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When the alpha of the Takamoto Kitsune Clan went into rage lust, they called Rowan and Louisa.

Though the two young spellcasters had been making a ripple through shifter kind gossip reels, their odd situation of using a non-shifter to fix such a personal shifter issue had ensured their relative anonymity.

An anonymity the clan desired above all.

As soon as they’d phased into the kitsune compound, both felt Kin’s magic.

He clearly should have been the actual alpha.

In most other shifter societies, his prowess alone would have ensured that title for him.

But, the Takamoto Kitsune Clan operated in the fashion of a bygone time that excluded branch family members from taking positions of power.

Rowan found it foolish that they looked down on someone who could have been a formidable asset. They’d been reduced to turning to the unconventional aid of an elf and a vampire.

Still, it had been only with the help of detailed notes Kin left in their room covering happenings around the Takamoto Compound a week prior to their arrival that gave the outside spellcasters the last puzzle piece of the mystery in hand.

At each hot spot location, a storm had preceded rage lust settling in.

It only stood out in his notes because he also noted it had marked a low for his relationship with his mate.

He’d been so angry at everything Julio had done that even he felt the urge to give into his beast so his heart could have a break.

It turned out that the ley lines in the sky had become entangled to where a simple storm passing through created fluctuating pressures that drove the inner beasts of shifters crazy. If they were even slightly uncomfortable, they faced the possibility of losing complete control of their beast.

He’d left the notes anonymously, but Rowan and Louisa tracked him down using unorthodox spells aimed at tracking the ink on the pages.

They impressed him with their creative problem solving.

He’d been shocked by their youth and inspired by their commitment to ensure he got credit and gratitude his family had always deprived him of.

Fixing the ley lines had been a monumental pain in the ass, but after the numbers of rage lust cases got back down to normal—about two every year — they couldn’t say it wasn’t worth the hours they put in.

This was especially true because the experience convinced Kin that he wanted to help them get established in exchange for being a silent partner once they got the ball rolling.

It didn’t take long for RL Magical Disaster Services to add a ‘K’. Kin was literally the foundation for legitimizing their business, which had been, in his not-so-humble opinion, on the brink of financial ruin.

Along with the addition of Kin, the business established its long-term goal of creating either a cure or treatment for rage lust.

As tragic as the rise had been, good had come out of the situation. Because they were thorough in their record keeping, they understood the triggers of the condition even better than the common shifter.

They’d come up with a theory for prevention, though they had yet to actually encounter a rage lust onset in time to test it out.

“There was a fear that stemmed from the attacks of their loved ones, and a few of the members formed a compound to live together in what they considered safety from the shifters. They’re pretty strict.

They’re not allowed to have any form of relationships with shifters and have kicked a couple of people out for even buying their produce. “

Louisa frowned. “Not violent per se, but they’ve grown more into a cult than a support group.

They live independent of any sovereignty by living on unclaimed grounds.

A few undercover reporters have infiltrated their ranks and published a few documents of a doctrine the group follows.

It underlines the shifters as their mortal enemies and compares them to demons.

It’s like they took a page out of the Order’s modus operandi, but only applied it to shifters. ”

Rowan couldn’t see the group having international capabilities like the Order did, but a motivated and grieving family member was liable to do anything they could to reach a goal. A goal Rowan was sure would spell disaster for the shifters.

Now it was Rowan’s turn to relay her findings, “I got a hold of a friend in the Brazilian Pit and she told me that the witches found a gorgon head near their borders. No one died, but during their attack, she noticed something strange about the witches. They didn’t jump into action to help them.

Instead, it felt like they were just observing the chaos until they found the head.

” She templed her fingers in front of her.

“I got the same odd feeling yesterday with the wolves. The witches were herding them towards the civilians.”

Kin leaned back in his chair. “That isn’t your prejudice against the Coven speaking?”

“I can’t be totally sure.” She admitted.

“We’ll note it.” Louisa said. “What about the sphinxes and the bears?”

“They both refused to talk to me, but that isn’t surprising. The bears lost six members, they’re grieving. The sphinxes just suck at freely exchanging information. But, I called The Griffin.”

Kin grimaced. “How much did that cost us?”

“It cost me two golden rods from Tut’s official tomb.

” Rowan sighed dejected, “But he told me what the sphinx were hiding. Only one of them had been affected, and it was their leader. He killed six sphinxes before the Atlanteans arrived. They’re also in mourning and he has scheduled his own death two days from now. ”

Louisa covered her mouth in horror. “There wasn’t a sign of what affected him? He must know that he couldn’t control what happened to him.”

“We shifters are all proud creatures. He wouldn’t care about that, only that the blood ended up on his claws.”

Rowan frowned, knowing it was the truth.

Kin was still depressed about attacking herself and Louisa and they had survived the ordeal.

“I want to visit him before the execution. I don’t know if you guys want to come with me, but The Griffin didn’t know what caused it and if we want a clearer picture, we have to get all the facts we can. ”

“If they don’t want to let you in, they won’t.” Kin shot her a wary look.

“So then I won’t ask for permission. Something bad is in the air and I’m not stopping until I find out what it is and fix it.”

Louisa groaned. “And the bears, you can’t ask your dragon boyfriend about them?”

The vision of him slamming that gate shut rolled through her. “He has a lot on his plate right now. The sphinxes are time sensitive. I want to focus on them first.”

“Well then, we can get to the bears after the sphinxes. Don’t worry.” Louisa placed an encouraging hand on hers.

“If there’s another attack, it could happen soon.” Kin’s voice was soft.

Rowan bit her lip, knowing she was about to reach a field full of emotional landmines. “We can’t be sure if there will even be another attack, but if your family gets targeted, what do you want us to do?”

Kin’s nose flared. “Your heroic tendencies wouldn’t allow you to turn your back on them, but part of me wishes you would.”

Rowan, aware that diversity made the world interesting and healthy, wished everyone had a family like hers. It wasn’t always idyllic, but it was bursting at the seams with love.

While she didn’t know everything about Kin’s past with an abusive clan, she knew the man well enough to realize that whatever history lay was unforgivable enough to make a loyal person like Kin renounce his connection to them.

“If the time comes, I’ll follow your lead. You’re my priority, not them.” Rowan reassured.

“And if she can’t sit her ass down, I’ll be happy to hex her.” Louisa’s ruby eyes glinted with mischief.

Kin rolled his eyes, but the small smile playing at the corner of his mouth allowed Rowan to know she had said the right thing.

Chapter 13

If the elven woman hadn’t called the moment she had, Alessandro would have gone back into the Estate and had the four heads of houses exiled from any Thunder land. But her awkwardness had amused so much that his breath was even by the time he hung up.

He had calmed down to the point of realizing his people were upset about something. They only ever behaved this way when he disagreed with something they believed was important. It was time to take a beat and listen to what that could be.

“Explain to me why mourning the dead is more important than protecting our living?”

Inside the depths of the library of Draconis, the audience chamber Alessandro preferred to dole out punishment in, was two floors underground.

Anytime his dragons stepped through its doors, they knew they had reached a point to pay for the consequences of their actions.

It was a recent realization that Alessandro hated it as much as they had.

Its stained glass windows, cement floors and stone walls reminded him of the old days while he liked to live in the present.

Still, it had been a necessary move to remind his heads of houses that this discussion wasn’t lax.

What they had done had been serious enough to warrant a proper official response.

“My king, may I speak freely?” Gotan was a fire dragon.

He was the head of House Ash, one of the wealthiest houses that made up the Thunder.

He also was the thorn that wouldn’t die on Alessandro’s side.

Over 500 years old, with silver hair that brushed the floor when he relaxed, Gotan never missed an opportunity to question Alessandro’s decisions.

Alessandro inclined his head towards the man. “You may, but I warn you, Gotan, my patience at the moment is fragile.”