Dammit, dammit, dammit. Lola hadn’t meant to make him feel like, well, like a person who would do that. “You’re right.” She took in a deep breath. “I didn’t have to think that. And I will attempt to keep an open mind and reserve judgment.”

  Callon’s hand wrapped around the back of her neck and pulled her toward him until her forehead touched his. It was an incredibly intimate gesture despite the fact that they weren’t doing anything. Lola felt the eyes of everyone in the room on them.

  “Focus on me,” he whispered, his voice a rough rasp. “What they think doesn’t matter.”

  Lola’s lips tilted up slightly. “Anyone ever mention you’re a tad demanding?”

  His shoulder, where one of her hands rested, lifted in a lazy shrug.

  “For the record,” Maddie’s voice rang out. “I’m not in any sort of committed relationship with anyone in this room and therefore reserve the right to judge right out of the gate.”

  Chapter 2

  This Probably Wouldn’t Sound Nearly As Bad If It Were The Plot Of Some Cheesy Paranormal Romance Book.

  “I feel like there’s several possibilities on how this night could end. At least one of those possibilities involves Maddie tied up by Roan with her mouth covered in duct tape. Does it make me a horrible friend that I’m sort of rooting for that outcome? To be fair, some of the other possible endings are way worse.” ~Lola

  “There is no record, female.” Roan's voice dripped with dryness as he casually flicked an imaginary speck of dust from his sleeve. He met her gaze unflinchingly, adding, "And your judgment is of little consequence."

  Lola pulled her head away from Callon’s and turned to look at the Shaman. His silver eyes swirled dangerously as he glared at Lola’s best friend, who simply blinked up at him.

  “Sooo,” Lola drew out as she looked back at Taras and Lyra. “The couple fell in love and made a baby. What happened next?” She shifted on Callon’s lap and tried not to feel self-conscious over the fact that she was sitting in his lap in the first place.

  “As you know,” Taras continued, ignoring Roan and Maddie, “Shaman can sense the magic of an animus. Roan noticed there was something different about the human female that mated with our male. And after talking to her, we found out she’d been able to see past our glamour. She hadn’t wanted to admit it, nor had her mate wanted her to.”

  “Why?” Maddie asked before Lola could. “Is there some rule prohibiting you all from revealing yourselves to humans?”

  “An unwritten rule,” Lyra answered. “Not so much a law, but you can imagine what would happen if the wrong kind of human found out about our existence.”

  Maddie nodded. “They’d want to capture you and experiment on you. Or kill you because they perceived you as a threat. We humans can be awesome sometimes.”

  Lola raised her eyebrows, wondering if her own spirit had somehow jumped into Maddie. Why is she talking so much? Maddie’s sudden extroversion was truly unusual, especially in a stressful situation. Maybe she’s in shock.

  Taras motioned to Maddie. “Exactly. We desire to keep a low profile. But the decision we made after finding out what this female could do was foolish, uncaring, and something I will forever be ashamed of.”

  “Okay.” Lola held up a hand. “I see where Callon gets his inability to just spit it out. I mean, we’re sitting here thinking the absolute worst, and you just keep hinting at this horrible action. Are there tons of women sitting in rows of freezers somewhere in the basement because you thought they were animi, but then they turned out not to be, so you had to kill them because they knew what you were, and you had to silence them? Did you have to kill their families, too, because they went missing and obviously their families would go to the police and there’d be some serious publicity over a bunch of women going missing? For the love of every woman’s sanity in the history of ever, rip the bandage off already.” Lola breathed heavily as she finally snapped her mouth shut. Everyone stared at her—some with brows raised, some with blank faces, and a couple with grins, as if she were the most amusing thing they’d seen all day. “I mean…” She looked at Lyra and Taras. “Please, could you get to the point?”

  Lyra leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees. “Shaman began searching for the human women that had animi magic. And when they found them, they took them. They brought them to our territory where they could be exposed to our males in hopes that a connection could be made. The Shaman”—she motioned to Roan—“were required by their own oath to share information. So Roan had to tell the Council what we’d learned. Once the other kingdoms knew, it became a competition. The more females a kingdom had, the more chances for mates, which would allow more males to tap into their beasts.”

  “And babies,” Maddie muttered. “Don’t forget that little tidbit.”

  Lola felt like she was going to vomit. They’d abducted women. Just like the Kingdom of Venom was doing. “You were human traffickers,” Lola blurted out.

  “No.” Callon growled. “We never trafficked. We did not sell or trade women. They are precious and treated as such. They are pampered. Human females in a kingdom have anything and everything they need or want⁠—”

  “Except their freedom,” Lola snapped back as she swung her head around to glare at him. “And I suppose there were human captives at the mansion you took me to?”

  He stared at her for several heartbeats before he finally nodded. “Captives really isn’t the right word,” he muttered.

  This time when she pushed away, he let her up. Lola’s hands fisted at her sides as she walked backward away from Callon. She wasn’t paying attention to what was behind her and bumped into something solid, but it wasn’t a wall. Hands rested on her biceps, steadying her. Callon jumped to his feet, his face changing in a blink from human to something between lion and man. He moved forward toward her.

  “Get your paws off her,” he said through a large mouth filled with sharp teeth.

  Lola glanced over her shoulder and saw Bane behind her. Good grief. She inwardly sighed and stepped forward, forcing his hands to release her. Then she moved to the side so that the panther was no longer directly behind her.

  Taras rose to his feet. “Stand down, Callon.” He grabbed his son’s arm and pulled him back, which was a testament to his strength because Callon certainly wasn’t voluntarily yielding the space. Woah. The Prime is powerful. “She doesn’t want Bane. My guess is that your mate doesn’t want anyone in this room at the moment.”

  “Except me.” Maddie raised a hand. “I’ve got no history of snatching up innocent women to make babies with them. So we’re good.”

  Lola shook her head and glanced around the room. Recently, she’d been in awe of them because of their uniqueness and supernatural qualities. But ultimately, they weren’t any different from humans. They made stupid choices that hurt others. They made huge mistakes that had huge consequences. She didn’t have any right to judge them, but this? This was something more than calling in sick to work when you really just wanted to read the newest book in a series you love. This was way beyond grabbing a drink in the grocery line only to realize once you were in your car that you’d forgotten to pay for it and then being too lazy to walk back inside and do the right thing. These were people they’d taken. People with loved ones, friends, jobs, and pets that relied on them. And they’d been snatched right off the street because the beastwalkers thought they had a right to take them. No matter the reason, stealing a person is never okay.

  “Lola.” Even though his mouth wasn’t fully human, Callon’s voice was gentle. His face still sat in that in-between state. His golden gaze pierced hers as he took another step toward her.

  She shook her head and held up a hand to stop him. “No. You have to let me process this. This isn’t the same thing as you turning into a gigantic beast or coming from a completely different realm. This is wrong, Callon.”

  “I know.” His chin dropped, and his shoulders slumped forward in defeat. “I know.”

  Roan spoke up. “If it helps⁠—”

  “It won’t,” Maddie quipped.

  “Our Creator has deemed fit to punish us for our actions,” he continued. “That was one of the things I was coming to tell Taras and Lyra tomorrow.” He paused and looked at his watch. “Well, technically today, considering we’ve passed midnight.”

  “Does it have to do with what you told Callon when he came into Lola’s room in berserker mode? Because that doesn’t sound like a punishment.”

  Roan’s eyes cut to Maddie who leaned back on the love seat, her body moving with the grace of a cat. He spoke calmly, but slowly, maybe because he didn’t think she’d pay attention otherwise. “By the ten kingdoms, Female, would you let me finish?”

  Maddie simply shrugged.

  Roan focused on the Prime and Prima. “Visata made Himself known at the council meeting. He admonished us for our transgressions, as He should have. We all know that what we did was wrong, no matter how well the females have been treated.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a steadying breath. “Each of the Shaman are delivering this same message to their respective kingdoms. Visata has decreed that the human females who have become potential mates for the Damarians will no longer simply find a male and fall in love. They will be preordained. Each male will have one mate that is theirs and theirs alone. Visata will not strip the animi from them because it is not His desire to see His children perish, but He will make them have an even greater appreciation for the gift that is a mate. The mark she bears will match his own. This is how you will know to whom each belongs.”

  “I’m with Maddie on this,” Lola declared, her eyebrows arching in emphasis as she gestured towards her friend with an open hand. She leaned back, crossing her arms with a thoughtful nod. “That doesn’t sound like a punishment at all. You each still have a mate.”

  “One female among millions—no billions,” Wyatt chimed in. “And we’re somehow supposed to find her?”

  Okay, so when he puts it like that, it doesn’t sound too great.

  “The females we have cared for all this time will be given their marks and sent to the kingdom for which they match.”

  “So they don’t actually get set free.” Maddie pushed forward, no longer relaxed on the couch.

  Roan didn’t even glance her way, though Lola noticed a tick in his jaw. “Their mates might be there, or might not have been born yet. To this end, Visata will grant them the lifespan of their future mate. As long as the animus chooses to stay with the kingdom for which she is destined, she will be healthy and live as long as she needs to. If she chooses to leave, then her life span will be that of a normal human, and her mate will have to accept her choice. She will be made into a Null, no longer able to bring forth the soul of the animal in a male. Therefore, no beastwalker will be tempted to take her.”

  “Okay, this is sounding a little more promising.” Maddie motioned with her hand. “Proceed.”

  Lola sighed and crossed her arms in front of her.

  Roan spoke up. “The male that would have been her mate will forever live without the full ability of his beast.”

  “There it is.” Maddie pointed at Roan. “Dudes are gonna be sad and alone because they snatched up that which did not belong to them.”

  Lola thought about it and realized that males who weren’t even alive and hadn’t been a part of what their people had done would suffer the consequences. They’d possibly lose their mate forever because of the choices of those who came before them. That seriously sucked.

  “Visata is not unjust or unloving,” Roan continued, as if Maddie hadn’t been offering up her pearls of wisdom. “The bonded females will be known as Erossazzi—the Only Beloved— as we are His Only Beloved. The beastwalkers and the animi who complete the bond will carry the essence of the other in their souls, as we carry Visata in ours. They will be a beacon to one another for healing and feeding each other’s souls with emotion and touch, just as He asks us to come to Him for guidance, love, and spiritual nourishment.”

  “Okay, we’re back to the lack of punishment part,” Maddie huffed. “It doesn’t seem like a very balanced punishment.”

  “Well…” Roan finally turned and gave Lola’s friend his attention. “You are not the Creator, and therefore your bias blinds your ability to see grace, mercy, and jealousy, all balanced on the tip of a knife. Now, if I may?” He held out his hand.

  “The floor is yours, Quicksilver,” she said with a saccharine smile.

  Roan looked as if he wanted to slap some tape over Maddie. “Should the males be forcefully separated from their mates, they will wreak blind havoc on the world until they are reunited. As you would do should you leave Visata’s presence. The Erossazzi will bear male and female children, just as Visata wishes for us to bear the fruit of His love. Visata has said that we have His forgiveness, but there are always consequences of wrongdoing.”

  The room was quiet as Roan slipped his hands into his pockets, his silver eyes landing on Maddie, flashing a look that dared her to say something. Lola’s friend stared back at him, her lips in a tight, straight line across her face. It was clear to Lola that Maddie was irritated with his high-handedness, not to mention her inability to rile him up. Maddie loved to get under a person’s skin. Usually that was Katy’s job, but when their brunette friend wasn’t around, Mads took over.

  Taras’s throat cleared with a rasp that made Lola jump. Her eyes shifted back toward the Prime but stopped on Callon, whose gaze she’d felt the entire time Roan had been speaking. A fiery heat swirled deep within her chest, engulfing her heart in flame as the lion tattoo burned on her skin. She raised her hand to touch it as Callon’s jaw tightened. Was his tattoo doing the same? She tried to open herself to his emotions and was hit with a barrage of frustration and desperation. Lola pictured herself shutting a door between them, and the feeling abruptly stopped. His eyes flashed a bright gold, and Lola got the distinct impression that he was thinking about breaking down the proverbial mental door.

  “We will obey Visata. We will meet with the females who live at the compound and let them know of the choice laid before them.” Taras turned to the handsome, man-bun-wearing, tattoo artist. “Kian, call Jaxine and let her know we’re going to need her. You, Jaxine, and Zephyr will need to tattoo any of them who wish to stay in our world.” He turned to the Shaman. “Roan, I will need you present so you can nullify any who decide to return to their human lives.”

  “What are you going to do if they go to the authorities? You’ve had some of these women for years, right? Are they going to try to have you all arrested for kidnapping them? How can they possibly go back to their lives after being gone so long?” Lola was on one of her rolls where her mind moved so fast she couldn’t stop and let someone else answer even one of her questions. “What are they going to tell their families? That they just went on a really long vacation? That they needed a break because, ‘It’s not you, it’s me’? I mean, seriously. You could all go to jail. They could lock you up for a very, very long time.”

  “What would you have us do, Lola?” Taras leaned forward, his hands clasped tightly in front of him, eyes searching Lola’s face intently. “Do you want us to go against our Creator and keep the females? Do you think they should be contained, so there’s no chance of us being punished for kidnapping them?”

  Lola pressed her fingers to her temple as a headache formed. She didn’t know what needed to happen. Obviously, they couldn’t keep the women against their will. But she didn’t want Callon going to jail. She lifted her eyes to his. Still, he stared at her. The throbbing in her head became unbearable, like fifty elephants dancing on her skull. The surrounding space blurred as the ache moved to just behind her eyes and kept growing stronger. Katy was missing, who knew how many women were being held by ten supernatural kingdoms, and the man she was mated to for life had been involved in the kidnappings. This probably wouldn’t sound nearly as bad if it were the plot of some cheesy paranormal romance book. Because in a book it wouldn’t have actually happened, she mentally chided herself.

  She closed her eyes tightly, trying to block out the bright lights that suddenly felt like jagged knives piercing through her skull. It had been a while since she’d last suffered from a migraine, and she cursed under her breath as she tried to will the pain away.

  “Lola?” She heard Maddie’s voice calling her name from what seemed like a million miles away, but she couldn’t bring herself to open her eyes and respond. Relentless throbbing pulsed, each beat echoing like a drum in her head. A wave of nausea washed over her, and Lola fought the urge to retch, her breathing shallow and uneven.

  Then, suddenly, warmth enveloped her face, and the pain vanished. She gasped and her eyes flew open. The golden eyes that had been five feet away moments ago were now right in front of her as Callon’s large hands cupped her cheeks. His thumbs ran gently across her flesh, causing her to shiver. The electricity in her chest grew until she thought it would burst forth and jump into his.

  “What’s happening?” she whispered.

  “You were in pain,” he said simply. “I fixed it.”

  “You probably don’t remember me mentioning that back in your room.” Roan spoke up. “Your bond allows you to heal one another. Or in this case, it seems, take away the other’s pain.”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the females,” Callon said gruffly. “It’s not something I’m proud of, and you would have run away screaming if I had.”

  “He’s not wrong,” Maddie piped up.

  “But we will do the right thing, and if that means some of us go to the human jail, then so be it,” he continued.

  “No one is going to any jails.” Roan sounded very put out. “We will trust Visata to work out the details of the females who choose to go back to their human lives. I imagine few will. Would you?” He looked pointedly at Maddie, who suddenly found the tops of her shoes very interesting.