by Jaymin Eve
Next to them were the triple threat. Ben, Derek, and Victor. Those three had each been adopted into a shifter family in the Bronx, and grew up as brothers, and were fiercely loyal. Derek was the most stunning of the three, with his multiple-hued hair and dark green eyes. He had all the attributes of a good mate: strong, alpha, respectful, intelligent, and brave. But I also found him lacking in some depth. I was an alpha and heir, I was used to people obeying my orders, but I knew the mate for me would have fight in him, would call me out on my crap, because sometimes I was completely full of it. Derek deferred to me a lot. I needed more than that, and was hoping it was out there, and not in any sort of bear-like shape.
Ben and Victor were like brothers to me. Those two were in the dirty-blond range, handsome and tall, but with less brawn and more brains than your average wolf. Each could definitely hold their own in any fight though. All of my dominants were highly trained, extremely intelligent, and had proven their loyalty to me more than once. I loved them all, and could only hope I would still be here next week to continue our poker nights.
The final of the six was Blaine. Very alpha, very dominant. He was the same age as me. His mom had been best friends with my mom, and together with Violet the three of us had wreaked havoc over the Bronx. I’d been missing his company lately.
He pushed back his auburn hair, letting it fall in disarray to his shoulders. “You need another haircut,” I said, nudging him. “Although it’s looking mighty pretty.”
He shrugged off my good-natured ribbing, a grin shooting across his face as he dealt the next round of cards. “Don’t think you’re going to distract me with all your sweet talk, Your Highness. I don’t care how close you are to being queen, I’m still taking all your money.”
I returned his smile as everyone began to fight over whether Violet should be allowed to play or not.
Jen jokingly glared at the magic born. “She magicked her cards into all aces last time!”
Violet pursed her pale pink lips. “I fessed up to it later.”
Monica grumbled. “Three hundred dollars later.”
Violet rolled her eyes and held up a palm. “I solemnly swear not to magic the cards.” A fine mist leaked from her palm, hushing everyone up.
“What’s that?” Monica leaned closer as the mist settled over the cards.
Violet shrugged like it was no big deal. “Just bespelled the cards so that they can’t be magically tampered with.”
All six sets of eyes looked at my best friend in awe. She didn’t even realize when she was being a fascinating creature.
Finn linked to my mind: Let me inside.
I stood, excusing myself, and told my door guard to let Finn in. I was preparing myself to give him a good pat down, maybe some bacon. I hadn’t seen him all day. But when he walked through with windblown fur and a wild look in his eye, I knew something was wrong.
He trotted in and walked back to my room, passing the poker-playing group without a word. He didn’t even nuzzle Violet’s outstretched hand.
My friend looked concerned as she followed him with her eyes, before turning back to look at me.
“Just play without me. I’ll go and see what is up with him,” I said, moving swiftly toward my room. I knew my familiar, and something definitely had happened.
The second we were alone I knelt down and met the eyes of my dearest and closest friend. Calista, Blaine, and Violet meant everything to me, along with the rest of my dominants, but Finn was much more. At times I couldn’t tell where my soul began and his ended. We were one, like my own wolf.
“Tell me everything.”
He nodded. I went back to check on Winnie and to spend the day in the Bronx with her and Rhett. My stomach knotted when he said Winnie’s name and spoke of Rhett, her red fox familiar.
“Is she okay?” I nearly choked on the words.
Finn hushed me with a headbutt. She’s fine. We had a good day, and when I was leaving to go to the vortex … I was followed.
Finn and all other familiars could use the vortex as we could. They could harness the mecca for small amounts of time.
“Followed by who?” I said out loud, already pacing.
Was it the bear? Did he come seeking retribution?
There was a woman following closely behind me the moment I left the apartment building. She looked and smelled like a human, so I didn’t worry too much about her. She was walking with a golden retriever, who strangely enough didn’t seem to be frightened of me.
I was getting a bad feeling about this story.
When I reached the building for the vortex, she kept walking straight, so I figured it was just a strange coincidence, one of those rare humans who aren’t repelled by the energy of the mecca. But then, after entering the building, when I was standing a few feet from the vortex travel disc, the woman’s dog burst through the window, shattering it, and as it came closer to me its illusion dropped and I saw its true form. A lioness.
My breathing stuttered. “What are you saying?”
Finn looked at me in a way I would never forget, like the whole world had changed overnight.
That woman had a familiar.
A familiar! That wasn’t possible. Only heirs had familiars. Not humans. Not to mention there was no account of a lioness that I could recall. “Do you think it was a bear heir?” We didn’t exactly have tabs on all of them. Any of them really.
Bears only have male heirs. Just as wolves only ever produce female heirs.
Finn surprised me with this hidden knowledge. Well, maybe not hidden, but I never knew that. Okay, where did that leave us? With a female wolf heir that lived in hiding? But why would she? And why was she there following Finn? Part of my training was to memorize every single heir and past heirs, and all of their familiars. I had never even known a lioness was possible. It was usually birds and other forest creatures, nothing as exotic as a lion.
I reached out to pet my familiar’s thick fur, deciding there was nothing I could do about it today. The Summit would wait for no one, so I’d have to push it to the side and focus on myself.
Tell no one of this. I’ll deal with it when I’m queen.
Finn nodded at me.
The council would have to tell me everything then. They liked their secrets, but I would accept none of that. Funny that right at the moment I realized how badly I wanted to be queen was also the moment I started to see how much of a mess our world was in. The next queen was going to have a hell of a job in front of her. God help us all if it ended up being Selene.
Chapter Seven
Two strikes and you’re dead.
Calista spent the rest of the night drilling battle strategies into me. The council had told her that the final battle would take place in the queen’s basement gymnasium, and that Selene would be awarded two weapons because she was five points ahead of me. The Island challenge had given her the slightest lead. I would only be permitted one weapon, which was to be Larak’s anti-venom.
Familiars were required to fight.
By the next morning I was sore and tired. I could barely sleep thinking about what Finn had told me, not to mention stress over the upcoming battle and that damn bear. My mind was racing and I wished someone would invent an off button. A knock at my door had me standing at attention, Finn at my side. We were ready. Finn wore his custom leather and gold saddle, as I often rode him when we went into battle simulations. I donned my golden arm cuffs and stainless steel long sleeve chainmail shirt, which went from my neck to my hips and would hopefully keep me from getting gored alive. Selene was one of the best swordswomen in New York City, but I was pretty darn good with weapons myself.
If only I had one to take with me.
My eyes flicked back to my beloved sword resting in her sheath on the bed, not strapped to my body where she belonged. She was a beauty, as long as my arm, with super sharp double edges, gold inlaid filament, diamonds across the hilt, and my name carved into the handle. I’d trained long and hard to make my sword and I as one
.
Pretty sure she was sad about not being in this fight too.
The door opened suddenly and I turned to see it was Violet. I relaxed a little, glad that my best friend had come to see me off. “Hey, I thought you were a council member ready to escort me.”
Violet ran a hand through her silky hair. “You’re going to be fine, Ari. You’re like ten times the battle strategist of Selene. She’s probably going to stab herself and end it all before it’s even begun.”
I laughed. That was a nice thought, but unfortunately we both knew Selene was a worthy opponent. Utterly ruthless.
“Oh, and by the way,” Violet continued, “can I just say that poker is no fun if you can’t cheat.”
I laughed again, thankful that she was attempting to take my mind off the last task.
“Maybe we should get all of the magic born together one day and you can play magic poker,” I said, winking.
She smiled, her face lighting up at the thought, and just as quickly her face became serious.
“You have the anti-venom?”
I nodded. It was tucked in a small pocket of my black pants. Easily accessible. Violet seemed satisfied with my answer. Part of me wanted to ask her if she was sure I needed this over my sword, but I trusted her.
She must have seen my hesitation. “I’ve seen Larak kill a grown man in sixty seconds with one bite. Your blade can defend your life, but this anti-venom can save a life. Yours or Finn’s.”
Oh God, I didn’t think about Finn getting bitten. Violet was right. This was my greatest weapon. I moved in then to hug her, and for once she didn’t even tense up, she just hugged me back. I let her lemon and sage scent wash over me.
“I love you, Vi,” I whispered, and then pulled back.
She gave me one of her wise looks. “Save your goodbyes for another day. Your journey doesn’t end here.”
Suddenly Calista was at the door. “It’s time.”
If I thought I looked like crap, it was nothing to how my advisor looked now. Her hair was strewn all over and she had deep dark circles under her eyes. Her shirt was barely tucked in.
Stepping in line beside her as my guards led me away, I whispered, “You look like hell.”
She gave me a tight smile. “I didn’t sleep much.”
Poor Calista. She had waited her whole life for this. The entire duty of an advisor was to get their heir to the throne. This was her big moment. I stopped in the grand hallway just before the elevator and faced my loyal advisor. “Calista, I won’t let you down.”
She gave me a smile and broke protocol, pulling me into a hug. “I’m not worried about that,” she whispered. That’s when it hit me. Calista was afraid I would die.
The queen’s basement was grossly misrepresented with that name. It looked nothing like a basement. With travertine floors, fifteen-foot ceilings, and mirrored walls, it was more akin to a fancy ballet studio. I stood at one end of the long fifty-foot room, facing Selene at the other. The tall golden chandeliers that hung overhead were in such stark contrast to the death that was about to stain this beautiful place. Did blood even come out of travertine?
Calista was at my side, giving me last minute instructions, her voice harried, eyes wild.
I gave her my best reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, Cal, I got this.”
She sucked in deeply, and a semblance of calm washed over her delicate features. “Yes, you do. Say the words for me.”
I shook my head, but complied.
“I will win this final task. I will become queen of the wolf shifters. Selene is as good as dead.”
My advisor looked pleased. My voice had been strong, no hesitation. All of my nerves and fears from earlier were pushed aside as I focused myself. This was the final test and I would not fail.
Torine walked to the middle of the room then, and without saying a word had everyone’s attention.
“Welcome to the final task of this royal Summit. There are two worthy heirs remaining today, and when one falls, the other will become our new queen.” He turned as he spoke, taking in the many who had gathered around the edge of the room. “A queen must be smart, loyal, wise and above all FIERCE!” His voice carried throughout the area. “In this final test we will see who is the fiercest of all. The first to dominate in battle will become queen. Selene of the Purple Hearts pack, prepare yourself.”
She was moving, her snake coiled loosely around her right arm. In one hand she held a mace, the spikes glinting in the light, creating a mirrored reflection on the ceiling. In her other hand was her sword, long and sharp and serrated at the tip.
“Arianna of our beloved Red Queen’s line, prepare yourself,” Torine shouted.
With a rush of adrenalin, I hopped onto Finn’s back. This final task was one with no rules. It was a fight to the death, plain and simple. As Selene and I moved into the center of the room, facing off against each other, I noticed Sabina stroll into the basement. She stood against the far wall before inclining her head in a slight dip at Torine. What was a magic born doing here? Never mind, I couldn’t worry about that.
After everyone had cleared the way, Torine yelled loud and clear: “Begin!”
And that was it. I had begun the fight for my life.
One good thing about Finn and me, we usually chose to speak to each other in words, but we didn’t need to. In times of battle he could link with me and read my thoughts, get pictures, and have a clearer connection so that our moves were effortless.
Finn took off at full speed with me holding onto the saddle, my metal arm cuff out in front of me like a shield. All Selene could do was wait. She just stood there, weapons ready, until we neared.
I had to be clever in my attack. Without a weapon I would be relying on Finn’s strength and the hope I could maybe knock the purple heir down and steal one of her weapons. Finn’s growls increased as we closed in, and Selene responded by swinging both of her weapons around and settling into a fighting stance. Her sword was held with just enough height that it would eviscerate my familiar if he didn’t change trajectories. I sent him some images of what I planned, and just as he was about to leap onto Selene, he ground to a halt and I used this momentum to fling myself up and over her.
I twisted in the air, flipped myself around and landed behind the purple heir in a crouched stance as Finn remained at her front. Selene’s head swung back and forth between us, her snake curling across her neck and hissing in my direction.
Finn and I would attack as one, one of us to be the distraction while the other got a weapon. Selene flung her arms wide and pointed a weapon at each of us. Deadly still, but there were weaknesses now for us to exploit. Her middle was completely exposed and her focus was scattered between two points.
I growled, and she tensed, her eyes narrowing on me, before they ran up and down my body. I could tell it was worrying her that I had no visible weapons. Her fear of my unknown weapon was almost as good as a weapon itself. I growled again and pretended to reach into my back pocket. She tensed, and turned her body further in my direction.
This was exactly the opening Finn needed. He launched himself forward and Selene shrieked as he clamped his strong jaws down onto her arm, crushing the armor. She dropped the mace, unable to hold onto it after the force of his blow. Larak came at me then, the snake strong enough to launch himself out quite a distance, his focus on protecting his heir.
But I’d seen it coming and was able to dive and slide underneath his big body, moving fast enough that the fangs missed me. With Violet’s warning strong in my mind, I was being extra observant of the snake. Selene had clearly decided to use Larak as her number one weapon.
I avoided his first strike, but knowing he was coming at me again, I closed my hands around his thick tail – my fingers were barely touching, that’s how huge he was – and I flung him as far as I could across the room. I heard Selene’s hiss, but there wasn’t much she could do while dealing with Finn. My familiar darted away then, her mace clasped in his strong jaws.
Selene was struggling with her crushed armband, but that didn’t stop her kicking out at me.
“Think you’re so great that you don’t even need a weapon, Arianna!” She was angry, her hair flying in disarray, her eyes crazy. She followed her kicks by swinging her sword to where I’d rolled across the ground. She was fast and I felt the slices across my back, but thanks to my chainmail they were not deep. I didn’t stop rolling, knowing that if I wanted to keep my life I needed to keep moving. “What did you bring instead of a sword?”
The mystery was totally freaking her out. Thank you, Violet. She had doubly helped me today.
I was still rolling, picking up speed so I could get out of her path. Halfway across the floor, I popped up to my feet, ignoring the ache in my back as I settled into a wider stance to face her. I could feel the wet trickle of blood from my small cuts but ignored it. They were nothing. I’d had worse shaving my legs.
By this time Larak was back on her arm; her slimy familiar was fast. She had slowed her pursuit of me now that I was up and able to return the attack, which gave Finn time to drop the weapon into my hand. I felt relief when my fingers flexed around the solid handle. The mace wasn’t my preferred weapon, but it was better than nothing.
Selene stepped closer again and the four of us were in a faceoff. Larak hit the ground so he could challenge Finn. I sent one last warning to my familiar to be careful of that snake, then I focused on Selene. She had a greater reach with her sword, but this would be a much more even fight now.
She struck out at me and I lifted my weapon to meet her halfway. The clank of steel was loud, echoing around the room. The mace was top heavy, and while it landed a heavier blow, was not as quick or smooth to swing in this sort of swordplay battle.
“You’re too weak for the mace,” Selene sneered, as she performed a complicated series of slashes and jabs with her blade. I only just managed to block most of them, and there was no room for me to attack. Only defend.
From the corner of my eye I could see Larak and Finn locked in battle. My familiar had his jaws wrapped around the back of the snake’s neck, preventing him from using his venom-filled fangs – which were the length of my index finger – but Larak’s long body had encircled my wolf and was squeezing him tightly.
