Miscreants: Next Generation Natalie Bennett (web ebook reader .TXT) 📖

I’d been away from the environment long enough to have completely moved on. I was doing this for Lilith, but the choice wasn’t entirely selfless.

It was to benefit my faction’s future. I didn’t know how well things would go until we got there. The only slight concern I had was them trying to take my queen from me.

They could try, of course.

I would never let it happen.

I’d tear that faction apart from the top to the bottom before I lost her to them. I’d just got her back—in more ways than one. I refused to lose her again. If death awaited me amid the chaos, she’d be coming with me to whatever hell came after this one.

I glanced over for a brief second, wondering what she was thinking. How did she truly feel about going back? It was hard to hold onto my anger when it came to her leaving. I’d given her the tools and laid the path, after all, but I couldn’t help but be pissed she’d chosen to utilize them.

“Whose graves are these?” she asked, pointing out the passenger window.

It was a large stretch of plain covered in wooden crosses. You could see the fresh mounds of dirt that had been used to dig someone’s final resting place. There were a lot of these makeshift cemeteries popping up lately.

“Your guess is as good as mine. There’s a faction that goes by the name Oasis. They’ve taken it upon themselves to ‘clean up’ the Badlands. They bury bodies and add those crosses to mark each plot.”

“It’s a waste of time,” Addy stated. “This is all going to get worse in the coming months.”

I kept an eye on the left side of the road, remembering what to look for as a guide: a DEAD END sign that had seen much better days.

“Hang on.”

I slowed and turned the Brabus towards the opposite plain, bouncing up and out of a ditch as we left the main road.

Lilith grabbed the handle of the ceiling to keep herself steady. “What are you doing?”

Instead of giving her a verbal reply, I let her figure it out as it happened. Romero had moved his main base further out. If you weren’t specifically told what to look for, it was near impossible to find.

You had to purposely drive off-road, through underbrush, and around a lake that was slowly drying up to find the path which led to the main gates. It took about another eight minutes by car to reach those.

On either side of the road were tiny black boxes sticking out of the ground—motion sensors that were triggered by any kind of movement in front of them. He hadn’t been fucking around when it came to safety and security.

I’d taken a page from his book when designing our new place. Further up ahead, the fence that surrounded the compound began to take shape. It was tall enough that climbing would take more than a few seconds, and even if you reached the top, you’d have to get past the curled razor wire.

Seeing the guard shacks ahead, I started to slow down.

Two acolytes came from the one on the right while another watched from the left. They were donning the customary Savage get-up: a black hooded robe and a white mask with a centered inverted cross.

I glanced over at Lilith.

“You ready?”

“Don’t have much of a choice now,” she muttered.

I began to roll the window down and brake. One of the acolytes held their arm up and made a signal of some kind; in turn, the gates ahead began to slide open. He must not have seen me as a threat.

Inside the actual compound, off to the right, was the fleet of Savage vehicles, the sigil of Baphomet branded proudly—largely—on the sides. I pulled the Brabus past the small group waiting to greet us and parked.

In the rearview, I could see both mine and Lilith’s fathers, along with my uncle. Two acolytes stood a little way behind them.

“Are you going to be okay?”

“That’s what I should be asking you.” I could sense her nervousness, but I wasn’t going to comment on it. That wouldn’t help her any. “If you need me, just say so.”

She smiled at me. “I know that, but thank you anyway.”

“The two of you are adorably nauseating and everything, but can someone please let us out of the car?” Addy asked.

Right. She and Ice couldn’t go anywhere until we did. I cut the engine and opened my door, stepping out into the heat. Jin followed my lead once Addy and Ice let him out.

I met Lilith at the back bumper, both of us looking towards the three men we’d left behind years ago. They were watching us just the same.

Third man in line—the one on the right. He looked like an aged version of myself. There were silver wisps in his beard, but everything else about him was the same. Good news for future me, I guess.

Cobra hadn’t taken his eyes off Lilith since she stepped out of the car. I wondered what his face would be like if he knew she’d had my dick in her mouth a few hours ago.

Thanks to Addy being beside me and dealing with her own ordeal, it saved us from any immediate awkward bullshit.

Romero looked at her with a smirk on his face. “I heard how you managed to get away.”

She shrugged and crossed her arms. “It was necessary.”

“How long do you plan to hide out here?”

“I’m not hiding.”

“You know he’s going to come for you.”

“You’re not going to let him take me,” she retorted matter-of-factly.

“You sure about that?” he questioned.

“It’s the least you could do. If you even think about it, I’m telling Mom,” she threatened