Shadows of the Shifter

Chapter 6 - Bitter Honey

My gaze remained fixed on the road ahead, a path leading me back to what society deemed as home. I couldn't deny the drowsiness that steadily crept up my spine, a predictable side effect given the lateness of my dosage.

The longer I endured without it, the more severe the repercussions became. Lately, it seemed I had to increase my dosage cycle. Perhaps a potency boost wasn't far from necessity.

Passing Highway 43, my skin began to crawl with the familiar itch of the facility's watchful eyes. I slowed, the bike's speed set to a mere cruise. The sun had finally made its appearance, a reminder that I had yet again survived another day in this desolate realm.

This assignment proved to be one of the shorter ones, though I had grown accustomed to being stationed close to the facility. At most, they'd dispatch me for a few weeks at a time. I harbored a sneaking suspicion that my father played a role in this arrangement. As the next heir to the Cyrazine name, my life held value to the hierarchy, albeit meaningless to myself.

The facility comprised family factions; in a sense, we were nobility in the domain of warfare and death. Few establishments akin to this existed across America, housing families with a lineage steeped in bloodshed for status. Within our gates resided three houses: the Cortus family, the Skotono family, and finally, my own, the Cyrazine family.

The Cortus faction dedicated themselves to the art of warfare as mercenaries. Their primary family consisted of Lydas Cortus and his wife, Avita Cortus, along with their two sons, Octavious Cortus and Thomas Cortus. Other relatives assumed roles as lower commanding officers and generals, while those beneath them were merely hired or captured personnel for the Cortus family army.

The Skotono faction operated with more secrecy, employing indirect methods in their lethal trade. A family of spies, they specialized in gathering information and selling knowledge, leveraging control over places and people. The main family remained enigmatic, sharing little about their identities or personal affairs with others within the facility. However, I knew Morana Skotono was one of the many offspring of the main family. Bastards were commonplace in our line of work, yet accepting one as proven by blood was rare. But to the Skotono family, blood was blood.

And then there was my family, the Cyrazine faction, the smallest among the factions within the facility. As part of the main family, led by my father, Trevor Cyraine, we dealt with assassinations and fulfilling death requests. Most of our main family members resided in Russia, but after my mother's death, we relocated.

I still harbored little understanding of our purpose here, as branching off from the main family made little sense to me. I used to question our motives, but after nearly rupturing one of my kidneys, I quickly learned not to question my father's will.

As I reached the first gate checkpoint, one of many to come, I pulled in front of the gate and lifted the visor of my helmet. I scanned my ID followed by my eyes, and the guard nodded.

"Ms. Cyrazine, you're good to enter. Do you need transport to the main gate?"

"That won't be necessary—"

"I'll escort Lady Cyrazine back to the main gate."

I felt him before I saw him. Thomas emerged from the side of the gate booth, his heavy steps resonating through the earth with each stride. It was evident he commanded attention wherever he went.

He was clad in a typical camo jumpsuit, the sleeves tied around his waist, while his black wifebeater did little to conceal his muscular frame. Armed with an AK and hunter's knives hanging from his belt, he scrutinized me from head to toe with hazel brown eyes, reminiscent of honey dripping with lust and untamed satisfaction.