by Kandi Vale
“Fuck,” Mattheus groaned, tipping back the rest of his drink. “Just back off, Dolor. We don’t have time to get more soil because you wanted a snack. The Elves get pissy when we’re late.”
Dolor dipped his head respectfully towards the tiny pirate. Lobah had to pull back her blade or risk cutting his neck. “As you wish, oh Dread Pirate Roberts.”
Mattheus guffawed. “Alright, lady, give Westley here our case so we can be off.”
“Your word that you will leave in peace?” Lobah asked, eyes moving back and forth between them.
“You have our word,” Mattheus said.
Lobah nodded, then whistled. A monkey shot through the side window, barely able to fit the case through after it. It jumped up onto the counter, dropped the case, then jumped onto Lobah’s shoulder.
“That’s a bit bigger than a parrot, don’t you think?” Midas asked.
It certainly was. The damn thing looked like it would make her tip over.
“A bit smarter, too.” Lobah grinned.
“As fun as this has been, we must be off. Thanks for an interesting evening,” Mattheus said, tipping the fedora on his head and grabbing his suit jacket off the table. He grabbed the ruby that was still sitting there and slipped it into his pocket, walking out without another word.
Dolor grabbed the case full of dirt and followed, taking his shadows and screams with him.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Ava
Well, that was an experience Ava never wanted to go through again. Thinking about Ody laying there, blood soaking through his leather jacket, his face pale… Ava shuddered and gripped his hand more tightly. She wasn’t sure how she had known the shift would save him, she just had. It was as if the bond was screaming for them to save one another. Once Midas, Ramé, and Ava had sprouted wings, the bond told her Ody needed to as well. It was scary to have some unknown force pushing her actions. But it had saved them, and Ava felt her hesitation in trusting that force dwindle. She owed it a life debt, after all.
Ava watched as Lobah kicked the asshole with the eyepatch, making him groan.
“Get up, Simon. You’ve caused enough trouble for one day,” she barked.
The pirate scrambled to his feet, pale as death. He sort of looked like he might throw up. “I’m sorry, Lobah,” he muttered.
“Save it for Sal. Get the fuck off this boat and take your trash with you,” Lobah growled, the tiny woman seeming not so tiny in that moment.
Simon stumbled over to the others, picking up the ones still breathing and jerking them out the door.
Once they had gone, Lobah turned towards them, a bright smile on her pretty face. “Now, then. How about you pour me a drink?” She hopped up onto one of the barstools, the monkey jostling on her shoulder. “Chuckles, go loot,” she said, and the monkey jumped down, heading towards the bodies and rifling through their pockets.
Definitely smarter than a parrot.
Ramé shook his head, chuckling as he headed for the bourbon.
“So, uh, you want to tell me about those wings?” Lobah asked, staring unabashedly at the glorious wings sprouting from Ramés back. Their clothing and jackets were a mess, torn down the back as if they had all been lashed. Ava snarled, irritation at her friend’s perusal overriding her common courtesy.
Lobah turned towards her, lifting a brow.
Ava shrugged as if to say “my bad”, then hopped up on a stool beside her. “We actually needed to talk to you about that.”
Then she began to tell Lobah about the mating bond and how it had affected them all, ending with the bounty on Lobah and asking why the Council was looking for her.
“Ava said you know a witch that dabbles in ancient magic. Does that have something to do with why the Council is after you?” Midas asked, curiosity burning in his golden eyes. “What exactly are you messing with, Lobah? Does it have anything to do with what’s happening to us?”
Lobah rolled her lip ring into her mouth, chewing on it as she stared at them, the silence heavy.
“Lo?” Ava asked, touching her arm gently. “It’s okay. We’re not judging you. I know you’ve always had a soft spot for magic.” She grinned, trying to ease the tension.
Shaking her head, Lobah reached up and ran a finger along the edge of Ava’s wing, eyes lit with wonder. “What are the odds, huh? Magic always did have a shitty sense of humor.”
Chuckling, Ava grimaced. “Made a beeline straight for the non-believer.” She met Lobah’s eyes, pleading with her. “We need to talk to Cyclone. We have to have answers, Lo.”
Lobah blew out a breath, sitting back against the bar. “I know. The problem is Cyclone’s missing.”
“What do you mean missing?” Ody asked.
“As in can’t be found. She disappeared last night. The damn woman never leaves the boat. I have a few leads I need to follow up on. As soon as I find her, I can get you answers. Meanwhile, you all need to get the hell out of dodge before shit really goes sideways. My Uncle Sal will put a bounty out on all of you once he realizes you guys killed Raul. If it had just been Ava, we might have been able to talk him down. But with bounty hunters involved?” She shook her head. “Raul was a mutinous prick, but we don’t take kindly to outsiders poking around in our affairs. Simon was only out of line because he was playing avenger without orders. Pretty soon, that won’t be relevant anymore.” She took another long swallow of her drink. “Not to mention what the Council will do if they figure out a group of Rarities are sprouting wings. It’s gonna be a ship in a storm if that happens.”
Slamming back the rest of her bourbon, Lobah hopped off the stool and whistled for her monkey, who promptly returned and took up perch on her shoulder once more. “I’ll send word as soon as I find out what the hell is going on. You have my number, Ava?” Ava nodded and Lobah shook her head, exasperated. “The fucking Council…Sal’s going to throw a fit.”
And then the tiny pirate was gone.
The four of them stared at one another, assessing the new development. Ava leaned forward, rubbing her cheek along Midas’ wing. “This is amazing…” she whispered. “Do you think… we can fly?”
They all paused, the weight of what was happening slamming home. “We’ll have to wait to test it until we get out to sea,” Ody said, grabbing his own drink.
“What now?” Ramé asked.
“Now we go home. Together.” Ody shrugged, taking a long swig.
“Home?” Ava bit her lip, her nerves plucking the strings that bound them together.
“Yes. Home.” Midas slid up beside her, wrapping an arm awkwardly around her waist, trying to avoid the wings.
Ava giggled at his attempt. Then she stopped, a look of horror coming onto her face.
“Wait! We can’t leave! I have to go get my things!”
They all blinked at her.
“Sunshine, we have wings. We can’t go gallivanting through town for your stuff. We’ll get you new things.”
Pouting, Ava bit the inside of her lip. She really, really didn’t want to leave her shinies. She had collected them for years. Her mother’s pearls were back there.
Ody sighed, pulling out his cellphone and pressing a button. “Yeah, I need a favor,” he said to the caller. “Yes, I know it’s going to cost me.”
Ava’s smile was so bright, it could have shattered diamonds.
She would have her old shinies and new ones. Looking around at the three golden men staring at her, knowing that they were heading somewhere that Ava could finally call home, Ava felt whole for the first time in her life.
Ava finally would have it all.
The End
Epilogue
Malum
What separated man from beast? That was a question Malum had been asking himself for longer than he could remember. Staring down the barrel at the snarling muzzle of the grizzly bear across from him, the philosophical meandering once again spun its way through his head. What made him different than this monster charging him?
He pulled the trigger.
Malum ground his teeth as he stepped closer to the bear, crouching down beside it.
Hours of trial and error, and still the answers eluded him.
Did beasts have such worries? How much easier it must be to have a simple mind, he thought.
“Sir?”
He looked up, his amber eyes landing on his assistant who stood at attention outside his lab. “What is it?” The Meerkat Affinity knew better than to interrupt these sessions. Perhaps he could be his next test subject…
“The Council, sir. They wish to meet with you.”
Malum stood and wiped his hands on his trousers before pushing back the length of his sandy blond hair.
“Send them in.”
With a nod, his assistant turned and fled, moving with a quickness known to his kind.
Walking around the massive bear, Malum made his way outside the circular arena he had built in the center of his lab. He ran his fingers along the row of cages that lined the back wall, listening to the chitter of creatures and beasts within. He felt the others enter, but ignored them as he continued his perusal of the cages, taking his time to stare each occupant in the eye as he went. It was important to make these rounds. To remind those caged exactly who the predator was here. Who owned them.
Finally, he looked up at the Councilmen who had entered, his eyes daring each one to bow before their king.
One by one, each gaze dropped, acknowledging his dominance. They were but beasts, after all, weren’t they?
“Any word?” Malum asked, walking past and leading them out of his lab and into the hall beyond.
“Nothing yet. It seems that every hunter we send comes up empty,” Saltos said, taking up step beside him.
Typical. What did he expect from men such as bounty hunters? “Up the reward.”
“Imbeciles. Money is not going to solve this problem, as irksome as that is.” Tora piped in.
Turning, Malum caught the sneer on Tora’s face as she tossed her sheet of orange hair behind one shoulder. Raising a brow, he observed the Tiger Affinity closely. Tora was as cunning as they came, and one hell of a fuck. Letting his eyes trail down her curvy form, he waited in silence until she took a small step back and swallowed, her shoulders curving in ever so slightly.
“You have another idea, Tora darling?” Malum asked. He didn’t use the endearment out of affection. It was simply one more tool in his arsenal to wield; to remind her she was nothing but a mere woman they allowed in their presence. She spoke because he let her. She had as much power as he gave her.
“Send Vasi.”
Malum sneered, turning in dismissal as he made his way towards his office. “No.”
“He could prove useful in this,” Saltos said. The two Council Members followed him into his office and chose their spots at the long mahogany table centered there.
Malum, of course, sat at the head of the table. “My son is no common babysitter.”
“We don’t need a common babysitter,” Tora said, clicking her long nails against the tabletop in irritation.“We need someone skilled enough for this task. If we don't retrieve the weapon before the Rarities do, we won’t stand a chance. We need to use everything at our disposal.”
Malum’s son was a complicated situation. The human side of Malum revelled in the strength of his firstborn, proud of the king he was raising. The Lion within him, however, wanted to end the boy before he could amass any more strength. Grinding his teeth, Malum considered.
A commotion broke out in his entrance hall. The three of them snapped to their feet as the office door burst open. A muscled orc of a man entered, hauling a squirming, burlap sack in his arms.
Meerkat of the week stumbled in behind him, blood dripping from his temple. “I...I’m sorry, sir. I tried to stop him.”
The big man scoffed and tossed the bundle onto his table. “Fuck off, boy. The men have business to discuss.”
“Oso, your entrance leaves much to be desired,” Malum said cooly, straightening as he assessed the person who was trying to break free from the tan sack they were in.
“You don’t hire me for my etiquette,” Oso said, his voice deep with laughter.
“Indeed. Are the bands in place?”
The Bear Affinity nodded.
“Excellent. I will forward your payment.” Malum nodded towards the door, dismissing the hunter before returning his attention to the table.
“What is the meaning of this?” Saltos hissed.
Instead of answering, Malum released the tie of the sack, watching as the old woman burst free, her silver dreads only adding to her wildness as she scrambled across his tabletop. The rage and hatred that flickered on her withered features made Malum grateful for the God bands Oso had secured on her wrists, which bound her magic.
“Welcome to my home, Mistress Circe,” Malum purred as he walked towards her.
Despite her age, she slid from the table with grace, backing into the corner.
“I apologize about your trip. Time was of the essence, however. Surely you understand,” Malum continued, using his impressive height to tower over her.
The Goddess spit at his feet.
Instant rage flooded through him. Malum backhanded the woman, surprised when she didn’t even stumble.
Instead, she looked up at him, blood trailing down her chin, and laughed.
“Malum, King of Kings, your time is nigh. For when threads unravel, they shall take cities with it. Your kingdom shall burn, seeds and root torn from the earth. You will be nothing but ash among the wind.”
“What is she talking about?” Tora asked, her voice filled with disgust and confusion.
“Prophecy, you dumb broad,” the old woman cackled.
“What prophecy?” Malum whispered, his hand wrapping around the woman’s throat. “Tell me what I wish to know, woman, or we will test the limits of your immortality.”
“She’s coming for you, Lion King. Karma made flesh. She is coming for you all.”
His grip tightened. “How do I stop her?” he snarled.
Gasping, her bronzed hand gripped his wrist, her eyes bulging. “Y..you don’t. She... she stops you.”
Malum’s growl was something primal. He dropped the woman, who had lifted off the ground at some point, and turned to storm back towards the entrance.
“Get Vasi. He has a weapon to hunt.”
It was time to put his son’s abilities to the test. He would prove himself worthy of being heir to the Kingdom, or Malum would kill him and sire another.
The Goddess’ roughened cackles followed him into the hallway, her words settling like poison in his veins.
Fate had arrived, and he would meet it with claws and teeth.
Author Note:
Whew! What a ride! I hope you all enjoyed my first dabble into the Why Choose world! While I loved our Griffin trio, most of my male leads are just too damn possessive to share. *sigh* We haven’t seen the last of these characters, though, so If you don’t mind a little one-on-one action, please feel free to check out the rest of my Slivered Realm books!
In fact, flip to the next page for a sneak peek at the blurb for our troublesome Pirate Princess Lobah… ;)
To read more about the characters Dolor and Mattheus, be sure to check out my paranormal romance trilogy Slivered Souls.
Other books by Kandi Vale:
Slivered
Convalescent
Reclaimed
Between Feathers and Midnight
Resilience (Coming 2020)
Read on for the blurb reveal for Lobah Ponticki’s story. Coming soon…
Rarity
When my father placed the massive bounty on Lobah Pontiki’s head, I knew two things.
One, he feared this girl for some reason.
Two, I was going to discover that reason and use it to destroy
him.
Imagine my surprise when, instead of a dragon, I discovered a mouse. A beautiful, odd, intriguing pirate who mocked my very existence with her free spirit. Her laughter danced across the sea until it found me, waiting to drink it down and replace it with delicate whimpers.
I would break her and wield the weapon that was her soul by any means necessary.
She needed to be tamed. It just so happened I was mighty skilled with a whip...
About the Author
Kandi Vale was born and raised in Michigan. When she isn’t spending time with her husband and five beautiful children, she enjoys getting lost in a good book or laying chicks out playing roller derby. By day, Kandi puts her degree from Ferris State University to use as a CT technologist, but by night she throws herself into her writing. The Slivered Souls Trilogy is her debut paranormal romance series, which is now complete! There are several spin-off books from the same universe coming soon!
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