Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 61523 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61523 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
Rook, Kylie, and Blair appear after a few seconds, Rook standing guard in front of the women as though he’s explicitly told them not to follow him. It’s not a surprise to him that they didn’t listen, but it’s damn near world-rocking to see me.
So much so, he hits me at a run, challenging Kane’s hug for supremacy in every way. It’s the most emotion I’ve seen out of our eldest brother, ever, and I should be overjoyed. Ready to razz him. Basking in the warmth of his emotional maturation.
Instead, I’m on guard. Because I know why he’s acting this way—and the reasoning behind it rocks me to my core.
His fear for me—for us and our chances at making it out of this alive—has been far, far greater than he’s let on. He wasn’t hopeful that we’d make it out of this. Hell, he may have thought he’d never even get to see me again.
“How the fuck did you find us?” Kane asks, pulling Blair under his arm and tucking her close as she rushes forward to join him.
I shrug. “Lucian.” The gesture and the name are a dramatic oversimplification of my feelings on the matter, but the last thing I want to do is alarm Kylie and Blair unnecessarily. They didn’t ask for this—these women didn’t ask for any of this.
“Lucian?” Rook’s question is immediately defensive, and I can’t blame him. It’s not like our long-lost uncle has been anything short of threatening since we met him in the cabin two days ago, but as Kylie peers over his shoulder, I raise a subtle eyebrow to suggest we really get into it at another time.
“I know,” I agree, adding a small detail to hold some of his curiosity at bay. “He showed up at my door this morning and walked me here.”
“Who the fuck cares how you got here?” Kane cuts in. “Get your ass inside.”
While I do think it’s important to work through Lucian bringing me here at a later time, I agree it’s a conversation for later. I take the out and step inside.
Rook shuts the door behind me, and we exchange a look at the open dead bolt. They couldn’t control it from this side before—but it’s unlocked now.
I nod, jerking my chin toward the living room. He presses a hand to Kylie’s back, guiding her behind Kane and Blair, and I follow them in.
As soon as my ass hits the cushion on the love seat, I’m yanked back to my feet and pulled into a hug I don’t expect.
Kylie’s warm breath hits my ear in a rush. “I’m glad you’re okay. I’ve been worried.”
“Me too,” I reply with a smile, hoping the joke will do the heavy lifting at breaking the tension.
She laughs before rushing back over to the comfort of her mate’s arms, and Blair offers me an awkward wave and a smile.
The simple realness of how little we actually know about each other at this stage of a world-changing fight makes me laugh much harder than is appropriate, and the tension in the room ratchets back up.
“What the hell are you laughing about?” Rook asks, concerned.
“Nothing.” I shake my head. “Just…I almost can’t believe how quickly shit has shrapneled since we put our fingers in the fan. Two fucking weeks ago, we were going to work at our blue-collar jobs and playing fucking hockey. That’s it. Now, both of you are mated, we’ve made forever enemies of the elites and the Council, found out our mother had the blood of the four, kidnapped two women, got basically kidnapped ourselves and brought here, where I’m spending my days with some of the scummiest fucking vampires on earth, in the middle of this fucked-up shit, balancing blending in with preparation, and all the while, trying to…deal with the effects of the call to my own mate.” I shake my head. “It’s just come apart much faster than most things do.”
“That’s because we’re trying to keep it together,” Kane says sagely. “The things you want to destroy hold together like glue.”
“Yeah,” I agree. “Glue formed in the minds of depraved, powerful men. They need a taste of our fucking lives for a change.”
“So, what are we going to do about it?” Rook challenges. “I feel useless just sitting here waiting for you to figure it out. But we don’t have access to anything electronic, and up until now, we’ve had exactly zero contact with the outside world.”
“You don’t need access,” I say, not bothering with filtering as the words hit me out of the blue. I can’t believe I didn’t realize it before now, but we literally come equipped with the tools we need, straight from our parents’ factory.
When they doubt me, drawing their brows together and sharing a look that I know all too well is to confirm I’m full of shit, I push harder.