The Master and The Marionette (The Pawn and The Puppet series Book 2)

Thirty years ago, Vexamen soldiers launched a missile from inside the Dark Wood, it blew up parts of the old Demechnef headquarters, forcing the government to evacuate, to find new protection and go into hiding.

Since then, no one has figured out where they reside now. It’s one of the most famous secrets. But of course, Kane knows where they now hide. It’s impressive, really. One of the greatest secrets of the last couple of decades and Kane knows the exact location. And not just that, he knows how to get in. He knows their weak points. He knows how to escape.

The only issue I foresee is how does he plan on getting Ruth out undetected? A valuable prisoner. The only leverage they have to lure him back.

I can see he has been working out the small details of his plan since we left my father’s house. I want to ask him what the envelope was. How could my father possibly have what we need to help us?

We pull up on his motorcycle back to the Red Oaks. His back and shoulders are filled with tension, like he’s hanging from a wire hanger in a coat closet.

My fingers touch the center of his back. “Kane?”

He doesn’t look back at me. “You have to stay here.” Something like a heavy, occupied coffin weighs down on his voice.

Stay? “No, I’m going with you.”

He shakes his head. “You can’t.” It gets heavier. “I’m going to get her out alone.”

I push him in this back. “I can help!”

“Skylenna… if you come with me, you’ll be my priority. You’ll be the only person Dessin cares to keep safe. If he has to choose between Ruth or you… he’ll choose you.”

I can feel the outer edges of my eyes stretch beyond their resting point. He gets off his motorcycle and looks at me. His eyes are tired. Tired of having to update me on the knowledge that runs on an endless loop in his mind.

The sadness of having to separate for the first time casts a dark shadow over me. It rolls over my organs like cookie dough. I grab onto his hands. His warm skin soothing my trembling hands.

“Can you tell me everything’s going to be okay?” My pleas are aggressive.

He leans his forehead against mine. And with the warm floating scent of forest and cedar, he whispers, “Of course it will be.”

“And you promise to come back for me?”

I fight to understand the complex agony in his eyes. It’s familiar and crippling for me to look at. It’s the look of a warrior recalling the most brutal moments in battle.

“I will always come back for you. Until hell freezes over.”

“And even then.” He pulls me into his body, harnessing his warmth, and projecting it over me. My face finds the soft spot above his collarbone. I squeeze hard enough that he won’t be able to forget the way my body fits into his.

“DaiSzek is going to stay with you. He’ll watch over you until we get back.”

Hot oil jolts through my nervous system. “No!” I object. “No, he’s going with you! You need all the help you can get!”

He shakes his head. I can see his mind is made up.

“Kane—listen, either you leave me here alone, or I go with you. You’re not going on a suicide mission. You’ll need him to have your back. Besides, I know how to hide in small spaces.”

He looks behind him, in the direction of where he needs to go.

“No.” Firm. Gruff. A growl from the bed of his throat.

“This isn’t negotiable. I let you take the lead, make the decisions, figure this all out alone. Not this time. Give me this decision to make. He’s going with you.”

His forehead is knotted together with permanent fury. “Don’t make me do this,” he says slowly through his teeth. He’s… angry. He’s furious with me. I’ve never seen Kane angry. Not like this. It’s Dessin’s trait. But those eyes are still warm, kind, gentle—despite his fury.

He gets back onto the motorcycle. DaiSzek is farther along, waiting for him.

Kane finds one last second to look at me, and through that barbed wire fence of anger, he looks at me with eyes that say, please be here when I get back.