Page 18 of Justice
The guy whose legs I was just rubbing against sat up. His long hair a mess around his face, but he didn’t bother to fix it. “Who’s Horo?”
“My second.” The pain that the speaking caused ripped up my throat. The man raised a brow without uttering another word and gestured his arms to the surroundings where bodies of wolves littered the floor. I inhaled, tasting the surrounding air. “Those are mere dogs. None of them are Horo.”
For that, I was thankful because they were all dead. “You’re here to kill me then?”
Speaking became more comfortable, but the pain was still there. My throat so dry; it felt like I hadn’t used it in years. The man stood up from the ground, his solid structure not wavering or looking weak, though I could sense the exhaustion. I strained my ear to listen, only coming up with the weakest of heart thrums.Vampire.
“We only came for the necklace.”
We? I let my eyes roam into the darkness, pinpointing more of his kind. “What necklace?”
“The one you wore around your furry neck.” His voice seemed unamused by the situation. Meanwhile, I was confused as fuck with no recollection of a necklace. As if they sensed my confusion, the men off to the side parted to show a female holding a vaguely familiar string of gems. I inhaled, tasting the air. My heart jumped, and though I wished I could control it at this moment, my cock hardened from the taste of her on my tongue.
I stepped forward cautiously, expecting them to strike. But they let me move freely, though their eyes never left me, always on guard. When I stood in front of the female, a growl came from behind me, but it wasn’t a threat, only a warning. My fingers reached for the jewels, and the instant they touched the stones, a flood of memory came back.
Falling in love.
Being betrayed.
Becoming trapped.
Spending every day for years trapped inside my animal.
Being –
I took a step back. “You commanded me.”
Her brows pulled together. “I didn’t.”
“You did.” She uttered the wordstopand though my jaw was poised over the vampire, ready to take pleasure in ripping into his face, the words made me freeze. The thought made me angry. Years of my choices were taken away, and when I was finally freed, I was under the control of a vampire. My stomach balled with disgust.
She stepped forward, and I stepped back, “I – I, I just didn’t want Oak to get hurt. It wasn’t a command, only a plea.”
“I could have your head for this,” I growled. “Commanding the King, ordering him around like he’s a mere omega. The council will hear about this.”
“The council has been disbanded for years,” the man to her right stated as he stepped slightly in front of the girl, letting me know subtly that she was under his protection.
Disbanded? But – “How?”
“How does anything happen in our world? Corruption. Dishonesty. Disagreements. Disappearances.”
He eyed me knowingly, waiting for me to confirm my identity, but he already suspected. “I -” I didn’t know what to say.
“Who are you?” The girl asked with no formality at all. She was young; I could smell her newness, taste it.
I pulled my shoulders back, straightening my body to its full regal height and towered over her as I said, “My name is Justice, king of the shifters.”
The men inhaled sharply, as I confirmed. The one she called Oak spoke, “You’ve been presumed dead for what, sixty years.”
“I’m very much alive,” I stated.
The man guarding the girl glanced down at my cock. “Yeah, I can see that.”
“My people?”
“They disappeared shortly after you. Some say dead, others presumed they went into hiding.”
Horo would have taken them underground if he suspected foul play, of that I was sure. Our people were sacred; their ancient blood spilled onto this soil since the beginning of days. My ancestors leading the packs, teaching, growing, building our people. And it was all brought down because I fell in love. Never again would I let that happen; never again would a woman interfere with my business.