Marked By Lies: A Reverse Harem Series (The Marked Series Book 1), Paige Orr [new books to read .TXT] 📗

The look on his face tells me how unhappy he is, but he nods his head anyway, turning to look out of the window. Anika digs around in her purse, before letting out a sound of triumph as she turns back to us.

“Alright fuckers, since you won’t have Mr. Shadow Master with you, I made a cloaking potion earlier today when Mel and Z were getting themselves shot up. Just take a swig each and it will last long enough for you to get inside unseen. Mel, put your phone on vibrate, and I’ll send you a blank text when we're in position and I’ve dealt with any alarms.”

She tosses the potion bottle across where I’m sitting, and Cailean's hand shoots out, snatching it from midair and making my heart leap into my throat. Seriously guys, a little consideration for the jumpy human would be great.

Elias opens my door for me, holding his hand out to help me get out, and I give Mercy and Justice a quick check, just to make sure I’m fully loaded, before we begin to make our way towards the house. I can feel that typical calm that usually fills me when I have to go into a bad situation, filling my limbs and leaving me more alert.

With the Harpy, it was such a surprise that I never got the chance to get into my zone, but knowing a bit better about what I could be walking into is helping a hell of a lot. We stop a couple of houses down from the one we are going to, taking Nika’s potion as the others split off from our group, making their way around to come at the back door.

We give the potion a few minutes to kick in, and I can feel the guys gazing at the side of my face. I turn to them, raising my eyebrow, but they just clear their throats, looking away from me. I would usually deep dive into every reason that could be behind their looks, but right now I’m too focused on what’s in front of us to really think about it. They Can always tell me later why they looked so dazed.

I pull my guns out as we start to silently make our way down the rest of the street, sticking to the shadows just to be on the safe side. It’s not that I don’t trust Nika’s magic, because I’m telling you, she’s fucking baddass, but It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

We crouch down underneath the front window, waiting for Nika’s text to come through, and I slow my breathing down. I wouldn’t say that I feel nervous, but no matter how calm you are in a situation like this, you’re always a little jittery, no matter what books like to tell you. I doubt the guys would like me shooting wildly because my hands are shaking, so I numb myself to what we’re about to do.

It doesn’t take long for the other to get in position, and Nika’s text comes through, causing Elias to jump, a blush staining his cheeks. I’ll have to joke with him about that later, but now, it’s time to kick some ass. I creep up the front steps, pausing in front of the door, before reaching up to try the handle.

Surprisingly, it’s unlocked, and I slowly open the door, just in case there are any creaks in the hinges that would give us away. We slip inside with no issues, keeping low as we carefully make our way through the house, listening for any sign of life.

We are almost halfway through the house before I start to become frustrated at the fact there is no one there. I know we planned to stay together, but at least if we split up then we can check the place quicker. I motion with my hands, letting the guys know I’m splitting off from our group, and before they can try to stop me, I turn around, making my way into the left hallway.

This place is fucking huge, and I know that someone could be waiting anywhere to get the drop on us. I’m just hoping that we can find the Captives before they even know we are here. I’m not stupid enough to think that we'll be able to get out of here without being seen, especially with all the captives. But at least if we release them first, those that are able to will be able to help out. I’m pretty fucking sure they’re going to be pissed at the situation, so who are we to tell them they can’t get their own back.

I grit my teeth as I continue to make my way through the first floor, not even finding a speck of dust out of place. As if anyone keeps their house this fucking clean! Finally, I manage to find the kitchen, and realizing the blueprints that Nika showed us before we headed out, I make my way over to the pantry where the entrance to the basement is.

I open the door on the floor, cringing when it lets out a noise loud enough to wake the dead, and just crouch there for a moment listening to make sure no one heard me. I let out a sigh of relief, looking down into the dark fucking abyss that’s this houses basement, and brace myself before starting down the stairs.

I just get to the bottom of the stairs when something hard hits me across the back of the skull and the lights go out.

Motherfucker!

Chapter Twenty-Six

Cailean

We continue on with our search of the house when we lose sight of Melissa, knowing we don’t have any time to waste, but I can’t stop myself from worrying about her. She has a penchant for managing to get herself hurt, and that’s the last thing I want on