“Think you can kill him?” I hissed.
Barrett examined Lugh. “A god?” He chewed on the side of his lip, and I almost laughed. He seemed so nonchalant about the entire situation. “Probably not alone. I can give him a good run for his money.”
He touched my arm. “This is what’s been hiding you all these years?”
A scream tore from my throat as Lugh turned up his power. To my horror, the tattoo began to flake away, my skin burning from the inside.
“This isn’t ideal for you,” Barrett said. “But our kind have been wanting to come out for a while. Maybe it’s time to stop fighting what’s living inside you and embrace it.”
A broken sob bubbled from my lips.
He scrubbed a comforting hand over my hair. “You’re the fae queen, Evie. And you can be ours too. Stop being afraid. I will fight with you.”
The power roared through my blood, its sinister call a siren’s song.
Barrett peered into my eyes and held out a hand. “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”
A pained laugh broke from me.
I took his hand and allowed him to help me rise.
Lugh’s low laugh sent my hackles up. “Will she do it?” he mused to himself. “Or will she continue to run and hide?”
“Why me?” I asked.
Lugh shrugged. “Why not you? My enemy’s daughter. A town full of luscious new things to explore. Secrets, wounded hearts, shifting loyalties?” Lugh shivered. “It’s all a delicious soap opera.”
The Chimera roared to the surface, tearing through my skin. Barrett’s savage smile was the last thing I saw before I was no longer Evie.
I became a beast of legend and launched myself at Lugh.
Chapter
Thirty-Eight
The screaming began seconds later. I shoved those sounds of horror out of my mind, focusing solely on the two people who’d caused such heartbreaking havoc in my life.
Lugh’s eyes widened, as if he were surprised I’d chosen to shift in public and quickly stepped out of the way. Rachel’s scream was horror movie worthy. She took one look at me and turned on her heel, hauling ass for the forest.
I was enormous, but I wasn’t slow. Catching up with her took seconds. I caught her at the edge of the woods, hooking one sharp, black-tipped claw through her belt. She continued running like she was on an invisible treadmill until I tossed her up in the air and let her crash onto the ground.
A keening wail tore from her throat as she stared up at me. “D—don’t kill me,” she breathed. “I’ll do whatever you want.”
I wanted to kill her so badly, but she was weak and helpless beneath me. Killing someone like her was too easy. It felt…unsporting. The voice that came out of my mouth made Rachel piss her pants, the acrid scent of urine filling the air as I loomed over her.
“You are banished from this country permanently. You will have no contact with any other Lords, and if you do, I will sendmy people into your home to carry out the punishment you deserve. They’ll drag your sorry ass in front of your family and slowly rip you apart. When I let you go, you will head straight to the airport. Do not take anything with you, do you understand?”
She blinked up at me in confusion. “You’re letting me go?”
“You are a waste of space, and your father’s eternal punishment will be dealing with you.” I released her and stepped away, concrete cracking under my massive paws.
“Th—thank you.” She scrambled to her feet and backed away.
I snorted, fire blowing from my nostrils. Rachel paled and spun on her feet. In a flash of light, she was a small wolf running away.
Barrett and Lugh circled around each other.
“Two Chimeras?” Lugh’s eyes were lit with a wild purple light. “If there are two, there must be more. How delightful. My contact mentioned only Evie and how important she was.”
