Page 125 of The Queen’s Shadow

“Be careful.” He said. We both nodded.

“You too, Pops. Don’t get killed.” I winked at him, and he rolled his eyes, before gesturing at us to get going.

Raven and I turned to face the gates before us, the two guards had been watching us suspiciously.

“How do you want to do this?” I asked quietly as we approached.

“You find Kasha.” She said, her gaze locked on the two guards. “I’ll take care of everyone else.”

I nodded, a smirk quirking my mouth.

“Deal.”

“Stop where you are!” One of the guards said as we approached. With each step, the scent of catnip grew stronger, and with it, so did my unquenchable need to murder someone. It was mixed with the scent of too many other males, fear, and shame.

I’m coming, Kasha. I’m here.

I wished I could send the thought to her mind, so she would know I was coming.

That I had found her.

“No.” Raven replied, her voice deadly. I didn’t think the guards knew who she was, but the blood drained from their faces as we approached. I was sure they could feel her aura rolling through the air around us. It was enough to make even my skin tingle.

“Stop, or we will restrain you.” The guard tried again, but Raven just laughed.

“Get out of my way if you want to live.” She ordered. Instead of obeying, the guard gathered his power, taking an offensive stance. Raven shook her head in disappointment, her dark hair swishing behind her head with each shake. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She murmured, before levitating off the ground. Her shadows peeled up off the stone walkway, twisting around her like deadly wisps of smoke.

With a wave of her hand, the males were pulled up into the air by her shadows and I watched with unrestrained satisfaction as her darkness tore them to pieces before my eyes. Chunks of flesh and wet body parts fell to the ground around us as she powered up a dark quasar, blasting the gates open.

The moment the pathway was clear, I exploded into my panther form and darted forward. I could feel Raven as she flew over me, firing another blast into the door of the brothel. It shattered into a thousand splinters, framing us as we took in our surroundings.

The brothel was busy, and everyone on the main floor froze at our violent entrance. We paused for a moment, allowing the patrons and slaves to take in the silhouette of the giant panther and the dark, hovering form of The Origin’s Daughter. My eyes scanned our surroundings, making a quick mental map of the layout.

There was a female behind a hostess desk just inside the door, and beyond her was a large open space. It was filled with nude slaves and patrons. Several groups were engaged in open intercourse on large, cushioned surfaces. The walls were covered in thick velvet drapes that were bunched like curtains over several large red doors. There was a massive, elegant staircase in the back of the open space. I could barely process my surroundings as wave after wave of catnip rushed over me. Her scent billowed down the stairs, beckoning me to go to her.

I felt drunk on adrenaline and my pupils were quivering, I needed to go.

‘Zayne said she’s on the top floor.’ Raven said into my mind.

‘I can smell her.’ I growled; my heart was pounding. I was so close. The initial shock of our entrance was beginning to wear off, and the daemons who had frozen in surprise seemed to be coming back to reality.

“Who are you?” The hostess asked. Some of the males who had been enjoying the services of the brothel let out shouts of indignation.

‘Go,’ Raven said. ‘I’ll take care of things here.’ I could feel her rage as she took in the scene before her, and I had never been more proud to be her bonded. I knew that if any of these males were on my list, I could trust Raven to end them. A dangerous smile curled across her lips as she floated deeper into the room, drawing her remaining shadowstone blade as she did so.

“Don’t just stand there.” She purred, her voice carrying through the space with crystalline clarity. “It’ll be so much more fun if you run.” She smirked, before slicing through the slavery bond that held the hostess captive. The hostess screamed and fell to her knees as Raven shot forward through the air like a dart, expertly slicing through throats just as easily as she did slavery bonds.

Suddenly, the air was thick with screams and the walls were painted with gore. Trusting her to handle this floor, I burst forward, aiming for the staircase at the back of the room. Another guard appeared and attempted to stop me, but I tore his throat out without bothering to slow down. His body went down under my paws, and I used his chest as a springboard to launch myself up the stairs.

The screaming had alerted the patrons on the next floor. This floor was a hallway, lined with doors that I assumed led to private rooms. My suspicions were confirmed as males stumbled out of rooms, naked, dragging slaves with them by their arms or fistfuls of hair. It was almost too easy to pick them off on my way. Throat after throat, kill after kill, I took them down. My claws dug into bare chests and shredded open stomachs as I shot through the second floor and made my way to the third. The slaves ran, naked and screaming, some of them clutching bed sheets to themselves as they bolted past me. I let them go, knowing Raven would free them on their way out of the building.

The next floor was more of the same, and I moved faster, my kills growing sloppier and messier as Kasha’s scent grew stronger and stronger. My fur stood on end as I careened up the last flight of steps. This floor only had one set of doors at the end of it. Double French doors with golden handles.

The smell of catnip flooded the hallway, and I felt my pupils dilate. Her scent felt like a fucking slap in the face. Every muscle in my body screamed at me to move faster as I breathed her in. Mine. She was mine and I could smell her so close. I nearly purred, until another scent hit my nose.

There was a male in that room with her.

There was a male in the room with MY Kasha!