Nope, not ready at all.He sent Ulric a pleading look.He'd never let anyone else see him like this, but Ulric was his oldest friend.
"We'll get drunk after, okay?As soon as they're off our land, we'll drown our sorrows."
Rourke nodded.He couldn't reply since there was a lump blocking his throat.Fucking hell.
* * * *
The car lurched to a stop, and the seatbelt cut into Ezra Inaxx Kuxium Enizax's chest.
"Stop your crying."
He touched his cheek.He wasn't crying, was he?He'd learned long ago not to cry.His cheek was dry.He wasn't crying.
Looking into the front seat, he realized Shixyll--he'd long ago lost the right to call her mom--was glaring at Jiprix.Ezra's eyebrows moved in surprise as he took in Jiprix's glassy eyes.He might be the closest thing Ezra had to a friend, but he hadn't believed he'd ever shed a tear over him.And he hadn't, they were still pooled in his eyes.
"This way he can be useful."Shixyll turned her head and glared at Ezra.He didn't say anything.There was no use.She never allowed him to speak, and he'd been cursed or hit enough times to know it wasn't worth it to try.
Ezra was a useless witch.He had next to no powers, and he was never allowed to learn anything about their plans or be part of any decisions.They never sent him to battle because he had no combat skills.He couldn't hurt a fly with his magic--he'd tried.Many, many times.
Jiprix could turn a creature inside out without channeling power from a familiar.He was useful, but Ezra was not.
"We're still sacrificing one of our own to the beasts."Whatever had made Jiprix sentimental was gone now.His voice was clipped but firm.
"Spoils of war.They'd have demanded more land if we hadn't agreed, and losing him doesn't weaken us.It's the best use we have of him."
What would it have been like to have someone in his life who cared for him?What if he'd been hugged instead of shoved away?A caress instead of a slap.He had no illusions being among the monsters would make his life better, the opposite.Witches didn't have claws or super strength.They weren't huge, hulking creatures fit for nightmares.
He didn't know if he'd survive the punishment they'd give him for disobeying or not complying fast enough.He always tried to do what people asked of him, but for some reason, he always failed.He had the scars to prove it.He didn't think an enraged werewolf would leave scars, they'd simply take his head.And maybe it was for the best.
Maybe his stay with the monsters would be short.
"We're here."Shixyll opened the car door without so much as a glance in Ezra's direction.
Jiprix sighed."Do what they tell you.It might not be too bad, and...eh...don't fight him."
Ice filled Ezra's veins.Right.Don't fight.Let the leader degrade and bite him to buy his clan time to gather their forces for a new attack.And should Ezra happen to die during said attack...No one would care.
He swallowed around the lump in his throat and opened the door.Forcing Shixyll to come get him would not be good.
His legs shook as he put his feet on the gravelly ground.In front of him was a wall of beasts in giant human shapes.They all looked to be seven feet tall, the few females were a little shorter but not by much.
He'd once heard they were twenty-five members in the pack, about the same size as the clan, but looking at them now, it felt as if they were a hundred and twenty-five.
Ezra only reached to their chests.He allowed his eyes to slide over them, trying to see which one was the leader, but it was hard to tell who was the most powerful.They didn't have piercings or braids to signal their strength or status.Without thinking he sucked in the ring he had at the center of his lower lip, the one indicating he was of age and his powers were fully manifested.It also told everyone he hardly had any powers since it was the only lip piercing he had.
His gaze landed on a tall man with harsh eyes and a gaunt body.His clothes hung off him, indicating he'd once been much more powerful.One of the prisoners?They had been forced to give up their prisoners.He didn't know how many there had been, but he'd heard whispers about it when he'd fed the clan.
Ezra didn't know what new tactic the shifters had used to win back their land plus some additional areas, but whatever they'd done, it had required Shixyll to trade the prisoners.She'd traded them for the additional piece of land and allowed the monsters to keep their original boundary, but they'd somehow also persuaded her to agree to tradehim.
Maybe it hadn't taken much effort on their part.He didn't think she'd be willing to make any sacrifices to keep him safe.
"Alpha Flint."Shixyll didn't bow her head as she addressed the man in front of her.He was massive, but the man next to him was bigger.Ezra's throat clicked as he tried to swallow despite his mouth having gone dry.How could they be so enormous and still move as fast as they did?He'd never seen one move, but he'd heard the tales.
"Shixyll."Flint didn't say anything else, but his gaze flicked first to Jiprix then to Ezra.It was the right order to acknowledge them.Maybe he sensed their power, or maybe he simply looked at their braids and piercings.He'd always been told shifters were stupid, more animal than human, but maybe they understood magic.
"Where is my wife?"
Wife?Ezra's eyes widened.Oh fuck.No, no, no.Was he expecting a wife?No one had told him.Without thinking he took a small step back.
