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“Show Raven where we need to go through the bond.” Amon ordered, “Dossidian and Kasha, you’re with me.” Both Dossidian and Kasha looked taken aback at his tone.
‘What’s up with him?’ Kasha asked into my mind, and I shrugged. I honestly wasn’t really sure why he was so angry. She gave me a bewildered look before joining Dossidian next to the Dark Prince.
I reached out to Amon with my aura, but he brushed me off. Sighing, I turned to Rycon. Shifters were pretty much null when it came to magick. If anything, they were resistant to it. So, any mind-to-mind metaphysical stuff was sometimes a challenge without the bond intact.
I unblocked the bond and asked Rycon to imagine where we needed to go. What he showed me was a very specific spot in the middle of the rainforest. I wondered vaguely how he could differentiate this one spot from any of the other seemingly identical spots in the Amazon. I decided not to worry too much about it. If we got lost, we could just shadow walk back.
I pressed the image into Amon’s mind. He allowed me in just enough to accept it, before slamming his barriers shut on me.
“We’ll meet you there.” He said coolly, before his shadows crowded forward and the daemons disappeared.
Unlike Kasha, Rycon didn’t seem to notice anything was amiss. I sighed and stepped close to him, calling my happy, bouncy shadows to pull us through space.
I felt the humidity before my body had even had a chance to rematerialize. I had never been so grateful for the lesson I’d had on regulating my environment as I did in that moment. As my corporeal form manifested, I found myself surrounded by lush green vegetation, towering trees, and vibrant flowers.
The air was thick with the sound of insects, the call of exotic birds, and the rush of water from nearby streams. Everything was cast in a dappled green light, as the sun struggled to filter through the rich forest canopy. Sharp shafts of light managed to break through in places, illuminating small pockets of the forest floor.
The loamy scent of decaying vegetation filled my nose. If I hadn’t known any better, I would not have guessed we had travelled back to the human world. The jungle was alien enough that I felt we had shadow walked to another magickal territory on Amon’s side of The Veil.
Amon, Kasha and Dossidian were already walking ahead. I scowled. They could have waited. I moved to catch up with them and Rycon followed while giving an exaggerated stretch.
He inhaled deeply. “Gods I’ve missed this world.” He said, coming up to match my pace. His skin rippled and tiny pin pricks rubbed from the inside, as if fur was trying to burst through his hair follicles. I noticed he hadn’t worn his leather jacket. I wondered if it was because he expected to shift frequently.
He didn’t seem to sweat either. His white cotton t-shirt stayed pristine as we walked through the jungle. I assumed the team knew where we were going because I didn’t have a clue. They were far enough ahead now that I could barely make out their forms through the brush.
“Do you know where we’re going?” I asked him incredulously. Our bond was still wide open, so I would know if he was lying.
“Of course, I do. The location of the Olkuyrbe leap’s resting place is in our DNA. Any panther can find it with a blind fold on from anywhere in the world. We only moved out of here to be closer to civilization so we could have a bit more sway with The Board.”
This surprised me, I wondered if that was how they had ended up getting tangled up with the Nightshades.
“Your father moved your leap out of the jungle so that shifters could have better relations with the magick folk?” I asked. Rycon nodded.
“My father dreamed of a world where shifters had a real seat at the table.” For a moment, he looked sad at the mention of his father. I remembered the memory I had accidentally seen in the early days of our bond. The burning pastel colored home, and a tiny Rycon, reaching towards the burning building, screaming for his dead parents.
With the bond open, Rycon could see where my thoughts had gone, and he wiped the sad look off his face, replacing it with a sneer.
“Exactly. Look at where that kind of thinking got him. Shifters are wild, primal beings. We don’t belong in board rooms. We belong out here, where we can hunt, dance and fuck.”
I made a face. “So eloquently put,” I muttered. He bumped me with his elbow.
“Don’t be such a prude. You could honestly use a little bit of fucking. Maybe it would loosen you up.”
I glared at him. “You’re disgusting.”
He shrugged, throwing his hands behind his head, before nodding towards Amon.
“If you and Prince Stick Up His Ass stopped tiptoeing around each other and finally got busy it would make things a lot easier for everyone.”
My face flushed red, and it had nothing to do with the humidity.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I snipped, and he rolled his eyes.
“Sure, you don’t, just like you guys haven't been making moon eyes at each other since we got to his godsforsaken court. You know I can literally smell pheromones, right?” Yes, I did know, and yes, it did make me uncomfortable. I sighed.
“I don’t know, he’s not sending any moon eyes my way right now.” I grumbled. Rycon inhaled deeply and I cringed. “Ew! Don’t smell him.” I hissed.
“His delicate daemon feelings are hurt over something.” He mused. I rolled my eyes.
