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While being able to shift into any animal is pretty incredible, we quickly learned it came with a downside. We inherit the abilities of our animal temporarily, but with the increased strength and smell, come severe anger issues. With a super healing ability, comes a severe aversion to anything silver. Out of all the legends floating out there that was the part they had to get right. The one about silver. I asked Dom about it once, why the Druids seemed to have extreme strengths and weaknesses, and he told me it's because magic has its limits. If you get something, you need to give something in return to make sure the balance is maintained.

Changing my perspective, instead, I ask myself what someone had to gain with Lexie being out of the way. Surely me coming home can’t be the end goal? My first guess would be Alyssa Vance, especially after what Sebastian told me about her. I haven’t seen her yet, but that's something I will deal with after the funeral. Very few people know why I left, and to the outside world, it doesn’t look like I’m close with my family.

One of the few parts of our empire that I will take over, whether it's wanted or not, is how Druids experience their first assignment. It's almost Brooklyn’s turn, and I won’t have what happened to me happen to her. Logging in to check our database, I see there is a larger than normal list of outstanding bounty. Something I’m going to need to solve soon as well.

I don’t know which one of my ancestors thought that our animal forms would be suited to hunting criminals, but they were right. Even if I appreciate the irony, since it's not exactly like we’re innocent either. Catching criminals has become something my family is very good at, and we’re always in demand. It makes sense though because it doesn’t matter what happens in the world; there will always be crime and people who try to fight it. Even the few government officials that know about us contract ourservices. So many people suspect that the government is in our pockets, and they’re right. So we use our shifting ability to our advantage.

An escaping thief? Shift to a cheetah and chase him down. A shootout? Shift into an elephant and take on the attackers with ease. The options are endless. It’s why we spend a lot of time training as kids, learning how to think quickly, to shift all in the space of a few seconds. Oh, and we have to make sure that humans don’t see us. It’s a lot to achieve in the space of a few seconds.

That's where it sometimes goes wrong. Between the pain of the shift and when we catch someone that shouldn’t be there, we need to maintain perfect control over the animal instincts we temporarily inherit. If we don’t, they can easily overtake our human sides and send us into a wild beast frenzy. The results of which are rarely pretty. That's what happened with me and Dad.

Before my first assignment, he was my hero, and I would have done anything to gain his approval. Afterwards, when I saw his brutality and how he literally tore a human man to shreds with his claws for fun, I was horrified. The suspect had been apprehended, but he kept going anyway . I don’t think I fully understood our nature or our lifestyle until that moment. And the moment I did, I wanted nothing to do with it.

When I got home that day, I ran to my mom, expecting her sympathy, her comfort, and shared horror. But instead, she just told me to toughen up. That was the night I lost both my parents, even if they’re still living in the same house as me.

Chapter 10 | No Strings Attached

Jude

When you are born into the Rhodes family, you learn there are certain standards that need to be upheld. Most of them have to do with how you appear to the world because it’s important that we come across as powerful and in charge.

Edie Rhodes’ biggest issue with me is that she doesn’t believe I honor these family requirements. It's particularly frustrating for her since my name was inspired by hers. We both have older names that we’ve modernized. In a way, that makes me her namesake. As a child, I know she doted on me, dressing us up exactly the same and telling everyone how similar we were, how I’d grow up and take after her…But I couldn’t be more different.

So that’s why, standing in front of my dresser mirror now, I wonder if this is the moment where Edie Rhodes will finally be proud of me. Because I barely recognise the Druid staring back at me. I didn’t know grandma because she died before I was born. But from what Beau told me, grandma was really hard on Mom, and she expected nothing but perfection fromher. It's why Mom is so hard on us. And it's why she keeps lashing out at me. I can only imagine I’m a disappointment of a daughter to her.

Smoothing the sheer black blouse into the waistband of my black slacks, I tuck a stray strand of hair into my chignon, making sure everything is in place and looks perfect. Today, I can give Edie Rhodes her wish. Even if I have to wonder when did looking the part become more important than grieving a lost one?

It doesn’t help that I barely slept last night. I was having nightmares about Lexie’s body and how the same would happen to Brooklyn if I left again. I don’t need a professional to tell me what it means. My eye catches on a picture of Lexie, Brooklyn, and me from a few years ago on my makeup stand. It's from just before I left, and it was just some random day. Lexie looks so vibrant with her brunette waves blowing in the wind behind her. My hand is covering my face partially, and Brooklyn is laughing. I can’t even remember what about, or why someone had snapped the picture. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but now it's one of the last moments we had all together. When we were whole.

Hearing a polite knock at the door, I turn to find Beau peering inside my room with a concerned look on his face. He’s a large man, which is typical with Druids, and I’ve only ever known him to wear suits to work. He’s still wearing one now, but it's different. More luxurious and fitted. It's how I know he’s getting ready to bury Lexie, too.

He clears his throat. “How are you holding up, child?”

He’s the first person who’s asked. At times, I wonder if he’s the only person who actually cares about me, and a stinging sensation pricks my eyes. I want to cry, but it seems out of place with this image we need toproject today. So picking a safe change of subject, I motion to my bedroom walls.

“Well,” I start, “If I’m going to be at home permanently, we need to redecorate my room along with the study. I would prefer to get my own place, but it sends the wrong message for our family, so redecorating will have to do. I love all the space in here, but it's the white, bland feel that's getting to me.”

Beau’s graying eyebrows crease as he reaches over and fixes a stray hair I missed. He looks sad, almost defeated. “It’s okay Ms. Jude. You don’t have to be strong for me. I miss her too.”

I swallow a lump in my throat. He knows me too well. He’s right. I’m trying to be strong for everyone else, for the image I need to uphold, and for him, too. Because I just assumed he needed that. He seems to pick up on my inner turmoil.

“You know I see you as one of my own, Ms. Jude. Don’t forget that. But okay, I will make a note to get some options together for you.” He says, resigned and moving to turn away.

Instead, I launch myself at him. Beau rubs my back in soothing circles as I hug him, and I instantly feel stronger. It's hard to define our relationship. He’s not exactly a brother, but he's not a father either. He’s definitely family, though. I’ve always asked him about his biological family, and his answer is always that he has none, and that we’re his family.

It's why I fought Dad the way I did when he first said Beau couldn’t come today. How was that even up for debate? He loved Lexie too and deserves to mourn her with us. We settled on Beau coming, but he would sit somewhere else in the church and not with the family. Dad loves Beautoo, in his own way. He’s just more concerned with the superiority of the Rhodes bloodline, even if Beau is a Druid like us, too.

Speaking of family, I need to go see where mine are and round them up. This funeral is about so much more than just burying Lexie today. The other empires will assess our strength and if there is an opportunity to take over. It's what we would do if the roles were reversed. While I don’t care about power, I will make sure my family survives. Lexie would have wanted that. She was so good at keeping us together. When I asked to leave, she was the one that convinced Dad to let me go. She assured him that our empire wouldn’t suffer because of it. Lexie always had a solution and took control of the situation. It's never been me, but today it has to be. The same family that I keep running from is the one I’m now trying to keep together.

At the last moment, I decide to add a burgundy lipstick to my outfit before I grab the heels by my bedroom door. All our bedrooms are on the second floor of our estate. The living areas are on the ground floor, and then we have a sundeck on the third floor. It seems like nothing has changed since I left. I start with checking on Brooklyn, seeing as her room is closest to mine.

Standing outside her door, I brace myself. We’ve been fighting nonstop since I got home, as if she blames me for Lexie’s death, for leaving. But that's fine. I can take it. Peeking my head into her room, I see things have changed. When I left, it was still very pink. Now, it's more blue-gray and very fluffy. Where Lexie and I are darker and take more after our father, Brooklyn looks more like our mother with her finer features and blonde hair, but she has the build of our father. She got the best of both of them. She’s dressed for the funeral in a black dress, but she’s struggling with a necklace.

“Here, let me help you.” I go over to her, and for once she doesn’t argue with me as I take the clasps away from her and move her hair out of the way so it doesn’t get caught. We say nothing for a moment before Brooklyn breaks the silence.

Her voice is hoarse. “Lexie gave it to me a few months ago. She called it an early assignment graduation gift. I knew I had to wear it today.” Turning Brooklyn to face the mirror, with a sad smile on my face, I respond, “It's beautiful.”

Pausing for a moment, I then ask what I’ve been dreading, “Are you ready to leave?” Just like that, I ruin the moment between us, and she lashes out again. She shoves me away, stronger than she looks, and screams, “What a stupid question! Who’s ever ready to bury a sister that was brutally murdered?!”