A View to a Kill: (A Bird Shifter Novella) (King of Prey Book 2) by Mandy M. Roth
Authors: Mandy M. Roth
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Chapter One
Earth…
Sachin soared high in the air, satisfied after a night of hard sex with three human women. They practically threw themselves at him, as most women in this realm did. They were an itch he liked very much to scratch, even against the orders of his king and best friend, Kabril.
Kabril warned of the dangers of entering the human realm too much. There was a time in human history that his kind, the Buteos Regalis, and others like them were thought of as mythical creatures who would steal away with livestock and small children. The stories were absurd. A horse was too heavy to fly with, and why should he bother himself with something like that when he had only to return to the castle to a feast, already prepared. And what purpose would Sachin have with a child? They were noisy, at least from what he remembered. Accipitridae, the realm he called home, had not had a child born to it for hundreds of cycles. No one was sure as to why, but whispers of a prophecy involving the king spread like wildfire. He had to laugh at the idea of the king settling down to be with only one woman.
Sachin couldn’t fathom giving up his wicked ways to tether himself to one female for all his life. Eternity was a long time to sleep with the same woman. He shuddered at the thought.
Sachin dipped lower in his flight over the semi-wooded lands on his way to the nearest portal to Accipitridae.
“No!” The cry pierced the night. It was off in the distance but Sachin’s supernatural hearing offered him the ability to pick up on it. He scanned the area, trying to locate the source. A blast from a gun, a weapon the humans seemed to favor, went off. Another scream followed. Sachin zeroed in on the location and launched into a dive. He would worry later about humans seeing him in partially shifted form. He was part hawk, part man and they would never understand.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” a male voice came from the distance.
Sachin neared the spot of the disturbance and spotted a middle-aged man with a rifle in his hands, stalking something or someone. The man pushed greasy strands of hair from his face as he stared around, his eyes crazed. His nose was bulbous and nearly as red as his bloodshot eyes.
“Where are you, you little bitch?” the man spat.
The tiniest of whimpers caught Sachin’s attention. He landed silently several feet behind the man—the stench of alcohol and evil evident. It curled Sachin’s stomach. He drew his wings back into himself, shifting into his full human form. He stepped softly, making no sound as he advanced on the drunkard.
A gasp caught Sachin’s attention, pulling it to the right. He spotted a figure, huddled in the fetal position. Upon closer inspection, Sachin realized the figure was female and covered in blood. The fierce need to protect her at all costs consumed him. He channeled the rage he felt at the thought of the female having been harmed towards the armed man. Killing him would be a sweet victory.
The man was walking in the other direction, unable to see the female’s hiding spot. Sachin motioned to her and then put a finger to his lips to indicate the need for silence. She nodded, shaking so much her teeth chattered.
Sachin bent his head, narrowing his silver gaze. He stepped closer and touched the man’s shoulder. He spun, firing the weapon as he did. Using his forearm, Sachin knocked the barrel of the gun away and the shot went wide. The man stared up at him, his eyes wide with fear.
“Who— Where did you come from?”
A tingle of satisfaction at instilling fear in him ran through Sachin. “You dared to touch the woman?”
“Woman?” The man’s lips curled into a sinister smile. “Paige ain’t no woman.”
“She’s my woman,” Sachin said.
Stunned by his own claim, Sachin blinked, giving the man time to point the rifle at him. He fired and the shot struck Sachin in the shoulder, creating a large, gaping hole. White-hot pain radiated through
Earth…
Sachin soared high in the air, satisfied after a night of hard sex with three human women. They practically threw themselves at him, as most women in this realm did. They were an itch he liked very much to scratch, even against the orders of his king and best friend, Kabril.
Kabril warned of the dangers of entering the human realm too much. There was a time in human history that his kind, the Buteos Regalis, and others like them were thought of as mythical creatures who would steal away with livestock and small children. The stories were absurd. A horse was too heavy to fly with, and why should he bother himself with something like that when he had only to return to the castle to a feast, already prepared. And what purpose would Sachin have with a child? They were noisy, at least from what he remembered. Accipitridae, the realm he called home, had not had a child born to it for hundreds of cycles. No one was sure as to why, but whispers of a prophecy involving the king spread like wildfire. He had to laugh at the idea of the king settling down to be with only one woman.
Sachin couldn’t fathom giving up his wicked ways to tether himself to one female for all his life. Eternity was a long time to sleep with the same woman. He shuddered at the thought.
Sachin dipped lower in his flight over the semi-wooded lands on his way to the nearest portal to Accipitridae.
“No!” The cry pierced the night. It was off in the distance but Sachin’s supernatural hearing offered him the ability to pick up on it. He scanned the area, trying to locate the source. A blast from a gun, a weapon the humans seemed to favor, went off. Another scream followed. Sachin zeroed in on the location and launched into a dive. He would worry later about humans seeing him in partially shifted form. He was part hawk, part man and they would never understand.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” a male voice came from the distance.
Sachin neared the spot of the disturbance and spotted a middle-aged man with a rifle in his hands, stalking something or someone. The man pushed greasy strands of hair from his face as he stared around, his eyes crazed. His nose was bulbous and nearly as red as his bloodshot eyes.
“Where are you, you little bitch?” the man spat.
The tiniest of whimpers caught Sachin’s attention. He landed silently several feet behind the man—the stench of alcohol and evil evident. It curled Sachin’s stomach. He drew his wings back into himself, shifting into his full human form. He stepped softly, making no sound as he advanced on the drunkard.
A gasp caught Sachin’s attention, pulling it to the right. He spotted a figure, huddled in the fetal position. Upon closer inspection, Sachin realized the figure was female and covered in blood. The fierce need to protect her at all costs consumed him. He channeled the rage he felt at the thought of the female having been harmed towards the armed man. Killing him would be a sweet victory.
The man was walking in the other direction, unable to see the female’s hiding spot. Sachin motioned to her and then put a finger to his lips to indicate the need for silence. She nodded, shaking so much her teeth chattered.
Sachin bent his head, narrowing his silver gaze. He stepped closer and touched the man’s shoulder. He spun, firing the weapon as he did. Using his forearm, Sachin knocked the barrel of the gun away and the shot went wide. The man stared up at him, his eyes wide with fear.
“Who— Where did you come from?”
A tingle of satisfaction at instilling fear in him ran through Sachin. “You dared to touch the woman?”
“Woman?” The man’s lips curled into a sinister smile. “Paige ain’t no woman.”
“She’s my woman,” Sachin said.
Stunned by his own claim, Sachin blinked, giving the man time to point the rifle at him. He fired and the shot struck Sachin in the shoulder, creating a large, gaping hole. White-hot pain radiated through
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