Chapter 32

Chapter 32

VEE

W as there anything in the world more beautiful than stars?

Vee stared up at the night sky, ignoring the cold, sharp brick that dug uncomfortably into her back. Ignoring the soft murmurs of voices all around her.

Stars had to be the most beautiful thing in existence, she imagined. The sky, a deep black velvet, so perfectly accentuated with all those pretty little lights. Sure, the moon was pretty, shining up there all on its own like a big silver coin, but the stars . They were something special, little gems caught in the air, sparkling forever. What were they? Were they reachable? She wondered if one of the flying Shifters knew, wondered if they’d ever touched one…

Footsteps reverberated on the brick next to her head, coming closer and closer, and suddenly Jayce was there, standing above her, his face blocking her view.

Vee stared up at him.

“Some of the gang are talking about you,” Jayce told her in a low voice. “They’re worried about the princess. About what you’re planning.”

Vee’s good mood dimmed.

“Who?” she asked .

Jayce laughed. “Who do you think?”

Tom . Vee clenched her jaw tight.

He was one of the oldest boys still here, and even though he was nothing but a Coyote Shifter, he had been itching to challenge her leadership among the strays. Uncle Jas once told her that was common among their kind. Whenever groups of different species got together, they were always scrambling to prove who was better, who was top dog.

How annoying that he thought, even for a second, that he was on her level. He was an insect compared to her.

They all were.

“Hey, Tommy,” Vee called, still staring up at the stars. The roof went quiet as a grave in an instant, every conversation stopping the moment she spoke. “Can I have a quick word?”

Vee didn’t need to look up to know where he was.

Ba bump.

Ba bump.

Ba bump.

There were twenty or so of them gathered on the roof tonight. A few more in the building below that served as their clubhouse. Vee could feel every single one of them through the tangled webs of their heartbeats. She’d never tried to hold them all at once. She sometimes wondered if she could.

Tom froze from where he was sitting, his back against the short brick lip that lined the rooftop. His hand, which had been stroking Kayla’s leg where she sat next to him, stopped immediately.

Ba bump.

Ba bump.

Ba bump.

He’s scared, Vee noted, smiling.

Good .

Tom took his time. He stood up slowly, dusting debris from his pants and straightening his clothes. A power play, taking longer than necessary to answer her summons.

Vee’s smile only grew.

He crossed the roof with slow, deliberate steps, and Vee waited patiently. Only when he came to a stop, standing just by her head, did she sit up.

She loved the stars, loved staring up at the night sky. But Goddess, it did hurt her neck to lie like that for so long. Vee groaned, rolling her head on her shoulders and stretching her arms.

“I hear you have something to say about me and the princess,” Vee said, rubbing a knot from her shoulder. She turned her head, angling it to look up at where Tom stood over her.

Another power move. And such an obviously male one. As though looming over her like that was power. Like size meant anything to someone like her. It was funny.

Everyone was the same size when you could make them crawl.

Tom’s amber eyes snapped over to Jayce and he bared his teeth in a challenge of dominance. Jayce only shrugged, unfazed and unapologetic. It wasn’t a secret to anyone that Jayce told her everything. Only an idiot would think otherwise. He was loyal to her. The way they all should be.

“If you have something to say,” Vee prompted, “you can say it to me. Now.”

“You’ve been spending a lot of time with her,” Tom said. “Some of us are worried?—”

“Not some of us, Tommy,” Vee interrupted. He clenched his teeth together, visibly annoyed. Tom hated being called Tommy. “I’m asking you if you have something to say.”

Tom swallowed. “You’re spending a lot of time with her.”

Vee waited. When Tom didn’t continue, she prompted him.

“And?” Vee asked.

“And… and what’s the plan?” Tom asked, frustrated. “A few weeks ago, we were talking about how that whole family had to go, and now it’s like… it’s like you’re friends with her or something.”

Boys. They were all so, so stupid. Vee tucked her feet underneath herself and stood.

She felt a little vindication in the way Tom immediately took a step back away from her, putting a little distance between them.

“Do you know what being friends with the princess gets us?” she asked .

Everyone was watching them, hanging on her every word. Excitement and fear and dread pulsed in their blood.

Ba bump.

Ba bump.

Ba bump.

Tommy shook his head, just the slightest movement from side to side.

She took him so quickly he didn’t even have time to gasp.

It didn’t matter that he was bigger than she was. Didn’t matter that he was stronger, physically. None of that mattered when she could kill them all with a flick of her wrist.

Wordlessly, she called to the blood in his veins, commanding him to his knees, and forcing him to kneel at her feet.

“Of course you don’t know,” Vee said, staring down at him. His body shuddered and went still. “Because you’re nothing but a stupid boy. I don’t need to tell you what plans I have, and I don’t need to explain anything to you, Tommy .”

He was perfectly still under her hold. Unnaturally still.

“Does anyone else have a problem with how much time I’m spending with Amalia?” Vee asked, looking around the roof. She made sure to look at each of them, one by one, meeting each set of animal eyes that gazed at her.

No one spoke.

“Good,” Vee said simply. She let go of that hold over Tom. Suddenly free, he gasped for air, scrambling away from her.

Oh , Vee realized, as Tom coughed and spluttered, trying to catch his breath. Breathing. Right.

She forgot, sometimes, when she took full control like that. It was a lot to keep track of, after all, keeping the heart beating, the blood circulating through the body, and keeping the lungs going.

Oops!

“For the record,” Vee said, raising her voice so they could all hear, “access to the princess gets us access to the palace. To the council. And maybe you could see that, if you weren’t so busy trying to get into Kayla’s pants. ”

There were snickers of laughter from around the rooftop. Kayla’s lips thinned, but she at least had the pride to raise her chin, unashamed.

“And we need access to the council. We don’t even know who’s on it, for Goddess’s sake. We don’t even know who’s meant to be representing us.”

“My uncle says it’s one of the Lions,” one of the younger boys said. “Kellos maybe, or his sister.”

“Your uncle is an alcoholic, Kevin,” Vee snapped. “He doesn’t know shit. But neither do we, which is why we need access to the palace. So, let me ask you all again—does anyone else have any issues with me spending time with the princess?” Vee asked, looking around.

No one said a word. No one even moved.

They were scared. Maybe it had been too long since she’d put one of them in their place. Maybe she should start doing it more often. Only Jayce’s heartbeat was steady. No fear, no doubt. Forever confident in her decisions.

Vee smiled.

“Good,” she said. “That’s settled then.”