Page 35 of Luna Rising

“Not you,” I said.

He stared at me, expression deadpan. “This is my fanboy face. I have action figures of all the original wolves, trading cards too.”

Ewan nudged my hip with his as we walked. “He’s fucking with you.” He seemed to reconsider. “I think. Definitely about the trading cards. The actions figures, well, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

Birch shrugged. “After this war, you all will either be the heroes or villains of the supernatural world. Either way, my collection will be worth a fortune.”

“...the heroes or villains of the supernatural world.”

I hadn’t thought that far ahead yet. It was true. The outcome of a war with the Zodiac Councils would define the eternals and their protectors. We had been the villains of legend for centuries. Maybe, just maybe, in this life, we could finally be the good guys for once.

Ophiuchus Part 1

Proud of myself for an entire morning of peopling that didn’t include a bloody snack, I thought I deserved a reward. Not anything sexual this time. I wanted to see Winter. The rest of the Sables were off recruiting troops, and she was all alone.

Ewan was against the idea initially. “I just don’t think it’s a good idea right now.”

“The protection bond won’t let me hurt, even if I wanted to. Which I don’t,” I reminded him.

He and Birch exchanged glances. “It’s not that,” Ewan said.

“So what’s the problem?” I demanded.

Ewan’s teeth ground together. “You can see her later.”

“Yeah, but we’re out now. And she’s by herself. Please?” I gave him a sugary smile. “If you let see Winter, I’ll do that thing you like with my tongue.”

Birch cleared his throat. “I’m still here.”

Gold flashed in Ewan’s eyes. “I like everything you do with your tongue.”

“And, yep, still with you guys,” Birch said.

“Just for a few minutes,” I practically begged. I could feel Ewan starting to relent and I pressed forward. “I’ll let you tie me up. You like that.”

“It’s starting to feel like neither of you cares about my presence,” Birch said.

Ewan and I ignored him, caught up in a conversation that was turning on both of us.

“You like that, too.” Ewan wiggled his eyebrows.

“Obviously, or I wouldn’t offer.” I batted my eyelashes. “Now, can we go see Winter?”

“Only because Birch is with us. See, man. I do care that you’re here.”

Birch made a skeptical noise in the back of his throat but didn’t comment.

The Sables were staying in a large house just beyond the Taurus fae village. Apparently, the elders had insisted, claiming it was an honor to host such an important contingent of supernaturals. I would have preferred them closer. Not that I didn’t trust the Taurus fae but, well, I didn’t. Neither did Ewan, which didn’t help my suspicions.

We wound down farther into the valley and up a sloping hill to the fae village. Faelings played in their yards, stopping to gawk as we walked past, like we were on parade. I shifted uneasily beneath their wide-eyed, slack-jawed expressions. All my life people had treated me like I was special because my father was their alpha. This was different. These people didn’t just think that I was special, they worshipped me. Well, and Ewan, who did a great job of pretending not to notice the way the fae looked at us but was hyperaware of it.

He also wasn’t surprised by the stares, leading me to believe Ewan had expected them.

“Is this why you didn’t want to go visit Winter?” I asked as we left the village on a path to a forest beyond.

“I told you it had nothing to do with your bloodlust. The Taurus fae have strong ties to the Infinites.” His mouth twitched as if fighting a snarl. “Not my first choice of ally. They will fight for us, though. Beggars can’t be choosers and all that.”

“When do I meet these Taurus elders?” I asked, already dreading the prospect.

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