“Of course we take you seriously, Sy,” Silas said immediately. “Always.”
“Any fucker who doesn’t respect you will face my wrath!” Rowan promised.
I smiled at him and nodded at the shifter prince. “Good to know, man. For the record, I quit feeding on supernaturals a while ago. But when you were mean to Barbie after she moved into your House, I planned to eat you. If she hadn’t stopped me, you wouldn’t be here today as the alpha king.”
Silas stared at me, incredulous, then let out a short laugh.
“She wasn’t kidding, Silas,” Cade said, and Silas’s smile faded, his face paling slightly.
I twirled a finger in a circle. “I no longer need to feed, now that I am separate from Barbie.”
I could feel the changes in myself since the separation. My power was getting stronger every day, and I no longer needed to feed. The insatiable crave was gone.
“I was in the Red Room, watching the ancient gods through Barbie’s eyes,” I said. “They were a sorrowful sight. If you still want to meet them, I can get you inside.”
“We’re in,” Louis said, offering me his most charming, fang-free smile.
“Let’s go,” Cade said.
“I can’t wait to see the look on Killian’s face when he finds out we managed without him,” Silas added. “He may be my brother, but he’s an arrogant jerk who thinks the sun revolves around him.”
I saw his point, though it was a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black.
Rowan and I pushed off the sofa. It was good to have something to do, so we wouldn’t get fat. We filed out of the penthouse. I led the group down the corridor, my hand in Rowan’s. It felt good to be seen. I grinned, thinking of thebeautiful life ahead of me, a life that was finally and completely my own. Not even a looming war could take this feeling from me.
“Fair warning,” I said, glancing back at the heirs. I remembered how much Barbie loved these little pep talks. “The gods holed up in the Red Room have bad tempers. All gods are temperamental, but these two have had their minds broken by millennia of torment from Ruin. Play dumb if they speak in weird prophecies. Do not upset them, or it’ll end badly for everyone.” My gaze zoomed in on the shifter king. “That means you, Silas. You got me?”
“What? Why the fuck am I being singled out?” Silas had the usual look of wanting to punch something. He probably mistook it for a badass look, and he mostly mimicked Killian.
“Because you have a gift for pissing off even the dead,” Louis said.
“You’re one to talk, bloodsucker.”
“Everyone, just follow my lead and be on your best behavior,” I said confidently and bared my fangs slightly. “Don’t touch anything. Now, hold your breath.”
“Why?” Louis asked. “My breath is fine. You can come and smell for yourself, Sy.”
“Back off, Louis,” Rowan growled. “Just hold your breath.”
“Why?” Silas challenged.
“Because my mate said so!” Rowan snapped.
“I have never tiptoed for anyone in my life,” Silas retorted. “And I am not about to start by holding my breath.”
The heirs were impossible. They always complained about Barbie being a handful, but now I felt sorry for my sister, so misunderstood by everyone.
I stopped before the red door like a tour guide presenting the world’s most unsettling attraction.
“Shit,” Cade muttered behind me.
Purple light spilled from the doorway, pooling at our feet like alien blood. It began to bubble, as if responding to my thoughts.
Rowan pulled me back, moving to shield me with his body.
“Your protectiveness is sweet but unnecessary,” I told him. “They can’t hurt me.” The only real threat to me was the God of Ruin, but I kept that to myself. There was no need to make him more paranoid.
Nevertheless, he raised a hand, ready to unleash his elemental magic. The other heirs fell into battle stances as well. Cade leveled his wand at the door. Silas had partially shifted, his forearms covered in fur and his jaw lengthened into a half-wolf, half-human form. Every heir’s power had grown since forming the blood bond. Louis bared his fangs and extended his claws, his air magic gathering around him.
