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She ran from the room and leapt up the stairs to get to the room Sigrid gave to her. She threw herself onto her bed as her muscles began to cramp and stretch. Her bones felt like they were on fire as her body continued to shake like it was going to vibrate apart and explode into sparks simultaneously. Her ears filled with the swooshing roar of her blood rushing through her veins as her heart beat faster and faster. She pulled a pillow over her face and screamed her terror into it.
Sigrid! She needed Sigrid to save her but her head filled with static, and she could no longer see anything beyond the flash of stars. She’d never find her phone now.
Whimpering, she prayed her curiosity hadn’t killed her.
-=-
When Camila’s door closed behind Nate, Roy turned towards Camila.
“Who are these external law firms approaching VRL?” he asked curiously.
“No one we’re seriously entertaining the idea of using. She needed to believe it,” Camila smirked.
He shrugged then grinned. “So is it my turn to show what Henry’s little gift has done to me?”
Camila’s eyes lit up as she smiled at him. “What? What changes did you experience?” she asked excitedly.
His grin turned wicked as he stood to move to the spot Nate did his big reveal. He dropped his glamor, and both women sucked in a surprised gasp as they stared wide-eyed at his new form.
“Oh my god, Roy! You look fierce!” Camila gasped. “I mean, you were fierce before but this… it’s a completely new level!”
Sigrid was frozen, staring at him in surprise. When he switched back, he held her eyes. “Well?”
She gave herself a little shake. “My instincts were screaming at me to launch an attack. I’ve never seen a lycanthrope with such… aggressive offensive capabilities. The changes aren’t just cosmetic, are they.”
Roy smiled. “No, they’re not. I’m stronger than before. My teeth and claws are sharper and harder. There are drawbacks, though it took me some time to find them. While it was exceptionally difficult to talk in my previous Were form, now it’s impossible. I think my mental aggression has been boosted too as it’s harder to control. In a real fight, I’m going to have to be extra careful to restrain my impulse from killing.Content © NôvelDrama.Org 2024.
His friends frowned at that.
“Healing?” Sigrid asked.
“At least fifty percent faster.”
“How many times did you stab yourself to calculate that?” Camila asked with a raised eyebrow.
Roy looked a little defensive. Sigrid snorted.
Camila stood and walked around her desk. She leaned in and scented Roy. She locked eyes with Sigrid. “Wild Magic. He’s linked to the new realm.”
Sigrid nodded. “Like you, he still has his glamor. Marisa is the only one who’s lost hers so far-”
“She overdosed!” Camila insisted.
Sigrid nodded. “Exactly. The Wild Magic is stronger than old realm magic, but in reasonable doses, it adapts old realm spells to be powered by the new energy. Roy’s glamor lost the Fae transition when it’s dropped. Yours too.” Camila’s answering smile was very satisfied.
The tall blond looked critically at Roy, and his eyebrows went up. “What?”
“With this change, would you say you’ve evolved or regressed?” she asked.
“What?!? What kind of question is that? Evolved!” he barked in annoyance.
Her critical look remained. “Physically, I’ll admit you’ve become Lycanthrope 2. 0, but mentally you’re making it sound more like a regression to a more aggressive, less balanced state.”
Roy frowned at her explanation, but he looked like he was unable to argue the point.
Camila’s smile dropped. “Shit! Has anyone other than us seen your new state?”
Roy nodded to her cautiously. “Two of my crew, Rick Santos and Billy Cooper. The ones you ordered to bring me home.”
“Shit!” Sigrid said, her mind leaping to the same place Camila’s had already gone. “Did they see who you were helping before you passed out?”
Roy was getting annoyed. “I assume so! They were there! What are you two on about?”
“They know you’re an evolved form of Werewolf and they know how to make it happen for themselves,” Camila said.
Roy’s face dropped. “Excuse me.”
He immediately made his way to the door and left the office quickly.
Sigrid watched him go then noticed someone missing from the outer office. “Where’s Nate?” she murmured.
“Felix? Where did Nate go?” Camila called out.
Her assistant walked in with the piece of paper which he handed to Sigrid. “He made a call and seemed rather upset afterward. He rushed out after leaving the note.” He nodded then went back to his desk, closing the door behind himself.
“He’s gone to see his friend Jo Hart,” Sigrid read.
Camila frowned. “Is he ok out there on his own? I’m still feeling a little paranoid. Have we accounted for everyone trying to get him last night?”
Sigrid frowned. “I think so, though they never recovered the body of OIetha’s partner. The police have divers in the water at the marina. She fell off the dock into the water after Henry crashed her through the dock’s gatehouse.”
Camila’s eyes widened. “She bit Henry!”
Sigrid immediately picked up how bad that could be. “She looked unconscious when she fell into the water. Could she have survived?” she asked.
Camila picked up her phone. “Felix, please forgive the rude question but, your family, good swimmers or sinkers?” She paused, and her eyes went to Sigrid with dread. “Ah, thank you. Could you order a car and contact Roy and have him meet us in front of the building? Thanks.” She hung up as she stood.
“Good swimmers then,” Sigrid sighed getting up to follow.
“Experts,” she said, opening her door. “Felix, please reschedule my afternoon appointments to tomorrow.”
He nodded to her. “Mr. Duncan asked for you to text him the address and he will join you as soon as he can.”
She thanked her assistant then she and Sigrid made their way down to the lobby and out to the waiting car. Sigrid gave the address and asked the driver to get there as quickly as he could.
Sigrid fired off the text to Roy then rolled the issue around in her mind as she watched the scenery out the window. If Oletha’s partner had survived, there’s no reason to believe she’d stick around. But if she did, if she were out for revenge for what happened to her friend, they’d all be in trouble if she’d been changed by Henry’s blood too.
She turned her head to look at Camila. “Are you back up to full strength?”
Camila must have been thinking along the same lines as her eyes showed her unease. “No, I doubt I’m even half. Nate was a delightful lover, and he’s linked to the same source of magic, but Henry is far more potent. How about you?”
“I still have plenty of energy but thinking about what we may be facing, I’d feel better if we were both at our peak.” Sigrid sighed.
Camila nodded. “Roy had better hurry.”
-=-
Rick Santos accepted the towel filled with ice cubes and gently placed it against his swollen eye. “Shit!” he hissed.
“Tell me again what happened with Billy before he hit you,” Roy said as they sat in the privacy of his office.
Rick glanced at his boss. “I got in early this morning and found him clearing out his locker. He was all jittery and mumbling to himself. I called his name, and he almost jumped out of his skin. He screamed at me for spooking him. I asked him what he was doing, and he said he was getting out before things got heavy. I asked him what he meant, and he looked at me like I was nuts. He said you’d changed and that changed everything. I… might have called him a coward. Then he hit me with a club he pulled from his locker.”
Roy stared at his subordinate grimly. “What the hell spooked him so much?”
Rick held up his free hand. “I have no idea. He seemed to be trying so hard to fit in, and he was bonding with us. Then after what we saw last night, he was so shaken up. I’ve never seen him this upset. On the way back to the office last night I heard him mumble something that sounded like unfair.”
Roy watched Rick. Billy’s reaction to Roy’s new state was odd, but Rick seemed fine. “Shit.”
Rick glanced curiously at Roy. “So… was it Henry’s blood that… boosted you?”
“I’m going to say this once. Henry’s not to be touched. The lad’s surrounded by more chaos and pain than I’ve seen anyone carry. The Hidden Races Council circles him like vultures. They’ve classified all information about him as top secret. Transgressions will received the severe punishments, possibly death. A second group I cannot mention is also protecting him for their own selfish needs. I can’t stress this enough. For your safety, keep what you’ve seen to yourself and keep your lips shut. I need to deal with Billy now.”
Rick scowled savagely. “I want to be there to see it.”
Roy couldn’t stop his answering grin. He liked Rick. He was one of his original pack members from way back. As dependable as they came. He glanced down at the file on his desk. “You up for a visit to Billy’s?”
“Yes!” Rick growled in delight.
With a nod, Roy stood, and they exited his office to stop by the security desk. Roy passed along instructions to immediately send a team of three to the address Sigrid sent him. He’d text her on the way to Billy’s. He hoped the bastard was still there as he had a few questions.
He needed Billy to explain his actions.