by Harper Wylde
“They’re not erotic…” I scoffed, pulling the book back down and burying my nose into it to continue reading. “They’re romance.”
“Romance full of sex.”
“There’s still a difference.” I chuckled and turned the page. “Now, unless you’re going to come over here and solve my problem… let me get back to the good stuff and placate myself until one of you decides you’re allowed to give me the orgasm I’m craving,” I stated boldly, surprising myself. While sex was a new adventure I’d embarked on with the guys, I hadn’t been quite so open to talking about it with them out loud. My cheeks tinged pink as I realized how brazen I must have sounded.
Theo groaned loudly, hanging his head as he took another inhale of my scent. “I swear, hearing you say that has my control slipping. If I touch you, the guys will kill me.” He glanced up from the kitchen island to observe me with hooded, darkened blue eyes.
I sent him a sultry, pleading look that had him abandoning his mission for fresh coffee as he stepped out of the kitchen and toward the living room, where I was currently making myself comfortable. Before he could reach me, however, the doorbell sounded and he let out a frustrated moan. Taking a deep breath and running a hand through his shaggy blond hair, he deviated his trek to the front door instead.
Sighing, I tired to focus on the words printed in black ink that created the story I’d been lost in, but no matter how invested I’d been earlier, my mind was now on Theo.
“Nix,” Theo called for me with a note of curiosity in his tone. “Do you have any suitors who are birds?” he asked me, staring out the front door he had yet to close.
Resting the book on my stomach, I propped myself up on my elbows and thought over his question. “No, I don’t believe so. I did have one that was a griffon shifter, but I dismissed him the night of the Gala.” I pursed my lips, remembering how rude Griff had been, and patted myself on the back for getting rid of him so early on in the process. “Why?” I questioned.
“You’ve got a letter, and there are feathers with it. I can’t seem to place the particular scent.” He brought the feather toward his nose, breathing in the smell of it and narrowing his stare outside. “Do you want me to put it with the others?” he inquired, his gaze searching the tree line across the street from the house.
I set my book aside, climbed off the couch, and strode to the door. I ignored the chill seeping in from outside and took the cream colored envelope from Theo. Turning it over in my hands, I noticed the messy scrawl that was my full name on the front, and the black smudge marks near the edges, like whoever had written it had stained their fingers with the ink. Except these fingerprints didn’t look exactly human—pointed at the ends where they should have been rounder.
“Theo.” I grabbed his attention. “Let me see that.” I held my hand out for the small bundle of feathers that had been tied together, already noticing the multicolored hues and the way they gleamed in the waning sunlight of our Alaskan afternoon.
Clearly picking up on my distress, Theo handed the feathers to me, peered out the door once more, and shut it, throwing all the locks.
The familiar scent of the feathers hit me at once and my breath stalled in my lungs as flashes of a white padded room, iron shackles, and a small barred window filled my mind. The cries of children and other women echoed in my ears as I strode away from the front door and into the living room, barely breathing.
My Phoenix rose within and let out a furious cry.
“Nix…” I heard, as well as felt, Theo drawing near, his worry for me evident in his fast stride.
“I’m okay,” I said, trying to reassure him, but the words caught in my throat, coming out raspier than I’d meant them to.
“What is it?” Theo’s body warmed my back and he cupped his palms over the edges of my shoulders, pouring his love and support into me while I stood rigid, staring at the letter in my hand.
“I think…” I almost couldn’t verbalize my thoughts, feeling like I was in some twisted dream and about to wake up before it morphed into a nightmare. “I think it’s from someone I met on the island.” I shook slightly, cursing myself for the weakness but unable to stop my reaction. The impact that the island had had on me was deeper than I realized. I thought I’d been healing, but with this one connection to that part of my past, I was a shaking, panicked mess. My Phoenix wrapped her wings around me in comfort, even though she was just as agitated as me.
Theo’s form bulked up behind my back and I knew his Kraken had joined us, pressing against his skin and most likely roaring his need to shift. Turning in Theo’s arms, I placed a hand against his chest, my palm flat over his heart, and I focused on the ocean mist scent that always surrounded him. Simply drawing it into my lungs helped ease my tensions, and I let my eyes wander over the golden skin of Theo’s neck and face before I focused on his blue eyes. White flecks, like cresting ocean waves, swam in the cerulean depths that beamed such love and intensity at me.
“I’m okay,” I murmured. “I’m okay because you’re here with me.”
“Nix.” The hard gravel in Theo’s tone was full of his Kraken’s power, and I leaned up and kissed him softly, hoping it would ease his alter and hold his shift at bay. Out of all of us, Theo was the one who couldn’t hulk out at will, unfair or not, so I did my best to soothe his beast.
I pressed my body into his, and hung on tight until I felt his extra bulk recede and his chest heave deeply against mine as he released his tension.
“Thank you,” he mumbled into my hair, as one of his hands came around to cup the back of my head while he held onto me for another minute. When he let me go, I stepped back and let my gaze wander over him, assessing his level of control for myself.
Satisfied, I sat down on the edge of the couch, and placed the feathers and letter in front of me on the coffee table. I steepled my fingers and pressed them to my lips, as I tried to decide whether or not I wanted to read whatever was contained within the ink stained envelope.
“You should read it.” Theo surprised me with his opinion.
“I thought you’d say the complete opposite,” I admitted.
“You don’t have any peace over what happened on the island. I know that we are waiting to hear back from Zanoah, but so far, Killian has been unable to reach her. Without going and tracking her down ourselves—which would alert the Council and garner their attention—this is the closest clue we’ve received to learning more. I have a feeling that whoever left that letter probably did so at great risk to themselves. Why else would they have dropped it and run?” Theo pondered, attempting to arrange the ordeal into some semblance of logic.
Reaching out, I trailed a finger over the envelope and then snatched it up, unable to resist the mystery of it any longer. I tore it open and extracted an equally ink stained piece of paper that had been ripped straight from a notebook and shoved inside. The rough edges of the paper were messy, but I ignored all of that as I began to read.
There was no name at the top of the message, it just started.
You’re not safe, and I’m not sure you ever will be. They want certain things from you. More phoenix. Your power. Your blood.
For some reason, I want you to be safe. You talked to me as a person and not a mutated monster. You looked at me and didn’t turn away as all the others have. I don’t know why, but you feel familiar to me.
They took things from you. Things that never bothered me before. Things that bother me now, because it’s you who they took them from.
My venom was not the only one they injected you with during your stay with us. You were also primed with venom from a succubus. It made you fertile, and they took eggs with the intent to inseminate them and create more of the creature you hold as your alter. The Phoenix. You’re the last one, and he wants more of them. They all do.
You’re not safe, but you don’t have to worry. No one will take from you again. They only took a few, but I destroyed the eggs they stole, just like they destroyed me so many years ago.
The island is now empty, but they won’t give up. Like a virus, they simply spread, intent on their twisted mission, but I won’t let them touch you again… because of the connection we share and the kindness you showed me, I won’t mind the cost.
Beware, and watch your back. Your enemies are everywhere, and they are always waiting in the shadows.
A talon like scratch ended the missive, and for a while, all I did was stare and breathe.
Gently taking the letter from my hands, Theo slid his glasses up his nose and began to read the disturbing words I was still digesting.
Rage colored my world red. They’d stolen eggs.
Eggs that the strange bird-like humanoid shifter I’d had contact with on the island claimed he’d destroyed. My stomach churned and I ran to the kitchen. Leaning over the trash can, I heaved the contents of my stomach into the bin. I felt violated, and I clutched my abdomen as I finally straightened and wiped a hand across my mouth.
Theo was in the other room, pacing with his phone clutched in his hand. His size was bulked up once more. I could see the strain of his muscles pulling his shirt taut across his chest, and the veins that were standing out in his arms and neck. Tipping my head to the ceiling, I braced my hands on my head as I worked to compose myself so I could go take care of him.
“Just get back here… and soon.” Theo smashed his finger over the glass screen of his smartphone much harder than necessary to end the call, and came to meet me in the kitchen, wrapping me up in his arms without a word. He crushed me to his chest, and I simply nuzzled into him, closing my eyes against the world and it’s cruelty.
“You’re going to be okay. I will never let anyone lay a finger on you again.” His chest rumbled against my cheek.
“We’re joining a rebellion… there’s so much danger surrounding us. You can’t promise that, and I don’t want you to,” I mumbled into his body. “I just… I want to not feel so…” I didn’t even need to speak the words. Theo just understood.
“I know,” he murmured, soothing a hand down my hair. With very little effort, Theo reached down and hooked one arm under my knees while the other supported my back, and he carried me to couch, settling me onto his lap.
We stayed that way until the others walked in the door over an hour later.
“Nix!” Ryder rushed around the couch, practically hopping over it in his urgency to reach me. Settling against Theo’s side, he reached for me, pulling me from the Kraken’s arms and into his own. “What happened?”
Theo, who had finally calmed down, rolled his neck as he seemingly fought down a fresh wave of anger from his Kraken.
Damien, Hiro, and Killian made it inside the door and into the living room on Ryder’s heels, each breathing heavily, clearly having rushed here from wherever it was they’d been.
Theo glanced at Damien from behind his glasses and held up the note, handing it to the Gargoyle.
Damien paced as he read it, bulking up in his own way as his Gargoyle grew furious. “When did this arrive?”
“A little over an hour ago.” Theo stood from the couch and joined Damien.
“Do you have a scent?” Damien asked, with authority in his tone.
Theo pointed to the feathers. “But I don’t agree with going after him.”
“Why not?” Killian snarled. “He was part of what happened to Nix.”
“He… he drugged me… but other than that, he wasn’t directly involved.” I rubbed at my head as I tried to remember what had happened, but my brain was protesting, refusing to knit all the scattered pieces together. “He warned me. I’m not sure if I can trust him, but he’s the closest link I’ve got to finding out what happened. I just hope…” My stomach churned again, but there was nothing left to make me sick.
Finishing my sentence, Hiro chimed in, “You hope he did what he said and destroyed your eggs.”
“Is that even right to say? Fuck, it feels wrong… but yes. I don’t like the idea of the choice being taken out of my hands, of never being sure if there are children I’m related to somewhere out there, maybe in homes like the one I grew up in, or worse.”
“It doesn’t sound like they were embryos when he destroyed them, merely eggs, if his note it to be believed. You have nothing to feel guilty about,” Theo assured me, and I nodded, letting it all sink in. “It would be no different than shedding your eggs every month in menstruation.” I blushed at his words, though they did offer me a sense of relief.
“So they’re taking genetic material from rare shifters and… what… breeding them on their own?” Ryder carefully shifted me off his lap, before standing and pacing away from the couch as he drove his hands into his hair and pulled at the stands harshly. “Is that what…” He swallowed hard. “Is that what they’re doing on the island? Fucking breeding whatever mythologicals they want?” All the color drained from his face as he spun on his heel to face us all, looking from one to the next in succession.
“I…” I’d been so focused on myself that the larger picture hadn’t dawned in my mind until Ryder pieced it all together. “Oh fuck.” Everyone in the room looked as aghast as I felt on the inside. “Those children… you don’t think they’re children they breed, do you?”
Damien looked sick and Hiro’s chocolate eyes had darkened to nearly black.
“What do we do?” Ryder dropped his hands, gesturing at all of us wildly. “We have to do something!”
“What do you suggest?” Theo snapped, but we all knew he wasn’t truly mad at Ryder. The stress of the situation was eating at all of us. “The letter claims the island is shut down, but we don’t know that for sure. We also don’t know if it’s still under surveillance if it is. It could be a trap that would expose our involvement in the rebellion, or at the very least, capture us in action against the Council. That puts not only our group but also our families at risk. We’re all nearly positive that the Council owns the island and is behind the nefarious activity. If they’ve vacated the island, they’ve most likely set up another facility somewhere. The best thing we can do is try to search out where there new location is, but even that will take time.”
“Our only course of action is to join the rebellion. We need their numbers and power to fight against the Council. Our group is strong, but we stand no chance against them alone,” Damien reasoned.
“So we just wait some more?” Ryder sounded broken, so I stood from the couch and wrapped my arms around his middle.
“Yes. And I know that’s hard.” I held him tighter until his arms finally came around my body, holding on to me just as tightly. “I don’t want to either, but we don’t have enough leverage to do anything about what we’ve learned. And as much as I hate to admit it, we need more information. I won’t see any of us or your families hurt, just because we mindlessly rushed forward without making educated decisions. Even if we’re mad. Even if we’re fucking enraged. We’ve survived this long because we’ve been playing it smart. If we don’t do that now…”
“It’s not a chance I’m willing to take. I won’t put Nix in that kind of danger,” Killian growled, running a hand over the red scruff that lined his jaw, his eyes locked on me in his brother’s arms.
“Agreed,” Theo chimed in. “I have my mom and Molly to think about also.”
“We’ll get answers Ryder, I promise you that.” Hiro moved closer to Ryder and me, and placed his hand on the Ceraptor’s shoulder, squeezing in support. He gazed at me over Ryder’s shoulder, a promise shining in his eyes. “For both of you.”
Twenty-Four
Nix
I landed another blow on the punching bag, letting the impact reverberate down my arm as the sweat tickled over my skin. My breath was coming in pants from the intense workout, but it helped to burn off the energy that was raging inside of me after the note I’d received the other day. It felt good to have my energy back, and even better to hit something.
“You're supposed to be resting, you know.” I turned to see Killian leaning against the doorframe.
“I was resting,” I panted. “I just needed to do something. Clear my head a little. Burn some of this energy off. Purge out some of the tension we’re all feeling.”
“There are other ways to keep your mind occupied, ones that don't involve you injuring yourself or beating the living daylights out of my sports equipment,” Killian said with a small, understanding smile.
“Thanks, but this works,” I told him, turning back to the bag.
“Oh?” I glanced back at him as he arched a brow. He tugged his t-shirt over his head, dropping it onto the floor.
“I thought you wanted me to rest,” I remarked, a smile playing at my lips. “I don't exactly think that having sex is restful.”
“You've really put your mind in the gutter since you met us,” he teased. “Who said anything about sex?” He flicked the button on his jeans, letting them pool around his feet for a moment before kicking them off.
I turned to face him, letting my gaze rove over his bare skin and sleek muscles. “If not sex, what did you have in mind?” I asked, my voice turning husky.
He surprised me with a wide grin, and I gaped at him for a moment before the air around us charged with energy and he shifted. No matter the mood I’d been in before, I couldn’t suppress the giggle that escaped as his Puca hopped from his boxer shorts. I started toward him to scoop him up. “If you wanted to cuddle, you could have just said so. You know I love it when you shift for me,” I began, but he ducked away from my hands.
Before I could reach out again to grab him, he sat up on his back legs, jumping and bouncing, and flicking his ears back and forth as though boxing with an invisible opponent. A laugh rolled from me as I watched the small, black Puca take on his invisible foe, kicking, dancing, and lashing out with his paws. He somersaulted forward into a roll, repeating the motion again as I lay on my stomach on the thickly padded floor, facing him as he continued his antics. I was content to let all my worries and stress leave my mind as I put myself fully in this moment.
