Prologue
Savage
Halfeather House
Just over a year ago
“There, you are bound. Now go and find my daughter.”
We watch Mace Naga leave Halfeather House. Well, Xander and Scythe watch him and his servants while I raise my new, marked finger to my mouth and stretch my tongue out, ready to lick it.
Quick as any serpent, Xander slaps my hand away from my tongue. “That’s disgusting,” he snarls, smoke streaming from his nose. “Do you want serpent juice in your mouth?”
I gape at him. Why didn’t I think of that? “What do you think it tastes like?”
“Leave it,” Scythe growls. “The marking will come off when we get the job done.”
“Right,” I say, clenching my hands into fists and glaring at the smoking carcass of Halfeather House. Our regina. The one who rejected and ran away from us. The one who tried to kill me! We have to deal with her, and fast.
One of Scythe’s new recruits, Beak, is kneeling on the ground between some cages we managed to save, fiddling with the keys. The old cockatoo had a whole coop of birdies hidden in one of the rooms. Plenty of skinny chickens are now plucking around the grass, looking for food. I rub my own empty tummy.
“There’s no sign of our new brother,” Scythe says, looking at the sky. “I’ve never seen a signature like it. An order that has power over shadows and eyes that can kill.”
Xander swears under his breath, probably upset he’s not the only mythical shifter in the pack now.
“They have a fucking basilisk,” he says with a lot of disgust. “Newly healed by our regina, no less. I don’t even think she knows.”
“A big snake,” I explain to myself. I thought killing with my bare hands was cool. Imagine killing with your eyes! I wonder if I can make him show me how it works.
“Macehas a fucking Basilisk,” Scythe corrects. “And no, it’s clear she had no idea. Their one and only kryptonite is supposed to be the call of a rooster. ”
“We need a cock-a-doodle-doo pet?” I say excitedly. I’ve always wanted one. Quickly scanning the birds bobbing around us, I locate the biggest. He’s black with red frills like a real gentleman, and there’s a clip on his foot with the tag. For some bizarre reason, he’s already making eye contact with me and even takes a step forwards like he wants to say something important.
I attempt to speak his language, crouching low. “Bok bok bok!” The rooster cocks his head and lets out a sound like a question. “I knew it!” I cry, simultaneously leaping and tackling him to the ground. He gives a mighty squawk of complaint and I bring him close to my chest and smooth his feathers down. “He’s got a great voice!” I say, locking his wings tight and standing up to show him to my brothers. “And I think he likes me.”
“What does his tag say?” Xander asks, reaching for the thing and yanking it off. The bird cries out again, but dragon healing magic seals the bleeding wound the tag left.
Xander reads, “Property of Halfeather House. His name is Eugene.”
“Yew- jean!” I sound out. “Well, he’sourproperty now. Will you swear him in, Scythe?”
My brother looks at Eugene, who shrinks into me like he’s scared. I rock him like a baby to show him we won’t eat him…yet.
“Shift,” Scythe commands, the word pulsing through the air like a big drum.
Eugene lets out a cluck before shifting in my arms.
PART ONE
Chapter 1
Aurelia
My rage only grows as I fly away from my mates. It expands like a gathering storm, as the image of the four other parts of my soul flashes through my mind: eyes blank but faces furious as they pursued to kill me. As they’d beencommanded to.
My blood is alight with fire in the cold of the night, my massive wings keeping a mighty pace as my snout points towards Animus Academy. There is only one thing keeping the draconic madness of vengeance at bay.
Just one.
