Compelled (Shadow Beast Shifters Book 5)

The crowd was dead silent as they observed me and my animal contingency. “These creatures are not dangerous,” I said without preamble, ignoring gasps and shocked looks. “Killing them as part of a selection is disgraceful. I demand you release them right now.”

Donovan stepped forward, and I really hadn’t missed seeing his face. “Excuse me? Who are you to demand anything from us?”

I let my wolf break the surface, my face shifting so canines and fangs appeared together. “I’m a hybrid shifter-vampire, and I will not stand by and allow you to harm creatures for your own damn amusement.”

Before Donovan could respond, a battle cry rang out from behind me, and I turned to see a selected female charging for the animals near the back of my pack. She held her sword high and clearly thought she’d hit pay dirt with this many creatures standing harmlessly in a group. When would these fuckers learn that there was no victory in hurting those weaker than you?

With a snarl, I swung around, and Bowley rolled off my arm. It zipped through the creatures, turning much larger when it had a clear run to crash into that dumb bitch. Her sword went flying as she landed hard.

She got back to her feet in a flash, and I stepped forward, snarls ripping from my chest. “Don’t even think about it,” I got out. “Bowley will kill you, and it will be your own fault.” I waved my hands toward all the creatures. “They’re under my protection.”

Her eyes were black as she shot me the darkest look I’d ever seen from another selected, but she took my warning seriously, grabbing her sword and returning to the building.

Spinning back to face the masters, I waited for Bowley to zip over, lowering my arm so it could spin up it. When it was safely situated, I took a step forward. Behind me, all of the creatures followed, and at no point did I worry that they were all at my exposed back.

My wolf and I were treating them like pack members.

“These creatures cannot leave this area alive,” Donovan said, crossing his arms over his chest and stretching his blue jacket out to give the appearance of more muscles than he actually had. “They always return to Crimson City.”

“Let’s trial them leaving this time,” I said firmly, not wanting to antagonize him and risk the chance of freeing the animals.

“How in vampire gods is she controlling the creatures?” someone shouted from back in the crowd. “Is she magic?”

“Has to be the Shadow Beast,” someone else said as chatter exploded.

Ignoring them, I turned toward Lucien, grateful to see that Carter was no longer near him. Lucien crooked one finger at me, and I found myself stepping forward, my army behind me. Most of the vamps near the fence gasped and jumped back, but Lucien didn’t even blink an eye, looking far too pleased with himself as he drew me forward.

“What are you trying to prove here, Baby Bee?” he drawled. “Just how far you can push the masters before they crack?”

I smirked in return. “I’m not starting a war, you know that, but it seems I might be starting a revolution.”

He leaned in closer, and I didn’t like how near his face was to the spikes. “War and revolution are often the same thing.”

I shrugged. “Maybe, but I like the sound of a revolution better.”

He chuckled, and I felt my spirits lift. “Open the gates and let her out,” he called to the masters, eyes remaining on me. “We can take the creatures on if needed, and why not give Simone a chance. I’d prefer a mate who chooses to use discretion in killing. Makes me less inclined to sleep with one eye open after pissing her off.”

Some laughter finally filled the area, dispelling a fraction of the tension. Master Donovan looked like he wanted to argue, but I had the feeling that he also wouldn’t. It might make him appear afraid of the creatures. And fear was weakness.

“If this goes wrong, it’s on you,” he snapped at Lucien, before waving his hands toward the gates.

They opened immediately, and I waited until they stopped moving before I stepped forward. The crowds pushed away from the opening, leaving us a very clear exit path.

Moving slowly, since the vamps were on edge, I exited the warehouse structure. No one approached us and none of the creatures left my path, following with so much trust that the strong sense of having a pack threatened to pull me under.

Somehow, I’d fallen into this role of champion of Valdor’s animals, first with Bowley and now this random array of creatures. Could it be my hybrid nature that called to them? I wanted to discuss it with Lucien, but for now he was keeping his distance, moving ahead of me as I left the warehouse. “I’ll lead you out of the city,” he told me.

I nodded, and our pace picked up as we moved away from the vampires and into the streets. There, Lucien paused and waited for me to reach him, and then he took my hand. “Ready to go fast?” he said.

I looked back at my creatures, coming near face to face with the bear-cat. “Can they keep up?”

He nodded. “Oh yeah. Everything in this world has super speed.”

Lucien took off, and I expected him to scoop me up and take me along, but before he could, I found myself keeping pace with him. What in the worlds?

“Bee,” he rumbled, head turned toward me as we moved. “You’re moving like a vampire.”

“I know,” I gasped. “It’s your blood.”

The exchange of blood was doing its job, turning me into a true hybrid.

Lucien picked up his pace, then, until I couldn’t quite keep up, but it was still the closest I’d ever come to vampire speed. And since my wolf felt strong too, there was no sense of loss like I was sacrificing one side to have the other.

Thank the gods for that.

Lots of vampires in the streets gasped and jumped out of the way as we raced by, no doubt freaked by the creatures on our tail, but none of the denizens of Crimson attacked.

When we arrived in the outskirts of the city, with its golden plains and forests off in the distance, Lucien slowed. “They can find territory from here,” he said. “This is their test to see if they take this freedom or head back into the city. I’ve long reasoned that it’s the vampires calling them back, either to feed or for sport. Let’s see if this time, without their influence, the creatures return.”

My gut was telling me they wouldn’t.

Shaking out my limbs from the tingling sensation of moving so fast, I turned to face the creatures. “There’re so many,” I gasped as even more arrived. “I didn’t have this many behind me back in the industrial area.”

“You did,” Lucien said, surprising me. “While you were talking to the masters, they were still sliding out of the shadows. I would estimate that by the end, you had every single imprisoned creature with you.”

The relief of that almost knocked me down. I’d been worrying about those left behind and in the hands of those selected females. Bitches be vicious when some vamp cock was up for grabs.

“You need to go,” I called to the gathered beasts. “Take your freedom and don’t come back to the city. The vampires will destroy you if you do.”

A lot of growls and roars and howls rose from the group, and I realized it was the first time they’d made any significant noise.

I loved it.

Tilting my head back, I howled with them, the spirit of my beast rising inside of me and performing a partial shift to better facilitate the sound. Lucien watched from nearby, and when my howl died off, his eyes blazed. “You burn brighter than any star I’ve ever seen. One day I’d like to kill your parents for ever making you believe that you were less. There’s nothing less about you, Simone Lewison. Not now and not before.”

Somehow, I didn’t fall down in a heap of tears at his words.

Lucien wasn’t the sort of being to give false flattery, so what he’d just said meant more than any other compliment I’d ever been given. Words were usually used as weapons against me, not as gifts.

Especially since, unlike with my parents, Lucien’s words were backed up with actions.

Actions that showed he cared for me and considered my feelings.

If he kept this up, there was no way I could walk away from him.

The gods would have to destroy me first.