“Yeah, sure,” I replied. We really could’ve done this before I’d gone through the effort of filing them all away. I rose and headed for my people, my heels clicking against the floor as I crossed half the distance. “Come on, everyone.” I motioned them on, then turned to face the table. “You saw Mr. Tom. He’s a gargoyle. I have two others on my team,” I said, and pointed at Ulric and Jasper.
They didn’t ask why Mr. Tom had been left out of the gargoyle line, for which I was thankful, because no one had told me.
“Dave, the basajaun.” I put my hand on his arm when he stopped beside me. A few alphas’ gazes flicked to Austin.
“So, you don’t have a team of basajaunak?” asked one of the male alphas, a guy with blond hair and a small ponytail. I’d already forgotten his name.
“She is family,” Dave told them with a growl. He didn’t seem to like being questioned. “When she needs her family, they come to her aid.”
I rubbed his hairy arm. “Yes, we have a team, but Dave is the only one on my house council. It’s a magical bond forgedby the house. I have space for thirteen people, and there are only a couple seats left open. So, while the other basajaunak are on the team, they don’t have the house bond, if that makes sense. Dave’s mother, the leader of their group, has joined the convocation. We have yet to meet the elders. We just…haven’t had time. We have a lot to do and no time to do it all.”
No one else asked questions, so I moved on to Hollace.
“Can he show us his form?” someone asked.
“No,” he replied. “There isn’t enough space in here.” I looked around and then up. “Yeah, we’d have to push chairs and everything out of the way, get rid of those speakers… He can shift somewhere outside. In the parking lot, maybe.”
“His form is large and somewhat spectacular,” Kingsley said.
“Spectacular, atta boy!” Fred leaned forward to see Hollace and put her fist in the air.
“Cyra?” I rubbed my eyes, and then cursed, remembering I had on makeup. “Why didn’t you put on the undershirt we got for you?”
She held it in her hand. Her nipples showed through her burned jacket. “I didn’t want to get soot on it. Should I ditch the jacket and just wear the shirt?”
“Free the breasts,” Niamh said, and Fred put up her fist again.
“Right. Fine. This is our phoenix, if you hadn’t already guessed,” I said. “If you want to see her other form, she can do that when Hollace does. She can use fire in this form, but this isn’t a good place. She’d ruin the floor and furniture. And the rest of her clothes.”
I went through everyone else. No one asked any questions or commented when I had to retrieve Edgar from the far corner, where he’d slipped in behind the shifters of the other pack. Given that two startled when I called over to him, they hadn’teven realized he’d been there. They clearly weren’t great at sensing presences. Mages would have it easy around them.
My crew went back to their spots while Broken Sue and Tristan came forward, a wall of muscle. They stood tall with their gazes almost straight ahead, as if they owned the room.
For most of these alphas, that would beveryclose to a challenge. Kingsley’s group had all bristled when they met Broken Sue, and had remained on edge. They hadn’t known how to read Tristan. This room had no such problems, however. Some of the alphas visibly tensed. The others glanced at Kingsley, who inclined his head, agreeing with something.
As if knowing I couldn’t read the room, Kingsley leaned my way and lowered his voice. “I told them that Austin’s betas posture as though they are alphas, and he doesn’t call them down. They thought I was exaggerating.”
“About the postureandthe power,” Margery said. “They have the power of alphas. At least, that shifter does.”
“They both do,” Austin said.
“The Austin Steele I’ve heard about all these years would never allow someone that close to challenging,” Zack murmured to a short man with a bald head. Kevin, I thought his name was.
“Make no mistake,” Austin said in a growl, “if theywereclose to challenging, I’d handle it. My beast would push me hard. Iamthat Austin Steele you’ve heard of. They aren’t close, however. They know their positions, as do I. Our hierarchy is firmly in place. There is not a question of my dominance, and so I’m not worried about how they posture. Neither am I worried about my mate’s team, packed with power and seemingly in constant chaos. What we’ve cultivated works. In battle, it works. Kingsley can attest to that.”
“I can.” Kingsley nodded. “I taught Austin everything I know, and he’s taken it to the next level. He thinks he’s the same Austin Steele from the rumors, but he isn’t. He isn’t the hotheaded kidfrom my territory. He’s grown into his might, and he’s trying to do noble things with it. So, let’s talk about those rumors, shall we? As you can see, my claims about the people he has on his team are true. The phoenix, the basajaun—they’re here.”
The alphas inclined their heads. “I’d still like a demonstration of some of their magics,” one of them said.
“You’ll have it,” Kingsley replied. “Austin and Jessie’s team is stacked with power. Their whole territory is stacked with power and battle-ready. It’s not a territory of restful inhabitants, like I have. Likeyouhave.” He looked at them pointedly. “You know my daughter. She lives there now, and she can attest to those claims at a later date. But let’s talk about Austin.”
Austin settled back in his chair and draped his hand over the back of mine. He ran his thumb against my shoulder, and I knew he wasn’t looking forward to this.
“He’s obviously powerful,” Kevin said. “He also obviously has a firm handle on his people.”
“He does,” Kingsley said. “Shifters and gargoyles.”
“Not the basajaunak?” Margery asked.
