Sixx Saves the World: The Sidekick Chronicles Read online

  The Sidekick Chronicles:

  Sixx Saves the World

  Book 4

  Becca Vincenza

  Copyright

  Copyright © 2021 Becca Vincenza

  Cover: Covers by Christian

  Editing: Girl with the Red Pen

  Proof Reading: Dawn Yacovetta

  All rights reserved. The book may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  The books are works of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author‘s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Books by Becca Vincenza

  HEXED SERIES

  Hexed Hearts

  Hunter’s Heart

  THE REBIRTH SERIES

  Stolen

  Damaged

  Healed

  Burned

  Drowned

  Tamed

  MERCENARIES FOR HIRE

  Freelance

  Hired

  Contracted

  Authorized

  CURSE BREAKER SERIES

  Art of Death

  Secrets of the Dead

  Dance with Death

  THE SIDEKICK CHRONICLES

  Sixx and the Beginning (Prequel)

  Sixx and the Hellhound

  Sixx and the Fae

  Sixx and the Incubus

  Sixx Saves the World

  Dedication

  To my Ana

  And to my readers who have loved Sixx as much as I have

  Table of Contents:

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Epilogue

  The End

  Chapter 1

  "This is your arms dealer?" I joked.

  "He has a very important role in your life, Sixx. Don't joke about this," Lola scolded. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

  A couple of months after we met, after she’d rescued Ana and me from the werewolves, Ana’s Aunt Lola told me she wanted to take me somewhere special. Ana got this weird gleam in her eye, which should have been my first warning. But I agreed, eager to go. Family outings had been sparse with my parents, and spending time with these two women who shared such an unbreakable bond made me feel special. They were finally allowing me into their inner circle.

  But this field trip was different. We were headed to a city miles away, to a metropolis that dwarfed all of the ones I’d visited before. I’d been to the big city before with my parents, but that was before I had knowledge of the para world that lurked underneath. It felt utterly overwhelming this time around with the depth of knowledge I now possessed.

  "Don't worry, Sixx. They all go bump in the night," Ana joked from the backseat. I squirmed and turned my attention outside the window. Ana had cast a lasting spell on me that would allow me to see through para glamours. Not all paras used glamour; some just had what Lola deemed defense mechanisms that would allow them to walk among humans.

  In many of her lessons, Lola reminded me that not all paras were bad just as not all humans were good. I tried to keep that in mind. It was hard when my first experience with paras wasn’t exactly pleasant. While we were still in high school, a werewolf pack that lived near our hometown decided to kidnap me and Ana. They intended to kill me and send Ana away because we knew their secret. Fortunately, Lola came to the rescue. The day she saved our lives felt like a distant dream. To this day, I couldn’t remember specifics, just impressions.

  "Sixx, I need you to remember the rules."

  "I remember," I said, twisting my hands together on my lap. Anxiety wormed its way around my thoughts, making me squirm in my seat.

  "Okay, what’s rule number five?" she challenged.

  "Pretend they look human," I muttered.

  "Yeah, but it's more than that,” she chided. “Don't even lead with that in your head. You know what they are, and you know that paras exist. The para we’re visiting is not like most. He knows I know about their world because he’s helped me in the past with Ana as well as helping me move to secure locations from time to time. But he doesn't know that you know. And you need to convince him you don't."

  Ana trained with her aunt on fighting skills, trying to push her magic as far as it could go without hurting either one of them. Over time, Ana had learned a little more control with her electric powers and some of her elemental powers. Apparently, she could wield air and fire.

  My training consisted of harnessing my fears and anxieties surrounding werewolves and other paras. Lola and Ana assured me that there was only the single pack of werewolves in our town. I still couldn't get near Nicole, one of the werewolves involved in our kidnapping, without breaking into a cold sweat. Thankfully, she was so full of herself that she thought her bullying toward me was the reason for me steering clear.

  Forrest, another of the wolves, gave us space. I think it had to do with the black eye that Forrest showed up with two weeks after we returned to school. Even so, I still had flashbacks. Ana handled all of it way better than I did. Lola told me it took her a long time to adjust, but she finally did. Humans were adaptable when they needed to be, but for some, it took time. I constantly reminded myself that this was the first true trauma I’d been through in my short life. It was okay if I needed a little more time to sort through my feelings about it.

  Lola parallel parked on a side street with ease. After putting the car in park, she draped her arm over the steering wheel and looked over at me.

  "You ready?"

  "Yeah," I said, my stomach knotting. As terrified as I was, I felt better knowing they were with me. We discussed a bit about what would happen now that I knew. For a brief time, I considered asking them if they knew of a witch who could take my memories away.

  Shaking away those thoughts, I opened the car door and stepped out onto the sidewalk. My back immediately tightened when a woman walked down the stairs from their apartment. I watched closely as the very hip, stylish woman walked past me. Would her face shimmer and change to something… different? My eyes burned as I refused to blink, waiting for her to transform.

  "She’s not a para," Ana whispered.

  I squealed and tried not to jump five feet in the air. I was so focused on the woman that I hadn’t even noticed Ana sneak up. Her tinkling laughter followed, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

  Shaking her head, Ana linked her arm with mine, and we followed a step behind Lola, who led us through the city. The shop we were visiting was only a couple of blocks away. The storefront itself seemed so very… bland. Mountains of anxiety had been raging through me, but jittery excitement followed quickly on its heels.

  This would be my first true, peaceful experience with the paranormal world. I’d expected something grander, something t
hat would be found in books or movies. I wanted to exceed my expectations of creepy witch stores or a bookstore full of grimoires. My excitement quickly faded as we stepped into a cluttered but surprisingly orderly antique shop.

  "Uh…"

  "Close your jaw, Sixx," Ana hissed out of the corner of her mouth.

  I nodded and snapped it shut before refocusing my gaze. Then I followed them through the aisles of yard sale rejects and towers of books stacked on top of each other. I stayed close on Ana’s heels as we moved further into the depths of the store.

  "Wolfe!" Lola called out cheerfully. I rounded the corner, steeling myself to come face-to-face with my first glamoured-but-really-unglamoured-because-of-my-detecting-spell supernatural creature. Ana made it around the corner, and I was a pace behind.

  I lifted my eyes to see…

  "Grandma?" I took a step back.

  "Sixx, dear, what are you doing here?" My grandma, a woman who raised me throughout my formative years, blinked at me behind bifocals.

  "What am I doing here? What are you doing here?" I stepped around Ana, who looked between us with furrowed brows. The name Wolfe in my memories didn't bring up my grandma, but something about this felt off. Something wasn't right.

  "Why are you here?" I asked again, taking a step back. The only time my memories had ever collided like this was when I was being held by the werewolves and they tried to use a blood witch on me. Blood witches could erase and alter human memories better than most other paras, but it came at a cost. If she messed up, she could have destroyed old memories.

  Panic started to seize me. Had Key gotten me and was trying to erase the memories I had of my time with him? No, that didn’t feel right, either.

  "Sixx?" My grandmother's lips were moving, but her voice wasn't that deep.

  I’d definitely never had quite the same reaction from hearing my grandmother’s voice as what was happening to me now. My body heated with a low burn that made me itch for touch, his touch. That itching anxiety that scratched at my mind soothed a little as I thought about him.

  "Sweet girl, what have you gotten yourself into?"

  I blinked up at my grandma, who peered down at me with her hands on her hips. I looked down at my hands. They were so much smaller than they used to be, a little chubbier, too. I blinked as the heavy set of my glasses slid to the bridge of my nose. I giggled loudly before pivoting on my toes away from her.

  "Holy fuck, Sixx. You are so freaking cute as a baby! Does Olezka know how cute you are?" Ana said with a goofy smile on her face. I stuck my tongue out at her, unable to find the words I wanted to use.

  "Oh, pish. Stop that, Anastasia. She’s not ready for that conversation." My grandma watched me closely. She echoed my father in looks. Never a thin lady, she was thicker and sturdier but beautiful and kind, just like her soul.

  "What do you mean?" I asked, my voice growing small, young, and impressionable. I blinked at the little dress I wore, something I know I didn’t pick myself. It was a dress my grandma picked out for me. These memories were bleeding together into a solid, strange tapestry, but what did they mean?

  "Sixx." A deep gravelly voice that didn't belong here broke through my memories. It echoed around the store that was slowly transforming into my grandma's kitchen.

  She took a step toward me and cupped my rounded cheeks in her strong hands. "Sixx, remember. Trust your family."

  "And who’s my family?"

  My grandma's lips twitched, but her eyes grew weary. "You know who they are, my little number."

  I about snorted at the nickname. It had been so long since I’d heard it, but it jarred memories I thought were long forgotten. It made me smile.

  Ana stepped closer. "I’m going to use that, I hope you know," she said with a twinkle in her eye that made me raise my brows.

  As much as I wanted to enjoy the memories swirling around me, something kept tugging at my mind. That gravelly voice spoke again, and a warm comfort filled me. I closed my eyes, soaking in the sound.

  "He needs you. Go back to him," Ana said.

  "No, I’m your sidekick, silly! Remember? We were watching “Lord of the Rings”, and you said I was your Sam. But I said ‘No, Sam saves the day. He’s the hero. I’m just Frodo.’"

  "Yeah, I still can't believe I let you make me watch that."

  "It's a classic! And you made me watch “Breakfast Club”, so we’re even."

  "Which I will stick to my guns to this day and say is a classic," Ana sniffed.

  "Girls! Focus. Sixx, you have somewhere to be. Anastasia, it’s time." My grandma's voice mingled with the sound of Lola's. The words were so similar to the ones she’d spoken to us at the store all of those years ago.

  "Sixx, vernis' ko mne."

  The words were foreign to me, but the voice was startlingly familiar, invoking deep emotions that stirred my heart. Who did the voice belong to?

  Why couldn't I think of his name? Why did everything hurt so freaking bad? I groaned because every second, the pain seemed to radiate heavier and stronger than before. It coated my mind, pulsing through my body. I could recall one time I had gotten a toothache so bad that I couldn't tell where the pain originated from. It beat through my entire head with a relentless pounding. I ended up going to the clinic, thinking it had to be a sinus infection. My nose hurt every time I breathed in. My eyes burned, and my ears ached. When I finally went to the clinic, they advised me to go to the dentist. The pain that I thought should have been isolated exploded outward.

  "She’s rousing. Just give her a bit of time," another voice advised. It was soft like wind brushing between summer leaves.

  "I have given her time," a masculine voice grumbled. I wanted to snort at the petulant way he sounded, but the thought hurt. I cracked my eyes open to stare at him and tell him to stop.

  "Olezka?"

  Light blinded me, and fear dumped into my foggy mind.

  Did I walk into the light?

  Chapter 2

  Ana

  A cold wave swept over me. I’d never felt this way before, betrayed and broken. Sixx had been a constant in my life since my aunt passed away. I promised I would do anything to protect her. Even when that meant I had to do it the Sixx way. Sixx always planned ahead. She liked to see things laid out in an orderly fashion. The only problem with that was that life very rarely went according to plan. While she could pivot in the moment, it was often me swooping in to save the day, acting on adrenaline and raw instincts.

  This was one of those moments when I was struck so dumb and with so much shock that I couldn't do anything. My father watched me closely. His scorching gaze blazed against my skin. He was disappointed with the shock of a daughter I turned out to be.

  I knew if I allowed even a second of vulnerability to shine through, I wouldn't be able to control myself. As it was, the magic in this Court was headier than in the Dark Court's side. It fused into my blood and ignited magic I didn't realize I had. But because it was diluted in the human realm and I only felt a fraction of it in the Dark Court, I didn’t know how to wield it and was quickly overwhelmed. The lessons with Erebus helped, but I was nowhere near what I should be able to do.

  I also learned that when I allowed my emotions free reign in this realm, it had explosive results. The emotions that threatened to overtake me when I saw a knife plunged into my best friend? I could have destroyed worlds.

  Olezka had a one-track mind. His body exploded into his beast in an instant. Fae who didn't move fast enough were barreled to the side in his haste to reach his mate. Erebus looked at me, his eyes pleading for me to remain. But in the instant before his lackey plunged the knife in her side, Key leaned in to whisper that only he had the cure for the poison that tipped the blade. The only reason she was poisoned was because of her connection to me. I owed her this. I couldn't stay.

  I had to meekly follow his plan and remain complacent until I had everything I wanted. That meant letting Sixx fall… for now. I had to let the others take care of her wounds wh
ile I took care of the poison.

  I closed my eyes, taming the rage that pulsed under my skin. Key claimed the wound would seem deadly, but his assassin knew where to make it bleed but not cause death. His cold explanation didn't make me feel better. None of this did. But I had to play the part.

  "You promised the cure to the poison if I followed you through the portal without fighting. I did my part; now send it to them!" I yelled the moment I stepped through the portal. My magic waned, and I realized we were back on the Dark Court's side.

  Key kept his plans close to his chest. At this point, I had no choice but to remain by his side if only to find out what his end game was. I doubted he’d fallen in love with me and all of my charms, regardless of the ploy he sold to my father, so why would he demand that I marry him? In my limited research concerning fae and marriage, it was rarely about love. It was about power plays. It was to connect one powerful family with another.

  Key wanted my family's alliance because he needed the support of powerful fae before he tried to overthrow Erebus. Which I would never allow to happen. Because it turned out I really liked that cold, scary son of a bitch. Erebus and I had a lot of time to learn about each other during my stay with him, and boy hoe, I fucking missed him more than I cared to admit.

  If I thought too long about how amazing he looked in his fae formal attire and how his darkness seemed to pulse like a living thing when he saw Key with me, I'd crumble. Erebus and Key were of the same Court and family yet were leagues apart. Erebus looked as dark as his Court called him. Key had silver hair and light features. Key lacked the strong presence of a born King, while Erebus wielded it like a weapon.

  Whatever Key wanted to attempt, he would never have the same strength as the true Kings of the Light and Dark. As much as I disliked my father, he had the aura of a King. He would not be fucked with, but that was exactly what Key was trying to do.

  "I will in due time. Do not fear, Princess. That poison is very slow acting. They will not know what’s happening unless I need to speed the process along." He gave me a pointed look.