Page 55 of Beyond Fate

Casimir felt his eyes glowing fiercely at the thought of anyone touching his pregnant nékah. He wanted to snap Jax’s neck for even putting that image in his head.

“Exactly,” Jax ground out. “We’ll get to the bottom of why he was even there to begin with.” He drew closer to Casimir, his canines lengthening as the shifter looked up at him. “But lay another hand on him and I will forget we’re family.”

At the moment, Casimir couldn’t think of a good enough excuse for what Arion had done.

“You two can settle this another time,” Elvine said then looked at Casimir. “Who exactly is coming after you, and what abilities do they possess?”

It spoke volumes that the question had just now been asked. They had blindly followed him out of the building without hesitation, ready to fight at his side, despite having no knowledge of who they were up against.

Until he’d met the Frosts, no one had shown him this kind of loyalty. Not even when he was a commander had his guardians followed him so willingly. His own brother had turned his back on Casimir. But here was a fae who stood at no more than five feet tall and had argued with her mate to join Casimir, displaying her immense courage and fierce determination.

He cleared his throat. “His name is Elouan. He was one of my subordinates.”

“We’re about to fight an elite guardian?” Elvine squeaked.

“This is why I told you to stay with Damon,” Jax growled. “March your tush back inside now.”

Elvine flew up to meet Jax’s glare, giving him one of her own. “You might as well hump the brakes on your attitude. I’m not going back inside, so shut it and stay focused like Casimir said. He’s a béskym, while you’re just a wolf with a stick in his paw!”

Casimir frowned. Wasn’t it supposed to be pump the brakes and thorn in his paw?

Jax snarled then burst out laughing. “I’m not even going to correct you, Elvine. You keep doing you.” His smile faded. “Keep your wings safe. Do you understand me?”

Because one tear and she would die.

She gave him an aggressive salute. “Bye, bye, Captain.”

Mason grinned. “You don’t happen to know Gage, do you? He’s one of my employees. A Seelie, like the two of you, and just as quirky.”

“No.” Casimir shook his head. “Elvine and I are—”

“New to Midnight Falls,” she cut him off and quickly finished for him. “Haven’t gotten out much.” She beamed, but Casimir saw the nervousness in her eyes.

He studied her for a second before turning to everyone. “Elouan possesses magic, just like I do. He’s undergone a thousand years of training as well.”

“So this is a suicide mission,” Mason muttered, shaking his head.

“I will handle Elouan,” Casimir stated. “But he’s not alone. That’s where you guys come in. I have no idea if it’ll be vampires or something else.”

“Is that Arion?” Jaytee asked as someone emerged from the side of the restaurant.

Jax spun and watched as the vampire walked their way.

“He’s a scrawny little thing,” Mason commented. He sniffed the air. “Never knew a vampire could be that skinny. Don’t they suffer from bloodlust if they go too long without feeding?”

But Arion was different. Casimir knew this because the vampire hadn’t reacted to the scent of fae when they’d first met. He remembered thinking the vampire had displayed surprising self-control. He also hadn’t tried to attack Casimir behind the building tonight.

Yet, something seemed off about Arion in this moment.

Jax started forward, but Casimir grabbed his arm.

“If you’re thinking about attacking him—”

“Something isn’t right, wolf.” Casimir tilted his head. “When I first met him, and even behind the restaurant, Arion displayed timidity.”

“I wonder why.” Jax shoved Casimir’s hand off his arm. “I would be frightened if I looked like him and had some gorilla pounding on me.”

“Set your hatred aside for a moment,” Casimir ground out. “It wasn’t because he was frightened. It seems to be his nature.” He jutted his chin at Arion. “But his walk is too confident, too…”

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