“Let’s stop for the night,” Ares decides, pulling off of the main road and towards the woods.
We’ve just left a slum town behind that I’m amazed isn’t overrun with mole people and rats, it’s so unsettling. Most of the towns have a semblance of normalcy; even the poorest of them. This one though, looked like something straight out of an apocalyptic horror film and I’m more than a little happy to cross the invisible border that designates the wilds. I don’t smell any others immediately nearby, not that I’m surprised. I wouldn’t want to establish my territory this close to a town like that either.
“I’ll get a tent set up,” he offers, leaving Cole on guard duty. Rin attempts to help him and I watch as he smiles at her fumbling, showing her what to do. My heart lurches, wanting that.
“I guess we should set up a watch schedule,” Cole tosses out there, not that the mage can respond.
During the drive, they adjusted his gag and bound his hands behind his back more securely. Still, none of us trust a mage as far as Rin could throw one. The rest of us could get a little distance, and I don’t want to even give him that much credit.
“You’re projecting,”Cole gently informs me and I growl, since I can’t fucking curse like this.
I’m just…I trail off, not even sure where to start with as hot of a mess as I am.I’m drowning so much I can’t even see the surface anymore, Cole.
“I know, brother. I know. But this will work; it has to.”
There’s just so much riding on this panning out, and why the hell would he even agree to help? What’s to stop him from doing something to you guys too when we unbind him?
He takes a minute to gather his thoughts, and all the while I continue to spiral. When he finally does speak I’m even more of a wreck, my nerves frayed beyond measure.
“’What ifs’ get us nowhere worth venturing. One step at a time and if it blows up in our faces, I’m sure Rin will push him in front of a truck or something before moving onto plan b.”
Snorting out a laugh, I feel just a bit better. Taking a page out of my mate’s book, I take a few breaths and try to calm down. I can hold it together for a little longer; I have to. When I shift back, I still need to make her fall in love with me. She loves Ozzy; but she doesn’t know Osiris. If I let myself go past the point of no return, I’ll lose her before I even have her.
She’s worth fighting for, even when the person I’m fighting is myself.
“Take a break,” Ares offers, dragging the mage from the truck and gesturing with his head towards the tent. “You two crawl in with her for a few hours and I’ll watch the mage. I’ll wake you when I need to switch.”
As much as I try to protest, he puts his foot down. My instincts beg me to submit under the force of his declaration and I both love and hate him for it. Ares always knows when we’re standing in our own way and need a shove to see sense, and he doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to taking care of us. He sees what we need far clearer than we ever can, and as much as Cole calls me the glue in the family, I don’t see it for a second. Without Ares, we’d have curled up and died long ago when things were bad enough it was impossible to see the light at the end of the tunnel. He gives us the tough love and kick in the ass we need from time to time, and I hope one day I’ll be able to return the favor.
“You’re projecting,” he chuckles and I snap my teeth in annoyance. “But trust me; you brought our mate home, brother. We are more than even.”
I don’t bother arguing since he pulled the Rin card. Queen trumps knight every time.
* * *
“A coupleof cars pulled over a little ways back. I was waiting to see if they were stopping for engine trouble or a piss, but it’s been too long. We need to go,”Ares wakes me, sounding on edge.
My ears perk up, as I’m pulled from my slumber. Groggily, I try to sift through the multitude of noises from the road not too far in the distance for the ones he’s concerned about. The polluted scent of exhaust overwhelms the timber of the forest, adding just one more thing to muddle through. When one scent in particular registers as familiar, I’m on my feet snarling and awake in an instant.
“What is it?”Cole mumbles, face still buried in Rin’s hair as they gradually wake up since it can’t have been more than an hour.
I ignore him for the moment, reaching out to Ares since time is of the essence.It’s Carson, Ares. Her dad. I’d recognize his cologne anywhere.
He curses as I relay the message to the others, and Rin’s heart starts sprinting in her chest. They scramble to their feet, jerking the zipper open and clambering out in haste now. We abandon the tent and start running towards the truck not too far off, but it feels like a mile as a shot fires out, grazing my shoulder. Another hits Cole in the arm, pushing Rin out of the way in time.
The next we’re all surprised when Ares jerks the mage out of the way and takes a bullet to the side in his place. The gag slips off of the mage’s face, but he keeps his mouth shut, rather than distract the only people keeping him alive right now.
“Corinna,” Carson’s smooth voice snaps out like a whip. “Are you alright?”
Her heart hammers as she tries to put herself in front of Cole. Naturally, he doesn’t entertain the ridiculous notion despite her best efforts. “She’s fine,” he growls, defensive and only making things worse.
My shoulder burns and blood stains my fur, but it’s nothing compared to what I’ve been through now. The mages may have taken so much from me, but they at least taught me how to fight through the pain and keep a clear head.
Easy. There’s at least ten of them,I warn.
Having a front row seat to the sort of person Carson is, I hate him more than my brothers are able to. They despise him on principle from the stories they’ve heard, but I was forced to witness everything play out, watch his mask dissolve until showing his true face. Just the sound of his voice makes me ill, wanting to tear him apart. And out here, just into the wilds?
I finally have the chance.
