“Bowen putting protection potion in the water systems was genius.” Thierry fingered his glasses. “Losing a leader causes much less distress and turmoil when people realize the old leader was brainwashing them.”
“We need to get that pink protection shit everywhere,” Bael commented as they all walked out of the newly shaped academy.
The exterior and architecture of the school were the same, but the classes, the students’ energy, and the teaching staff were new and teeming with potential.
Thierry was elected the new dean, ready to ensure every student at Alatus was properly respected and educated. He quickly brought on past, intelligent female graduates to become professors at the academy for subjects other than cooking or “alpha pleasing.”
In fact, there was no “pleasing” class available anymore. Though Nix had given it serious thought as to whether certainmale alphas should be forced to attend a “treat females right” class.
Having the new dean as her mate, Nix did get several of her suggestions to come to fruition. Now, self-defense classes, taught by the honorable and female Professor Matten, were mandatory for all Alatus students. Knowing how to protect themselves was incredibly important as there were still some alphas out there, lurking in the dark, uninterested in change or giving up power.
But now, the female prey shifters—and all other shifters—knew they had a badass, fiery phoenix ready to protect them from those who would do them harm.
Some, including every “missing” student Nix had set free, had urged her to lead the council in Kellan’s place, but Nix refused to lead. She proposed a new council, with a representative from each shifter species, to vote on any relevant topics or issues.
After so long in a cage, worried for what the future held, Nix was ready to fly. Literally. Her wings had continued to heal after the initial years of Evernell damage, which had warped their shape. She wanted to test them out. She wanted to fly past where the clouds hid the sun.
She wanted to travel the world and see everything she almost did not get the chance to see.
Ryker grunted beside Nix and rubbed his arm into hers as they walked onto the field in front of the school. “Ready?” he asked in a low, sexy rumble that made it harder not to notice how shirtless he was.
How shirtless they all were.
Ready to fly.
“Where do you want to fly to first, Nixie?” Bael questioned, stretching and shifting so that his large, black-webbed wings, dusted with glimmers of red rubies, shot out from his back.
His dark horns curled over his head, thick and hard. He pulled out a cherry lollipop and popped the candy into his mouth, grinning wickedly at her as he sucked.
“We will take you anywhere you wish,” Thierry promised, also allowing his stone wings to open behind him, readying for flight.
“What if I…can’t?” Nix wondered aloud nervously. “All the Evernell… I mean, I drank it for ten years. The damage…”
“We will never let you fall,” Persius replied simply.
“If your wings struggle, ours will pick up the slack,” Bael said. “Anyways, we are needed elsewhere. I hear there are some shifter packs and clans that aren’t very interested in having a female bring about so much change. They prefer…the ‘old ways.’”
Nix’s face twisted with annoyance. “Let’s visit them first.”
Thierry held out his hand for her to hold. “Shall we?”
“Let them out, baby,” Bael urged her to stretch her wings. “They need to breathe.”
The chainmail dress Bael gave her from Hell—who knew a gorgeous wardrobe piece could come from such a place—hung low on her back, with spaghetti straps that would allow her to shift her wings without ripping the dress.
Nix breathed deeply, tried to calm her nerves, and closed her eyes.
Bael continued babbling, “Unless you think I need to piss you off again—to get you angry enough to shift. There are several things I could do to that ass that would have you—”
Nix’s reddish orange, feathered wings emerged from her back shoulder blades. They rose and lengthened, extending to their full shape.
Some feathers were still missing, slowly growing back, but the wings appeared much stronger than the last time sherevealed them. She blew out a breath of relief as she looked over her shoulder and marveled at their fiery color.
“They’re perfect,” Thierry reassured her.
“Beautiful,” Ryker and Persius added, nodding.
“Flying is a lot like sex,” Bael explained. “Everyone can do it, but some are especially good at it—”
