His voice thickened with sure confidence, and Andrea arched a brow as she fell silent. “A fight with us would surely kill you, Andrea. You are neither as powerful as Savannah, nor as aggressive. If you want to be a good leader, do not follow in the steps of your predecessor. Take the scrolls and go rebuild.”
Andrea fought Faro’s persuasion with everything in her, and his wings rustled when she seemingly won. Surprise jolted my heart, and Linne gasped softly against my neck as Andrea jutted her chin out in defiance.
The witches around her were silent, watching, weary, and she inhaled deeply before opening her mouth.
“I’m not going to lie – I didn’t like Savannah. This clan has caused disruption after disruption, and I can’t ignore that. Beasts like you have no sense of the bigger picture or the destruction you’ve caused to others. Don’t think that those scrolls are why I’m here.” Exhaling slowly, Andrea lifted her palms once again, and the hairs on my body stood up straight. “The world is safer without you in it.”
“Why does this always fucking happen?” Jackson’s grumble earnt a grunt from me, and I shook my head roughly. Even in the face of beings whose origins were from ancient, powerful fairy tales, this witch was still acting haughty and self-righteous to the extreme. Who in the fuck thinks they can take on an Unseelie and win? Who’s the real delusional one here?
“This is boring…” Twisting around upon hearing Linne’s loud declaration, I frowned as she redonned her human skin; she was still beautiful, of course, but less exotic.
Grabbing my hand, she stomped towards the front door with a cute pout and nonchalance of someone without fear of any competition. “We have more important things to do.”
“I beg your pardon?” Andrea spread her fingers out in front of her, as her offended shout rang through the foyer. But Linne couldn’t have cared less.
My mate’s confidence was sexy as fuck, and I squeezed her hand as my gaze slid down her smooth back. Her ass swayed like a mesmerizing pendulum, and she clenched her cheeks together to taunt me – knowing I was looking.
“I am leaving. You do not matter – what you want does not matter. Don’t take the scrolls…or do. I do not care.” Coming up into Andrea’s personal space, my mate cast her a look of disgust.
“Get out of the way. I am tired of dealing with you puny, insignificant bugs. Just as I told Savannah – you are nothing – you don’t know true power.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Linne
Andrea turned bright red in the ensuing silence, and I found my patience running thin very quickly.
Flexing my wings, I watched her anger at the offense swirl in her gaze – but I also saw indecision. She was slowly but surely realizing that I was beyond her ability, but she didn’t want to back down in front of her new underlings.
Stupid.
“If you do not get out of my way, I will kill you.”
“Please don’t do that, Linne… They’ll just send someone else that won’t get the hint either, and then they’ll send more people, and more, and all this shit will just repeat itself,” Jackson said wearily, the barely concealed irritation in his voice ruffling my feathers.
I frowned. Witches were nothing but trouble, I concluded. “Just go. Faro and I will handle this.”
“He’s right, baby. Let’s just go home…I’ll heat up those mozzarella sticks that you love…” came Derek’s low grumble.
I glanced over my shoulder as fire licked at my cheeks. I could see his eyes swirl with desire, and strong, familiar fingers crept around my waist to hold me tight. “If they need us, they’ll call.”
“…Okay.” Greed heightened my voice, hooking me in the gut, and Derek smirked knowingly, his smile washing my arms and chest in goosebumps. A small smile played on my lips.
Tearing my eyes off my mate, I shouldered my way past Andrea. Her magic crackled, and I flexed my wings to give her a little, extra shove. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her falling into one of her entourage, and I sniggered on my way out.
The midday sun blazed down, and I squinted a little against the brightness.
“I was thinking…” Coming up next to me, Derek wrapped his arm around my waist. I pursed my lips, anticipating what he was going to say next. “We don’t have to go anywhere crazy. Why don’t we just start by going to the next state over? We’ll cross the country and take our time. You haven’t really been out of this town in the entire three years you’ve been here.”
“I have no expertise in this. I’ll go wherever you think is best.” Resting my head against his shoulder, we walked hand in hand together to his house. Nibbling my bottom lip, curiosity filled my chest. “I cannot even begin to think of such a thing as traveling.”
“I know exactly where to start, actually.” Derek’s tone sparked up, and I glanced over as a large, slick smirk spread across his face. “We’ll go to visit a lion clan I know of. I’ve never been there myself either.”
“Lion clan? Like…lion shifters like you?” Sputtering slightly, I halted mid-step, staring at Derek through wide eyes.
He was being completely serious, and I opened and closed my mouth soundlessly, even as his maintained his grin.
“W – why…? Why would you do that?”
“Because…” Taking my long face in both his palms, he captured my gaze as an expectant look filled his eyes.
“It’s not my world, Linne. Honestly, I doubt that it’ll be an awesome, great experience – I really feel like it’s the worse idea I’ve ever had. But…we need to start somewhere, so why not go in blind together? We’ve gone through so much. This could work out great, or I could go insane from the stress – who knows? It’s exciting to not know.”
Scrunching up my nose at Derek’s words even as affection washed through me, I pursed my lips tightly. He was so very serious, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to say ‘no’, To be honest, I wasn’t even sure that I wanted to.
These lion shifters were the people who’d abandoned him – had given him scars, which would never heal fully no matter how close the fissures became...
These were the creatures that couldn’t get over their own prejudices for him.
Derek could’ve done the same to me; I wasn’t just different – I was from an entirely different plane of existence. He could’ve decided having a mate like me was too much work, just like his parents had with him when he was a baby.
“As long as they have chocolate cake,” I joked. His smile turned tender, and he nodded firmly as I sucked up a huge breath through my nose, and my face became serious. “I do not think this is a good idea, either…but if you must do it – I will do it, as well.”
My mate’s true intentions rang in my ears despite his silence; Derek wanted the people who had betrayed him to know what a success he’d become. He wanted all those who’d doubted him and his greatness to realize what a mistake they’d made. He wanted everyone to know – he was the banished king, returning to claim the place which was rightfully his.
“…I need to do it, my love.” Tilting my cheek into his palm, I hummed softly as Derek’s voice deepened into a low gravel. His pupils narrowed into thin slits, and tiny vibrations rippled up his arms and through me. “I never thought I needed to before, but now…”
“Yes. I understand.”
Slowly we resumed our walk, and I exhaled a breath I hadn’t even realized I was holding. Memories swarmed my inner eye, and my wings twitched as understanding caused blood to race through my veins.
“I have experienced the same sensation, Derek. When I was Kaslni’s slave, she would tell me I needed to work harder, and harder – and harder still. All so that one day, I could be her trusted right-hand… But it’s become apparent now she never intended to keep her word. Like my own parents, she deceived me. It is not exactly the same, as you were cast out – but I finally proved my worth to her…and now, she is dead, and I am alive.”
“Speaking of…I don’t understand how Bareiijnr was able to wear white wings if he was Unsee
lie. I thought that couldn’t happen.”
“It is not like that. It’s similar to…organ failure, I suppose,” I explained, trying ot think of an analaogy. “The wings poison the wearer. White wings poison Unseelie, and the opposite applies with black wings on Seelie. That is to say also, that wearing someone else’s wings poisons you as well…just not as quickly.
I paused, taking a breath, gauging Derek’s comprehension. Satisfied he understood what I was saying, I continued on.
“Bareiijnr would have only been able to wear the white wings for a few hours in this realm – in the Unseelie realm, he would’ve had thirty minutes, maybe…most likely less.”
Derek grunted, digesting this information, and I stared at the sidewalk as we continued walking at a slow and steady pace.
“Kaslni was many terrible things, I know, but she was not wrong in wanting to end the wing trade. However, Bareiijnr is also right – there is no way to stop it, much like the drugs here in this realm. I suppose it doesn’t matter anymore, though. Once Faro removes and destroys his wings, I will be the only one here.”
“Do you think the Veil is attracted to your magic, and that’s why it always opens where you are?”
Derek’s question gave me reason to pause, and I was silent as I briefly mulled over the notion. The moment passed, and I shrugged in response, reluctant to explore the suggestion any further. I was not sure I was prepared for the truth of the answer.
“Would you remove your wings? Permanently?” Derek asked.
“If I did…we would not have a family.” The shadows of Derek’s pride began to swirl and solidify at my words, and I reached down to swipe my fingers through them.
Derek stiffened against my side, and a small smile tilted my lips. “You have just explained yourself. Alpha Jackson and this clan…they are the life you have built for yourself. Alpha Jackson is your brother…but he isn’t a lion shifter. He cannot give you this, but my magic can. We cannot procreate together – the one thing that I should do for you, I cannot. So…doing something like removing my wings would only cause you pain. I do not believe I could bear that.”
“I would never force you to have cubs, Linne.” Holding up my finger to stop Derek, I shook my head as he sucked in a sharp breath.
“Advanced Creation Magic – that is what you can do. This pride might be made of magic, but it is still real. I cannot have babies…which means we cannot have a family together…except for this pride.” Licking my lips slowly, I sighed heavily, while Derek tightened his arm around my shoulders.
His home soon came up upon us, gradually growing in detail and size, and I bopped my head in a slight nod. “I do not resent myself or you for this fact. It simply is, and there is nothing I can do to change it. But – I can give you a family in another way, and I will not take that away from you, Derek. There is nothing in this realm, or my old one, or any of them, that I would not do to make you happy. Since we cannot have babies…this is all I can give you.”
Derek was silent the short rest of the walk to his home, and I had absolute faith in my own convictions. I was defective; I could not rear his babies, and I believed it would be a mistake to do so even if I could.
But having this pride was something different – and it felt right.
Because of Derek’s shadow pride, he finally had the role he was always meant to play – he was their king. Even Alpha Jackson had mentioned to me that ever since the shadow pride had materialized, Derek’s been doing better than he’s ever been. This clan had helped my mate survive, but now…
Now…
Now, he was to thrive.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Linne
My tail swished as I wagged my hips, and Derek’s sultry growl bristled up my spine. My paws kneaded the carpet, creating a slight burning sensation against the pads of my toes, and I relished the feeling, as it reminded me I was still alive.
Derek’s loving gaze swept down my body, and my wings flexed and shivered as goosebumps rose along my skin.
Glancing over my shoulder, my pupils narrowed into slits as I scanned him; Derek sat in the kitchen chair like it was a throne. Confidence and surety seeped from his pores, and I bit down on my bottom lip as I lifted my arms over my head.
Our pride bubbled and roiled along the floor, growing more then less solid, then more again as electrical tension crackled in the atmosphere.
Spreading my wings wide, I held back a soft moan when Derek shuffled in his chair. My sharp canines pricked my chin, but the sensation didn’t hurt anymore.
Balancing on my pawed feet, I trembled from the weight of his gaze as need curdled my blood.
Here, now, nothing mattered; Alpha Jackson and the witches, and even Muss, couldn’t penetrate the thickly armored bubble that encased my mate and I.
The coarse hairs on my body stood up before Derek gripped the flare of my hips to whirl me around. My moan mingled with a feral growl, and he gnashed his teeth at me as he urged me to sit in his lap.
His touch rippled out in waves across my quivering flesh, and I flexed my wings even as they began to shrink. Naked skin scorched my own through my thin layer of fur, and the shadows slithering across the floor pulsed powerfully.
“I love you, my mate…” Derek’s murmur speared my chest, and I gasped as he dragged his palm up my chest. Caressing my skin with the gentle touch of his fingetips, he smirked broadly through heavy, half-hooded lids. “You’re so beautiful no matter what skin you wear.”
Flicking and swishing wildly, my tail swept side to side as I reached up to cup Derek’s jaw. My soft pants ruffled his short stubble, and he tilted his head left and right into my touch, his eyelids fluttering shut. Rolling his strong, muscular shoulders, he groaned while his hands crept to knead my backside, and his canines peeked out from his upper lip.
“It is not fair that I am like this but you are not,” I quietly said, and Derek responded with a brief huff, while keeping his eyes closed.
Slowly, his body underneath me began to tremble, and thrill speared my heart as he arched against the back of the chair.
I panted, struggling to take in a proper breath. His short beard grew longer, stretching down his neck and the rest of his body, and his hair thickened, becoming longer.
“I don’t know how long I can keep this up for, baby…” The strained confession drew a mewling sound to slip out from my tight throat, and I pulled Derek’s face right up against my breasts. He couldn’t half-shift – had never learned how – but I had faith.
I had faith in us.
Thick, knobbed fingers squeezed my butt hard, and Derek’s short claws dug into my butt cheeks as he struggled. A cold sweat broke out along his body, and I threaded my fingers through his hair as flames engulfed my abdomen.
The effort he put into pleasing me was almost enough to drive me wild, and I ground shamelessly against his hard, thick member.
“Shit – ” Arching sharply into me, Derek hissed as his ribs jerked and cracked against my own. His flesh rippled and twitched, and I squeezed my eyes shut tight to focus all of my willpower on him. Pained grunts and gasps filled the heavy air, but I didn’t give up hope as his body jerked.
“I believe in you, my mate.” Derek yanked my hips hard against his, and I ground harder against him, just as I heard his joints popping faintly. “Trust in me.”
The shadows around us climbed up the back of the chair, billowing and roiling as they engulfed us in an abyss. Growls and snarls and huffs created a symphony, and I tightened my hold on Derek’s head as his chest heaved against my own.
My encouragement served to fuel his determination, and his entire body hardened as he doubled his efforts to maintain the half-shift.
Surprise and affection ripped through me when the battle in Derek’s body came to a halt. He was extraordinary – simply magnificent.
And I shuddered from my shoulders down, at the knowledge he was mine. All mine.
Panting harshly, he gulped and snarled low, but it was cut off when h
is lips crashed against mine blindly. Our canines banged together, rattling my skull, but I couldn’t focus on it as euphoria washed through me.
Derek’s hot, hard rod slipped between my slickened folds, and the light in my eyes dimmed as my body rose to a heightened sensation. Barely able to keep control over myself, I nibbled and sucked on Derek’s lower lip, and then pressing my lips hard against his, I encouraged his tongue to wrap around mine.
In our half-shifted form, everything was more, and my hands roamed his chest and shoulders in rabid delight.
“Der – rek…” I panted, purring in ecstasy, voice eager for more. Then I shivered feeling Derek poise the head of his rod right at my entrance.
My tail swished back and forth in expectation, and he snarled a low, possessive sound.
Standing up, he slid from the chair to balance precariously. In this form, his knees were limited, but that didn’t seem to matter to him before he whirled me around.
Prickles shot down my spine as I pressed my back against him, conforming to the shape of his front, and then I spread my thighs out as they trembled, and I released a needy cat-like mewl.
Gripping my wing with one hand, Derek swiped his rod along the length of my slit, and the sensation made me catch my breath. Anticipation coiled in my abdomen; friction burning my skin as he ground against my butt, and I moaned loudly when he tugged on my wing.
Surging into my eager, seeping entrance, Derek snarled harshly as he stretched my inner walls.
I moaned, biting down on my lip in pleasure. The shadows around us shimmered and swelled, tightening around us as I undulated around his rod.
My core ached as he pulled back only to thrust with a jarring snap of his hips, and a feral yelp burst from my throat.
“Fuck!” It seemed like it’d been so long since we’d been intimate, and Derek set forward at a brutal, hard pace that knocked the air from my lungs.
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