until we found bodies, I wouldn’t give up hope. The smallest clue could mean something, and I was willing to take whatever I could get. “Nothing, Atina,” my aunt Aven said. “Eat your food before it gets cold.” We stayed and talked to Aven, Tex, and Mika a while longer. We were just wrapping up when James’ phone started buzzing. He put it to his ears and talked for a couple of seconds before hanging up. “That was Roland,” James said. His eyes were wild, furious, making me wonder what was going on. “That Wiete guy is at your club again. Roland and Heyjay saw him talking to a different dealer, probably trying to do it all over again.”

Chapter 7

Atina

I’D THOUGHT ABOUT SHUTTING down both clubs until we got a handle on this, but I honestly hadn’t believed he’d be stupid enough to come back. I called my other club on Jeguate and told them to be on the lookout. Then I called the club on Routine and told Lena to make an announcement. I was sure most had heard about the overdoses. I just needed Lena to let them know no pills were safe tonight, no matter who they came from or what they looked like. I opened a portal into my large conference room on Routine. It was on the other side of the dance floor, but I could still hear the music vibrating through the speakers. My conference room had plush black carpet and curved black walls. A large crescent-shaped table sat in the middle of the floor with twenty chairs around it. I had a fully functional kitchen in here, but right now, food was the furthest thing from my mind. “Nice,” Xen said, looking around. “I’ve never been in this part of the club before.” She and Blu had been here a couple times, but they preferred to party on Jeguate where they didn’t have to hide their powers. I picked up my phone and swiped on Lena’s name. She answered on the first ring. “I’ve made it here. I was already en route when Roland called. Get Heyjay and Roland. I’m in the conference room.” I hung up the phone and took a breath, my shoulders tight with tension. I didn’t want to use my powers here. I wanted to confront this Wiete, but not in a club full of people. After five minutes, Roland, Lena, and Heyjay came into the room and took seats opposite us. Roland clasped his hands together on the table, an irritated look on his face. “You didn’t engage when you saw him?” I asked. Roland sucked his teeth. I knew him well enough to understand he was trying to

bite down his anger. His eyes went to Blu and Xen, then he stared at me like I’d just violated the strictest code of the streets. “Who are they?” he asked, watching them closely. I didn’t have time for his paranoia. “They’re with me,” I said. “Now, you didn’t engage with this guy when you saw him? I’m surprised.” Roland gave me a point-blank look and I was reminded of how calculating he could be. “He disappeared before I could get to him. I talked to the other dealer, though. He was smart enough not to accept anything from that guy. Especially after what happened here last night.” Heyjay swiped at his phone. “I’ve got my boys still looking for him, but so far nothing. There one second, gone the next.” Ridge and I shared a look. Rangdus and some of his followers had superspeed. It was how they’d been able to subdue so many on Xley. Heyjay leaned back in his chair. “Did you watch the cameras? I decided to be honest. “I don’t have any.” He sat up in his seat. “Why don’t you have cameras in here, Atina? You’ve got everything else, but no cameras.” I didn’t have cameras because I couldn’t always be here to monitor the feed. What if one of my security crew saw us portal in? What if they saw us using our powers? I hadn’t thought the risk was worth it, but I was now rethinking that decision. I could have all the feeds going to my office. The problem with that was it only took one hacker to bring it all tumbling down. If someone got into the system, our secret would be discovered in an instant. Looking at it from that angle, I still didn’t think it was worth the risk. Xen rose in her seat. Her eyes roamed the room like she was searching for something. “I can set up cameras for you,” she said. “The feed will go to your phone. If anyone tries to hack it, the system will blow up their device. I can also have the feed going into your home. Same thing. If someone tries to hack in... boom.” She made an explosion gesture with her hands.

“Let me think about it,” I said, knowing I’d feel more secure with whatever she set up than anyone else. Xen was a genius with her devices. It’s why she was so sought after on Jeguate and other worlds. James looked anxious. His fingers tapped the table like he was worried about something. “Any news on the victims?” he asked. James wanted to get to the hospital. I did too. I wanted to covertly heal everyone who’d overdosed. The question was how. If they all made miraculous recoveries after James and I visited, that would be suspect. I tapped a finger to my chin. Unless we commanded the voice magic to slowly heal them over the next couple of days. That might work. Ridge’s eyes were slits. He looked pissed, but I knew that meant he was working out a few details. “You said you met Wiete through a guy you both trusted, right? Where’s the guy at now?” he asked Roland and Heyjay. Heyjay’s face went hard. “Can’t seem to find him. None of his boys know where he’s at. His women haven’t seen him, nor his family.” Ridge and I shared another look. This guy was most likely dead. I looked to Xen, and she nodded. “We’ll find him,” she said. Heyjay and Roland both turned her way, and Blu sat up in his chair. “You sound mighty confident,” Roland said. His eyes said he didn’t trust her. Not that I blamed him. In this business, you needed to be cautious of every new person you met. Anyone could be working for the feds or working for a rival gang plotting your demise. Isten’s chair swiveled Roland’s way. “Why wouldn’t she be confident?” He pointed to me, Chibo, Ridge, and James. “Didn’t they find the last guy who robbed you? Gave you his fingers.” Roland leaned on the table, his gaze penetrating. “Seems like you have a lot of information.” Isten’s gaze was just as hard. “Information’s the lifeblood of any society. Without it, we’re all in the dark.”

Roland smirked, ever so slightly, but he quickly covered it, turning back my way. “Someone’s setting us up, trying to take over our territory.” “Maybe,” I said, not believing that for one second. “Let me see what I can find out.” We talked a little more before I called Trite into the room. “James and I are stepping out for a moment. We’ve not eaten all day. Do me a favor and fill this table with food.” I pointed to Heyjay, Roland, Ridge, and all the others. “Take care of our guests. Whatever they want. James and I will eat when we get back.” I stood and gave Ridge a quick kiss. “Be right back.” James already had the room numbers of all who’d been affected by the bad drugs. They were still in comas while the doctors tried to figure out their next step. It was a delicate balance going into each room. A lot of them had family in there, and sometimes I could speak a few words and maneuver them out, other times it was a waiting game. James and I had split up. That way we could get to them faster. Once it was done, and we’d healed them all, James and I were both dragging. Neither of us had the power of teleportation, so we opened a portal to Jeguate then immediately opened one back to the club on Routine. Well, we portaled into the alleyway beside my club. When your power was too low, your portaling skills could be off by a bit. We’d meant to portal inside my office, but since Lena was probably watching the front door for us, it was easier this way. Once we reached the front of the club, I was surprised to see both Roland and Heyjay’s vehicles still there. Perhaps they were still eating. They both had drivers, but I didn’t see them either. Maybe they were inside, or asleep. Who knew? My brain was too fuzzy for more thought on the matter. The healing had taken a lot out of me and the quicker I got to the conference room where the food was, the better.

Lena looked at me expectantly when I walked back inside. She’d already shut down the club, and all but my staff had gone home. Her eyes widened when she saw what condition I was in. I was leaning to the side, my body trembling. She put an arm around me, trying to hold me up. “I’m okay,” I said. “You go home.” James was just as drained as me, but he wrapped an arm around me and waved Lena away. “She’s fine. I’ve got her.” Lena nodded, but she looked apprehensive about leaving. “It’s okay,” I said again, feeling like she needed to hear it one more time. She swallowed hard then gathered her things and left. The smell of cooked ham and turnip greens was coming from the kitchen. I knew we probably had a ton of food in the conference room. But that was on the other side of the club, the kitchen was very close. James and I stumbled through the kitchen doors together. The kitchen staff was nowhere in sight, but that was okay. We began gobbling up everything we saw. It wasn’t until I’d almost eaten a whole ham that I realized a few of the stove eyes had been left on. I was feeling better. Not one hundred percent, but I was more able to work out how weird it was that none of the seven people who worked in the kitchen were in here and they’d left the stove on. James and I cut the stove off and made cautious steps to the conference room. The long shades adorning the windows were closed. They’d been open when I’d left. My heart went to my throat. Had Wiete attacked while we were gone? Had he and some of his men come here to settle the score? My pulse quickened. I pulled out my handcom and connected it to the one Ridge had. He’d hear it ping and know to turn it around so the camera on his handcom could show me what was happening. It was a risky move. They didn’t have handcoms here on Routine, and it was a heck of a device to try and explain away. It only took five minutes for a clear

picture of the room to hit my handcom, but those five minutes had felt like an eternity. James and I looked at the image together. My blood turned to fire when I saw my entire kitchen staff being held at gunpoint. Ridge, Chibo, Xen, Blu, and Isten were still sitting at the table. They knew not to use their powers here, but I understood it wasn’t easy to stay docile in a situation like this. Roland and Heyjay sat across from them, guns pointed at their heads too. Ten guys stood around the room. It only took me a second to recognize a certain face. My stomach dropped. Junior and his crew. My mind flashed back to the second woman I’d healed at the hospital. She’d looked familiar. I realized why now ... Junior’s sister. He probably thought Roland and Heyjay had poisoned her to make a move on him and now he was here to get them first. Their cars were in the parking lot, so he’d known where to find them. Actually, his boys had probably been tracking their movements all day. The kitchen staff had been in and out of the conference room, bringing in food. That’s probably how Junior knew to grab them. Lena could have been in a back office somewhere when they’d arrived. I took a deep breath, so thankful they’d missed her. The conference room was on the other side of the club, which was probably why she hadn’t known Junior and his crew was here. Heck, for all I knew, they could have come in through the kitchen entrance. I hadn’t seen their cars in the parking lot. I made a note to update club security then looked at James. We couldn’t use our powers, but we had to do something. Junior was crazy and ruthless. He’d kill everyone in that room and not blink an eye. James and I needed to figure out how to end this without violence, but when Junior was involved, that was never really an option.

Chapter 8

Atina

I PACED THE CORRIDOR, trying to come up with a plan, while James watched the video on my handcom. If we just busted in there, Junior and his crew would immediately start shooting and we’d have to use our powers to save our lives and the lives of our friends. Ideas raced through my mind, but all involved some form of us using our powers. What I needed was for Ridge to influence their emotions or for Blu to use his telepathy to tap into their minds, making them docile. Either Ridge or Blu could make them forget what happened later, but Junior had a large crew. They moved together on everything. If he was here, everyone in his crew knew it. If we messed with their minds and they left without issue, the rest of the crew would wonder why. If they couldn’t explain or come up with a reason that wasn’t out of character, then Junior and his boys would be back looking for an explanation. No, we had to handle this in a different way. I walked up and down the hall, snapping my fingers. It was something that calmed me and allowed me to think. After a few seconds, it came to me. Voice magic! James and I had breath magic. We could say a spell or rumble as my aunt Aven called them, and quickly flip this thing in our favor. James’ eyes intensely watched the feed. The air around him was tense. We could do this, though. Years before we’d met Ridge, Chibo, or any of them, James and I had been alone getting ourselves out of sticky situations. I went to stand beside him, leaning against the wall. “We say a rumble to disable their weapons. If they question it, we say we have anti-gun firing technology in here. We’ll say it’s top-secret, cutting edge equipment that only a few clubs have been asked to test out.” In fact, outfitting my club with a spell that stopped weapons from working seemed like a great idea. James looked at me. “They’ll believe it because they have no other choice. What other reason would their guns not work?” He thought about it, the spark coming back to his eyes.

When I’d first said I wanted to open a club, Alisa... Ridge and Chibo’s friend, had insisted I take kickboxing lessons. She’d even set me up with her instructor here, which was nice. James had ed. My aunt Aven also had a guy on Xley who’d taught us some moves. I’d been learning for the better part of a year now. But the guy on Xley was more advanced, teaching us at an accelerated rate. I took a deep breath, my confidence hiding somewhere under the carpet. James knew me well. He could sense my mood with just one look. He put my handcom away and squeezed my shoulder. “We’ve got this. Come on.” I put my hand on the wall and focused on the inside of the room. James did the same. We laced our fingers together, giving the spell more power. We hadn’t fully recovered the energy we’d just lost from the healings at the hospital, but I hoped we had enough to make the spell effective. Not only that, but this rumble hadn’t been made with guns in mind. It’d been made to disable weapons like energy swords and the like, but the same basic principles of the spell should apply. “Xi te ye,” James and I said together, focusing on our intent, pushing life into our words. A twinkling yellow mass shot from our mouths and into the walls. I could feel the power of the spell leaving us, flowing into the room, following our intent. “Xi te ye,” we said again. James’ brows wrinkled and I could tell he was on to something. “Let’s do Iago and Lantana’s rumble. The one they use to immobilize a person. Let’s use that on the bullets. Just a little back up to our own spell.” Iago and Lantana were a brother and sister pair. They were wreckers, same as James and me. On Routine, we’d be called witches. Wreckers were people who had breath magic. They were friends we’d met through Ridge and Chibo. They were good friends with Alisa. I nodded, liking the idea. “It’s a good way to give an extra oomph to our spell.” Still holding hands, we focused our intent again. “Deben Inty,” we both said. “Deben Inty.” We gave it a second to work, then took deep breaths. James insisted on going in first. It was my club, but I understood his need to

protect me. It’d been that way since we were kids and I’d come to realize, because of all we’d gone through living on the streets, it was simply something he needed to do. I didn’t fight it. James opened the door and we walked inside. All eyes turned our way. Junior and his crew immediately pointed guns at our heads. We held our hands up, letting them believe we weren’t ready to cause trouble. Heyjay had a swollen eye, and his nose was cracked, bleeding. Roland had a slash under his right eye and his bottom lip was split open. Junior and his men had laid out pliers and two hammers. The tools sat on the table in front of Roland and Heyjay. A lot had transpired while James and I had been in the hallway trying to figure out what to do. When I’d first looked at the com feed, they’d just had guns to their heads, and no one had been harmed. Seemed like Junior and his crew were just getting started. I looked at the pliers and hammers. Junior and his crew meant to torture. In my club! What made them think it was okay to do that shit here? Anger made my eye twitch and I felt myself slipping into street mode. James must have felt my mood shift. He gave me a look, telling me to be cool, but fuck that. If they ran into my club and did what they wanted, then others would think they could too. Nope, an example had to be made. Junior was a slim man, tall. The very air around him gave off a ‘don’t fuck with me’ vibe. His eyes were wild, one look at them told you how psychotic he was. James shook his head. “We’d have to kill ‘em all,” he said. Junior chuckled like this shit was funny. He looked at me and a chill went down my spine. I felt like Satan himself had come to snatch my soul. His voice was mean, hard when he spoke. “A year ago, you were eating out the trash, now you think you can challenge me?” I heard a chair scrape and saw Ridge come to his feet. His eyes were daggers, his face stone. He stared at Junior in a way that said he’d kill him right now, damn the consequences.

“We’re good here,” I said, letting him and the others know James and I had already set a few things into motion. “You know,” Junior said, waving his gun around the room. “This is a nice club you’ve got here. I bet it turns a pretty profit. Think I’ll take it. That and everything else you’ve got up in here.” I smacked his pliers and hammer to the floor. All guns turned on me and Junior’s jaw hardened. I’d just disrespected him in a way most never lived to tell about. I could feel the breath magic reverberating around my body, begging to be let free. It was wild and untamed, wanting to tear this whole place apart. My eyes flashed and I could feel myself slipping again. “This is my shit,” I said, walking toward Junior, James right beside me. “A lot of motherfuckers try me, but none survive it. You came into my club with guns. That means you violated.” I held my hands in front of me. “Examples must be made.” He looked at me like I was a joke. Which was fine. I’d been looked at like that my whole life. It’d never intimidated me. If anything, it made me want to do better, to prove that person wrong. Junior looked at me like I belonged on the bottom of his shoe. “Bitch, what you gonna do?” Fire burned in my veins. The nerve... The audacity to come into my shit like he owned it and try to run shop. “You know, a woman once told me if a man calls you a bitch, you get a baseball bat and you show him a bitch. I don’t have a bat, but...” I leapt toward him. He fired his gun, eyes full of confusion when nothing happened. Chaos broke out around us, but I only had one target. I kicked Junior in the face, snapping his head back. Then, using one of the techniques I’d learned on Xley, I headbutted him in a way that split his head open. It only took a second, but I put my hands in my pocket, touching the miniature pocketknife on my key chain, taking on the properties of that.

My nails became long blades that could be ed off as an exotic nail design. I counted on Junior being too caught up in the fight to notice the small change. He raised his hand to hit me, and I slashed him across the face, my nails sinking deeply into his skin. His eyes widened. James kicked one dude in the face, using the same Xley technique as me. The dude's nose split open, and his head snapped back. By now everyone had ed the fight, including Roland and Heyjay. It only took minutes to subdue Junior and his men. Ridge and Chibo took their guns, knocking them out of range. Junior had a gash on his face where I’d cut him, and his forehead was split open where I’d kicked him. My adrenaline was pumping now. He’d come in here like he owned the place, and I had no doubt he’d try it again once he recovered. That’s why I had to be thorough. I grabbed him by the hair, pulling his head back. His men were on the floor. Heyjay and Roland had guns pointed at them. They looked shocked, though. They’d never seen Junior at a disadvantage, and I hoped seeing it would weaken his hold on them. “This is my spot,” I said, leaning over Junior's face. His wounds were bleeding profusely. He needed medical attention. I figured he’d out soon. “Don’t ever come in here again. You or your boys.” I looked at Heyjay and Roland. “However you need to handle this, keep it away from my club.” I let Junior’s hair go and he fell to the ground in a heap. I looked at his men on the floor. “Get your boss out of here, but don’t expect me to be so lenient if he comes back again.” Roland and Heyjay held guns on Junior and his crew, making sure they left the club. Once they were all out of sight, I fell into a chair, my energy shot. I looked to Trite and the six people who worked under him. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.” My words didn’t make being held at gunpoint any better and I didn’t know what would.

“I’m closing the club down for the week until we get a handle on this, but don’t worry. You guys will still get paid,” I let them know. Trite threw a few dreads behind his back. “We all come from the same streets, Atina. We’re good. What you need us to do?” I smiled at him, loving his loyalty, but shook my head. “Don’t worry about it,” I said. “We’ve got this.” Trite walked over and hugged me, then he and his crew left. Roland and Heyjay came back inside. I looked them over. From the thunder in their eyes, I could tell something else had happened. My shoulders slumped. What now? I was tired and hungry. I’d used up too much energy and I needed to recharge. “They killed our drivers,” Roland said. “Slit their throats.” Heyjay looked at me, eyes like sharp knives. “This is war, baby girl. If you don’t wanna get caught in the crossfire, you should stay out of dodge.” By now energy was seeping out of me by the boatload. I saw beef neckbones on the table, and snatched some up, pouring almost a bottle of hot sauce on them before digging in. “I’ll be alright,” I said to them. “You think I can’t handle myself?” Roland gave me a suspicious glare. “How do you keep handling yourself?” I’d defended myself against them more than once, so I guessed they were curious. “Somebody taught me how to fight,” I said like that explained everything. “Junior thinks you two poisoned his sister to make a move on him. She overdosed here that night.” Roland looked toward the door like he couldn’t wait to leave. “We know. We approached him earlier. Tried to talk about it. I guess this was his answer.” “Yeah, well.” I started on a second neckbone. “Club’s closed for a week. Spread the word.”

Isten stood. He looked... naughty. “You know,” he said, walking over to Roland. “I could protect you if you think this Junior person will retaliate tonight. I know how to handle myself too. I could handle you if you like.” Roland gave him a curious glance, then he and Heyjay walked out the door. Xen sat at the table, eyes watching me. “Well, that settles it,” she said. “You guys lead very dangerous lives.” She was smiling when she said it, but it was true. “Also, from the energies I’m reading, Roland and Heyjay’s friend, the one who hooked them up with Wiete, is definitely dead. Someone ripped his body to pieces and dumped the parts in another universe. That’s all I know.” I shook my head because that was just fucking gruesome. Things had been good for the past year, so I shouldn’t be surprised. Peace never lasted long. Ridge pulled me to him, and I lay my head on his chest. “Take me home,” I said to him. “Open a portal and take me home.” This shit had just started. From here on out it’d only get worse. We needed to be prepared. Rangdus’ followers were nowhere near done with us. Of that, I was sure.

Chapter 9

Ridge

BEFORE WE LEFT THE club on Routine, Xen walked around, picking up as many energy signals as she could. She also worked on the bag of pills, seeing what impressions she could draw from them. We parted ways with Isten, Blu, and Xen once we got back to Jeguate, promising to meet up tomorrow. As soon as we got home, Atina tore off her clothes and hopped in the shower. When she came out, she smelled liked freshly squeezed lemons and she had a wrap around her head to protect her hair. I folded the comforter down and she climbed inside, snuggling up to me. Her skin was soft and warm, making my breath hitch. The feel of her skin under my fingertips was hypnotic, almost putting me in a trance. “Are you okay?” I asked. When I’d first met her, she’d had guns pointed at her head and here we were again. “I felt so helpless back there,” I itted. It bothered me that she and James had faced down Junior and his crew alone. She’d asked me to stand down and I had, but that didn’t mean it’d been easy. Atina was my life, my world. If anything happened to her... She cradled my face in her hands, looking deeply into my eyes, making my soul weak. “Thank you,” she said. “I know how difficult that was for you.” She brought our lips together in a sweet kiss that tasted like mint and fruit. “I always want you by my side,” she said. “But these guys, they're a whole other breed.” I held her tighter and nodded. “Yeah, we had some like that back on Emor.” I tried to not think about Emor most days, but my mind went there now. “They used to drag me and Chibo behind wagons, kicking and hitting us the whole time.” She laced our fingers together. “I know, baby. I you showing me. I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

Atina and I had done a soul sharing. Because I was an empath it was easy for me to share my life with her before we’d met and for her to do the same. “It’s okay,” I said. “After my parents died, Emor never felt like home again. We’d walked through the streets and people would heckle and spit on us. All to please Man One Chila.” My father had worked for Man One Chila. One payday, he’d refused to pay my father and rent was due that day. My parents had gone to his home and asked for the money. He’d killed them right in front of Chibo and me. The landlord had kicked us out after that. From that day on, we’d become pariahs. Anyone who tried to help us would suffer Man One Chila’s wrath. Man One Chila ruled all Emor. He was vicious and cruel in a way I’d never seen. But he’d owed my family. He’d never paid my father his wages, so every chance we’d gotten, Chibo and I would feed ourselves from his vineyards and farms. He’d made it impossible for us to make a living so what had he expected us to do? The fourth time we’d been caught he’d decided to cut off our dominant hand and make us eat it. That’s when Alisa, Reid, Trout, Iago, and Coen had stepped in. Alisa and Reid were actually from Routine, though they had dragon powers. They acquired them in a very particular way. Trout, Iago, and Coen were originally from the world Litvan, though they now lived on Routine, along with Iago’s sister Lantana. They’d stepped forward and tried to help us and we’d all been locked in a dungeon together. While there, we’d figured out a way to escape. We’d freed the other prisoners and we’d all opened portals to get away. Chibo and I had left with Alisa and her friends. After that, Alisa had taken Chibo and me to live with her parents, making us feel a part of their family. Alisa had a sister name Vonda and a brother named Todd. Todd owned one of the top restaurants in the city and Vonda had opened a new business with Lantana. Those days of living on the streets of Emor were long past me but I still shivered

when I thought of some of the things Chibo and I had gone through. Atina wrapped arms around me, pulling me close. “I know,” she said, kissing my neck. “I know.” I rubbed my hand up her back, my manhood throbbing. She had on a nightgown, but she never wore panties to bed. I made a point of sleeping naked. She climbed on top of me, guiding me inside her. My breath hitched, her warmness surrounding me in a way that made it impossible for me not to move. I wanted to feel her, every part of her. She was wet and tight, making my entire body shudder under her touch. She brought our lips together in a tantalizing, explosive kiss that set my whole body aflame. I let her set the pace, riding that sexual wave until we were both teetering over the edge. After we were done, she lay in my arms and went to sleep. I kissed her on the forehead. It’d been hard standing down when she’d asked me to, but I loved and respected her, so I had. Next time, though... Next time I may not have the willpower to step back while someone threatened her, and something told me that time was rapidly approaching.

Chapter 10

Atina

XEN THREW THE BAG OF pills on the table in front of us. “I finally figured it out. They were made on Pele.” We were in my living room, sitting on the floor. Chibo and James were there, along with me, Ridge, Isten, and Blu. Blu nodded like he’d thought this all along. “Pele’s a dangerous world. It doesn’t surprise me killer pills would come from there.” I raised a brow. “Is that what we’re calling them now?” Chibo shrugged. “That’s what they are.” Well, she had me there. “What do you guys know about Pele?” I asked the room. Chibo and Ridge shared a tense look. “What?” I asked, a little apprehensive now. Ridge patted my leg. “Pele has a lot of dealings with my homeworld Emor. Break the law on Pele and you’ll find yourself sold into servitude. Unless you’re from a high-class family, but even then, the punishment is severe.” Chibo nodded. “Pele does a lot of trade with Emor. Including those who’ve been banished into servitude.” “Yeah,” Xen said, fiddling with the pill bag. “I’d expect these pills to come from a world like that.” Something hard settled in my gut. What they said made me want to hurl, but I needed to keep it together if I wanted to figure this thing out. I looked at Xen. “Can you lead us to where these pills were made, or at least to whose hands touched them while they were still on Pele?” She looked at me like she questioned my sanity. “I mean, I can... but a world like that, we’d have to be careful. People there are just looking for a reason to fight.” I shrugged like it didn’t matter. It didn’t. “I know how to take care of myself. If

Rangdus has followers on Pele, then I want to find them.” What I really wanted was to put Rangdus behind me and get on with my life. If his followers were after me, I’d rather crush them and be done with it. Blu flipped through a magazine he had sitting on his lap. “Most on Pele are telekinetic. Just something to look out for.” Isten brushed hair out of Blu’s face. “If you’re scared, I’ll be there.” Blu scoffed at him. “Didn’t you just say the exact same thing to Roland on Routine?” Isten was unfazed. “Yes, but I’ve told it to you many times. You never seemed to mind before.” My head shot up and I looked between the two. Well, damn. Talk about being left out of the loop. “We need to focus.” Chibo stood, a wary expression on her face. “If we’re going to Pele, we need to be ready.”

PELE DIDN’T LOOK THAT different from Routine with its large buildings and loads of pollution in the air. I coughed, my lungs on fire from the smoke and toxic gases floating around us. How did these people live here? Pele’s vehicles were like the ones on Routine too, though the car exhaust here emitted enough byproduct to choke a horse. I waved a hand, trying to clear the air around me. It looked like a smoke machine had exploded and filled the entire place up with smoke. That’s how bad it was. I put a hand over my face. It felt like my lungs would explode at any moment. I hadn’t brought a mask because I hadn’t thought I’d need one. I didn’t know much about this world, but the others did. “Have any of you actually been here?” I asked. They should have mentioned how thick the smog was before we came. Xen had an arm over her mouth. “No. Just heard about it.” Blu took his shirt off and wrapped it around his mouth and nose. “Why would I ever want to come here?” His voice was muffled, but I could still make out what he said. Isten snatched the shirt from Blu’s face. “Take this off. You look like you’re ready to rob somebody.” He turned to me. “Why would I come to a place that’s worse than being around the Yango.” I turned to Chibo and Ridge. They both shook their heads. I decided it didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. We were here now, but I wouldn’t be making this mistake again. Going to a world without learning everything about it seemed like a good way to lose your life. James snatched some grass from the ground, then maneuvered his hands a few times. The grass disappeared and seven masks appeared in their place. The masks were medical masks, covering the nose and mouth. I thanked James then hurriedly put mine on. The mask didn’t stop the smog completely, but it helped a lot. Xen pointed northeast. “This way.”

Ridge’s eyes roamed around Pele, watching every person we ed with an intensity I’d never seen from him. He and Chibo both seemed on edge, and it only took me a second to figure out why. They hadn’t thought much about Emor since they’d moved to Routine with Alisa’s parents. They’d finally started to breathe again. Being on a world that was so closely connected to Emor made them cagey. They probably thought they’d see someone they knew, maybe someone from their homeworld. They’d escaped from Man One Chila and wanted nothing to do with that life again. The air was warm here, but mixed with the pollution, the effect was suffocating. We walked until we came to a moderate size clapboard house with thin blades of grass covering the front yard. The house was a nice one with a front porch that looked recently swept and comfortable-looking patio furniture. I could imagine a nice family of four living here, but apparently, this was a drug dealer’s home. Well, I knew better than anyone drug dealers came in all shapes and sizes. James had been quiet on the way over, but I’d seen him throw several looks Chibo’s way. He was worried about her, and probably wracking his brain for a way to make being here easier for her. “I’ll go knock on the door,” he said, gesturing a thumb toward the house. “I’m coming with you.” James had already started toward the front door, so I hurried my steps to meet him. If these people were as hostile as we’d been told, I didn’t want James in the line of fire. Ridge was by my side in an instant. The look on his face was raw. I’d told him to stay seated while I handled Junior and his boys, and I could tell it still bothered him. He wouldn’t be doing that again, and I could accept that. For the moment, anyway. The door opened before we could knock, but no one was there. It would be stupid to move forward. We stayed on the front porch, and I called inside. “Hey, we just want to talk. That’s the only reason we’re here.”

I heard footsteps coming down a flight of stairs, then a tall man with white-blond hair appeared at the door. He was a lanky sort, his arms almost reaching his ankles. I pulled the pills from my pocket. “Why?” His eyes turned to slits, then he held out his hands like one did when they were inviting someone to arrest them. “Are you here to put me in powerless binds?” I knew from Ridge and Chibo that powerless binds stopped your powers from working. I’d since seen variations of them on a few universes. It was like the cage Rangdus had kept my Aunt Aven in for twenty years. It stopped all magic from igniting. That’s why we’d been working on a spell to neutralize power-stripping items. I had the spell in my head. James and I both did, but in my opinion, it still needed a little tweaking. Ridge rocked back on his heels, trying to display an easy manner. He was an empath, so he probably knew what this dude needed to hear to make him feel comfortable. “We’re not with the authorities,” Ridge said, voice low, like him and dude were sharing a secret. “If someone made you do this we want to help.” The dude’s eyes widened with fear. He craned his neck to look around us like he was waiting for someone to jump out and slaughter him. “What’s your name?” I asked, hoping if we made it personal, we’d get more out of him. “Sco... Scott,” he said, eyes still wandering. Was someone actually watching us or was this just basic fear? Blu leaned against the door, a soft smile on his face. “Look, Scott, I understand you’re scared. I know you didn’t want to hurt anyone. You’re the top scientist on Pele. It’s made you a target. They threatened you, didn’t they? Threatened your family?” Scott sucked in a breath and took a step back, eyes wild and unfocused. Blu was a telepath, so maybe he’d dipped into Scott’s mind. From Blu’s questions, though, he hadn’t discovered the people behind Scott. Maybe that was a secret Scott kept buried deep in his mind.

Perhaps talking about it would help bring it to the forefront. Scott licked his lips. “Look, they said the pills were for some very bad people. I was told—” His body seized and his eyes rolled toward the ceiling. I stepped back, shocked. Blood shot from his mouth and he hit the floor, trembling uncontrollably. I had to save him. All the adrenaline in my body went to my chest and I dropped to my knees ready to do a healing. “No!” Xen’s voice boomed making me look up. “It won’t help, and you’ll just drain yourself. It’s already too late.” I looked down and saw Scott had gone still, his eyes no longer moving. I gasped, my breath short. “What happened?” I asked Xen. She’d apparently gotten some type of reading off the dude. She made a motion like she was pushing the switch on a detonator. Her face was grim. “From what I can sense, he was injected with Rage. A lot of it. More than the average dose. It lay dormant in him. I think there’s a valve in his arm. Whoever did this must be watching. As soon as he started to talk, they clicked boom.” “They may be close,” I said, looking around. They could just have listening devices inside his home. But we still needed to be wary. We were on a strange world, standing in front of a dead body. Someone would call the authorities soon. I knew each world handled these things differently. Since I wasn’t familiar with Pele, I had no idea what they’d do if they found us here. Ridge grabbed my arm, an urgent look on his face. “We need to run! If the authorities here catch us, they’ll blame us for his death and not listen to anything we have to say. Things aren’t fair here. If they can sell us into servitude, it’s a nice way to line their pockets. They won’t miss out on that.” I started to tell him we didn’t need to run, we could just open a portal, but the

squawking of my phone made me cut that thought short. Lena’s panicked voice greeted me on the other end. “Junior and his men just left my house.” I gripped the phone tighter. “What did they do? Are you hurt?” I could tell from her tone she was rattled. “They just slapped me around a bit. Nothing I can’t handle. They’re looking for you. Said they’ll make you pay for what you did last night. Atina, I swear I didn’t know they were here when I left the club. I only found out later.” “It’s okay,” I said, hoping to calm her down. “It’s okay. I’ll handle this.” I hung up the phone. “We have to go. Junior’s trying to save face from last night. I attacked him in front of his boys. He can’t let that . If he does, then he looks weak. If he’s weak, then his life is forfeit.” I looked from Xen to Blu, to Ridge, then pointed to Scott’s body. “Any feelings, emotions, or thoughts you guys want to share?” “He was scared,” Ridge said. “Terrified for himself and his family.” “He never met the ones who forced him to make the pills. But he knew there were three of them,” Blu said. Chibo took out her porter and opened a portal. “We need to leave before someone sees us standing here and takes a picture.” I stepped through her portal to Routine. Junior was a ticking time bomb. I had to calm him down without outright killing him. I wiped sweaty palms on my jeans. In the back of my mind, I knew no matter what I did the streets would run red with blood.

Chapter 11

Atina

JUNIOR AND HIS BOYS were kicking down all my employee’s doors looking for me. I’d gotten three more calls like the one from Lena. He was making a show of it because it was the only way to keep up his street cred. His face was busted and the person who’d done it wasn’t dead. Also, it’d been a girl who’d hurt him. This wouldn’t end without my head on a platter. Not if Junior had his way. He hadn’t harmed my people yet, and I wouldn’t give him the opportunity. I had to find this fool and calm him down before he spilled the blood of one of my people. If he did that, there was nothing and no one who’d be able to save him from me. His pride was hurt. I understood that. Sometimes a man’s pride was all he had. I wasn’t trying to step on that, but I couldn’t let him hurt innocent people. His sister had almost died. I empathized, but this wasn’t it. I had to find him and shut this shit down before it got out of control. James never took threats to my person well. Over the years, we’d fought together many times. James had been my family before I even knew he was my family. He was my cousin, but I’d always seen him as a brother. He cracked his knuckles, eyes flashing silver. Silver, the color that let you know a member of the Hissyen bloodline was about to lose it. Ridge put a hand on James’ arm. “Calm down. I’ve got this.” Ridge turned to me, jaw tight. His eyes told me his next words weren’t up for discussion. “If Junior touches you, I’ll kill him.” I nodded. I didn’t mind James or Ridge having my back. The reason I’d told Ridge to stand down before was because I hadn’t wanted a scene like this, but here we were. I looked down at my nails, they were tiny blades again just in case things got out of hand. Junior ruled the northeast side of town. That was his territory. I knew most of his trap houses, but he wouldn’t be at any of them.

His main headquarters was on Epps Street. Junior was like any other drug dealer. Most had corner boys selling on the block, but Junior wouldn’t expose himself by being around them. I needed the building he did most of his business out of. That’s where he was most likely to be. It was a red brick structure, consisting of five floors, with ten apartments on each floor. Junior owned the whole building now, so the only people inside were those who helped run his empire. Most of the action happened here. He had guards posted on every side of the building. Four stood out front, eyes alert, coms in their ears. Now, their coms were different from the universal ones we used, but the basic concept was the same. We drew a lot of attention when we walked down the street, probably because we looked like a gang. There were seven of us, and because of what we’d just gone through back on Pele the air around us was tense. Junior would have been warned we were in his neighborhood, and he’d be ready, but we were ready too. The four guys standing in front of Junior’s building already had their hands on the trigger. “Xi te ye,” I said, disabling all weapons on the street. The guards raised their guns, but my crew had heard my words and knew the guns couldn’t hurt them. I looked around and saw a face I recognized. Rose. He spoke into his com. Within seconds, ten more guards ed the ones already out front. I refused to fight these people. It wasn’t a fair fight and I had Rangdus and his lot to deal with. I just wanted Junior to stop hurting and threatening my people. He’d come to my club acting like a fool and got dealt with. There was nothing else to be said about it. Rose was a tall guy with broad shoulders and thick arms. He was head of Junior’s security team and had been for years. If you looked at Rose and saw nothing but a muscled-up thug, you’d be wrong. Rose was highly intelligent. Junior owed a lot of his business success to having

Rose as his right-hand man. At least that’s how I’d always seen it. Rose said something to the other guards then walked over to meet us. “James.” He nodded at my cousin, but James’ jaw stayed tight. Rose turned to me. “Atina... Why? You had fifty guys jump Junior. You know he can’t let that .” I waved a hand through the air. “He burst into my club with guns, Rose. What was I supposed to do?” Rose looked around. “Where’re those fifty guys at now?” I tsked. “Gave them the day off. They needed a rest after all that.” So, Junior’s story was that fifty guys had jumped him. I’d go with it. In fact, I was kind of glad he’d thought of it. Getting beat down by fifty men was better than getting beaten up by one female. My whole reason for being here was to calm Junior down. If this was the story he wanted to go with, I was game. “He has to be stopped,” I said to Rose. “I can’t have him harassing my employees. If he wants me, I’m here.” Rose’s brows rosed toward the sky. “You really doing this, Atina?” I nodded. “It’s why I’m here.” Rose let out a long breath. “He’s going to kill you, Atina. Worse yet, he’ll order me to do it. Look, you and James are good people. I’m not trying to take it there.” He put his finger on the trigger. “You’re not leaving me with much of a choice.” “Heyjay and Roland tried to kill me too. that? They stole from me. You were in the room when James and I snatched our money back.” Understanding lit his eyes. “Oh, yeah. You tossed the guy’s fingers on the table. The dude who’d stolen from them.” He put a fist to his chest. “Respect, but none of that will matter once Junior arrives.” The second the words left his mouth, Junior’s car pulled up. “Xi ti ye,” I said under my breath, making sure none of Junior’s weapons could hurt me or my

friends. Junior’s face was still swollen, and he had stitches on his forehead and under his right cheek. He got out of the car, and I saw he had four guys with him. The streets were clear. No one wanted to catch a stray bullet, but I bet they watched through their windows. Junior and his goons went to stand beside Rose, guns pointed at our heads. I had to choose my words carefully. I couldn’t embarrass him in front of his men again. What I wanted was a truce. Sometimes you had to swallow your pride to get that. That was fine. I wanted my people protected. I flexed my fingers, palms slick with sweat. “If you wanted to see me, Junior, you should have just asked,” I said. He walked toward me, pointing his gun. His eyes told me he meant to kill me, but his gun wasn’t going to work. He just didn’t know that yet. In his mind, he had the upper hand now. He was surrounded by his crew, and he thought that made him invincible. His eyes cut to James and the rest of my crew before turning back to me. He extended his arm, his gun almost touching my forehead. “On your knees, bitch.” I smacked the gun out of my face, my Aunt Aven’s words running through my head. The Hissyen family bows to no one. “You’re not man enough to put me on my knees.” I realized my mistake the moment the words left my mouth. I’d come down here to calm Junior down. Not rile him up even more. “Look,” I said, hands up in front of me. “No one here has to die. You came into my establishment with guns, Junior. I handled it. Can’t we just end it there?” His eyes turned to slits. “Oh, you must think you’re dealing with Heyjay or Roland.” He let out a bitter chuckle. “These are my streets. I’ll do whatever the fuck I want. If I want to run through your club and kill everybody there, then that’s what I’ll do.” “Then you’ll die,” Ridge said, stepping partially in front of me. “Roland and Heyjay were smart, but you... You’re just fucking stupid.” Junior swung the gun toward Ridge’s head, trying to hit him with it. Ridge

ducked, then punched Junior in the face. All his guys charged toward us but quickly found out they couldn’t move. Chibo’s hands were up. Like James and me, Ridge and Chibo were close. She wouldn’t let him fight alone, even if he could. I sucked in a breath. “I didn’t come here to battle, Junior. Leave my people alone. Next time you want me, pick up the phone and call, but my people are offlimits.” I hoped that would work. I just wanted him to leave Lena and the others alone. “Let’s call a truce,” I said. “How can I make that happen?” I put a hand on Chibo’s arm, letting her know it was okay to release them from her hold. They’d just needed a minute to calm down. I wasn’t afraid of Junior or his crew. If they got out of control again, I’d handle it. Chibo nodded at me, but she kept her arms up. If her arms dropped, the moment they were able to move again, then someone would put two and two together. Most hadn’t seen when her arms had gone up, they’d all been focused on Ridge. Yeah, they’d think their momentary loss of movement was strange, but since they couldn’t explain it, it’d be easy to dismiss like it’d never happened. Chibo’s arms stayed up, even though she’d released them. Junior’s crew surged forward, guns pointed. I invited Junior to shake my hand. “Can we just end this?” I asked. “No more blood, okay?” He coughed up a mouthful of mucus then hawked spit in my face. I reacted before I could stop myself. I kicked him in the chest, making him stumble back. He’d spit on me! Spit in my face! That wasn’t something my rage could handle. My eyes flashed silver. I could sense the change in my sclera and my irises and hoped I could stop myself before I lost complete control. I clawed him across the face, digging deep enough to hit a cheekbone. Then I kicked him in the chest, face, and throat. The dude standing beside him tried to shoot me, but his gun jammed.

Ridge snatched it from his hand, then headbutted him. The dude stumbled back. Ridge picked him up and body slammed him to the ground. Chibo ducked a fist headed for her face. She kicked the guy in the stomach then his face. James’ hands looked like concrete. It was subtle, but I saw it. Since their guns didn’t work, one of Junior’s men tried to slash James across the face with a knife. James leaned out of the way, then punched the dude in the face, splitting his nose and lip open. A different dude tried to cut his neck from behind. James elbowed him in the face then hit the guy in the stomach with enough force to knock him to his knees. James then grabbed the dude’s head and busted it on the concrete. Like me, James' eyes were completely silver, but most were too caught up in the fight to notice. A guy tried to slice Xen across the face. She throat chopped him, then knocked his legs out from under him, kicking him in the face. Two guys came at Blu. They each had a knife in their hand. One of them aimed the knife at Blu’s stomach. Blu hopped out of the way, then picked the guy up by the throat, slamming him down hard. The other guy tried to swipe him from behind. Blu kicked back, hitting the guy in the stomach. Then he turned around and headbutted the guy, taking him down. Isten had two guys by the throat. He slammed them down hard. A third guy swung a knife at his face and Isten snatched the blade from the dude’s hands. Rose never made a move. He stood there the whole time, eyes intent, watching. How had I defeated both Roland and Heyjay? How had I taken down Junior at the club? Rose didn’t believe the story of some fifty men showing up to jump Junior. I’d known that the moment I’d looked in his eyes. So how had I done it? He was watching now to find out. I’d deal with him later. For now, my focus was on the motherfucker who’d spit in my face. I put a boot to his throat. “Two times now you’ve gone up against me and two times you’ve lost. Keep testing me, Junior, and I’ll kill you and everyone you love.” He choked and gurgled but didn’t say anything. I took my foot off his throat, then leaned over him. “Fuck with me or my people again and I’ll open your

insides up. I’ll pull your intestines out and decorate the town with them. Try me.” Rose’s eyes were slits now. Like he’d said earlier, we went way back. James and I had always fought when challenged, but we hadn’t been able to disable guns and bind people in place. Rose knew something was different , he just didn’t know how to make it connect in his head. I gave him a hard stare. “Don’t look for trouble when there is none. I will always protect myself and every single person that rides with me. Think about that before you do anything.” He looked to where Junior lay on the ground. Once again, Junior’s face was split open, and he seemed to be having trouble breathing. “You better control him,” I said to Rose. “I’m tired of dealing with him.” I turned to my group. “Let’s go.” We waited until we were in an abandoned alleyway before James opened a portal and we went home. I was worried about what’d just happened and furious with myself for losing control. More blood would be spilled now, but hopefully, I could get in front of it before it got too bad.

Chapter 12

Ridge

ATINA CLASPED OUR HANDS together. We sat on the floor, eating popcorn, and watching a movie. Jeguate really did have top-rate cinema, and this was an action flick we’d both been wanting to see. The house was filled with the scent of delicious butter and the atmosphere was nice and toasty. After all that’d happened, this was a good way for us to relax and put things into perspective. “I hated losing control like that,” Atina said, laying her head on my shoulder. I brushed hair from her face, her skin like silk under my fingers. “You tried to reason with him, but some people only know violence. If that’s how he usually rolls, you won’t change him with a couple of words.” She shrugged, and I could tell how much it bothered her things had turned nasty. I traced small patterns on her hand, loving the feel of her skin under mine. “We did what we had to, Atina. Junior wouldn’t have stopped otherwise.” Her head whipped up. “He still might not stop, Ridge. You saw how he was.” He had seemed rather determined. “If something else pops up, we’ll deal with it. We’re in this together, .” She let out a small sigh. “I have two house viewings tomorrow. How about that?” I laughed. “It does seem strange, doesn’t it? With all this going on, we still have to work.” She laughed and snuggled closer to me. The scent of lemon and sandalwood made my heart speed up triple time. “The world won’t stop moving because we want it to, Ridge.” A warmth spread through my chest. What I loved more than anything were times like this when we just sat talking and enjoying each other’s company. “It would be cool if we could stop time. If you could stop the world for any reason, what would it be?”

She playfully elbowed me in the stomach. “Not for more lovemaking if that’s what you’re thinking.” I threw my head back and laughed. “Oh, of course not.” I ran a hand over her fingers. “You’d stop the world to get your nails done, though. I like the blades. How about paining them lime green next time you change them?” She let out a chuckle. She ran her hands through my hair, making me shiver under her touch. “First off, I love lime green. You know that! Second, taking care of one’s nails is the epitome of self-care. You should try it.” Her eyes widened, and my stomach did a few backward flips because I knew what she was about to suggest. “How about we get manicures and pedicures together? Come on, Ridge! What do you say?” “I say you’re out of your mind,” I joked. “I’m not getting my nails and feet done. Why would I ever do that?” She climbed on top of me, straddling my lap. “I already told you, self-care.” I flipped her over. She wrapped her legs around me, and I kissed her neck. “I don’t have a problem with a little self-care,” I said. I still wasn’t getting them done, though. “Well, I’ve got a problem with you two getting busy in the living room we all share,” Chibo said. She and James walked into the room. Anita and I sat up. Anita picked up a pillow and threw it in their direction. “Cock blockers.” James chuckled and smacked the pillow away from himself and Chibo. They sat on the floor in front of us. “Are you working on Routine tomorrow?” Atina asked James. He nodded. “I’m not scared of Junior and his thugs. Besides, he won’t act up at a hospital. He’s trying to stay away from the police. Causing a scene at a hospital will surely get him locked up. He knows that.”

Chibo pointed toward the TV. “What’re you watching?’ We got caught up talking about the movie, and it was some time later before Xen knocked on the door. “I have news.” She plopped down beside Chibo. Before she could tell us anything, Isten and Blu knocked on the door. Both had mussed hair and sleepy eyes. I could feel their emotions. They’d been in bed together when Xen had told them to get over here and they were eager to get back. My eyes widened and I quickly threw up mental blocks. Sometimes if the emotions were strong, things seeped through without me even trying. I’d known how they felt about one another, but it wasn’t my place to say anything about it. They sat side by side on the floor, waiting for Xen to speak. Xen’s face looked grim. “I have a feeling we need to go back to Pele. Wiete’s there and he wants revenge. I guess for Rangdus. He feels like Rangdus was on top of the world until a brother and sister team tore him down.” “James and I are cousins,” Atina said. “It’s not always clear,” Xen said. “Besides, you guys are first cousins who practically grew up as brother and sister.” Well, that much was true. Xen looked around the room. “If we go to Pele, we’ll figure out who’s trying to attack you. But it won’t end well for any of us there. I’m not sure what’ll happen, but if we go there now it’ll stop things from spilling over to other worlds like Routine.” Atina stood. “I’m not asking any of you to risk your lives, but James and I have to take care of this.” Chibo raised a brow. She hated when Atina acted like we wouldn’t be there for her and James. Chibo liked Atina a lot. There weren’t many people she considered family, but Atina was one of them. It was insulting to Chibo whenever Atina expected us to stand down in the face

of trouble. It was insulting to me too, though I understood Atina’s side of it. She didn’t want anyone hurt on her behalf. She and James had always dealt with problems together because there’d been no one else, but that wasn’t the case anymore. I’d talk to her about it later. Of course, Chibo and I were going. “It’s not a choice,” Xen said. “All seven of us need to go. If not, more than one of us will likely die. Even with all seven of us there, I’m not sure we’ll make it back.” Her words were dire, but I could tell they were true. We were walking into a situation that was already stacked against us and nothing was promised. We had to be prepared. I sent off a group text to Alisa, Trout, and the others, just to let them know what was going on. James ed out masks. That was a good idea. We couldn’t forget how stifling Pele was. “These work a lot better,” he let us know. I could feel they were specially made, taking Pele’s atmosphere into consideration. Chibo put her mask on then opened a portal to Pele. We all stepped through, none of us knowing if we’d ever make it home again.

Chapter 13

Ridge

CHIBO OPENED A PORTAL to the precise location Xen said Wiete would be. The first thing we saw was him talking to three dudes. They stood huddled together on the street. One peek at their emotions told me how excited they were. Whatever Wiete was saying to them made them hype, eager. A prize, I realized. They wanted top prize for killing us, but they had to keep two of us alive. Their emotions rolled off them like thunder clouds. They wanted James and Atina alive, but the rest of us were collateral damage. I cracked my neck, but then more emotions slammed into me. “There’re hundreds of them,” I told the others. “They’re to leave James and Atina alive and kill the rest of us.” Xen nodded, but she didn’t look so sure. “Yeah, but it’s not... Somethings off. It’s not...” Before she could finish her sentence, she was lifted in the air and slammed down hard. She must have called the wind forward before she dropped. Hurricane gusts swept toward Wiete and the three guys he’d been talking to. Those three guys quickly turned into twenty and more kept coming. They popped up from around corners and out of buildings, all wanting a shot at taking us down. Seemed like Wiete had a psychic working with him. They were prepared and knew we were coming. Xen’s wind lifted them in the air and slung them in different directions, but it didn’t take long for them to regroup. One guy lifted Atina off her feet. “Pi di ti,” she said. The guy exploded, pieces of him going everywhere. Two more raised their arms toward her. “Es a bet ti,” she said. Blue twinkling light shot from her mouth and onto their eyes and throats. They began clawing their faces and necks, eager to get at whatever was inside. I could feel the emotions of a guy walking toward me. He meant to rip my arms off. I tapped into his telekinesis and used it to rip him limb from limb. I could feel a different guy behind me. He meant to put powerless cuffs on me. I used his own telekinesis to snatch the yellow binding rope out of his hands. Then

I wrapped the rope around his waist, using his own telekinesis to split him in half. A man with telekinesis waved a hand at Blu and he went tumbling back. Blu squinted and the man screamed. Blu was inside the man’s head, showing him his worst nightmare. The man fell to his knees, then used his telekinesis to rip his own heart out. Two more ran at Blu. He blinked again. One guy’s skin iced over, and I could feel Blu using his water powers to freeze the guy. He lowered the temperature in the guy’s body to below zero, turning him into a block of ice. The man fell over, his body breaking into small pieces. The second man was still coming. He was even more pissed now that his friend had gone down. Blu heated the water in the man’s body to the point of boiling. The man began to shake, and blisters popped up on his skin. Smoke came from his ears and mouth, then he too fell over, his body burned to a crisp. Isten’s whole body was lit in silver energy. A guy ran toward him, hands out, trying to catch Isten in a telekinetic hold. Isten flung silver energy at the man’s head. It crackled and burned until it was nothing but ash, floating in the wind. A different man came toward him. This one used telekinesis to lift Isten in the air. Isten flicked his wrist and five small silver energy balls appeared. He slung them out. The guy who’d attacked him screamed when the ball hit him in the eye, burning it from his face. The second ball went into a man’s mouth. He exploded from the inside out. The third ball hit a man in the stomach, slicing it open. The fourth ball hit a man in the neck, splitting it in half. The fifth ball went into a man’s ear, blowing his head from his shoulders. It all happened simultaneously, in a matter of seconds. James kept objects in his pocket for this very occasion. He’d turned a penny into a spiked, round, mallet. A man ran toward him, and James hit him with it, caving the man’s face in. Three more charged him. “Pe ie ti eit,” he said. All three of their heads landed at James' feet. Pe ie ti eit was the spell to summon. James had summoned their heads from their shoulders. A different guy slung him backward with telekinesis. James stumbled, then rightened himself. “Deben Inty,” he said. That was Iago

and Lantana’s spell to immobilize a person. Green twinkling light flew from James’ mouth and wrapped around the man’s body, stopping him from moving forward. “Deben Inty Dio,” James said, and the man fell down dead. These people had the same powers as Chibo. One guy slung her back, but she used telekinesis to break the fall. Then she held up her hands and ripped the guy’s arms from his body. Another one rushed toward her. She flicked her wrist, and the guy’s head flew from his body. Two more came at her, slinging her backward. She put a hand on the ground to break her fall, then used her telekinesis to rip both their hearts out. It went on like that for a while, but they just kept coming. Then a portal opened, and I heard Xen yell, “Run!” It was too late, though. I didn’t understand what was happening until the last second. All I knew was I needed to get to Atina. I ran toward her but never made it. A man stepped out of the portal. He used superspeed, putting silver powerless bracelets around all of our wrists. The last time I’d had powerless bracelets on me they’d been made of yellow rope and Alisa had used a lighter to burn through them. Apparently, this person was smarter. The man came into view and my eyes widened when I saw Man One Chila standing before me.

Chapter 14

Ridge

THE SMELL OF ROTTEN sewage assaulted my nose, making me choke. The cell I was locked in looked new, but mold, urine, and feces covered every inch of it. Large splotches of blood decorated the walls and the floors. How many people had died in here? I shivered, the place feeling more like a century-old slaughterhouse than a jail cell. Man One Chila put us each in a different cell. I guessed he’d learned from last time. When he’d locked Chibo and me up before, there’d been two large cells down here. The men on one side, the women on the other. Now each cell was covered with a steel-plated door, only wide enough to fit one person. It was completely walled up, which meant I couldn’t see out of it. I couldn’t see anything but the four walls closing me in. I shook my head, trying to what’d happened. One minute I’d been staring at Man One Chila, the next I’d been locked away. Xen’s words came back to me. She’d said if we killed Wiete he’d still be there. What she’d meant was the threat would still be there, because the threat was Man One Chila. I looked at the bracelets on my wrists. I guessed Man One Chila had learned from his mistakes because no lighter could burn through these. I sat back on the small bench in my cell, some of the air going out of me. I didn’t know where Atina and Chibo were and that scared me more than anything. Man One Chila was a sadistic man. Who knew what he had planned? Xen had told us Wiete and the others were upset with the brother and sister who’d brought down their leader. We’d automatically assumed they’d meant Rangdus and were talking about Atina and James. We’d thought they’d mistaken them for siblings instead of cousins, but Xen had said she didn’t always get a clear picture from her visions. The man we’d brought down was Man One Chila. He still looked pretty in charge to me, but I understood what they meant. Man One Chila’s power was his

ability to produce fear in others. When he pronounced a sentence on you, that sentence was carried out, no questions asked. It’d been over fifty of us in the dungeon when we’d escaped. Not only that, but we’d also torn the whole room apart, ripping the floors to pieces. We’d defied him by escaping and since Alisa and the others had been here to fight specifically for Chibo and myself, he’d laid the blame on us. We were the street urchins who’d not only defeated him but had gotten away with doing it. How many times had he been tried after our escape? How many had come for his power and tried to take over the rule of Emor? They’d found a chink in his armor. Getting us back was his way of fixing that. It wasn’t just for that reason, though. I’d always read Man One Chila as a person who put his pride above everything else. Chibo and I had wounded him and that was something his ego couldn’t handle. We’d pay for crossing him. The same way our parents had paid with their lives. A coldness started in my stomach and spread to the rest of my body. Chibo and I wouldn’t go down as easily as he thought. Atina’s face flashed before my eyes. The thought of her being hurt made everything in me want to explode. I took a breath. Atina knew how to take care of herself. I had to that. A hollow feeling crept into my chest. She, James, and the others had to be okay. I flexed my fingers, Xen’s words ringing loudly in my ears. They wanted the two siblings alive and meant to kill everyone else. I swallowed hard, fear gripping my heart like a steel trap. Atina, if something happened to her, I’d tear this whole world apart. My life without her wasn’t something I could imagine. There was no me, without her. I’d known that from the first moment I’d laid eyes on her. Atina was strong and fierce, though. It was one of the reasons I loved her so much. She’d always said her family bowed to no one and she’d meant it. I trusted Atina to handle herself, but I couldn’t get rid of that slither of worry

making me think she’d been hurt or even worse. The steel door to my cell slid back. Silver bars stopped me from exiting, but at least I had a better view of my surroundings. I gaped, surprised, when I saw over a hundred tiny miniature cells sitting side by side. I guessed this was Man One Chila’s way of stopping another riot from occurring. Hundreds of guards stood outside the cells. They were opening them one by one. My eyes roamed around, trying to take in as much detail as I could. They were leading the prisoners somewhere. The silver bars to my cell slid back and three guards grabbed me roughly, making me get in line with the others. No one said a word. The mood was tense, scared. Man One Chila was known for his public executions. I didn’t doubt we were all walking toward our deaths. They led us outside and up a ramp. Sunlight hit me dead in the face, making me squint. We were up on a platform, with probably five hundred thousand Emor residents gathered below. They’d come to watch us die. They would cheer when we took our last breaths. I’d seen it happen many times before and knew what to expect. Man One Chila sat upon his throne, a smug look on his face. Below, the crowd chanted ‘Chila!’ repeatedly, giving him praise he wasn’t worthy to receive. I didn’t care about any of that. My eyes roamed frantically, trying to catch sight of Chibo, Atina, anyone. Finally, I saw them. They were being led by a horde of guards. Chibo was in front, with Atina, James, Xen, Blu, and Isten behind her. I watched intently, looking for any signs they’d been harmed, but they all seemed okay. They were a bit ruffled but other than that, I didn’t believe they’d been hurt. Not yet, anyway. Atina’s eyes locked with mine. I swallowed hard, trying to convey how sorry I was for all of this. She blinked, and her eyes told me it was okay, but it wasn’t. It just wasn’t. She was here because of me and that made something hollow and cold settle in my gut. I wanted her safe. I wanted her safe every minute, every second, of every day.

At least twenty others had walked out with me, but they were quickly herded away. I guessed it wasn’t their time yet. The only ones left standing on the platform were the seven of us. At least twenty guards surrounded us, but they all looked to Man One Chila. He raised his hand, and our legs went out from under us. We fell to our knees in front of him. So, he had a telekinetic working for him. I looked at the bracelets on my wrists. They were the only thing keeping me from ripping him apart. Man One Chila was a tall man with olive skin. He had a long ponytail going down his back, though he was bald on both sides of his head. He was conceited, carrying an elite disgust for anything that wasn’t him. No one was on his level. Everyone was beneath him. To him, Chibo and I were nothing but trash. How dare trash challenge him? I should have known he wouldn’t let our escape go, but I’d thought we were safe. I let out a sigh. What a stupid thing for me to think. Now, because of my mistake, my friends were at risk too. If something happened to them, I’d never forgive myself. Sweat dripped into my eyes. I felt like a volcano ready to erupt. At the moment, we were all at the mercy of Man One Chila. He was the most vicious man I knew. None of us were safe. His eyes lit with delight, watching us, and I figured he’d enjoy this. I looked to Atina. She and James both mumbled under their breaths. They’d been working on a spell to disable items that kept a person from using their powers. Their focus had been on neutralizing a power-stripping cell, but I hoped it would work on bracelets too. Man One Chila stepped down from his throne. He walked with his head high, his toga sweeping the ground. I’d yet to visit another world that wore togas or tunics. I’d been gone from Emor over a year and a half, so while it was jarring to see, it was also familiar and reminded me of home. Man One Chila came to stand in front of us, eyes lit with victory. When he spoke, his voice was hard, scratchy. “You know, it wasn’t hard finding you.”

He looked from Chibo to me. “You run with dragons.” He was talking about Alisa and Reid, who had dragon powers and belonged to two separate dragon clans. For thousands of years, everyone had thought all dragons were dead. When two had suddenly appeared, it’d shaken all the universes. The dragons had never been dead, they’d simply sealed themselves away for a few millennia. Man One Chila walked the length of the seven of us, but his eyes stayed on myself and Chibo. He only talked loud enough for us to hear, but I was sure he’d be playing to the crowd later. “You know...” He held up a finger. “I find it interesting those same dragons took down the Yango. You two helped with that.” He shook his head. The Yangos had been the most powerful race in all the universes until Alisa and Reid had come along. Together, we’d stamped them out. “You also helped take down Rangdus. One of the few men who had my respect. The Yango never invaded Emor because I kept you safe!” His eyes flashed with anger, and he pointed to Atina and James. “They never invaded Xley because Rangdus kept you safe and look how you repaid him.” He looked from me to Chibo, and I could see the anger and hatred radiating off every part of his body. “Were you coming for me next? Something tells me you were.” Understanding dawned on me. He thought because we’d taken out Rangdus and the Yango, he was the next logical step. I shook my head. In truth, Chibo and I were just glad to be away from this place and wanted to be left alone, but because his mind worked and lived on revenge plots, he thought ours did too. He’d wanted to get us before we got him. He looked at us like we were the stupidest people he’d ever met. “You know, all anyone could talk about for months was the fall of the great Rangdus. Then the fall of the Yangos. It’d been easy to find you after that. If you wanted to hide from me, you should have kept a lower profile.” I scoffed. Chibo and I weren’t hiding from him. We weren’t thinking about him,

but a man like Chila probably thought others had him on their minds constantly. He continued with his speech. “I decided to hit you where it hurts. Weaken you before you got here.” His eyes turned to Atina, and my pulse jumped. If he made a move toward her, I’d rip him apart, power stripping bracelets be damned. He turned to me. “What you love... is her. Weakening her weakened you all.” He turned back to Atina. “You deserve your clubs shutting down after what you did to Rangdus. Did you think you’d get away with killing one of the most respected men in all the Universes?” He looked at Atina. “I was coming for you, anyway, this just made it easier. Two plans became one. I can get my revenge for Rangdus, plus take down this street garbage from my world.” He nodded to himself. “I was right.” He pointed to me and Chibo. “You two would tear yourselves apart for these two Hissyens, but look where it’s gotten you... Right back in my arms.” He looked at James and Chibo. “I wasn’t finished with you.” He shook his head. “Opportunity presented itself and I took it. We got here a little earlier than I anticipated.” A cold shiver ran through me. James worked as a nurse at the hospital on Routine and a healer at the hospital on Jeguate. I shuddered to think what Man One Chila had planned for his second stage of revenge. Hurting James would send Chibo into a tailspin, like hurting Atina had done with me. He wanted to destroy us all, but we were stronger than he thought. I looked at Atina. She and James were still chanting, and I hoped it worked because a man as evil as Man One Chila couldn’t win. We couldn’t allow him to. Man One Chila turned away from us and addressed the guards on stage. “Bring the first one up. It’s time.” Down below, the crowd applauded. I shook my head in disgust. What a horrible way to die, with the sound of thousands of people cheering for your demise. The whole thing left a hollow pit in the middle of my soul.

Chapter 15

Atina

A GUY WITH POWERLESS cuffs on his wrists was dragged in front of Man One Chila. The man was tall, with a hefty build. He wore a gray toga that was dirty and hanging off his shoulders. His feet were bare. I looked at the man’s appearance and wondered how long he’d been kept in one of Man One Chila’s cells. The man didn’t look afraid, though. Instead, he stared out at the crowd, defiant, unflinching. I looked back at Ridge. He watched the proceedings before him with rapid attention. He was from Emor, so no doubt this scene was familiar to him. My eyes turned to James, and he nodded. We were on the same page. At least I hoped we were. I continued mumbling the rumble to break magical items under my breath, but I mixed it with the spell to disable weapons. “Yi ti le, xi te ye,” I said repeatedly, hoping it would work. Man One Chila walked to the first guy they’d brought out. “The man you see before you worked on one of my farms.” Man One Chila’s voice was loud, playing to the crowd. “He dared accuse me of not paying him for three weeks.” Down below, the crowd booed and heckled. From the corner of my eye, I saw Ridge and Chibo stiffen. Man One Chila had killed both their parents when they’d asked for payment owed. My hands shook with the urge to reach out to Ridge and let him know everything would be okay. How horrible it must be, having to relive all this again. Man One Chila kept talking, still playing to the audience. “Well, this is what happens to those who defy me.” He spun on his heels, hitting the man in the stomach so hard, he split him in two. I gagged, my insides revolting. It was a disgusting sight. Blood and guts covered Man One Chila’s hand and arm. Part of the guy's body dropped to the right, the other to the left. Next up was a woman. She’d accused Man One Chila of not paying her for six months. Man One Chila hit her in the back, ripping her spine out.

I kept repeating my spell, but I knew if he touched any of us, I would fight. My hands may have been bound but my legs worked just fine. I looked at Ridge. His eyes were fixed on me, almost like he thought I’d be called next. I kept repeating the spell. James and I both did. Finally, I saw that blue twinkling light sizzle over the bracelets, rendering them useless, but I had to be sure. I said the spell again, focusing on Ridge and the other captives. James did the same. The blue twinkling mass hit their cuffs. Chibo squinted at a wooden plank, and it bent her way. My heart lifted, but I knew that was just the beginning. Man One Chila had superspeed and super strength. It was one heck of a combination. He brought another guy on stage and the seven of us stood, not willing to sit and watch any longer. Man One Chila’s eyes widened, but when he looked down and saw the powerless cuffs were still on our wrists he relaxed, thinking he still had the upper hand. That showed me how stupid he was. James and I were Hissyen born. Our family was known for its breath magic. Still, until now, there’d never been a rumble to disable power stripping items. My Aunt Aven had been held over twenty years in a power stripping cell. Had there been a spell to disable power stripping items, she would have used it. Man One Chila looked at us and laughed. “Oh, I guess they got tired of waiting. I guess I’ll just have to—” He stopped talking when Chibo used her telekinesis to snatch the cuffs from every person out there. His mouth opened wide, but before he could form a response, the air blinked, and I figured Ridge had tapped into his powers. I heard a whooshing sound and knew they were fighting, but I had no idea who was winning. The guards on stage charged us. I guessed they all had to die. “Pi ti di,” I said. Three of them exploded. “Pi ti di,” James said. Three more exploded. One guard hit Blu in the face, snapping his head back. Blu blinked, and the

man’s eyes rolled to the back of his head. Water poured from his mouth, and he started to cough long and hard. More water came from his mouth, and I realized Blu was drowning the man. A different guard snuck up behind Blu, but Blu was a telepath. He could no doubt read the energy signal from the man’s brain. Blu turned quickly, but the man was still able to slice him across the face with a blade. Blood spurted from Blu’s cheek, but his eyes flashed, and the man froze over. His body dropped to the ground, breaking into tiny pieces. A guard picked Xen up and slammed her down, kicking her in the face. Xen called forth the wind. It lifted the man up and tore his body limb from limb. She stood, but before she could make a move, a different guard used telekinesis to open her throat. She fell to her knees. I had no idea how deep the cut was, but I said a healing spell and sent a blue twinkling light toward her throat. She held up a hand. Her wind picked the man up and shredded his body until there was nothing but tiny pieces left. A guard kicked Isten in the face. Isten stumbled back. That same guard tried to slice him with the large blade he had in his hand. He swiped at Isten’s stomach, opening up a large gash. Isten slung a line of silver energy around the man’s neck, electrocuting him. The man shook, his skin turning blue and purple before he fell over. A different man hit him from behind and Isten slung silver energy at him, lighting the man’s entire body up. Chibo looked determined. A guard sliced at her arm with a blade, then used telekinesis to rip it from the socket. It was still there, but barely hanging on. I sent a few healing words her way. Chibo then used telekinesis to rip the man’s heart from his chest. Then she turned to the next guard headed for her and ripped his lungs out. Man One Chila and Ridge were still in battle. Chibo was fighting her way toward the whooshing sounds they made. We couldn’t see them. They were moving too fast, so we had to rely on sound to know where they were.

Someone grabbed me from behind and pulled my hair back before slamming me down hard. I looked up to see Wiete above me, the man who’d overdosed the guests at my club. A snarl ripped from my mouth because I was going to enjoy this. The air blinked and I felt a cut on my face and neck. “Deben Inty,” I said. Green twinkling light wrapped around his body, stopping him from moving. “Re pe di,” I said, healing my wounds. I looked around. The others who’d been held captive by Man One Chila were helping take out the guards. The crowd below made no move to the fight, though they did look excited while watching the action. I put all my focus on Wiete. “Do you know how much pain you caused?” I asked, thinking of those who’d overdosed... their families. I looked around. Most of Man One Chila’s guards had already lost their lives. “You bet on the wrong person,” I said to Wiete. I felt a whoosh of air go by and pointed to it, then I found Chibo and pointed to her. “They helped take down the Yango.” I pointed to myself and James. “Our family stomped Rangdus into the dirt until he was nothing but dust. What made you think you could take us on?” “Man One Chila will be dead after today,” I said confidently because I knew there was no way Ridge would let him live after this. Wiete’s eyes got wide like he hadn’t realized the scope of the situation before now. “Inty Deben,” I said, releasing my hold on him. Once he knew he could move again, he charged forward, grabbing me by the throat. “Pi ti di,” I said, and his body exploded around me. I turned to look for the others. Two men came at James. One used telekinesis to rip at his ear. It hung from his head, only held together by a thin piece of meat. “Pe ie ti eit,” James said and both men’s heads were snatched from their shoulders. The air blinked again, and when it cleared, Ridge stood over Man One Chila’s broken and bruised body. He stared up at Ridge, the shock evident on his face. He couldn’t believe he’d been bested by someone he considered street garbage,

but it wasn’t over yet. Ridge and Chibo came to stand over him. Man One Chila gasped for air and I could tell his lungs had already collapsed. “You killed our parents,” Chibo said, raising her foot, stomping him in the face. “You sentenced us to years of living and begging on the streets,” Ridge said and Chibo kicked Man One Chila in the face again. He continued gasping for air, his breath rattling around his chest. Chibo held out her hands. “This is for my parents,” she said. Then she tore his body limb from limb.

Chapter 16

Atina

WE’D PROBABLY BEEN back on Jeguate three hours when I got the phone call from Lena. Roland and Heyjay had killed Junior and ten of his men. The rest of his crew had fallen in line under either Heyjay or Roland. Rose was still alive, and I was thankful for that. I’d also called my Aunt Aven to let her know how everything had turned out so she wouldn’t worry. James and I had healed all those wounded on Emor before we’d left. That place was in turmoil now, but Ridge and Chibo had decided they’d keep an eye on it to make sure another man like Man One Chila didn’t rise to power. I’d also made sure to heal Xen, Blu, and Isten before we’d left Emor. Once back on Jeguate, we’d hugged it out and I’d thanked them for their help. They were all gone home now, probably to get some much-needed rest. “It’s amazing how quickly the people stood down after Man One Chila was dead,” James said. He and Chibo sat on the couch together. She had her head on his shoulder, and he kept his arm wrapped tightly around her. This had been emotional for both her and Ridge. Neither had said much since we’d gotten back. “Maybe they worshiped him out of fear,” I said, and James nodded. Ridge sniffed from my neck to my ear. “Let’s go to bed.” His voice was rough, raw. He’d been through an ordeal, and he was still processing. I understood that and was willing to give him whatever comfort he needed. We stood. Ridge picked me up and carried me to our bedroom. He lay me down gently, then came up behind me, wrapping his arms around me. “I just want to hold you,” he said. I snuggled closer. We stayed that way for the rest of the night. I didn’t know what the future held, but I knew we’d face it together.

Author Note

IF YOU ENJOYED THIS book and want to know more about Alisa, Reid, Trout, Iago, and the rest of them, then please check out my series Rise of the Dragons!

Other Titles by N. R. Hairston

OTHER TITLES BY N. R. Hairston Magic and Mischief Series A Magical Reckoning, Book One A Symptom of Magic, Book Two A Victim of Magic, Book Three Sun Cursed Cursed Magic, Book One Savage Magic, Book Two Lethal Magic, Book Three World Breaker Rogue Magic, Book One Bloody Magic, Book Two Battle Magic, Book Three World Breaker Beginnings (Novellas set before the events in Rogue Magic, though you don’t have to read one to read the other.) Read this series for free when you my mailing list, here. Rebel Magic, Book One Stolen Magic, Book Two Crooked Magic, Book Three Dirty Magic, Book Four Feral Magic, Book Five

Lawless Magic, Book Six

Rise of the Dragons Fire and Ash, Book One Smoke and Flame, Book Two Dust and Cinder, Book Three

Atina and Ridge We Got Powers Too, Book One We Wreak Havoc Too, Book Two We Got Witches Too, Book Three

Rebel Writers Anthologies Street Spells

Acknowledgements

A SPECIAL THANKS TO my beta readers, and editors for making this book what it is. Thank You! If you enjoyed this book, tell me all about it by leaving a review. Subscribe to N. R. Hairston’s newsletter here, to get exclusive short stories, and be the first to hear about deals and promotions.

About the Author

N.R. HAIRSTON RESIDES in Southern Virginia with her family. She enjoys writing, reading, cooking, and spending time with her loved ones. Please be on the lookout for books by N. R. Hairston. I hope you enjoyed reading this book. If you’d like to discuss it, my private Facebook Reading Group here, or find me on linktree here.