by May Sage
“But I can’t see it now. I ignored my visions for a few days, and now, whenever I try, they’re blocked. I can’t see the party. I can’t see anything, except them.”
Realizing she made no sense, the child lifted her hand and placed her fingers near Rye’s temple, before sharing what she’d seen.
At first, she sent an image of the living room, where most of the members of the pride were standing in a wary stance that made Rye think they expected an attack. The children, in the centre of the room, were protected by most of them; a few amongst them were missing - presumably stationed elsewhere. What surprised him was that he saw a handful of unfamiliar faces. But at each image she sent after that one, he became more somber.
First, the Vergas Pack - an enemy who’d long waited for the chance to get back at them. Rye could see the glee emanating from their psychotic Alpha as he paced around the border of their territory. Secondly, the Royal Pride, headed by one of the Enforcers - his father’s man. That was already over a hundred enemies, and it was only the start. Right after, he saw the skies clouded by gigantic eagles, gorillas running through their woods, arctic bears coming from the lake, and worst of all: a dozen severe, clean-cut officers wearing black and green.
The birds, the gorillas, the bears- all those were rare, and directly protected by the Shifter Council, so long as they swore their allegiance, but Rye could have believed it a coincidence, if it hadn’t been for the last group.
Those military trained shifters in green were the members of the Council.
Which meant that their entire race had declared war against them.
And they wouldn’t survive it. They couldn’t.
He wasn’t sure he wanted to see more of Hsu’s premonition this time, but, just when he was about to tell her he’d had enough, something pushed him back, hard, and his mind returned to Zack’s sunny room.
“What was that?” he asked, confused, a headache rapidly forming.
And shifters practically never got headaches.
He’d seen red; actually, black and red. A slow, cloudy, tainted mist covering the entire vision- and then, nothing.
“I don’t know,” Hsu whispered. “But I can’t see past that. I can’t see.”
Chapter 11
A delightful View
The knocking on her door was insistent, unforgiving, and she was pretty certain she growled. Someone giggled outside her door before opening it. Dammit. She should have locked herself in.
“You’ll thank me for waking you up, and never question my judgement again, trust me on this.”
She had serious doubts, on both accounts, especially when the intruder pulled her blackout curtains open, making her groan and hide under her pillow.
The traitor then went after her comforter. She yelled and kicked out, delighted when her feet hit something. She hoped it hurt.
“Dude, it’s one in the afternoon.”
“I was up until five in the morning.”
Drinking Brandy. With Daunte.
As she was a lightweight, Clari never drank enough to pass out or be confused by what had happened; she remembered it clearly. For once, though, she wondered if her mind had played tricks on her. Because last night had been… nice. They’d talk about everything and nothing, like old friends. Daunte supported the Jaguars, while she preferred the Arctic Bears - because there was something poetic about seeing super-duper hot grizzly shifters in tight sports gear. He liked to listen to jazz, while she had a thing for pop. They both liked stupid movies featuring super heroes, rather than serious stuff. And when he was growing up, his sole purpose had been annoying the shit out of his big sister, because he loved when she was grumpy. He’d also been fiercely protective of her, getting into a fair amount of fights with those who talked shit about her for what she was.
“Then,” he’d said, “when I was ten and hated by every kid in the pride, I met Rye at a Gathering. The Prince. I know you don’t get our culture, but as far as we were concerned, he walked on water. He didn’t have a lot of friends, even in his pride, and he rarely spoke to anyone; but he spoke to me. He friended me on social media and included me in his group. When we came back home, I was the cool kid, and they finally left Ace alone. I couldn’t stand the hypocrisy of it all, but at the end of the day, no one bothered her.”
She hadn’t known anything about Daunte, except the fact that he was hot as sin, and hated her guts; now she saw his defining quality was how protective he was of his family; which explained why he was Beta.
They’d drunk some more after that.
But Tracy didn’t seem to care about the fact that Clari’s head was pounding like it harbored a herd of elephants running from a T-Rex.
“I wasn’t going to tell you anything,” the female Enforcer said, “because I didn’t want to ruin the surprise for you. But there’s a dozen GQ-model-worthy shifters sparring in the gardens. Sweating. And mostly naked.”
Oh. Right.
“In that case, I need clothes and an aspirin.”
In under two minutes she was out the door, and blessing Tracy’s devilish soul.
The entire pride stood under their gazebo, Ace and Rye standing at the front. They were all observing as a group of shifters were tearing each other apart before their eyes.
As Tracy had said, there were a dozen men, all of whom did seem to belong on the cover of a shiny magazine; sculpted, defined bodies glistening in sweat. There also were four women, just as beautiful.
“Rye has invited the top potential recruits today,” Tracy whispered to bring her up to speed. “These are the fighters. The others are coming in a few weeks.”
“Tracy, I owe you. Big time.”
The Wyvern shifters were hot, of course, but Clari was used to them – and, except for Daunte, none of them made her feel all tingly. These new guys, though; every single one of them was drool worthy. Probably because she hadn’t heard them speak yet.
Her eyes danced from one Adonis to the next, before settling on the tallest one; a larger-than-life blond hunk with long hair that fell down his shoulders, and tribal tattoos on his back, making him look like a damn Viking. He stopped two guys from launching at him by holding their heads back; when a third attacked from his side, he effortlessly lunged in the air and dropped kicked him, before shifting in mid air. She’d spent enough time googling different breeds of wild cats since the Wyvern’s arrival to recognize his spotted fur and his facial markings immediately. He was a Cheetah, although his body was larger than the standards in the wild, there was no mistaking the features.
“Luke Hall. And yes, his family originates from Scandinavia,” Tracy whispered to her ear. “I got Ian to online stalk him as soon as he got in.”
“He’s in, right?”
“It takes more to be included in this pride than a set of muscles,” Ian replied haughtily.
Most of the guys acquiesced.
“Well, maybe but he still has my vote,” Ace piped in, making every male groan and Rye bite her earlobe. “What?” she shrugged. “Being mated doesn’t stop me from having eyes.”
“Behave if you don’t want me to start using my eyes to look at other females,” Rye teased, earning a growl.
After a few minutes, Rye stepped forward, calling, “Enough.”
The fighting ceased gradually. One of the guys who’d ganged up on Luke Hall puffed his chest and carried on advancing towards him, but another one held him back, and he dropped it with a sigh. The women were the last to stop. As for the hot giant, he’d stopped immediately, and dropped to his knees. His crouch was fascinating; one knee folded under him, another one against his chest, and the tip of his fingers pushing against the ground. It could almost have looked like a submissive stance, but he actually seemed ready to pounce within seconds, in any direction.
“Look at everyone, try to get an impression on them,” a low voice whispered in her ear.
Daunte. He’d been up front with Rye when she first arrived, but although she hadn’t seen him move, here he was
, right behind her.
“The pride will speak about each potential later. You might see something we’ve missed.”
“I’m not exactly part of the pride,” she reminded him.
A dozen pair of eyes turned to her, cautioning her.
Oh. Maybe she couldn’t speak about her predicament in front of strangers.
“Nevertheless. You’ll be there tonight, so look. At everyone.”
He didn’t need to say and not just that hot Viking out loud.
She wasn’t sure what possessed her to say, “Hey, I’m not mated, and I have eyes. I’m doubly allowed to leer.”
She wasn’t sure what reaction she’d been hoping for; a laugh, perhaps. But she really, really hadn’t expected Daunte to pull her arm, bend forward to reach her, and nip at her ear, just like Rye had done to Ace a few minutes ago.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Clari was glad her voice came out badass and menacing.
“Making you blend in. You stand out like a sore thumb.”
Protests died on her lip at the annoyingly flawless reply.
“Well, as long as it is understood that I hated every second of it.”
She felt his chest move as he chuckled against her back.
“Keep telling yourself that, sweetheart.”
Chapter 12
Prospects
Fuck. Her scent. Her soft, tanned skin. The soft locks he felt against his face.
He shouldn’t have done that. He really shouldn’t have, but he knew there was no going back.
Clari’s heart skipped a beat and she gasped. But she didn’t push him. She didn’t tell him to stop. She didn’t turn around and slap him, asking how he dared touch her without her assent. Which meant she wanted him. He’d known she wasn’t indifferent to him, but he’d never asked himself if she’d welcome his advances, for his own sanity. Now, he knew.
But in four days, they’d be back to square one, and she’d be nothing more than a human woman. Precious and breakable. For both of their sakes, he needed to forget that knowledge. Take a step back. Leave her alone. Learn to ignore her again.
He stayed put, keeping his hand on her arm possessively, a gesture letting every stranger in their garden know she was his.
“I thank you for this display. Your skills allow each and every one of you to pass to the second round.”
And without further ado, Rye shifted.
Daunte was proud when he saw that Clari didn’t move, or shiver.
The outsiders were another story. Ten of them yelled, some stepped back, others stepped forward, ready to attack. To be fair to them, Rye was monstrous. Taller, longer, thicker than any other feline shifter Daunte had ever met, the tiger also sported those huge, curving canines, coming out right under his upper lip. To Daunte’s knowledge, it was a family trait, but not all of them were born with that gene.
Rye shifted back, standing naked and indifferent to it; shifters couldn’t be prudes. But everyone stared at the glowing tattoos on his skin, marking him for what he was: an Alpha mated to his fated mate. Twice as powerful as he had been before Ace.
“Great. Those of you who stepped back can go home; the rest of you, get dressed and come on in. We’ll proceed to the rest of the tests when we get home.”
Daunte waggled a brow, surprised. He was pretty certain most members of their pride had freaked the first time he’d shifted. He wasn’t the only one to find it unfair.
“Wait, so that’s it? We’re rejected, just like that? There’s nothing wrong with being startled,” one of the woman said.
“No, there’s nothing wrong with it. But truth is, I’m a freak. So is my mate. And her brother.”
“I resent that,” Daunte interjected.
“And our son. Not to mention some of our children. There will be things happening in this pride - things you may not see anywhere else.”
Daunte froze. So, that was what it was about. Clari and Zack. Rye wanted to get rid of the faint of heart because they’d be the first to panic in case she changed.
“Trust me: if my tiger freaks you, you can’t deal with us. The rest of you, get dressed and come on in.”
The bulk of the applicants walked towards the entrance of the property, muttering dejectedly. The rest of the pride got inside.
Daunte caught Rye by the arm right before they passed the threshold. He closed the door behind Ian, to get some privacy for a second. Shifter hearing could be a pain.
“I don’t get it,” he whispered. “Last week, you wouldn’t hear about getting reinforcements, then all of a sudden, you call a meeting within twenty-four hours. All of us got spooked by your tiger at first, but you’ll only consider those who aren’t… Isn’t it a little premature?”
It sounded like Rye was preparing for war, and Daunte didn’t like it - mostly because Rye hadn’t shared his reason with him yet.
And, alright, that might have been because he’d woken up late, and the strangers had already arrived by the time he’d emerged downstairs. Damn brandy.
“I talked to Hsu,” Rye replied.
Shit.
Hsu, a ten-year-old child who’d come to them close to four years ago, had visions; all of which had come to pass. They were always accurate, and generally just a hair short of apocalyptic.
“Is it Zack? Clarissa?”
He barely recognized his voice.
“Both,” his Alpha replied. “She saw people come at them both. We were there, but there also were strangers getting in the way, trying to help them. I recognize some of their faces amongst these,” he said, gesturing to the inside of the pride house. “None were those who stepped away from me, though.”
Well, this explained that.
“Do they make it?” he asked. Hsu saw the visions evolving when they changed their path. “Do we all make it?”
Rye just shook his head, looking more tired than ever.
“I don’t know. There’s a block. She can’t see anything past a certain event, in just a few weeks. Something shielded from her gets in the way. That can be good, or bad. For now, all we can do is try to make it until then.”
Daunte nodded, and started asking how he could help, until something hit him. He should have thought of it sooner, but with everything Rye had just revealed, he’d just caught up.
“That means she’s going to shift. Clarissa. She’s one of us.”
And Zack was a Turner. But right now, his heart beating at a thousand times a minute, he was concentrating on the first part of the equation. It felt like, in the middle of all this turmoil, someone had sent him a lifejacket to hold on to.
The woman he’d wanted more than anyone else in the world was going to become strong enough for him to make her his.
Well, if she’d have him; given the fact that he’d been an asshole to her for the last ten months, he couldn’t exactly rely on that.
“Yes. Poor girl. She had a normal life until now. Now, she’s going to have to lie to everyone she cares about, and relearn everything she thought she knew.”
* * *
Inside, Daunte paid attention, watching closely as Rye observed the candidates left. Some, he barely paid any mind to - others, he stared at intensely until they squirmed and looked away.
Interesting that he already knew who he was going to pick - the entire selection process was just for show. It wouldn’t do for an Alpha to seemingly pick his pride members at random.
Tell me the poser wasn’t in the vision, Daunte texted Rye, as the mountain of muscles happily removed the shirt he’d just put on to show his tattoos to the women.
“Some of them are decorative, but, this one, I got the first time I survived a hunt - in England, Huntsmen still hunt our kind.”
Jas giggled, pointing to another design. “And that one?”
Daunte was going to barf. And possibly also punch the guy in the teeth, if Clari started to giggle, too.
He was, the Alpha replied immediately, accompanying his message with a shake of his head, makin
g it clear how enthusiastic he was to welcome Luke.
“So, you left your family to be mercilessly hunted and came over here,” Ian summarize merrily.
The giant shrugged.
“No, they’re all dead.”
Oh, great. Now, they were the assholes.
Chapter 13
Lies
No one said anything for a beat after the hunk had served Ian a curveball.
“How did they die?” Clari asked, because it appeared that no one else was nosy enough to do it.
A few Wyvern shot her a reproachful look; but if this was about trying to find new members for their pride, they needed to know the basics.
“Not because of Huntsmen, strangely enough. There’re worse things in the world. Well, in his wisdom, my brother offended one of those worse things. A Scion.”
She was relieved to see that just about everyone seemed as clueless as she was.
“Sorry, I’m not familiar with the term.”
Luke scratched his chin, trying to find his words.
“There are a few words for them - you may call them differently. The Descendants, maybe?”
Ace, Ian, and Tracy seemed to understand.
“But I thought they were myths?” the young novelist said. “You know,” she told the rest of the pride. “The children of actual deities. We’re not talking Demi-Gods, although those are rare enough. You take two full-fledged gods, make them have a baby - that’s a Descendant. Or a Scion, I guess.”
Clari’s head was going to spin. Gods? Actual, real life, gods? They were a thing? She attempted to keep her expression even, not sure if she was supposed to act like the clueless human she was in front of strangers.
“There are, perhaps, a hundred Scion in this world. Some of them are just a little stronger than warlocks, but there are some who can make as much damage as a volcano by flipping their fingers. Brother dearest stole the girl of one of the latter kind.”
