bow, even though they fought the command. The world around me rattled with the sound, fearing my beast as lightning struck the earth behind me.
Knox peered at his men, his eyes darkening to obsidian as he returned the battle cry, causing my back to arch as I frowned, hating that my legs weakened. Before I could stop myself, I went down hard on my knees, glaring down at Knox as everything within me screamed to go to him.
Knox’s rattle was absolute, without question.
Mine had been loud and cute compared to his.
Like a child imitating something an adult had done.
My body heard the rattling call and answered his, bending softly, intending to be freaking mounted. I purred huskily in response. I could not prevent the noise from slipping free as his rattle lessened, and he purred to relieve the pulsing ache he’d knowingly created within me. I didn’t move. I couldn’t. I sat there, holding his victorious gaze as my body calmed, and everything within me slowly returned to normal.
“See you soon, Little Monster,” he whispered, and yet his words floated to me from my perch on the high cliffside that gazed down over the shitty town below as if he were right beside me. “You smell fucking delicious. Next time you rattle, make sure yours is the biggest, baddest one in the area because I won’t hesitate to answer your call, proving who the fucking alpha really is, little girl.”
I lay upon the ground, drawing the marking for a portal, slicing my hand through the palm before I opened it, and rolled through. The moment I had, Kinvara stared down at me, smiling as she knelt, pushing my hair out of my face. Her wide, blue eyes smiled as they slid down my body, scrunching her nose absently.
“You look exhausted.” She smiled softly, tapping my forehead.
“What the freaking hell are you two doing here?” I demanded, groaning. I sat up, staring at Dimitri, who pulled me up to my feet, sniffing me as he muttered beneath his breath.
“Gods damn, girl,” he said, growling low in his throat, his eyes like glowing sapphires. “You smell… good. I’m willing to clean the mess I smell with my tongue.” His lips kissed my shoulder, and I glared.
“Puppy, you try to bite me, and I’ll personally pull out every tooth you have until you eat puppy chow from a straw. One alpha hunting and harassing me is enough.”
“Calm your tiny tits, Aria. Just making a statement and an offer,” he said, lifting his hands in the air in surrender as he stepped back. “Besides, someone is going to need to help you out sooner or later. You are reaching your limit, and won’t be able to fight it much longer, nor will you care that I’m not Knox when fucking your tight pussy.”
“That’s my problem, not yours. Why are you here? Knox is right behind me!” I seethed worriedly. “You need to go, now. He had his witches hiding around the corner from where I just used the cloning spell.”
“Aurora found information after you took the power from Taren. We think we know where the next fragment is, but there’s more. She thinks we can break the curse on us, but we have to break them all to do that. Also, if this plan works, we will have a way to raise the House of Magic earlier than anticipated, which means we can escape that dusty tomb. You wouldn’t have to keep running, and we could protect the witches who still follow Hecate without you having to do it alone.”
“I’m listening,” I said, pulling magic to me in the event Knox’s witch could open a portal into the area before Kinvara and Dimitri escaped. “Tell me what Aurora found, and the details of this plan. You have five minutes, and then you’re both out of here. Open a portal, just in case. He’s rather angry with me at the moment.”
“What did you do to piss him off this time?” Kinvara asked, smirking.
“I made him kill one of his… lords. In fact, I’m not even sure what you would call that disgusting prick.”
“You did what?” she asked, her mouth opening and closing while she blinked.
“It’s not as if the man was a saint. He was forcing witches to sleep with him to make their rent. I’m pretty sure they will not miss their lord. Knox can’t be one-sided. His house is dirty too, and if we’re cleaning the Nine Realms, I’m cleaning all the houses.”
“You’re