Page 242 of The Queen’s Shadow

“I told you to tell her beforehand.” Rhyalla said to me, sounding amused. K’yen was grinning too.

“This is way more fun.” I replied dryly, watching Kasha’s mouth open and close repeatedly in shock.

“You’re right about that.” Rhyalla agreed, her grin stretching from ear to ear. Kasha’s eyes darted frantically around the circle, taking in the mix of hostile and curious looks from the others.

“I suppose there is no problem.” Koda said, scratching his chin pensively. “I had a feeling this might happen. The Little Sprite is a good match for you, and seems to have taught you to think with your head more than your blood. No objections from the bears.” He said and I rolled my eyes.

“Gee, thanks Koda.” I grumbled, happy that it was a yes, but annoyed that he had seemed to still need to think about it before committing.

“I am intrigued.” Mei Lin piped up. She was idly picking her glossy black nails with the tip of a dagger, her deep violet hair tied in two buns on either side of her head. “I understand the desire to align with something as powerful as a daemon, but there seems to be something broken with this one. Does she have any powers?”

“Yes.” I hissed through clenched teeth, not wanting to get into the fact that Kasha was unable to use her powers right now. Shifters understood and respected power. They might accept her if she could beat the respect into them. As it stood right now, we might have a bit of a difficult time.

“Show us.” Neema challenged, eyeing Kasha up like she was some kind of exhibit on display. I was getting more and more pissed off and Kasha was looking more and more horrified.

Fuck. Maybe I should have listened to Rhyalla and warned Kasha first…

“I can’t.” Kasha admitted, her fists clenched at her sides. “That is why we have called you all here. I was enslaved and tortured, and as a result the lines to my magick have been damaged. We have come to ask for your help in ensuring that what happened to me doesn’t happen to anyone else.”

She looked furious, and distraught all at the same time. I could smell the shame and humiliation rolling off of her and it made me want to tear the assholes around me to shreds for making her feel like that.

“Asking us here to help in a war across The Veil is one thing, asking us to acknowledge you as one of our kind is an entirely different thing.” Malik said, crossing his muscled arms over his chest.

“I am not asking you to acknowledge me as one of you.” She retorted, her face flushing.

“Rycon is.” Malik pointed out. “If he is claiming you as Rhiannon, we must do the same.”

“I didn’t…I don’t -” Kasha stammered, and of course, Anaya chose that moment to get her shit together and come storming back into the pit.

“I don’t acknowledge you as shit.” She spat. I rolled my eyes.

“Good thing your vote is the least important one, Anaya. You don’t even represent a united den. The closest thing you have is the Ironclad company, and Korrick doesn’t give a shit about you.”

“I will fucking fight you on this, Rycon. She doesn’t belong here. Something is wrong with her. I can smell it.” Her tongue flicked out between her full lips, tasting the air. “She smells weak. I bet she couldn’t even fight me to keep her place by your side.”

“Good thing she doesn’t have to, I don’t want you, Anaya.”

“She has to if I challenge her, it is the law.”

“Since when do you care about the law, Anaya?” Aiden drawled, looking bored. “You’re the first one to spit in the face of our traditions. Now that it’s convenient, you call on the old ways? Who gives a shit who Rycon sticks his dick in? Unless you thought maybe he would one day choose you as Rhiannon?”

Anaya looked furious and Rhyalla burst out laughing. “Is that what you thought Anaya? That Rycon would choose you!?”

Anaya looked like she was going to try to kill my sister but Rhyalla couldn’t seem to stop laughing. Literal tears were welling in her eyes.

“Except he hasn’t stuck his dick in her, has he?” Malik observed, his tone even. “He asks us to recognize her as Rhiannon and he hasn’t even bothered to consummate his mark. If he can’t fully commit then how can he ask us to?”

“You know what? Screw this.” Kasha hissed, and my head snapped to her. “I’m out of here.” She turned on her heel to leave. I shot out of my seat, chasing after her.

I grabbed her arm, dragging her around to face me. “Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” I snarled and she scowled at me.

“I’m not going to sit here and listen to a bunch of assholes talk about you fucking me like I’m not even here.” She spat.

I was taken aback for a moment, before remembering that although she was my Rhiannon, she wasn’t a shifter, and this meeting likely was making her feel uncomfortable. This was just the way my kind was. I had thought it had been actually going pretty well.

We already had two votes in our corner with Aiden and Koda. We had internal support from my sister and K’yen. Mie Lin had been intrigued and even the lions hadn’t said an outright ‘no’.

It didn’t matter if they did, it would just make things easier if they approved. Whether they accepted her or not wouldn’t make me change my mind. I had just wanted to get this out of the way first, before we started talking about the war.