Page 80 of Tortured Royals

Desire fills Alaric’s eyes as he stares at me, and my body flushes with heat.

“I could send us all there with my wind power,” Prince Callan suggests, but Nate shakes his head.

“Like I said, I need to run,” my shifter says.

I blow out a breath. “Fine.”

“How ’bout we see who gets there first?” Nate suggests, a playful gleam in his eyes.

Dante raises a brow, like he’s interested in the challenge, and Mason shifts, changing into his winged centaur form, and pawing the ground with his front hooves.

“Where’s the finish line?” Prince Callan asks.

“You can’t be serious,” I say. “We just learned of the witches attacking, and you’re talking about a race.”

“It’ll help us let off some steam,” Nate defends.

“The winner is the first one inside the castle walls,” Dante says, smirking. “And they get to be the first one to make Blake come when we get the chance.”

My brows lift, my core tightening at the thought. “What? I’m not a prize. We’re already bonded.”

“Loser has to watch and gets to be the last,” Alaric growls, and I can’t believe even he’s getting in on this.

I plant my hands on my hips. “And whenIwin?”

My mates all turn to me. “Then you get to use us in any way for as long as you see fit, and we’ll only come when you let us.”

I laugh but need coils within me as I think of my mates on their hands and knees, worshipping me.

“Oh please, that hardly seems fair. You’d all do that anyway,”Shade says.

“This is true,” Mason admits.

I grin. I know instead of joking around, we should be headed to the palace by now. The witches could be already circling, but I can tell my mates need this. Usually, when fated mates bond, they hide away for weeks, simply enjoying each other’s company, but we don’t have time for that right now. Instead, we have this.

Before any of them move, I shoot into the air, flaring my wings out wide as I lift higher than the houses.

“She’s fuckin’ cheatin’,” Nate comments in disbelief, and I laugh as they scramble to catch up.

Seconds later, Nate’s roar splits the air, and I hear car doors slam. I flap my wings faster, trying to take advantage of my head start, but Prince Callan and Mason soon catch up to me, flying at my sides.

The wind filters through my feathers, and for a moment, I feel at peace.

“Do you wish for me to let you win, my mate?”Mason asks me seriously, and I laugh, the wind tearing tears from my eyes.

“Just get to the castle,”I tell him. Honestly, I don’t care about winning. Because in a way, I feel as though I’ve already won. Even though we’ll be facing the witches soon, and none of us might survive, for once, I feel free. And I know it’s all because of them.My mates.

“I’m going to hedge my bets on Nate,”Shade comments.“Damn that cat can move.”

I follow her gaze down to where Nate runs in his jaguar form below us, weaving between the streets at frightening speed. Demons dodge out of the way when they see him coming, and some of them scream in surprise when he snaps at them, his massive jaws narrowly missing one of their limbs.

“That’s if he doesn’t get too distracted showing off,”Shade adds, and I chuckle, not doubting that my shifter mate is enjoying this.

We’ve already covered half the distance to the castle when a familiar-looking sports car comes out of nowhere, Dante and Alaric overtaking Nate and literally driving right past the shifter’s nose.

Nate snaps at them, and his powerful limbs eat up the distance between them until they’re side by side.

I keep pace with Mason and Prince Callan, though honestly, I don’t know how hard any of us is really trying.

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