Prince of Flight

Chapter One

"Sitting at the big boy table now? You normally like that back corner one that only seats two. Or would seat two if you let anyone get near you."

Keonae glanced up from his seat in the back poolroom of the small roadside bar he enjoyed frequenting of late. He'd been a full-time resident in the human realm for far longer than the bar had been in existence, and the bar, as obvious from its state of decay, had seen many years.

"Cat got your tongue?"

He did all he could to remain calm as the beauty before him spoke. The mere sound of her voice held his full attention. He could listen to her talk all day and all night. Hell, she could babble about anything and he'd hang on her every word.

Be ice.

That was what humans often said to one another, wasn't it? Or was it be wet? Be sub-zero? Be Artic? Perhaps be cool? He couldn't remember, nor could he keep track of all their slang.

Stupid humans with their ridiculous sayings.

He should know the human sayings well, like he knew the handle of his sword, but he did not take the time to commit them to memory. They seemed to change so very often. Humans had taken a nearly adequate language and butchered it long ago, and he had been around long enough to see it devolve at a rapid pace.

They had a saying or slang for nearly everything, and all of it took from the beauty of the words. From their meaning. His native tongue was nothing they would ever understand, even though Latin had been born from it long ago, as had several other languages the humans used. That was in the days when they foolishly thought his kind to be angels, gods— demons even.

Humans were not the smartest of races, that was for certain. He didn't mind them so much. They had grown on him over the centuries. Especially the human close to him now.

Yes. Be ice. Do not show her how she makes you feel. Do not reveal that she reminds you of the sweet summers near the edges of the springs of the Tocalie Mountains. That her scent is like that of the mavabian flowers that dotted the outer regions.

He wanted to wax poetic with her, show her he was more than he appeared, but he didn't dare. Romancing her wasn't an option.

Be ice. Be so cold your cock shrivels.

Somehow thinking it did little to settle him or his raging hard-on. Not with her being so close. Lark—such a beautiful name for such a beautiful woman—had a way of drawing his thoughts like no other. Of making him feel like a mere fledgling, rather than a man of many centuries. He was a man of high birth, of position and of power, should he ever decide to return to his place among his people in Accipitridae.

Sweat broke out on his palms. He'd never had sweaty palms prior to meeting her. The hold she had over him was spell-worthy. Lark had been calling to him on a baser level from the moment he'd laid eyes on her nearly a month prior. He licked his lower lip. He wanted to sample her lips, but he didn't dare. Deep down he knew one taste would never be enough, and he wasn't the type of man who could have something long term.

At least not with a human woman.

"I await friends on this evening," he said, before clearing his throat, reminding himself his speech patterns were unusual when not tempered. "I'm waiting for the guys."

"Guys' night, Keon?" she asked, seeming to prefer to shorten his name down from Keonae. He would not have tolerated such a thing from any other than her. She smiled and it was both innocent and sexy all wrapped up in one. His dick responded in kind, lengthening, wanting to be in her. His breathing increased as desire lanced through him.

"Sweet," she added.

He mentally counted to twenty before speaking, worried his next words would be something along the lines of a sexual proposition, or even a flat-out decree that she bed him. While he wasn't opposed to making them, he didn't want to with her— not this woman. She was special. His old ways weren't ones he wanted to go back to in regards to Lark. "Yes. One of my brothers is coming as well."

"Really?" she asked, easing closer, excitement aglow on her face. He lived for these types of moments. Times when she'd smile for him. "I'll finally get to meet some of your friends and family? I was starting to think you might be making them up."

He pressed a partial smile to his face. He and Lark had done as he'd never done with a human before—they'd conversed on a deeper level more than once. He'd even shared some details of his friends and family—nothing about being a bird shifter from another realm, though.

"They'll be here soon," he said, his voice low. He wet his lips and glanced up at her, every ounce of him wanting to make contact with her.

She beamed. "Good. You need more people around you. You're always alone."

She was a fine one to talk. He'd noticed Lark didn't ever seem to have anyone close to her—unless he counted himself. They'd taken to going out to breakfast together when her shifts ended in the wee hours of the morning. They talked about everything and seemingly nothing at all. And they never talked about certain things. Things she wouldn't understand as a human.

But the one thing Keonae took note of was that she avoided discussing friends or family. She was as alone as he was. Maybe more.

"I'd like you to meet the guys when they get here." The statement was huge for more than one reason. He never let anyone meet others of his kind and he had certainly never introduced a human woman to them. At least, not since he'd taken the back-stabbing wench he'd once thought he loved before his brothers.

Lark nodded, her long, blonde hair spilling in all directions. "Of course."

Keonae sipped his beer as she headed back through the doorway to the main area of the bar, leaving him to sit alone, the way he preferred it. Several minutes passed before the men he'd been waiting on arrived. He lifted his beer as fellow bird shifters took seats around him at the circular table.

The bar was a hole in the wall, but Keonae preferred those to others. Most humans never asked him questions, and nearly all just let him be. To them, he was the brooding man who played darts or pool, who drank alone and who had the scar on his face. Very few were brave enough to ask how he got it. Those who did chance his wrath regretted their decision instantly. He wasn't one for sharing. That feel-good bullshit he saw on television, where everyone wanted to sit around in a circle and jerk each other off emotionally, wasn't for him. He wasn't one of those soft men—he was a warrior, and warriors weren't pussies.

The bar served another purpose, beyond just giving him a place to get drunk. If a bar fight erupted, as was often the case with the place, he was able to get some fighting in. It kept his skills honed. Coupled with his workouts, he stayed fit and active, always ready should the need to fight a real battle arise. Once, in his past, he'd been ill-prepared and arrogant, a young fool full of ideas of love and romance.

At the very thought of romance, he felt a tugging in his chest, his gaze moving to the doorway Lark had gone through. He would be lying to himself if he didn't admit that one of the main reasons he selected this particular hole in the wall was its staff. Lark, in particular.

Do not take your thoughts there, he scolded himself. She, like all women, will only bring you pain and misery.

He touched the side of his face that bore the aftermath of his foolishness. He had a forever reminder to never go back to being that man. To never soften to anyone, especially not a woman who would only betray him in the end.

Keonae had very few regrets over leaving the bird realm. Missing the bouts of conditioning with his brothers and the guards of Accipitridae was one of them. They'd spend hours working out on the castle grounds, sparring and training. It wasn't easy to find anyone in the human realm willing or able to take up a sword and train with him. Most would just think he was a madman if he even inquired on it.

He looked down at his hand. It too held myriad scars, telling something of his tale. Flexing his fingers, he thought about what it was like to hold his sword, the feel of it in his hand, the weight of it.

"Hand hurt?" asked Rossi, his youngest brother. Rossi took a seat near Keonae. "Is it acting up again?"

Keonae grabbed his beer and chugged it before belching and setting it on the table, extending the fingers on his hand and giving a pointed look that said all was fine, stop asking.

Rossi snorted. "My apologies, my lord. I forgot. Everything is perfect in your world. Got it, dickhead."

"For someone living back in Accipitridae, you sound very human," said Keonae with wink. "You almost sound local."

"Ah, well, you're calling this place home, so take a bite out of me," returned Rossi as he grabbed one of the unopened beers and helped himself to it.

"I believe the correct phrase is 'bite me'," said Keonae with a half-laugh. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you used to spend an awful lot of time in this realm?"

Rossi used to troll the clubs for women. He'd been quite the ladies' man until he'd met his mate, and she'd changed him on the spot. The man now only had eyes for her. As it should be with a true mated pair. At least, that was what had been beaten into his head from birth. His father had been a firm believer in prophecy, big into chosen ones and mates. While a few of his brothers and friends had found their special someone, it didn't mean anything to Keonae.

He was the leper of his family. The brother who was scarred and no longer pleasing to the eye, as they all had once been. In a society where physical beauty was so prized, their father had always put such stock in how handsome his boys were. How the females adored them and men feared them. As if fate wasn't cruel enough to leave most of his body so hideously scarred in some fashion from the attack, he had been born to the first set of multiples his mother had. He was a triplet. Two identical reminders of what he would no longer ever be, of what he once was, walked the bird realm.

And one was king.

No.

While Kabril and Aeson had been blessed with mates, the fates would not give him one. The gods could not be so cruel as to hand him a woman meant for him, only to have her shriek in horror and run from him, the monster.

He exhaled deeply, wanting the meeting to be over. He had no interest in the politics of home, yet his brothers continued to drag him into it, as if including him would make him want to return home and assume his place in the royal family.

It would not.

"What matters are we to discuss today?" he asked, bored already and the meeting had yet to start.

Rossi glanced around the back room of the bar. "I vote we talk about your choice for a meeting place. As much as I enjoy coming to the human realm, this place is a dump, even for me. You should just come home. I really don't understand what the big deal is. It has been how many decades since everything happened? Surely, you're over it."

I'll never go back and I'll never get over it.

The very thought of returning to the bird realm made him look in the direction of the doorway. In the direction he knew her to be in.

Odd.

He hoped he wasn't growing attached to her in a way that would make him unwilling to uproot and find a new place to call home within the human realm. He long ago ceased to age, which made it necessary, after a period, to find a new location to live within the human world. They aged. They died. They'd notice if he didn't.

"You know why he does not return, Rossi," Sachin said from his seat next to Keonae. "Your brother does his best to avoid setting foot upon home soil. It holds too many memories."

Thoughts of his dead betrothed hit him hard. She used to beg to be brought to the human realm, to be near her mother's people, but Keonae had always refused her. He'd thought her whims foolish and her desires to escape the bird realm nothing more than something that would pass. It had not. And he'd had no idea the lengths she'd end up going to in order to achieve her desires.

"Of a dead traitor? Of a woman who was a mix of our kind, a blend of human and shifter yet worthy of neither race? A half-breed who sought fame and wealth and who, in the end, nearly cost us you?" Rossi questioned.

Keonae knew the words were spoken, not out of truth, but rather fear. Rossi's mate, a human herself, was now expecting their first children. She was late in the term and had been sick for the majority of it. From what Keonae had been told by his other brothers, Rossi had taken to visiting the seers nearly daily for assurance his wife and their babes would be fine come delivery day. The weight of worry was heavy upon the man. Keonae knew what that felt like, so he made no motion to correct his brother's offense. Rossi was right, after all. Ultimately, his betrothed had been a traitor and a blend from a human and shifter mating. The first chance she had to align with the falcons, who had promised her riches and a one-way ticket to the human realm, she took, and betrayed Keonae when he was fighting for his own life, unable to assist. He had watched her die and he had laid there, assuming he too would perish.

Lazar, a relative newcomer to the advisory council meetings, sat up, his blond hair hanging over one eye. He appeared offended on Keonae's behalf. "Your oversimplification does insult to your brother's pain. It is memories of a woman who betrayed him to spy for my people, giving herself to them freely, and in the end betrayed by them and given over to vultures, who killed her slowly."

Keonae tried to remain hard and detached from the words spoken. It was difficult. The wounds long since healed as much as they ever would, burned anew, the remembered pain there, just below the surface. Worse yet were the emotions—the rage, the hate, the humiliation. Feelings he never wanted to have again.

"They were not your people," Sachin said matter-of-factly. The man always kept a level head about him. Well, unless his mate was involved and then it was anyone's guess how his temperament would be. "You have proven you are nothing like your brethren, Lazar. You are nothing like Latravis or those who support him in his reign of terror. Keonae realizes as much, or he would not permit you to attend these meetings."

"You are not your brother," said Keonae evenly. "And while I do not condone violence against women, she made her choices. She knew the people she was getting into bed with. She knew they were not to be trusted."

"Half-brother," corrected Lazar, the distinction clearly of importance to him. Keonae couldn't blame him. Latravis was touched in the head and said to be unraveling at rapid pace, though word at the last few meetings was that he had changed his wicked ways and was trying to start anew.

The idea made Keonae laugh.

The Falco Peregrinus, whom Lazar belonged to, and Keonae's family, the Buteos Regalis, or royal hawks, had been at war for centuries. Though the battles had become few and far between in the latter decades, a new war was brewing. Talk of troops moving on borders had consumed their meetings for the past year. Random raids and failed attempts at peace appeared to be the new normal.

Why would he want to go back to that?

Drinking in the human realm was much better.

"I know not how you can break bread with me," said Lazar to Keonae. "I must represent everything and everyone you hate."

"You remind me of the past in some ways, but you give me a spark of hope that the old ways will not always be so," said Keonae, drawing a look of surprise from Sachin.

It was true. He knew the truth of Lazar. He was rightful king of the Falconi. Soon, they'd make a move and help him regain the throne from his twisted half-brother. In the meantime, they were busy fighting off recent attacks on the edges of their kingdom from the vultures.

Keonae glanced around the table. "Dare I ask what the vultures have been up to? It's bad enough they seem to rise from obscurity, but now it is as if they have a hand in nearly all that is going wrong back home."

Chapter Two

The men present shared concerned looks, probably fearing he might break upon hearing anything in the way of news on the vultures. Keonae lifted a hand. "Worry not. I have put the past behind me and will not shatter to pieces with talk of them. I asked because I wish to know and because I sense you've been leaving a lot out of our last meetings in regards to them."

Sachin cleared his throat. "We believe we can account for their large numbers."

Keonae waited, saying nothing more.

Sachin glanced to Lazar and then to Keonae, hesitant to speak further.

"Tell me."

"It is merely a theory for now," said Sachin.

Rossi spat to the side, cursing the bird gods before returning to ranting about the vultures. "Carcass feeders!"

Lazar lifted his beer to toast the statement. "Agree. They are bottom dwellers."

Most had assumed the vultures had permanently tucked themselves away to lick their wounds from the wars of two centuries ago. Some were even rumored to have fled to the human realm to escape being tried for war crimes. Keonae himself could attest to the vultures being comfortable with passing between realms—he'd been ambushed by them upon human soil and that was why he had not healed as he should have. On Accipitridae, he would have been left whole, perfect as he had once been, not marred. Not still with pain at random times. He should have had full mobility. He didn't.

It had been hoped the vultures' numbers had dwindled as had those in most of the bird kingdoms. Those hopes had been dashed in recent months as verification of the increase in vulture numbers came to a head. They were attacking all kingdoms within the bird realm and in numbers that took everyone by surprise. It was clear they had successfully overcome the low birth rates that had beleaguered the realm for so long.

They were poised to be a serious threat to Accipitridae once more. Keonae touched his scars gently and then let his hand fall away to avoid bringing attention to them. Vultures had left their mark on him, a permanent reminder of their cruelty.

"What theory do you have on their numbers being so high when all the rest of the realm struggles so with new births?" asked Keonae.

The men were quiet for far too long and Keonae knew the information they had was not good. It was Lazar who finally spoke. "They have found a way to artificially breed. They have perfected this over the last century through aid of human technologies in the fields of reproduction, DNA cloning, and something they refer to as genetic engineering. Kabril is meeting with a team of scientists from here, learning all he can of this."

"They played gods?" inquired Keonae, his breath nearly stolen at the idea of something as sick and vile as vultures managing to create an army from scratch. "They did this within the realm?"

Rossi shook his head. "Not all of it. No. From what we are learning most took place here in remote locations. We know very little beyond this."

Keonae found himself lost in worry and thoughts, his mind a mess and his body tense and tight. After a while, he noticed no one else dared to speak, giving him time to absorb the news.

"Are you well?" asked Sachin.

Keonae nodded. "Reflecting on matters best left in the past."

"Hard to keep it behind you when we come and set it before your table, yes?" asked his friend.

Keonae slid him a knowing look. "I need to be kept abreast of the situation back home, regardless of what that situation may be. How many more attacks have been reported?"

"A half-dozen. Rossi confirmed it was vultures because he had to engage with them. He managed to capture one who gave confirmation of what we had only recently learned. They bred an army."

He looked to his younger brother. "And?"

"I walked away alive, unlike some who were with me," Rossi said softly. "They died honorable deaths. They fought for their kingdom."

Lazar stiffened in his seat. "The eagles have sent reinforcements to help us with our borders."

"Are their own not at risk?" asked Keonae.

Sachin shook his head. "Not at this time. And their numbers are greater than our own. They have offered the falcons assistance as well, but only after assuring Kabril would not take offense."

Keonae snorted. "They do not want Kabril carrying a grudge. He is much like our father."

The men all agreed.

"The owls have reached out as well. Seems they are willing to assist. I believe they do not like knowing the vultures have gained knowledge over them," said Sachin.

Keonae laughed. "And pull themselves from their never-ending quest for knowledge? I am shocked. Will they throw books at the vultures? Beat them to death with scrolls?"

Rossi laughed and drank more beer. "They have already tried to convince the queen a more rigorous education should be in order for the newly birthed children within the realm."

"Oh, of that I have no doubt. Our tutors when we were young fledglings were all of the owl kingdom. Do you recall?"

Rossi groaned. "Yes. Do not remind me."

Keonae was surprised to hear the owls had joined against the vultures. They thought themselves scholars, too smart and above war to be bothered. But they knew the stories of old—of a time when the vultures ruled the realm—and it was not a good era for the shifters.

Not in the least.

Each kind tended to stick to themselves and handle their own conflicts. It took a serious matter for peace between the races, regardless of how fragile it was, to be reached. Although, Keonae doubted very much anything in the way of peaceful negotiations would happen with Lazar's people. Not with tensions as high as they were.

"Remember when Aeson was unhappy with his history lessons and decided to pull pranks on the tutor?" asked Rossi, talking of their brother.

"I do. Father scolded him and required he clean chamber pots for a solid week."

Sachin laughed. "Speaking of Aeson, was he not to meet us here tonight as well?"

Lazar nodded. "He told me he would meet us here. We assumed he would be here, in the bar."

Keonae grunted. "He's not. He's probably home bedding his mate. That seems to be his favorite pastime anymore. If that is what he calls fun, fine."

"I should be home with mine," Lazar added, grinning. "Trust me when I say she looks better than all of you put together."

The others razzed him about his wife, whom they all liked. Keonae didn't have an opinion of her as he'd not had the pleasure of actually meeting her. The others spoke highly of Lazar's woman. That was all that mattered to him.

"This talk makes me thankful I have no mate to speak of." Keonae finished the beer and opened another. "I have no one to answer to. I am free to live my life as I wish. Kick back and enjoy drink and no commitments." At the very thought of commitments his mind centered on Lark. He would answer to her if she would have him, but the problem was she never would. She was too good for him. Too beautiful, kind, and caring.

More than he deserved and more than he dared hope for. In addition, she was human, and humans and his kind only worked if they were true mates. The gods would not grant him one. Not with his past sins.

In some ways, he'd gotten what he deserved. He'd bloodied his sword too many times to count. He'd killed the enemy even when they begged for their lives, and when one requested a quick death, he denied them as much, making them suffer. There had been a time when he was one of the most feared of the hawks' warriors. Bloodthirsty and bent on winning as all warriors were, he'd been ruthless in his quest for victory in battle. But in the end, he'd been blinded by lust, then nearly blinded for real. The bird gods demanded payment due, and payment he had made.

"I still cannot fathom why we're meeting in this dive," said Rossi. "Aeson has raised his standards. He probably showed, took one look at this place, and then fled. Smart man."

"Hey, I like this bar. It is one of my favorites," he said, omitting the fact that it was only his favorite because of Lark.

"You have been living as a human for far too long if this bar holds appeal," said Sachin. "Your standards have fallen greatly."

Had they not been friends all their lives, Keonae would have taken offense. As it stood, he knew Sachin's words were birthed out of concern and a healthy grain of truth. The bar was a hole in the ground.

Lifting his beer, Keonae inclined his head to make a toast. "To using women to serve one's needs so long as I'm not tethered to a mate, and to dives like this. May the shit hole-in-the-ground places always welcome a motley crew such as us."

Rossi's sound of disgust wasn't lost on Keonae. "Brother, tell me you're not planning to continue living here in this realm. More to the point, near this place. The human realm is a wonderful place to visit, but to lay roots? To call home? Also, I believe the human term for this is hole-in-the wall, not ground."

Sachin groaned. "Rossi has moaned since our departure. Mayhap the moons back home are afflicting him."

"Make fun of humans," said Lazar to Rossi before he drank his beer. "I dare you. I will tell your wife. Lucy will unman you."

"Hey, none of that now," said Rossi with wide eyes. "Her moods have been sour enough with me of late. She needs no encouragement. I had no idea human females could be so violent. Pregnancy has made her scary. I show no fear in battle, yet I shake in her presence. I spent last night sleeping upon the floor outside our chamber doors as she deemed me in the dog house, whatever that means. Humans are very strange beings."

"My wife just happens to be human too. As does your queen," reminded Sachin. "If they hear you talking about their tempers, they'll team up with Lucy and they'll all geld you." Sachin leaned forward as if daring Rossi to say more. Wisely, Rossi shut up.

Keonae laughed, bringing a look of surprise from the males around him. "What? I find it humorous that you are all terrified of little human women."

"You really need to meet them face-to-face," said Sachin. "They'd scare the feathers off a vulture."

Keonae smiled wide and felt the pull on the right side of his face from muscles he didn't use often. He quickly schooled his expression, dreading drawing attention to his misshapen smile.

"Speaking of vultures," said Lazar, knocking lightly on the table. "You were correct, Keonae. We have held much back from you in the past months."

Keonae nodded, figuring as much.

Lazar continued. "They have been attacking on the edges of the kingdom, we believe in an attempt to test our forces and our protection lines. To date, they have not been successful in gaining access to the hawks' area, but I do not think that is their true mission."

Sachin let out a long breath. "Nor do I. They seek to distract us while testing our resolve."

"Bottom feeders," mouthed Rossi.

Lazar nodded. "Word reached us that they're planning a raid here in the human realm. And if our spies are correct, this raid is to occur not far from where you lay your head, Keonae. And we do not believe it will be far in the future."

"I would like to place guards with you until this blows over," said Sachin, tipping his head. "I know you will protest and tell me no, but think upon it. You are not the seasoned warrior you once were. You have lived the way of a human for far too long to stand alone against a threat such as them."

"Says you," added Keonae, knowing he hadn't just withdrawn from the fight and lost his edge. If anything, he worked harder, trained harder, and spent more time preparing for a battle that may never come. The blood thirst that had once been his driving force was no more. That had been beaten out of him and died the day his world changed forever. But upon reflection, he knew it would make him a better warrior. One who could stand against a foe and not allow the thrill of the kill be what guided his actions.

Rossi lifted his beer. "We first assumed they were making a move upon you, trying to draw us out, but then new information came to light—they seek a woman."

Keonae wasn't following. "What would they want with a human woman? They have never been known to show an interest in this realm before. When they ruled supreme, the portals were banned. What has changed?"

"That, we do not know," Sachin said, leaning back in his chair. "It is troublesome. They show the females of our realm no mercy when they capture one, so think of what horrors they could inflict upon a human woman. Consider allowing the guards to be placed near you. It would set all our minds at ease. Should the vultures make a move upon you, they will be able to assist."

Keonae flinched at the thought of the enemy getting their hands on a human woman. They were ruthless, and if they had human women in their sights, something was very wrong. Keonae had become protective of the humans to some degree, feeling as though he was part of them now, even though he doubted highly that any human would accept what he was. Should they realize he could sprout wings and fly, they would probably shoot him first and then examine his dead remains later. Humans were like that.

Except for one human female he found himself very drawn to. The idea of the vultures being anywhere near Lark set him on edge. The urge to stand and seek her out was strong, but just then, she came to him. His heart fluttered and he had to temper his breathing to avoid alerting his companions to just how much the woman meant to him.