Page 69 of Shifting Fate
Arias
“So.” Tristram propped his hip against the doorframe, leaning on it with one elbow. I sat at the table, scarfing down some leftovers that Remy had sent home with me. He’d handed me the plastic container of country-fried chicken and mashed potatoes with a wink, saying it was our little secret.
“So…” I wiped gravy off my cheek with a napkin.
“You already know what’s coming,” he said around a chuckle.
I sighed, because I did. “You’re wondering if I’ve made up my mind yet, about being your second.”
“Officially,” he added. “Being my second,officially. You do realize you practically are already, right?”
“I don’t know.” I ran a hand through my hair, turning in my seat to face him. My Alpha smiled back at me knowingly. Trusting that I’d do the right thing, and damn it, I didn’t want to let him down.
“What are you afraid of?” he asked. “Do you really think I’d ask if I thought for even a moment you’d fuck up somehow? Arias, I trust you with mylife.Your wolf might be snappy and reactive, but he is loyal to a fault. He would never let you hurt me, or anyone else in this pack, for that matter. I want you at my side, where you belong. This partnership is important to me, as an Alpha, and as a friend.”
I nodded. “I know. You’re right. I guess I am a little scared.”
“We all have to face our fears sooner or later, and I’d say the cusp of an apocalypse is the perfect time.” Tristram softened. “Look what happened with Dallon. You swore you’d never trust him, but you opened up your heart and now?”
His smile was kind. “He is your entire world. I don’t need eyes to see the feelings you have for him. You radiate with happiness whenever you’re near him. He calms your wolf and, if you ask me? I think you calm his too.”
“I—” I was cut off by my phone, which rang loudly in the quiet between us. I blinked and stared at the screen a moment, then quickly swiped to answer. “Hey, Dal. What’s up?”
“Where are you?” My mate’s voice was pinched, which immediately had my hackles rising. I sat up straight in my seat and gripped the phone a little tighter.
“At home? Why? What’s going on?”
I heard voices in the background and the drone of the television. “Turn on the TV,” Dallon instructed.
“Okay, one second.” I speed-walked into the living room and reached for the remote. I punched the power button, flipping through the local channels until I settled on the news. My stomach knotted into a tight ball, because I knew. I justknew.
There was a flashing red warning across the bottom of the screen as two very-human newscasters recounted what was the “gruesome slaughter” of twenty-seven people late last night in Branton Bay.
“It was an absolute bloodbath,” one of the witnesses said. Her face was red and swollen from crying. “T-This monster just came out of nowhere and started killing people. Shredding them. There was so much blood…”
“It wasn’t alone, neither,” recalled another. “I saw these people with what looked like beaks. Beaks! It was dark, so I couldn’t really tell, but I think one of ‘em had a scythe? Like the goddamn Grim Reaper. Nobody else seemed to see ‘em but they were there, I swear on my Mum’s grave.”
Dreadhunters.
My heart sank, but that wasn’t the only onslaught against the humans, it seemed. Two more attacks were reported in a hundred mile radius from the first, around the same exact time.
“You saw it, correct, sir?” A stocky brunet reporter held out his microphone to a man in a business suit. The man’s gray tie was askew and his face was ashen. “The attack that happened early this morning?”
“I saw it,” the man replied, eerily calm. “I was getting ready for work and kept hearing noises, but I figured it was just another raccoon getting into the garbage bins. A car alarm went off, then someone started screaming. Terrified screams. I stepped outside to see what was going on and I saw this…thing. This massive thing. It was too big to be a wolf, way too big.”
“What happened then?”
The man swiped a hand over his face, like he couldn’t quite believe it. “The monster attacked the neighbors that lived down the street, a few houses down from mine. The woman managed to lock herself in her car. I called the cops, but before they could show up, these three men came out of nowhere and they…changed? I watched it happen. You’re not gonna believe this, but they turned into animals and attacked the monster, drew it away from our neighborhood.” He gave his head a small shake. “By the time the cops arrived, they were gone. I’m still not sure it’s real. It’s like something out of the Twilight Zone, for sure.”
“Definitely eerie,” agreed the reporter. “Back to you, Amy.”
“Thanks, Tom,” Amy said, staring grim-faced into the camera. “These are only a few of the accounts from the attacks last night. Beasts are roaming our streets, beasts that seem to be able to pass as human beings? What does this mean for us? It means that anyone could be a monster. Anyone. Your teacher, your barista, even your next-door neighbor.”
“This definitely seems like ahairysituation, Amy,” the other newscaster said, offering a shaky smile. “Pardon the pun. Anything you can tell our viewers at home?”
“Be vigilant,” she said. “Don’t trust anyone. Keep your doors and windows locked. If you see anything out of the ordinary, call your local authorities and let them handle it. Donotengage these creatures. I urge you to keep yourselves and your families safe, and stay tuned in to your local news, as we’ll have more information on the hour.”
“You heard it here first, folks. Be safe out there.”
