Repairer of the Breach (Stones of Fire Book 4) by Sarah Ashwood (reading eggs books .TXT) 📗

kind of thing you’d want to have on your side during an attack by wild animals, Candace thought, half-amused at the ludicrousness of the situation, despite her fear. Teeth and claws wouldn’t rip him up like they would human flesh.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sean Costas, who had transformed into a massive, upright bull-man, flash back into human form. Candace blinked. Personally, if she had the ability to take on another shape that could fend off a pack of monster cats, she would’ve stayed in it. Then again, these shapeshifters could transform in less than the blink of an eye, so he probably figured he’d have time to switch back, should the need arise.

“What is this, Nosizwe?” he asked, folding his arms once more across his chest. If he was afraid, he was doing a good job hiding it. “Do you think you’re going to scare me into submission by bringing your kitties out to play? I’ve faced far more intimidating situations than this over the course of the last few decades, I can assure you.”

Elia raised her chin, her many braids sliding around her shoulder, the beads woven into her hair clinking against each other.

“Have you, though?” she smirked. She beckoned with her hand. A man stepped forward, coming up next to her.

Candace blinked in recognition. The bartender. From the Chesterfield Country Club. The one Candace had spoken with the night Elia kidnapped Ellie and forced Ballis into sacrificing himself for her. The one she’d flirted with. She felt like an idiot now. Of course, the bartender working a party for all these shapeshifters would be a shapeshifter himself. She should have known.

No time for self-recrimination. Candace doubted the guy remembered her or cared. He stood beside Elia, the light gleaming on his ebony skin, a shade darker than the entertainer’s. There was no denying he was a handsome man, with his tall, muscular frame, his hair cut close to his scalp, and a well-trimmed beard circling his mouth and chin. A thin gold chain around his neck glinted wickedly in the headlights.

Why was he here, though? Even as her brain processed the recognition, along with a strange pang of disappointment, Nosizwe—Elia—continued speaking, answering her own question.

“Do you know who this is, Sean?”

Costas looked decidedly unimpressed.

“A shifter, I presume.”

“You’d presume right,” the entertainer replied. “This is Adeola. A name denoting royalty. Adeola is a Nunda. You’ve heard of a Nunda, right, Sean?”

Candace tore her gaze from Adeola to Costas. He flinched. Elia caught it too.

“That’s right,” she said, almost gleefully. “He controls these animals, Sean. Look around you. We have an army. All Adeola has to do is give the signal. You may be able to defend yourself against some of them. With the help of your Talos, you might even get out alive. However, your Talos is going to be torn between protecting you and protecting that girl. Who do you think he’ll choose?”

Now Candace cut her gaze towards Ballis and his wife. Still clothed in bronze flesh, his smooth face was unreadable. Nosizwe had a point. He was the best bet for getting Sean out alive, should there be an attack. However, could he possibly get both Sean and Ellie out? If it came down to it, who would he protect? His boss, or the woman he loved?

Nosizwe went on. “All I have to do is give the signal, Sean. You’ll face a war from both Adeola’s animals and us. I think you know it’s a war you can’t win, not with the numbers you have here.”

“You always were a lowdown treacherous snake,” Costas snarled. “I thought we agreed to an equal number of reinforcements.”

“We agreed to an equal number of shifters,” Elia smirked. “I kept my end of the bargain. These animals aren’t shifters.”

“No, they’re only controlled by one.”

“It’s still fair,” the entertainer shrugged.

“Not hardly.”

Ignoring that, Elia challenged, “What will it be, Sean? You agree to give up all rights to the Stones, forever, to me. You agree to back down from your position. You hand control of your gang, your people, to me. All of them. Including him.” She nodded at Ballis. “I know the blood didn’t work this time, but we’ll keep at it. I want him. I want his blood when the time comes that I need it.”

Costas appeared unmoved, still standing there stone-faced, arms folded over his chest.

“And what am I supposed to gain in return?”

“In return, we allow you to keep control of your other enterprises. No interference from me or my people, not even the ones who used to be yours. You’ll still have an empire, Sean. It’ll simply be a human one. You’re out of the shifter world.”

“Don’t forget…” Ciara Costas interrupted.

“Oh, yes, one more thing,” Elia tacked on. “Ciara wants her divorce. No contest. I won’t bother with the legal ramifications. I believe you and she had a prenup, so that’s up to your lawyers to battle out. However, she wants her divorce, her red cap, and full custody of her son.”

Candace saw the mob boss’s steely gaze flash. “That’s never going to happen.”

He sounded like he was speaking through clenched teeth. He probably was. Anger was rolling off him in waves. Elia seemed to be genuinely enjoying the moment. Around the two shapeshifter leaders, the tension had ratcheted up. Even the animals sensed it. Candace heard a few low growls from the gathered assembly of big cats. Fresh shivers snaked down her spine and she looked at Adeola. He stood there, tall, strong, confident, but how long could he really hold back a bunch of wild beasts? Could he truly control them?

The detective’s finger caressed the trigger of her Glock, but she restrained the urge to shoot both Elia and Sean Costas, putting an end to their quarrel. She wasn’t a murderer. She wasn’t like them, unfortunately. Which meant she’d have to see how this thing played out, thereby putting her own life at risk.

“Never? You do see what you’re facing here.” Elia