Chapter 50
Caspian
“I don’t like this.” I grumble, seated at a high bar next to Chase.
“They’ll be fine.” My Beta’s instinct is to balance my aggression, to be the calm voice of reason when my temper flares, so I know his words are well intentioned. But I also know they’re completely false. He doesn’t like this anymore than I do.
Viviane and Kiera used every tool in their arsenals to convince us to let them have a girls night out tonight, spending the better part of the week wearing us down until we finally agreed. Of course their strategies were very different.
While Viviane went on a charm offensive, batting her eyelashes and pleading so sweetly I couldn’t say no, Kiera chose something more akin to a rein of terror. The mischievous feline has proven no more amenable to Chase’s advances over the last three days than before, though he’s clearly enjoying the hunt. Still, I know it irks him not to have a formal claim on her when she’s going to be out among other males.
The girls went to a restaurant just around the corner from the bar where we’re currently having drinks. I agreed to let Viviane go out with just one bodyguard, and paid the restaurant a hefty fee to keep her presence there under wraps. Even so, I didn’t feel comfortable being too far away from her with the way the media has been hounding us.
Honestly I’m just as eager as my mate is to get past this phase of notoriety, but until then I feel like this is a good compromise. Viviane gets to feel some normalcy and freedom, while I have some peace of mind.
Of course, this was all much easier in theory. Now that the moment of truth has arrived I’m finding it a lot harder to stay away than I imagined. Chase is fidgeting next to me, growing more agitated the more time that passes. “They’ll be fine.” He says again, even though no one asked. “What’s the worst that could happen?
Viviane
“I can’t believe you actually managed to ditch the warden.” Kiera jokes, popping a bite of sashimi into her mouth
“Hey, laugh all you want but I wouldn’t want to face the masses without him. I can’t even walk down the street anymore without getting recognized – at least when he’s there no one approaches me.” I remind her.
“I’m sorry.” Kiera frowns, “I can’t imagine how difficult that is: having people watch everything you do – losing your privacy. It sounds miserable.”
“Just you wait.” I caution her, “Chase is going to be Beta when Caspian takes over. They’re going to be after you too.”
“That’s different.” Kiera refutes, “Being an Alpha’s mate is like a job, I mean you’ll be the Nightshade Luna. Being a Beta’s mate is nowhere near that responsibility. I doubt they’ll care about me. Besides,” She sniffs, “I’ve still not decided if I’m actually going to be his mate.”
“Kiera, two weeks ago you were crying your eyes out because he wouldn’t notice you!” I exclaim.
“Excuse me, but how long did it take you to accept Caspian after you knew he was your mate?” She counters. “It’s not just about having the connection, it’s about how they handle it, how they treat you.”
“From what I’ve seen Chase has been perfectly committed ever since he figured it out.” I observe.
“If by committed you mean bossy and domineering and presumptuous – then yes.” Kiera complains, “If I’d known how much of a tyrant he was, I might not have ever wanted him in the first place.”
“You’re so full of it,” I tease, “You’re loving this. Making him chase you this way, giving him a taste of his own medicine.” She flushes, and I know I’m right. “Besides, you’d never be able to respect a man you could control. Consciously or subconsciously, you’re testing him. You don’t get to be pissy when he rises to the challenge.”
“I beg to differ.” Kiera argues good-naturedly. “I might not be able to respect someone I can control, but that doesn’t mean I like getting bossed around.” Her dark eyes follow my hands as I pluck a piece of sushi from the tray at the center of the table, “I still can’t believe you’re eating that.”
Kiera and I had a long conversation about the fact that mermaids’ main food source in the ocean is fish, but she continues to insist it’s some form of cannibalism. I snort with laughter, but before I can respond to her, a sneering voice sounds behind me. “Well if it isn’t the bottom feeder and the boyfriend stealer.”
Straightening my spine, I catch Kiera’s eye. Her irises have already begun to glow, her pupils condensed to catlike, vertical slits. I want to shake my head, to send her a signal to calm down, but I also don’t want to give the women behind me the satisfaction.
Turning, I take in the sight of Courtney and Madison, both scantily clad and wearing identical glares. Their arms are crossed over their chests, and both have their claws quite literally extended.
“Newsflash Madison, someone doesn’t count as a boyfriend if all he ever does is rut you behind the school bleachers.” Kiera snaps.
“It also doesn’t count if you have to pay him.” Madison counters, showing more self-control than I would have imagined. “We all know that’s the only way trash like you could land Chase.”
“Screw you, Madison.” For someone who was denying her interest in Chase a moment ago, Kiera certainly seems to care now. “You lost, you both did.” She adds to Courtney, “So why don’t you mutts crawl away and find someplace to lick your wounds, and leave us the fuck alone.”
“You little whore,” Madison hisses, her cheeks red with fury, “how dare you speak to us that way!”
Courtney’s hand latches onto my arm, her claws digging into my flesh and piercing my skin. I gasp, trying to wrench away from her and only causing her claws to dig in deeper. “Ooh, smell that girls?” Courtney goads, no doubt referring to the unvarnished scent of my blood, which no perfume can disguise, “Something reeks like dead fish.”
“We’re in a sushi bar you dumb bitch.” Kiera combats fiercely, “What did you think it would smell like?”
Both Courtney and Madison’s eyes are glowing now, “Call me that again.” Courtney threatens, fangs bared, “I dare you.”
“Call you what?” Kiera combats, and I realize with a pang that she’s drawing both of them onto her, distracting them from me. “Dumb, or a bitch? Cause you really are both.”
Before I know it, Courtney has released me, and both she and Madison are lunging for Kiera. All three women shift into their animal forms right there in the restaurant. Tables and dishes go flying, other patrons scrambling to get out of the way while the manager shouts for calm.
It’s no use, within moments Madison has lunged for my friend, and then all hell breaks loose.
Caspian
In the end, it isn’t my link with Viviane or Chase’s connection to Kiera that tip us off about the deteriorating situation in the sushi bar. No, it’s the sight of running shifters outside the tall windows, and the sounds of shouts audible from around the corner.
We move as one, racing out of the bar and storming around the corner at top speed. I smell Viviane’s blood almost instantly, immediately scanning the scene for my mate while also trying to take in the unfolding pandemonium.
Kiera, Madison and Courtney have all shifted and are now out in the street, apparently having crashed through the restaurant’s front window. Broken glass litters the ground beneath their feet, a crowd gathered around the confrontation in a wide ring.
I spy Viviane within moments, my little mate is hovering in the doorway wringing her hands and looking as if she’s on the verge of tears as she watches the public brawl. Blood is dripping down her arm, and I can feel her fear and guilt as if it’s my own.
I”m torn between the need to go to her and put an end to the chaos, but in the end I don’t have to decide. Chase decides for me. He’s already shifted by the time I can consider doing the same, throwing himself into the fray.
The little lynx was holding her own quite admirably against the much larger she-wolves, keeping them turning in circles and darting out of the way every time they lunged for her. Still, it was clear to all that her advantage was in speed, if the wolves got hold of her, she’d be in real trouble. Unfortunately Madison managed to do just that seconds before Chase reached them.
The wolf’s jaws snapped on the back of Kiera’s neck, making the feline rear up and yowl with pain. One moment they were a bloody tangle of limbs, the next Madison was flying through the air, and Chase was standing over Kiera growling at her attackers with so much ferocity even I felt intimidated.
By now I’ve reached Viviane, and my poor little mate won’t let me calm her. Instead she backs away from me, clamping her hand over the bloody claw marks in her arm and insisting that it’s all her fault. Kiera provoked them so they wouldn’t expose me. She cries through our link. Courtney was about to expose me so Kiera insulted her and they attacked.
Viviane looks around helplessly as I close in on her, listening but not willing to stay away. Everyone’s going to be wondering why I didn’t shift, why I just stood there while my friend risked her life for me.
“Shhh,” I finally croon, dragging her into my arms, it’s alright angel. We’ll take care of it. You did the right thing, they would have killed you.
Even as I say it, I know she’s right. The whispers have already begun. I can feel people’s eyes on us, and hear their confused mutters. “Why didn’t she shift?”
“She’s going to be Luna, and she lets other people fight her battles for her?”
“What kind of person doesn’t back up her friend?”
This is not good.
