Hailey Edwards [Edwards - Rise Against: A Foundling novel (The Foundling Series)

Hailey Edwards writes about questionable applications of otherwise perfectly good magic, the transformative power of love, the family you choose for yourself, and blowing stuff up. Not necessarily all at once. That could get messy. She lives in Alabama with her husband, their daughter, and a herd of dachshunds.

Visit her website at www.haileyedwards.net

The Foundling Series

Bayou Born

Bone Driven

Death Knell

Rise Against

Published by Piatkus

ISBN: 978-0-349-42337-1

All characters and events in this publication, other than those clearly in the public domain, are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright Hailey Edwards 2019

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.

The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.

Piatkus

Little, Brown Book Group

Carmelite House

50 Victoria Embankment

London EC4Y 0DZ

www.littlebrown.co.uk

www.hachette.co.uk

For my readers, who always keep me on
my toes. And for my husband, who still
manages to sweep me off my feet.

Virginia City, Nevada was a curious mix of history and touristy kitsch that left me wondering what type of charun called this place home. The location was remote, the mountains in the distance a fascination that kept my eye traveling back to them, so different from my lowland birthplace. But the boardwalk lined with shops of every kind candy, jerky, gemstones, T-shirts, jewelry bustled with tourists exploring the Old West town under the watchful eyes of tour guides from dueling companies.

Squinting against the sun, pretending I wasnt searching the sky for a certain dragon, I angled my chin toward Santiago. Are you sure well find what were looking for here?

One of our first missions on any terrene is to identify pockets of Conquest loyalists. He glared at human tourists foolish enough to stumble into his path. This is one of the larger charun communes in this state, and theyre all devoted to your glory.

A shudder tripped down my spine, and he grinned even wider. Youre an asshat, I told him.

These people worship you. The least you can do is stop scowling at them.

Im not Movement drew my eye to the second floor of a saloon, to the male who kissed his fingertips then pressed them to his heart while bowing his head. Theyre watching. Now that I knew to look, I examined each upper window lining the boardwalk. More faces looked back. More fingers were kissed. More heads bowed in reverence, making my skin crawl. Theyre everywhere.

Told you. He sounded smug about it. Well meet up with them tonight, after the tourists have been bussed back to their hotels in Reno. He laughed under his breath. Until then, smile and wave.

Campaigning for soldiers in our upcoming war made me queasy. Who was I to ask these people to follow me? To fight for me? Die for me? Because thats what war was death. Only the number of casualties had yet to be tallied.

The air kicked up, and dust swirled around me. When I paused, the thick coils of an invisible dragon tail wrapped my ankle.

Cole, I breathed. Youre late.

Warm breath fanned my face, and soft scales glided against my skin as he rubbed our cheeks together.

Break it up, Santiago groused. I didnt come here to watch you two make out.

You cant see him, I pointed out, scratching Cole under his chin.

Maybe not, but I can smell him. Santiago wrinkled his nose. Hes pheromone central lately, thanks to you.

Stupid charun hormones. Stupid charun sense of smell. Stupid me for not being able to control myself.

The IUD had cured the worst of the effects the coterie experienced, but Cole was my mate, and I couldnt settle around him. The heat was always there, a slow burn waiting to engulf me in flames. The others kept telling me it would get better after we had sex, after I claimed him, but the only thing that might be worse than them telling me to jump his bones and get it over with was the fact they would know the instant I did. Apparently Otillians scent-marked their mates, and I was just enough charun to want other females to smell him coming from a mile away.

Mistress, a soft voice hissed to my right. We have everything prepared.

I didnt have to search hard to find the source. An elderly female knelt, her forehead pressed to the planks and her arms stretched toward my feet. Taking a step out of range, much to Santiagos amusement, I did my best to remain calm in the face of adoration.

Thank you. I stared at the back of her head. We appreciate your hospitality.

We live to serve, she murmured. Our lives are yours to command.

Rubbing my face, I set a task to get her off the ground before she made an even bigger spectacle. Can you guide us to our hotel?

The strip was short, the town small, but she sprang to her feet with a rush of energy that startled me.

Right this way. She hustled down the boardwalk, bowling over people who got in her way. Clearing a path for me, I realized with a groan. We have all your rooms prepared.

Hand resting on the heaving side of the invisible beast, I murmured, See you there?

A soft growl of confirmation set my heart fluttering as he uncoiled his tail.

Hurry up, Santiago called, already ahead of me. Shes old, but shes fast.

A buzz in my pocket had me fishing out my phone, my pulse skipping before the familiar number flashed across the screen. How is she?

Maggie is resting. Miller kept his voice soft. Shes still dizzy, and shes drinking water as fast as I can put fresh bottles in her hand.

Poor Mags. Having never traveled outside the Deep South, she had no clue how hard the altitude would hit her. None of us expected it to knock her, and therefore Portia, on her butt. Missing Thom, and now Portia, divided our numbers dangerously. And forced me to keep company with Santiago. Book a flight for two back to Mississippi.

Any excuse to put off the next rally, even for a day, was a welcome break on the campaign trail for me.

Already done, he assured me. How are things up the mountain?

We met our contact. I jogged to catch up to Santiago. Were en route to our hotel. Coles meeting us there.

Any trouble?

None so far. I knocked on a wooden beam as I ducked under a general stores awning. Were being watched, though.

Pay attention, Santiago growled at me then snatched the phone out of my hand and barked into the receiver, Stop distracting her. Were surrounded. We need all eyes and ears focused on staying alive.

After ending the call, he tossed me the phone. I considered throwing it as hard as I could at the back of his skull, but I didnt want these charun to think I was a violent brute like my predecessors. Plus, impact with his hard head would shatter the cell if the drop to the ground didnt, and I couldnt afford to be incommunicado in case Dad needed me.

Dad, who I still hadnt visited, who had no idea his best friend had been murdered, and who must be getting antsy about the discharge date that wouldnt come until I was declared the victor or the permanent resident of a pine box.