"Because the stars are aligned," I said, and then I heard my own words and admitted, "Yeah, I know it's a hard sell. Do I seem like a guy who believes in prophecies or optimism in general? I wouldn't, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes that Frankie made those Hunters just...disappear."
"Mina too," Alistair said. "Her powers just slipped out in the middle of a fight and everyone in the room either immediately took her side, or...they got brain damaged. My mother said that Ken is still in the hospital and he's messed up in some unexplained way. They're attributing it to a head trauma during fighting, except...his head doesn't show any sign of a blow, so..."
"So this is real," Flor said. "Is that why all these people want Ian?"
"I'm going to say probably," I said.
Flor took a slow breath and his feet shuffled as he lounged back. "If that's true...that's the coolest thing I've ever heard. Your ladies can vaporize people and destroy their brains? That is, dare I say, pretty metal."
"Mina doesn't want to destroy anyone's brain," Alistair said. "She...seemed pretty upset by it."
"They need training," I said. "And practice. That's all. Once they realize what they can do to help other shifters, I think they'll handle it better."
"If this gets out, won't every power-hungry human team up to kill them?" Flor asked. "Surely that's what Bloom wanted to do. I'll buy the prophecy, okay, but how are they going to survive long enough to fulfill it?"
"I was just asking my mother the same question," Alistair said. "And all I can say is, she might be too nice, but she's not stupid. You’ll see when we land."
Chapter Three
Ian
"I could just...keep taking you," I whispered in her ear, playing with a lock of her wild dark hair. Of course, it wasn't quite as wild before I fucked her twice.
"Mm..." She put her hands on my chest and kneaded my muscles in one of those unconsciously feline gestures that were so cute. "This did feel like the fuck that was twenty years in the making."
"You've been thinking about this since you were four?"
"I mean, not quite—sex, no. But..." She nuzzled her head into my neck.
"I know," I said. "Me too. We always knew, somehow. I don't know how we held back..."
"I guess...stars, blah blah. Like, now is the time when I need you...and here you are."
"Even better, I have half of a law degree."
"Oof. I'm sorry for all that time wasted when your destiny was just to be a good lay for a queen."
I grabbed her leg by the knee and pulled her back against my cock again. "I'm not sorry at all." I kissed her delicious mouth. "This is all I have ever wanted."
"And music?"
"Definitely."
"Oh...your guitar is...ugh..." She groaned as I shoved my cock back inside her, her mouth falling open into an incoherent groan, and it was the sexiest thing I'd ever seen. I really didn't know how I had ever been able to stand university.
"Where is it?" I pressed her.
"At Viktor's," she panted.
"Well, if something does happen, it was a cheap guitar."
"Yeah, but...I have...good memories..." Her whole body arched and flexed around me, her arms reaching for the wall behind us. The bed didn't have that much room, being on a plane and all. "You have a lot of stamina too."
"I've been working out and fighting every day. Getting strong just for you."
I made her come again, and the thought of exhausting her was a real turn-on for me too. I think I might be really good at consorting.
She finally sat up and grabbed her shirt, pulling it over her sexy little breasts, signaling that she had to stop--for now. The sweep of her eyes over my body told me she was definitely up for a repeat.
Then she slumped her face into her hands and groaned. "That was so good," she said. "But...it was so good with Waylon too. I'm not sure how to do this. I feel awkward. I probably shouldn't have even said that, should I? I just don't want..."
"If this is really some fated thing, you can't do anything about it," I said. "I don't want you to worry over it. I'm not jealous."
She looked up. "Why not?"
I laughed. "I don't even know. Maybe it's part of the whole thing. I don't know Waylon now, and I don't have great memories of him before, but I can tell he'd protect you the same way I would. And that spell he did with the mirror actually worked, so...we'd better keep him around."
Her face immediately brightened, and that alone was why I couldn't get upset at Waylon. "I'm so relieved. Seriously. I never thought I would have two guys at once. I would never hurt you, and yet..."
I put a hand on her head. "I just want you to be okay during this whole thing."
She clung to me, and I felt a different kind of need in her touch. She was scared, but I knew Frankie. She would do her best not to show it. She would just keep it inside, and I would do my best to protect her from that fear. I knew now that I'd had my life all wrong. It was no wonder I hated law school.
I was meant for her.
Chapter Four
Frankie
Several hours later, we were coming in for a landing in Colorado. I gaped out the window, clutching the seat, as I saw what must be the Rockies in the distance. I was not a fan of airplanes, but seeing the world from up high was pretty cool.
The ground kept getting closer until I could see the buildings of Eden Park, roller coasters and hotels and the fake temple of the Big Cat Adventure, the fake English castle of the Wolf Escape ride, and the tiki tower of the restaurant that was an old ripoff of Disney's Tiki Room.
That all remained in the distance as we touched down at the Merryville airport. About two hours north of Denver, Merryville was originally the company town for Julius Merryweather, who got his start in the cereal business and opened a health resort before he moved into an amusement park that was meant to help ‘civilize’ shifters.
"Here we are," Alistair said. "My mother told us to wait for her at the house."
"Esther is coming here?"
"Yes, she sounded frantic to get here," Alistair said, and I didn't like that he was taking charge one bit.
As we walked off the plane, the pilot stepped out and said, "Hope you had a nice flight."
He's a bird shifter. I'm almost positive.
The airport, small but modern, was full of shifter employees. I could smell my own kind, but it wasn't like Istara. This place was clean and nice and everyone was busy in a good way.
"You employ shifters at the airport, Alistair?"
"When people come to Eden Park, they expect to see shifters," Alistair said. "So even though Colorado isn't a state where shifters are protected, everyone here is working for Merryweather, and they live in park housing."
"And your mother has been buying up a lot of land...," Waylon said.
"Yes, she has. She likes to keep as much control as she can, and of course, we also have fingers in other pots--manufacturing, shipping... Hello, Jim." Alistair waved at a man who was waiting for us by the doors.