Page 21 of Poison Sun

“It’s nice to meet you.” I hold her gaze, and she stares straight into my eyes, as if daring me to back down.

I don’t.

I’m aware enough of shifter protocol to know to not submit.

“Very well.” She steps aside, revealing a warm, inviting foyer that speaks of generations of wealth. “Follow me to my office. Jax and Autumn are there as well.”

Both names are familiar to me, although I only know the little Damien shared about them. Mainly, that Jax was the alpha of the Pine Valley pack until his grandson, Connor, took his place.

Connor is Ruby’s fated mate.

Autumn is Jax’s fated mate. She’s also Connor’s ex-girlfriend.

The whole situation is so twisted that it’s no wonder Jax and Autumn moved here from Pine Valley to serve as Guardians in the city.

I’m lost in thought as Maria leads us into her small, but cozy, office. The walls are lined with shelves filled with books and weapons, and a large, wooden desk sits in the center of the room, with Jax and Autumn standing in front of it.

Even though Jax has a grandson, he looks like he’s in his upper thirties, thanks to the fact that shifters age far slower than humans. He’s muscular and broad, his presence filling the room, as one would expect from an alpha wolf.

Autumn is just as striking, with long, light red hair and eyes so sharp that it’s like they’re drilling into your bones.

“Damien,” Jax nearly growls his name.

“Jax.” Damien nods to him, as composed as ever. “Your grandson is excelling at his role as alpha.”

Jax bristles, saying nothing.

Autumn reaches for his arm and brushes her fingers against his skin, as if she’s stopping him from doing something he’ll regret.

“This is Amber,” Maria breaks in, although it far from helps ease the tension. “Star touched by the sun goddess, Sunneva.”

“Show us,” Jax says simply.

“Show you what?” I ask.

“Your magic.”

It’s some sort of alpha challenge.

And, luckily enough, I recharged enough this morning to accept it.

So, I take a deep breath, dig inside myself, and reach for my magic. As always recently, I have to push through the filmy surface of the potion, but the magic is there.

Holding Jax’s gaze, I turn my palms up to the ceiling and create a glowing orb in each of them, like miniature suns. They pulse with energy, casting shadows around the office, and I make them so bright that the others have to squint their eyes to see.

Jax looks like he wants to bring out his claws and swipe them to the floor.

Luckily, Maria steps in before he can act.

“Thank you for your demonstration,” she says to me, and I take the cue to pull my magic back in. She nods approvingly, moves to sit on the chair behind the desk, and turns her attention to Damien. “What brings you here today?”

“I’m glad you asked,” Damien says, and then he tells her everything about Lucas, Viktor, the shadow souls, and finally, the potion.

The shifters say nothing as he speaks, absorbing each word.

“We need to take out Lucas and his downtown clans before they can gather enough force to overpower the city,” he eventually concludes.

Maria glances at one of the weapons in the shelves—a stone arrowhead—deep in thought. “An interesting proposal,” she finally says, turning back to Damien. “Please step out—both of you—so I can speak with Jax and Autumn in private.”

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