The list goes on.
Sure, they all pretend they can shift into big, bad wolves, but I know the truth.
And RenatoknowsI know the truth.
Madraín Béicteachis still my best work.
My shadows twitch at the edge of my vision, drawn tight and ready to strike, but I force them to be still. Keeping Aurora safe is my priority, even if I have to murder an ancient vampire to do so.
“Will you invite me into your home, Ezra?” Renato finally asks, just before his gaze shifts to the goddess behind me.
Aurora holds herself with effortless grace. The only thing she’s missing is a crown. Her undeniable power and confidence in this moment would make even nightmares hesitate.
But she’s scared. And that fear makes the Cù Fèidh claw at my insides, desperate to tear free.
“You may enter, but you’ll harm no one.” A growl curls beneath my voice. “And the little lupine?” My shadows tighten, vibrating with rage. “Touch her, and I’ll feed you your own spine.”
“Yes, of course. I’m disappointed you think so little of me. I’m certainly no heathen,” Renato says with a dismissive wave of his hand.
“Besides, I don’t consume the souls of hell-children,” the vampire snarls as a wicked grin spreads across his irritatingly handsome face.
I don’t trust this lukewarm bastard but gutting him on my doorstep would start a war. So, I step aside, every nerve straining, and allow the plague that is Renato Cazador into my home.
The ancient asshole stands in front of the young queen, studying her with a bored look. When he reaches for her, every muscle in my body tenses, ready to protect what belongs to me.
Renato takes her hand, and I brace myself for the inevitable. He’ll demand Aurora kneel before him and kiss his hand. I will not allow her to degrade herself like that.
But, to my surprise, Renato lifts Aurora’s hand to his iridescent lips and grazes them across her knuckles.
Does he know who she really is? The old fool has either misread this situation, or he’s baiting me.
“Hello, my dear,” Renato murmurs, his voice almost … tender.
My jaw clenches and my teeth grind.
What the fuck?
Why would this violent meat puppet with a heartbeat speak so delicately to Aurora?
He must know.
The vampire looks at her. Then at me. Something sharp flickers behind his eyes as they narrow, cold calculation settling over his face.
He watches the way my fists curl at my hips, tendons straining beneath my skin. I’m locked in place, with my jaw clenched, every inch of me a threat waiting to be unleashed.
And then, smiling with the kind of certainty that comes from centuries of getting his way, he asks,“What is your name, Daughter?”
Fuck, he knows.
Did I just put Aurora in danger?
Will he attack?
A growl tears through me as the Cù Fèidh claws at my insides, a typhoon thrashing beneath my skin. She’s been slamming against my ribs since Renato arrived, every inch of her begging to rip free. I can barely hold her back.
A piece of me slips, and the beast materializes beside me, every part of her screaming for blood.
“Now, now, there’s no need for that, Ezra. I am here to redeem your favor, not harm this stunning creature,” Renato chides.
