Zeth snorted and cracked open a Hellscape beer, chugging half before dropping onto the armchair.
“Count your blessings,” he muttered. “You got the fun pair. Meanwhile,Ihad Ezra breathing down my goddamn neck abouthow I let all of this happen, then Calix breathing down my neck, chewing me out or contradicting every goddamn thing I said.” He shuddered. “I can handle Calix’s temper. But Ezra’s death stare?” His shoulders trembled. “Feels like she’s peeling your soul open with a serrated knife while deciding what parts she wants to keep.”
He wasn’t wrong. I was much bigger, more physically intimidating than Ezra, but when her eyes met mine, it felt like the room darkened. Like something with claws and smoke, a deadly hunger that pressed in close, sniffing at my thoughts. I hadn’t felt fear like that since I was a cub.
That woman had the same coloring as my mate’s eyes, but the souls that looked back were completely different.
The one thing I could say for sure about Ezra was that her loyalty to her siblings was unmatched. The way she always kept her eyes on them, her ear turned to whatever they were saying and doing, cataloging it all. It was both awe inspiring and terrifying. She was a woman who’d go on a war path, destroying anyone in her way, for those that she loved. I was just glad my mate was one of them.
Nick wandered in, drying his hands on a towel, jaw tight. “Okay,” he growled, bracing his hands on his hips. “Are they always that… intense?”
“Yes,” Zeth said instantly, taking another swig.
He pointed the mouth of his beer at us. “I told you, Nova’s the most grounded. The rest? Absolute chaos gremlins.”
“Riot seemed nice,” Conrad offered with a shrug.
Zeth barked a laugh. “Sure. Until the air blades come out and she needs a moving target. She doesn’t blink when she cuts someone apart. Sheenjoysit. They don’t call her the Red Artist because she paints sunsets.”
The Red Artist?I was going to need to read up on her siblings so I didn’t embarrass my mate.
A question itched across my skull, finally pushing its way out. “What about her parents?”
Zeth’s grin widened, softening with old admiration. “Her parents—all six of them—are cool in their own way.” Then he snorted, lost in some memory, before jabbing a finger at me. “But don’teverturn your back on Lex. If he’s feeling froggy, he’ll knock you out just to play a game of ‘find your limbs.’ Says it’s a bonding exercise.”
He chuckled as he took another long swig. “The only one who can shut him down is Rayla, Nova’s mom. If she snaps her fingers, he falls to his knees and begs for more.”
I couldn’t help the smile tugging at my mouth. Hearing about her parents reminded me of my old shadow, the pack I’d grown up with. The men were brutal, fierce males who fought tooth and claw for territory and pride, but they crumbled in adoration of their mate with equal ferocity. Savage and loyal. Deadly and soft in the ways only family could see. Safe and protected with each other.
Zeth stretched out. “They should be back from their world travels soon.”
Warmth bloomed through my chest. I’d known Nova came from a big family, but I hadn’t realized how tightly they clung to each other. How close this family really was. It echoed something oldinside me, memories of my youth, of my own people before the war tore us apart. So many voices. So much love, even among the violence and duty to the royals.
It was comforting to know that if fate ever took us from her, she wouldn’t be alone. She’d have a small army of blood and loyalty to hold her together. That thought let something in my chest unclench, my worry softening into the wind.
In Brazil, I’d heard whispers about the Syndicate family, rulers of the supernatural world in America. They were to be feared and respected, or else you’d meet a painful doom. Seeing them now… I understood it. Knowing Nova belonged to them only made my pride burn brighter. Fate had paired me with a perfect mate, a warrior queen.
The door swung open, and all of us turned as if pulled by the same string.
Nova stepped in, hair wild, except for the braid sweeping one side. Her silhouette was as sharp as a blade, but those sunset-pink eyes held the soft vulnerability she showed only to us since that night in that cave.
My heart sang at the sight.
“Wow,” she said, blowing out an exaggerated breath. “Didn’t think it’d take that long to get them to the hangar and say goodbye. It’s not like we won’t talk again in a few days.” She shook her head before looking at us, wincing like she was sorry for what we’d endured.
“Okay, first of all, I’m sorry Calix was such an asshole.” She rolled her eyes and threw up both hands as she moved toward us, blowing out a frustrated breath. “I get that he’s my bigbrother and that gives him some cosmic right to act like an asshole guard dog, but did he have to be such an asshole?”
Nova dropped onto the couch beside Conrad, exhaustion rolling off her in waves. His hands instinctively slid to her shoulders, kneading into the knots. Her eyes fluttered shut, and a soft, satisfied sound slipped from her lips, one that made my tongue swipe across my own without thinking.
“Aniyah was…” she started, then gave up with a helpless laugh. “I mean—Riot is nice, right?”
“Sure,” Zeth chuckled, giving all of us a look before he passed his beer to her. She grabbed it greedily and drained it in two long gulps. “She only spent twenty minutes describing how long it takes to torture someone with a metal rod, then casually switched over to which tools make prettier blood splatter. Totally nice.”
Nova groaned into her hands, laughing at herself. “They’re not that bad. I swear.”
“Ezra scared the hell out of me,” Nick piped up earnestly as he came up behind her.
Every single one of us nodded. Even Nova.
