Chapter 13 #2
Lola snorted and shoved between them, separating the males with an ease that spoke of long practice. “Down, boys. You’re making the house smell like testosterone and bad decisions.”
“Can we come in yet?” Wyatt called from the porch. “We’re hungry and just as tired as everyone else from the night’s debauchery.”
“Yeah, I thought we were woken up for a reason,” Drystan added. “I mean other than Katy’s exuberant performance.”
Gage glared at the panther but then, attempting to have some self-control, took a step back. He looked at Lola. “I apologize. I shouldn’t have taken my frustration out on you.”
Lola shrugged. “Water under the bridge. Callon’s just as bad as you are. I’ve learned to ignore it.”
From the doorway, Otto slithered in, blinking sleep from his golden eyes. The lizard wore a pair of pajamas Katy had gotten him, and she may have omitted they were actually doll clothes, and his tail swept the floor, collecting dust.
“Too many peoples. Too louds. Stinks like pissy match. Otto bite next one who leave dishes in sink. I not understand why furry pissers so messy. Otto free, like Dobby. Otto want sock. Otto not servant no more,” he declared, giving Gage a challenging look. “And so louds.”
“You already said we were loud,” Lola pointed out. “Are you always this perky in the morning?”
Otto continued to glare at Callon’s mate as the panthers all filed in, taking up too much space and pissing Gage off even more.
Katy strolled back into the room, fully clothed, thank Visata, and beamed at Otto, reaching over to ruffle his scaly head. “You keep quoting Harry Potter, Otto, and I’m going to get you a little wand. If you manage to keep from biting anyone, I’ll give you a sock. Maybe even two.”
Otto’s eyes went wide. “Otto want wizard robes. Slytherin.”
Gage smothered a smile. “Of course that would be your ‘house.’”
Callon cleared his throat, drawing the attention of the room. “Now that we’ve finally got everyone inside, it’s time to get down to business. I received a text from Nico.” He looked at Gage. “He’s coming here. He said he needs to speak with us ASAP. It’s urgent.”
Gage felt the phone in his pocket vibrate and pulled it out. He’d received the same text and deleted it as he shook his head. “Text him back and tell him to meet us at Nox’s place. And tell him I’ll kill him if he tells anyone where my home is.”
Callon had survived battlefields less crowded than Gage’s kitchen. Now, at midnight, his pride, his mate, and his allies were all awake, prowling and irritable. He thumbed out the group reply to Nico.
Callon: Change of plans. Nox’s house. Gage’s hospitality has evaporated. Meet us there. And tell Raphael to reign in the flirtation.
“I’m comes,” Otto declared, tail twitching. “I not miss this.”
“No, you’re not,” Gage growled, voice brooking no argument. “You’re staying. If anything happens to the house, you’ll be on the menu.”
Otto gave Katy a wounded look. She rolled her eyes and knelt to his level. “Guard the house, Otto. If we come back to see you napping, I’ll make you wear a tutu and post it on social media.”
Otto huffed, but nodded. “Mistress always taken his sides.” He glared at Gage. “One days I accidentally bite you. Oops.”
Katy chuckled. “I totally approve, little dude. Bite the big bad wolf, and put him on his ass for a while.”
Callon mentally noted he was glad his mate hadn’t acquired a crazy, poisonous sidekick.
Otto’s kind were slightly unstable even before they’d served an evil bastard like Azure.
“Let’s get moving,” he announced to the group.
“Before the little devil decides to bite one of us that can’t actually survive it. ”
The group loaded into three vehicles. Gage’s truck led, headlights carving the path through forested roads.
The drive was silent except for the hum of engines, no doubt every mind spinning with what-ifs and worst-case scenarios.
Lola stared out the window, fingers drumming on her thigh, gaze distant.
Katy leaned into Gage as he drove, and every now and then she let out a deep sigh.
As they pulled up to Nox’s fortress—a sprawling, stone-and-glass structure perched like a wolf on a throne—they saw Nico’s group already there, huddled in the halo of porch lights.
Nox himself was framed in the doorway, his bulk all shadow and authority.
Crowley, the Fang shaman, stood beside him, arms crossed, and eyes narrowed as he watched them pull in.
They climbed from the vehicles and walked silently towards the entrance.
Inside, the tension was a living thing—old rivalries, new alliances, all crammed into a room with too many dominant males and too many females they felt they needed to protect.
Nox’s house was a fortress, every line designed to keep out enemies.
Callon appreciated the safety of it even if he’d have preferred to be in his own territory with his Prime and pride around him.
Nox muttered, “I know all of the males with mates are tense. But, if anyone bleeds on the rug, I’m making them eat it.”
Nico gave a respectful nod, stepping forward with Raphael, Akira, and Miryam close behind. The air practically vibrated with questions, suspicion, and anticipation.
Callon took Lola’s hand in his and looked at Nox. “Your hospitality’s appreciated, Alpha. I can assure you that me and mine will remain peaceful while in your territory.”
Nox grunted. “I would expect nothing less. Let’s get on with it.”
Crowley’s gaze skimmed over the newcomers. “You all look like someone’s died.”
Raphael sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “We can’t confirm that someone hasn’t died. I’d rather expect the worst and then be pleasantly surprised.”
“Damn,” Katy huffed. “You’re just a ball of cheerfulness.”
“My apologies, Katy,” Raphael said respectfully. “But it’s been a hell of a week.”
Katy waved him off. “Believe me, I understand.”
Nico cleared his throat and then motioned to Akira and Miryam. “Callon and Lola have already met these two ladies, but the rest of you have not. This is Akira and Miryam.” He paused and glanced at Lola before continuing. “Akira is my mate. Miryam is Raphael’s. They’re under our protection.”
Several pairs of eyes widened—Callon’s included.
Wyatt frowned. “How the hell does a demon get a mate before me? No offense, Raphael.”
“Offense taken,” Miryam said, her eyes flashing with anger.
“It’s fine Miryam,” Raphael said, his voice soft as he looked at her.
Callon noted that, although Raphael stood close to her, he did not touch her in any way. The beast in him found this odd. Callon, man and beast, wanted to be touching his mate constantly. Maybe it was different for demons?
Nico’s jaw tightened. “No offense, Wyatt, but your mate status is the least of our concerns.” The usual, easy going demeanor that Callon had witnessed in Nico over the years was absent. Instead, in front of them stood a shaman that looked as if the worries of the world were on his shoulders.
Lola spoke up, her voice like velvet over steel. “Let’s focus. Where’s Maddie?”
Nico smiled at her. “Thank you, that’s exactly what we need to talk about.
” His voice was crisp and precise as he laid out the evidence—ledger pages, encrypted messages, names and dates and amounts that made the air grow colder with every revelation.
Raphael filled in the gaps, never taking his eyes off Miryam.
Gage paced, fists clenching and unclenching. “So the Kingdom of Chaos and the Kingdom of Silk were both in bed with Azure? Didn’t people go to the Kingdom of Silk to find out this very thing, and it was determined they weren’t?”
“I trust Lyric,” Nico said, his voice tight. “When we went, she made it clear that the king and queen of KOS were not involved with Azure, and I believe her. I still do.”
“But her text says they’re guilty,” Katy pointed out.
The Kingdom of Chaos shaman shook his head. “Something is off.”
“What do you mean?” Nox asked, resting his hands on his hips, his head tilting in a very animalistic way.
“It’s a gut feeling,” Nico said. “I don’t know exactly how to explain it, but the more I read the texts and listen to her voicemail, the more something in me says this isn’t Athena and Aurelius.
If Lyric really found out that the king and queen of the Kingdom of Silk had Roan and Maddie, she would have gotten them out.
She wouldn’t have tried to hide out or have worried about her own safety.
That’s not how a shaman acts. She knows her duty to Visata and to the Damarians. ”
“I have to agree,” Raphael said, slipping his hands into his slacks. “Something isn’t right about this.”
“Then why are we just standing here?” Katy asked, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Maddie is most likely in the Kingdom of Silk, so let’s go get her. And in the process, we’ll most likely find out what else is going on.”
“I agree with her,” Lola pointed at her friend and then looked at Callon, as if all of this was his decision to make.
“I’m with the girls,” Wyatt tossed in, because of course he would. “I’m getting bored, and you know what happens when cats get bored.”
There was a pause, and then a small voice asked, “They play with their food?”
All eyes turned on Miryam, the female who supposedly belonged to Raphael, despite the fact that the demon didn’t show any affection towards her at all. In fact, in truth, he looked terrified of her—if Raphael could look terrified, that is.
“I like you,” Katy pointed at her. “Are you sure you’re Raphael’s mate?”
“I’m with Wyatt,” Drystan piped up. “We’ve been waiting to hear something and now we know. Why are we just chatting about it? Who cares if the king and queen are the ones in on it. We get Roan and Maddie out, then worry about who the actual culprits are.”
There were agreed voices all around.