No one escaped the dragons.
From the position of a shifter and an Enforcer, I knew we had too much power. Too much freedom. An unpopular opinion, and one I couldn’t vocalize, but it was the truth.
Once, the Fae and shifters had lived side by side. Or, at least, that’s what I understood from the small bits of history I had gathered on my own.
Two decades ago, Mordecai had changed that.
He had power but wanted more. A veritable army of shifters answered to him and they saw the Fae as no more than animals. If Mordecai and Alec treated the Fae like lower class citizens, why wouldn’t the rest of the Nathra shifter population follow their lead?
Mordecai was already powerful—too powerful—and his mind was a dark and twisted place I wanted nothing to do with. I knew firsthand what he was willing to do to innocent Fae for his own sick version of pleasure. And control. The same way he would do anything to keep me in line. A shiver raced up my spine.
Shouts lit up the night. Nevaeh paused her work, moving to stand beside me. She cocked her head, the street lights casting an amber glow across her light brown skin.
“What do you hear?” I asked.
Her ears rounded, sliding upward on her head. My friend halted the transformation right before her face began to lengthen, but whiskers still poked from her cheekbones.
She paused, ears twitching. “That Fae is at The Pit again tonight.”
“Well that’s not unusual.”
“He won.”
My brow pinched. I tugged at the silver ring in my lip. “Who did he fight, the ferret? He never wins.”
“Wolf Man. He shifted. The fight was a forfeit, not an earned win.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“A few shifters didn’t take too kindly to his victory.”
“Of course they didn’t.” I sighed and pushed off the wall, breaking into a jog. My heartbeat rose with each step.
Nevaeh was talking about a very specific Fae, one who couldn’t seem to stay out of trouble. I had found him more than once in the shifter districts, snarling and picking fights. Mostly, he kept to The Pit. His fights were legal and relatively unmonitored. This wasn’t the first time I’d had to chase him out of our territory, though. Probably wouldn’t be the last. I usually circled this alley several times a night. The Pit caused me far more grief than anywhere else in the city.
As often as I could, I spared the Fae from real punishment. He and the rest of his kind didn’t deserve the abuse they suffered. I was an Enforcer, I could do that much. I could stop the shifters.
Still, I had a part to play. If I didn’t perform well, the cost wouldn’t be worth the effort. Mordecai made sure of that. At the very least I would lose my position, which meant my ability to help. At most . . . I tried not to think about that end of the spectrum.
I rounded the corner, cracking my neck and stretching my fingers in front of me, Nevaeh close on my heels.
The scene that met my eyes stopped me cold.
Three shifters had that antagonistic Fae pinned to the ground and were kicking the life from him. I wasn’t even sure he was still conscious. He didn’t so much as flinch when the alpha of the group slammed a steel-toed boot into his side.
I cleared my throat loudly, rolling back my shoulders. “What the hell is going on here?”
Nevaeh straightened her posture to match my own, mimicking my pace as we strode from the shadows. She paused and I passed her, narrowing my eyes on the three shifters. They had stopped their assault the moment I had spoken, but one gripped the Fae’s throat, holding him up for another round of blows.
The alpha cracked a wicked grin in my direction. “We’re teaching this Fae his place.”
“He’s learning a lot while he’s unconscious, huh?” Nevaeh spat. I raised a hand, shooting her a glance. Her jaw snapped shut, fire still glinting in her eyes.
“Do you know who I am?” I kept my voice low, calm. My heart pounded in my ears, though, and I tried to determine the state of the Fae. Blood splattered the ground around him. His face was swollen almost beyond recognition. Thankfully that shock of red hair was one-of-a-kind in this city. But he was so still . . .
“Of course we do. And? You really want us to leave this Fae be?”
“There are laws against Fae brutality,” I said carefully, beginning a slow circle around the group.
“He’s a troublemaker.”
“I don’t care.”
“He took shifter money. He’s a nuisance. We’re doing you a favor.”
“I’m paid to deal with him, am I not?” I snapped. “Leave. Now. Before I report all three of you to the Great Dragon for misplaced Fae aggression.”
The alpha shifter shoved the Fae to the ground. His head bounced off the asphalt. I restrained a wince as he said, “Fine. He’s your problem.”
One of his companions raised a boot to deliver another blow. A small tug pulled at my throat, the smallest of shifts, and I growled. Low, threatening, lethal . . .
Inhuman.
All three shifters eyed me, considering, before they stepped away from the Fae. Muttered curses reached my ears as the men disappeared into The Pit. I hurried to the wounded Fae, sliding a hand to his wrist. His pulse tapped at my fingertips, weak but steady. I released a long breath.
“I have to take him back to the penthouse,” I whispered to Nevaeh. “I’m going to shift. Put him on my back.”
“But Reagan—”
“If I don’t get him out of here, those shifters will kill him. If they don’t, and I leave him, another shifter will. You know that.”
“If you’re caught you’ll be tried for treason. You’re already pushing your luck helping so many this month. If he catches you, Mordecai will kill you
