“Influencing him?”
Titus appeared, bourbon eyes flicking between the two of them. “Axel, Riley wants a meeting,” he said, his voice soft, relaxed compared to the rising tension.
Axel gritted his teeth, the ache at the back of his skull growing. “Sure,” he said to his cousin before returning his attention to Kace. “He’s the one who broke into my fucking room.”
Kace’s eyes shifted, the liquid silver glistening as Axel felt his own beast push to the surface.
‘Watch yourself,’Kace said telepathically, the mental connection locked between them.
Normally Axel would have laughed, talked Kace down from his rage but right then he wasn’t feeling calm, or friendly.‘Maybe you should be watching your kid better.’
“Axel,” Titus interrupted, knowing they were seconds away from exchanging blows. “Let’s go.”
Kace watched Axel descend, lips pressed into a thin line.
“What was that about?” Titus whispered, following tightly on Axel’s heels as he headed towards Riley’s office. “What are you wearing?”
Axel frowned, remembering he was wearing one of Sam’s shirts. Pulling the fabric away from his stomach he glanced at the design. It showed two arrows, one pointed up at his face and another straight down. Between them it read‘Two Seater.’
Fucking hell.
“Nothing,” Axel muttered, releasing his shirt. “It’s just Kace being Kace.” Pill still in hand he brushed his lips as if to scratch, covering the motion of swallowing the pill dry. He wouldn’t have usually taken one so early on, but he guessed he needed the added boost, to help the noise inside his head from whispering too loudly.
He wasn’t even sure what it was, and he didn’t care. It took a minute or two to start feeling the effects. Everything seemed brighter, more defined as he moved through the house. The outside was gloomy, overcast with the rain running down the windows. It darkened the rooms, despite the morning sun and whatever drug he had just ingested into his system making everything seem better. Axel was more aware of every movement, even a slight twitch of his finger could be felt throughout his arm. He could almost physically feel Titus’s stare, a brand against his skin as if he was suddenly hyperaware.
“It’s just a sweet,” he said, ignoring Titus’s tension.
He shouldn’t have taken the pill, not raw and without dilution from the herbs. It was a mistake, but if his options were the whispers that would soon turn to howls inside his mind, and the pain which crippled his body, or the feeling of euphoria. He knew he had little choice, but it was still a stupid, impulsive decision to have taken it without thought.
It seemed like he’d been making a few stupid decisions lately.
“I’m worried about you,” Titus said, reaching over to stop Axel from opening the door. “Seriously, Axel.”
“Why? I’m fine.” At least he wasn’t slurring, which was a bonus.
Titus grunted. “Yeah, you sure look like it.” His grip tightened on Axel’s shoulder for the briefest second before he released, instead opening the door with the flat of his palm.
Riley sat silently behind his desk, the computer screen creating shadows against his already hard features. The window framed him perfectly, and even with the miserable day outside it made him look powerful, a business mogul. Which wasn’t exactly inaccurate.
He didn’t look up as Axel waited, Titus a strong presence at his back.
“I’ve just got the invoice,” Xander said from behind, slipping past them to close the door behind himself.
He placed the piece of paper in front of Riley, and then stood to his side.
“Nice shirt,” he said, upper lip twitching.
Other than Riley, The Guardians didn’t have a hierarchy. Each one was equal, but Xee always took himself as Riley’s second, and no one else fought him for the position. Each individual Guardian had their strengths and weaknesses, and together it made them formidable. Brothers, joined through fate and not blood.
A few minutes more before Riley looked up, a frown pinching his brows. “How big was the nest?”
Titus stilled behind him.
“Looked like it housed three, maybe four hounds,” Axel replied mechanically. “From what I witnessed there were at least eight bodies.”
“That’s what, the second nest we’ve found this month?” Xander grunted, crossing his arms.
“The Shadow-Veyn don’t seem to be going back to The Nether,” Riley said, rubbing at the stubble along his jaw, his eyes sharp as they steadied on Axel. “But that was a good catch.”
