Page 273 of Volik

“I will not be sharing every secret I have. And I will remind you that neither do your governments.” The men in suits are no doubt watching. And reminders are always helpful.

“The dean tells us not to worry, but we saw what you did in that video. You killed a man with one hand.” A guy in the back speaks, but he stays hidden behind someone else.

I wish they could see me rolling my eyes. “He was a vampire. And I did not kill him.”

Silence for a moment, then the same man continues. “The spirit of the question remains.”

I tilt my head. “You did not ask a question. But to address your ludicrous statement, I could kill a man with one hand, using nothing but my muscles. And that is not new.” Nix makes a noise that sounds suspiciously like a muffled laugh. “I will reiterate. The world has not changed, just your understanding of it. Shifters are not new. They have been around as long as your kind. Human mates are not new for Alts.” I lift my hand and press it to the center of Nix’s back, feeling her warmth. “No humans were killed in the events at Versailles. Damages have been paid. Morell was a madman who threatened my mate.” I turn my head slightly and look directly at the camera. “If you come after me or mine—and these wolves, they are mine—I will make what happened at The Trials look like a disagreement.” I let that sink in for a moment. “We have caused you no harm. Make sure you can continue to claim the same.”

I dip my chin, signaling we are done.

Henry thanks the crowd, then turns and enters the building behind us.

I start to slide my arm around Nix’s side, so I can hug her to me and jump away.

She looks up at me.

And winks.

I narrow my eyes.

She takes a step away from me.

I start to step toward her.

And then… she jumps.

Nix. Jumps.

The reporters gasp as my human mate disappears into the sky, leaving behind a puff of orchids.

I grin. And then I chase her.

Chapter 127

Nix

Ilaugh as I stumble on my landing.

The night my horns appeared, I started to wonder. And then in the following days, until we came home last night, I snuck off with Aunt Bridget to practice.

So avoiding the branches on my way down makes me feel pretty proud of myself.

Something heavy lands behind me.

A shriek bursts out of me, and I start to run through the woods.

No matter what we said at the conference, things are changing. And it’s scary. So I figured showing Volik my newest trick would help break some of the tension.

Heavy footsteps follow me.

I run faster.

“Sneaky Nixy,” Volik rumbles.

I jump forward. Deeper into the forest. Heading in the direction of our home.

Trees streak past.