Page 31 of Bad Moon Rising
“If I said yes, would you release all of us from the curse?” He blew another large smoke exhale before he glared, allowing more of his glamour to wear off. This allowed his inner predator vibe to radiate. He still looked the same externally, since he wasn’t transforming to primal form, but he exuded the aura of something humans innately feared.
“No.” Francis’s eyes widened, and his hands shook. He cleared his throat. “There are three of you active. Where’s the missing one? Records show there are supposed to be four of you in my army. Was the fourth one executed when he disobeyed?”
“Wouldn’t that be in your records, too?” Roman squinted at Gerard. “Did you tell him anything?”
Gerard shrugged. “He was in a hurry and not interested in anything I had to say.”
“Where the hell is he?” The king hit the sides of his chair like a spoiled child.
“Let’s get a few facts straight. We arenotyour army. We don’t go into battles and fight. We don’t fight humans or hurt innocents.Thatis part of the contract. Your mother might’ve forced us into this subjugation, but we’re not your soldiers. We locate and eliminate inhuman terrorists. And the things that go bump in the night, which no human can handle.”
“Did the curse kill the one of you when he went rogue?”
“My youngest brother died to keep your country safe. He wasn’t a traitor. He did every fucking thing your predecessor asked of him, and in exchange, he got possessed by a demon who drove him out of his mind, even after we exorcised it. And suicided himself to eliminate something horrifying.”
“That sounds like bullshit.”
Roman leaned forward and lowered his voice to a growl. “Never smear the memory of my brother. He gave his life so you could live your pampered, miserable existence.” He couldn’t hurt or touch the monarch, but nothing about the curse forced him to be nice.
For a split-second, the young ruler paused as if considering the words. He crossed his arms. “He failed his mission and died?”
“We never fail.”
“Where are the other two? The living ones?”
“You only called one of us to come in.”
“Gerard? Explain,” the king demanded.
“You only need this one.”
Roman hated being objectified like he was a thing without feelings to be used.
“Fine. Gerard has information on a woman I want you to take care of.”
“Does this girl threaten you or someone in your family?”
“Just do the job.” The king rose.
“Why not ask MI6 to take care of it? We don’t hunt humans.” He didn’t know for sure it was Nova, but…okay, his gut knew it was her. Did the king know Nova was a lycan? “We’re not assassins.”
“You’re supposed to follow orders. That’s how this works, right? Bound for all the days you walk the earth or something like that?”
“That’snothow it works. We fight non-human threats.” Roman rubbed his wrist as he met Gerard’s gaze, who for the first time looked a smidge apologetic.
He was done with this curse. Hated it and the monarchs.
He despised being ordered around by assholes like this at will. And he’d come to loathe chasing down supernatural threats. Was he good at it? Yes. That didn’t make him like it.
The issue he’d realized over time was not all tasks were delineated in clear right and wrong. Too many years. So much death. Too many brushes with unknown evils. It weighed heavily on all of them.
“Gerard can fill you in,” the king said.
“What did she do to you? Why is she a threat to you or your family?”
The king’s gaze dropped to the gas fire, the first sign of insecurity over his order since he’d entered.
“I don’t have to explain myself to you.”
