14. Killian

Chapter fourteen

Killian

M y skin prickled as my nerves danced across my skin, and I left the bed, creeping through the dark house. It was two in the morning, and everyone was behind a closed door. No one could get into the back of the property, so whoever I sensed still had to be in the front. I counted spaces to the porch and watched a young man remove two gas cans from the bed of a beat-up truck. He turned to grab the third, and I counted spaces for the first two back to the truck bed and shielded them.

Gerald MacGetty stopped when he realized the cans were gone and set the third down. MacGettys weren’t known for bein’ all that bright. King Ephraim’s seed was tainted from his oldest to his youngest, stopping off for one shining moment on Hank MacGetty, Gerald’s older brother, dropping all the brains on Hank. Jordan wasn’t so bad, either. The rest of them? Not so smart. I counted spaces for the third one back to the truckbed and shielded it, too.

Gerald turned around in a circle and threw his hands up. “Where in the hell did they go?”

I’d crept around to the front of the truck, missing the baseball bat. Gerald, however, remembered it was there. “Well, cain’t bust windshields, but it’ll bust windows.”

He started for the porch, and I grabbed the bat as it swung back, dragging him from the first step. One foot on his throat, I dropped my shield. “Now, how many pounds of pressure does it take to kill you?” I growled. “Why are you here?”

“Axl took my Maisy, and I want retribution,” Gerald whispered.

“Axl is dead.” I cocked my head to the side, listening to his thoughts and reading his memories. “I see. The Pride thinks I’m too French? Too uppity? Uppity!” I roared with laughter, and Gerald laughed, too, thinking he could spin his way out of this mess. I roared then. The trees swayed, the ground shook, and Shifters landed in front of me in twos and threes in their pajamas.

The front door opened behind me, and I ignored Dante, Gio, and Indy as I studied the lions and lionesses on their knees around me.

“Gerald MacGetty here tells me you think I’m too Uppity for you!” I roared. “Came here to burn my house down tonight. Thinks he was doin’ you a favor!”

Reaper Donadieu landed in front of me then, and I lifted my foot as he dragged Gerald to his feet. “I’ll just take this one if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” I murmured. Someone behind me alerted the new King of the MacGetty Pride before I killed Gerald, which was good. Didn’t want to start a war with another Pride. I wanted to straighten mine out. Gerald and his truck disappeared along with Reaper, and I waited before saying anything else. “If you think you can provide homes for the people around you, step forward! Not one of you with nice warm beds has offered your roof to anybody washed out by the floods. You’ve left them in tents and blocked off the area so the humans don’t see what asshats you all are. If you think you can do better than me, step up. We’ll fight about it, and winner takes all!”

Charlene bumped Barnham’s arm. “Did Sophie say Killy was buildin’ houses?”

“I heard he was!” came from a voice I didn’t recognize. “Wants to build a hotel, too! More jobs, and he ain’t taxin’ us.”

“Then why are you startin’ shit?” Charlene slapped Barnham in the back of the head, and he fell forward, but he didn’t hit her back. I needed to go through the bloodlines in the library because she was more somethin’ than Barnham.

Were there levels of Shifters? Some were stronger than others? Yael asked.

“Well?” I yelled.

They talked amongst themselves, and then Charlene stood, curtsying to me in her nightgown. “My lord, we are sorry for the mess with Gerald. Barnham here wanted Maisy to mate to him. Thought that boy was a better bargain than one of our own. Barnham is sorry,” she said, and Barnham didn’t say a word until she slapped him again.

“I’m sorry,” Barnham mumbled.

“I’m having a place built right here for y’all to come once a week. We’ll eat and talk about things, and you can tell me what you need.”

“It’ll be done by Friday!” someone yelled.

“I’ll bring a pig on Thursday an’ cook it. That takes all day, now!” someone else said.

“I’ll bring some pies!”

And it went from there. I held my hand up, and they got quiet again. “Thank you for coming. You may go home.”

The direct order sent them all back to what they were doing, and I turned around, scrubbing a hand over my face. Indy had stayed behind the glass door with the boys, who’d been watching. Dante, Gio, and Sophie were standing on the porch, and Dante clapped.

“That was good,” he said. “Nobody died.”

“Here,” Gio said. “Pretty sure Reaper has sent Gerald on by now.”

I climbed the stairs, feeling one pair of eyes still on my back. Zander watched, shielded, and Crow was brushing against Yael mentally. Had Zander come to help me? Had he known what Gerald planned, or did I summon him, too?

Indy opened the door for me, and I scooped Jules up. He threw his arms around my neck and held on.

“That was scary, Papa. How did you know?” Jules asked.

“That’s my magic. I sense trouble and try to change it,” I murmured. “Are you okay?”

“I am. I’m hungry,” Jules whispered.

“Me, too,” Rhys said from behind me.

“Well, let’s get a snack and go back to bed,” Indy said. You did good, he thought.

Who called Reaper? I asked.

That was me, Gio replied. Told him he was about to be a MacGetty shorter, and he came. Had no idea what Gerald did.

I smiled. Thank you.

Any time.