At first, she didn’t know where she was. It took a couple of seconds for everything to come back to her. Kerry just lay there, taking it all in.

Crisp white linen on a bed in a huge room with no other furniture. Wall-to-wall built-in cupboards. Plush carpets. A solid oak door that led to a big en suite bathroom. It came complete with spa, corner bath and a double shower. Yes, double. As in two shower heads and a tiled seat. Why would someone need a seat in the shower? This was some bachelor pad.

She could hear shouts and yells coming from downstairs. One look at her phone told her it was already nearly nine. There were several messages from Susan, checking in to make sure she’d survived her first night okay, even though she’d messaged her the moment she walked into her room last night. She answered briefly saying she was fine because she needed to get ready. Kerry was late for her first day on the job.

A job.

She had a job. A smile pulled up the edges of her mouth, but she didn’t give into it because of her lip. Didn’t want it bleeding all over the white linen. There was no time to bask though, there was work to be done. Kerry groaned as she started to stand; her lip pulled, making her groan again, more carefully this time. Her neck hurt when she moved. Her whole body felt a bit stiff. There were purple welts around her wrists. None of it mattered. Her luck was changing. Things were going to be better from here on out. Despite her aches and pains, she climbed out of bed and went through the motions of getting ready.

The zipper on her jeans only went up about halfway. Using a hair elastic, she fixed it through the button hole, latching it onto the button so that it could hold her pants in place. Next, she wrestled into her sports bra.

It was ultra-tight. Breathing might become optional one of these days.

She pulled a loose-fitting ‒ make that used to be loose-fitting ‒ sweater over her head, pulling it over the jean zip-hack.

There was more yelling downstairs. Maybe the guys were watching another porno. Kerry brushed her hair and pushed her feet into her shoes. She’d relaxed once she got back to the house last night. The pieces all fit. Everything seemed legit. The men weren’t from around here, so that explained their strange mannerisms. They worked in security which explained their size. Wow! It seemed being six and a half feet was a requirement to become a bodyguard. Much like the eye color, it obviously ran in the family.

The best thing of all was that they definitely needed her. The place was a complete pigsty. Every surface in that living room had been covered with rubbish. There were muddy footprints on the floor. She expected to find the kitchen in a worse state. The piles of laundry would be obscene, but at least she’d have something to focus on. At least she could earn her keep.

Kerry made her way downstairs.

“Hi!” Andy waved as he caught sight of her. Like last night, he was wearing a pair of jeans and nothing else. It seemed that you need to be both six and a half feet and ridiculously muscled to become a bodyguard.

“Morning.” Locke turned and waved at her with a large fork which was clutched in his hand.

Oh my!!! He was cooking something at the stove and wearing only a pair of briefs. That was it. Black briefs. Her gaze fixed on his meaty rear-end for a second before she looked away, cheeks heating.

“What is the matter?’ Andy asked. “You seem embarrassed.”

“Um…a little. Locke is only wearing his underwear.”

“For your information, Cadon insisted that we cover our cocks at all times. We normally walk around butt naked in the morning,” Zaire piped up. At least he was fully dressed. His eyes were blue. She could have sworn they were brown last night.

A mountain of a man grunted from a chair in the corner.

“Oh.” Andy rolled his eyes. “That’s Orrick. You didn’t meet him last night.” Oh yes, the guy who was masturbating when they came home. Her cheeks heated some more. This type of thing was to be expected in a house full of men. Just like at Angela’s house all those years ago. Her friend’s brothers could be rude. They could also make her blush, but it had toughened her up.

“Hello,” she said in his direction.

“You were right, Andy, she is very pretty.” The big guy’s lips twitched but he kept the same murderous expression.

“What did I say?” Andy nodded. “She’s gorgeous.” He winked at her.

Kerry couldn’t help the laugh that escaped as she walked deeper into the kitchen. She was right. The whole sink area was piled with dirty dishes.

Andy must have caught her look of distaste. “Zaire didn’t do his duty.”

“I hate having to fill that dishwasher,” Zaire complained, a big frown evident.

“Cadon is going to make you bleed.” Locke looked back over his shoulder.

Locke was obviously exaggerating about the whole bleeding thing. “I can pack the—” Kerry began.

“No.” Zaire shook his head. “Locke’s right, I should do it. My jaw still hurts.” He mumbled, moving it from side to side.

“Did Cadon hit you?” Surely not!

“Um…no, of course not.” Zaire shook his head. “I’ve been talking too much, that’s all. I need to talk less and do my chores.”

“How would you like your steak? Rare or very rare?” Locke asked her, looking back over his shoulder.

“Steak for breakfast?” She could hear the shock in her voice. “Are you serious?” Locke moved to the side and yes, indeed, there were three pans on the burners, a steak in each one. He slid one of the big slices of meat onto a plate. “Extra rare for you, Orrick.” The big guy grunted and got up. Blood pooled on the bottom of the plate. Her stomach rolled. Thankfully she was over her morning sickness or she’d be hanging over the toilet by now.

Orrick was huge. Like monster size. He accepted the plate and walked back to where he had been sitting. Like Andy, he was in a pair of jeans and nothing else. He reminded her of those greased up body builders. They must use him for shielding clients. There were no bullets getting through that muscle. That was for sure.

He turned to her as he walked past and smiled. At least, she was sure it was a smile.

Andy must have caught her discomfort because he laughed, crunching over at the middle. “Don’t be afraid of Orrick. He’s a…” He frowned. “Remind me again what you call those toys. The furry ones that look like a bear.”

“A teddy bear?” she asked.

Orrick made a growling noise. An honest to god growling noise. Only it had a melodic quality to it, which was strange.

“Yes, that’s it…” Andy grinned. “A teddy bear.” His grin turned to a smirk, which he directed at Orrick.

The big guy growled again, his eyes narrowing. His chair scraped as he stood back up.

“I’m only joking.” Andy held up a hand. “All I’m saying is that you might be big but you’re soft.”

Orrick beat his chest with his fists, reminding her of a hairless gorilla. Even his facial expression resembled that of a wild animal. He took a lumbering step towards Andy, who backtracked. “Wait. I meant on the inside. On the inside.” He held out both hands. “It’s a compliment.”

Her heart beat wildly in her chest. Pornos, half-naked attire, crude jokes, all good and well, but this…this she wasn’t sure she could handle.

Orrick kept approaching. What looked like death written in his eyes. “I don’t want your compliments.”

Andy back-peddled some more. “What about the female? Think about Kerry. She could end up hurt.”

Orrick came to a standstill, he narrowed his eyes, seeming to hold his breath. “Stop your shit!” he boomed. “No more jibes.” He turned to her, his expression softened to only partially murderous. “Sorry.”

Maybe his bark was worse than his bite.

“You are going to get yourself into trouble one of these days,” Locke threw at Andy before sliding the other two steaks onto plates. “What will it be? A nice rare steak?” He took a few steps towards her. His eyes on her.

Wait just a minute. She felt like she was going mad.

“Your eyes.” She shook her head. “I know they were definitely blue yesterday.”

Locke laughed. “You must have hurt your head when your friend hit you.”

“He’s not my friend and there’s nothing wrong with my head.” His eyes had definitely been blue. She had found the color striking against his dark hair. “Rare or—”

There was a loud screeching noise. It was so deafening she covered her ears with her hands. It made her eardrums feel like they were about to burst, like they might be bleeding.

Andy cocked his head. “What is that?”

Orrick was up and at the window in an instant. It was crazy how fast he could move, considering his sheer bulk. “It can’t be,” he mumbled, followed by, “It’s them. The Fallen.”

Andy’s features instantly reflected fear. “No. You must be mistaken.” His voice was changing as he spoke. Changing…changing…it was definitely changing. Becoming deeper and yet…what? He looked bigger.

Kerry was already screaming as the side wall broke open. Bricks went flying, one almost striking her. Her eyes felt wide. A voice told her to hide. To crouch down, but she couldn’t take her eyes off the scene before her.

Feathers.

Fur.

Chaos.

A tail.

Wings.

Mayhem.

Golden eyes, so big, reminding her of the sun.

Screeches and screams.

Total havoc!

Her screams reached crescendo as she was lifted, her face covered. Her nose tickled against…feathers. A scaly claw was wrapped around her. Tight yet gentle. There was a screech of anger, followed by a meaty thud. All hell had broken loose behind them.

His king shook his head. “No.”

“No?” Cadon repeated what Leukos had just said. “Why?”

“A human female? No!” Louder this time. “I can’t believe you risked coming here to ask me such a thing.”

“We are going to have to trust a few humans on our journey to finding mates.”

“Yes.” His king nodded. “That is true. Please repeat to me how many times you have spoken with this female.”

“Not many. There was the day I met her and when she contacted me to accept my offer.”

Leukos shook his head. “And you trust her already?”

“Yes.” Cadon nodded. “Yes, I do.”

“Why?”

“Call it a gut instinct. This female is in trouble. She needs our help, and quite frankly, I could use her help too. It’s a win-win.”

“So you keep telling me.” Leukos cocked his head. “It doesn’t mean she will be loyal to us. To our kind. If word got out…” He paused for a long time, his eyes turning stormy. “You know what could happen if word got out of our plans. I’m not afraid of the humans. Not at all. It’s…you know exactly who the problem is. Exactly what is at stake.”

“Yes, I know. They won’t find out. How can they? It’s not like they interact with humans or have anything to do with us. They mind their business and we mind ours. It’s how it’s been for years.”

“We don’t know that for sure. There has been the odd sighting. We can’t be completely sure and so we have to be cautious. No,” Leukos shook his head. “I’m sorry. She is not eligible to be mated and is therefore not to be trusted.”

“Why not?” the question slipped out. It baffled him why he would even ask it.

“She is with child.” Leukos shook his head. “It’s obvious…or should be.”

“Yes, and what of it?”

“With a human child. We need offspring…Feral offspring. A human would not fit in with our kind.”

“And why not? We need to bring humans into our fold if we are to mate with them. Anyway,” he frowned, “I’m not saying she should be mated or not be mated. That is not the point. Let her help out at the house. She can—”

“A human who is not a mate is not to be trusted.” More shaking of the head. “No. The answer is no. Send her away. Do it as soon as you get back.”

“We could learn from her. She might be with child, but she is still a female. The males know nothing about human females.”

“There are plenty of unmated females to learn from. You need not divulge our existence to learn either. Send her away!” Harsher this time.

“I can’t.”

“You must. Give her money if you made her promises. I don’t care. Do not tell her anything. If she stays in that house with all of you she is bound to find out. The good news is that you came to me now, we can rectify this before it is too late.”

He got this feeling that Kerry wouldn’t accept money from him. Not unless she earned it. “I wish you would reconsi—”

“I have made up my mind.” He recognized his king’s tone. His mind was indeed made up. There would be no changing it. A heaviness settled on his shoulders. He would have to convince her to accept some sort of compensation.

“How goes it with the males?”

“It’s early days. They still have much to learn. It is going to take time.”

“Not too much time I hope.” Leukos slapped him on the back. “I want to see our males mated. I want to see young hatched as soon as possible.”

“It will take as long as it takes. Some things cannot be rushed.”

Leukos shrugged. “I will let you be the judge. I trust you to do the right thing. Just make it happen in the end. Five females for those males need to be secured. Five clutches before too long.”

“It doesn’t quite work like that, but I will do my best to make it happen as soon as possible. How is Talon doing?”

Leukos looked off to the horizon. “He’s been impossible. Moody and difficult and taking it out on his subordinates. He is thankfully one of my friends and has confided in me as to what is eating at him. We know what the problem is, even if there doesn’t seem to be a solution.”

“Oh! What is wrong? Something to do with that human female, I’ll wager.”

Leukos nodded. “You would be right. It seems that it is possible for a male’s hunger to reawaken.”

“What?” His king couldn’t be saying what he thought he was saying. Maybe he had misread where this was going.

“Yes, it happened to Talon. That human female awakened his hunger, he—”

“That is not possible!” he half-yelled. “Talon is already mated. It matters not that his female is no longer among the living.”

“Oh but that’s where you’re wrong, my friend. We are in troubled times. Desperate times and it seems that, for a select few, in the right conditions, it might be possible to mate again.”

“That can’t possibly be.” He shook his head. Cadon couldn’t conceive of the notion.

“It has happened with Talon. He has mounted this female. Found completion inside her.” Leukos said. “I am only telling you this because you are also his friend and because…” He didn’t continue. “I thought you should know, that’s all.”

Cadon’s mind was reeling.

Another mate.

A family.

Happiness.

His heart beat faster. He didn’t want to believe it. Struggled with the concept, since up until this moment and for many long years it had seemed completely out of reach. He and Zara had barely been mated when she had become sick and had died. In truth, they weren’t together long enough to really become attached to one another. They had only just started to get to know one another. In many ways his heart ached more because he had never known what it was like to be completely taken with another. Their life together had only just started and then it ended. Many years of desperate loneliness had ensued. To think…

“I can see that the knowledge has disturbed you.”

Yes! Disturbed was the right way to put it.

“Don’t let it get to you or worry you. I believe that what happened with Talon is a rarity. It might not happen again. Do not mention it to anyone. This female is not interested in Talon, so it is a one-sided affection. No need to get worried about it. His reawakening seems to have gone away now anyways. Concentrate on your job at hand.”

Cadon nodded. “It’s gone?” What did that mean? Why was the king treating this as if it was a non-event?

“It no longer seems to be an issue.” He shrugged.

“It is an issue, sire. This could change things for you. The Fallen—”

“No!” Leukos shouted. “I told you,” softer this time, “what has happened with Talon is a rarity. It doesn’t mean it is going to happen again. No-one is to talk of this. Anyone who knows has been sworn to secrecy. I only told you in case it happens again. You would need to report such a finding immediately. Other than that, nothing has changed. Stick to the original plan.” Leukos looked angry…he also looked afraid.

Cadon could understand why. “Okay.”

“You’ll report anything out of the ordinary?”

“Yes.” Cadon nodded.

“Otherwise, I don’t want to see you. Be careful. You should not have come today. It is dangerous to shift within the human boundaries. You could be seen. It is of the utmost importance that our mission remains a secret.” He got a wistful look. “I look forward to taking a mate of my own.”

“We are learning and adapting quickly. It is only a matter of time before a human union becomes proven and then you can take a mate and have heirs.”

Leukos smiled. “I can’t wait to meet my future queen. I am certain that the female I eventually choose will be eager to mate with me, to have the honor of bearing my young, of securing the future of my throne.”

“Undoubtedly, my king.” He nodded once.

Leukos narrowed his eyes. “I hate having to wait,” he grumbled.

Cadon couldn’t help but smile. He hadn’t heard that statement before. “I’m sure. Just a little more patience and you will be well rewarded. We don’t want to take any chances.”

Leukos shook his head. “No, that is very true.” His eyes got this far-away look. Cadon knew exactly what his king was thinking. It was something they all feared. What if the sickness affected human females just as it had affected their own? Even worse, what if all attempts to heal a human female would be futile, just as it had been with their own females? It was a sick irony that The Feral possessed the ability to heal, only it didn’t work on their own kind. His own power had been used up on attempts to save his mate. His feathers dark. Wells empty.

“I don’t want to see any of you unless it’s life or death.” His king’s words took him out of his reverie.

“Noted.” Cadon nodded once.

They said their goodbyes and Cadon took to the sky. His heart felt heavy. He only prayed that Kerry would understand. That she would at least allow him to look after her.