I don’t soar up as fast as I want to, not with one of my legs hurting so much when I leap. But the wings and the force provided by my other limbs are enough to have us levelling out in the night sky above the clouds.
An eagle’s cry registers, and I realise Beak has shifted and is gripping onto my scales with his claws. He can’t keep up with dragon wings, of course, so I slow down just enough and he’s able to fly up my body to my neck where he clutches on. I think he just wants to see the view, the feeling of flying at this velocity and altitude.
“It’s something else, isn’t it?”I tell him.“Seeing the clouds like a blanket beneath you and nothing but stars above.”He calls his agreement.
We get to Clawson House an hour later, nestled in a wealthy estate of affluent felines. The cream and gold rendered brick house is king of the hill, enclosed in a fancy golden fence. The house used to be Ablo Obon’s family house until he sold it and moved to a different suburb. No one actually knows whether he was blackmailed into moving, or if Tiberius offered him a huge sum for the pretty property. I’m betting it was the former. We already know he likes to fight dirty.
I switch my shield around the Devi pack to an invisibility one before I touch down as lightly as I can. Beak gets to the ground first and shifts, catching the bag Marduk tosses to him and getting out his clothes. I can’t see them, but I feel Minnie, Marduk, and Yeti levitate themselves off my back. From now on, we’re to act as if they don’t exist.
I shift into human form, and Beak rushes over with my clothes, his hands all over my bra and knickers. I snatch them from his hands and quickly shove them on before my professional attire. Sabrina helped me pick them out, of course, and my friends all demanded we go for what they’re calling ‘mob boss chic.’
It’s nothing less than a power suit. A navy-blue blazer trimmed with white, and matching suit pants with golden buttons. Beak starts wielding my hairbrush, and I narrow my eyes at him. He backs away with his hands in the air. Carefullybrushing my long tresses out, I slick them back into a high pony, smoothing down the sides.
My anima wants to wear anything other than this. It wants to be naked and in scales and fangs. “How do I look?” I ask, distractedly tugging at the blazer.
When Beak doesn’t reply, I frown up at him through the dark. He’s smiling softly. “You look different from the day I first met you.”
I stare at him. How could I forget the day I’d met my mates? How could I forget the day my life had changed forever? And he’s right; I’d been a different person then.
That Aurelia didn’t know what had happened to her mother. Had never broken a bone. Had never shifted into a wolf, a shark, or a dragon. That Aurelia had run when she’d been told to. And she’d never had her mates taken from her.
I turn my face towards Clawson House. “That Aurelia is gone now.” Because someone darker has taken her place. A beast who craves flesh between her teeth.
Minnie sniffs somewhere to my far right, and I nod in her direction. With a deep breath, I set my shoulders and begin walking up the hill to the gate. We are let inside quickly and efficiently. Beak speaks for me in the way that I’ve seen the beasts of mob bosses do, and when the giant, intimidating guard tigers look me over, I level them an unsmiling look, letting my power fan out unhindered. Unapologetic. I know they feel it by the sudden defensive set of their shoulders.
One thing about felines is that their telekinesis puts them at a huge advantage over other orders. With a single thought, one of them can flip you backwards and send you flying out the door. Couple that with male arrogance and you’ve got a bunch of assholes on your hands. There needs to be clear communication that I outrank these guys in power. It’s the only thing felines respect—the Clawsons, most of all.
Minnie, Marduk, and Yeti are careful to follow close by as we are led inside the opulent house, the golden downlights washing the grand entrance hall in deceivingly warm light. The place smells like feral male tiger, and from what I know about this place, Tiberius encourages his beasts to wander around as feral, and in some cases, as rabid as they like. Titus had arrived at the academy completely rabid, after all.
We are led into a formal meeting room just off the main hallway, the high ceilings giving the impression of lofty importance. There’s an alcohol cabinet off to one side, and a rectangular table in the middle takes up most of the space. It can seat four on each side, and as Beak pulls out a middle seat for me, the guards leave to summon theirnobleleader.
They haven’t tried to murder or maim me yet, so it’s looking promising, but there is the faint scent of marking urine in the air, so I’m not completely impressed. That’s definitely from Titus, I’d put money on it. I imagine him lifting a leg over the table, and my mood improves somewhat. Beak stands at my right elbow, and I feel Minnie and Marduk station themselves behind us. Yeti is on his own now.
They make us wait, of course. Ten minutes go by, then fifteen, and I try to stop my bristling as a girl in red lingerie, complete with garters, brings us tea in plain white teacups. Just as I’m contemplating asking for Beak to put me out of my misery and pour me a whisky, the door opens and Tiberius walks in, Titus hunched and stalking at his back.
I give them both a droll, bored look that would likely get another anima struck. They’re both intimidating males, hulking slabs of muscle, midnight dark beards and combed hair over tanned skin. Titus’ heavy black brows are drawn over his dark eyes, and he looks exactly like he did the last time I saw him at the Jewel of the Jungle when Xander had a meeting there. And I had been naked.
This seems to be fresh in Titus’ memory as he sits down, placing a laptop on the table. His new steel jaw can’t smile—the exposed metal teeth make their own permanent awful smile—but his eyes can still leer at me well enough. “Nice to see you with clothes on, Lia,” he says in that new, rigid, metallic voice.
Beak shifts at his overfamiliarity.“Not a word, Beaky,”I tell the eagle in his mind. To Titus, I say, “You were running the last time we met, were you not? I’m so glad you made it home safely after Xander almost killed everyone.”
“Ah, yes. Xander Drakos,” Titus says. “Wasting away in one of Katerina’s tiny cages. He’s probably getting fucked up the ass by one of the beasties she has in there. What I’d pay to see that on video. In fact…” He gets out his phone and makes a show of typing out a text.
“Quite obsessed with that, aren’t you?” I shoot back, sitting back in my chair.
Titus opens his mouth, but his father waves an impatient hand as he sits. “That’s enough.” His voice has a hint of alpha-command that rakes along my skin, and his gaze is ever sohardon mine.
“Says the brother-killer,” I respond flatly.
Tiberius Clawson, as hardened a mob boss as Scythe, has a face of stone. “Let me be frank with you, girl,” he says. “You are exposed. Without mates. With many enemies. There is a giant target on your back, and there is nothing you can do to stop the dark powers of the world from doing what they want with you.” I remember The Collector’s threats. I know what she would have done to me. Tiberius claps his hands. “We will provide you and your animas with protection. We will ensure the multiple dangers that are after you are kept at bay.”
My brows rise. “In exchange for what?”
Titus snaps his metal jaw, dark eyes glinting. “You. I gave up an inadequate regina. But I’ll have you as a mate. It’s a win-win.”Sow dissent, break us apart.My stomach sinks at the words that will slash at my sweet, best friend. Titus leans back in his chair. “Minnie used to talk about you all the time.” He puts on a high-pitched voice. “‘Lia is kind. Lia is thebestperson I know. Thebravest.’”
My heart clenches. “I am loyal to my friends, Titus. I would never betray Minnie’s trust.” My face twists in disgust. “Something you could never hope to understand in this life. You or your kin-slaying father.”
Tiberius snarls. “You are out of your depth, little girl. You don’t know the powers you’re playing with.Death and worseare knocking at your door.”
