Glow (Peril Book 2) by Joss Stirling

Author:Joss Stirling [Stirling, Joss]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781910426128
Publisher: Frost Wolf
Published: 2017-11-30T22:00:00+00:00

12

Paul had done his work: a large crowd had gathered at the foot of the steps of the castle. Kel had a flashback to watching the film of Beauty and the Beast with his sister when they were younger, nestled on the sofa of one of Osun’s London homes. It felt uncomfortably like the scene at the end when the villagers come to kill the beast, just without the nighttime and flaming torches. François sat in a stone seat that occupied the centre of the top flight, his court ranged around him. Kel and Nixie stood to one side. She had the guitar clutched in one hand. François clicked his fingers and Paul read out the proclamation authorizing the hunt. The people were eerily silent like a crowd at a public execution listening to the sentence. When Paul finished, he turned to Kel and Nixie.

‘Strangers, you have a five minute head-start, beginning now!’ He started the countdown in his watch.

Nixie tensed like a runner on the starting line, expecting Kel to run immediately. He had other plans, though.

‘Give me a moment, Nixie.’

‘You’re wasting your time,’ growled François. ‘Get running.’

Kel cleared his throat to make sure his voice rang out in the courtyard. ‘I want to challenge for the position of mayor.’ He must have succeeded in hitting top volume because it scared the flock of doves off their rooftop perches.

‘You want what?’ François repeated incredulously.

‘I think you heard me, Frank. Or are you too cowardly to accept?’

Paul rustled through pages of council rules. ‘This is most unorthodox. We elect mayors. You’re not even a citizen of France!’

That wasn’t how it had happened lately, surely? ‘And I suppose Frank stood in a free and fair election? Is he French, by the way? Did anyone check his papers? He didn’t just hunt down his rivals and take over as if he had the right, did he?’

With that hint, Paul felt as if he was back on more solid ground. ‘He does have the right—as the strongest!’

‘Then I challenge his position as the strongest.’ That was how one took down an alpha after all.

Nixie tugged his arm. ‘Kel, you’ll lose. We should run—not bother with this. What are you trying to achieve?’

This was why he hadn’t told her his plans. ‘I’m stronger than I look.’ He had years of bodyguard training to thank for that.

‘I don’t want you to risk hurting yourself for me and he’s…’ She didn’t complete the sentence, just nodded at the mayor who now lounged on his throne looking vaguely amused by the turn of events.

‘I know. All talk and no trousers.’

‘That wasn’t what I was going to say.’

‘All right.’ François surged to his feet. He had probably worked out that his authority would be dented if he refused and his vanity meant he was banking on an easy victory—that was what Kel relied on. ‘When you lose, I’ll still let you have your five minutes—to be fair to the girl. You, unfortunately, won’t be in any condition to make use of them.

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