Chapter Sixty-One

Celina

I take a step back when Randaul gets a solid grip on Damian and slams him into the stair banister. Maybe I no longer need to stall Damian. Randaul is doing a superb job of it. Quickly, I step back again and just avoid Randaul’s claws that just missed Damian’s ducking head.

Leroy and I glance at each other, unsure what to do at this point. They’re going to kill each other on live television, and I’m just going to be standing there like a dumbfound princess. Honestly, after Mara’s unplanned shift, I’m okay with that. Then again, I’d much rather kill both of them.

My answer is made for me when the fight spills into the ballroom. My soldiers break their cover and move in to join the fight. Well, there goes that surprise. Leroy also is forced to join the fight when one of the rogue soldiers starts to move toward Councilwoman Bordaga. She was supposed to exit through the dining room, but I’m guessing she was a little too stunned by the events to move.

I look in just enough time to cover my face before I get slammed by Damian’s flying body. I groan and push him off. “That does it,” I say as I kick at his reaching hand.

I get to my feet and glare at Randaul, “Call your men off and stand down.”

Randaul just laughs at me. “Or what? You’ll force me to submit? You’ll have to use your aura for that, and it won’t only affect me, but everyone else in this room. That very well might get someone killed. Face it, you’re useless without it.”

I growl and take a step forward while my eyes darken. “Do as I command, or you won’t make it to tomorrow.”

“I’d like to see you try,” he tells me and makes a quick swipe of his claws at my face. My face turns to the side while the sharp sting of his nails fuels the growing rage inside of me.

A loud growl escapes me while I take a step forward.

Randaul smirks. “Oh so scary. Are you going to show me your teeth?” He swipes at me again, scratching the other face while I stalk toward him. “Such a pathetic royal. You’ll never be a true Queen of the Beasts Celina. You’ll forever be an insignificant Alpha Princess.”

He moves to strike me again, but I catch his wrist. My hand shifts into a claw while I punch through his chest. Randaul’s eyes widen while I grab his heart. “I’m the fucking Queen of the Beasts, and you’re less than nothing.” I squeeze his heart; feeling it rupturing in my hand like a rotten apple.

Randaul drops to the ground, his eyes fading out while every single one of his soldiers stiffens and turns to look at me.

“Would anyone else like to dispute my reign?” I say while Damian’s men take advantage of their shocked state and move in to kill them.

My men don’t even so much as flinch, and continue on their fight while I turn to Damian. “How about you?”

He sits up on the stairs and grins appraisingly at me. “I’ve never wanted to make my claim on you more.” He gets to his feet. “I see Mara has shifted. Sephtis can’t stop howling and panting. She’s magnificent.”

“She’s not impressed,” I tell him as I look at the blood on my hands. Looks like I just needed a rest. “Sephtis is weaker than her.”

Damian’s eyes flash dark and gets to his feet. “I’d be careful about pissing him off Celina. He’s just itching to show Mara who the boss really is.”

“She wasn’t the one that was a rag doll a few moments ago,” I tell him with a bored note. I motion around him. “And we’re not the ones struggling to stay standing.”

His eyes go dark and his canines begin to grow. “You won’t be standing much longer.”

I flash him a daring smile, “Is that so?”

Damian takes a step toward me as he begins to shift. “You’re mine Celina, and I’m going to make you realize it by the time this is over.”

“Promises promises,” I tell him with a coy smile. “You’ll be dead when it’s over.”

I take a step and shift, making him take a hesitant step backward. Fur sprouts on my arms while my claws grow intensely long. Damian growls and launches into his attack. I sidestep and grab his waist, tossing him on the ground while my claws dig into his shoulder blade. I swipe at his back when he attempts to kick me. Digging my nails in further I toss him over my shoulder and send him sailing into the hard oak doors.

Damian hits it hard and runs at me. I meet him while his men and mine freeze. My claws dig into his arms while his buries into my waist. His teeth lock onto my neck while I clamp onto his neck. I swing backward and throw him behind me while I land on my back.

Quickly I roll and charge at him. He’s recovered by the time I get to him and he’s on his feet. I tackle him hard and swing throw him to avoid his claws from going into my back. I swipe when we separate and my claws slice through his skin like melted butter.

He grabs his bleeding stomach and takes a step back. “When did you shift?” He pants.

“Last night,” I say with a grin in my voice before charging him once more. I swipe at his throat, my claws grazing his skin when he drops to his knees in an attempt to dodge.

“And Mara,” he demands as he rolls to avoid me once more.

“Last night.”

“But you shifted last night,” he pants when he gets to his feet and takes a step back.

“We did it together,” I inform him when I take another step forward. “You and Sephtis can die together if it makes you feel better.”

“How about you two go down together?” he chuckles darkly, and I know that Sephtis has taken over. “He may have a hard time hurting you, but I don’t.”

Sephtis moves faster than I can comprehend and smacks me into a wall; just after I clip the edge of a table. I cry out when I feel several ribs break and Mara growls. I get to my feet and dodge a fist where I had just been.

My fist slams into his face while his claws go into my stomach, making me gasp in pain.

Sephtis grins triumphantly at me, “You know a freshly shifted lycan is weak for quite some time afterward. Even your speed hasn’t come in yet.”

I chuckle and stab my hand into his chest; piercing a lung. “You don’t need speed when you’re dealing with a cocky asshole.”

His eyes widen while he gasps for breath. “True, but if I move my hand you’ll likely die. You’re too weak to heal.”

“So are you,” I tell him then grin darkly, “and I’m not scared to die.”I punch his face with my free hand, knocking him to the ground. I kick him, launching him into a grand window and shattering the pane.

He drops the to ground while he howls in agony. I walk up to him with my hands just itching to tear through his throat. “Ce-Celina,” he gasps, grabbing his chest, “please don’t.”

“Alright, I’ll give you the same amount of mercy as you showed your victims. I’ll make it quick.” I bend down while Mara growls through my lips. I raise my hand to deal the final blow, and as if it’s in slow motion, I feel his claws pierce my thighs while he growls and makes a desperate swipe at my face.

Quickly, I catch his wrist while I cry out in agony. I feel the exact moment he retracts his claws from my thighs and swipes at my chest. I roar in pain and snap his wrist when I squeeze too tightly. Desperately, Damian swipes at his elbow, cutting off his arm before scurrying out the window.

“Get your cowardly ass back here,” I yell at him, dropping his arm to the ground. Immediately smoke starts filling the room at that point. It’s not toxic, but I can hear several of my men beginning to cry out for help. Damian must have signaled a retreat.

I scream in frustration and race to help my men crying out for help. I hear Chris barking orders and Ruben’s lycan voice taunting the ones that face him. I use those for guidance while I wade through the sea of smoke. Once I’m in the room, I quickly follow the orders being given; using Chris as another set of eyes.

My claws swipe faster than I thought possible while Mara and I fume over our escaped coward. I’ve never seen a lycan willing to part with a body part to flee. Does he know that he’s not getting that back if he survives the blood loss and his punctured lung? I can’t believe that piece of trash would do that to himself. It wasn’t even his human self. It was Sephtis. His beast looked into the eyes of his death and cowed. And he calls himself a beast.

By the time the smoke has settled, the bodies of Damian’s men litter the floor. I look around and relax my shift, shifting back to my human form while I inspect the damage. My decorations are mostly destroyed, the tile may be permanently red, and the walls are littered with claw marks and holes. Outside isn’t much different.

My eyes land on Chris, who is staring at me open-mouthed. I give him a winning smile while I touch my still-bleeding stomach to make sure nothing has spilled out. His clothes are destroyed, his teeth show their canines, and his claws are out.

When he sees that I’m standing he races over to me and wraps me into a hug, spinning me around while he kisses me so passionately that it makes me light-headed by the time he puts me on the ground. He takes off his tattered jacket at that point and wraps me up in it.

“You shifted,” he tells me proudly while he looks me over. “How?”

“I guess that since I shifted yesterday, and rested this morning, I had enough energy to do so.” I stand on my tip toes and kiss him again. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

He pulls me into a tight embrace. “I’m glad you’re okay. I don’t know how you managed a shift, but I’m proud of you.”

“Danny,” a soft voice says, interrupting us. We turn our heads to see Emma looking at us. Her usually up hair is down and her curls are sticky from blood. Still, her waist-long hair covers her naked body while she looks between Chris and me. “Danny marked you when you first met. He wasn’t alive long enough to put you into heat, but your body was still marked by a lycan. It’s been prepared for this for quite a while. When Rajin first marked Mara, she started going through the change that had been lying dormant in her for years. Your body didn’t start until Chris marked you. When it started preparing, it blocked your shift. Your adrenaline combined with your beast’s sense of fear and urgency, likely overrode your fatigued system and allowed you to shift.”

I just shake my head and look back to Chris, “I guess it’s a theory worth looking into.”