I repress a shudder at the malicious gleam in his eyes, and I’m very grateful not to be on the receiving end of his anger.
It takes some shuffling, minor arguments over picking teams. A few of the supernaturals are displeased to be paired with other species, but they can suck it up. This is the only way that works without sacrificing anyone.
We gather everyone together, confirming everyone is aware of their part in the plan, and I note the vampires have already disappeared, their movements so silent that no one saw them depart.
That’s not freaky at all.
The witch guides us toward the back entrance, the passageway leading to a store in the middle of town. Dante and Garth are at the front, waiting by the hidden door. They’re listening to noises above us, their heads cocked much like their animal counterparts.
They’re different than the people of Kyperian. They’re more connected to their beast, like it is truly a part of them. Anyone who loses control in Kyperian is often sent to be reconditioned.Those who return are never the same, jumping at their own shadows, looking at everyone else suspiciously.
Even as teenagers, when our beasts first emerge, we’re collared.
The only time we’re allowed to shift is in a controlled class setting. When we can prove that we are in charge, we’re allowed to leave without our collars. The practice is so commonplace that I didn’t realize it was the council’s way of breaking our animals and conditioning them to obey.
Here, while their freedom might be restricted by their laws and alphas, they are not collared or imprisoned. Their beasts aren’t stripped from them if they disobey. Their creatures feel…alive. They’re powerful in a way that I didn’t think possible.
Not that anyone in Kyperian is weak.
Our beasts are the most dangerous in the world, descended from some of the most ancient and powerful bloodlines. Too bad the council has beaten down everyone so much that they don’t realize the power they hold.
Garth’s intense blue eyes lock onto mine, as if he can sense me watching. I don’t even pretend that I wasn’t staring…and a pleased smile brightens his expression. I don’t have a chance to smile back before Dante and Garth turn and ram their shoulders into the cellar doors, not even bothering with the locks first. The hinges don’t stand a chance. Wood splinters, and the door disintegrates under their combined strength.
Swearing erupts above my head, feet thunder along the floor, and magic sparks in the air. I don’t hesitate to charge up the wobbly wooden steps, easily able to dodge Tyler as he tries to block my way. Bellamy is faster, catching me around the waist and snatching me off my feet.
Before I can protest, he deposits me on my feet, then presses a single finger to his lips in a gesture of silence. I open my mouth to question him, but he’s already gone, stealthily disappearingup the steps. I huff in annoyance…then freeze when blood spills down like a waterfall.
The curtain of red streams down the stairs, dripping from one step to the next, and I’m unable to turn away as the bright red liquid relentlessly cascades closer and closer.
Air stalls in my lungs, then I’m charging up the stairs, footsteps splashing in the blood.
Just as I reach the top, I stop dead.
My brain had conjured up the image of Dante, Garth, and Bellamy being torn apart, dying as I waited below.
Body parts are strewn around the room. When I don’t recognize any of the many, many limbs, the crushing weight on my chest eases a fraction.
We’re standing in some type of old mercantile. A few groceries are scattered about the room, but most of the items resemble weeds, plants, books, and a few broken crystals. Bellamy is near the front of the store, stomping on the skull of a man who was reaching for the door.
He’s decorated with blood and gore, his face twisted in a snarl, his silver eyes swirling with his dragon, and I swear scales ripple under his skin before melting away. He doesn’t stop pounding on his opponent until the skull audibly cracks, splattering him and the area with brain matter.
Okay, then.
A few anger management issues, but I can’t fault the results of his method.
A thump comes from behind a large counter, and I hastily step toward it, grimacing when my shoes squelch loudly. I grab my knife, then carefully lean over the top…and can only blink when I see Dante nearly twisting a guy’s head off his shoulders, just a few ligaments keeping it attached. Opposite him is Garth, shifted into his massive wolf form…chewing on a femur?
The beast instantly spots me, and his menacing fangs flash in a bloody, macabre smile. His teeth are nearly as long as my fingers. I don’t move, knowing better than to run in the presence of a shifter. I wait for my wolf to rise at the threat. Instead, she waits with her ears cocked, her tail wagging.
Fucking psychopath!
The black beast doesn’t attack but promptly drops the bone onto the counter with a meaty thud and a squish of blood. He waits expectantly, glancing at me, then back to the bone. When I don’t move, his eyes narrow and he nudges the femur toward me with his nose.
That’s when I realize it’s a…present?
My insides melt, my wolf woofing in pleasure, and a smile breaks across my face. “Aren’t you the sweetest?!”
I don’t hesitate to lean over and kiss him on his bloody snout.
