“You’re a first-generation slave?” Blue asked. “I’m so sorry for what you went through.”
Shifters could live for hundreds or even over a thousand years, but it wasn’t as common as one might think. Due to fights, battles, and even accidents, many never saw past middle age. The more invincible a person felt, the more reckless they behaved.
“First we were sold to humans. But when the immortals discovered some of us were Shifters, we were sold to the highest bidder. Now imagine a world where you’re free and you must see your previous master walking the streets. None of these men were held accountable.”
“If immortals were held accountable for their sins, there wouldn’t be enough jail cells.”
Sambah paused for a moment in thought. “My tribe was slaughtered and stolen from our home. They killed the old ones and gathered up everyone else—mostly men and young women. Many children were either killed or left behind to die of starvation. We were shackled around the wrists and neck, so we couldn’t shift to fight back. I won’t describe the graphic nightmare aboard the ships. Some fled when their shackles were changed or temporarily removed, but few of them survived. Where is a lion to go in a strange country? They were hunted and killed, so we had to escape in human form in order to survive. So many tribes lived isolated from the world. I had never met a Vampire or a Mage until I came here. Our elders told stories of Chitahs—pale men with golden eyes and skin that would change patterns like that of a cat. But we never saw one. Not until I came here.”
Blue thought about all the people she’d seen in the house. “Is everyone in your home from Africa?”
“They’re all of African descent. Maybe that’s not how most Shifters invite members into their family, but we have formed a brotherhood from common experience. We have a duty to preserve our culture and keep our stories alive in our children. What can they learn from a lion who lived a privileged life in England? One who could only shift in the privacy of a large estate to protect themselves? They don’t know what it’s like to hunt in the open plains, following the thundering hoofbeats of gazelle with the hot sun on their backs. We could go anywhere—the land was ours. Now we are restricted to territories. My family shifts in the courtyard. So many roads. So many cars. So many camera phones.”
Blue sympathized with him. “I guess you have problems I haven’t endured.”
He flicked a glance at her feather earrings. “Owl?”
She snorted. “They’re nosy little bastards. I’m a falcon.”
“It must be nice to be free in the heavens.”
“It is,” she admitted, turning her head toward a rogue breeze. “I guess I take my freedom for granted. Is that what happened to King? Did he wander off the territory?”
Sambah lifted his glass and licked the sugar off the rim. Somewhere nearby, Blue heard drums and singing.
“Apologies,” Niko said. “Did we disturb a ceremony?”
Sambah gazed off to the west. “No. There’s a small tribe within our family who sings to the setting sun. There are many customs here, and we honor them all.”
Joba returned with a colorful round tray. On it, a supremely large plate filled with many different foods. Blue arched her eyebrows, surprised by the feast.
Joba chuckled and used a piece of flatbread to scoop up what looked like a mixture of cooked cabbage and onions. Then he took a bite. “Don’t let good food go to waste.”
When he left, Blue reached for a folded-up piece of bread and used it to grab food on the tray. She wasn’t exactly sure what they were eating, but it smelled good.
“Here,” she said, placing it in Niko’s hand. “Eat up.”
Niko held it to his nose before taking a bite.
It was rude to decline food offered in a Shifter home. Mainly because it was considered a show of trust by both parties. Leaders could poison enemies under the guise of hospitality, something Shifters once did. Sambah was testing them, and that was why she shoved food into Niko’s hands before he had the chance to decline.
She looked at the doughy bread lining the plate. “This is all vegetables?”
Sambah chuckled. “We lions have a bad reputation. Many of us prefer to eat meat only in animal form. This isbayenetu. Many options.”
Blue tried some. “It’s delicious.”
“So are enchiladas and candy bars. We eat all of those too. But if you come into my home as a guest, we will serve you our food.” He flicked his gaze to the tall trees. “You asked me how King died. It wasn’t from a territorial dispute. Gossip and speculation surrounded his death, but the truth is he fell down the stairs.”
“Fell?” Blue asked, unable to mask the surprise in her voice.
Sambah shook his head. “Great men die in battle. I cannot understand it myself. It happened after midnight, and I don’t know what he was doing up that late. It’s not unusual for our lions to stir in the late hours, but we keep the house quiet for the children. There has to be a schedule.”
“Maybe he wanted a midnight snack, and it was dark,” Niko suggested.
“The kitchen is closed after our last meal,” Sambah informed him. “And I installed a glass railing to keep the children from falling. They light up at night. Our worst nightmare is a home that is not safe for children. Young ones are so precious and fragile. But King was a man. He struck his head, and that is why he didn’t shift.”
Blue swallowed her bite. “Do you think someone pushed him?”
