I woke up to the sound of someone creeping down the alleyway. The person was a bit more skilled at being sneaky than the average homeless person. In my mind's eye, I could almost see him...or her. Weight resting on the balls of the feet, knees bent just the slightest degree, arms hanging ready to fight or defend. I knew what skills were needed. What stealthy looked like, especially on the streets. You learned early or you died early. Markus had always said that. Before he died too early. "Hey there," the male voice said. I stilled, cringed. Not that I would have chosen one over the other, but at least with a woman I would've had a sliver of a chance at survival. Men, in my experience, only wanted one thing. And they would do anything to get it. "Hey there, little fella. I'm not going to hurt you," the man said in a soothing tone. "I'm just going to get you out of there. My friend - well, one of my brothers, really - he loves animals. He can get you fixed right up." I bri
I jumped forward just as Cherry collapsed. Her knees dropping her into my human arms. "The fuck is going on, Ash? Why were you in bear form? Who's the lady? What's wrong with her legs? What the fuck smells so damned good?" Xander asked the last question as he came to a halt just out of reach. I bared my teeth at him. "Don't come any closer."He rocked back on his heels, hands up in surrender. "Asher? You okay, brother?"Kiema and Saint came up behind him. "Asher, is she okay?" Kiema asked. I tightened my hold on Cherry as Kiema came near us. I growled at her low in my throat. She stopped, slapped a hand against my head. "Don't you growl at me, big brother. What happened to her?"Saint stepped forward as well. His growl was equal to my own. "Stay back, Saint. I don't know what's wrong with me, but I can't have you near her," I said softly. Kiema gasped. She squatted down so she was eye to eye with me. She rested her hand on my naked shoulder. "Asher. You okay?
Unfamiliar voices filtered through the black that held me captive. I cringed inwardly. Bad things happened in the black. Monsters wearing the faces of friends hovered over you and hurt you. Hurt your body. I pushed through the obsidian. I had to wake up. Had to protect myself. At least if I was conscious, I could float away. Keep my mind safe. Having the choice to leave was always better than waking up in the dark. "Scarlet, honey, can you hear me?" a soft feminine voice asked. Something about it made me think of sunshine and meadows. I felt warm and safe listening to that voice. "I don't know if she's awake, Asher," Sunshine said. A masculine rumble came from farther away. "No. You stay over there."The deep rumble got a little louder. "I don't fucking care what you want. You stay over there until she's awake and can make the decision for herself. Saint, you watch him," Sunshine said. Asher? The bear man was here? The newcomers hadn't killed him? Something insid
I wasn't quite sure what I was expecting when I touched Scarlet, but I could definitely identify with what I saw inside her. Her colors were a kaleidoscope of pinks, purples, reds, ands violets. As I looked a little deeper, I noticed what looked like a mirror. I could see a wispy, smokey version of myself inside her. I hadn't tried to heal anyone since my ascension, but something inside me just knew what I was seeing. What I was feeling. It came as simple understanding. The explanation of that mirror-like finish rushed over me like a gentle breeze on a spring afternoon. She was broken. Almost as broken as the rest of us, if not a little more. She'd had no one, just like me. But there were parts and pieces of her that remembered better times. A close-knit group of people who helped her, like my men. When I saw what needed healing, I felt the tears rush to my eyes. I had done this to her. This magic that was too big for my body. Too big for my experience. Too big for me to handl
"Well, anything else to say for yourself?" I asked Aeron.He shook his head, his purple eyes a little hazy with sedation. I wasn't sure how much was medication and how much was because of Kiema playing in his head. I'm pretty sure I didn't care either way. "Why did you save me again? Especially if you are the ones who shot me." He looked up at the four of us standing around his exam table like a barricade. "Because we didn't kill you. We don't leave our enemies to suffer," I answered. He nodded. But more, it seemed, because it was expected. Not because he agreed with our philosophy. "All right. We'll get you back to Iron Serpent," I said. He wrenched back into the upright table. "I'm not telling you where they are. Fuck you, and the high horse you rode in on. I'm grateful you patched me up, but that doesn't mean I'm going to turn traitor on the people who saved me and my mate."I hid the fury that wanted to break free of my control. I'd known this guy was trouble. I
Something was eating at Taryk as he steered the military vehicle out of the bay doors. Lukas was in the back with both Aeron and Juan. He was keeping his hand on the first, and his eyes on the second. The latter wasn't going to be making any moves. Not if he wanted to make it beyond our walls alive. Taryk had done a fabulous job of showing him what awaited him if Juan pulled any shit on the drive. I enjoyed the fear that lived in Juan's eyes as he was frog-walked into the bay. His eyes had lit on me and I could have sworn the man peed his pants. He shrank away, sniveling and sniffling. Practically crawled up into T's arms. I wish I could share mental pictures with Kiema. My angel would have been proud of her torturous work with her father. Nor do I think this would have hurt her soul like stomping the shit out of him had. "All clear, T. No bogeys beyond the wall," Xander said over the earpieces."Copy that. Delivery in two minutes," Taryk answered. In no time at all, w
You better have your shit under control when Ransom gets here, Ash. He's pissed that you threatened Kiema, I said down our twin pathway.I did no such thing. Why the fuck did you throw me under the bus like that? He said.I rocked back in my chair. He's fucking with me, surely. Are you fucking high right now? You said if something happened to the girl, that you were coming for Kiema.The fuck you say. I would never do something like that to Ki-Ki. I could hear the anger and offense ringing in his voice. Could he be this far gone over this chick? He didn't even know that he'd gotten in Kiema's face. I switched to a different keyboard and screen. Hitting keys faster than lighting strikes, I pulled up and copied the cam feed outside the conference room on the first floor. I winced when I saw my twin loom over the woman we considered our baby sister. Ransom was going to throw a shit storm of epic proportions. I backed up the feed. Saint was a hair's breadth away from ripp
I stumbled back under the lash of Xander's mental volley. I was reminding him of our father? I flinched; the breath knocked from my chest. "Asher?" Kiema pushed forward, arms outstretched. "You okay, big brother?"I nodded, unable to find any words. Cherry was standing at the far end of the table, looking bright and shiny as a new coin. "I'm golden." I turned away from them. I hadn't been dressed down like that by Xander in years. I needed a minute. I heard Cherry say something to Kiema behind me. I couldn't stay there and listen to whatever it was. I had to get out. I needed air. Space. Ransom walked through the doors.I knew immediately that he believed I'd gotten in Ki-Ki's face. Why the fuck he would think I'd do such a thing was un-fucking-believable. Saint would have ripped me apart had I done something so stupid. "Conference room. Now." His tone was glacier cold. His dark blue eyes held my death if I didn't do what he said. I nodded, turned back around.