Page 116 of Shifting Hearts

NINE

JASON

B ibi and Babilon were the first pair to finally make it. Morgan had raised them to be ruthless, but even they feared her fire. She was always the dominant one.

She made me sick.

I didn’t care anymore. The beatings weren’t enough. The marks on her back, they were deserved. My Morgan had died the day the Firebird woke.

I wished I could leave, wake up, and make it all stop before I truly hated her.

The stories had always been sugar-coated, but now I understood the reason to fear her. The reason to flee when she came too close. Now I knew why, she was looking for me, wanting to kill me.

I often wondered what would have happened if she and Morgan had met. If they had truly seen each other face to face… what I would have done.

If this was what Morgan experienced, no wonder she had needed heavy sedation to sleep. If her mind had been connected to all of this… no wonder she had been in such a fragile, broken state.

She and Cass were lying in bed when the call came through. Raymond’s voice came from the other end, sharp and urgent.

“We have a problem, Cass.”

“No, we don’t,” Cass replied, calm as ever.

“Yes, we do.”

“We have Natasha. What situation requires her?”

“It’s one of our own, a conspiracy to take down the coven.”

Cass laughed, a light, cold sound that floated through the room.

Who?

“It’s wolves, Cassandra,” he roared, and her laughter died instantly.

“I can take them,” she said lightly.

“Stay,” she ordered Natasha. “Speak, and make it quick.”

“It’s Sonia,” Raymond said, voice tight. “I followed her. She’s meeting a wolf on her nightly strolls.” He exhaled, frustrated.

“What are you saying?”

“Their pack is coming, Cass. They plan to kill all of you, including your Firebird.”

Cass’s gaze flicked to Morgan, perched on her haunches on the bed. Betrayal was etched across her face.

Sonia? Why hadn’t I noticed? Because she was always shadowing her, the monster. Dammit, Sonia. She had been her only friend, trying to understand her needs. Why would she betray them? Did she really think she could get away with this? A cold shudder ran down my spine.

“What did you do?” I whispered.

Raymond continued, explaining that it was happening tomorrow.

Morgan leapt off the bed.

“Stop!” Cass yelled, and she froze at the doorway of the chamber.

“She betrayed us,” Morgan growled, and Cass was immediately at her side.

“We’ll deal with her,” Cass said, “but I need you to stick to the plan.”

Morgan frowned, disgust painted across her features. “What?”

“We’ll catch them in the act, my love,” Cass said, a faint smile curling her lips.

I swallowed hard. She wanted to lure the wolves here. To see them in action.

“No,” Morgan said. “It’s too dangerous for the coven. You can’t bring them here.”

“No, my darling,” Cass murmured, stroking her face. “Not bring the wolves here. When Sonia returns tonight, you do nothing. We act as if we don’t know her plans. Tomorrow, you’ll go with Raymond, catch the wolves plotting against us, and deal with them. Then… we deal with Sonia.”

Morgan’s lips curved into a small, dangerous smile.

“No, no, no, no. Fuck,” I yelled.

If she killed Sonia, she wouldn’t be able to cope when her memories returned. My mind drifted back to the night she wanted to leave me. She said she was no asset. That was part of it. That was one of the things. She had killed her.

Morgan nodded once and left Cass’s chamber. I followed, flying silently behind her, back to her own chambers.

She threw a tantrum, but I knew a part of her had loved Sonia deeply.

Even after the change, Sonia had been the only one trying to wedge herself between her and Cass, trying to make her remember why she needed immortality.

But she had given up. Sonia had given up.

And now there was no hope for her. None.

I perched on her windowsill, watching her storm through the room in fury, while my eyes traced the darkness outside.

When would it be enough?

With Sonia’s death? No.

How long it would take her to destroy herself, or anyone else, was a question I didn’t have the answer to. And the thought of it made the night feel impossibly long.

The next day, Morgan fed. I hated every second of it. She toyed with her prey, drawing out their fear until it nearly drained them completely, and then she sucked them dry. Everything about her was dark, so impossibly dark.

It made me numb. Everything I had once felt for her, love, hope, even anger, was numb. I feared it would never awaken again. That everything had been for nothing, just like she had said.

She stuck to the plan, going with Raymond while Sonia remained oblivious, and dealt with the wolves one by one. She nearly got bitten, but she was fast, merciless, sadistic, playing with them before each fell into heaps of ash.

She saved the last one for herself, tying him down with silver. He screamed as the flames licked his body, and she laughed, cold and cruel.

“You really think killing me would be so easy?” she taunted.

“Fuck you, you bitch,” he spat back.

She huffed, smiling.

“Why?” she asked. “What did you promise Sonia? Why? You are mortal enemies.”

“I loved her, and I want her free from you,” he growled.

“Free from me?” she echoed, tilting her head.

“She didn’t want to leave the coven because of you, who you used to be.”

She looked away, grinding her teeth before glancing back at him with a glare sharp enough to cut.

“Okay,” she said, voice soft and deadly. “She will be free. But there is only one way to gain your freedom from my coven, and that is through death.”

“I’ll fucking kill you, I swear,” he spat again.

She laughed, the sound echoing like a death knell. “Oh? And when exactly is that going to happen?”

I stayed as far away as I could, my body rigid, my stomach churning, yet I could see her, hear her. Every laugh, every scream, every flicker of her fire burned itself into my mind.

‘Why?” I cried to the heavens. “Why like this? It wasn’t supposed to be like this?” Tears rolled down my cheeks. Guess I wasn’t as numb as I thought, but that too was going to die soon. Then there would be nothing left but the hate.

She eventually killed Ricci, and I covered my ears as I sat on my haunches. Screaming to drown out his.

I got up when she walked to Raymond standing outside the house.

“She has been texting him the entire night.”

“You text her back.”

“I told her half an hour.”

She grabbed the phone and typed something.

“Natasha,” Raymond asked.

She looked at him. “What?”

“What are you doing?”

She smiled and finished typing. “Let’s watch how the fun is going to unfold.”

She ran, and Raymond ran behind her.

They stood and watched from afar.

I shuddered as I heard the talons of the twins.

Her brother’s gift and Heico’s mind connecting them all made them sane at night again, no matter how far they were from him.

Why he never picked these two up as lost wolves, beats me.

They were chasing Sonia, toying with her.

They didn’t even speak Mahur. I never heard a wolf speaking English before.

Bibi finally caught up to Sonia and pinned her down.

The twins were turning ruthless, just like their guardian.

Natasha’s laugh echoed for a moment, sharp and cruel, before vanishing as Cassandra stepped forward, toying with her prey in ways that made the air thicken.

“Let’s go,” she said, voice low, dangerous.

Raymond’s eyes flicked toward her. “What’s going to happen to her?”

“She tried to bring wolves into our coven to destroy us,” Natasha said, voice flat, almost amused. “What do you think?”

He said nothing. She swung onto her Ducati, tires spinning, and vanished into the night.

I followed, though every fiber of me resisted. No matter how hard I tried to sever the tether, it always pulled me along.

I didn’t want to watch what came next. I knew Adrienne didn’t have the guts to kill Sonia herself. She’d let Morgan handle it, and I could already picture the twisted glee that would cross her face when the deed was done.

We stepped into the throne room. The twins were already human again. Ravane pulled them back into flesh tonight.

“Don’t do this, Morgan. Please,” I begged, voice raw. Always begging. Always unheard.

“Nothing?” Cassandra pressed, sharp and cautious.

“Nothing,” Morgan spat, anger flashing in her eyes. I wished she’d stop lying to her.

“Where are Paul and the others?” Cassandra asked, glancing at Morgan crouched over Sonia, palms framing her face like some dark ritual.

“Don’t do this. She’s controlling you. This isn’t what you want,” Sonia pleaded, her voice breaking.

Morgan froze. My pulse hammered. “Listen to her, Morgan. Fight.”

“Blaze,” Cassandra murmured. I dropped to my knees on the other side of Sonia, watching Morgan. Something had shifted, paranoia flickered behind her eyes. Sonia might be the key to breaking it.

Morgan squinted down at Sonia. Her lips curled, teeth bared. “Why?” she hissed, a whisper that carried venom.

“Blaze! Where are the others?” Cassandra shouted, desperation cracking her voice.

“They’re where they belong!” Morgan’s words slammed into the walls, soaked in hatred, echoing back at us.

“What did you do?” Cassandra demanded.

“Why?” Morgan pressed again, eyes locked on Sonia, ignoring everything else.

Sonia’s voice was soft, unwavering. “It was the only way I could free you. I’m sorry it didn’t work.”

I froze. Bravery like that. Fighting until the very end. Sonia was a force.

Morgan’s head tilted, a tight nod.

“Don’t do this, please,” I begged, standing inches from her, heart in my throat.

“How did you know?” Sonia asked, voice trembling.

“I’m not sure you’ll like the answer,” Morgan said, gaze burning into Sonia’s. “You want to know? It was your secret lover, Sonia.”

“How—”

“How, how?” she mocked, voice high-pitched, sharp. “Do you even know why Cass wants wolves, Sonia? I doubt it. You’re just another lackey.” She tapped a finger against her temple, slow, deliberate.