by Lela Grayce
“Step aside,” Kreed commanded.
No one moved.
Surprise, surprise.
Kreed
My hand twitched at my side, the palm itching to draw a weapon, my instincts screaming at me to protect Nik at all costs. We were surrounded but I knew with my speed and strength I could draw before they even blinked. Nik pressed against my back maintaining contact, which I was thankful for. Her light touch calmed the pounding of my nature and made it easier to reign in the violence. To protect her, I’d do what I had to, even fight against myself.
“Stop,” a husky voice called.
My blazing eyes zeroed on where the voice had come from. The shadows were thick, but they parted for me revealing a man shrouded in darkness, which suggested that he had a spell of some sort. The wind shifted and I caught a whiff of the air. The man in the shadows smelled human, but then, most Mutts did, too.
I concentrated on my hearing, focusing their unnatural potency to the surrounding area. Soft footsteps imperceptible to even a full-blooded sup like me. This group was working with strong magic. I could barely smell it. Whomever the magic user was they were incredibly powerful.
“Don’t draw your weapon,” the voice commanded like he could read my mind.
I clenched my fist knowing that I could deal death and violence with only my hands. Blades made for a clean and quick kill. With as fast as I was, I could take out this whole group and paint the brick walls red with their blood. The thought had my mouth watering just thinking about the potential blood at my fingertips.
“Do you promise not to hurt this man?” Nik whispered too quietly for the others to hear.
“What was that?” I asked exasperated at her stupid sense of humor that I didn’t understand.
I could feel her contained laughter at my back and it surprised me that she could find a joke in such a dark situation.
Another stranger stepped from the shadows, not at all dressed for what this was. He wore a three-piece suit with a zippered hoodie pulled over the black blazer, the hood pulled up hiding his face. Nik sucked in a breath when he appeared, and I was unsure if it was from surprise or something else.
“Who are you?” she asked from behind me, her voice firm, earlier humor forgotten.
I didn’t know how but she kept surprising me. From her reaction to being bit by a fucking dragon to then finding a safe door funny. I couldn’t figure her out and I found myself looking forward to the challenge.
“Those who were following you have been dispatched. Your driver is parked on the street beyond. My men will follow you to ensure that you are not followed, if we somehow missed someone, which I doubt.”
My mind was firing with warning alarms. I could hear distant fighting, which backed up what he said. But how did he know who Brutus was to me?
“How do you know all this?” I demanded, my fight brain ready to take over as protectiveness leaked into my thoughts for my charge and friend.
I tried to shake the feeling, to push it aside but something about this Mutt girl who was refreshingly naive, had me pausing and second guessing my actions. To be the assassin to a Pendragon you needed to be ruthless, to act without thought, and deal out violence in a moment’s notice.
My thoughts drifted to the fierceness I had wrought when the wall had exploded. Nik was blown away from me and smelling her blood in the air snapped something inside. A sword appeared in my hands and red clouded my vision. I heard Nik’s breaths stop, heard her heart stutter in her chest, and I became the monster my people feared the most.
When I came back to myself, I was sucking from the neck of a hybrid-supe I had just killed. Before my fight brain could recede, I realized what I had first thought were Mutts were actually Hybrids. I could taste the absence of humanity in their blood and it concerned me. Nik said Hybrids were with the dragon which was concerning but this group who had followed and attacked us were all Hybrids. They were so rare that they were easily overlooked and with these numbers… somehow someone had created an army of them.
Depending on what the Hybrid’s genetics were, they could be formidable. Shifters were dangerous but a Hybrid with different animals could be disastrous. Witch Hybrids were immune to most magic. A Witch-Fae Hybrid were especially dangerous. Witches drew their power from nature and Fae were the curators of nature. The Fae side would feed the Witch giving them nearly limitless power. The Uther and his Pendragons did allow Hybrid births and were closely regulated. They had to be.
The fact that we had encountered so many in a single night had my gut clenching. This had turned into a very eventful and improbable night.
“Nik,” the suited man ignored my question, his attention turning to her. I felt my lip curl at his easy dismissal of me and the threat I posed. “Go home and stay there. Do not leave for any reason. And keep that beast of yours with you.”
“How do you—”
“There’s no time. Your driver will be here in a few moments. You must go.”
“But—”
“All will be explained soon,” he interrupted her again. Then his ninjas stepped into the magical shadows and disappeared.
The man waited a moment, and I knew his eyes were riveted on Nik and it took every ounce of self-control I had not to growl a possessive warning. The scuff of shoes echoed through the alley. One quick step back, he melted into the darkness, erasing even the scent of them.
“There you are,” Brutus huffed, stopping in front of us and I could see the worry in his eyes. “It was taking way too long so I decided to come looking for you. What’s the hold up?”
“I’ll explain in the car,” I lied. I wouldn’t be explaining anything until we had Nik in a safe place.
What an absolute shitshow this had turned out to be.
The ride to my penthouse was uneventful though I did my best to try and spot any ninjas. Curious if they were really following. My weak eyes couldn’t penetrate the shadows. It had witchcraft written all over it in big neon letters. No regular shadows were that dense.
Kreed rode up front with Brutus. Both were silent but their heads were constantly moving checking their surroundings. Witchcraft or not I’m sure Kreed’s way superior eyesight could see a tick on a dog’s butt. It must be so hard to be so beyond chill.
By the time we made our way up to the penthouse, I was dragging ass, big time. I was so tired that I could lay down on the carpet in the hallway and fall fast asleep like I was drunk and couldn’t quite make it home. No shoes completed the whole ‘drunk chick passed out in the hall’ scenario. Somehow, I rallied and made it inside my home, answering in grunts and middle fingers as I made my way to my room. I wiggled my way out of the tight prison, some people call a dress, and flopped onto my bed, not caring that I wasn’t wearing anything except for my underwear. The girls were free and that’s all that mattered.
Dreams of red-rimmed eyes and blood dripping from enormous fangs assaulted me. I tossed and turned until Zazu took pity on the poor weak human, jumped on the bed, and snuggled close somehow making the dreams stop.
When I drifted up to awareness, I peeled my eyes open and the first thing I noticed was the fading sunlight which meant I had slept the majority of the day. The second thing was Zazu lounging on one of the pillows, licking himself. I made a mental note to never use that pillow again or better yet to burn it because, gross.
“Remind me why I keep you around?” It was a serious question so Zazu stopped his grooming of his manly bits and stared at me with both eyes. “Aww, were you worried about me, buddy?” He stared for another moment before getting up and walking over to me. He bowed his head doing that weird thing cats do and rubbed the top of his head on my neck. The scaly-furry texture of his skin tickled. I realized this was the spot where I had been bitten. Could Zazu tell that something had happened?
Probably. For being an ugly shit, he wasn’t a dumb house pet; he was intelligent. Maybe, more than I should be comfortable with, but he was ugly-cute and I loved him, most days.
Aft
er I showered and completed my regular beauty routine, I was ready for coffee, food, and answers. In that exact order. I dressed for comfort because I was definitely feeling better. I could still feel the effects from the night before, though. Whatever that dragon had done to me knocked me for a loop. It wasn’t worse than chemo, but I felt way more violated from the VIP room experience.
The living room was empty. I saw the evidence that two people had slept there. The smell of dude sweat gave it away. Not the rumpled pillow and blankets but they were evidence nonetheless.
As I walked down the hall leading to the kitchen, I paused and pressed the panel that would start making coffee. It wouldn’t be hard to make it once I was in the room but I was lazy and a perky cup of Joe waiting for my grumpy ass was just a good start to any time of day, really.
Things One and Two were in the kitchen, sitting at the island, hunched over bowls. Empty boxes of cereal lined the counter and I noticed they were using large mixing bowls to eat their cereal out of.
“What the hell?” I asked, gesturing to the empty boxes. There had to be at least six and Lyndee only bought the family sized ones. We liked our food in this apartment and since we catered to the supernatural side of the population we made sure we had food to satisfy their appetites, especially Lyndee’s wolf side.
“We’re growing boys and we’re hungry,” Brutus spoke defensively like any shifter would be.
“You could at least clean up the counters,” I huffed, grabbing a couple boxes and shaking them to test the contents. “You better have left me some or I’ll make you drive and get me something and it better be in under five minutes or there will be hell to pay.”
“This one has some left,” Kreed interjected, handing a box of the nasty raisin cereal Syd liked. Gross. Breakfast cereal needed to be sugary with questionable nutrients. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Before I could bite his head off, a bell chimed announcing that my cup of godly liquid was ready. I grabbed the creamer from the fridge, noting that there was still a gallon of milk left, then seized a mug that perfectly matched my mood and got busy making my magic-wakey-wakey potion.
Once the perfect mug for the occasion was filled, I turned to the two dick-swingers and took my first sip. I watched as they both read my mug that said: ‘I may not be perfect but at least I’m not you’. Truer words had never been spoken or written on a coffee mug. Whatever. I gave them both my best stank eye, daring them to laugh or contradict my mug.
They didn’t, which was disappointing.
“Alright,” I began, leaning on the island counter across from them. “I want answers. I answered yours yesterday, so it’s time you returned the favor.”
“I saved your life, multiple times last night. I’d say we’re even.” Kreed shoveled a heaping spoonful of cereal into him mouth.
We weren’t but I had something special for him in mind. I’d let him think he won.
“Whatever. Brutus, you’re up buddy.” The color drained from his face but he nodded his agreement. I had saved his master and his son. He owed me and I was demanding he pay up.
“Right, first thing I want to know is why you have Zavarian blood in you and if you are a full-blooded… bear shifter.”
Brutus spat out his mouthful of cereal, spewing milk and soggy bits all over what was the clean counter.
“Gross dude!” Grabbing a towel, I threw it at his spluttering face.
“How do you know that?” Brutus spluttered, wiping up his mess.
“Ah, I see your master’s son hasn’t filled you in on my other ability. Thought you two would gossip away while I was sleeping.” I sipped my coffee hoping they didn’t see it as an accusation even though it was if it were true.
“Your secrets are yours,” Kreed said calmly. I really wanted to slap him again, but I took another sip of coffee instead.
“When we came through during The Surge, I was protecting something that belonged to the Uther.” This statement nearly made me spit out the coffee in my mouth, but it was precious to me so I managed to swallow. Barely. “My unit was attacked and almost all of my men were killed. I fought until help could arrive, taking life threatening injuries in the process. When reinforcements finally arrived, they dispatched the rest of the attackers. I thought they would call for witch healers to fix me up so I could return to duty, but they ignored me, walked over my broken and bleeding body. My own kind had left me for dead.”
Only the strongest could serve the Uther and his Pendragons. If you were weak, if you hesitated, or were injured doing your duty to them they disposed of you. Just goes to show that if you weren’t a dragon, you weren’t family. Shifter’s spend their whole lives serving them just to be tossed aside like trash.
“Ruvaen and Kreed found me. Despite my pleas to let me, a disgrace, die from my injuries, they didn’t. They tended to me and when I was strong enough, Kreed bit me and the healing process happened overnight. I wasn’t a grateful shifter and fell into a depression when I wasn’t welcomed back into the ranks of my brothers. Being healed by a Zavarian, I was tainted and would never be allowed back. It was a dark time for me but Kreed and Ruvaen stood by, offering support and later on, answers.”
“Answers to what?” I asked.
“To how we all came to be here.”
“The dragon’s and the other races came through during The Surge, took over our world, began to procreate like rabbits and here we are. A population of Mutts with nowhere to go, rejected by society for being a human mixed breed.”
“It wasn’t the intention of the pure races for that to happen,” Kreed said, his voice too soft for the mood in the room.
“For what to happen? To fuck around or reject their mixed offspring?”
“Both,” Kreed answered. His flippant response made me mad.
“It took me a long time to see the truth, Nik,” Brutus said. “There are several different races all with their own history, but I can assure you that they aren’t here of their own free will.”
“What do you mean?” There was no way the other races were here under duress. The shifters literally served the dragons; it was the highest of honors. The other races did the same. Strong witches and Fae were housed with the Uther or the Pendragons and did their bidding. They were paid extremely well and had high standings within the city. Must be so hard to not live like scum.
“She’s not ready for the truth,” Kreed stated, scooping up a spoonful of cereal and putting it in his mouth.
His lush lips distracted me as they wrapped around the metal. I tried not to remember how they had felt on my throat. Heat sprang up racing to my lower belly in an intense rush I nearly gasped but held it in. His nostrils flared and I knew he was smelling my arousal and it was both annoying and embarrassing. I was the only one feeling this way that was for sure.
“I’m ready,” I choked out making my contradiction as believable as the cereal boxes boasting of heart healthy marshmallows.
“You’re not,” Kreed said in a way a superior would shut up someone beneath them.
“You have no authority over me,” I growled.
“If you have Zavarian blood, then I actually do have authority.”
"I can tell you where you can stick your authority. I can draw you a map. It’s pretty simple. The dick leads to the balls then a hop over no-man’s-land you get to the place where the sun don’t shine. So, take that stick and sit on it.”
“Are all Mutts so crude?” Kreed asked Brutus, completely ignoring the one with the shiny personality. Hurtful.
“Tell me what you know,” I shouted at them.
“I’ll tell you if you calm down and tell me what your other ability is,” Brutus bargained. He was trying to distract me from the real answers that I wanted but I felt like I needed to tell him so that he would understand things in the future.
I nodded then took another swallow of hot coffee so I could get my thoughts together. This ability of mine was something that was kept secret my whole life, my mother didn’t even
know the full extent of it. It felt weird telling so many people. In this world, honesty got you killed. Secrets were hidden well and protected fiercely. You needed every advantage you could get, and my ability took some of that away.
“I can look at someone and know what they are. It works on Mutts, Hybrids, Humans, and the Races. It usually takes me a couple seconds, but my radar, or whatever always knows the truth. I knew immediately that you are a shifter, and you were the first shifter I had ever encountered outside of the Pendragons Shifter Force. There was a small bit of you that wasn’t you. Zavarians are a new species to me so pinpointing just what exactly, that bit took time but I eventually figured it out.”
“Wait… so you just know what mix people are just by looking at them?”
I nodded and watched as he thought it through. He was very expressive, something that must have developed after he was let go from the Force. The shifters who worked for them were as emotionless as doorknobs, but the fact he used to be on the Force and was expressive was actually quite impressive.
Brutus leaned forward, placing his forearms on the counter, his chocolate colored eyes squinted at me. Here we go.
“What’s the couple next door?” he asked.
“Blonde is Fae and witch. Witch being the dominant gene. The red-haired one is Fae and shifter. Shifter genes tend to come through the strongest most of the time, but not always.”
“The owner of the donut shop down the block?”
“She is pixie and witch. An odd mixture, but the witch part makes sense because the donuts are the very best in this part of town.”
“What about the guard to the parking garage?”
“Pixie and Shifter. Despite his size and appearance, he’s an excellent security guard.”
“Satisfied?” Kreed asked, pushing his empty bowl away.
“Yes, but I’m still unsure how this puts her in danger.”
