Shine (Mageri Series: Book 5)

by Dannika Dark

  Novis cleared his throat as a warning. Simon grinned and winked at me.

  I stood up took a few short paces forward, just a few feet ahead of Finn. The audience was riveted by the unexpected turn of events.

  “Those accusations are not enough to justify the murder of a Lord.” Quaid pushed the papers forward.

  Simon shoved them back in front of the Overlord, who threw him an irritated glare. “They are if Logan and Silver are kindred spirits.”

  The crowd reacted with disbelief, heads shaking, and one of the members of the higher authority slammed down a gavel several times to silence them.

  “You see,” Simon began, “I’ve spent all bloody day tracking down one of the labs involved in illegal activities. See my friend over there?” He pointed to Finn. “It started with his father extorting the Cross family for money. As a favor, I decided to track him down and have a little chat, and that’s when I came across an unexpected nugget of information. Had Finn’s father not been the greedy bastard he is, I wouldn’t be here today. He’s the reason I’ve spent my afternoon searching for a lab instead of eating macaroni salad and watching porn.”

  Logan wavered as he stood up and turned to watch Simon. The guards stepped aside as the Overlord crooked his finger in a gesture for me to come forward. I took a few paces toward the panel but stopped short.

  “Proceed,” Quaid said, his citrine eyes watching Simon like a hawk.

  Simon sighed dramatically and hopped off the table, walking with his hands clasped behind his back. “It’s time the truth came out. The public should know about the illegal activities going on that we can no longer conceal.” He turned his attention to the crowd. “There are scandalous men who for decades have been working on genetic experimentation. Their goals have changed over the years, but the experiments have not stopped. I’m sure we all realize the repercussions of this kind of activity, as it benefits no one. We are not only in danger of humans discovering what we are, but the initial objective was to find a way to create a Breed who could infect the human population and turn them all into one of us. Imagine! Do you really want a whole bleeding planet full of Breed? I don’t know about you, but I can barely tolerate most of you as it is.”

  Someone snorted and I shook my head.

  “Simon, please reach your point,” Novis said, standing on his feet with his arms folded.

  Simon held an expression he often did before making a chess move that took out my king. I wanted to hurl one of the chairs at him for dragging it out, but quietly watched instead.

  “What most of you don’t know… Silver, with permission?”

  I took a deep breath and nodded. This was it. The moment of truth when my identity—my origin—would be revealed to all.

  “Silver was hatched in a lab.”

  I wanted to kill him. Could he be less eloquent?

  The Overlord rubbed his chin and I could sense his intolerance.

  Simon smirked and waggled his brow. “She was raised in the human world but bred in a lab. Something she hadn’t discovered until after she’d become a Mage. And her creation was not by accident. Her Creator, Samil, had worked in the labs many years prior. He had discovered that putting the first spark into these humans who were discarded as children for being perfectly normal yielded an unusual result. It seemed they had stronger light and extremely rare abilities, as we found out by talking with a couple of them.”

  The leaders nervously looked between one another; this was either going to be an epic failure or a turning point. There must have been at least fifty representatives on the panel, and none of them looked disinterested.

  A few looked horrified.

  “I won’t go into the deets of how all this was done, but we have acquired written evidence as to Silver’s origins. This is something that eluded us for a long time until I stumbled upon the files during today’s raid on the lab. Silver is a Mage, but she was born with Chitah blood. Those papers collecting dust beneath your nose prove her birth mother’s origins as a human child born of a Chitah, and we’ve managed to not only gain the testimony from her birth mother,” Simon said, tapping his finger on the paper, “but a Relic performed DNA sampling to compare Abigail’s blood with her Chitah mother. We all know tests won’t show what Breed we are, but this proves Silver is of Breed origin. Now while you may turn up your nose at a human Chitah having any kind of genetic influence, here’s the second half. Silver’s birth mother was not her real mum, but a surrogate. According to the records, that egg came from a full-blooded Chitah female, and according to the records, she was murdered and her body disposed of.”

  The Chitahs in the crowd became outraged. Loud murmurs and headshaking were going on.

  Simon licked his bottom lip and nodded. “There was a nice storage room full of frozen eggs, sperm, and all kinds of goodies that were neatly labeled and organized. We located the donor’s frozen eggs and they were indubitably linked to Silver. The Relic had samples of Silver’s blood and performed a test to come to a conclusive answer. God bless Relics and their advanced knowledge. These papers prove without a doubt that Silver is half Chitah.”

  I felt the sting of judgment from crowd’s stare and caught a glimpse of Lucian on the left, whispering to Leo. Justus had a resolved look on his face; he’d known the day would inevitably come when all this would air out in the open. I don’t think he cared as long as it meant saving my life.

  The Overlord reviewed the papers in detail and passed them over to another Chitah representative. A few others rose from their seats to look over his shoulder at the document.

  Please God… Please God, let it be enough.

  Simon scratched his ear and lowered his chin. “Nero is an outlaw who is not only privy to this information, but he is seeking war. He wants to dismantle the entire hierarchy system and go back to a lawless society. Nero was once all-powerful figure in his time. He wants to turn us against one another so that only the Mage Breed remains. He has formed false alliances with figures in power, some of whom are in this very room.”

  The murmurs in the crowd escalated to curses, and a few members of the panel looked at each other as the gavel banged down.

  Simon chuckled and shrugged his shoulders, the dimple pressing hard in his cheek. “I’m sure it will all come out in time. As you can see, that is enough evidence to release these two from the charges. We’ll have the full testimony from the scientists in the labs within a day. So you see, Logan was within his rights as a Chitah to protect his kindred spirit. And now… I’ll hand the floor over to Finn.”

  My eyes widened as Finn spoke in a clear and audible voice. Unlike Simon, he’d dressed nicer than I’d ever seen him in khaki pants and a white shirt with short sleeves, which displayed the brand on his right arm. His shaggy hair was away from his eyes, and despite his youthful appearance, I saw a man emerging before me.

  “Members of the higher authority, my name is Finnegan Cross of the Cross family.”

  Chills ran up my arms.

  “I am a Shifter and a former slave of Nero. I was sold on the black market as a child and the only life I’ve known is one of submission and seclusion. No more.” He stepped forward until he was a foot ahead of me and on my right. I felt a protective instinct to pull him back, uncertain of what could erupt in this unstable atmosphere. Especially with the Regulator so close, still holding his polished sword.

  “I was born Finnegan Wade, son of Rupert Wade. A man who recently tried to put claim on me by means of extortion. This dubious man sold his own child into bondage so that he might turn a profit and pay off a debt. He is a wolf who cared nothing for his child. And now I stand before the higher authority as a man seeking a respectable path in life, one which I hope places me in a position where I can help others. Maybe one day I might be sitting up there beside you. I have a great respect for law, but your laws are contradictory. Improvements could be made to enhance relationships among the Breed and create a more uniform and just law. What kind of society allows an innocent woman to
kneel before you and sacrifice her life? What kind of law turns a blind eye to corruption among its higher-ranked officials? I have a firm belief that we can work together to change, but I know it will take time.”

  “Shifter, please reach your point,” the Overlord said impatiently but with respect.

  Finn clenched his jaw and gazed earnestly at me. “I am here to plead for the life of my sister.”

  I felt love for this kid who saw me as family and who’d taken Logan’s surname as his own.

  Finn shifted his stance and allowed his eyes to roam across the crowd. “Simon’s investigation turned up additional evidence. After questioning and further testing, Rupert Wade was the sperm donor for Silver.”

  I felt my heart skip a beat. What? What did he just say?

  “I am pleading for the life of my true sister,” Finn said, giving me a loaded glance. “We share the same father. Simon suspected it after finding out Rupert had been involved with the experiments. His hair is red, the same color Silver was born with. We believe the Shifter blood was the reason she shifted during her first spark—something unheard of when creating a Mage. She transformed physically into a new person, acquiring some of the characteristics of her Creator, Samil. Her unique genetic makeup can be attributed to this transformation. The Relic believes it was her one and only true shift.”

  I’d never heard Finn speak so formally. I loved him. A bond existed between us I couldn’t explain, one that made me feel protective of him and he of me. What kind of person endures the punishment Nero inflicted upon him and would still lay down his life for a Mage he barely knew? His wolf had always been willing to fight for me. For what reason?

  Instinct to protect family. His wolf had known all along.

  I wanted to reach out and touch him—kiss his cheek.

  “Silver is my sister,” he said in a soft voice, looking at me with an elfin smile. “I have a family, and I will not allow you take something from me I’ve never known.”

  Hinges squealed when the door behind us flew open. “We’re under attack!”

  A flood of men surged through the door and there were chaotic shouts and screams as one Mage after the next flashed at the guards and cut their throats. The guards wielded their batons and stakes—weapons powerless against a Mage. The Regulators brandished their katanas and screams erupted.

  Chaos.

  The Regulators pushed against the front doors, but they didn’t budge.

  Finn turned to look at me and I furrowed my brow when he reached out and held my hand. His contorted expression alarmed me. Then my eyes dragged down and saw a wooden arrow protruding from his back that had sailed through his chest, the metal tip piercing through the front.

  With tears glittering in his eyes, he let go and dropped to his knees, then collapsed on his side.

  Blood pooled around my brother as I held my outstretched arm in suspended animation.

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” a familiar voice announced from the back. His words were crisp and commanding. “Welcome to the beginning of a new era.”

  Nero walked through the open door as more of his men and women flashed in behind him and attacked the crowd. A full battle was underway. The panel stood up—some moved toward the doors while others tossed away their formal jackets and prepared to fight. Someone flipped a long table forward to cower behind it.

  I fell to my knees, placed my hands on my brother’s shoulder, and screamed.

  Chapter 27

  Logan’s energy weakened as the Mage drained him to the point where he fell to his knees.

  The predator in him gnashed and thirsted for blood to protect his female who was kneeling before the higher authority, offering her life. Yet her bravery filled him with gratitude and Logan knew he had found his chosen one. It was one of the greatest honors among Chitahs to sacrifice your life for another. Few males could ever hope for that kind of devotion to be reciprocated, as females did not feel the same connection the males did with their kindred spirits.

  She would not die and walk into the darkness alone. Silver was the most fetching woman he’d ever beheld. Her emerald eyes glittered like saddened jewels, and he’d made the decision to rise to his feet and kneel beside his beautiful kindred spirit.

  Her sacrifice would bring his family honor, but it would ruin him. She thought him a stronger man who could love again.

  She was wrong.

  Silver was his life, his breath, his love, his salvation. Without her, the heart drawn on his bedroom window would fade, time would cease to be relevant, and the stars would only remind him of the shining light he’d once held and lost. He would revert to the man who killed many, allowing darkness to swallow him whole and blood to be spilled in her name. Rivers of blood.

  Oceans of blood.

  The most powerful scent in that room was her resolve. The Regulator lifted his katana and Logan had moved to get up when a commotion sounded from the front of the room.

  Simon burst in.

  Logan watched in disbelief as Simon approached the higher authority and provided the evidence needed to release them. He scarcely breathed as the facts were revealed in front of stunned witnesses who were hearing for the first time about the genetic experimentations. He stood up and listened with avid interest.

  Justus had surreptitiously moved toward the front, his stony eyes alert and watchful.

  Finn gave a speech that made Logan’s chest swell with pride. Logan glanced at his brothers, who held the same expression. Despite his submissive ways, Finn was a born alpha. A leader. A man who was destined to do more than just lead a pack, but use his intelligence to implement changes within their archaic system.

  What happened next was too fast to track. A guard flew in through the back door. “We’re under attack!”

  One Mage after the next flashed into the room and began cutting the throats of prisoners and guards alike. The innocent bystanders began to panic and flee, obscuring his view.

  “Protect the women!” Logan shouted to his brothers.

  Levi ushered women toward the stage. Many in the crowd were family members of the prisoners and not equipped to fight a single Mage, let alone an army of them.

  Despite having had his energy juiced, adrenaline surged through Logan’s body. He rushed toward Silver and then suddenly came to a hard stop. His eyes went wide and his breath caught.

  An arrow had plunged through Finn’s chest and the young Shifter fell to his knees.

  Brother.

  A Mage lunged and Logan bared his venomous canines, tearing at the Mage’s throat and sending him to an agonizing death.

  Logan pushed through the crowd of people who were rushing at him, trying to escape through the front doors. Silver had fallen to Finn’s side, and then it happened.

  “Christ,” he breathed.

  Her electric-green eyes lifted up, her stoic face eerily void of expression. Like something had switched off.

  Or on.

  Logan had seen this happen before and it was unmistakable. Silver’s eyes rolled black like a Chitah’s. Her skin color didn’t change, nor did she display the trademark canines of a Chitah. Only the unmistakable onyx coloring of a Chitah’s eyes going primal in a Mage with mixed heritage.

  She had flipped her switch. Silver stood absolutely still as chaos erupted from every direction.

  Nero made a speech and walked forward at a sedate pace. Justus flashed toward him and three of his men became a shield as Justus engaged in a valiant battle. As one man went down, Justus pulled out his infused dagger with incredible speed and agility, taking out a second Mage. His skills were flawless.

  “You have all brought this unto yourselves,” Nero announced over the cacophony of shouts, screams, and bodies hitting the floor.

  And what a puny man he was. Short, thin, and insignificant. His dusty brown hair didn’t have the luster of a youthful man, and round glasses framed his soulless eyes. He didn’t possess the presence of a tyrant or leader, but rather that of a conniving little malignancy that fe
d off fear and hid behind wealth.

  “Nero, you will not win,” Novis said from his position on the stage. “Call off your men and you might live.”

  A tall Mage hurled a woman to the ground by her hair and slammed his energy into her back. Leo tackled him and ripped open his throat.

  Nero continued pacing forward with his hands clasped in front. “You call this civilized? You call this government? Do you believe we are unworthy of owning the power that is our birthright, that we should cower in the shadows of mankind?” His voice grew louder and more lethal with each word. “Are you so foolish to believe we can all come together and live in peace after centuries of bloodshed? Chitahs slaughtered my family and now you want me to call them brothers? The time has come for your reign to end. The Breed must rise up against mankind… and each other. May the best Breed win,” he said, a smile ghosting his lips. “I have my army.” He spread his arms wide to point out the voracity with which his men fought. “I have also acquired what I need to extract gifts from my powerful progeny. I have hand selected those with the rarest gifts and sealed them to my own core light. The rest serve me, because I. Am. Their. God.”

  He held his hands together and a concentrated ball of light began to swell between his fingers, the size of a grapefruit. Nero swept his arm back and then hurled the light toward the stage. Logan dodged as it burned through the air like a meteor, followed by a dull hum. People screamed and pushed to get out of the way when it slammed into a Vampire, breaking him to pieces.

  Novis’s face hardened and Logan turned his attention back to Silver, rushing to her side.

  “Silver, are you hurt?”

  She was unresponsive. Logan knelt before Finn, rage consuming him like an inferno. Adam appeared and dropped to his knees, placing his hands on Finn’s chest around the wound.