hair, and I turned into her touch.
I sometimes really hated my species name. Why couldn’t we be called
Mer men? I was anything but a maiden.
“You’re perfect,” I countered, knowing she would never believe me but
also knowing it was true. She possessed this inner spark, this inner light, that
made me want to fight the darkness and all of the monsters inside of it.
It might not have necessarily been just her. I knew she fought demons
daily, and I knew that she didn’t always win. It was us—her and me and my
brothers. We complemented each other, each providing something crucial
that we hadn’t even realized we needed.
As expected, Z rolled her eyes, a delicate blush blooming on her cheeks
like a flower unfurling in spring. My cock tented my pants instinctively, and I
just barely resisted the urge to scold it as Killian would’ve done.
“We’ll be right back, my love,” she whispered, kissing my cheek
tenderly. I squeezed her hips tighter, as if that could keep her with me, before
reluctantly releasing her.
“Keep her safe,” I warned my brothers as Z climbed out of the car.
“With my life,” Lupe assured me, removing his glasses and placing them
in the glove compartment. I was beginning to believe there were two sides to
my Shifter brother. One was studious, preferring to spend his days in the
library and read about the world in books. The other part of him was ruthless
and vicious. Fierce in his need to protect those he deemed as his.
Killian pointed his finger at me and pretended to shoot. When he realized
how dorky he looked, he dropped his hand and smiled sheepishly.
“I’ll protect her.”
“With your fingers?” I asked dryly, and his blush deepened. Smiling, I
shoved his shoulder. “Protect our girl, okay?”
Devlin leveled me with an intense stare before dropping the keys into my
outstretched hand.
“You’re the get-away driver. Be ready. We might have to make a quick
escape.”
I nodded seriously, knowing it was a job I could handle. A lot of the cars
the Capital invested in had a button I used for the gas and brake. I had
perfected the art of not being able to drive with my legs.
And now, I could use those skills to protect Z and my brothers.
I stared at my reflection in the rearview mirror—mouth set in a grim line,
eyes shadowed, and skin pale. I vowed to myself that I would do everything
in my power to protect my family.
Whatever it took.
With a skittering pulse and heavy heart, I crawled into the front seat and
gripped the wheel until my knuckles turned white.
I would wait.
And if it was required of me, I would fight.
THIRTY-THREE
Z
T here was a stillness to the air. A hush, as if we were all
holding our breaths. We walked single-file through the dense
forest, pushing aside branches and twigs with the moonlight as
our guide. Lupe led the charge with Devlin and Killian taking up rank behind
me.
None of the guys told me to stay back, and I appreciated it more than they
could possibly know.
I gripped my knife tightly as we exited the forest, stopping in front of a
modest home with a flat roof and rows of carefully planted flowers.
“This is…”
“Not what you were expecting?” Ryland finished dryly, materializing
from behind a bush.
“You’re okay,” I said in relief, lunging forward before I could stop
myself. Ryland caught me easily, his arms muscular bands around my thin
waist. His shadows parted, revealing glimmering blue eyes, as he touched his
lips to my own. I kissed him back feverishly, tangling my fingers in his dark
hair. I hadn’t realized how much I had missed him—how worried I had been
for him—until that moment.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Shadow boy is alive and well,” Bash murmured,
pushing aside a few buoyant branches.
I reluctantly pulled away from my Shadow mate to face Bash fully. His
lips were curved downwards, but besides that, there were no outwards signs
of his discomfort. Only his eyes gave him away: they were vibrating with
jealousy, hurt, and relief. A myriad of emotions I couldn’t even begin to
understand.
“I’m glad you’re okay too, Bash-hole,” I said meekly, surveying his body
for injuries. His own eyes did the same to me.
“You too, Princess.”
For a moment, time was suspended as we stared at each other. His mossy
green eyes swirled with undefinable emotions. I wanted to run to him as I did
with Ryland. Wrap my arms around him and kiss his plush lips.
Yet, I knew we weren’t there yet. There was still a chasm we had to
venture across before we could even consider doing such things. With time,
we’d be able to build the bridge that hadn’t yet existed. Piece by piece. Day
by day.
Love, after all, was nothing but a waiting game.
Before either of us could act on our more primitive instincts, Ryland’s
voice captured my attention.
“...nothing I could see. Bash claims they’re hiding underneath a powerful
illusion spell.”
Illusion spell? Why did that remind me of something?
It was on the tip of my tongue, resting there and begging me to spit it out.
I rubbed my hands against my legging-clad legs as I struggled to grasp the
memory that constantly wanted to elude me.
“I think I can undo it,” Bash declared, finally wrenching his eyes off of
me. “I already started before you guys arrived.”
“Where’s T and the other guards?” I questioned suddenly. It had only just
occurred to me that I hadn’t seen them anywhere.
“The Kings’ asslickers?” Bash raised a sculpted blond brow. “We left
them in the city near the inn.”
“Good,” I murmured, turning back to study the nondescript building. “I
don’t want him in this mess.” Smoke emitted from the chimney, and the air
was perfumed with the smell of freshly baked goods. If it was an illusion
spell, it was more powerful than any I had ever experienced before.
“How long is it going to take you to break the spell?” Devlin snapped out,
once more reverting to his role as the unofficial leader.
“I’m almost done. Maybe ten more minutes,” Bash answered. He took a
step towards his brother—a step towards me—and his arm brushed my own.
Fire erupted in my veins at the contact.
“Good. Start working on that,” Devlin instructed, and Bash nodded once
to show him he understood. “The rest of us...be prepared.”
Lupe immediately moved to stand directly beside me, a formidable force
of nature even in his human form. My pinkie finger extended to wrap around
his own as we stared up at the moonlit house.
I always preferred to do my battles in the dark. Maybe it was because I
understood it better.
The darkness? It always won. It was where you could hide—where you
could seek solace when the world crumbled around you, piece by piece. The
light, on the other hand, spotlighted you. It put you on this unattainable
pedestal and displayed you t
o the world. All of your fears and weaknesses,
your insecurities and anger. Everything.
Darkness had always been more powerful.
“Are you ready?” Lupe whispered softly.
“This isn’t my first rodeo,” I replied, my voice a hushed murmur.
But it’s the only one that matters.
Fuck, what if we couldn’t save Jax? What if he was already dead?
I took a steadying breath, attempting to calm my racing heart, as I pushed
those thoughts to the back of my mind. A part of me knew Jax was alive and
waiting for me. I didn’t know how, only that I did.
You need to get a hold of yourself, Z. You can’t go into battle with your
emotions on your sleeve.
I mentally inventoried myself, checking to see if there were any chinks in
my armor. Finding none, I tightened my grip on Lupe’s pinkie.
“I’m ready,” I whispered more to myself than the giant man beside me.
“I’m ready.”
“If ready means you think you’re going to pee your pants, then I’m totally
ready,” Killian muttered from behind me, and a smirk twisted up my lips
before I could contain it. Trust Killian to break the tension hanging palpably
over all of our heads.
Green mist erupted from Bash’s hands suddenly, encompassing the home.
As I watched, transfixed and horrified, the diminutive cottage turned into a
towering, six-story mansion. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason for the
architecture—gables and turrets sprouted from the slanted roof in unnatural
angles. The siding was a dark brown while the trim was black. Row after row
of dusty, unwashed windows clamored up the side of the house.
“Holy fuck,” Killian breathed, craning his neck to look his fill. I spotted
two gargoyles perched on a balcony overhead, their wings pressed into their
stony spines. I couldn’t help but wonder if they were real—new monsters
Aaliyah had created or raised to capture me.
“Let’s go get our Vampire back,” I said to the others, venturing a
tentative step closer, except…something didn’t feel right. I didn’t know how
to articulate it, only that the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Each
step forward felt as if I was walking to my execution. “Something doesn’t
feel right,” I said out loud, glancing at my men.
Before they could respond, I heard what sounded like pebbles hitting the
ground.
“Oh, fuck,” Devlin cursed as two figures stepped forward, silhouetted in
the inky darkness.
“Um...let’s hope they’re not fucking us,” Killian added, shakily raising
his gifted dagger.
The two gargoyles I had noted earlier now stood before us, tiny rocks
cascading down their bodies with each step they took.
Stone faces displayed long fangs, pinprick black eyes, and haphazardly
carved noses. Horns sprouted from their heads and curled at the tips. Their
bodies were nearly as large as Lupe’s with spindly, bat-like wings protruding
from their backs.
They immediately zeroed in on me.
“Give us the girl,” they whispered in unison, the noise similar to rocks
being rubbed together.
Lupe released an enraged snarl, fur exploding on his body.
“Over my dead body!” Killian piped up with false bravado, stepping
closer. The two gargoyles turned towards him with matching sneers.
“That could be arranged,” they said, and Killian’s face drained of all
color.
“Why don’t you come out here and fight your own battles?” I screamed,
peering around the gargoyles’ mammoth bodies. “Aaliyah, get your ass out
here right now! Fight me yourself, you coward!”
I didn’t expect my taunts to actually work. I honestly didn’t.
But a moment later, the door to the mansion opened and a gorgeous
woman stepped out. Her alabaster skin glowed in the moonlight, emphasizing
the silver flecks in her eyes. Orange hair cascaded down her shoulders, held
back with a golden barrette.
Jax stepped out directly behind her, face impassive and eyes glinting red.
“You wanted to talk?” Aaliyah asked coyly, focusing on me. “Then we’ll
talk. Long time no see... sister.”
THIRTY-FOUR
AXEL
I was once the most feared man in all the Kingdoms. My name
was said in both reverence and disgust.
Axel the Assassin.
Axel the Butcher.
Blood flooded the streets, intermingling with severed limbs and heads.
The world always knew when I found my target, for not even their houses
remained by the time I was done with them.
Killing was in my blood, in my bones, in my heart. It was all I was good
for—all I knew how to do. I wore the skin of my enemies like a badge of
honor, as a way to warn away predators.
No one could stop me. Not even the Kings. They attempted to put a leash
on me, but I destroyed it with one eloquent look. Chains couldn’t hold a
monster like me.
And now, I was nothing but an errand boy. Oh, how the mighty have
fallen.
I moved swiftly down the pebbled street, towards a section of town driven
by poverty. The lawns were overrun by knee-high weeds, and most of the
buildings were missing windows. Graffiti covered the walls, displaying
everything from the Kings with nooses around their necks to a golden-haired
angel with the word “Liberator” spelled out beneath it, the paint still wet.
Interesting. Very, very interesting.
I made it to the old mill in record time, slowing my pace as I stepped up
to a deteriorating wooden building built directly above an ancient-looking
twice as tall as the two on either side. The roofs were slanted and cracked
from age and weather. The wooden siding of the house seemed to be rotting
away, the windows covered in a fine layer of dust. It looked seconds from
crumbling into the water roaring below.
Silencing my footsteps, I stepped up the rickety staircase and stared
through the closest dirty window.
Despite the atrocious exterior, the interior appeared well-maintained. The
floor had been scrubbed so meticulously, it almost appeared to be brand new.
Only a few spiderwebs hung in the rafters, and the furniture, though old, was
devoid of any dust or dirt.
Miles may have been a kid, but he had taken great care of his home.
Pain briefly assaulted me as I pictured his cherubic face and innocent
eyes. That was one line I had never crossed: killing kids. The mere prospect
of it made bile swim in my throat.
All too often, they were the casualty of a war they couldn’t even begin to
understand.
Anger and indignation warred for domination inside of me, but shock
kept them both adequately subdued. The intensity of my emotions surprised
even me.
When did I get so soft? When did I start caring about the humans?
I wasn’t one to actively hunt them down, but I sure as fuck didn’t go out
of my way to rescue them. The human female was getting to me.
Releasing a breath, I dropped the shadows surrounding me and adopted a
cheerful smile. I was a ma
ster of disguising my emotions. A master of faces
and masks.
One moment, I could be charming the pants off of a target, and the next,
I’d be stabbing a knife into his or her throat.
All in a day’s work, my friends.
Now, I rapped my knuckles against the door and waited.
Silence.
Miles had taught his sister well, though it was making my job slightly
more difficult.
Tapping my foot impatiently, I knocked again.
Silence.
Heaving out a breath, I tried the handle, only to discover it was locked.
Fucking hell. I was going to scare the kid before I even had the chance to
know her.
Out of options—and too lazy to scale the wall to reach the second-story
window—I shoved my weight against the distressed wood. After the second
try, the door collapsed, taking me with it. I landed with an oomph inside the
mill, a sliver of wood catching in my cheek. Grimacing, I plucked the wood
out of my skin and tossed it to the side. Blood welled, a brilliant shade of red,
but I knew that it would heal in time.
Scars and bruises were just a part of my life. I wore them proudly, a
reminder of all I had faced. Of all the people I had killed.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are!” I called out, and then instantly
winced.
Shit, that sounded creepy. Tone it down a notch, Axel.
“I brought candy!” I added helpfully.
When not even a floorboard squeaked, I focused on my senses. What I
smelled, what I felt, what I heard, what I saw.
There!
Upstairs, I heard the barely audible patter of footsteps against the wooden
floors.
“Just come down, okay?” I demanded, growing impatient. I had places to
be, people to kill, and monsters to maim. Grumbling beneath my breath, I
ascended the surprisingly steep staircase, keeping one eye peeled for the little
girl. “I don’t want to hurt you. I’m just here to—”
Something hard hit me straight in the chest. Normally, it wouldn’t have
done anything but annoy me, but I supposed I was losing my touch. The
sheer shock of the assault caused me to lose my balance on the staircase. My
arms windmilled as I fell backwards, body flipping and twisting as I thudded
down the stairs.
Motherfucker!
When I finally landed, I landed hard. I groaned as pain reverberated up
my spine and down my legs.