Contrary to popular belief and plan–and it wasn’t like Jinki had his head on straight after his conversation with Jaekyung anyways–Jonghyun, Kibum and his mate had not spent the afternoon exploring Durkhai. Rather, they’d gone down to the cave grotto. A natural spring ran unground from the river that split Prae in half, north and west was a popular spot on the outskirts of Durkhai for people to visit, especially in the summer.  He rode Eclipse to the edge of the grotto. As he dismounted, he noticed Kibum and Jonghyun lounging at the entrance on a high rock. He strode past them after a quick lazy salute from Jonghyun and continued deeper into the grotto looking for his mate. When he found them, Minho was in the company of two of the Black Flame, who he recognized as Junghee and Gwiboon.

It looked like they were running through a kata of some sort, relaxed and graceful. He watched them, entranced by the serenity of their movements and combined with the beautiful scenery it made the sight divine and peaceful. He was proven wrong a moment later when Gwiboon rotated on her next step and swung at Minho. Jinki almost cried out, feeling Caleo’s power welling up in him.

It was unnecessary. Minho blocked the punch using the same graceful arm movement he’d demonstrated earlier in the kata. He followed with another block when Junghee tried her own attack.

Junghee staggered back and paused before a face splitting grin took over her face. “Yes! Yes! Just like that! That’s was brilliant, Minho!”

Minho stood to his full height and pushed the hair from his sweaty forehead. “I think I finally get it.”

He studied the two Black Flame members. Earlier, as he greeted them for the first time in the fields that preceded Durkhai, he had expected something different. Based on reputation, most would think Black Flame would be these hawking, formidable, mean looking warriors from one of Prae’s toughest villages. But looking at them now, they were well, rather…small.

This is what Hwasa sent me to hold the lines in Durkhai?!

You? Judging by size? Ha! The highest ranking member of your Bone Pack is a munckin!

Jinki sputtered internally. He is not that small!

He’s a shrimp! But…he is one of the best fighters and the most fearsome soldiers you know.

Jinki grumbled. Caleo was right and he tried not to let his dismay show on his face. Among the Black Flame was a top performing selection of soldiers called Torch. The Captain of Torch was a slim woman named Junghee. She had a sharp jawline and hard cutting eyes but at the same time soft like a puppy’s and when she smiled, her face lit up. She talked fast when she was excited but in a way where you were able to catch most of what she was saying. Gwiboon was the secondary leader, and if he thought Junghee had cutting eyes, Gwiboon’s were like the sharpest blade in existence. She had a sassy turn of her lip, and was quick to counter anything she deemed foolish to come out of Junghee’s mouth.

Finishing out the highest ranking in the group of seventy were, Solar, Moonbyul and Wheein. They were all little and all female. Jonghyun stood beside him as they made introductions, his pride evident in his smile. “They kick so hard, Jinki.”

“They are still so tiny. I kind of want to just hug them all and tuck them away? That’s wrong of me to say, isn’t it?”

“The only place size matters is in the bedroom, not in a war. Trust me, trust Yixing, trust Hwasa. These women will not fail you. I would actually assign one of these to Minho’s side. Most of them serve as bodyguards to the aristocrats in Dinfire and there are a lot of them. Junghee and Gwiboon are my mother’s personal favorites. Maybe because Gwiboon reminds her of Kibum. They are both equally as annoying.”

“I’ll consider it.”

Jinki climbed up on to the rock plateau they were fighting on. “What form of martial arts is that?”

Both Junghee and Gwiboon jumped with a yelp. Minho rolled his eyes at his sudden appearance and Jinki had a feeling that Onew had already alerted him that Jinki was watching to begin with.

“Uh,” Junghee tried, trying to get her wits about her, “it’s called Tai Chi, my lord. They teach it in Dinfire as a way to cool down after a particularly brutal sparring match, but we’ve all found it to be good for defensive training as well. Something our Alpha, Hwasa, introduced when she was a Torch member.”

“We thought we should teach it to Minho. He told us he was versed enough in fighting to defend himself and other than that he only knew how to use his weapon, a bow and arrow, which is fine and admirable, but when a knife is at your neck, a quick withdraw and push goes a long way to keeping your head on your shoulders and not rolling around on the ground.”

Junghee grimaced. “Do you have to be so graphic?”

“Do you have to have such a weak stomach?” Gwiboon bit back before turning to Jinki. “Anyways, Minho is a quick learner. A very quick learner.”

 “He’s the smartest man I know.” Jinki grinned. “More graceful as well. My style is a little more handsy, a lot of grappling and throwing.”

“Can you show us?” Junghee exclaimed. “We haven’t seen a good fight in so long! And to see you, my lord, fight would be such an honor!”

“I’m afraid not. I’ve never been able to demonstrate it with restraint. I’m not the best teacher. But…one day, maybe I’ll learn and can show you.”

Junghee deflated a bit but nodded. “We were about to teach him another move. Did you want to–“

Gwiboon cut in. “No, no, we weren’t. We were about to go hang out with the two sleepyheads. We need talk with them about a few things in regards to our team.”

Junghee frowned. “No, we don’t.”

“Yes–we–do,” the taller Torch elite said pointedly. When Junghee still didn’t seem to get it, Gwiboon rolled her eyes, grabbed her by the shoulder of her black gi and dragged her down the rock. Jinki watched, with amusement, as they made their way to the mouth of the cave where the Bone Pack Captain and High Steward were lounging. There was a bark of laughter from Gwiboon at something Junghee said, but then their voices faded as they talked quietly amongst themselves.

“Looking for me?” Minho asked, grinning as he headed down towards the spring pool on the other side of the plateau.

“Actually I was. If I remember correctly, a certain wolf and his ragtag gang were supposed to meet me in town for a quick lunch?”

Minho’s mouth rounded into an O. “That’s is right. We were.”

“You were and because of you I had to work off my temper by talking to the Elders. Nothing like being completely and utterly bored to death take the heat off your anger.”

“What happened?” Minho said, as he sat down at the edge of the pool and submerged his legs. “Couldn’t have been that bad or you wouldn’t be here nagging me about standing you up.”

“You’re such a little .” Jinki took a seat next to him.

“One of my finer qualities,” Minho shot back. “So, do you feel any better?”

Jinki wanted to tell him yes. Wanted to tell him everything was going to be alright, that he had a solution, that he knew how to keep Minho safe. Because wasn’t that the whole purpose of this visit, the conversations he had to endure? But he didn’t. He had not one clue.

Minho was getting better at reading Jinki and picked up on his despair quickly. He felt Minho intertwining their arms and laying his head on his shoulder.

“Don’t think about it. Don’t think about anything.” He shuffled closer. “Look how pretty it is here. Sometimes, when I’m surrounded by beauty like this, I wonder what it would be like to be unimportant.”

“Unimportant?”

“Yes. So unimportant that no one notices me. That the things I say don’t cause gossip, or the things I do don’t cause tension, or who I am doesn’t cause wars. Unimportant enough that I could come to some place like this grotto and disappear.” His eyes fluttered close. “To blend in.”

“I’ve never wanted that. I like standing out. I like people looking up to me.”

Minho twisted his lips. “I enjoy it, too. I was raised with people looking at me, letting me know I was special. But sometimes I wonder.”

Silence stretched long between them as he tried to do just what Minho suggested. The grotto was beautiful, in a way that Jinki considered rare. It was the one thing about Durkhai that wasn’t hard and stern. Sure, people smiled and laughed and enjoyed each other’s company in Durkhai but there was always that underlying current.

Tradition curved the boulder.

The boulder had always been the people. The people had been curved to believe that life should be one way–if you’re strong, you belong. Durkhai also wrapped the concept of strength in honor. It was a phenomenal at its heart. It was tiresome in tenure.

Minho was beautiful like this grotto. The gentle green and blue reflecting from the spring, the light reflecting off its surface, painting the walls in rays of white. Minho was the one rare thing in Jinki’s hard and stern life. He would do anything to preserve that.

His thought were interrupted when Minho stood abruptly and when Jinki looked up at him, his eyes were twinkling.

“What are you up too,” he asked, eyeing his mate.

Minho’s smile took over his entire face, but he didn’t answer. Instead, he begun shedding clothing, grabbing the back of his shirt by the collar and yanking the cotton garment over his head. He kicked off his shoes and then his pants. Jinki looked on half in shock, half in appreciation. It didn’t last long. Minho leaped into the grotto spring waters, his shout echoing off the walls. Jinki stood up briefly so he could see over the plateau. Gwiboon looked over, and when she didn’t see anything dangerous, she continued her conversation with the other three.

Minho disappeared under the water, but it was so clear that Jinki could track him, diving deeper towards the seemingly endless bottom. With a kick and a flurry of bubbles, he resurfaced, a laugh on his lips. “Come in!”

Jinki waved his hands, dismissing the idea immediately. “No, no,” he said, shaking his head hard. “You have fun. I’ll stand watch.”

“Stand watch? What do you think the scary cave monsters are going to come get me?”

Jinki grimaced in answer but didn’t move.

“Fine!” Minho said, treading water. “At least put your feet in the water. You can do that and keep watch of me. Then I won’t be the only one wet.”

Jinki grumbled this time and rolled his eyes in an exaggerated manner, drawing a giggle from his mate, before he pulled his shoes off and pushed his pants up his legs. He tested the water timidly, yelping instinctively, then relaxing. “Oh, the water is warm.”

“Very warm. It almost feels like a caress,” Minho said as he swam closer.

Jinki’s legs were submerged to his knee and Minho came between them, resting his elbows on his thighs and his hands gripping Jinki’s side. He looked down and Minho was staring up at him, the reflection of the water reflecting in his eyes and over his skin. “What are you looking at,” Jinki asked, his voice soft enough to carry down to his mate and only his mate.

“You.”

“And why?”

Minho shrugged. “I can’t look at you? You’re beautiful. You’re supposed to stare at beautiful things. So I stare at you. ”

The words rang familiar in Jinki’s ears, and his lips mouthed the words as if he’d said them to Minho before. “Have you always been this poetic?”

“Nah,” Minho said and the slant of his grin begun to venture in mischievous. “Only when I’m looking at a muse.”

Jinki scrunched his nose. “You’re tricking me. You’re saying all of these nice things to disarm me and drag me into the water.”

“No,” Minho replied, his hands trailing down Jinki’s sides, landing at where his shirt was tucked into his breeches. “I have you exactly where I want you.” He tugged at the shirt until it was free from the waist band of the pants and pushed his hands under it the fabric.

Jinki inhaled sharply, Minho’s wet hands were still cooler than his skin. His mate shifted until he was firmly tucked between Jinki’s legs.

“Take it off,” he commanded, his voice light, but his tone unrelenting.

Jinki couldn’t disobey the command even if he wanted to. He pulled the shirt off, the same way his mate has done previously and threw it to the side. Minho slid his tongue across his lip, a reaction to seeing Jinki’s skin after days of being unable to touch. After his appraisal, he went to work, laying hot, moist open mouth kisses to his torso, a tongue flicking here and there, it especially frisky around his . It felt good, it felt really good but Jinki was impatient, he was damned impatient and he wanted something else, something a touch more intimate.

He placed his hand under Minho’s chin and lifted it, the angle perfect for Jinki to bend forward for a bruising kiss. Minho relented immediately to Jinki’s silent command, parting his lips. Jinki fell in as if Minho’s mouth was the very spring he’d begged him to join in earlier. His kisses weren’t nice, they weren’t sweet. They were aggressive and sloppy, full of longing and unadulterated desire. Minho moaned into his mouth and Jinki swallowed it. He pulled back and looked at him with a lusty deep chuckle. “You have to be quiet. They are just over there.”

Minho tilted his head, amused. “You think it’s me that’s going to have a problem being quiet?” and Jinki cocked his brow in response.

“I don’t know what you–“

Oh that was getting to the point rather quickly. In a move that surprised Jinki with the speed, Minho had pulled him out of his pants. “Now, remember your own rule. Be absolutely quiet.”

Jinki raised his hands in protest. “Well, uh, maybe we shouldn’t do this,” he said, half nervous, half ravenous, as he looked over his shoulder. He couldn’t see over the plateau but anybody could walk over at any time. Minho, the little mix, obviously didn’t care as he slowly Jinki’s shaft leisurely.

“It’s amazing. At this size, I find it a miracle you’re able to walk correctly.” He followed up his remark by turning his wrist and weighing Jinki in his hand. “Often I think, now why is it he can get to scream, so ardently, every time he enters me, and then immediately the answer comes to me every time,” he paused to continue his , “and then I get hard. This usually happens when you’re far away from me. So then I have to deal with it on my own, touching myself, thinking about you. Don’t you think that’s unfair?”

Minho’s questions weren’t even connecting and Jinki didn’t even ing care. His breath was shallow and his heart was beating in his ear, Minho’s heart was beating in his ear.

Later, maybe later tonight, he could indulge in sweetness, the benevolence of patience, and rewards of exploration but right now? He needed Minho and his composure was crashing.

Minho continued to, languidly, pull at him as if this was a lessons in Jinki’s anatomy, as if his ministrations didn’t have some sort of effect on him.

Jinki bent forward, his voice low and intimate, his warm breath washing over Minho’s ear. “If you keep this up, I’m going to you right into the ground.”

Minho’s answer was to slowly drag his tongue across his lip again, antagonizing slow. “Promise?”

That did it. Jinki rushed to his feet, threw his hands under his mate’s arms and hauled him out of the water, Minho giggling the whole time, as if he knew what he did to Jinki, as if he planned all of this.

This wasn’t the most pristine place to make love, the ground was hard and he hadn’t known the trip to the grotto would turn to this. So, instead of laying him down he guided him to the grotto wall that edged the springs.

Fingertips trailed down Minho’s wet, sinewy back, and the younger shifter arched at the touch. Feeling a bit playful, he lightly smacked Minho’s , laughing when his mate looked over his shoulder, his mouth dropped open in indignant shock. He did it again and Minho pushed back into his hand. He massaged the flesh while he thought about the logistics of their positions. Although Minho wasn’t much taller than Jinki, most of his height was legs. Carefully, he placed a hand on Minho’s hip and another on his upper back, bending him forward until his arm rested lightly against the cave wall.

He footed at his pants, trying to get them down his legs, satisfied when they pooled around his ankles. His breathing labored in his excitement and the sight of Minho’s slick shining as it trailed down his thigh, an sign of his own desire, had him harder than he could remember being in a long time.

He rested his against Minho’s , taking a moment to kiss along his spine, his fingers teasing and caressing Minho’s s as he did so. A hand reached around and grabbed his mate, hanging hot and heavy between his legs, and began tugging on it in time with his kisses. Minho’s back arched further and Jinki’s snuggled between the cleft of his .  Jinki continued to work his mate into a mess, listening as his breaths came out in shallow pants.

Minho moved his in a way that rubbed up Jinki that had him squirming with impatience, a fire low at his belly.

“Are you ready?” he asked, thinking he would die if he didn’t have Minho soon.

“Gods, yes,” Minho panted. “Hurry up!”

Jinki obliged, although he’d been with Minho long enough to know when he was ready without asking. There was the tremble of his body, the flush under his warm skin, the pitch of his deep voice. With one sure , he entered his mate to the hilt. Minho cried out and Jinki was quick to slap a hand over his mouth.

“Shhh, baby, shhh.” The others were still so very near and he didn’t want to draw attention to their naughty endeavor. Still, his duty to preserve their secret wasn’t an enough for a distraction to make him forget how good Minho felt. He was hot and tight and wet. He clenched around Jinki, him in, and didn’t let him go.

“. ,” Jinki cursed.

“Move,” Minho demanded, pushing back against Jinki, trying to snap him into action. Jinki wiped the sweat off is brow and obeyed his mate’s second command. He slid his hands to Minho’s waist, the tender, soft tanned skin hot to the touch. He tried a few test stokes, sure and measured before he picked up his pace, sliding right past frenzied and tip-toeing on brutal.

Minho tried, he really did, to keep quiet, to swallow whatever noises that wanted to come out of his mouth, but Jinki could see the attempt was failing. He draped himself across Minho’s back and slid his hand back over his mouth. While still ing into his mate with abandon, he took his free hand and repositioned Minho’s leg, pulling it high to rest higher on a rock jutting out the cave wall. This changed the angle and with the next , Minho screamed into the palm of Jinki’s hand, Minho’s other hand slamming against the wall. The sound only served to make Jinki harder. His pace was bruising and relentless, and although Minho’s moans were drowned out and Jinki grunts were low and gravely, he didn’t think anything masked the sound of skin slapping against skin, over and over and over again.

“I told you,” he growled hot in Minho’s ear, “I was going to you into the ground.”

Minho answered with keen into the palm of his hands.

“I want you to remember this. Remember this every time we are apart and you need me, want me inside of you, remember this. Please,” he almost begged.  “Please remember how I touched you, how I made you feel. Please, never forget.”

Minho couldn’t answer with Jinki’s hand over his mouth but he managed to nod. He looked over his shoulder and Jinki could see how lust blown his eyes were, the love that swirled with desire.

That look brought him to the brink of his . His hand returned to Minho’s member, now straining and leaking, and it to the tune of his own . Minho fell apart then, his body locking up as ribbons of white painted the grotto wall. Jinki let go of Minho’s mouth and returned his hands to his hips, digging into the skin as he unraveled.

“I need you,” he babbled nonsensically as the final coil snapped deep within him. The rocked him hard and he felt everything shut down. He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t do anything as he released deep inside of Minho.

Eventually, when he could, he inhaled, greedily, and collapsed against Minho’s back, his breath loud and harsh.

“Well,” Minho chuckled, breathless. “If I wasn’t pregnant before, I’d be pregnant now.”

The only thing Jinki could do was laugh against his back.

Any sort of feast was different in Durkhai. While most of Prae’s were held in the Great Hall surrounded by dignitaries and people of influence, there was little barrier between with higher rank and the everyday villager. The route through the market was now a festive wonderland with ribbons hanging from the roofs, and the awnings glittering with bits of colored paper. A number of tables were centered down the path, each covered in equally colorful cuts of fabric. Wooden troughs filled with food were placed on the table and the villagers looked at it with wide eyes, grateful that they would receive a treat with war looming so close to them.

Separated from the villagers but not by much were three long tables at the end of the route. The Elders and Toleran tributes sat at one, the Torch members of the Black Flame sat at middle one alone with Xiah’s pack. Jinki’s party was seated sat at the head table.

Along with them at the head table was Xiah and Iseul, at center, of course. Jinki and Minho were to Isuel’s left, while Danye, Thunder and Gikwang sat to Jinki’s right. At the very end were Jonghyun and Kibum, opting to sit next to one another. Xiah kept his promise in keeping Jinki and Thunder apart. Glancing at his half-brother, he dismissed Jaekyung’s erse thoughts from his head. He didn’t want his dinner to be ruined.

Through the feast Jinki spent most of his time strategizing. Durkhai was strong because most knew it would take a very strong force to invade it. Durkhai was a village of leaders, some of the best fighters in Prae. When called to fight, they moved as one unit. No matter how large Iutus was, they would need time to figure out its attack.

Here was the safest place for Minho.

He glanced at his mate, visions of their lovemaking from the afternoon still playing in his head. Jinki knew they were happy, they were in love, and they would be parents. If he could solve this issue, this enormously dangerous issue, then his visions of them ruling together, side by side, would come true. They reason they were brought together was to bring Prae through this time of calamity. They would succeed. The gods demanded it of them.

After the food was enjoyed, some of the tables were cleared away for dancing. Iseul, after months of separation, jumped at the chance, dragging her mate to the dancefloor. The villagers cheered her on and began chanting Xiah’s name, urging him to have fun. With a roll of his eyes, he yanked Iseul close, their faces a breath apart. This brought on more cheers and loud hooting from Danye, still seated at the table. Jaekyung, noticing this, extended his hand, which by the look on her face, she only accepted because he was as tall as her.  Jinki turned to his mate, a sly grin on his face. “You know, in all the days I’ve known you, I’ve never had a dance with you.”

Minho raised a brow. “You can dance?”

“Best dancer between me and Onew. Everyone knows that.”  Jinki heard Caleo snickering in his head.

“Show me your moves then, wolf.”

Jinki stood and held his hand out, lacing their fingers together as Minho stood. “Gladly.”

By this time the dancefloor was packed with people as they danced to the upbeat tempo the band provided. Once in place, Jinki bowed low before Minho, who returned it. Slowly, they came together, entranced, their foreheads resting against each other, as custom between the two of them.

“I’m going to miss you,” Minho said softly as they swayed together, the music a nonfactor in their dancing.

“It won’t be long. I’ll figure it out…something! Try not to think about it. Or think of it this way. Those times during the next few weeks when I would have just annoyed you to the brink, you can spend in peace. They’ll take care of you here. You won’t even have to lift a finger. It’s like a small vacation. ”

“While you are off fighting a war? I don’t think so.”

“I’ll visit. Remember you told me I could visit? So I’ll visit. And maybe it’ll be shorter. I’ll return to Prae and figure out a way to solve this, fix this so you can come home. To me.”

Minho smiled sadly. “Maybe.”

“Definitely. I’ll definitely bring you home.” Jinki kissed his lips lightly. “Ama’il etandula…”
“Ama’il etudala,” Minho breathed back to him, his voice heavy with emotion.

“Can I cut in?” a voice boomed, carrying over the music and catching everyone’s attention. Jinki looked over and this time didn’t hide his dislike or displeasure at Thunder’s presence.

“I’m not dancing with you, you idiot,” he hissed.

Thunder’s brow inched towards his hairline. “I don’t want to dance with you,” he said, mildly offended Jinki would even think that.  “I would like the chance to dance with my brother in law. I don’t think we’ve had a chance to dance…or speak...ever.”

“There’s a reason,” Jinki growled. He moved to put himself between Thunder and Minho, but again, as always, it was Minho’s calming touch, full of wisdom, that stopped him.

“We don’t want to cause a scene or give him any reason to be an ,” Minho whispered low where only he could hear it. “It’s just a dance. I’m a big wolf, I can handle it,” he said a little louder, loud enough for Thunder to hear it.

The shifter laughed and held his hands out as if he weren’t offended. “I’ll return your mate in a moment and just think! We might become friends or solve world peace!”

Jinki didn’t care. “I’ll be watching you.”

Minho realized, standing as close as they were, for the first time that he and Thunder were exactly the same height. It felt weird when he was used to Jinki’s height, which while only a maybe an inch shorter, looked substantial when he couldn’t easily look over his shoulder to see his mate. Not without Thunder noticing anyways.

“We’re family. Relax,” Thunder said as he grabbed Minho’s hand. Minho, out of obligation, let his hand rest in Thunder’s as the shifter lightly placed a hand on his hip. It was dangerous territory, so Minho slid it up higher on his back.

Minho didn’t want to talk to him, not at all, not even a word, so as the music played in the background, he made sure to follow Thunder’s lead in silence.

“I’m happy you know.”

“I don’t care,” Minho said simply, his eyes trailing to the side.

Thunder nodded, spun Minho around and continued to dance. “Is this you being angry with me?” he said in disbelief. ”We barely know each other. What could I have done to make you this…flippant?”

Minho’s eyes narrowed at him. “Oh, I don’t know! Let’s see. Not only are your ties to the Blue Crescent suspicious, but your guest, Gikwang, just turned my life upside down for no known reason. You, yourself tried to publicly hint to the rumors circulating around me just this morning,” he hissed. “And I’m not angry, I’m just smart enough to know when I see a snake.”

Thunder pulled a face, as if to say “that’s fair” before he rotated them, Minho now looking out towards the gate, his back now to Jinki. “I’ll say it again but I’m happy, just so you know. Just in case you think I’m not. You’re carrying an addition to the family. Jinki and I may not be blood kin, but I can still rejoice in this.”

“Keep your voice down,” Minho hissed.

“Why?” Thunder answered back in like. “What are you scared of? Ashamed of? You should be thanking me.”

“Thanking you? For what?”

“Because,” he said as his mouth inched closer to Minho’s ear. “It was under my command that the fertility suppressant was withheld from your supper the night you mated with my brother. It was I, who supplied Gikwang with the exact details of your pregnancy. It was I who supplied the Vampyre with Jungmo’s poison that was supposed to have incapacitated you. It was I, who personally made sure that every–single–village got the poster announcing your incredibly wonderful news. Me,” he growled. Thunder’s grip on Minho’s hand tightened to the point of pain and his other lowered from Minho’s back to his hip, his claws digging into his skin. Minho winced in pain and made to back away or call out of help, but Thunder didn’t let him. “Oh, no, no, no. You don’t get to scream, you don’t get to anything but sit here and let this happen.”

Minho’s face was like thunder but he refused to call for Onew’s help. He could handle this. “Let what happen?”

“This.” In the blink of an eye Thunder brandished a small dagger and slashed at Minho’s belly. Minho gasped as he tried to avoid the sharp blade but apparently Thunder’s aim wasn’t to slice him, rather….his clothes.

Minho watched in horror as a large strip of fabric fluttered to his side like a flower petal in the breeze–slowly, so agonizingly slow. Someone screamed. Minho’s head snapped up and he saw that Onew had Thunder off the ground by his neck, his feet dangling below him. Jinki, now cloaked in Caleo’s power, sprang from his spot and sped through the crowd towards his mate. But it was too late. It was far too late.

“He is with child,” came from the crowd. Minho looked down at his swelling abdomen and instinctively put his hands over it. He began to look back and forth from villager to villager, their faces full of disappointment and disgust. “Look at how his stomach swells.”

“He has defiled the gods will!” Gikwang suddenly yelled. He had moved from sitting to know standing on top of a table.” Look upon him! This liar! This–this abomination! I warned you that his misdeeds would come to light! Look upon him!” He opened his mouth to continue but Danye swept his foot from up under him. He fell hard and barely missed her elbow aimed for his head. Instead, he continued rolling away from her, scattering back until he disappeared into the crowd of dancers.

“Arrest him!” yelled one villager.

“He sullies the name of our former Alpha! The name of Durkhai! Arrest him! KILL HIM!”

Onew, noticing the shift of threat from Thunder now coming from the villagers, dropped the shifter to the ground. Thunder inhaled a deep deep breath, his hands wrapped protectively around his throat as he stared up at the golden eyed anger of a person who looked like Jinki, but much more feral.

“What the is this,” he whispered.

Minho didn’t have a moment to answer because Jinki pulled him to his feet. Following his lead, they tried to escape the crowd, but the crowd was quick and surrounded them on all sides, trapping them in.

This situation was a little different from Prae. While Prae was a seat of leadership, it wasn’t the epicenter of the greatest fighters. Sure, it had some of the greatest and Kyung and his guard were adequate, but as shown earlier, they are more proficient in stopping large scale attacks and calculated formations. In Durkhai, everyone was a fighter, from the youngest pup to the oldest shifter. Everyone was armed and everyone was very proficient at their weapon.

In an instant sword and daggers were drawn, most pointed at him and Minho, while the villagers were smart enough to keep the Black Flame away, backing them further down the path.

“ENOUGH!” Xiah bellowed from the dancefloor. “Everyone lower your weapons this instance!”

“I will not,” said the one villager who had called from Minho’s death. “We’ve all read the rumors, we’ve heard how this war,” he spat, “was caused by the lies of this one man. Do you think this will unite the clans? No. No, it won’t! Every clan will splinter, every clan will defend its own land. That is the way it was before! Damn the Blood Moon prophecy if it will lead to our deaths!”

“You openly defy me, Brea?”

“No, my lord, I would never, I am simply saying that this man has to pay for his crime and it is our duty as citizens of Prae to exact that law! He has lied to every one! Maybe if we present his head, this war will end!”

“Do it and I will rip you apart, slowly, and surely, until you are begging me for your death,” Jinki growled lowly, the purple shining in his eyes.

“See! Look at how he’s poisoned our Alpha,” the man continued, ignoring Jinki. “My lord, Xiah. Please allow me to protect your and Jinki’s honor!”

Minho tried to drown them and their accusations out. He needed a solution. He scanned the crowd and his eyes connected with his mother. The look she gave him in returned was loaded and it was as if Minho could read her eyes like they were words on the paper. He glanced off as Onew shook with anger in front of him. Then it hit him. The crystal! His hand shook as he gripped the outline of the crystal in his pocket, remembering something that he’d learned about Apparition Magikus. There are four kinds. Four kinds. Four. Four. The fourth kind. Yes. He closed his eyes and whispered

“Sja, I unbind thee.”