Page 24 of Ethereal Shifters

“I’d like that.” I nod. “Thanks for turning me away up there and coming for me.”

He kisses the side of my head before going back up the stairs, and I watch him go. He pauses and looks to Rhodes. He speaks into Rhodes’s mind, but I hear it. “Tell her about the event.”

Rhodes holds my hand as we leave together and finds his car parked up around the back of the building after a short walk. He throws a blanket over my legs before starting the car and driving us to the shelter, with songs playing on the radio and a quietness. “The water, the bugs…that was because I’m scared of both of those things. I’m also scared of people hating me because my Nexus killed their family. Basically, all three of my fears just came to life, and he threatened to bring you in there. That’s my worst fear—that I will cause your deaths and I won’t be able to die to join you.”

He looks at me, his eyes widening slightly, and I know it’s because I don’t open up much. “I’m sorry you had to face that alone. My greatest fear is you looking at me and hating me. I don’t fear death because I’d never let it truly take you from me.”

I can’t face him as I say it, so I focus on the fields outside the city as we pass them. “When I was captured by the Vian, one of the people who worked for the king has a power that he used often on me. The power could make me feel like a thousand bugs were crawling all over my skin.” I shiver even thinking about it. “I know it’s a bit irrational because the bugs weren’t real with him, but I can’t see a bug without being thrown back there to that room.”

“It’s not irrational.” His voice is firm. “Your fear is not irrational, because someone used things against you and you grew to hate them.”

We pull up at the sanctuary. He gets out, running in to get Nibbles. I take the moment to get out the statue from my pocket and stare at it. What would my father think after today? He never called me a monster; he never was scared of me. I wish I could ask him what to do next…but I can’t. Nibbles soars into thecar the second Rhodes opens the door, and she proudly sits in the middle after licking my cheek and making me laugh. Rhodes looks at the statue. “Where did you get that?”

“It was my father’s…good luck charm, I guess.” I don’t tell him about Beta Francis yet because he said to come alone, and I’m not sure my protective mates will agree with that. I need to think about it more. Rhodes hums and helps me tie up Nibbles to the seat with her lead before driving off. He drives for twenty minutes down the coast and to a small bay. I’m not comfortable being this close to the sea at any point, but Nibbles loves to run in the sand and sit like a duck in the holes filled with seawater—and likely crabs. Rhodes takes his hoodie off the second I step out of his car and tugs it over my head. “You will get cold.”

He is right and I’m glad for the hoodie as I let Nibbles off her lead and she runs off. “I know you don’t like the beach, but I needed us to go somewhere there would be no listening ears.”

“Sounds ominous,” I mutter, but it’s Rhodes and he would never hurt me.

He links our fingers as we step onto the sand. Nibbles is already sitting in a puddle of water. “Onyx is working to get information on his father, proof that he’s working with the Vian, so we can get him off the Supreme Alpha throne. He wanted me to tell you he never gave up on you. He’s never stopped fighting. He hates his father and his father is going to pay for ever laying a finger on you. We are fighting for you too, because we’re on your side and you come first. Onyx just can’t show that publicly yet because it risks every plan we have, and his father is too dangerous.”

I’m shocked silent, and Rhodes continues. “And we need your help. We didn’t want to involve you, not when so many people are watching you. Alpha Paavo no doubt has spies throughout the academy watching your every move. But there’s an event tomorrow at his private building. It wasn’t the homeOnyx grew up in, and he doesn’t have a way in. Every time he tries to visit his father there, he’s heavily watched by guards. Tomorrow night, there is a private event, a party that he’s throwing to celebrate his alpha title. Annie’s invited, and she has a plus one—she’s going to take you. Annie knows about everything too, and she’s going to help you find some evidence. Onyx will be there, but none of us are invited, and he won’t be alone for even a moment. Even if you go and make a distraction so that Annie can search around, that’d be great. I trust you to figure it out while you’re there.”

I barely know what to say or think or feel as I face Rhodes. It’s all been too much today. “You’re trusting me and working to help me? After everything, after me being a nightmare?”

“You’re not a nightmare.” He tugs me to him. “You’ve never been a nightmare. We want you free and happy, with a thousand golden retrievers, if that’s what you want. I see you, I always have done, and you’re everything I’ve ever dreamed of.” He kisses me softly, like I’m a broken thing he can repair with sweet words and soft kisses. Maybe part of me is. “My entire life goal is to make sure that you stay alive and happy at the end of all of this. Remember that, okay?”

I nod, cuddling to his chest, breathing in his scent. “Will death ever stop chasing me, Rhodes? Everywhere I go, people die.”

He rests his head on top of mine. “It’s not your fault. It never has been.”

It doesn’t make it better though, and if this never stops…will one of them be next?

Chapter

Twelve

Cold air breathes down my spine, and I shiver, moving away from the edge of my bed. I go to try to pull the blanket over me, but it’s trapped under Finnegan’s massive leg, who is lying straight out on my bed as I curl around him in the little space I have, and I love it. I’ve never slept as well as I do with Finnegan in my bed. It’s nice to have the room alone even if we can’t actually do anything in this bed. Annie is staying at a holiday home and getting our dresses made for the party tonight, and I’m actually excited to cause a little trouble for Alpha Dickhead.

There’s a soft thud that makes me go still and shoot my eyes open. I don’t dare say a word out loud because there is someone in my room, and I have a feeling they crept in through the window. “Finnegan!” I shout in my mind, hoping he wakes up and hears me.

I gasp as it gets hard to breathe, as the air is suctioned from the room, and I claw at my throat. My eyes widen as I see the man, his hand outstretched. I can’t breathe. Finnegan wakes with a roar, and he charges over me, grabbing the man around the throat and flinging him across the room, where he slams into the wall with a thud. “I fucking hate air magic dickheads!” Hekicks the man as I pull a dressing gown over myself and tie it up. Finnegan climbs back onto the bed and sits against the wall.

“Wrong move.” He chucks me my Nex dagger, and I catch it, raising an eyebrow. The man is climbing to his feet off Annie’s bed and wheezing. “This one is yours, Nexus. Watching you kill is foreplay to me.”

My Nexus is delighted, and I sigh. The man reaches for me and I twist at the last second, slamming my dagger down the side of his neck, and he screams. I let my Nexus take over, shifting as we move, black nails spreading out. She doesn’t let the grey magic drain anything; instead, she snarls at the man. His hood has fallen back. He is pale and blond and so dead. I let her free. I never let her murder or go on a rampage because I’ve been slightly horrified about what she does, even now as I watch her rip this man apart, tearing his head off his shoulders, his arms next, and digging her nails into his chest to rip out his heart. She throws it out the window before throwing the rest of his body out after him.

Someone screams in horror outside, and she closes the window, laughing before letting me back. Finnegan is watching, his mouth slightly parted, his head cocked to the side. “Glorious. You really are gorgeous in every form, Sun.” He watches me. “There is nothing wrong with killing those who deserve it. He would have killed us both without an ounce of guilt.” I know he is right, but it’s still hard to accept. “You’re learning to control your Nexus better now. Maybe these assassins are actually of some good?”

Except people are hiring assassins that Finnegan doesn’t know to attack me because they think I made the Mortal God kill all those people in the trial. They hate me and they are judging me, and I don’t know what to think about it. “It’s one way to learn to coexist better.”

“Maybe we should leave the next one alive for like five minutes so I can question him.” He looks at the blood. “I’ve been in charge of the Nexus assassin guild for three years now. We fight our way to the top, and no one has beaten me. Ever. None of the men here are from the guild because they know touching you isn’t worth any sort of money because of what would happen when I got my hands on them.”

“Who do you think they are, then?” I question while thinking about what he just told me. There is an assassin guild? I always assumed Finnegan was the only one, not the top one.

“I’ll find out.” He climbs off the bed. “I’ll call for the cleaners to sort this out and the body. You need to get in the shower so I can tell them it was me.”

“It’s a shame you can’t join me in the shower,” I murmur.

---