Gluttony

by Katie May

  hair, and I turned into her touch.

  I sometimes really hated my species name. Why couldn’t we be called

  Mer men? I was anything but a maiden.

  “You’re perfect,” I countered, knowing she would never believe me but

  also knowing it was true. She possessed this inner spark, this inner light, that

  made me want to fight the darkness and all of the monsters inside of it.

  It might not have necessarily been just her. I knew she fought demons

  daily, and I knew that she didn’t always win. It was us—her and me and my

  brothers. We complemented each other, each providing something crucial

  that we hadn’t even realized we needed.

  As expected, Z rolled her eyes, a delicate blush blooming on her cheeks

  like a flower unfurling in spring. My cock tented my pants instinctively, and I

  just barely resisted the urge to scold it as Killian would’ve done.

  “We’ll be right back, my love,” she whispered, kissing my cheek

  tenderly. I squeezed her hips tighter, as if that could keep her with me, before

  reluctantly releasing her.

  “Keep her safe,” I warned my brothers as Z climbed out of the car.

  “With my life,” Lupe assured me, removing his glasses and placing them

  in the glove compartment. I was beginning to believe there were two sides to

  my Shifter brother. One was studious, preferring to spend his days in the

  library and read about the world in books. The other part of him was ruthless

  and vicious. Fierce in his need to protect those he deemed as his.

  Killian pointed his finger at me and pretended to shoot. When he realized

  how dorky he looked, he dropped his hand and smiled sheepishly.

  “I’ll protect her.”

  “With your fingers?” I asked dryly, and his blush deepened. Smiling, I

  shoved his shoulder. “Protect our girl, okay?”

  Devlin leveled me with an intense stare before dropping the keys into my

  outstretched hand.

  “You’re the get-away driver. Be ready. We might have to make a quick

  escape.”

  I nodded seriously, knowing it was a job I could handle. A lot of the cars

  the Capital invested in had a button I used for the gas and brake. I had

  perfected the art of not being able to drive with my legs.

  And now, I could use those skills to protect Z and my brothers.

  I stared at my reflection in the rearview mirror—mouth set in a grim line,

  eyes shadowed, and skin pale. I vowed to myself that I would do everything

  in my power to protect my family.

  Whatever it took.

  With a skittering pulse and heavy heart, I crawled into the front seat and

  gripped the wheel until my knuckles turned white.

  I would wait.

  And if it was required of me, I would fight.

  THIRTY-THREE

  Z

  T here was a stillness to the air. A hush, as if we were all

  holding our breaths. We walked single-file through the dense

  forest, pushing aside branches and twigs with the moonlight as

  our guide. Lupe led the charge with Devlin and Killian taking up rank behind

  me.

  None of the guys told me to stay back, and I appreciated it more than they

  could possibly know.

  I gripped my knife tightly as we exited the forest, stopping in front of a

  modest home with a flat roof and rows of carefully planted flowers.

  “This is…”

  “Not what you were expecting?” Ryland finished dryly, materializing

  from behind a bush.

  “You’re okay,” I said in relief, lunging forward before I could stop

  myself. Ryland caught me easily, his arms muscular bands around my thin

  waist. His shadows parted, revealing glimmering blue eyes, as he touched his

  lips to my own. I kissed him back feverishly, tangling my fingers in his dark

  hair. I hadn’t realized how much I had missed him—how worried I had been

  for him—until that moment.

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Shadow boy is alive and well,” Bash murmured,

  pushing aside a few buoyant branches.

  I reluctantly pulled away from my Shadow mate to face Bash fully. His

  lips were curved downwards, but besides that, there were no outwards signs

  of his discomfort. Only his eyes gave him away: they were vibrating with

  jealousy, hurt, and relief. A myriad of emotions I couldn’t even begin to

  understand.

  “I’m glad you’re okay too, Bash-hole,” I said meekly, surveying his body

  for injuries. His own eyes did the same to me.

  “You too, Princess.”

  For a moment, time was suspended as we stared at each other. His mossy

  green eyes swirled with undefinable emotions. I wanted to run to him as I did

  with Ryland. Wrap my arms around him and kiss his plush lips.

  Yet, I knew we weren’t there yet. There was still a chasm we had to

  venture across before we could even consider doing such things. With time,

  we’d be able to build the bridge that hadn’t yet existed. Piece by piece. Day

  by day.

  Love, after all, was nothing but a waiting game.

  Before either of us could act on our more primitive instincts, Ryland’s

  voice captured my attention.

  “...nothing I could see. Bash claims they’re hiding underneath a powerful

  illusion spell.”

  Illusion spell? Why did that remind me of something?

  It was on the tip of my tongue, resting there and begging me to spit it out.

  I rubbed my hands against my legging-clad legs as I struggled to grasp the

  memory that constantly wanted to elude me.

  “I think I can undo it,” Bash declared, finally wrenching his eyes off of

  me. “I already started before you guys arrived.”

  “Where’s T and the other guards?” I questioned suddenly. It had only just

  occurred to me that I hadn’t seen them anywhere.

  “The Kings’ asslickers?” Bash raised a sculpted blond brow. “We left

  them in the city near the inn.”

  “Good,” I murmured, turning back to study the nondescript building. “I

  don’t want him in this mess.” Smoke emitted from the chimney, and the air

  was perfumed with the smell of freshly baked goods. If it was an illusion

  spell, it was more powerful than any I had ever experienced before.

  “How long is it going to take you to break the spell?” Devlin snapped out,

  once more reverting to his role as the unofficial leader.

  “I’m almost done. Maybe ten more minutes,” Bash answered. He took a

  step towards his brother—a step towards me—and his arm brushed my own.

  Fire erupted in my veins at the contact.

  “Good. Start working on that,” Devlin instructed, and Bash nodded once

  to show him he understood. “The rest of us...be prepared.”

  Lupe immediately moved to stand directly beside me, a formidable force

  of nature even in his human form. My pinkie finger extended to wrap around

  his own as we stared up at the moonlit house.

  I always preferred to do my battles in the dark. Maybe it was because I

  understood it better.

  The darkness? It always won. It was where you could hide—where you

  could seek solace when the world crumbled around you, piece by piece. The

  light, on the other hand, spotlighted you. It put you on this unattainable

  pedestal and displayed you t
o the world. All of your fears and weaknesses,

  your insecurities and anger. Everything.

  Darkness had always been more powerful.

  “Are you ready?” Lupe whispered softly.

  “This isn’t my first rodeo,” I replied, my voice a hushed murmur.

  But it’s the only one that matters.

  Fuck, what if we couldn’t save Jax? What if he was already dead?

  I took a steadying breath, attempting to calm my racing heart, as I pushed

  those thoughts to the back of my mind. A part of me knew Jax was alive and

  waiting for me. I didn’t know how, only that I did.

  You need to get a hold of yourself, Z. You can’t go into battle with your

  emotions on your sleeve.

  I mentally inventoried myself, checking to see if there were any chinks in

  my armor. Finding none, I tightened my grip on Lupe’s pinkie.

  “I’m ready,” I whispered more to myself than the giant man beside me.

  “I’m ready.”

  “If ready means you think you’re going to pee your pants, then I’m totally

  ready,” Killian muttered from behind me, and a smirk twisted up my lips

  before I could contain it. Trust Killian to break the tension hanging palpably

  over all of our heads.

  Green mist erupted from Bash’s hands suddenly, encompassing the home.

  As I watched, transfixed and horrified, the diminutive cottage turned into a

  towering, six-story mansion. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason for the

  architecture—gables and turrets sprouted from the slanted roof in unnatural

  angles. The siding was a dark brown while the trim was black. Row after row

  of dusty, unwashed windows clamored up the side of the house.

  “Holy fuck,” Killian breathed, craning his neck to look his fill. I spotted

  two gargoyles perched on a balcony overhead, their wings pressed into their

  stony spines. I couldn’t help but wonder if they were real—new monsters

  Aaliyah had created or raised to capture me.

  “Let’s go get our Vampire back,” I said to the others, venturing a

  tentative step closer, except…something didn’t feel right. I didn’t know how

  to articulate it, only that the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Each

  step forward felt as if I was walking to my execution. “Something doesn’t

  feel right,” I said out loud, glancing at my men.

  Before they could respond, I heard what sounded like pebbles hitting the

  ground.

  “Oh, fuck,” Devlin cursed as two figures stepped forward, silhouetted in

  the inky darkness.

  “Um...let’s hope they’re not fucking us,” Killian added, shakily raising

  his gifted dagger.

  The two gargoyles I had noted earlier now stood before us, tiny rocks

  cascading down their bodies with each step they took.

  Stone faces displayed long fangs, pinprick black eyes, and haphazardly

  carved noses. Horns sprouted from their heads and curled at the tips. Their

  bodies were nearly as large as Lupe’s with spindly, bat-like wings protruding

  from their backs.

  They immediately zeroed in on me.

  “Give us the girl,” they whispered in unison, the noise similar to rocks

  being rubbed together.

  Lupe released an enraged snarl, fur exploding on his body.

  “Over my dead body!” Killian piped up with false bravado, stepping

  closer. The two gargoyles turned towards him with matching sneers.

  “That could be arranged,” they said, and Killian’s face drained of all

  color.

  “Why don’t you come out here and fight your own battles?” I screamed,

  peering around the gargoyles’ mammoth bodies. “Aaliyah, get your ass out

  here right now! Fight me yourself, you coward!”

  I didn’t expect my taunts to actually work. I honestly didn’t.

  But a moment later, the door to the mansion opened and a gorgeous

  woman stepped out. Her alabaster skin glowed in the moonlight, emphasizing

  the silver flecks in her eyes. Orange hair cascaded down her shoulders, held

  back with a golden barrette.

  Jax stepped out directly behind her, face impassive and eyes glinting red.

  “You wanted to talk?” Aaliyah asked coyly, focusing on me. “Then we’ll

  talk. Long time no see... sister.”

  THIRTY-FOUR

  AXEL

  I was once the most feared man in all the Kingdoms. My name

  was said in both reverence and disgust.

  Axel the Assassin.

  Axel the Butcher.

  Blood flooded the streets, intermingling with severed limbs and heads.

  The world always knew when I found my target, for not even their houses

  remained by the time I was done with them.

  Killing was in my blood, in my bones, in my heart. It was all I was good

  for—all I knew how to do. I wore the skin of my enemies like a badge of

  honor, as a way to warn away predators.

  No one could stop me. Not even the Kings. They attempted to put a leash

  on me, but I destroyed it with one eloquent look. Chains couldn’t hold a

  monster like me.

  And now, I was nothing but an errand boy. Oh, how the mighty have

  fallen.

  I moved swiftly down the pebbled street, towards a section of town driven

  by poverty. The lawns were overrun by knee-high weeds, and most of the

  buildings were missing windows. Graffiti covered the walls, displaying

  everything from the Kings with nooses around their necks to a golden-haired

  angel with the word “Liberator” spelled out beneath it, the paint still wet.

  Interesting. Very, very interesting.

  I made it to the old mill in record time, slowing my pace as I stepped up

  to a deteriorating wooden building built directly above an ancient-looking

  wheel. There appeared to be three sections to the house, the middle being

  twice as tall as the two on either side. The roofs were slanted and cracked

  from age and weather. The wooden siding of the house seemed to be rotting

  away, the windows covered in a fine layer of dust. It looked seconds from

  crumbling into the water roaring below.

  Silencing my footsteps, I stepped up the rickety staircase and stared

  through the closest dirty window.

  Despite the atrocious exterior, the interior appeared well-maintained. The

  floor had been scrubbed so meticulously, it almost appeared to be brand new.

  Only a few spiderwebs hung in the rafters, and the furniture, though old, was

  devoid of any dust or dirt.

  Miles may have been a kid, but he had taken great care of his home.

  Pain briefly assaulted me as I pictured his cherubic face and innocent

  eyes. That was one line I had never crossed: killing kids. The mere prospect

  of it made bile swim in my throat.

  All too often, they were the casualty of a war they couldn’t even begin to

  understand.

  Anger and indignation warred for domination inside of me, but shock

  kept them both adequately subdued. The intensity of my emotions surprised

  even me.

  When did I get so soft? When did I start caring about the humans?

  I wasn’t one to actively hunt them down, but I sure as fuck didn’t go out

  of my way to rescue them. The human female was getting to me.

  Releasing a breath, I dropped the shadows surrounding me and adopted a

  cheerful smile. I was a ma
ster of disguising my emotions. A master of faces

  and masks.

  One moment, I could be charming the pants off of a target, and the next,

  I’d be stabbing a knife into his or her throat.

  All in a day’s work, my friends.

  Now, I rapped my knuckles against the door and waited.

  Silence.

  Miles had taught his sister well, though it was making my job slightly

  more difficult.

  Tapping my foot impatiently, I knocked again.

  Silence.

  Heaving out a breath, I tried the handle, only to discover it was locked.

  Fucking hell. I was going to scare the kid before I even had the chance to

  know her.

  Out of options—and too lazy to scale the wall to reach the second-story

  window—I shoved my weight against the distressed wood. After the second

  try, the door collapsed, taking me with it. I landed with an oomph inside the

  mill, a sliver of wood catching in my cheek. Grimacing, I plucked the wood

  out of my skin and tossed it to the side. Blood welled, a brilliant shade of red,

  but I knew that it would heal in time.

  Scars and bruises were just a part of my life. I wore them proudly, a

  reminder of all I had faced. Of all the people I had killed.

  “Come out, come out, wherever you are!” I called out, and then instantly

  winced.

  Shit, that sounded creepy. Tone it down a notch, Axel.

  “I brought candy!” I added helpfully.

  When not even a floorboard squeaked, I focused on my senses. What I

  smelled, what I felt, what I heard, what I saw.

  There!

  Upstairs, I heard the barely audible patter of footsteps against the wooden

  floors.

  “Just come down, okay?” I demanded, growing impatient. I had places to

  be, people to kill, and monsters to maim. Grumbling beneath my breath, I

  ascended the surprisingly steep staircase, keeping one eye peeled for the little

  girl. “I don’t want to hurt you. I’m just here to—”

  Something hard hit me straight in the chest. Normally, it wouldn’t have

  done anything but annoy me, but I supposed I was losing my touch. The

  sheer shock of the assault caused me to lose my balance on the staircase. My

  arms windmilled as I fell backwards, body flipping and twisting as I thudded

  down the stairs.

  Motherfucker!

  When I finally landed, I landed hard. I groaned as pain reverberated up

  my spine and down my legs.