Forged in Flames

by Harper Wylde

  Bile rose like hot lava in my throat, and I swallowed harshly, trying to push it and my guilt down. Part of me had hoped that Joshua would be more like the Council, a person easier to despise and blame, and yet he was standing in front of me, nearly admitting that he didn’t approve of the way things were. That he chose to fight for me as his mate because of the different ideals I represented. Ideals I was prepared to fight for by joining the rebellion. A rebellion that needed me to all but steal the venom that ran through Joshua’s alter. Just like Michael and countless others wanted to steal the blood that ran through my veins.

  He called me strong, and yet he had no idea I needed to use that strength against him.

  I felt sick. Breaking the moment, I spun on my heel and faced the pool table, bracing a hand on the smooth wood. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to center myself.

  My Phoenix pressed against my skin, offering me her support.

  I wasn’t stealing his venom. We had a plan. I chanted the thoughts to myself, but a small part of my brain countered back that it was all semantics. My Phoenix cooed, trying to soothe me.

  A warm hand landed on my shoulder in a gentle support I didn’t deserve. At first I flinched, but instead of pulling away on instinct, I slowly ran through my muscle groups and eased the tension from my body. I allowed his hand to stay where he’d placed it, hoping it would inspire trust and friendship. “You’re the first person to look at me, Nix. Really look at me…” Joshua whispered, trailing off in awe. “Like I said… strength.”

  I sighed, but didn’t stop the small grin from tipping up one side of my lips. Pulling away from Joshua, I turned, making sure there was a little space between us, and attempted to lighten the heavy mood that hung in the rec room. “Or stupidity.”

  He chuckled and shook his head, his styled blond hair, which was swept to one side, falling across his forehead. Brushing it back into place, he smirked. “Well, some may see it that way, but I’d never hurt you, Nix.”

  I struggled to keep the wince off of my face, knowing full well that I needed him to do just that. Taking a deep breath, I looked around at the games surrounding us and took the leap to move this date outside. “I know you probably meant for us to have a fun afternoon full of games and movies, but I was wondering if you’d be up for something else.” I bit my lip, hoping he’d jump at my offer.

  “What would you like to do instead?” He leaned casually against the pool table and crossed his arms.

  “I want to see how our alters do around one another. I think it’s important to see if they’re drawn together, how they react.”

  Hesitancy crossed his face, but he quickly cleared it. “I’m not sure if that’s a good idea. Most people… they get uncomfortable when I shift.”

  “I’m not afraid of you.” I kept my voice soft.

  “Maybe you should be. Maybe you should be less brave,” he murmured, running his hand through his hair.

  “I thought you liked my strength.”

  “I do…”

  “Then let me be strong. Let’s see how our alters interact together. Without them, how are we ever supposed to know if we have a connection?” I bit my tongue, nearly drawing blood at the lie that slipped past my lips. While it wasn’t impossible that my Phoenix would like his Basilisk, I wasn’t planning on taking any additional mates. I had five wonderful, incredible men who were mine, and I didn’t need any more. They belonged to me and they made me happy.

  Watching me for a prolonged minute, Joshua finally nodded and relented. “Alright. If you’re sure.”

  “I am.”

  “Did you have a place in mind? It’s going to be freezing…”

  “Afraid of a little cold?” I challenged, heading for the door we’d walked through earlier.

  “I’m an Alaskan.” He jogged after me, following me into the hallway.

  “You’re also a Basilisk. Cold isn’t exactly your alter’s favorite,” I reminded him.

  “I can’t argue with that, even though I was born here, but for some reason my Basilisk seems rather content to go out today.”

  I fidgeted and kept walking, realizing a moment later that he’d stopped by the entrance to another hallway while I’d plowed right past. I grasped the change in subject, refusing to touch Joshua’s flirtation with a ten-foot pole. The less I could lead him on, the better in the long run. I backtracked and joined him as he traversed the never-ending hallways and stairways that lead us back to the front of the Lodge. “This place is seriously a maze.”

  Just as we ascended the stairs to the main floor, we heard perverse shouting echoing down the halls, and Joshua muttered back to my last comment. “Much like the politics that take place within its walls.” I hurried after his quickening footsteps. Placing a hand in the center of my back, he ushered me forward. “Come on, let’s get you out of here.”

  Nineteen

  Nix

  The shouting increased the closer we got to the throne room, but Joshua kept his eyes laser focused on the front door of the Lodge as he powered forward.

  “You imbecile!” The rich Puerto Rican accent of Maldonado could be heard loud and clear through the intricately carved wooden doors that happened to be propped wide open.

  Joshua’s pace faltered the closer we got to the throne room, and I paused to glance inside at the scene playing out in front of the Councilman’s throne.

  Maldonado was on his feet, brushing a pool of liquid off of his ornate robe, letting the wine he’d apparently ordered roll down to splash onto the floor at his feet. A shiver raced down my spine, warning me of the danger that seemed to be growing within the room. My Phoenix squawked agitatedly, flapping her wings and spreading her feathers as the atmosphere grew thunderous. A handful of other servants—regular animal shifters in their black uniforms—froze around the room as Maldonado’s rage built in ferocity and violence.

  Reaching out as fast as a snake, he struck the blond server across the face hard enough to knock him sideways and off his feet. The tray the server was carrying clattered to the ground as he threw his hands out and caught himself on the marble floor to keep himself from smashing into it headfirst. The impact of the fall and the metal clang of the tray echoed through the cavernous space.

  I stepped closer to the doorway against Joshua’s protests, and realized with a chilling horror that the server on the ground was none other than the doorman from earlier. The lion shifter.

  “I’m sorry, Councilman,” the server spoke lowly, practically groveling from the place where he’d fallen, not daring to move under the weight of Maldonado’s fury.

  Maldonado responded without words, letting out an inhuman roar that had my muscles tensing and the hair on my entire body standing on end. My Phoenix shot her flames into my fingertips, and I fisted my hands hard to hold back the power that begged to escape. Sharp nails dug into my palms while my eyes ping-ponged back and forth between the server on the ground and the Councilmen on the dais. Seated next to Maldonado’s throne was none other than Councilman Stepanov, who was supposed to be out of the Lodge today.

  It became more of a struggle to draw air into my lungs as Maldonado’s eyes went red, his alternate side drawing closer and closer to this surface as his control disappeared.

  “You should know better than to anger my friend, here, shifter. I wouldn’t have expected you to be quite that stupid,” Stepanov said without a hint of remorse, while a small dark smile played over his lips as he watched the lion shifter begin to visibly shake. He straddled the line between amused and annoyed as Maldonado began to shift forms.

  Maldonado’s lips pulled back over his teeth, which elongated and sharpened into deadly points. His eyes turned into pure dark pools of death, and his body began to decay and wither. Skin met bone and leathery brown wings sprouted from his back. The sharp talons that adorned the top wing joint easily ripped through the thick fabric of the robe, shredding it in the back. The hiss that escaped the Manananggal’s lips broke the deadly calm before the storm. T
he sheer sound of it struck fear into the hearts of everyone in the room except for Stepanov, who radiated a wickedness I couldn’t fathom.

  “Please…” The lion shifter let the word slide almost wordlessly past his lips. Reaching up, he held a hand out to ward off the impending attack, but even I knew that such a weak gesture would do nothing against the creature who had set its sights on its prey.

  “You were blatantly careless.” Councilman Stepanov hardened his gaze on the shifter. “Besides, my friend is long overdue for a snack.” He leaned back in his chair and the movement seemed to be all that Maldonado needed to strike.

  With an otherworldly, high-pitched scream, Maldonado’s body separated in half with a nauseating rip, his spine becoming visible as he fully allowed his alter to consume his human half. The bile I’d been fighting off earlier scalded the back of my throat and I turned to shield my eyes from the terrifying sight, but it wasn’t enough to miss the elongated tongue that shot out of the Manananggal’s mouth with what seemed to be an endless length and enough force to pierce through the lion shifter’s chest, wrap around his heart, and rip it from his body in a sickening squelch that had both my mind and my stomach reeling.

  Joshua’s breathing increased and he turned his head away, blocking the scene from his vision.

  Gasps and shocked cries rang around the room from the other regular animal shifters. Some had their eyes shut tightly, others turned their heads, while the rest seemed unable to pull their gaze away from the monstrous scene, just like me.

  Blood pooled in an ever-spreading puddle along the smooth white and gold marble, creating a stark contrast of light and dark as it seeped outward from the fallen, lifeless shifter. Blue, unstaring eyes were unfocused in death, and I forced myself to look at him. To take in the gravity of what had just been done.

  A man died. An innocent man who did nothing more than spill a drink by accident. Contempt ran hot through my blood, and the fire inside of me roared through my ears in a ravenous inferno. I wanted revenge. I wanted someone to stand up to the Council members currently sneering at the mess on the floor as if it was an inconvenience to have a dead shifter at their feet.

  “I know what you’re feeling right now, but don’t.” Joshua grabbed my arm, anchoring me to his side to keep me from raging into the room and lighting the place on fire. He must have seen the molten anger in my eyes because he squeezed me, harder than I’d ever expected him to touch me, and shook his head sharply once. “This is not the time nor the place. Do not make yourself a target.” I breathed heavily through my nose, trying to calm the rapid beat of my heart, which felt like it was going to explode in my chest.

  The coppery scent of blood floated in the air and I closed my eyes, but it was no use. No matter what I did, the scene was burned into my brain, etched into my very memories.

  Having devoured his bloody snack, Maldonado let the shift reverse, his body knitting itself back together again, though his robe was ruined and his clothing was torn and bloody. His eyes remained dark pools, even after his human form returned. Licking his lips, he backed up until his legs bumped into his throne and he sat down casually, as if he hadn’t just become a terrifying creature and taken a life.

  Stepanov’s icy gaze slid across the room and his eyes narrowed on a shaking blonde girl with tears streaming down her face. Her hand was covering her mouth as she tried to choke back the sobs that racked her shoulders, working hard not to make a sound as her eyes stayed riveted on the dead shifter.

  “You.” Stepanov locked his attention on the girl with a sick smirk on his face.

  The young teenager’s breath froze in her lungs as she pried her eyes from the floor to the Councilman.

  “M-me?” she stuttered, barely able to get her lips to move.

  “Does it look like I am talking to anyone else?” Stepanov snapped, irritation flashing across his face before he took a deep breath and glee entered his eyes. “You are his sister, are you not?” He waved a nonchalant hand toward the fallen shifter, as if he hadn’t a care in the world.

  Wide-eyed, the girl nodded. Golden hair clung to her cheeks, sticking to the wet trails that blazed in her sorrow.

  “Good.” Stepanov steepled his fingers together. “Good,” he murmured again. “Then you are responsible.” His voice carried through the room, and no one uttered a word against him. My heart stopped for the girl as I watched her fidget under the attention of the mythological. “Clean this mess up,” he ordered.

  She sucked air into her lungs, and I saw her visibly sway as a fresh wave of tears spilled from her eyes. She looked to the shifter next to her, but he kept his face turned downward, tracing the veins in the marble rather than offering her any kind of support.

  I gritted my teeth as she took one shaky step after another while Stepanov watched. Joshua’s hand tightened against my arm hard enough to leave a bruise, but I had a feeling the guys wouldn’t be mad about the mark, knowing he was trying to keep me safe and unnoticed by the members of the Council sitting on the dais.

  A broken cry left the girl’s throat as she dropped to her knees, her skirt soaking up the swirling blood of her brother as she reached a hand out and closed his eyes, before trailing her fingers down to his chest and running her fingertips around the gushing wound where his heart had once been. Her hair fell like a curtain as she leaned forward, letting her tears mix with the blood still welling from the dead lion shifter.

  Another shifter hurried forward and placed a bucket of cleaning supplies near her before retreating backward. Grabbing a towel, she began to try and soak up the blood on the floor, but the towel was soon saturated and her hands were stained red. While she didn’t dare glance up, I knew she was lost as to what to do and emotionally shaken to her very core.

  A growl of anger must have left my lips because Joshua cursed, and then Stepanov and Maldonado settled their eerie gazes upon me, noticing me in the doorway for the first time.

  “Ah, Annika.” Stepanov opened his arms like he was giving me a warm welcome to a party. “I didn’t know you were visiting us today.” Fake sincerity rang around the room and I pulled away from Joshua, who curled his hands into fists at his sides.

  Play the game, I told myself, letting the litany repeat in my mind as I controlled my movements, not letting any weakness show in front of the two of the most dangerous shifters on the Council.

  “I’m here to go on a date with Councilman Williams’ son, Joshua.” I motioned behind me without turning around or letting my attention sway from the two men in front of me. “We were on our way out when we heard a commotion and I came to investigate.”

  “Quite the curious one, you are.” Stepanov sat as straight as stone in his chair, watching me with scorn. I’d known ever since I’d met him that he hated me, and the feeling was mutual.

  My Phoenix chirped angrily in my head in full agreement. I knew that if Damien could be in my head right now, he’d be warning me to be careful, and I proceeded with caution, fully aware that whatever occurred in this encounter would make its way to the entire Council, and reflect on their opinion of me. Now was not the time to be drawing attention to myself, and yet I couldn’t stand by and watch the injustice of what had occurred without stepping up and helping in some manner. The cards had been dealt and I couldn’t change that, but perhaps I could bluff and bend their will to my own.

  I let my eyes wander to the girl who had frozen over her brother’s body, seemingly unsure of what to do next. My heart bled for her and I turned back to the Council as a plan worked its way into my mind. There was nothing I could do to save the lion shifter, but I could help his sister and get her out from under the eyes of the Maldonado and Stepanov. I could get her to safety before they decided to spill more blood.

  Plan in place, I stepped closer to the dais and held my hands out. “I’ve come to offer my services.” I let my gaze penetrate the two men, making sure my back was straight and I didn’t hunch my shoulders under the weight of danger they projected.

  �
�What services?” Maldonado growled, his voice still far from human. After witnessing my interaction with the lion shifter earlier, he clearly knew I didn’t hold the same disdainful hate for normal animal shifters that he, and many other mythologicals, seemed to cultivate. If my estimation was correct, he’d been expecting me to plead for leniency for the girl on the floor, or rage against the death he’d just dealt. Instead, I let my flames heat my hands before allowing my power to burst forth.

  Hot red blazing flames played over my fingertips and I arched an eyebrow at the Council members. “It’s awfully inconvenient to have a dead shifter in the throne room, and there’s no way the girl is strong enough to lift him without help. I can easily take care of the problem for you.” I so badly wanted to say ‘for her,’ but I continued down the path I’d set and played to the Council’s whims.

  “You want to give us a demonstration of your powers?” Stepanov leaned forward with interest.

  “I’d like to take care of the problem.”

  “These animal shifters are nothing. Worthless. Why do you care to help?” Maldonado challenged.

  Cocking my head to the side, I shook my hands and recalled my flames, putting the fire out and crossing my arms behind my back, calling his bluff. “If you’d prefer to let this ordeal drag on…”

  I bowed slightly at the waist, as if I was done with this conversation and about to retreat.

  “Come now, Maldonado. You’ve had your fun. I believe it’s my turn,” Stepanov addressed his friend, before turning back to me. “I’d like to see the little bird perform. After all, none of us have seen her in action yet.” Something in the way he worded that made a shiver race down my spine, but I didn’t give it any outward acknowledgement while I waited for the final decision on whether or not I could help. “Go on. Show us a magic trick.”

  I pursed my lips and gave the Council members my back, much to my Phoenix’s displeasure, as I strode to the girl. Kneeling down on the edge of the pool of blood, I dipped my head and caught her eye. In a whisper I hoped no one else could hear, I murmured, “Let me help you.”