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“And then you can kiss me all better.” Aspen tiptoes and briefly presses her lips on mine before slipping out of my hold and waking over to the group, confidence swinging with every step. I run a hand over my face. Jaxon is going to dismember me and spread my bones individually so they can never be found.
Finnian’s eyes stay on me as Aspen passes him, his tongue sticking into his cheek with his grin wide and flashing both middle fingers in my direction. I lean against the wall behind me, crossing my arms to stop myself from racing over and dragging Aspen back to the safety of her room. This was a fucking terrible idea, but I remind myself that she is a force to be reckoned with. More than that, she needs a chance to be free to make her own decisions without the weight of constant expectations or possible disappointment.
Finnian, seemingly the ringleader of this little shit show, places his hand on the top of her back, causing a deep growl to escape me.
“I’m Finnian, your highness. And this is Keary, Niall, Magnus, and Cade,” he points out the others to her. Aspen shrugs his hand from her back, soothing the storm within me.Slightly. “We’ll be kicking your royal ass today.”
“It’s lovely to meet you all, but please call me Aspen. It’ll be much easier to pronounce after I’ve finished wiping the floor with all of you.” Her tone is sarcastically sweet as she flutters her eyelashes at the squaddies around her, causing them all to smirk. I rub the center of my chest in an effort to keep calm.
Fanning out into a circle of predators around her, arms are stretched, and jokes are cracked. Aspen’s eyes seek out mine amongst it all, bright with excitement. I just hope she’s still smiling in five minutes. Despite the invite, no one wants to make the first move against the princess, everyone standing around, seemingly unsure, until Niall dives towards her from the side. In a blur of movement, Aspen swiftly moves out of the way and grabs Niall’s overstretched fist, promptly shoving it backwards into his own face. Bending low, she sweeps her leg out to take out Niall’s, causing him to collapse on the floor and the rest of the Vamps to burst out laughing.
“Who’s next?” Aspen bobs on the balls of her feet and asks boldly. I’ll give her that one, but I’m worried Aspen can’t rely on the element of surprise again. I’ve personally trained these vamps to anticipate anything—even the distraction of pretty eyes and innocent smiles.
The commotion is starting to draw a crowd, so I move closer toward the group to keep my hybrid in my sights. Niall stands, laughing while holding his broken nose, and taps Keary on the shoulder, making him the next to face off with Aspen. She zeros in on him and smirks, outstretching her hand and flicking her fingers upwards, mouthing, ‘Bring it.’
With a chuckle, Keary moves forward with a swag to his step, blocking Aspen from my view. Quickly bringing up his knee, Keary catches Aspen in the side, and I hear a soft ‘oof’ leave her. My blood boils, and red curtains my vision, rage suddenly consuming me at the thought of her in pain. I prepare to intervene when a choked sound fills the air, echoing around the domed roof. Keary’s body crumbles to the ground at my feet, holding his swollen throat as he tries to draw in his next breath.
“Tap me,” Cade says, his hand stretched by Keary’s face, who clumsily slaps it. Cade runs at high speed around Aspen, and just when my heart is about to jump into my throat, she surprises us all by closing her damn eyes.
“What is she doing?” Torin asks by my side, peering around the heads of those in front for a better view. I grab the fucker in front of me by the scruff of his neck and toss him aside instead of responding. The blurred figure of Cade advances on Aspen from the left when she rapidly squats down and shoves her weight sideways into his legs, causing him to fall head over ass on the opposite side of her.
As she stands to her full height with a smirk, Magnus takes the opportunity to throw a punch at Aspen’s pretty face. She tries to dodge at the last second, but his fist catches her jaw regardless. Blood sprays from her mouth and lands on the floor beside her with a splat.
Every male in the room stiffens. The aroma of her blood filters around us quickly, pulling groans from half of the crowd at its sweet yet powerful scent. Then, all eyes present begin the glow with flecks of oranges and golds, Aspen’s included.
I’m about to get her the fuck out of here when her elbow connects with Magnus’ ribs, a crack preceding his grunt of pain. The sole of her sneaker connects with his femur next while she grabs his wavy, brown hair and throws her forehead into the center of his face. Magnus’ nose explodes on impact, covering Aspen in his blood.
Throwing his body to the floor like a rag doll, Aspen sets her sights on Finnian, who’s been hanging back and enjoying the fight before him. He looks turned on, the fucker. Finnian is stacked, almost as big as me, his bulging biceps covered in tribal tattoos. His vest clings tightly to his frame, and his thighs fill out the standard black cargos.
He and Aspen begin to circle each other slowly, the grin on his face showing he’s relishing this. It was apparent the fucker let the others go first to give himself the chance to size her up, and he likes what he’s seen this far. Aspen makes the first move this time, throwing a punch toward his stomach, which he blocks easily. Attempting again, Aspen lunges toward the male, throwing jabs at him. Grabbing her wrists, Fin tosses Aspen to the floor with a snigger. Jumping back up, Aspen uppercuts Finian’s ribs and throws her fist into his cheek when he bends low enough.
His face flies to the side, but when he turns back, his eyes are gold, and his fangs are on full show. With a hiss, Finian dives forward, knocking Aspen to the ground and landing on top of her. She fights to push his bulk off her, but his size alone is enough to disable her. I hover on the circle's edge, unsure if I should step in or let her handle the situation alone. Pushing on his shoulders to create space between them, Aspen slams her knee into Finnian’s balls, causing him to howl and roll off her. A collective wince passes through the spectators, most of whom grab a hold of their own junk in sympathy.
Finnian is back on his feet soon enough, throwing punches at Aspen’s face. Her eyes glint as she keeps focused, and even without training, she dodges expertly. Diverting her attention with his fist, Fin throws his shoe into Aspen’s stomach, sending her skidding backward and landing in a crouch.
Her face lingers on the floor for a beat. Long enough for me to consider the possibility that she’s had enough. But a second later, with a flexing of her shoulders, Aspen’s muscles ripple as a cloak of black shrouds her. Frowning, I move to step forward but stop because, although invisible to those not looking for it, a hint of black smoke now rolls from Aspen.
Standing slowly, her nails lengthen into black talons, the smoke billowing from her too much like the outline of a trench coat for my liking. Whatever is happening here, I have the distinct feeling it’s nothing to do with her hybrid nature.
With a growl, Aspen launches herself high into the moon-lit air, flying towards Finnian. Mid-leap, rapid cracks sound all at once as Aspen’s clothes tear from her body. Landing on an unsuspecting Finnian, a six-foot white wolf snarls down at him, grabbing his throat between her teeth. Panic floods into his rounded eyes and he taps the floor beside him repeatedly.
“I’m out, I’m out!” He gets out. But she doesn’t relent. Her paws still hold the blackened claws, pushing them into Fin’s flesh too easily. His cry is nothing short of agony, causing the rest of the vamps to panic. With one jerk of Aspen’s teeth, we’ll lose a soldier we can’t afford to be without. The elites are rare and take decades to train. Rushing over to her wolf, I stroke the soft patch behind her ears.
“Aspen, it’s Torsten. Look at me,” I try to hold the attention of her golden eye. Continuing to stroke her, black smoke intertwines with my fingers, and I curse to myself. Whatever Sawyer is doing to her, I’ll kick his feathery ass for it next time he dares show his face. Rivets of Finnian’s blood spill from between the wolf’s sharp teeth, dripping onto the mats.
“Hey, the fight is over, you’ve won,” I try again. “Let’s go for a run outside.” Conflict passes through the wolf’s features, her nose twitching as she leans into me, not yet ready to release its prey. With a stern look, I will Finnian not to fucking move.
Our kind hasn’t dealt with a wolf attack since the shifter wars. We lost too many numbers in those dark days, and to add further insult, Lorcan demanded we retreat. Forfeit and return home, filled with contempt. But had we continued to fight, Aspen may not exist.
Stroking the length of the wolf’s snout, I slowly cup her lower jaw with my other hand and pull her mouth open enough for Finnian to slide out from beneath. She remains still for me, seeming not to want to cause me any harm. One wrong movement and I could easily lose my fingers. Not having the good sense to fuck off, Finnian crouches nearby, blood oozing from his chest and throat, releasing a low whistle.
“She’s fucking amazing,” he says appreciatively. I release Aspen’s mouth and continue to stroke the back of her fluffy head until the black smoke fades away. I notice to sudden shift as Aspen’s wolf regains control, her body slumping the entirety of her weight onto my shoulder. Finnian reaches out to feel the fur by her leg, but Aspen’s wolf snaps, latching onto his hand. After a deep rumble and a shake of her snout for good measure, she releases him and turns back to nuzzle into my neck.
Finnian simply laughs while the rest of the crowd shift closer to get a better look at her. None of them would have seen a wolf up close who wasn’t trying to kill us. Pride swells in my chest, their admiration feeding my ego. This incredible being is the only one like her, yet here she is, nudging her head in the crook of my neck.
“Having fun?” Jaxon’s voice sounds and the crowd parts on instinct. Heads lower as he strides through the center, back to full health with a solid glare in my direction. I can’t bring myself to care, but Aspen’s wolf jerks to attention. Pulling her lip back to reveal her teeth, she growls, much to my surprise. Standing, I try to approach but the wolf bars me from moving. Her tail curls around my back, her huge size making the dome feel smaller. I continue to stroke her behind the ears, whispering reassurances into her ear. For whatever reason, the wolf seems fond of me, and as I begin to walk toward the moonlight shining beyond the open doors, she keeps pace, trotting by my side.
Chapter19
