Free Fury Rising (Fury Unbound Book 1) by Yasmine Galenorn Page B

counter, I was running a mixture of emotions from sorrow to anger. I paused, trying to get my temper under control. The old adage Don’t shoot the messenger appeared to be alive and well. But as I gathered my things to leave, I forced myself to stop and reason. Jason would need his sister and even though I was pissed, I wasn’t going to walk away without doing everything I could.
    I quietly let myself out, securing the door behind me. I shoved the key in my pocket and trudged next door to Up-Cakes. Shevron was in the corner, hovering over a tiered cake stand that she was filling with muffins. The store smelled like I had died and gone to lemony-heaven.
    She glanced up as I shuffled over to her. “Hey, Fury—” She stopped, setting down the tray of cupcakes. “What the hell happened? You look like you just lost your best friend.”
    I shrugged, feeling the chip on my shoulder all too keenly. “Shevron, I’m sorry to have to be the one to tell you, but Eileen’s mother just called a few minutes ago. Eileen was killed by one of the sky-eyes.”
    Shevron blanched. “Oh, great gods. How horrible.” She swept around the counter, whisking me toward the back. Over her shoulder, she called to her store clerk. “Liza, watch the front?”
    When we were in her office, Shevron closed the door and motioned for me to sit down. “Does he know yet?”
    I nodded. “I told him.”
    “Do you know what happened?”
    “The rudimentary facts, but I sent Hans down to find out whatever he could. Obviously, I couldn’t go. The Devani are calling this a ‘regrettable accident.’ ”
    “Regrettable accident, my ass. Those freaking drones are dangerous for aerial shifters. This has happened more than once.” She paused, then tilted her head to the side. “Something else is bothering you. I’ve known you too long for you to hide secrets from me.”
    “How can you always tell?” I did a good job of hiding my feelings, but Shevron and Tam could always see through me.
    She reached over and ran her fingers through my hair. “You’ve come a long ways from that frightened little girl Jason found on the doorstep in front of Dream Wardens. You’ve been through a lot and I’ve watched you handle everything life threw in your path.”
    I let out a long sigh. “Okay, but it sounds petty and you’re going to think I’m an ass.”
    “Tell me anyway.”
    “After I told him what happened, Jason wouldn’t talk to me. The only thing he did was to order me to leave. He’s in there with Tam right now. I know he’s hurting but it felt like a fucking slap in the face.”
    Shevron was a pale woman, her hair far blonder than her brother’s. Her rounded face was jarred by the dark blackberry lipstick she wore, and her makeup was one step away from haute-couture odd. But her eyes had the same discerning gaze as her brother’s, and the family resemblance was very apparent. Now, it felt like she was looking directly into my heart.
    “You know, Fury, grief does strange things to people. They act out in ways you’d never expect. You did, when we first met.” Shevron was blunt. That was one of the things I loved about her.
    My stomach flipped and I pressed my lips together. I had developed a tough exterior when out in public, but in private I had to let down my guard. Keep too much energy bottled up and it would implode, especially when working with shadow magic. Magic tended to backfire when emotions were repressed, and the last thing I needed was for it to come blasting out at the wrong time, at the wrong target.
    “Jason isn’t thinking right. Plus, remember, we’re shifters. We’ve lived a long time compared to you. Hawk-shifters, in particular, are notorious for being able to control our emotions, to look at any given situation and follow the threads back. We’re aligned with the element of air, which means we are ruled by intellect and thought. But grief can bring the strongest of us to our knees, and in this regard, Jason has always