by C. M. Owens
“He knows you’re dragonite—he saw that and only that. I didn’t correct him, and he doesn’t perceive you as a threat. He thinks you’re in control.”
I snort derisively, and she rolls her eyes.
“You have control,” she goes on.
If she only knew... That control slips every second she’s near me.
“So he just likes to try to kill women?”
“Slade is only logical. There’s not much emotion left in him. But the only reason Leah and Roslyn are alive is because they’re women. If he wanted you dead, you’d already be dead. He wouldn’t need to lure you into a trap.”
I take a step closer, and she doesn’t retreat. Her breath speeds up when I cage her in against a tree.
“You really think that?” I ask her, studying her eyes as I slant my body in front of hers, crowding her space.
The predator in me wants her to run... It wants to chase.
Her tough façade fades a little as her eyes shift, an array of emotions passing through their depths.
“I don’t know who would win. But I do know neither would walk away unscathed, and it’s a pointless battle. Slade has agreed to join forces. You have hundreds. We have only about twenty, give or take. We know what the Master is planning. We can help each other.”
My eyebrows go up.
“You know?”
“Ninety-nine percent positive. So?”
How the hell am I going to withstand being around her when she’s the only thing that seems to make my control slip? Even now I’m fighting to keep my head clear.
“Kane will never allow Ella anywhere near him.”
“Good. Slade’s one condition was that Ella wasn’t brought along. He said someone else can fill her in. Originally I wanted to meet with her to convince him of this. Apparently that wouldn’t have worked, so I’m glad I never got that meeting.”
That has me confused.
“What’s his issue with Ella?”
I was almost positive he had something for her, considering how he always makes it his job to save her.
“You’ll have to ask him.”
My lips thin, and she grins up at me. Damn that smile... Why’d she have to go and do that?
My thumb slides over her bottom lip, and her smile wavers as her breathing increases. She doesn’t try to stop me from touching her though.
“And what about this?”
“What about it?” she asks, trying to sound cold and indifferent, but failing when she shudders against my touch.
She feels it just like I do.
“Whatever this is... I don’t know if I can stop myself from touching you much longer.”
“You’re touching me now,” she deadpans.
This time I’m the one to smile. “Not the kind of touching I meant.”
She shudders again, and I step closer, tilting her head back.
“There’s something big going on right now,” she says in a hoarse, rasp tone. “We can’t get distracted.”
I nod, agreeing, but my eyes rake over her face, studying the soft, feminine lines, the perfection that she is. Her long dark hair is straight and silky. Her cat-like eyes are rimmed in black, making her all the more a temptress.
Beauty is all around us. It’s what we are. You’re forced to look deeper into someone to find something special.
Maybe it’s because those haunted eyes reflect so much of the things I feel, but I know she’s a problem for me. I’m turning into an addict who will struggle for his next fix if I don’t keep her away.
“I’ll talk to the others,” I tell her, mentally kicking myself for being so stupid. “The info should sway their opinion.”
My thumb continues to stroke the soft flesh, and my gaze flicks down to it, watching the plump lower lip submit to my touch.
“You’re dangerous,” I whisper to her.
“You’re lethal,” she whispers back.
I start to kiss her, my lips almost touch hers, and she angles her head back in invitation. By some miracle, I stop myself, certain that a kiss won’t be enough. Until I know why I’m so drawn to her, I can’t risk this.
“Don’t find me at the fights anymore,” I whisper across her lips, leaning back.
Her eyes flutter open, and she blinks like she’s trying to understand what I just said, or why I didn’t kiss her.
“Why?” she asks, clearing her throat as her cheeks heat. Even in the moonlight, I can see the blush on her cheeks. It’s a human trait, and I sort of like it.
“Because that’s the only way I can control myself right now, and you hurt that control.”
As I step back, she eyes me curiously.
“What does that mean?”
She doesn’t get a response. Instead, I disappear into the shadows, and reappear just inside Kane’s house. Gage steps around the corner, a bottle of liquor in his hand.
“We really need to talk,” he says.
He knows I have red jinn. I shared that information when I helped him save Karma and Kimber. Now he knows I’m more than he realized.
“Yes, we do,” I tell him, moving into the living room where everyone is seated.
He frowns as he follows me in.
“Slade knows what the master wants.”
At my random announcement, everyone goes stone still, including Ella who is awake and flustered now.
“I’m going tomorrow to form an alliance. Anyone who wants to join me is welcome. Anyone who doesn’t, I completely understand.”
My eyes flick to Thad and Zee. Both of them look fighting mad. I didn’t expect either of them to be here. Just how long have I been gone?
“I don’t expect you to be okay with this,” I go on. “But they have information we need, and we have the numbers they need. I’d never ask you to come along, and I sure as hell don’t expect Roslyn or Leah to be there.”
Neither are in here. I thought Thad was going to be tracking all night. Zee was supposed to be guarding his niece.
“Leah and Roslyn are tracking right now,” Kimber says, as though she’s reading my mind. “But Leah will want this. She’s talked about it a few times already.”
“Fuck that,” Zee snarls.
No one seems to have a problem with his lies anymore. It gives me hope for the confession in my future.
“The exception is that Ella doesn’t go. We know Kane won’t allow it.” She opens her mouth to argue, and I add, “Slade’s one and only stipulation was that she not be there as well.”
Her mouth closes, and her jaw tics. She cuts her eyes away, pissed. I don’t blame her, but I’m relieved he doesn’t want her around. Ella with someone like him? There’s no telling what would become of her uncontrollable powers.
The door opens, and we all turn to look as Dice and Karma walk in. Dice eyes us, then eyes Karma, then eyes Ella.
“The hell did I just miss?” he asks.
Thad starts to fill him in, but Dice interrupts him.
“Wait, do I need popcorn?”
We roll our eyes.
“We’re uniting with Slade,” Gage says, his eyes on me. I don’t look at him, even though I can see him in my peripheral.
Dice’s eyes widen in horror. “Fuck the popcorn. I need tequila. How did this happen?”
“Not important. Decide if you’re in or out. We’ll head over there tomorrow morning—whoever is in,” I announce, moving toward the stairs.
“Can I bring popcorn?” Dice calls out, eliciting a snicker from Karma. “Oh! Or maybe some little kitten hearts for the scarred menace as a peace offering?”
Slade isn’t the only sociopath.
Chapter 12
KYA
Nervous is an understatement. My whole body is humming with anxiety when I see Chaz appear at the edge of our training field. I almost stumble over my own feet, and everyone on the field stops to stare.
He’s not even leaving behind a glitter trail anymore to try and fool people into thinking he’s a duster. Has he told his friends?
&n
bsp; He smirks at me as he crosses his arms over his chest and leans against a large oak tree, looking entirely too casual and relaxed in his black t-shirt and dark denim jeans.
Gage appears next, wearing a bored expression as he props against the tree next to Chaz. Then Kimber appears through a portal, moving to Gage’s side. All of them stay a full hundred yards away, not making a move to come closer. But since there’s daylight, I can see every single feature on Chaz’s face, and it does those stupid things to me again.
I swallow a painful knot in my throat when Zee suddenly appears with Leah’s hand in his. It’s the only thing that distracts me from staring at Chaz.
I never imagined Zee and Leah would come. Can Zee control himself? The last thing I want is Slade killing Zee after being attacked.
My heart sinks again when I see Thad and Roslyn suddenly appear, their hands locked as well. I’m not sure Slade can handle being close to her, even though the only person he banned was Ella.
The man I can only assume is Drackus shows up next, wearing a long leather duster. He shakes it once, and suddenly Amy—the lycan—and her night stalker appear. Their fingers lock together, and a sense of eerie washes over me.
There’s something about his eyes...
Before I can think too much about it, Calypso is suddenly appearing. I’ve studied her intensely. With her, she brings the other lycan, Sierra. And she also has Deke. The other night stalker.
I wasn’t expecting them, and I don’t think Slade was either, considering they haven’t been big in the pack over the past few months.
My heart hits my throat when the person I was most looking forward to seeing appears with an incubus at her side. Karma... I have no idea how to act around her—my twin. I just love seeing her and her bright eyes as she grins at whatever the incubus whispers in her ear.
I really wish she’d choose someone much stronger. An incubus is pointless.
They all stand across the field, and I wait for Alyssa and Kane to join them... but the only other person that appears is a woman and a man I don’t know.
I cock my head to the side, confused. I would assume the queen would be the most desperate to get the info. But maybe they’re showing caution. I know I wouldn’t want to be around Slade after he’d attacked two people I’ve protected. Which, to be fair, they weren’t technically theirs when he started attacking.
The stand-off commences. They stay on their side, and we stay on ours.
“I thought they had a lot of people,” Simone says to someone close to her, even though she blatantly speaks loud enough for me to overhear.
“I didn’t expect them to bring their army with them, considering they keep them out of the loop. Too many people to not trust and all that. Sometimes I think we need to trim our circle as well,” I say with a dark smile, arching an eyebrow at her when she snaps her head over to me.
She mutters something under her breath, and I return my attention to the man staring directly at me. Chaz smirks, as though he’s toying with me right now. He got them all here. I guess the next move is on us.
But I can’t just start this conversation. I’m not our leader.
Thunder crackles overhead, but it’s not nature this time. Breaths exhale harshly along our side, and I step back as Slade slowly materializes in front of me. Everyone on the other end of the field tenses. I can almost hear the ripple of nerves ratcheting up along with tensions.
He stands to his full height, his silver eyes glowing as though he’s warning everyone to behave. Zee killed one of ours. People want retribution. Slade has told them to focus on the big picture and warned of the consequences if anyone went after Zee.
But Zee is here.
No one expected that.
Chaz eyes me curiously as Slade takes a step forward. “Kya,” Slade says quietly, his eyes not moving from our new guests.
I step forward, ignoring a few of the scoffs and whispers. Everyone has something to say when Slade acknowledges me.
“Yes.”
“Fill them in on what they came to learn. I’ll be in my training room.”
“And the training?”
“If they’re willing to help some of ours train, then so be it. If not, we’ll train without them.”
He disappears with that, and all the tension slowly starts to dissipate.
There’s no doubt they overheard all of it, so I study Chaz, not bothering to repeat anything.
He looks back at his group. I’m not sure what they say, since they make it a point to keep their words too quiet. They seem like a democracy, but I was sure Kane and Alyssa made all the decisions.
One second, they’re all on the other side. In the next breath, Chaz is suddenly in front of me, restraining a smile when I stumble backwards in surprise.
He grabs me at the waist and hauls me closer before I fall, and I internally curse myself when I hear mocking laughter being smothered. I’m sure everyone on my side enjoys seeing me spooked, since it never happens.
Damn him.
“Ready when you are,” he tells me, studying my eyes.
That’s a loaded statement if I’ve ever heard one.
Feeling the heat on my cheeks, I turn and gesture toward the cabin door. “Do you want to train with us, or is this just an info grab and go?”
“Training together would be better than training apart. We’ll be on the same side when the time comes, and I’d rather none of your people got confused about who they’re supposed to be attacking. Karma and Dice will take them to meet our recruits next week. Let’s see how today goes first.”
“You’re speaking for your people?” I ask him curiously, glancing around him to see all the others still in their place across the field.
“This was my idea, so it’s my mess to make. There’s a pool going that there will be a fight within the first hour.”
He grins to lighten the seriousness of that statement.
Sadly, it’ll probably happen within the first thirty minutes.
Chaz turns and inclines his head toward his group, and slowly, they start walking our way. They do it with poise and confidence, as though no one here intimidates them. Slade is gone, so I guess no one would intimidate them.
I can’t believe he just bailed and left this on my shoulders.
Leah approaches me as Chaz slowly takes a few steps away, out of touching distance.
“So where do we start?” she asks.
“Let’s start with introductions,” I say on a sigh, worried about how long it will take us to get along like civilized savages.
***
Thirty minutes later, all hell breaks loose.
I grimace as Simone lands hard on her ass, and her eyes flash viciously at the lycan who grins wickedly at her. Amy is definitely of strong blood, and Simone wipes away the smattering of red from the fresh cut on her lip.
“Pussies and mutated dogs don’t mix,” the incubus says from somewhere—he’s really annoying. “Hashtag—bad pussy matchup.”
“Simone, stop!” I snap, but of course she doesn’t listen to me. None of them ever do unless Slade gives a direct order.
She charges again, and Amy spins around, planting her boot in Simone’s stomach. Simone shifts partially, and her nails tear into Amy’s leg.
A roar pierces the air, eliciting a shudder from me. No way am I getting between two rabid shifters. And that roar came from Amy, who now has glowing orange eyes.
Chaz, nor any of his friends, seem overly concerned with the fact our side is seconds away from erupting into a fight. Amy and Simone continue to go at each other.
Just as Simone shifts, turning into her werecat, Amy shifts as well, clothes ripping off her body as the beast comes out to play. And it’s much bigger than any lycan I’ve ever seen before.
Amy never shifts... At least, not since I’ve been watching. So my mouth falls open as she keeps growing, doubling the size of a normal lycan.
Sierra, her friend, watches with a smirk. I swallow the knot in my throat as Amy roars
again, because this time the sound is four times more ferocious, almost feral.
Simone’s werecat form stumbles to a halt, and her eyes widen as she whimpers and starts backing up. The hairless lycan takes another step, looking like an accurate depiction of a hell hound.
This is going to be bad.
Regret and terror shades Simone’s eyes. As much as I hate her, I can’t handle this.
No one else seems willing to step in, so, with a heavy breath, I charge between the two, blocking Simone’s body with mine.
“Enough,” I snap, glaring into the orange eyes that flit with something akin to pure hatred.
The lycan crouches, almost as though she’s going to attack me. Surely she wouldn’t—
Yells and curses fly as Amy launches herself at me, and I pull the power from my core just in time to send it sailing into her chest. In the next second, I’m gone, wrapped up in familiar arms, and my eyes open to see Chaz in front of me, his eyes burning over my shoulder.
“Don’t do it,” he growls, and it’s a real growl.
Hushed silence descends as his eyes turn to black, fiery orbs, and he slowly pushes me behind him as he stares down Amy. The lycan shakes her head, as though she’s worried she’s not seeing correctly. Even without knowing what those eyes mean, the beast knows a greater predator rests within him.
She takes a step back, retreating slowly, warily watching him. No one told me she wasn’t completely tame. She still holds a lot of feral blood, probably from the powerful line she came from.
She turns and races into the woods at last, and all eyes fall on Chaz. Most of his people don’t seem surprised. But Karma does. Which means she never fully saw through to his core. Dice looks annoyed and confused. Gage looks perplexed and pensive. Kimber... Kimber looks like she’s ready to ask questions.
I notice the curiosity growing amongst his group the more the shock wears off. It’s not just his group that is ready launch an inquiry.
I guess that means he still hasn’t told them, which answers my earlier question.
Then, the woman I don’t know approaches us, and she blows out a heavy breath.