Royal Line Read Free Page B

looked at him and roared, the sound pushing him back. Oh yeah, Phoenix was still pretty damn mad.
    "Stunning beast." Fucking beautiful. Grio had never seen his like.
    Phoenix roared again. And again. The message was crystal clear. Let me out.
    He shook his head. "I can't."
    Another roar and then Phoenix attacked the door, paws tearing and beating at the wood.
    "Come on, Phoenix. I need to talk to you."
    The heavy paws landed on the floor, and Phoenix started to shimmer, the cat finally fading away.
    "That's it, Phoenix, good job."
    Shit, Phoenix had a sweet body. God knew where the man's glasses were, hopefully on the floor where he'd first changed and not broken. Grio forced himself to look up at Phoenix's face instead of letting his gaze wander over the delectable body.
    "Don't call the psych ward, please."
    Grio snorted. "They'd lock me up first. But why would I call them when I know what you are, what I am? It isn't an illness, it's our species, and it's a gift."
    Phoenix shook his head. "I was having a hallucination."
    "Wow, you are stubborn." If him shifting didn't do it, most people began to believe once they'd actually shifted themselves.
    "Not stubborn, crazy. Do you think they'll sedate me?"
    "No, because you aren't going to tell anyone." It was rule number one. "You never talk about it to anyone who doesn't know." Because yeah, then they'd all be in the psych ward, or worse.
    Phoenix stared at him, eyes wide, burning.
    "Do you need me to shift again to prove that it's real, that you're not losing your mind?" Which he would do, but all this back and forth in such a short time was tiring. He sure hoped the place was stocked with a whole lot of meat.
    "No. I want to go home now." Oh yeah, Phoenix was very stubborn.
    "That's not going to work. You need to learn how to control it, how to live as a Saffron Tiger."
    "You said that you'd let me go home. You said five minutes. That was up ages ago."
    "I will let you go home. Once we're both confident you won't spontaneously shift in the middle of a class or something even more public."
    Things were going to get ugly soon. He could see it in the way Phoenix twitched, shuddered, in the way those fingers moved.
    Grio stepped forward, doing something he'd never done with a new tiger before. He pressed his lips against Phoenix's, kissing Phoenix.
    Phoenix stepped backward, then immediately stepped forward and kissed him back before collapsing in a heap, landing with a thunk.
    Okay. Fainting. That he was prepared for, that he could deal with. He would focus on that and not the kiss. Fainting prince of tigers, fainting prince of tigers--that was his sole focus right now.
    Picking Phoenix up, Grio carried him up the stairs to the bedroom to lay Phoenix out on something soft.

 

Chapter 2
     
    Phoenix sat on the edge of his mom's bed, trying not to stare at the restraints at her ankles, her wrists. They looked like they hurt, so bad.
    "Nix, son, you have to pay attention to me."
    "I am. I mean, yes, ma'am." He stared at his foster mom, Meghan. She was always there, solid and quiet, offering him a smile when he looked to her for reassurance. Meghan had been his family for six years. Most of his life.
    "Pay attention!" His mom snarled, drawing his focus.
    "I am!"
    "You're not like other boys."
    No, he wasn't. His mom was crazy.
    "You listen to me. You are special. We both are. A royal line, Nix. Royal."
    "Royal. Yes, ma'am." He wanted to go home. He had a new video game that he had saved up all his allowance to buy.
    "You aren't listening!" she screamed at him.
    He jumped up, running right for his foster mom's open, comforting arms. "Meghan!"
    "Nix! Get back here!" His mother pulled at her restraints, voice becoming hysterical.
    "Let's go, honey, we don't have to stay here." Meghan hugged him and turned them to the door.
    "You're not normal! Listen to me! You're going to hurt someone!"
    Phoenix looked at Meghan, horrified, but she just shook her head, looked sad. "She's sick, honey.