Institute of Supernaturals: Savage Collects

by J. E. Cluney

  I froze as Tristan’s voice rang out in my mind.

  Samson. Surely he didn’t actually mean…

  “You’re brother, yeah, all of your brothers and fathers are here. They wanted to help, Mr Oxley tracked them down and we also discovered that the Collector may have Izzy too, their mate,” Leon confirmed for me.

  “She is here,” I murmured, still reeling from this information.

  My family was here? My real family?

  “We left Jackson behind since Thomas followed us to your true family’s home. Dominic showed him the truth and he broke, so Jackson stayed with him, I promised I’d tell him when we got you out safe,” Leon stated.

  I just nodded, lost for words.

  What was my family like? How had they reacted when they’d discovered I was alive?

  Wesley pushed the images of the commotion into my mind, and I smiled softly as Leon took my hand to lead me out of the room and into the hall.

  They’d been confused but overjoyed. They’d thought I was dead.

  And I could see them, all my brothers and fathers.

  My true father, Soren.

  ‘There’s no need for you guys to hang around, just head out of the building. Many of the guests or whatever are fleeing, and the others are leading all the supes out. The male kitsunes were unreasonable, so Lionel unlocked their cells but left them to decide what they were going to do,’ Tristan said.

  ‘What about Nate? Did he leave?’ I asked as I projected an image of my new mate to Tristan. I felt the others peering into my mind too to see what he looked like.

  ‘He went with Lionel, one of the only male kitsunes who didn’t act aggressive. Spoke about you, but Lionel told him you were being rescued by us.’

  I sighed in relief. Nate was safe too.

  My mind moved to Lucy, and I just frowned. I wasn’t sure what to think about her. She’d looked worried for my safety when I’d burst into that ballroom, but I wasn’t so sure about her. She was a hard one to read.

  No. I wouldn’t worry about her. She’d either escape or stay, but the choice was hers. I was not going to worry about her.

  I let Leon lead the way, and I was confused when I started seeing windows in the building. The magic was lifted.

  Thank God.

  “Just go out a fucking window!” Damien snarled from behind us.

  He had a point. Why were we still headed down the hall?

  “I need to check on Mr Oxley,” Leon said as he continued on.

  “I’m sure he’s fine,” Wesley muttered.

  As we spun down the next corridor, I saw what they’d all seen too.

  Holy fucking no.

  I gaped as we came upon the ballroom, this time, there were no people dancing or any music.

  And now, it had no ceiling, the whole thing was destroyed and pieces crumbling all around.

  But my attention was not drawn by the Collector floating in the center with a fierce purple galaxy aura, or the magic he was hurling.

  It was captured by the creature facing off with him.

  Its wings were stretched out, spanning half of the huge ballroom, and its golden scaled body moving with speed and a strange, shimmering sleekness. Talons extended from its large hand-like front feet, and its back feet were crushing the rubble it was standing on. Its tail whipped around wildly as it roared once more, showing rows of razor-sharp teeth.

  I just froze at the sight, never having seen anything like it before. At least, not in real life.

  “He’s a fucking dragon!?”

  34

  I just stared, utterly astonished at the sight of the massive beast spewing flames at the Collector.

  Declan Barivian apparently, from what the guys’ thoughts were.

  “Declan said he’d finally returned home,” I murmured as golden sand magic swirled around the ballroom as the pair hurled magic and fire.

  The intensity of the magic in this room was overpowering, and it made me want to retreat into the halls and escape.

  Declan was shouting at the dragon now, and I struggled to make out his words over the hurling magic that sizzled through the air with the flames.

  From what I could gather, Mr Oxley had been his most prized possession years ago until he escaped.

  So Mr Oxley had been a part of his horrid collection.

  Jesus.

  ‘If you guys aren’t busy, Izzy and the others need some assistance. Some werewolves and other shifters have decided to try to fight for the Collector. They’re going to need back-up.’

  I knew Tristan was using his demon blades and possessing quite a few of the supes in the building, but he couldn’t possess them all, and my brothers and fathers needed help.

  As much as I was caught up watching this intense magical battle, my family needed me.

  ‘Where are they?’ I asked as I turned back to the hall.

  I wanted to find Izzy too. And Nate.

  Hell, I needed to know we were all okay.

  Mr Oxley seemed to be holding his own quite well, and there was nothing we could do. Interfering could potentially get us killed.

  “I’m definitely not going to get in the middle of that,” Wesley muttered as he turned away from the fight between the two powerful beings.

  I just hoped Mr Oxley could win.

  I took off as Tristan guided me mentally, and the twins and Wesley hurtled after me.

  We weaved through halls and corridors, and eventually came upon a large dining hall where supes were fighting all around.

  I instantly felt myself drawn to Nate, who was tossing a werewolf over the large table as he snarled.

  I was both relieved and worried to find him in the midst of battle.

  My eyes flicked around, spying Izzy off to the side with a witch/kitsune guarding her as the others fought. I just blinked as it dawned on me.

  All these men fighting, the half-kitsunes, they were my brothers.

  “Samson!”

  A burly looking werewolf roared as he hurled a half-shifted werebear towards the half-shifted kitsune.

  My full brother.

  He slammed the werebear down on the table, scrambling on top of him and driving a blade into him before leaping off and snatching up a bow and quiver. He fired off a series of arrows into other supes with extreme speed.

  And he was one hell of a shot too.

  “Want this?”

  I turned as Damien held out my kitsune blade. I hadn’t even noticed it earlier.

  A smile spread across my face as my fingers curled around the hilt of it, and the power flowed through me freely.

  “Thank you,” I murmured as I felt my body begin to undergo the shift.

  Fur sprouted from my skin as I shimmied out of my panties and tore off my bra with one hand.

  My face elongated as claws grew from my fingertips, and my spine lengthened and split.

  In only seconds, my four tails were splayed out behind me as I held my blade at the ready.

  And then I launched into the snarling, growling, shrieking fray of supes.

  I barreled into an unsuspecting werelion mid shift as it was headed for one of my brothers, the werewolf/kitsune one.

  I drove my blade into its ribs expertly as it shrieked, and then I yanked it out and leaped for the next one.

  Leon and Damien had sprouted wings, and they were shooting glowing magic from their hands while Wesley was setting a whole heap of supes alight.

  The battle was quickly turning in our favor as my family fought the mass of supes in the room, easily dispatching them and moving onto the next.

  I slashed and fought, flipping and bouncing around as I stabbed the attackers. I slammed my blade into what appeared to be a werecheetah before releasing my blade and spinning to grab the arm of a weretiger trying to claw at me. I tugged the creature forward, bouncing off the floor and locking my legs around his shoulders. I quickly snapped his neck with deadly precision, and we both tumbled to the floor.

  I was quick to roll away, spying the falle
n werecheetah as he shifted back to a man, now dead. I tore my blade out of his chest and continued on.

  I dodged blows from a werewolf before finally landing a heavy blow into his chest. I had to immediately duck as another one swiped at my head, and I slammed my heel back into its knee to force him to the floor. I spun, slamming my blade into the side of its head before swiftly rolling as another weretiger came at me.

  Too bad all these moving bodies were difficult to keep track of.

  I yelped as someone grabbed onto one of my tails and pulled me towards them.

  I used my aura arm to fight them off, but my game had been thrown off now. Before I could find my feet, a massive polar bear had launched onto me, roaring at me as it pinned me down.

  I saw its bared teeth moving in, and I went to draw my blade up. Was I going to be fast enough?

  Fuck.

  ‘Watch your back love, I can’t stop all of them,’ Tristan’s voice filled my mind as the polar bear froze mid-attack.

  I knew instantly that Tristan has possessed the beast, and I slammed my blade into its neck as I scrambled out from under it.

  ‘Thanks.’

  ‘Don’t mention it, you’ve got this.’

  I focused, getting myself back into the fight as I shot towards a shrieking woman with strange features.

  Siren. That’s what the distorted mouth and rows of teeth were.

  I was quick to take her down as she was trying to use her cry to throw the men off. No crazy ass bitch was going to get my men or family killed.

  In less than five minutes, the hall had fallen silent, all the attacking supes either dead or having fled.

  Roars were still resounding throughout the building and rocking it, and waves of magic were filling the air.

  “Savannah?”

  I spun around, my chest heaving as my fur was slick with the blood of my fallen enemies.

  I was facing the group of men, the half-shifted kitsune cocking his head at me.

  But the man who’d called me by my lost name was the one with the crossbow.

  The one with the same fiery pink and white aura like me. His eyes were lit up with pride, shock, sadness, and relief.

  My father.

  The building groaned as it rocked once more, this time worse than the others, almost like a mini earthquake.

  “I think we should save the reunion for when we’re out of the building,” the werewolf barked, currently in human form. He was grabbing the shoulder of the werewolf/kitsune, who must have been my brother. Making him one of my fathers.

  I nodded, knowing we were in danger here now that the building was giving way.

  I flicked my eyes to Nate as he drew up beside me with a soft smile.

  Tristan’s presence in my mind was the last piece I needed.

  I had my men back.

  And my family.

  35

  Tristan.

  I watched on from the eyes of an unsuspecting werewolf as Declan and Mr Oxley fought.

  Once Sav and the others had left the area, things had taken a bigger turn.

  The Collector, Declan, had masked himself in magic, creating a powerful magical dragon encasing him in order to fight Mr Oxley. The purple wispy creature was proving to be powerful as it knocked Mr Oxley back and roared.

  It was hard focusing on them, considering I was still possessing a number of other supes. I was using them to kill one another, and those who I’d possessed who were innocent, I was guiding them out of the building.

  My demon blades were still taking out others as well, and I knew I was stretching myself thin.

  I watched as the two dragons tumbled and brawled in the ballroom, smashing through the tables and slamming into the walls. The building was groaning and creaking from their battle, and I knew it was becoming increasingly unstable.

  Sav and the others were headed out now, dashing for the exits with many other rescued supes joining them in the halls.

  I did my best to clear their way using my domineered vessels.

  My mind flicked back to the two dragons.

  The golden dragon spewed flames as sandy magic filled the room, clashing and sending sparks as it collided with the purple electrical magic.

  The Collector’s dragon breathed wispy purple fire, and I watched as it sliced through Mr Oxley’s flames and struck him in the shoulder.

  He roared as the flames licked at him, slowly climbing his scales up his shoulder and onto his neck.

  Guess he needed some help.

  I forced my werewolf vessel to leave the safety of the doorway and hurtle towards the Collector. Hopefully a distraction would give Mr Oxley the upper hand.

  My werewolf snarled as it shot across the room, teeth bared and claws out.

  The Collector was quick to turn on him, and I lost my sight of the pair as he harshly stomped on it with his magic dragon.

  No more werewolf.

  My mind moved around the building, stretching out and possessing whoever it could. I’d quickly distinguish if they were friend or foe before deciding what to do with them.

  I watched from the eyes of many as my family and mate fled the building with a number of rescued supes.

  He’d had so many of them hidden in cells and rooms throughout the building, but I’d domineered a number of creatures in order to free them alongside Sav’s family.

  So many supes that had been held, many looked so broken that they didn’t fully comprehend that they were escaping. Others had refused to leave their cells or rooms.

  But the Council would deal with whoever was left while cleaning the mess up.

  Once the Collector was dealt with.

  I focused back on my main body, which was now dashing through the gates with Dominic by my side as my face lit up.

  I swept Sav into my arms, drawing in her unique scent mixed with blood and sweat and God knows what else.

  I had my mate back.

  “Hey Dom, I hear you helped in finding me,” Sav said once she’d hugged me tight and pulled back.

  I pried into her mind, relieved to find she wasn’t pissed at him.

  “It’s my fault he got you,” Dom’s face dropped, pain and guilt washing over his sweet features.

  I just took his hand gently to reassure him.

  “His magic is powerful, it’s not your fault,” she said as she reached out and gave his shoulder a squeeze.

  Dominic was stunned by this, but then he managed a smile.

  “So this is my daughter.”

  We all looked to Soren as he walked over, fondly staring at Sav as Samson joined him.

  “And you’re my father,” Sav said, a smile breaking as she hung her kitsune blade to her side.

  “I always wondered what became of that blade, to know you learned to wield it makes me proud. You’ve got four tails too, how strong you’ve become,” Soren said, his chest puffed out with pride as utter joy filled his eyes.

  “And she’s projecting her aura, that’s wicked,” Samson added. “I can’t believe you’re actually here.”

  Sav just smiled as the others joined them, my family and hers.

  I stepped back and wrapped an arm around Dominic as Sav’s family all introduced themselves to her properly and hugged her.

  No one cared that they were all covered in blood and some were even naked.

  Thunderous roars made everyone turn, and we watched in horror as the two dragons erupted from the far side of the building, crashing through the walls and spewing flames.

  “Holy fuck,” Dominic breathed as he stared wide-eyed at the two dragons battling it out on the grounds.

  Purple and orange flames filled the air and burned across the grounds as they clashed with tooth and claw.

  Magic was pulsing in the air, and I could see the building in that area was going to collapse. I did a quick sweep with my mind, possessing anyone still in the area and domineering them to lead them to safety.

  The one last shifter I caught barely hurtled out of a window before that sectio
n collapsed, sending up debris and smoke.

  “Wes, make sure the flames don’t spread to the rest of the building, there are still others inside,” Leon instructed, and Wes took off.

  Even despite all the chaos, I managed a smirk at his bare little ass running towards the main entrance.

  “Should we do something?” Lachlan asked as he stood hesitantly beside his father, one hand clutching Izzy’s.

  I knew it had to be her, considering how all Sav’s brothers were crowding around her protectively.

  “Nothing we can do, they’re both powerful, and I’m pretty sure Mr Oxley will want us to butt out of this,” I stated as we all just watched the fight unfold.

  Roars shook the air, and I was glad we’d left the outer warding of the property intact. No one outside the walls would know what was happening here.

  “We can’t do nothing, that fuckhead needs to pay,” Sav hissed, and I swiveled my head around as I felt her aura flare.

  Oh no.

  36

  I wanted that piece of shit dead.

  And right now, he was putting up a good fight with Mr Oxley.

  I still couldn’t believe that old man was a dragon. Dragons. So they were real. That was terrifying.

  The Collector was just visible inside his protective casing of a purple, monstrous dragon that shimmered and was a strange, galaxy-like translucency. Mr Oxley was evenly matched with him.

  I had no idea how he was meant to actually beat the thing.

  But maybe I could help.

  I’d gotten close to breaking through his magic. And I now knew a few extra things.

  I would help Mr Oxley end this once and for all.

  I’d get revenge for what happened to Izzy, make him pay for all those innocent women and supes.

  The image of the hall filled with supes in those preservation tanks made my skin prickle as my lips pulled back into a snarl.

  That Warlock had to die.

  “We can’t do nothing, that fuckhead needs to pay,” I hissed when Tristan told us to butt out of it.

  He was wrong. Mr Oxley couldn’t win this on his own. I could see it clearly as I darted out, dodging my father as he tried to stop me, and my guys cursed as they tore after me.