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680 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 30, 2021
If he hadn’t realised that we were his death yet, then he was about to get a rude awakening. Because we all stood here as kings beside their queen, our home threatened by this beast. And he was about to find out what happened to the people who crossed us.
Ryder showed me his left wrist, the Scorpio tattoo now embellished with intricate feathers surrounding it and the words My Hope curving underneath it. I followed the line of his forearm up to the Leo tattoo surrounded by flames with the words My Joy beneath it. Beyond that, he’d inked the Gemini symbol to his flesh with lightning daggering around it and the words My Mercy under it. Next was the Aquarius symbol with a rainbow arching over it like the stroke of a paintbrush and beneath it were the words My Duty, and finally Elise’s symbol of Libra with small Xs all around it like the mark he had branded on his chest. The words My Life sat beneath it and I looked up at Ryder with a frown.
“You need to lock that shit down. What’s it even about?” I asked, trying not to Order shame him, but by the stars, I would never understand the social Orders and their weird ass tactile ways.
“It’s a dominance thing. I’m an Alpha Lion, I get urges to dominate my Lionesses from time to time,” he said casually and my eyes narrowed.
“I think we need to have a discussion about our group being called a ‘pride’. I’m not a Lioness, and I’m sure as shit not submissive.”
"Get in here for a pride huddle," Leon urged, wheeling me towards Dante and slinging his free arm around Ryder's neck as he tugged him in close too.
"Get the fuck off of me, Simba," Ryder hissed, shoving his arm back off and stepping aside. "I'm not in your damn pride."
"Okay, keep telling yourself that, Scar. But I'm gonna bet, when we have our next pride orgy, you'll be right there, whipping your trouser snake out and putting one of those cool hats on it for the party."
I threw out a palm, casting a vine which wrapped around his throat, feeding on his pain, a dark expression pulling at my face as I watched him choke.
“Sky blue…cobalt…sapphire… ooh cerulean,” Leon cooed as he watched him changing colour, standing close behind me. He leaned in near to my ear, his breath on my neck. “Make him indigo for me, Scar.”
“Everyone let your magic flow toward mine. You can feel it in Elise, really deep in her. Can you feel me inside her?”
“Dalle stelle, do you have to say it like that?” Dante breathed as Ryder grunted.
“What’s wrong with how I’m saying it?” I asked tauntingly. “I’m just making it clear that you can feel my power really deep and now I’m reaching it out to you all. Can you feel it burying itself in you? Can you feel the tip of it pushing in?”
“For the love of the moon, Leon,” Gabriel snapped. “We can all feel it.”
"That's why you and Elise will power share to make it. Aaaand, I think me and Dante should slip a little in too. So that it's from all of us. All you have to do is open up and let us drive some inside you. I promise you can take it."
"Why the fuck do you always have to phrase shit like that?" Ryder asked while Dante laughed loudly, his amusement making sparks fly from his skin and brush against the rest of us.
"Is that a snake in your pocket?" I began, biting back a laugh as an angry little snake head poked out of Gabriel's pants pocket and hissed his hatred at this joke which I would never get tired of. "Or are you just pleased to-"
The mini snake lunged out of Gabriel’s pocket and sank its little fangs into my finger, making me curse and laugh at the same time before it fell from my hand and slithered towards the door to the men’s room on our left. He hadn’t used his venom though, so I guessed he wasn’t that pissed.
Gabriel scooped me up, slipping me into his pocket and I wriggled around to get more comfortable. He started laughing, patting me lightly. “Stop it, that tickles.”
I hissed angrily, managing to poke my head out and glaring up at him which only made him laugh harder. “You’re so fucking cute like that, Ryder,” he snorted then his wings burst from his back and he took off into the sky.
I bit his leg through his sweatpants to show him what I thought of that comment, but he only laughed louder as he raced for the stars. Maybe I’d use venom next time.
“The only thing I have in common with that snowman is that my heart is made of ice. And you’d better remember it, baby.”
Her throat bobbed and her chest heaved as I held her there, her lips parting and her eyes filling with lust.
“By the stars, he’s watched Frozen,” Leon whispered mostly to himself and I bared my teeth at him.
"So tell me, Ryder," Leon pressed as he jogged forward and slung an arm around the Basilisk's neck. "Are you team Anna or team Elsa?"
Ryder growled and shoved his arm off as he started to stride towards Ethan. "I'm not having this dumb as fuck discussion with you, Simba," he said in a firm tone. "Just let it go."
Leon's mouth fell open in shock and he turned back to face the three of us while Ryder kept walking away and I couldn't help but laugh. "Did you hear that?" Leon gushed. "He told me to let it go. Oh my stars he's so fucking in love with me and Frozen!"
“Has he calmed down yet?”
“No, but how do you feel about singing Hakuna Matata to him?” Dante asked seriously and Ryder barked a dry laugh.
I shot our location to Orion and a beat later, a knock came at the door. I moved to answer it and grinned at him as I let him inside. “Hey man.”
“Hey Lance!” Leon ran over and I slammed a hand to his chest to stop him from licking Orion, making him purse his lips at me.
“Hello Leon,” Orion said tightly. “Let’s respect everyone’s boundaries today, yeah?”
“Wear your pain as armour, Rosalie,” I told her firmly. “There is nothing more frightening in this world than a Fae who can bleed in front of their enemies without flinching.”
“No matter what happened now or throughout the rest of our lives, I knew this was it for all of us. We were destined to be together.
We were a family.
And I’d finally found my home.”