“Crazy bastard,” Raphael muttered from where he sat.
Akira’s eyes widened, but then she smirked. Nico didn’t know what she saw, but apparently she didn’t think he was crazy. “There’s no need for such drastic measures. Make your phone calls. I’m going to try and get some sleep. When I wake up, I expect you to feed me and Miryam, and have a plan.”
“Bossy.” Nico ran a finger down her jawline. “I like it.”
She didn’t roll her eyes, or act bashful. She simply stood, pointed to his phone, “Make the calls.” And then went back to the seat beside Miryam.
Nico was still grinning when his phone indicated he’d gotten another text.
Lyric: Here’s the evidence. They have Roan and Maddie. Take this information to the council. Athena knows I know, so I’ve got to make myself scarce. I’ll be radio silent for a while. Do what needs to be done, Nico. They must be stopped.
Nico flipped through the images she’d sent, pictures of a ledger that had similar information to what he’d found in Wolfgang's office. Lyric was right. This would sink Athena and Aurelius. Their reign, just like Wolfgang’s and Tallula’s, had come to an end. But, if they were anything like the Kingdom of Chaos royals, they wouldn’t go quietly. Not only had they been working with Azure, but they’d captured a shaman and a human female. The prime of Kingdom of Claws would not let the offense go unpunished. This wouldn’t just be a war, this would be a bloodbath.
He pulled up Callon’s info and added Gage to the message, then fired off what he knew. When it was sent, he set the phone down in his lap and let out a slow breath. With two shamans missing, because who the hell knew where Lyric disappeared to, and two kingdoms corrupt, Nico didn’t know who to trust. He wasn’t about to talk to any other shaman until he’d spoken with Callon and Gage. He called the pilot and let him know to head to the Kingdom of Fangs. It was time to see the others face to face and make a plan. There was nothing he could do now except sit in the airplane and think of the hell that was soon to break loose.
Chapter Thirteen
“Finally, we might have someone we can kill.” ~ Callon
Callon wasn’t a man who required much sleep. That was fortunate, because with Lola snuggled against his chest and the rest of the house finally—finally—quiet after Katy and Gage’s latest attempt to set the world record for “most inventive shifter mating noises,” sleep was mostly theoretical anyway.
He was just drifting off, the steady thump of Lola’s heartbeat against him, when his phone vibrated on the nightstand. He blinked. His initial reaction was to ignore the offending device, especially since the panthers outside had decided to blow up everyone’s phones, but there was too much going on for him to dismiss a text.
Lola stirred, her hair tickling his chin. “If that’s another group text from Wyatt about writing a shifter Kama Sutra, I’m leaving you for a human man with no pervert friends.”
He chuckled, “You can try, but then I’d just kill him, eat him, and then eat yo?—”
Her hand slammed over his mouth before he could finish his sentence causing him to laugh more. “Check your damn phone,” she growled, then rolled away from him before he could grab her.
She was getting quick, using her animal reflexes. He liked that she was becoming intune with her lioness, but he’d have to remind her who was the more dominant beast in their relationship. He had a feeling he’d get more than just a hand over his mouth when that happened.
He grabbed his phone and glanced up to find Lola standing, with her arms crossed in front of her, staring at him. She thought she looked mean, but really she looked cute as hell. The phone vibrated again, pulling his attention from his mate. He glanced down at the screen and saw a text from Nico.
Nico:We need to talk. Urgent. Need to meet ASAP. I’m coming to you. I have precious cargo in tow. Tell Gage to suck it up and yes, I know where he lives.
“Guess we’re not gettinganysleep tonight,” Callon sighed as he climbed out of bed.
“What’s going on? Was it Nico? Does he know anything? How long has he known?” Lola’s rapid fire questions came out as she marched for the door.
“Whoa, hold up there fire-cracker,” Callon said as he lunged for her and wrapped an arm around her waist pulling her back to his chest. “Have you forgotten you’re in your nightgown?”
Lola looked down. “Maddie’s missing and you think I give a crap about how I look?”
A growl rumbled in his chest. “Igive a crap, mate. I know you’re still new to this world Sazzi. Nobody but me sees my mate in her sleep clothes.” He released her and smacked her on the behind. “Put some clothes on, and I’ll fill you in on the text from Nico. Then we need to wake up the rest of the group.”
“One of these days you're going to pat my ass, and I’m going to turn around and claw your eyes out,” she snapped as she whipped her gown over her head and reached for her jeans.
Callon paused in his own dressing to take in the view. He loved her two toned skin, the way the vitiligo made her pale skin appear to be silken marble. A shirt slid down her form, covering her, and he snarled. It was completely involuntary, which his mate found hilarious.
“I’m ready. Let’s go, Simba. Quit drooling and get a move on.” She clapped her hands together.
“You weren’t complaining about my drooling a few hours ago,” he reminded her.
Her face blushed, which was his intention. “Shut up,” Lola muttered as she opened the door. Callon barely got his shirt pulled down as he hurried after her, her hips swaying entirely too much for a house full of males.
“Quit walking like that,” he said, his voice sharper than he meant.
“Would you rather I crawl?”
