Page 112 of Change

“Don’t let them hear you speak—it’ll only make a rogue want you more.” The hyena’s jaw locked. “Just try to stay as unnoticed as possible.”

Unnoticed by hiding under a bright red garment?

Still, I didn’t argue. I couldn’t speak if I’d wanted. My throat was already closed from fear as the chill in the air dipped further.

They were here.

“Ada Sartore and Gloria Protean.” A man in a dark suit stepped through a gap between two large monuments. He was casually touching the cuff of his sleeves, and gold earrings reflected from the light of our tiny electric lantern. He smiled at Ada before brushing his slick ponytail over his shoulder. “What a pleasant surprise.” As he spoke, the shapes of countless others stepped out of the shadows, surrounding the three of us in all directions.

“Jameson Duff.” Ada’s voice was low, and her shoulders stiffened. “You’re not surprised at all! You’re not who I was supposed to meet tonight. What did Albert tell you?”

I was pressed pathetically against the tombstone, fighting to keep my rising nausea at bay. But being surrounded by shifters wasn’t exactly helpful, especially combined with Gloria and Ada’s obvious tension.

I could feel their curious eyes on me—could almost feel their hungry breath on my neck.

Jameson didn’t answer Ada’s question. Instead, his dark eyes landed on me, and his mouth thinned as he took another step forward. “And who is this?” He didn’t make much progress before both Ada and Gloria moved between us, hiding me from his line of sight.

“She’s my protégé,” Gloria replied shortly.

“She’sfae,” someone interjected. “That’s amazing. I’ve never seen a female in person. I thought they were endangered.”

“Yes, she’s fae.” Gloria brushed at her skirt. “And her family knows where she is too. You know what’ll happen if she’s caught up in this. Let’s just put this behind us and move on with our meeting.”

“You know, for a shifter, you’re most peculiar,” Jameson said slowly. “What is it about the fae that fascinates you so much? No other shifter would have been entangled with fae brothers, and now you’re on your second fae protégé.”

Gloria growled low under her breath, fists clenching at her sides. “I happen to like the fae. They keep their word, and their blunt honesty is refreshing. Why do you hate them?”

“Oh, we don’t hate them at all,” another voice cut in. “In fact, we like them quite a bit. But not for the same reasons as you.”

“Enough,” Jameson continued thoughtfully. “I’d thought you’d learned your lesson with your last protégé. Whatever happened to her: Alyssa Stephens, was it?”

“You know damn well what happened to Alyssa,” Gloria snapped. “Her husband is in your quintet.”

Ada stood up, crossing her arms. “What about Albert? What did you do to him?”

I was doing my best to stay as small and unobtrusive as possible. Albert—the person who she was supposed to meet?

Well, considering this outcome, he might very well be dead.

“Don’t worry,” Jameson’s lips curled up into a smile. “You’ll be joining him soon enough. That’s what happens when you stick your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

And with that, the tense atmosphere shattered.

Ada leaned toward me, whispering in my ear. “Run!” At the same moment her hands wrapped around my arm, pulling me to my feet and shoving me away.

My pulse soared and my head spun, and I tried to obey—but only made it two strides before something wrapped around me in a tight, bruising force, trapping my arms to my side and causing me to topple face-first into the ground.

Snarls and growls echoed throughout the cemetery, and by the time the black dots faded from my eyes, the clearing was filled with flashes of fur and teeth. A grey hyena stood near me, head lowered as it watched the circling wolves, and only two men—Jameson and one other—remained unshifted.

Well, them, me, and Gloria.

“Still scared of shikigami, Gloria?” Jameson smirked, tilting his head. As he spoke, a falcon flew from the trees, landing on his outstretched arm.

Gloria, in the meantime, stood some feet from me. Her attention riveted to the shikigami.

I tried to roll onto my back. My ears were still ringing from the force that’d knocked me over. Thick leather ropes were twisted around me, and heavy weights pulled me to the ground. But I still had enough awareness to capture bits and pieces of the surrounding conversation.

“We’ve been looking for a chance to meet with you,” he said, brushing his finger over the falcon’s head. “The legendary Gloria Protean. Why don’t you shift? I’m almost certain you’d outrank any wolf here. How does that work again?”