Page 57 of That Mafioso Magic
I released her chin and scoffed. “When have you ever known me to lose myself around a pretty face and beautiful, luscious ass?”
She laughed. “Never.” Her laughter faded and her expression grew serious again; a tight jaw, lips drawn straight, and furrowed brow. “And that’s what has me concerned. What did that book do to you? What if that was all a part of a spell?”
“Spell or destiny or both. It brought me to my mate, Shi. Never have I felt so complete as I do when he’s in my arms.”
“Did you claim him yet?”
I shook my head. “I… I can’t mark him yet. Not until I know that he feels as I do. If ever he wanted to become a shifter, I need to know what my bite would do to him. I might not even be able to turn him. The magic mages are born with sort of protects them from that. But who knows what I can do? What I am has never been before. I need to talk to Salino. I also need to experiment and test my abilities.”
“You need to have some defense against him. I don’t like that he can control you.”
“Neither do I. That’s why that book is so important. And Adrian is right, powerful spells have prices to pay. To save my life, we asked the ether world for a huge favor. Magic doesn’t come free. That is something we all know. Our kind, vampires, and griezels are all products of prices paid. Besides…” I trailed off and held my hands out before me, flexing my fists. “I think I like this new thing that’s happened to me. Feeding on blood was amazing. Sure, it’s always been a tasty flavor, but as a vampire… it was an experience: physical, mental, and emotional. I can understand why vampires tend to be gluttons.”
“Gross,” Shi remarked.
I laughed. “My dick was hard as hell when I killed that asshole last night.”
“He looked like he enjoyed dying too.”
I pursed my lips. “Think I’m a pleasure feeder?”
She shrugged. “I’m not volunteering to find out.”
I laughed because she wasn’t the type to be that adventurous. Nadia was. “Fair enough.”
Shi took a step back and looked me up and down. “You need to shift, my king.”
“Right you are,” I said, then removed my robe. I wasn’t shy about my nakedness. Being a shifter, being naked was damn near a natural state for us. Shi and all of my pride had seen me naked countless times and vice versa. I flexed my shoulders and cracked my neck to loosen up my muscles. A part of me was a little nervous to do this, because what if I couldn’t shift into my lion counterpart? That would almost be a price too high to pay. I’d been a shifter my entire life, it was as much a part of me as the color of my skin. It defined me.
“You can do this,” Shi encouraged.
I closed my eyes to concentrate, then began to force the change. The first thing I felt was the pain, excruciating as always, but I welcomed it because it meant I could still shift. I growled as my bones splintered and broke, then reformed to suit my animal. Nails turned into claws as fingers and toes turned into pads. I could feel my fur growing from my pores, ticking the surface of my skin. My mouth filled with sharp teeth meant for hunting and killing. I shook myself out, head to tail, once the transformation was complete.
“My god, you are beautiful, Sage. Your mane… it’s black now and you’re bigger, too,” she said.
I walked over to a mirror that was in the hallway, one I would often check myself out in before I left the house just to make sure I looked at good as I felt. I sniffed and snorted at my reflection, because she was right. I was at least a foot taller and wider than I was before, and my once golden mane was now jet black. I wondered if that was a sign of how the magic made me stronger, or was it because I was part vampire now? In any case, it was a change I liked. I was still powerfully built, but my teeth did seem sharper, claws too, and my claws were as black as my mane.
Shi came up beside me and rubbed my head. With my new height, I was coming up to her chest, my eyes in line with her tits. “This is reassuring, Sage. My king.”
I lowered myself close the floor to begin my transformation back into my human form.
“Wait!” Shi said. “Test your skills. Run.”
Okay, she was right. My home was spacious, but I felt like to really get a handle on my skills, I would need space. Going to my mansion in the woods would be the best place. I owned two hundred acres of land out there. The estate we traveled to when it was time for my pride to give in to the call of the full moon. Or I’d go there when I wanted to be alone. Still, I did a quick test and ran to my bedroom and back. There was some slipping and sliding, but I was faster, that much I could tell. Again, I didn’t know if it was because of the magical upgrade I had received or the vampire blood.
“That was pretty cool. Any lion king that dared to challenge you would have to think twice,” Shi said, smiling.
Oh, no doubt, and if they tried, I’d make them pay for pissing me off. Learning I could transform into a lion was a big deal and put my mind at ease. Now, I needed to speak with Salino face-to-face without any distractions. I needed to know what he wanted from me. Again, I lowered myself to the floor and began my change. It hurt like it always did, but decades of going through the change, you just got used to it. Once I was back in my human form, I did note that it took me less time than normal to adjust. That was an advantage.
I rose to my feet and looked at Shi. “That was exhilarating.”
“And you look even more badass,” she said.
I smiled at that. “Where is Nadia?”
“She’s taking care of a little business. There was a problem at the Casino.”
“Oh, which one?”
