Chapter 1 #4
Dad Ax kept taking credit, swearing it was his combat training that molded me into a killing machine.
Papa Avery claimed it was his genes, the royal fairy magic he’d passed down to me.
Apá Cosmo was just relieved I made it out unscathed, talking about bringing that wolf back to life so he could take him out again.
Father Falcon responded by building emergency weapons into every suite the Syndicate owned across the country.
And Daddy Lex? He was pouting, saying I should’ve knocked the bastard out so they could’ve had some fun making him pay for touching me.
No one knew the real story but Ezra. My big sister had this superpower where she could just look at you, and you’d spill your guts like a broken dam.
I told her everything, and she promised to keep it buried.
As far as everyone else was concerned, I’d lured some creepy stalker into the suite to satisfy a thirst for blood.
At my birthday dinner, Mom kept looking at me like I’d just single handedly won a war. Her eyes glowed with pride when she stood up in front of everyone and lifted her glass.
“I just want to say I’m so proud of all of you.
The skill, the teamwork, the ruthlessness you showed today went beyond anything your fathers and I could’ve expected.
” Then she turned to me. “I’m sorry for that nasty business from earlier, but it had to be handled before we celebrated your twenty-first. We had a promise to keep, and we needed to know if you all were ready before we stepped back. ”
I waved her off. Honestly, I needed to take my frustrations out anyway, especially since most people were now too scared to touch me. Killing a guy did that to your dating life.
Earlier that day, the five of us had gotten an SOS from our parents, coordinates included, saying they’d been kidnapped while chasing down a lead on a major underground slave trader. We mobilized instantly.
Except it was a trap.
They lured us into a fighting pit, with our parents sitting pretty in a magic-blocking cage, while an army of supes tried to tear us apart. Big mistake.
We moved like a synced unit, and we were lethal. Once all the goons were taken care of, Ezra used her smoky hand power to drive the leader insane, which was horrifying and hilarious all at once. My sister was not someone you messed with.
We freed our parents, only to find out they’d let themselves get captured. The whole thing was a test to see if we were ready to take over. To see if we had it in us and could work together.
Annoying? Yes, but I still had fun.
On the far side of the table, a loud sob broke out.
“I-I mean… W-why did they h-have to grow u-up?!” Tata Ternin wailed dramatically, turning his tear-streaked face to me. “Niya, my sweet little candy thief, is now a big girl! Ripping out hearts and gouging out eyeballs!”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. When Papu Syris started dabbing at his eyes with a napkin, I knew we were in for the long haul.
“Remember when Nova pissed in Ax’s shoes? Glorious, I tell you, just glorious.” Tata sniffled toward Pops Manic, who smirked and winked at Nova. Her neck went red, but she wisely stayed silent. Interrupting Tata only made it worse.
“I don’t remember it hurting this much when those five idiots decided to date my daughter… for an extended period of time.”
“Married, Ternin,” Papa Avery sighed, clearly resigned. “We married your daughter. We’re her husbands.”
Tata slammed a hand on the table, fire in his eyes. “I’m playing the long game, just waiting you five out. Eventually, you’ll die, then she’ll be free of your dick spell!”
Tata paused, his eyes sweeping over us. “Actually, it'll be the two of us and the kids. They're perfect in every way.”
Father Falcon didn't even look at him. He simply winked at me before going back to his food. Apá Cosmo just sipped his drink, ignoring Tata like always. Dad Ax snorted and gestured to us.
“You do realize they’re all part of us, too, right?”
Tata waved him off. “Pish posh. Rayla’s superior genes wiped out all your defective ones.”
He gestured dramatically. “Come on! Look at these kids! Desmond through and through. Gorgeous, savage, unstoppable. Just exquisite beings who are going to take over the world.”
Mom took a sip from her drink, laughing into her glass as she watched her dad go toe-to-toe with her husbands.
“That’s it!” Papu Syris yelled, slamming his palm on the table. “I’m going to shove my fist in your mouth and down your throat! That’s called fisting, right, Niya?!”
Nova nearly fell out of her chair. Riot’s eyes went wide. Calix groaned like he’d finally woken up. Ezra just closed her eyes and breathed deep.
“I mean…” I thought about it, and even if it was normally an act meant for two other holes in your body, that didn't mean he was wrong… but I also didn't want him going around threatening to fist others. “No, Papu. That’s not what fisting means.”
He scowled. “Are you sure? It seems self-explanatory…” He made a fist and mimed jamming it down, completely serious.
Before I could lose it, Pops Manic waved a hand.
“Forget all that. Fairy Dust over there doesn’t speak for the rest of us, but he’s also not wrong. These kids have Rossey in them.” His fist smacked into the table like a gavel.
“And Winstale!” Grandpa Easton, who was usually the quiet one, chimed in.
“And Devil,” Daddy Lex added lazily, chin propped on his hand, watching it all unfold with amusement. He was the one who always enjoyed this chaos, probably because his own parents were gone, and he liked seeing families fight and love all at once.
“Enough!” Mom’s voice cut through everything like a whip, and the men fell silent. One of her many superpowers.
“Next week, we’re officially handing over leadership, and to make sure you rise on your own, your fathers and I are going overseas on vacation. No calls, no bail-outs. You’ll deal with everything yourselves.”
My heart pounded. This was it. The real beginning.
She smiled at us before looking at our fathers. “When we finally united as a team, we got matching tattoos. Something to signify the start of our reign.”
At that, Daddy Lex looked smitten. Dad Ax chuckled under his breath. Apá Cosmo suddenly found his drink fascinating as he hid a rare smile. Father Falcon tugged at his collar. Papa Avery stared at Mom like she hung the stars.
Yeah. I really didn’t want to know what happened that night.
Mom tossed a key to Ezra. “Shadow Skinner’s shop is still set up for the night. Think of it as a bonding moment.”
Dad Ax grabbed my mom’s hand and ran his nose up her arm, heat in his eyes. “Maybe we should get touch-ups… Make use of that chair again?”
Nope. No. Definitely don’t want to know anything about that.
Ezra and I stood at the same time, but she beat me to the punch.
“Okay. I’m not watching this foreplay build any further.”
On the other end, our grandfathers weren't paying attention, still arguing over which of us most resembled them. I had to admit, Tata was right; we all looked like Mom. With our ashy white hair and rose gold eyes, we all looked similar even though we were technically different species. But I’d never say that aloud. I liked how they doted on me.
With that, we left, driving to the shop separately even though it was down the street.
Sailing down the strip, the bright neon lights felt just as familiar as the dark alleys and back streets.
Every corner of this neighborhood felt safe, but looking around, I could feel an itch starting.
I wanted to carve out something of my own. I wanted more.
Once I parked and got inside, Ezra, Riot, and Nova were already waiting. A small woman behind them was prepping the tools.
“That was fast,” I said, nodding at her.
“I already contacted her—”
Ezra was cut off when Calix shuffled in like a zombie. What the hell was his deal? He looked worse than usual. Ezra gave him a sharp look that screamed, “Buck the fuck up.” He straightened a little, but the haunted look in his eyes worried me.
“I know the past few days have been rough,” she said, looking around at us.
What the hell has happened to everyone else?
“But this is it. Our time. We’re taking the throne and building something so big, so terrifying, no one will dare cross us.
” You could feel her sincerity in every word, making you want to follow her to hell and back.
She nodded to the mage woman behind her. “This is Greta. She’s from Romania. I brought her here for a specific reason. I’m getting a mate-blocker tattoo.”
We all stared at her like she’d grown a second head.
Her voice was calm and final when she explained, “I need to focus on the Syndicate, on protecting all of you and what our parents built, while also expanding. I want to build something bigger, more powerful, and I… can’t afford distractions.”
Her eyes softened in a way I rarely saw. “This is my choice, but I wanted to offer it to you.”
“I’ll do it,” Riot said instantly. Too quickly.
My eyes snapped to her. Riot? The one who’d spent a whole summer talking about waiting for the one? Something wasn’t right.
“How long does it last?” Nova asked quietly. Wait, wait, what?
“I’m in,” Calix snapped. “Fuck mates. Fuck love. Just give me my lab and my family. I’ll survive.” What the hell happened with Valentina?
He stomped past us, slumped into the chair, and slapped at his neck. “Right here. I want everyone to see it.”
The tattooist looked at Ezra. “Blocator de mate, da?”
Ezra nodded. The woman turned back to Calix. “Nu-?i face griji. Va fi invizibil.”
“What’d she say?” he asked.
“Invisible, the tattoo will be invisible after she places the magic into it,” Ezra replied.
Calix slumped, mumbling under his breath, “Then how will she know I’ve moved on?”
Nova voiced the question we were all thinking. “What’s going on with him?”
“Valentina and Calix… broke up. For good.”
Oh. Shit. He loved her. What the fuck happened?
“The spell is ancient.” Ezra moved on, obviously knowing more than us, but I figured Calix needed time to lick his wounds before he talked about it. “She couldn’t give me a solid answer as to how long it lasts. Maybe around… ten to twenty years.”
Nova looked at him, then Riot, then nodded. “I’ll do it.”
Ezra nodded, stepping forward and giving Nova’s arm a squeeze before turning to me. “You don’t have to, Niya. It’s your choice. No pressure. I don't want you doing something you will regret later.”
I knew the weight of this. I felt the magic humming in the air. It was powerful. It was real.
But after that night…. After that werewolf had me pinned, I needed to be untouchable. Unbreakable. Powerful. No weaknesses.
“I’ll do it,” I said, steady and sure.
Ezra’s eyes looked into mine, hesitant, unsure. Did she not think I was strong enough? Like them? Was she doubting me now?
Almost like she could hear my thoughts, she finally nodded, accepting me like the others. “All right, Niya. Let’s make the Syndicate ours. Let’s make it untouchable.”
I stepped up beside my siblings so all of us stood together.
Even broken, we were still a unit. We were family. We were the Syndicate.
* Song: All Night by Snow Wife