Chapter 1

Kimber

I preferred when life was normal. Even for a half-fae living in New York City, my human appearance had always allowed me to live among other humans without the subjugation other fae experienced. Life had been run-of-the-mill normal. I went to work, took classes at the local university, and partied like any other twenty-something. My life had not been restricted by anything but how much money I had in the bank.

Life had not been so free for everyone, however. Shifters, those who could change their forms into other creatures, had been banned by the Council on Enchantments and Shift Mutations and could not use their powers. The chips inserted behind their ears made sure those restrictions were abided by. My own abilities to manipulate the energies around me had been kept hidden for my entire life to prevent becoming chipped myself. With a human mother, and a father who'd walked away, it had been relatively easy to pretend he hadn't been fae, and that I didn't have magic. Most full fae had lived in society, even under the humans, however the chip kept them on a tight leash. That was until the Assembly of the Nether freed all magic, a recruitment move to gain support for overthrowing the human governments.

With the promise of true freedom, light and dark fae, shifters, and magical creatures alike, flocked to support the Assembly, but to the disappointment of many, the new leadership had not offered any more sovereignty than had been seen under the humans. Magic was still being suppressed, unless you were a continued supporter of Oneth, the turned dictator of the Assembly of the Nether. I, for one, was not a fan.

There was no way under Oneth for humans and fae to live in peace. The world shifted in favor of those with magic and the humans had now become enslaved to the Assembly, many locked away in prisons or implanted with devices to control nearly every aspect of their lives. Life became completely unrecognizable in the United States and around the world and, as I said before, I wasn’t impressed.

“Kimber, you’re getting water everywhere.” Ollie Pearce swatted me as he passed with the broom. Zoo cleanup, when most of the enclosures had been abandoned, was boring as hell. I had been a zookeeper for two years while I went to veterinary school. Feeding the animals and caring for them took up most of my time, and I enjoyed it. After magic was freed, all those who’d been shifters imprisoned there, more than half of our animals, left, leaving us with a lot of dirty, yet empty, habitats.

“Shit!” Ollie was right. So lost in my thoughts, I hadn’t even noticed that water from the hose I was holding had already started to seep into my sneakers. “Wet feet for the rest of the day. Perfect.”

Laughing, he swept the water at my feet toward the drain. “It’s not that bad. We can go hang our bare feet over the caves in the lion enclosure while your shoes dry. It’s not like we’ll get eaten...since they’re all gone and whatnot.”

Leave it to Ollie to come up with a way to get out of doing work, but he was right. Most of the apex predators in the enclosures had been shifters, imprisoned in that form by the human government, and they’d all broken out when Oneth’s army infiltrated the city, joining his ranks in a big way. With so many supporters of Oneth and random wild animals in the city’s streets, the landscape had become even more dangerous for humans. The dark fae had taken over and it didn't seem like there was any way to stop them.

I shrugged, watching the water cascade over the side of the rock work. “I’ll make do. I was hoping to get out of here early tonight and check out Indigo’s gig at The Passage.” As I anticipated, Ollie’s eyes lit up. He was nothing if not predictable. The Passage was an underground bar frequented by those with magic, but it wasn’t a place that had gone dark. It was one of the only hangout spots in the city where I could still go to listen to live music, dance, drink, and pick up lovers without having to worry about getting shot or locked up. Ollie was always looking for a good time. Ollie, a full-blooded fae, had his magic suppressing chip removed after the rebellion, but had remained on the side of the light. Just like me. Neither of us had fought for Oneth and we didn’t intend to start. “Jax isn’t going to be there tonight. He’s got something going on but he’s being super hush-hush about it.”

Tossing the broom into the storage closet, Ollie started looping up the water hose I was still running, making the pressure sputter. “Yeah, I know. I think it’s got something to do with the resistance, but he could just as easily have an embarrassing rash he’s trying to keep secret.”

I laughed, turning the water off. The abandoned jaguar enclosure wasn’t going to get any cleaner. “A rash? Really?”

Although I was honestly not sure what our friend Jax was up to, I was leaning toward thinking he was involved with the growing resistance. With the overthrow of the government having happened less than a year before, and the Assembly of the Nether being so powerful, any movements to resist their rule had to be done in secret. Those found guilty of treason were imprisoned or publicly executed. It was not the kind of activity anyone wanted out in the open.

Ollie closed the door behind us as we exited back out into the zookeeper’s passage. “That ship has sailed. I’m moving on from him anyway.”

I’d truly thought Ollie and Jax would be something special, so hearing that Ollie was giving up on him made my heart ache, but I understood why. “Do you think the two of you can remain friends?”

Shrugging, he led the way into the staff room. “For the group, I would say yes. We’ll always care about each other. It’s just...” He hesitated, pulling a soda from the refrigerator. “Whatever he’s involved in, it’s made him distant. After being ghosted so many times, I kind of feel like I’m depending on the wrong person.”

Our friend Jax had definitely been involved in something, but he’d been just as flaky with me as he had with Ollie. If he was involved with the resistance, then I knew it was time for his friends to get involved.

Chapter 2

Kimber

After leaving work, I returned home for a few hours to unwind and clean the funk off me. Ollie and I planned to meet at The Passage at nine, so I had time to shower and sexy myself up before going out. Sitting on the sofa and eating leftover pizza while reruns played on the television, thoughts of Jax plagued me. I didn’t like that his actions were consuming my thoughts, but I hated the idea that my friend could be involved in something dangerous even more. Ollie may have had a romantic past with Jax, putting their affections for each other on a different level than my own feelings for Jax, but I did care about him. I didn’t want anything bad to happen to him, and involvement in the resistance was just asking to get his head put on a pike. 

Tossing the paper towel that served as my plate in the trash can, I poured a shot of tequila and tossed it back, hissing when the liquor hit my throat. I would definitely need more than one of those if I was going to wipe my friend’s secretive behavior from my mind and let loose. I’d been looking forward to this event for a while and I didn’t intend on letting anything ruin it.

My friend Indigo had been trying to get in to perform at The Passage for a while. With it being such a private club, screening each person who entered to make sure they weren’t human or reek of dark magic, their performer list was just as exclusive. When Indi had finally gotten the call approving her band to perform, she’d nearly lost her shit, jumping up and down and screaming into the phone as I held it a foot away from my ear. I was excited for her. Indi’s band played a blend of alternative music with jazz. Her voice had this seductive flow to it that made you close your eyes and get lost in the moment. I couldn’t wait to be there when her band absolutely killed it and launched her into stardom. 

Letting out a sigh, I turned on the faucet in the shower, dropping my filthy jean shorts and crop top to the floor. The zoo had uniforms for those of us who had to be out in public and seen by visitors, but the dress was casual when we had to do grunt work. I stepped into the shower, the steaming spray of water washing off some of the tension from my talk with Ollie and the thoughts that had followed. 

When I got out of the shower fifteen minutes later, the entire bathroom was fogged up, but at least I felt refreshed. Thoughts of Jax still lingered on my mind, but once I returned to the kitchen to take another shot of tequila, still dripping and with a towel around my body, those thoughts became a bit quieter. After I put on one of my upbeat, getting-ready-to-party playlists, streaming it through my speakers at a volume just below what would’ve gotten me evicted, Jax was no more than an echo in my mind. I still intended to dig further into what was going on with him, and encourage him to stay far away from the resistance if that’s what he was involved in, but I didn’t intend to let his decisions ruin my night. 

Costume decisions were always a tough choice. I referred to my clothes as costumes versus outfits, since I always chose things most wouldn’t wear. Many people preferred to blend into the pack, but not me. I’d always been a complete attention whore, and I wasn’t going to apologize for it. My magic may have been a secret to most, but that didn’t mean I was an introvert, or a homebody.

Sliding items from side to side across the hanging rod in my closet, I nibbled on my bottom lip and debated how I wanted to dress for Indigo’s first gig. It really did depend on what I wanted to achieve that night. Sure, I wanted to watch my friend perform, but if I was going to dance, or try to take someone home to scratch an itch, all of that needed to be considered. 

Settling on all of the above, I pulled a hot pink mini skirt from the hanger, followed by a cut off graphic t-shirt, and pulled them on. The look was completed by a pair of fishnet stockings and rainbow-colored sneakers that came up to my knees. Some girls dressed in sensual outfits when they tried to pick up lovers, but the retro eighties look hadn’t failed me yet. With my hot pink hair, it just kind of worked. Ollie, who tended to dress like he’d stepped back into the 1930s when going out, complete with pinstripe suits and hats, always drew plenty of notice himself. Between the two of us, we were sure to receive the attention our lonely hearts begged for, and maybe a little bit more. 

Taking one more look at my reflection in the mirror and blowing it a kiss, I stepped out of my apartment and onto the sidewalk, flagging down the first rideshare I saw. Only as soon as I slid into the backseat and closed the door, the locks clicked into place, and the driver turned to me, his eyes like depthless obsidian. “Kimber Pride? You’re coming with me.”

Chapter 3

Kimber

The sound of the car locks clicking reverberated in my skull, inciting a panic I hadn’t known before. I instinctively pulled at the door handle, but it was no use. The bastard had locked me in with child locks. My heart started to beat like a caged bird, the nausea growing in my stomach making me regret the tequila I'd drank.

“I’m not going anywhere with you!” I banged on the window, but he’d already pulled the car away from the curb. There was no one nearby who would’ve been able to hear me or open the car door at the speed we were going. I was trapped. “I don’t even know who you are! Let me out!”

Dark hair peeked out from under a black baseball cap, but his head was turned toward the road so I couldn’t make out his face. Aside from telling me he was taking me with him, the man hadn’t said anything else, which only filled me with more fear.

“What’s this about? Why are you kidnapping me? I was supposed to meet them! My friends will be looking for me.” Remembering I had my cell phone, I pulled it out of my jacket pocket to call the police, my hands shaking with panic, but the driver reached back and swiped it from my hand before I’d had a chance to hit even one button.

“Hey! Give that back!” I wanted to smack him upside his head, or climb into the front seat and grab the wheel, but I wasn’t a fan of flying through the windshield and dying if he crashed, so I stayed in the back seat against my own fight-or-flight instincts.

Driving only a few miles, my captor pulled over into an abandoned parking lot and turned to face me. Even with the frustration etched on his features, there was something about his face that captivated me, caught me off-guard. I shrunk back in my seat, my heart beating loudly enough for him to hear it, but my words failed me.

“Look,” he said, sliding my phone into the pocket of his jeans. My mouth dropped open to object, but I knew it wouldn’t have done any good. “I’m not going to hurt you. We just need to—” He hesitated, glancing out the window as a car passed on the quiet street. “We just need to talk to you.”

My body stiffening, I narrowed my eyes at him. “Talk to me about what? Who wants to talk to me? Where are you taking me?”

Completely ignoring my questions, he turned around and put the car into drive, easing it back onto the street. “And put your seatbelt on,” he said, barely glancing in the rearview mirror at my face as I glared back at him.

Sitting in the backseat like a naughty child, I watched the city lights fade in the distance as we crossed over state lines until I no longer knew where we were.

***

We’d driven for hours, nothing outside the windows but darkness and the occasional set of headlights. I didn’t know why he’d taken me or where we were going, but I no longer worried for my life. If he’d taken me only to kill me, he would’ve done it by now, so I believed him when he’d said he wasn’t going to hurt me. I may have not known much, and even my assumption of safety may have been idiotic, but it was all I had to hold onto at the moment.

“Where are we going?”

Instead of responding, he pulled out his cellphone as the sound of it vibrating met my ears. He didn’t answer it however, just glanced at the screen and slid it back into his pocket. “You can at least tell me your name...since you know mine.”

“Callan.”

There had been no inflection in his tone, nothing to tell me he was even talking to me, or speaking about anything important. Still, I was quite shocked at how quickly I’d managed to get his name from him after everything else he’d ignored. It only took me a moment to wonder if he’d given me a fake name just to shut me up.

“How do I know that isn’t just a fake name?” My tone was accusatory and the way he flicked his eyes toward me in the rearview mirror told me he’d caught onto that.

“You don’t,” was the last thing he said before lowering his eyes back toward the road, leaving me in the backseat in nothing but the darkness and my thoughts.

Wrapping my arms around my chest, I slunk back into the seat and watched the moonlit fields pass as he continued to drive me further from my home, my friends, and the only relative safety I knew.

Chapter 4

Kimber

We rode for a bit longer, turning off the main road and onto a long driveway surrounded by trees on both sides. I sat up straight in my seat, peering into the darkness to get a glimpse of where he was taking me. Pulling out his phone again, Callan’s fingers moved along the screen, typing out a text quickly before putting the phone away again. 

The car slowed as we approached an iron gate that was guarded on both sides by armed men, and my gut really began to churn. I didn’t know if I was relieved or not that they didn’t stop us as we drove past, merely dipping their heads and moving out of the way. “Do you work for Oneth? The dark fae? Is that who’s waiting for us?” The huff that came out of Callan’s mouth only rattled my nerves more. “What? We’re almost there, right? You could at least tell me who’s waiting for me when we get there.”

He was silent for a few awkward moments and I wondered how much longer the driveway could possibly be when Callan finally responded. “No, Kimber. I don’t work for Oneth and I don’t work for the dark fae. That’s not who’s waiting for us.”

Even though I still didn’t know where he was taking me, or to whom, knowing it wasn’t the dark fae or the Assembly of the Nether eased some of the tightness in my chest. I leaned back in my seat as the car pulled to a stop in front of a large cabin, lantern lights illuminating the wraparound porch. 

Callan put the car in park and then turned around to face me, his dark eyes seeming to settle the pounding in my heart. “When we get out of the car, please don’t try to run. There’s nowhere to go anyway. As I’ve told you when we left the city, no one is planning to hurt you. We just want to talk.”

Movement on the porch caught my eye as two people came out the front door, but I turned my eyes back to him. “If they just wanted to talk, couldn’t they have just come to my front door? Maybe saved all the theatrics?” 

Just as he was about to respond, I turned my attention back to the porch and there was no question who either of the males were as they stood under the light of the front porch. 

“Jax? Ollie?” 

Ollie’s shoulder lifted in a haphazard shrug as Jax approached the car and opened the door, reaching a hand in to help me out. “Sorry about all this, Kimber. I promise we had to do it this way. It’s just not safe to meet in the city, at least not anymore.” 

Confusion and annoyance filled me as I stared at him and climbed out of the car without taking his hand. “You could have said something,” I said before turning to Callan, “Or at least you could have said something.” Callan ignored me as he walked toward the cabin, entering the front door without acknowledging me. “I thought I was about to be raped and murdered, or at least locked in a basement somewhere!” 

Storming past Jax, who still stood near the car, I went up the stairs of the porch and stood in front of Ollie, planting my hands firmly on my hips. “Were you in on this? We were supposed to meet tonight. Did you even go? Indigo is going to kill me! Give me your phone. I need to call her.”

I lifted my hand between us for Ollie to hand over his phone but he just stared at me, Jax finally joining us on the porch. “Ollie doesn’t have his phone either. You were both being tracked.”

Chapter 5

Kimber

“Being tracked? By whom? What are you talking about?” I wasn’t even convinced Jax was telling the truth. He may have been my friend, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t gotten himself involved in something that had changed his priorities.

Scanning the darkened landscape around us, Jax took a step toward the front door. “We shouldn’t talk about this outside. Come. We can talk in here.”

I scowled at him for a moment with my hands on my hips, but Jax and Ollie were my friends, and I knew I would be safe if I went inside. Hesitating just long enough to frustrate Jax for the shit he’d just put me through, I gave up on my standoff and followed him and Ollie inside the cabin.

For a group who was working in secret and willing to kidnap someone for their cause, they certainly had a nice place to meet. I would have been less surprised if they’d brought me to an abandoned warehouse, or maybe a decrepit building, but instead I’d been brought to a cabin with two levels, a wrap-around porch, large spaces, and high ceilings. It looked like something I would have expected to see in the mountains somewhere, not in rural New Jersey.

Four large, broad-shouldered men stood around the kitchen island, none of which were Callan. I wondered if he’d gone to sleep and was jealous if he had. After working all day and then being in the car for hours after being kidnapped, I was exhausted myself, and hoped whatever conversation they wanted to have with me could wait until after I’d gotten some rest. If I could even calm my mind enough to sleep.

The sound of the door closing behind me caught my attention and I turned to look at Jax as he placed his hand on the small of Ollie’s back and guided him toward where the others were standing. One of the males, who was stacked with muscles and had long, golden hair and bright green eyes, looked up. There was no doubt he was a shifter, although I wasn’t sure what animal his other form was.

He dipped his head toward me but his face was unreadable. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Kimber Price. Would you like something to eat? Drink? You must be hungry.”

The casualness in his tone only heightened my annoyance. He’d kidnapped me and then acted like nothing was wrong, like it had been my choice to be there. My choice had ended when I’d stepped foot in that car and I wanted it back.

“I would say nice to meet you too but you kind of had me kidnapped, so...”

Grinning at me, he ignored my jab and poured pancake batter into a pan, adjusting the fire. “Would you like pancakes?”

Even though my stomach was growling, I glared at him. “Who are you? What do you want with me?”

“You can call me Hassan.” He hesitated, flipping the pancakes over. “And what we want with you is complicated.”

I wondered if Hassan was always cryptic, or if he was just trying to piss me off. Giving up on him, I turned my attention back to my friends. “What do they want from me, Jax? Why am I here?”

Neither of them answered before Hassan interrupted. “I said it was complicated, but I didn’t say I wouldn’t explain, Kimber. I will explain everything to you just as soon as I’m finished cooking breakfast.”

Sighing, I plopped down into a chair at the table. “Fine, then. Yes, Hassan. I’ll take a pancake.”

Chapter 6

Kimber

Knowing what I knew about shifter culture, it was clear Hassan was higher in rank than the other four males who stood near him. I would have thought he was their alpha if it hadn’t been for how all five shifters turned their attention to an older male who’d walked into the room just as I sat down. The pack's obvious alpha had an air of confidence about him most people couldn’t fake, but when he saw me sitting at the table, his steps faltered and he stood there for a moment, silent and slack jawed. Scanning the room, I waited for someone to say something, but everyone seemed to be waiting for the newcomer to speak first. After studying his face for only a moment, my heart plummeted into my stomach, and I knew exactly why everyone was so silent. The group’s leader was my father. 

Having no memories of my father, it wasn’t a picture in my mind that made the connection of who he was. It was his eyes. They were mine. Hassan nodded toward the male, addressing him as Kohen before turning back to the stove and plating the pancakes. 

Just as my mind was scrambling for purchase, he took another hesitant step toward me. “Kimber?”

My heart beating loudly enough to be heard in Manhattan, I blew out a slow breath to try to calm myself, but it didn't work. “Yes.” I looked at Ollie and Jax again, who were literally on the edges of their seats, before I turned back to the male I knew was my father. 

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Hassan dropped a plate of steaming pancakes on the table in front of me and motioned for the others to follow him out of the room, leaving my father and I alone. At that moment, I didn’t think I’d ever felt so vulnerable. Shifting on my chair and twisting my hands in my lap, I cleared my throat and looked at anything in the room that wasn’t him. 

Crossing the room, he sat in the chair next to me. “I’m sorry to do this in this way, Kimber, but I didn’t see any other way to keep you safe, not with what you are.”

My anxiety turned into anger at his words and when I turned to look at him, any speechlessness I’d previously felt flew out the window. “You’ve been absent my entire life and now you want to protect me?” I knew my tone was accusatory but I didn’t care. “And what do you mean by what I am? What does that even mean?”

Crossing my arms over my chest like a petulant child, I narrowed my eyes at him, waiting for a response. He rubbed his hands down his face, the momentary silence only intensifying my growing fury. “Kimber,” he said as his golden eyes bore into mine. “I never wanted to stay away, but at the time, it seemed like the best way to keep you safe. But now—” Shaking his head, he looked away from me and I felt the loss of eye contact deep in my chest. “With the growing resistance, it’s only a matter of time before those of us who aren’t supporters of Oneth will be forced to fight. The light fae and the shifters who support them are already being targeted by the Assembly, just like the humans. It won’t be long before we’re imprisoned and killed, our heads put on pikes to warn all others who dare stand against them.” 

Clearing his throat, he leaned forward in his chair, placing his elbows on the table as his eyes returned to mine. “As the leader of this pride, you’re not only my daughter; you are my heir. If anything happens to me in this looming war, my pride will look to you to lead them. You need to be trained and you need to learn our ways. We can keep you safe while you’re here. It’s no longer safe in the city.”

My father was a lion shifter and he expected me to become their leader. For the second time in my life, I found myself without words.