by Harper Wylde
Damien groaned once more. Really… stop smiling. You’re going to kill me prematurely.
What are they saying about her? Killian demanded.
You don’t want to know.
Kill growled. Yes, I do. And I need to know who thought it.
Things are about to get bloody! Ryder laughed happily in my head, enjoying the menace coming from Kill.
They’re thinking about how damn good that dress looks on her. About how fucking perfect her skin is. About how young, fertile, and ready to breed she is. About mating her and being the first to create more phoenixes and the power it would lend their family. Possessiveness clouded the link coming from more than just Damien. The hot, thick need to claim me reverberated through each connection, the strength and power of it making me dizzy. I’d never had such a physical reaction before, but I erected some of my mental wall, trying to lessen the effect their feelings were having on my body—and my body’s very scentable response. My Phoenix surged forward at their willingness to mate—pressing to be released—and I knew the moment my eyes started glowing gold and fiery orange with her presence. Gasps and murmurs shot through the crowd and my eyes slammed closed as I reigned in my Phoenix and pushed her back. The other shifters in the room wanted nothing more than to see my Phoenix in all her shifted, fiery glory.
Not now, girl. We’re drawing too much attention. Let me handle this. She squawked unhappily, but seemed to understand my predicament. Burying herself deep within me, she gave me the space I needed to navigate and survive the night. Neither one of us would do anything to jeopardize being able to mate with our men or our safety. The Council was dangerous, and I had no doubt that if I didn’t comply to their demands, my already precarious situation would grow ugly. Tonight was for them, not for me.
Theo was giving his brothers a thorough scolding while pushing back his own need to focus on the political dance that was about to happen. His authority was not missed by me nor the guys.
Lowering my wall, I was relieved when the emotions were back on an even keel. We’re sorry, Nix. Theo caught my attention and gave me an encouraging smile as Gaspard and I finished our walk and came to a stop near the other debutantes.
Leaning over, Gaspard whispered into my ear, “You will greet the Council now. Follow the other girls’ leads, and make sure to show them proper respect.”
I watched the proceedings until it was my turn to face the Council.
Each of the seven Councilmen were seated on their respective thrones which sat on a dias above the rest of the crowd. They lorded over the proceedings of their own ball in their expertly tailored tuxedos, complete with decorative, colorful sashes that slashed across their chests in a display of their power, marking them for the rulers they were.
Councilman Williams sat at the center, and I struggled to look at him after having witnessed the lethal power he held. Out of all the Council members, he may have been the most deadly if not the scariest of all of them. As a basilisk, he was able to kill by simply making eye contact. Across his chest sat a sky blue sash, reminiscent of one of the shades of his heterochromatic eyes—one blue and one brown. His light skin was in direct contrast to his inky black suit, his brown hair styled to perfection.
I walked until I stood before him—before them all—and dipped into a low curtsey, showing them the respect that their societal rules dictated. I tilted my head down in deference before raising to my full stature. Gaspard stood diagonally behind me, and while he still remained close, he felt eons away now as I faced down the Council on my own.
“Welcome, Annika.” Councilman Williams greeted me with open arms. It almost looked as if he was asking for a hug, but I knew better than to step foot on their precious elevated stage—not that I wanted to be even one inch closer to any of them. I nodded my thanks for his warm welcome—as if I had a choice in attending this evening, but I thought it better that I kept those thoughts to myself.
Councilman Maldonado, who sat to one end of the row of thrones, had his focus solely on me in an eerie, unblinking gaze that sent shivers straight down my spine. There was something disconcerting about him. The evil aura of the man permeated the air, making me uncomfortable. His sash was a crimson red, and it wasn’t hard to guess that it related in some way to his penchant for blood. My Phoenix ruffled her feathers in warning. While I didn’t care for any of the Council members, this man in particular set me ill at ease. “So nice that you could join us this evening.” Maldonado’s heavy Puerto Rican accent rolled off his tongue.
My tongue felt glued to the roof of my mouth, so I simply offered him a deep nod in response. Very diplomatic, Nix. Good job. I gave myself a pep talk, and heard whispers of laughter coming faintly through my muted connection to the guys.
“Yes, so nice that you weren’t otherwise engaged…” Councilman Khan’s reddish eyes flashed as he spoke, and my Phoenix feathers rose at his choice of words. I tried hard not to narrow my eyes at him, but instead schooled my features and nodded to him as well, keeping my damn mouth shut.
“You look beautiful tonight, Nix,” Damien’s father said from his place at Councilman Williams’ side, as if he hadn’t seen me earlier and paid me the same compliment.
“Thank you, Councilman Lacroix.”
“Tonight is a very important night for you, young lady. You have many interested, well positioned suitors and a wise Elder to walk you through the choices at your fingertips. He will instruct you as to which suitors are truly eligible, and which would be poor matches for you in either status, creature, or offering.” Councilman Williams instructed as he waved a hand toward Gaspard, switching his attention from me to him. “I assume you are prepared for the influx of matches you are about to receive for your debutante's hand?” A small curve settled onto the Basilisk shifter’s lips in an unsettling smile. Whether that was his intention, any kind expression he tried to make immediately contorted into a look that held a feral edge.
“Of course, of course. I knew the girl would be extremely sought after before I ever agreed to take her on. Bring on the eager young lads, and let them present me with their best offer.” Gaspard must have shot Williams his cheeky, mischievous grin because the Councilman settled back into his throne with a chuckle.
“It’s guaranteed to be an entertaining evening.” Councilman Williams clapped his hands once, rubbing his palms together before he straightened and leaned forward once more. “We will be watching closely this evening, being that Nix is already of a certain age. Her future is very important to us all.” He motioned to the room at large.
“A peculiar situation to have one so much older among our group of debutantes tonight. Very interesting indeed.” Nearly black eyes set upon me from the hulking form of the aqrabuamelu shifter, Councilman Rahal. The black sleeves of his suit jacket strained to conceal the muscles contained within, and while the cut of his tuxedo alluded to an expensive designer with its double lapels and the shining onyx cufflinks decorating the sleeves, the fancy clothing couldn’t hide the sinister look he’d perfected with his nearly shaved head, a single strip of short black hair styled down the center like that of a mohawk or a mane. His gaze traveled over my body in a leering, lingering look that left me feeling like I wanted to take a shower.
I bit my inner lip as I worked to keep my face neutral.
“Let us be done with this conversation and get the party started so we can be through with this whole dreaded event,” Councilman Stepanov seethed from his seat at the far end of the line of thrones.
I wanted to gape at his outward disdain for the Gala—a Council sanctioned event—but kept my mouth closed. My Phoenix screeched in my head, warning me away from the thin, golden haired man as his gaze landed on us. His dark grey eyes were swirling pits of darkness in his otherwise handsome face. The strong line of his cheeks and chin only added to the sharp, dangerous outward appearance of the man. Yet, it wasn’t his outward appearance that was the most dangerous, but the creature he shifted into. As a koschei, he controlled death itself.
Goosebumps prickled along my skin, but I refused to break eye contact.
“Go now, Annika, and make sure to consider all eligible matches.” Councilman Ishida pulled my attention and dismissed me with a sly smile on his face, his eyes flicking over my head to take in something behind me. A tight smile tugged at my lips, and I realized that Ahmya had to be somewhere behind me, probably trying to make a play for one of my men.
With one last low bow, I turned to leave.
“Annika.” The sound of my name had me turning to glance over my shoulder, and every muscle in my body froze at the sight of Councilman Williams standing swiftly, buttoning the low buttons of his tuxedo, and striding toward me, down the steps of the dias. “It is my duty to kick off the evening now that the introductions are completed, and it would honor me if you would agree to the first dance of the night.” He held a smooth, pale hand out toward me, one hand gallantly behind his back as he bent slightly at the waist.
“A dance?” I nearly squeaked. I was supposed to dance with a basilisk? My heart rate flew as I looked around for one of my men.
It’s rude to keep him waiting, Nix. You need to say yes. Quickly! Theo prompted me mentally as Damien let the words fly into my head.
“The pleasure and honor is all mine, Councilman.” I had no idea where the proper and elegant words came from, whether it was prompting from Damien or Gaspard’s etiquette training, but I was grateful for them nevertheless.
“For this dance, please call me Drake.” His eyes glimmered with charm as I placed my hand into his, and he sent a sharp, quick nod to the small orchestra positioned in one corner of the room. As the music drifted through the air, I tried not to flinch when his hand settled on my waist. Killian’s growl was a steady noise in the back of my mind as Councilman Williams—er… Drake—swept me across the room.
“You seem to be quite a skilled dancer, Nix.”
“Thank you, but you’re being kind. Ryder and the guys taught me to dance.” I snuck a peek at the floor to watch my steps as we rounded the room.
“Ah yes, your roommates.” The word sounded like it was a bad taste in his mouth. “I hear that Theo will be placing his bid for consideration as one of your mates. Since he is with his sister this evening acting as her Elder, his bid will be placed after the Gala is over. It seems that Gaspard will approve him if you so desire.” I bit my lip again, trying to keep the smile I wanted to make from showing up on my face. At least I would be able to have one of my guys relatively easily. The others I would need to fight for. It was a fight I was prepared to win.
Drake continued, “You seem to be a sweet, strong girl, Nix.” I tensed, wondering why he was paying me compliments, but I murmured a ‘thank you’ in response.
“My son is now twenty one and has yet to place a bid. Derrick is much sought after as a mate—strong, wise, powerful… charming.” His eyes held a glint as he smiled down at me. “That’s him over there.” He pointed with a finger that was holding my hand. Derrick stood at the edge of the crowd, his blue eyes trained on me as I moved around the room with his father. His golden hair was styled with every strand in place, and like most of the other men in the room, he wore a tuxedo, except his had a navy hue to it. Broad shoulders tapered to a lean waistline that led to strong legs and a shiny pair of shoes. A bow tie was fastened around his neck and a perfectly folded pocket square was tucked into the slash of a pocket in his tailored jacket. He seemed to be the epitome of refinement. “This morning he announced me that he’d finally found a girl worth placing a bid on. He’s never even spoken with you and yet you enthrall him already. Now I know you don’t know him yet, but I beseech you to at least consider him. While our basilisk genes are strong, we firmly believe your phoenix genetics would override that of our snakes. He would be a good, solid choice for you as a mate and a father to your offspring. Of course, I know that you are much sought after tonight, but I do hope you let Gaspard lead you in making wise choices.”
“I know Gaspard has my best interests at heart.” The answer was as cryptic and political an answer as I could give. Gaspard did have my best interests at heart, but those interests had nothing to do with any of the other male shifters within the room other than my Ceraptor, Gargoyle, Kitsune, Puca, and Kraken. The idea of mating with a basilisk literally struck fear into my heart, a fear that my Phoenix echoed.
“Eh hem.” A throat cleared to our side, and I saw the smiling face of Damien’s father coming to save me. “Excuse me, Drake, may I cut in?” He held out his hand in a gesture that left no room for argument.
Williams assessed Councilman Lacroix for a moment longer than was necessary or polite before he bowed his head to the man. “Of course.” He turned back to me. “Nix, it’s been lovely.” His lips met the back of my hand and my tongue found its way between my teeth as I bit down and worked to not yank my fingers from his grasp. This Gala was already requiring a blood sacrifice on my part as the tang of cooper flooded my sense of taste.
When he walked away, Damien’s father took his place for the remainder of the dance.
“Damien is working hard to keep me out of his thoughts,” Raphael Lacroix said nonchalantly.
“He’s always careful at events such as this,” I replied, defending Damien while remaining vague.
“Yes, he is. I taught him that.” He let a small chuckle slip free. “However, I believe it’s more than that this time, isn’t it Nix?”
I blinked up at Raphael Lacroix, unsure if I was dancing with the Councilman or the father of my mate. “Damien knows what he wants.”
“Do you?” His eyes honestly looked like they were imploring mine. It struck me as odd that he didn’t already understand how serious his son and I were about each other, then again… maybe he had noticed that earlier.
“I do.” I nodded, not breaking eye contact. “Damien is turning into a wonderful man. He’s sweet and kind, yet strong and independent. He’s a fantastic cook.”
“He gets that entirely from his mother…” He laughed. “But I’d like to take some credit for the other things.”
“You should. Damien loves you and your wife very much. Family means everything to him.”
Raphael’s eyes bored into mine, weighing my words. “And he considers you family.” It was a statement, not a question. He let out a deep breath. “Annika, I’m truly sorry about what that man did to you.”
I nodded and broke eye contact. My throat constricted. I couldn’t deal with this kind of an apology now and make it through the Gala in one piece.
The stars must have aligned and for once listened to my plea because the music drew to a close, and I pulled back from the embrace of my dance partner.
“Thank you for the dance, Councilman Lacroix.” I bowed my head and headed to find Gaspard, eager to get this night over with.
Thirty-Seven
Nix
The brilliant glitter of the ballroom didn’t seem to dim despite the hours I was spending in it. I glanced over my shoulder at Gaspard, who appeared so at ease in this environment. I could never tell with a look when his laugh or his smile were fake. He’d paused his wheeling and dealing enough times to whisper into my ear about which shifters were obnoxious, which were cruel, and what families I had to try to please. It made my head spin the way he could keep them all straight and keep his own emotions completely concealed behind the facade of a congenial gentlemen. Watching him made me eve more unsure that I could ever fit into this world. I handed him back his flute of champagne that I had been holding waiting for him to finish with the latest offer.
“They bid well above themselves.” Gaspard murmured the words in my ear, drinking deeply from his flute. “There’s nothing wrong with that, and the family is kind. You could do worse.” I wrinkled my nose, studying the older gentleman in a tuxedo that fit poorly. His eyes were soft but he was clearly uncomfortable as he kept tugging at his collar and adjusting his cuffs. His son stood across the room if the nods between the two of them were any indication. The son look
ed much like his father, his hair nearly as dark as my own falling into his eyes, his tall, gangly frame clad in the same ill-fitting tuxedo. His smile was shy as his eyes briefly met mine, his head ducking down to look at me from under his lashes. “Don’t make snap judgments, girl. I know how you feel about my boys. That doesn’t mean they have to be the only shifters you associate with. You need friends too, not just a handful of mates you’ll have to keep in line.” I blushed at his observation, wishing I had my own drink in hand.
I searched the room with my eyes, looking for each of my men. Gaspard headed towards the next family interested in buying me into their line. Theo was also accepting bids, only he was acting as Molly’s Elder. When he’d first told me that he would act as Elder rather than his mother, I’d been surprised. Though I shouldn’t have been given how chauvinistic this society was turning out to be. Molly was a few steps behind him, chattering with a group of other girls in brilliantly colored gowns, all who were being presented tonight. Her face was lit up with excitement and wonder, her eyes large as she scanned the ballroom, assessing the decor and her potential matches. An enthusiasm and anticipation filled her gaze whereas I struggled to ignite even a spark of interest in anyone other than the men I’d already claimed as mine. A twinge in my chest reminded me of my guilt as a few of her companions glared over at me. I had heard some of the younger girls complaining that most of the men were bidding on me, and I was limiting their potential matches. I wished I could just announce my mates, let the world know they were mine, and be done with this. I resisted the urge to growl as I spotted Ryder. I especially wanted to claim them to deal with issues like the one I was observiving now, I realized, as I saw Ahmya and her buddies had backed Ry into a corner. With the way they were cocking their heads, fluttering their lashes, and reaching out as if to touch him, I could tell they were trying to get him to make a declaration and choose one of them as a mate.