Viper slowly nods. “If you repeat what I’m about to say to anyone I’ll deny it, but your work with Khalida is what inspired me to finally kill my father and fix the mess he’d made back home. So yeah, I’d be happy to carve myself out a little niche in your garden of Eden.” Pulling a business card from his pocket, he holds it out between two fingers. “If you survive the night, give me a call on Monday and we’ll work out the details.”
“Why wouldn’t we?”
Turning to me for the first time, he raises an eyebrow like I’m an idiot. “It’s not every day someone finds their fated mate. You know how the vultures are always circling for a way to get back to the-” he makes air quotes, scoffing in disgust “- good old days. People that benefit from power hate that they’re kept in check. Your legion is all that stands between them and being able to do whatever the fuck they want.”
Raiden smoothly denies it. “I’m not sure where you’re hearing these rumors, but you should take them with a grain of salt; you know how people like to embellish a good love story.”
Viper’s forked tongue flicks out, scenting the air, and smirks. “You’ve lost your touch, Garrison. Just the slightest hint of fear, but it gives away the truth.” He claps Raiden on the back and tips his head respectfully to Amara, walking away. “Don’t worry, my lips are sealed. Gods know I don’t want to be stuck with one of these assholes trying to fill the power vacuum. If you can’t play the apathetic robot effectively anymore, I’d highly recommend you take advantage of having your mate here as an excuse to mask your reactions.”
We watch him go, one of the security guards at the door holding up a tablet for facial recognition. IDs are pointless with shifters; especially when half of the people in attendance tonight can craft their own new identities, or pay for a rush job. Kodiak’s team does their job well, and doesn’t shirk away from any of the big-dick energy being thrown around in spades. Waiting for him to disappear through the door and the other couple of men to clear out of the parking lot, I turn to Amara, then Raiden.
“Should we call this off?”
Surprisingly, it’s Amara that answers first. “If anything, I’m more confident we should see this through. This isn’t about gaining potential allies if things turn into a war, anymore. It’s already here, it was just happening in the shadows while you three were distracted with your own lives instead of acting as a legion. You left powerful people to govern themselves, and taught them how to be bigger threats by working quietly within the shadows in order to stay off your radar.”
Drawing her shoulders back, she stands taller. “Malcolm is a problem, but he’s not the only one we’re facing. Change is inevitable, and it’s coming; faster than I think any of us are prepared for.”
She looks up to me, golden eyes alight with more fire than I’ve ever seen in her before. “You’ve seen thousands of rulers rise and fall throughout your life. Tell me honestly. Do you think that even if Raiden wins over every single person here tonight, it will be enough? That it will ever be completely safe unless we slaughter every person that opposes what he’s trying to accomplish? And if we have to do that for ‘peace,’ are we actually on the right side of history?”
My mouth goes dry. Silence is heavy between the three of us until I eventually manage to say, “I don’t like making those sorts of decisions. It’s why I insisted on Raiden being the head of our legion.”
She isn’t letting me get out of it this time, though. “We all have to do things we don’t like, and you’re the only living person on the face of this earth that might be able to offer enough insight to save us from making a terrible mistake. I have zero experience with this shit, but you three are blinded by your desire to avenge and protect me, and it’s going to cloud your judgment. You heard Viper. He picked up on Raiden’s weakness within two minutes.”
With a long-suffering exhale, she adds, “Whether one of you kills Malcolm today, next week, or ten years from now, we’re never really going to be free. The end goal will always be just out of reach. Malcolm’s dead? We still have his cult-like following to deal with. They’re gone? It’ll be other people that oppose Raiden's ideals, or a slighted business rival. The pissed-off mates of a woman that came to Khalida for help and blame us for it. A car accident.” Her lips twist in a grimace. “Walking into the middle of a gas station robbery. There’salwaysgoing to be a threat we have to worry about.”
She heads for the club, leaving us hurrying to catch up. “I think we need to adjust our expectations, and not invest all of our energy into an unwinnable war, assuming we’ll be able to live our lives safe and happy when it’s over. You guys were right. Malcolm shouldn’t stop me from living anymore, but... neither should I.”
Raiden and I absorb her speech in mutual silence, not wanting to insult her by offering empty platitudes. She’s right, as much as I wish she weren’t. Humans and demons alike can’t stand the empty void in our souls and are perpetually seeking ways to fill it, causing problems just so we can feel anything at all, even if it’s misery.
I want better for Amara, but how can I offer it when I was barely living before she came along and made me want to?
The security checkpoint doesn’t run any faster for us despite the men knowing we’re part of their boss’ legion, and they earn my respect with that. No favoritism. No bribery. They treat everyone equally regardless of status, doing their jobs effectively.
One pushes open the door for us to step through, and I almost trip as Amara comes to an abrupt halt. “I kind of hate you for not preparing me for this.”
Raiden’s chest vibrates with silent laughter, banding an arm around her waist and kissing her temple. “I was looking forward to shattering your stereotypical image of shifter politics, what can I say?”
I do my best to bite back my amusement at her lips pressed into a thin line. We all knew she was picturing some charity gala with the upper crust dressed to impress, making deals and bribes over hors d'oeuvres that no one can pronounce. While I know Amara doesn’t do well with surprises, this was one even I was on board with.
The key players in shifter society are those that embrace their dark nature rather than lean into human ideals. Besides, it’s not a political event at all, just an opportunity for Raiden where powerful men are all gathered under one roof. They don’t give a shit about anything that doesn’t affect them, and are only here for one reason; Evren sent an invitation.
He’s the biggest black market dealer for shifters, and if he comes calling, you answer. Men have had their throats slit trying to sneak into one of his parties, and more have offered up boons in the hopes of an invitation. Even with as influential as Raiden is, we only scored invitations because he works exclusively with Kodiak as his personal guard for these events, and he was hoping to meet Amara to glean insider information he might be able to use later.
Amara strokes a hand over Avery’s head lovingly, using the falcon to bolster her confidence. “So it’s an exclusive strip club?”
Leaning in close, I whisper in her ear, “It’s a black market auction house. There’s nothing more profitable than a man’s baser instincts, and exploiting them before the main event means the money flows with less reservations.”
Biting her tongue, she takes in her surroundings. The club’s lighting is low, the drinks are free and flowing steadily enough to combat even a shifter’s swift recovery time, and the first floor offers a stripper stage off to our right that has the majority of the men, and some that brought their mates, already enthralled. All games, and whether or not they see it, they choose to imbibe on someone else’s dime, not understanding that if something’s free, you’re the product.
I can only imagine how well Evren pays the women under his employ with how highly in demand they are. It’s a subtle flex, showing he can keep them safe enough to remain single and entertain shifters, layers upon layers of mind games and power trips that exhaust me before I can even attempt to discern the finer nuances. I don’t care to, either. It’s far more entertaining watching Amara take everything in, seeing the world through her eyes as if it’s the first time.
It’s exhilarating in a way I hadn’t anticipated, and if she wasn’t already my addiction, she would be now.
I’m immediately enraptured in the way she studies the women on stage with both envy and respect, the way she surveys the men in the audience and wonders what keeps them from surging up to claim the women by force. The way the few women in the crowd behave around their mates. She assesses every dynamic in the room, filing it all away to use later, and it cements how perfect she is for the three of us. She takes in all of the facts before making her judgment and is willing to consider things from new perspectives.
She adapts, not by force, but because she’s learned how to blend into her surroundings for the best chance at survival.
She’ll give Raiden a run for his money if she ever chooses to join him in his endeavors, and Kodiak is already singing her praises for her efforts in the training building. Me? It gives me peace of mind knowing that she isn’t as fragile as I used to believe.
