Chapter Four
POLICE SIRENS CONTINUED to wail as the twins spoke to human authorities and explained the reason behind the carnage.
Abduction attempt. Hired assassins. Private matter.
Estrella heard these words spoken over and over, not just by law enforcement officers walking within the yellow-taped perimeters of the crime scene but also by the crowd of human spectators that had gathered a respectable distance away.
They numbered by the hundreds now, and human crowds such as this would usually be more intrusive. No heckling or fights breaking out. No drunk catcalls or frenzied pleas to be turned. It was just silence, and it was all because of him.
Even with his deceptively couchant stance, Lysander's current form was still a disquietingly ferocious sight to behold, so massive and tall that Estrella, who at his command had come to sit on his back sidesaddle, still had her feet dangling in the air.
It had the humans gawking at them, their fascination as involuntary as their terror was instinctive.
And they were right to feel frightened. Both man and beast did not feel right with the new order of the world, and only the feel of Estrella's fingers unconsciously stroking their fur kept them from snarling at the crowd.
The humans reeked of fear, and the undercurrents of violence stewing underneath it wasn't helping put Lysander in a good mood.
Meanwhile, Estrella, who couldn't help being aware by Lysander's growing displeasure, was doing her best to rationalize the less-than-stellar behavior of some of the humans before them.
One of the reasons why most human governments have entered into an agreement with L'Alliance is because of our maximum tolerance policy.
She bit her lip, not wanting Lysander to know how conflicted she still felt about this.
Many human miscreants had come to take advantage of this frequently and treated preter gatherings as a free outlet for their rage.
These people would often show up in rallies and protests in a rowdy and drunk mood, hell-bent on inciting violence that they knew they would not be made accountable for.
In the rare occasion that cases were filed against them, human courts tended to dismiss them as long as no severe physical assault was involved, and they went as far as citing that the defendants' actions, while unfortunate, were also pardonable, being an unpremeditated and possibly uncontrollable manifestation of psychological trauma caused by the "adjustment process".
The only reason none of it was happening right now was because Lysander's beastly appearance didn't fit the mold of any shapeshifters officially identified by L'Alliance, and the unconcealed sight of the bloodstained tips of his silver horns wasn't making them feel any safer.
The only reason they're not doing anything now, she told Lysander ruefully, is because they don't quite know what to do with you. Otherwise, they'd have probably started throwing eggs at us by now—-
A rumbling sound interrupted her, and she stiffened, her gaze immediately scanning her surroundings for any kind of assailant. It was only when she heard the rumbling sound again, loud and clear inside her mind—-
Oh. She kept forgetting that Lysander could read her thoughts now, and she looked down, realizing that those sounds she was hearing were Lysander basically showing how this whole thing was pissing him off.
If...they...dare...harm...you...
The harsh, savage bite of his voice was still a little jarring, its sound calling to mind biblical images of pagan gods and primordial beasts.
Eat them...alive.
Estrella gulped back a nervous laugh, thinking that it was so not like the old Lysander to think of something so bluntly and inelegantly...vicious. Please don't. I doubt they'd taste to your liking.
Lysander bared his fangs, and the sight had at least a third of the crowd screaming in terror as they ran away.
He heard Estrella quickly coughing to hide her own laughter and knew that she believed he was only playing with the humans and that his threat hadn't been real.
She was wrong on both counts, of course, but he had no plans on telling her so.
It was never a good thing to argue with one's mate this early, and besides, since his Star had asked for it, he would naturally do his best to let the humans be.
But he wasn't going to make any promises either.
Lysander had always despised humans for their weak, cowardly ways and having Ammon inside of him didn't change that. The beast itself had numerous encounters with humans over the centuries, and and well...suffice to say, those encounters had done nothing to endear humanity to Ammon.
But with the way the world was now, it might be that neither of them would be given a choice. Apparently, humans knew of them now, and just remembering the ludicrous term associated them almost had Lysander baring his fangs. Preters? Did no one realize how similar it sounded to 'critters'?
By the time the twins came back, it was not a moment too soon, with Lysander having already risen on all fours in a rather combative stance. That he was restless and on the edge wasn't lost on the twins either, and Alain said right away, "We can go now. The van's here."
Estrella was startled to feel Lysander's clawed paw reaching for her as the twins fell into position, with Alain taking point to lead the way while Aluin hung back to guard their rear.
It was obvious the twins.A moment later, and there were gasps all around, with the humans unable to believe their eyes as they watched Lysander rise to his full height and place Estrella on his left shoulder just before following Alain's lead.
I think I've seen this in an anime, she heard a human whisper, and apparently, Lysander did so, too, for the prince had just growled his dislike in her mind.
Anime. The word sounded as if it had been spoken between fangs grinding against teeth. They compare us...to...anime?
Estrella fought hard to keep her face blank.
I guess so. A part of her couldn't help reflecting on how crazy this night had been.
A ball where she had to deal with asshole rulers, a failed abduction attempt, her husband of two years coming back with a beast inside of him, and now they were talking about anime comparisons to preters.
She had a feeling the more proper reaction to the whole thing was something louder and more hysterical, but she just didn't feel like doing either. Right now, all that mattered was Lysander was finally back.
Let it be good for this time, please, God.
Her prayers came loud and clear, with not only Heaven listening in but Lysander as well. It was obvious that she had forgotten he could read her mind...and just as obvious was how infatuated she still was with him.
Strange little princess, Lysander thought broodingly.
Just as he predicted, she had bloomed like the perfect hothouse flower now that she had come into her own.
Her emerald green eyes added an exotic slant to her elegant beauty, and her body was the perfect blend of sleek Lyccan strength and soft curves.
She could have any man she wanted now, and men certainly wanted her back, and it was all he could do not to claw their eyes out. The beast in him was not the type to share, and Lysander's tension only eased when he the van door automatically sliding open.
Lysander gently lowered Estrella to her feet and waited until she was safely ensconced inside before crouching down to all fours and following her.
With his tremendous height, it was the only way he could get in, and even then, he had to break the armrests off before he could take one of the captain's seats.
We'll need to customize—-ah! Estrella squeaked in surprise when Lysander scooped her off her seat and placed her on his lap instead. Twisting around, she gazed up at him, confused. Lysander?
Violet eyes glittered down at her. The beast in me...needs you...near...constantly.
Estrella's lips parted in silent surprise. No one had ever been this possessive towards her before, and for it to be Lysander...
The feel and sound of movement underneath them was a welcome distraction, and Estrella quickly looked away as the van started moving.
Her cheeks felt a little too hot, and she resolutely pinned her gaze to the window, where she could see the crowd of humans lurching into movement as soon as their van rolled down the road.
Lysander's attention was also drawn to the stampede. The moment their van sped away, the humans had seemed to turn into a zombie horde, running with their arms stretched out, pushing and shoving at each other for the sake of...a photo?
Estrella saw Lysander's gaze snap back to hers after watching the humans nearly kill each other for a chance to get one clear shot of them.
His puzzlement was obvious, and she remembered too late that all of this must still be new to him.
Before he left, their existence had been a secret.
Now, the whole world didn't just know them.
Now, humans either feared or worshipped their kind.
..and neither was a good thing in the long run.
"Your Highness." Alain's gaze drew their attention, and Estrella noticed the way Lysander's gaze had narrowed sharply at the twins. The two men were seated on the row opposite them, their handsome faces calm but unreadable.
Estrella touched his paw, a tiny part of her worried that Lysander might have forgotten the decades-long friendship he shared with the two. You remember they're on our side, right?
I...remember.
Her brows furrowed. But?
Instead of answering, he spoke of a different topic. Since when have humans known?
Not long after you left. Estrella accepted the change of subject without question.
Perhaps it was because she had always been the most quiet and overlooked of all the Moretti children, she had grown adept at reading the undercurrents of a situation.
Instead of prying, she had learned to watch and wait, patiently biding her time until she knew it was the optimum moment to speak or act.
And right now, what Lysander clearly needed most from her was to step back. Whatever issues he had with the twins, he intended to be the one to personally resolve it, and that was good enough for her.
Lysander... She waited until his violet gaze found hers before making an attempt to show him her thoughts instead of merely speaking them in her mind.
She wanted to see if she could use her own memories and have him see and relive them so that he would understand the events that had transpired and forced Domenico to reveal the truth about their existence.
A vampire-led attack at a detention camp, with Danilo Moretti hoping to turn all the stateless immigrants and have them join his army.
It would have been a complete massacre if not for Domenico being nearby and making the split-second decision to come to their rescue, even if it meant exposing the truth about his nature.
At that time, it had just been Domenico and his brothers, but as soon as news of the fight reached the Moretti pack, the rest of his men rushed to join him in battle...along with all other Lyccan packs and Domenico's numerous allies from other races.
From being outnumbered and standing at death's door, the tables had instantly turned and fortunes reversed, and the vampires had been forced to retreat.
Lives had been lost, but more - so many more - had been saved, and it was in light of Domenico's selfless heroics that L'Alliance had come to pass.
A moment later, she saw Lysander nodding—-
Oh thank God, it had worked!
Such a thing could be incredibly advantageous, especially now that they were in war, and Estrella was about to exclaim (mentally) how happy this new shared talent of theirs made her when she felt Lysander suddenly stiffen just as the van rolled to a stop.
They had finally reached her apartment building, and a huge platoon of Fae soldiers was waiting outside it, all of them eager to welcome their prince come back from life.
"Lysander—-"
A snarl, one she heard not just in her mind but out loud, too, and feral enough to have the twins right away placing their hands on their sword handles.
Tell everyone to...get out, Lysander gritted out. I need...to be...alone. With you. NOW.