Page 109 of Daughter of Garnet

"The Arcanist was here." Viv is hugging herself as she sniffles and cries.

"I'm not surprised. He is quite close to the Archon. He approved this, after all." I gesture at my collar.

Dominic takes a step toward me. "What's that?"

"As if you don't know. I was collared at my ceremony. Shot with what is probably the same tranquilizer Zoe fell victim to." At the thought of my lovely Zoe getting shot up with drugs, I lose the battle with my croc, and he surges to the surface, succeeding only in getting me shocked. I've gotten used to dealing with the pain of it after all these years, but the spikes are deeper in my throat than they have been in a long time. It may take a bit for it to release me from its electric clutches this time. I'm bent over, knuckles going white on the back of the pew.

"Shit, they put you in a shock collar?" Dominic moves behind me, grabbing at it. I can't focus on throwing him off of me because all of my attention is going to forcing my croc to recede so I can stop these shocks before I piss myself. "I can get this off."

"Then get it off!" Cliff shouts at the Alpha. "What are you waiting for?"

Dominic moves behind me, and I feel the rough pad of a paw on my nape. There's a scratching sound, and then the pressure around my neck lifts and the currents are gone. The collar drops to the floor in front of me.

"What?" I'm sure he can hear the awe in my tone, but I'm not ashamed of it. "How did you do that?"

The Alpha shifts his paw back to a hand. Very few people can do a partial shift. I don't even know if I can. I haven't exactly had the chance to try it out.

"It's a claw mechanism. My dad invented it."

Ray narrows his eyes, as if that is more damning than anything else. "And you just happen to know how to remove it?"

"I saw my father do it enough times that I'll never forget."

The silence of his statement is heavy, and none of us says anything for a moment.

It's Viv who finally breaks the quiet. "How are we going to get Zoe back?"

At the mention of my mate, my beast rushes to the surface again, and I can feel my body growing heavier, my skin toughening.

I fear I will not be able to control my shift, and I will kill everyone that Zoe cares about if I don't.

I fall to my knees, grab the collar, and shove it back onto my neck. The shocks begin immediately, but my beast quiets down.

"Why did you put that back on?" Dominic kneels in front of me, already shifting his hand into a clawed paw to remove it again.

I snag him by the furry wrist. "My beast hasn't come out since my ceremony ten years ago. If he does now, I will kill all of you. It's better for all of us that I stay in this thing for now."

"What are you, anyway?"

"A big fucking prehistoric crocodile," Cliff answers for me.

I can see it when the realization hits Dominic. "All of us are prehistoric beasts?"

"One of a kind," her Beta mutters. "Picked by your Gods to support my mate, who was Cursed, not Blessed." He throws his head back, staring at the chapel ceiling. "How the fuck could you four allow this to happen? What happened to her being your chosen one? I thought she was supposed to be special. Important. How can she fix this fucked up realm if she's dead?"

"He won't kill her." Dominic's voice is small as he sits on a pew, resting his face in his palms. "She's no good to him dead."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ray was an interesting choice for her by Oren, but I'm starting to see what purpose all of us have for Zoe.

Viv is her family.

Cliff is the one who stays by her side through everything, always putting her first.

Dominic challenges her, forcing her to confront parts of herself she must learn to love.

Ray will guide her, but he'll weigh each situation meticulously before he decides which path to take.

And me? She's my obsession.