Page 66

KIAN

The alphas’ eyes glazed over, and I watched them anxiously. Their omega was speaking with them, and by the way their hands were gripping the table, it seemed urgent.

“Shit, we gotta go!”

Cam cried, accidentally waking up the kid on his lap. Elyndra took him from his arms and soothed the startled tot.

“Is everything alright?”

she asked, her pitch high with concern.

I stood with them, ready to run.

“Marlowe has escaped,”

Archer explained, handing off the child from his lap to another vampyr. “She is headed towards us, we need to meet her.”

Cavelli bared his teeth. “Leave, now. You cannot let her get any closer to the village. The king will track her, and…”

I caught his eye and nodded. “We understand. We won’t let him find you.”

This village, the people in it—I couldn’t let the king hurt any of them. They were innocent, peaceful, and happy. The males respected their servaglios, treating their females as equal partners rather than tools for sexual gratification. I loved how they all worked together, not just as individual families, but as a community.

I had a few vampyr friends my age, other males who were also eschewing the culture of our fathers in favor of a simpler, happier life. I knew we still had a lot of work to do, and if the king was as powerful as Cavelli claimed, I might not make it back alive.

But if I did, I was going to try to create something like this place, and I believed Aisha and Jasmin would like that, too.

We rushed towards the outskirts of the village, and the vampyr leader waved his hands in the air, clearing away the invisible shield. “I wish you luck and speed in your quest, alphas. And young Kian…”

His hand shot out, grabbing me by the shoulder and squeezing it tightly. “It was a pleasure meeting you.”

I clasped my hand on top of his. “Thank you for everything. If… if we somehow fail, bring your people to Earth and look up my father, William Sable, of the Vampyric Council. He’ll help you.”

Cavelli gave him a tight smile. “I appreciate it. Now go, quickly!”

A chorus of growls and ripping fabric told me the alphas were wasting no time, and I couldn’t, either. They ran through the opening, and I was right on their heels, taking to the sky as I followed them.

As much as I didn’t want to be a part of a shifter pack, I did at the moment wish I could communicate telepathically with them, if only because I still wasn’t sure exactly what was going on. Was the king on her trail? How did she escape? How did they know which way to go?

All I could do was follow and provide aerial cover as we barreled forward into the night, although that was easier said than done.

The tree canopy was thick and difficult to see through. Even with my heightened senses, it took all of my concentration to keep them below me. They’d be running full speed, then suddenly stop on a dime, sniff the air, and as a group alter their course.

I couldn’t even enjoy the feeling of flying. I hadn’t really gotten a chance to test my speed and agility in the air yet, but I was too afraid of losing the alphas to surrender to the pure joy and freedom that flooded my veins.

Aisha was afraid of heights, but Jasmin would absolutely love to fly with me like this, and I added that to the list of things I wanted to do once I got back home. If I got back home.

The alphas ran for hours, and while it didn’t really take any effort from my muscles to keep up from the air, it drained my magic and I was worried I might deplete my sources and slow them down.

There was no way they’d sit and wait, and I had a feeling they weren’t in the mood to top me off with more blood. Not with their omega on her way.

But even if I could manage as is, what if the king and his army were hot on her trail? If I couldn’t help in a fight, what even had been the point of me coming here? It’d be super pathetic to die now.

As I contemplated my dilemma, a strange, sweet scent carried by the wind hit my nose, and it was like a hit of adrenaline to my bloodstream.

Omega…

The desperate howls from the alphas below confirmed my suspicions.

My dick hardened inexplicably, but I grit my teeth and forced myself to think of the least sexiest things possible to will it down—filing taxes, my grandparents kissing, stepping in wet puddles in your socks…

I took a deep breath through my mouth, grateful for the burst of energy Marlowe’s perfume had provided but trying to keep myself composed. If the alphas even got a hint that I might be attracted to their omega, I was pretty sure they’d rip me apart. And regardless, I needed to keep a clear mind for whatever was coming in her wake.

When I’d heard that my dad had nearly gone crazy over her, I had chalked it up to him losing it in his old age. But now? Yeah, I got it.

As hot as her scent was already making me, though, I was able to keep my thoughts on my servaglio. I loved my women so much, so even if Marlowe was giving me an appetite, I still had no desire to eat anywhere other than home.

I kept my eyes glued to the forest ahead of us, trying to see if I could spot another wolf heading in our direction, when a strange, rumbling roar and buzzing sound drew my attention up.

Flying right towards me was a giant, cat-like creature, with what looked like scales instead of fur, and large, papery wings. Riding the beast was a beautiful young woman, her strawberry blonde hair blowing fiercely behind her as she approached, scanning the ground for her pack.

“Marlowe!”

I yelled, grabbing her attention. She looked up at me and gasped, pulling the creature to a halt.

Her hazel eyes were wild, wet from the wind and sheer desperation in her features. Her chest heaved beneath the see-through gown she wore, and I kept my gaze trained on her face.

“Who are you?”

she cried. “Where…”

“I’ll explain later, they’re right below you.”

She looked down, squinting through the trees and choking out an elated gasp as one of the alphas howled. The creature dipped straight down, finding a gap through the branches.

I lowered myself slowly, giving the pack some space as she leapt into Cam’s arms. They were both shaking, their need to just touch and hold each other overriding all other instincts. The rest of them surrounded her in a huddle, hands checking for injury, breaths shuddering as they spoke.

“How did you get out?”

Elias asked, his face buried in her neck from the side.

“He and Ezra were distracted. I didn’t have any guards on me…”

“Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

Marlowe twisted from Cam’s embrace to put a hand on Nolan’s cheek. “I’m fine, really. The hardest part was just being away from you all, I missed you so much.”

“You’re never leaving my sight again, babe, I mean it.”

I kept my distance, leaning against a tree as I watched their tearful reunion, feeling my own heart constrict at the scene. The love they felt for each other was easily visible, and having gotten to know these alphas and coming to see them as possible friends, I was getting overwhelmed with joy for them.

But someone needed to keep us on track, and I gently cleared my throat. Archer turned towards the sound, then placed a hand on the back of Marlowe’s neck. “We should probably introduce you to Kian.”

Cam turned around so she could see me. “It’s nice to meet you, Kian, but… who exactly are you?”

Marlowe watched me curiously, her brows suddenly furrowing. “Wait—you’re from Earth, too. How did you get magic?”

I felt a heat rise to my cheeks, and I nervously rubbed the back of my neck. “Right, yeah, about that…”

Cam waved his hand dismissively. “His dad’s the asshole who attacked you at your old place. I guess he ingested a drop of your blood, developed powers, then passed it on to Kian.”

Her eyes narrowed in anger, her tongue running along her teeth as she stared me. “I’m sorry, are you telling me that this guy gets to fly because his dad assaulted me?”

Well, when she put it like that…

“Babe,”

Cam said, calm and cajoling. He took her chin in his hand, tilting her gaze up towards him. “Kian’s not like his dad. If it wasn’t for him, we wouldn’t even be here now. His blood was able to cook that magic faster than ours, so he gave us the jump start we needed to cross over. I vouch for him one hundred percent.”

A growl, more reminiscent of a kitten than a wolf, sounded through her chest but she eventually took a deep breath and turned back towards me. “Sorry, I don’t really hate you all. In fact, I’ve been arguing against my brother about the king’s treatment of vampyrs this whole time, but it’s going to take a while for me to not be a little on edge when one’s around.”

I nodded. “I get it. I’m hoping to prove we aren’t all like my dad or your ex, from what I’ve heard of him.”

Marlowe let out a deep exhale, blowing a piece of hair away from her face when Cam nipped her ear to get her attention. “Trust me, he’s a good one.”

“It’s going to take some time to wrap my mind around the fact that you trust a vampyr.”

He laughed. “Out of all the shit that’s happened, that’s hardly the weirdest.”

She nipped him back playfully. “Hm, I suppose so.”

And just like that, the air became heavy with shifter pheromones, and it seemed like things were about to get hot and heavy quickly. “I’ll give you some privacy in just a minute, but Marlowe—how far behind you is the king?”

That doused the fire a little, enough for her to look at the strange creature and think clearly. “I honestly have no idea. Wasabi, were we being followed?”

“Wasabi?”

Julian snorted. “That’s the thing’s name?”

“Hey! She’s a rescue vryscral, not a ‘thing.’”

The “vryscral”

chuffed, and Marlowe interpreted. “Wasabi doesn’t think so, but I’m sure as soon as the king realizes I’m gone, he’s going to start looking for me. Since I flew, my scent is going to disperse in the air and make it harder to track than if I’d been on the ground, but we’re going to need to be prepared.”

“Got it,”

I said, pushing off the tree. “I’ll keep a lookout. You guys, uh, have fun.”

A wave of their aroused scents hit me again as I flew back up, trying my best to ignore the delicate moans and rough grunts already vocalizing below me. The vryscral joined me, and we went about a quarter of a mile back in the direction Marlowe had been heading from, settling down on a large branch to watch for incoming soldiers.

“Wasabi,”

I said, addressing the creature with a curt nod. It trilled in response, and we settled in for a long, vigilant night.