28. Wolfgang

CHAPTER 28

WOLFGANG

The Mouthy One: Lockdown tonight until we figure out this shit.

Gay for Lizard Dick: Can we lock it down together on the beach? I was looking forward to the bonfire. [Sad face emoji]

The Mouthy One: [Eye roll emoji] Fine. But no one leaves the beach alone.

Gay for Lizard Dick: [A million fire emojis surrounding a celebration hands emoji]

I knew Zion Salah was a shapeshifter, but I never thought I'd see him change quite so drastically.

"Answer the fucking question, Izzy!" he boomed, slamming his fist on the table separating his seat from Isaiah's, making his brother flinch. "What did you put in the sauce?"

Isaiah's wary gaze flickered to mine, as if looking for me to step in and diffuse the situation.

Since when did I become the good cop?

I don't know how to be the good cop !

"Uhhh… I told you. Scotch bonnet peppers, white vinegar, cilantro, garlic, lime juice… and sea salt, duh."

Sigh.

Zion growled—fucking growled— at his brother the same moment my phone vibrated in my pocket, presumably with another crime scene report from Xander.

The Mouthy One: Pharmakon. Added to the bottles after Isaiah dropped them off.

The Mouthy One: Only Kai's plate was poisoned.

Of all the people in our group to target…

An offhand comment from Simon rose to the surface. When Ziggy visited him—and gave him his supe name—the Stellarian had apparently mentioned how mothers absorbed their baby's DNA, permanently altering their own genetic makeup.

Was someone trying to stop Kai from possibly gaining powers?

Could the baby be that powerful?!

"Zion. A word," I interrupted the pointless interrogation, refusing to react when the Salah clan leader's eyes flashed yellow in warning.

You don't scare me, you overgrown house pet.

He huffed but followed. Once we'd exited his family's private jet, I showed him Xander's texts, but otherwise, didn't speak.

"So Iz… Isaiah was trying to kill Kai?" Zion muttered, and I clenched the fist not holding my phone to stop from offering unsolicited advice on the situation.

Even though I know how it feels to be tasked with taking down a sibling .

I'd rather die than go through that again.

"Someone was," I clarified, ignoring his low growl. "Someone found Isaiah's hot sauce and decided to make use of it."

Zion glared, and I decided I officially missed his annoying cheerfulness.

Gross.

The stare-down continued for a long moment before he spoke. "Didn't my mother also say we should question him about the storm?"

I wanted to point out that Lady Tempest said a lot of things, usually directly from her ass and with the intention of stirring the pot, but I knew we were already treading dangerous waters.

"Are Nuke Drop's powers capable of creating a cyclone?" I casually asked, wanting to test my fellow clan leader's loyalties.

Zion's gaze turned shrewd, assessing me as if I was a player on the opposite side of the Deathball field.

Good.

Family first—always.

"Maybe, maybe not." He sniffed, and I breathed a sigh of relief. "But mark my words, Wolfgang. If I find out any of this shit was caused by Isaiah, I will end him."

Excuse me?

"I will do it publicly too," he continued as an unexpectedly psychotic glint lit up his reptilian eyes. "That way, anyone else who thinks they can stand against me will know death is the only outcome. "

"Zion!" I hissed, no longer able to hold back my opinion. "What are you talking about? This is your brother ? —"

"Therefore, it's my decision," he curtly replied. "He's my blood, so I get to decide how to spill it."

WHAT THE FUCK?!

My blood ran cold as my vision tunneled. "Who does Balty belong to, then? Or are you planning on using him as a pawn during negotiations again?"

Zion reared back, and I immediately regretted my words. Despite whatever my fellow clan leader was going through, I knew full well he'd had no intention of hurting my brother that day at Lycra and Lace. He'd been desperate, and only wanted to force me to show my humanity so I would help him.

I would have helped him anyway.

"This isn't you, Zion." I spread my hands beseechingly in a last-ditch effort to reach him. "You're behaving like your parents right now, and?—"

"AND MAYBE THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I NEED TO START DOING!" he bellowed, and I realized this was a canon event.

He's not going to let me help.

Not this time.

A familiar, bone-deep exhaustion washed over me. The cause of Zion's rage was exactly what fueled mine for practically all my life, because I'd been raised drinking the same poison.

As clan heirs, we were groomed since birth to eliminate any threat to our eventual rule—including our own siblings if need be. At the same time, we were fed the lie that we physically couldn't kill our parents and therefore, needed to kneel until they allowed us to stand.

Guess I missed the memo on that one.

The truth was, I may never have tried to take down Apocalypto Man and Glacial Girl without Luca co-conspiring at my back. He arranged the pieces on the chessboard for our long game insurrection, while whispering hints of half-truths in my ear to keep my vengeful fires burning.

Just enough to fuel my rage.

Now that the whole truth was on the table, I occasionally berated my mentor for not sharing more with me sooner. Luca could have eliminated my parents without breaking a sweat—could have saved me years of torment—but that wasn't his style.

In my family, you weren't properly "Sensei'd" until you'd figured out your shit for yourself, no matter how much blood you lost along the way.

"Like a true Stellarian," he replied whenever I confronted him about making "his" kids work for it.

But I'm not a Stellarian.

And I'm certainly no Sensei.

"Very well." I smoothed my gloved hands down the front of my suit to disguise how they were shaking. "I'll leave you to do whatever you think is best."

Zion eyed me suspiciously, and rightfully so. I'd meant it when I told him I didn't see his hesitation to kill his parents as a weakness. The issue was that his parents did. Tempest especially knew all the right buttons to push, and this endless loop of pain would only end when her son could no longer justify his obedience.

Or when he figures out how to channel his rage in the right direction .

There was nothing more I could do for Zion because he didn't want to be liberated. Not yet, anyway. If I pushed, he'd see me as the enemy, because he was still too busy trying to prove his worth to those who treated him as worthless.

Godspeed, Padawan.

A weight lifted from my shoulders when I turned and walked away. As long as Kai was protected—a duty I had no doubt Vi was already fulfilling—and the cyclone stayed offshore until after the wedding, I didn't need to worry about anything. The farther I walked from Zion and Isaiah Salah, the more I began to wonder if there was more I could let go of.

"Oh, hello, kitten!" Theo suddenly materialized beside me, and it was all I could do not to outwardly show my surprise. "Where are you headed with such a mildly threatening purpose? And, more importantly, may I join you?"

He levitated slightly as he hurriedly blocked my path, which stopped me in my tracks. "You can fly?"

How did I not know this?

Theo lightly touched down. "Whoops! I usually try to keep that talent under wraps unless I'm in very inebriated company, but yes. As my true form is merely ‘star stuff'—as Gabriel romantically calls it—of course I can make this skinsuit float if I wish… among many, many other things."

Fascinating…

Aside from the mind-boggling concept of how Stellarians could star hop across galaxies, I hadn't stopped to consider what other supernatural abilities Theo might possess. All I knew for certain was that the creature before me was the missing link, not just for Doc's research on supe history, but for Simon's history as well.

Time to play nice .

"Do you think Simon inherited any of your… star stuff?" I asked, as casually as possible.

Could he be as powerful as you?

Theo blinked before a sly smile stretched over his face. "I'm not sure on the powers aspect, but Simon certainly inherited some of my finer qualities."

I snorted. Theo was the definition of a hot mess, and while he and Simon shared a flair for the dramatic, the love of my life could run circles around his father from a business perspective.

After Glacial Girl's death, I'd been more than willing to allow my inventus to handle the day-to-day aspects of running our clan. He had a natural affinity for leadership—while being terrifying enough to keep everyone in line—and truly seemed to enjoy the administrative side of things.

He loves being the Boss.

Because he's perfect.

While I still occasionally stepped in to guide my co-leader , he was a quick study. He was so efficient, in fact, I could probably walk away from my position tomorrow with few repercussions.

Why not tonight, Wolfy?

Why not… right this minute?

I knew what I was thinking was irresponsible, but the idea of having no responsibilities whatsoever suddenly sounded too good to ignore.

Simon always says I deserve a vacation…

The island-inspired truth serum was still working as I decided to lead with honesty yet again. "The reason I'm asking is because I'm… considering…stepping back from my role as clan leader. To become more of a… figurehead."

To no longer be feared.

The instant I said it, I tensed, expecting Theo to make light of my confession, or to use the intel to his advantage. Perhaps to even bust my balls over it.

That's what my family would do.

Instead, the alien observed me thoughtfully. "Did you know that all Stellarians are expected to join an Astrum Force Star Unit when we come of age? Well… all those from vetted lineages." He frowned before continuing. "Even though I obediently took my position, with all the prestige one could hope for, it was never what I wanted."

"How did you escape?" I asked, because I knew exactly how it felt to long for freedom from the shackles of expectation.

Theo looked surprised by my question before an impassive mask slid into place. "I destroyed everyone who got in my way."

Well, fuck.

My eyes closed as that all-consuming exhaustion swept over me again. "So did I."

I startled as hands cupped my face, and my eyelids opened to find Theo gazing intently into my fucking soul.

"Gabriel worships the ground you walk on," he murmured, and I could only gape as his brown irises melted away to reveal galaxies beneath. "And Andre would murder anyone who dared to even joke about killing you." He smirked. "I should know."

What ?

I was speechless as Theo released me and backed away before running his unnerving gaze over my suit. "A trade, perhaps? I'll help you loosen up if you help me…" the alien swallowed thickly, "fix what I destroyed."

I never agreed to anything without a contract and Randal's seal of approval, but I didn't hesitate to extend my hand. "Deal," I breathed, more than ready to sign away my soul for the smallest taste of freedom.

"Deal," Theo chuckled as we shook on it, and he assessed me once again. "The first order of business will be to work on your… presentation."

Before I could ask what he meant by that, he grabbed my arm, and the world I knew dissolved into a kaleidoscope of stars.