Page 60

‘ The calm before the storm .’ A term I’ve read in books but never really understood, mostly because up until now, I’m pretty sure I was the storm.

Three months have passed, and my father has been quiet. All traces of him and Lyle have vanished, and not even I can find them. We’ve spent many nights trying to track Lyle down, to see if he has any response to Serena’s shadows, but it’s as if he’s disappeared.

I wish I could believe that he’s given up the way others do, but I know better.

My father is a monster, an even bigger one than me. He chose power over everything, even his own blood, and has killed hundreds of people in hopes of getting his hands on Serena, in hopes that she will make him even more powerful.

The crazy thing is, he’s already powerful. But it will never be enough. Even if he managed to get her, it wouldn’t be long before he wanted more; he’s an addict.

He can’t stop.

Which is why we need to stop him.

“Hey, you okay?” Serena’s voice pulls me from my thoughts, and I realize I’d completely zoned out. The sounds of everyone in the main hall comes back in a rush. People eat and enjoy each other's company while I’d been sitting here staring at my potatoes for far too long.

I shake my head, blinking a few times before I look up and meet Serena’s eyes as she watches me, eyes full of concern I don’t deserve.

That seems to be a running theme here, though. Everything with Serena is too good to be true.

“He’s just worried I’m going to kick his ass tomorrow,” Pike says with a laugh, bumping his shoulder into mine, and that’s enough to break the tension.

“As if. I’m convinced he cheats. He and Rena both do,” Storm grumbles, pointing at me and then Serena with his fork.

I wait for Serena’s comeback; she’s really good at keeping this group in place. She doesn’t take any crap and can be more than a little scary when she needs to be.

Instead, she remains quiet, her gaze burning into the side of my face with such intensity I can feel it even without looking her way.

I turn toward her, but instead of her deep, soulful blue eyes, I’m met with pure black.

Her shadows are much stronger now than when we first met, and while she might not have full control, she trusts in them.

Unfortunately, she has so much power, I’m unsure she’ll ever be able to handle it all.

It took me years, and I only have a fraction of what I feel from her.

It’s no wonder my father wants her so badly.

“Something’s wrong.” Her voice is quiet, hardly more than a breath, to ensure that we’re the only ones who hear her.

“Wh—” Garrett snaps his mouth shut, cutting himself off as both Serena and I hop to our feet and race out of the main hall.

I feel it too, though I have no idea what it is. It’s there, like a nagging feeling in my mind or a pit in my stomach.

We make it out into the garden, the sound of the others behind us, their heavy footfalls echoing off the high ceilings. Serena stops dead, and I almost run into her. Skidding to the side, I miss her by less than an inch, but she doesn’t notice.

“What’s going on?” Sol asks, and I hear the concern in his tone, but I can’t answer him. I can feel that something is wrong, but I can’t put my finger on it, can’t pinpoint what it is.

Serena stands in the center of the garden, eyes closed, as still as one of the many statues decorating the area, as we stand and wait.

He’s coming. He’s coming, run, hide. He’s coming.

The urge to ask who is on the tip of my tongue, but I don’t need to.

I know.

“My Father is coming,” I bite out the words, words I hoped I’d never have to say.

“How can you be sure?” Blair asks, and he doesn’t sound like he thinks I’m lying. This is just the kind of person he is. He likes to have answers, which I can appreciate.

“The trees call out a warning. He’s coming, run, hide,” I repeat their warning as they continue to shout it for all the forest, chanted like a warning, one that won’t save any he intends to harm.

Thankfully, the forest hasn’t ever been his target.

The same can’t be said for the castle or the hundreds of innocents that live here. It’s as if some invisible force wraps its fingers around my lungs, making it hard to draw a breath as I worry for people I’ve never met, people who hate me.

“You can talk to the trees?” Pike exclaims, and I cringe. I’d been so worried about everything going on around us, I didn’t realize what I was saying. I probably shouldn’t have said that out loud.

I turn to him, ready for the ridicule I’m used to from Father, but find none. Instead, his eyes are wide, and he looks almost excited.

“That’s dope! I want to talk to the trees. Can you teach me?” he asks, moving toward me only for Storm to reach out and grab his arm, stopping him.

“Not the time,” he scolds him, and Pike’s face falls, but he nods.

“Right. Scary Daddy’s coming to kill us, got it.”

Serena smacks his chest with the back of her hand and pulls a face, which makes him laugh.

“Do not call him that, ever again,” she scolds him, and while I can agree, I’m also confused. When did she come over here? I swear she was still by the fountain just a moment ago.

Serena turns to look at me, and the sadness in her eyes makes all thoughts of before disappear. “I can’t feel Lyle, maybe he won’t be with him…” she says, her words quiet, almost pleading for me to agree.

I want more than anything to tell her that’s what it is, but I can’t.

I won’t lie to her. I know Lyle will be with him, even if just to try to throw Serena off. My father knows that he’s important to her; it’s why he took aim at them to begin with. The fact that they are alphas only made them more appealing, I'm sure.

Tears well in her eyes, and I press my lips together, shaking my head, unable to voice the words that I know will hurt her.

I wish I could change this, go back in time, and stand against my father sooner. I didn’t have a reason back then, didn’t care, but now…

I never want her to hurt.

Sucking in a deep breath, Serena blinks away her tears, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip as she nods.

“Okay, well, maybe this is a good thing. We haven’t been able to find him, and Draven is bringing him to us.

So let’s just deal with him, and then we can see about helping Lyle.

” She plasters a smile on her face that’s not fooling any of us.

We all know it won’t be that easy; it never is, but nobody says anything.

She turns and makes her way toward the exit, headed for the main district of the castle.

She doesn’t make it far before a scream fills the air, loud and monstrous enough that every one of us has to cover our ears or risk injury.

“What the fuck was that?” Storm snarls, looking around for what I’m not sure because the only thing that has my attention right now is the girl who changed my life as she runs toward the sound instead of away.

“Damn it, Serena,” Blair curses as he takes off after her, and I do the same.

When I’d first come to the castle, we agreed I’d stay here.

The people didn’t like me, and while I deserved that, Serena couldn’t handle it.

I saw it that first day. She was so mad, and while her trying to stand up for me made my stomach do weird things and my heart race, these people have every right to hate me.

The agreement means nothing now, though, not with Serena racing toward very real danger.

I feel him before I see him. He’s not here yet, but he’s damn close, and for the first time since the last attack, I feel Lyle as well.

I don’t know how to explain it, but I can feel all of them, other chimeras.

I think that might be why I can control them a little, because I have Draven’s blood, but I can’t be sure.

At the end of the day, the important part is I can, not the how.

Though I won’t pretend like it doesn’t bug me not knowing.

“Serena!” Garrett shouts as we make it into the inner district. People litter the streets; everyone is out of their homes and businesses, curious about what is happening.

Every single person in this whole kingdom lacks any sense of survival. They should be hiding, or at the very least, ready to face something after that roar. Instead, they stand around talking and pointing in random directions and being a huge pain in our asses.

“Move!” I shout as I push my way through the crowds, and the others do the same. It does nothing, and I curse how small Serena is as she easily slips between people in a way none of us can.

“Fuck this!” Storm shouts a second before shifting, and I fight the urge to slap a hand to my head, a facepalm as Serena calls it, for not thinking of that.

Without pausing, I let my beast free, just enough to let his wings out. Shouts behind me let me know I’ve pissed some people off, but I don’t care; I can’t stop to worry about them as my wings carry me up into the sky, my eyes scanning the crowd for her.

The only one who hasn’t shifted now is Garrett, and I can’t say I blame him. He’d do a lot more than knock some people over. As if able to hear my thoughts, his wings spring free from his back, and he shoots into the sky not far from me.

Neither of us says a word; we’re pretty good at avoiding one another. But right now, this isn’t about us, and the only thing more important to Garrett than this kingdom is his mate, the future queen.

Of that we can both agree.

“There!” he shouts, pointing toward the innermost wall of the kingdom. I look just in time to see her blue hair disappear into the tunnel.

When did she get so fast?

The others have no choice but to continue pushing through the crowd. Their beasts make them faster, but I have no doubt she will clear that tunnel, come out the other side, and be lost to us if we wait on them to catch up.

Thankfully, I’m not the only one who seems to realize that as Garrett and I fly higher. His red wings shine in the light, and his scales reflect the sun, blinding me if I look right at him.

Dragons are rare, and while he might hate me, I can’t say the same is true for how I feel about him. No, I envy him; he has everything. The kingdom, the power, a fierce beast who can help defend his home, parents who love him, and, most importantly, the girl.

One day Serena will be the queen… and she will have no place in her life for me.

That’s fine; I’ll enjoy my time with her while I have it.

Guards stand on the walls patrolling, pointing at us as we fly over them, and I can’t help but notice how unconcerned they are. Not one of them has a weapon or seems worried about why we might be flying over their heads. After the roar that almost shook the castle walls, I expected… something.

Shaking my head, I let it go, instead focusing back on what’s really important here.

Serena.

Garrett and I once again scan the crowd, which is impossibly bigger on this side of the first wall.

How had I never realized how many people live in the kingdom?

Movement catches my eye just as Serena joins us, hovering not far from the wall but still out of hearing range for anyone on it.

“Something’s wrong,” she repeats, and just like last time, I feel it too. The others have caught up now, sitting below where we hover in the sky, waiting. Serena looks around, worried about the kingdom, but all I can look at is her.

There are people everywhere. Families. Innocents.

Yet I would trade every single one of them if I could ensure Serena's safety from whatever is coming.

It’s wrong and terrible, but also true.

She thinks I’m good, and while there might be good in me, I will never be what Garrett is. He is the prince, and these are his people; it is his job to keep them safe. I have no such duty, but even if I did, it would be pointless.

The world could burn if it meant she was safe with me.

I would burn it.

Movement catches my eye, pulling me from my thoughts, and all three of us turn toward it.

What the hell?

A boulder soars through the air, and while someone could possibly be using control of their element to do that, it seems wrong. It’s too big; to move something that big would require a lot of magic and a lot of control. There doesn’t seem to be any control whatsoever, almost as if…

“Move!” My voice rings out around the kingdom, but even still, it’s not enough.

There isn’t enough time or room as the boulder smashes into the wall, sending debris flying through the sky as it continues to plummet toward the crowd of people.

Screams fill the air as they seem to finally realize what’s happening.

Some shift, some freeze, and others run, but there isn’t enough time for it to matter.

Shadows whip past me, wrapping around the boulder like tentacles, and I curse Serena and her need to be so good.

That’s not how things work. The boulder is moving too fast and weighs too much.

I fly toward her as the boulder yanks her toward the ground, and we collide in the air, hard.

I hear the air whoosh out of her lungs, but right now my only concern is keeping her from ending up like that boulder.

“Let it go,” I say through clenched teeth, but before she can respond, the weight shifts, lessening.

Looking down, I find the guys below. Blair and Pike are both helping us slowly lower the boulder while Storm and Sol get the people moving. Garrett is at the wall, and though I can’t hear him clearly, I don’t need to. His clipped tone rings out, and the look on his face tells me enough.

The people move, the streets slowly emptying as Serena helps them safely lower the boulder. Right before it touches the ground, another roar sounds; this time it’s loud enough that Serena whimpers in pain, her shadow wings flickering as she reaches up to cover her ears.

It’s impossible to miss the blood that drips from her left ear before she covers it.

Reaching out, I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her back into my chest, and though this isn’t the time, I can’t help but breathe in her scent; my beast all but melts at the contact, and I hate him even more.

For as long as I can remember, he’s been feral, unpredictable, and untamable.

He hates me; he hates everyone. Yet here he is, purring for this woman in my arms.

A woman we don’t deserve.

The roar stops, and everything is quiet. So quiet that for a moment, I worry my hearing might have been affected.

“Thank you,” Serena whispers, looking up at me with a small smile before she winces, her ears no doubt hurting as they continue to bleed.