“Bloody hell,” he groaned, pressing his palms into his eyes as he rested against the door. First his father, and now this?
Bad luck better not come in threes,he thought.
The door vibrated behind him, the knock loud as Sam opened it with a hiss. “What more do you bloody –”
Sam caught the profanity at the edge of his tongue, realising it wasn’t Mr Gibbson who stood on the step.
“What do you want?”
Axel cocked his head, his eyes a silver that seemed to swirl like liquid. They were beautiful, and Sam wanted to explore them further until he realised that red tinged the edges. The hair at the back of his neck stood on edge, his leopard motionless.
“Axel?” Sam looked behind him, seeing no one else through the small gap between the hedges. “What happened?” His t-shirt was ripped to shreds and spotted with blood, his jeans torn at the knee and there was a faint red smear beneath his nose and along his jaw.
Sam stepped to the side, waiting for Axel to enter before closing the door behind him. Axel turned, a frown marring his face.
“Have you taken anything?”
“Taken anything?” His voice was dark, deeper than usual with a slight rumble at the end.
Sam reached to grip Axel’s chin, tilting his head to better see his eyes. The red encircled his entire iris, so bright he had no idea how he hadn’t spotted it immediately. Axel relaxed under his touch, and Sam instantly knew something was wrong.
Fuck.He was aware of the Guardians curse, once witnessing one of their ‘beasts,’ a weird wolf-lion creature that looked more at home in the Fae realm.
As a shifter he had already known there was something else, something primal and animalistic, so it hadn’t been a complete shock to learn about the beast in which they happened to share a soul.
Shifters were different because they only had the single soul, both the man and animal the same person. The higher the dominance, the more attuned to their animal’s instincts. More submissive shifters struggled with their natural urges, which was why it was rare to find a submissive without a pack. They required the hierarchy for control, otherwise they risked letting their animal spirit overpower their human mind, a wild animal in human skin.
Not much too dissimilar to Axel right then.
Sam knew that the Guardians’ beasts were different, a distinctive entity that had their own thoughts and instincts. Two souls, one body. And Sam was pretty confident it was the beast who was currently running the show, and not Axel.
Beast seemed to know once Sam made the connection, a deep rumble echoing from his chest as a smile curved his lips.
“Are you okay?” Sam dropped his hand, only for Beast to step closer, almost chest to chest. “What did you take?” he asked, looking down at his arms. “Was it pills?”
His smile dropped, lines appearing between his brows. “I did not.”
“Okay.” Sam made sure his words were slow, clear. “What about Axel? Didhetake anything?”
Beast blinked, a few seconds passing before he answered. “He hurt us.”
“He hurt you?” Sam calmly stepped back, wary of the strength Beast held. “Is Axel there at all?”
“Where would he have gone?” His voice brushed across Sam, so low it was like rich velvet. It teased at his leopard, who was pressing beneath Sam’s skin, wanting out.
“Can I talk to Axel?”
Beast shook his head.
“Do you take over often?” Sam had no idea whether it was normal for their beasts to take charge while as the man.
Another gentle shake of his head. “No.”
“Okay, I’m going to call Titus.” His phone was just out of reach, resting on the table beside the sofa. “I’m sure he’ll be able to help.”
He didn’t make it, Beast tackling him against the wall, thick arms framing either side of his head.
“No,” he growled, and Sam couldn’t help but remember being in the same position with Axel all those weeks ago.
