Our conversation tapers off, a headache already blooming and making telepathy a struggle. I couldn’t even tell you how much time passes, the three of us just focusing on surviving the auditory torture and our own panic so we don’t involuntarily shift and make things ten times worse than they already are.
When the door opens, Ares’ head whips to the side and I sink my nails into his thigh to make sure he doesn’t launch himself at the human. “You’re free to go,” a different officer states, disdain dripping from his voice.
A minute later the ear piercing noise cuts off and I sag in relief, though the ringing in my ears carries on. We cautiously get to our feet, the feeling of it being a trap pressing against my instincts. The officer stays two steps behind us, watching as we head through the precinct and towards the exit, just making the hairs on the nape of my neck stand on end as we turn our backs on the perceived threat.
By the time we step out into the crisp, autumn air of evening, I feel like I’ve run a hundred miles under the desert sun. Nervous sweat coats my skin and my muscles ache from so much adrenaline pumping through my system with no outlet. But it’s just another blow when Rin’s not out here waiting for us, the door slammed behind the officer as he goes back inside.
What’s happening? Are you alright? Fuck, Rin, what did you do?
The three of us share a look, mulling over the likelihood of us walking back in there and getting her out alive. It has about the same success rate as storming into a vamp nest, but fuck, we’ll go down fighting before just walking away and leaving our mate to pay for my crimes.
“Breathe. Just wait in the truck, I’ll explain when I get there.”
“God damn it.” Ares sags in defeat, swiping a hand through his hair and leaving it sticking up every which way. His hand is trembling when he pulls it away, clenching it to try and hide his nerves.
“She’s coming back,” Cole states definitively, sounding so sure. “She wouldn’t do something stupid and leave us alone.” His face falls a bit as his confidence starts to wane. “She wouldn’t, not even to save us, right? She knows what that would do to us.”
“Come on.” I throw an arm over his shoulders and lead them towards the truck.
Every second that ticks by shaves another day off of my life, feeling like I’m walking towards the gallows. The not knowing, that’s the worst part. I have no idea what’s happening, but trust my mate as much as I do the other members of our pride, so I don’t ask again. The last thing I want is to distract her from whatever she’s up to, to screw things up by being impatient.
But fuck, I’m on the verge of going feral and tearing the shit out of this truck right now.
I hear the door snick open, not even needing to turn my head because I’ve been boring holes in it with my eyes from the moment I sat my ass down. And hell, it’s clear that I’m a fucking goner where this woman is concerned, because the only thing I can think of is marking the shit out of every exposed spot on her neck; anything to make my animalistic side calm down even a little right now.
I’m out of the truck before she’s three steps from the building, the female officer smirking and rolling her eyes as she returns inside. I beat my brothers to her, grabbing her around the waist and burying my face in her collar, inhaling her scent. It helps push my instincts down a bit.
She’s our own brand of catnip, mellowing us out better than any drug.
Be it aches, pains, or anxiety, just a hit of her intoxicating scent has me feeling better. It’s not lost on me how ridiculous I sound, but I refuse to feel bad about it. I love her so completely that she’s become an intrinsic part of my being. So fuck all of the fragile male egos and macho bullshit; I missed the hell out of her.
“You’re alright?” Ares confirms, just as shaken up as I am, but better at concealing it.
He jerks her away from me, kissing the top of her head and taking his own hit of her scent. We’re nothing better than addicts, and Rin is our drug of choice. She fists his shirt, kissing his chest before pulling back.
“Completely,” she assures with a sad smile. “And I’m sorry I couldn’t explain more until now. I’m sure you guys were going out of your minds.”
Cole steals her away, kissing her on the mouth and sighing in relief. “Us? Heck, I didn’t even notice you were gone. Too busy admiring the sunset, you know,” he brushes off, but she knows him better than that by now.
“Missed you too,” she whispers and he rests his forehead on hers.
“Don’t scare me like that again, alright?” he asks, the vulnerability he’s trying so hard to hide seeping into his tone despite his best efforts.
“No promises,” she admits, nipping at his throat and it makes me growl.
For all of my bravado, I’m not any better than the beast they claim me to be. I tug her away from my brother, fisting her hair and kissing her. Just a hard press of my lips to hers, conveying all of my desperation and fear.
She flicks her tongue against my lips, parting them, and I meet her eagerly. Each roll of her tongue against mine has my already frayed control scrambling for purchase. She tastes like home, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. It may only take one human to tear us apart, but it takes another to knit us back together. For all of the disdain we’ve held for humans over the years, it’s clear there’s so much we still have to learn.
“They never even filed the marriage certificate because they didn’t want to risk me getting half of Jax’s stuff,” Rin informs us and I sigh in relief, though I’m not exactly sure why. It wouldn’t have mattered to me either way, but somehow, it makes things feel easier. “So I wasn’t officially married.”
“Yet,”Ares scoffs for our ears only and I smile, expecting it from Cole, but not so much him.
“But,” she continues, hand fisted in the front of my shirt. “Iammy dad’s sole beneficiary. Which means I’ll need to do some paperwork, but,” she tapers off, looking sheepish. At Cole’s prompting though, she rushes out, “Everything’s mine. The house, the cars, the business; it all will be transferred into my name after the paperwork is handled.”
My stomach sinks, but I force a smile for her sake. “That’s great news, love. You won’t have to worry about anything anymore.”
She gives me a strange look before kissing me again, just a soft press of her lips. “For future reference, you have a terrible poker face. I’m not going back to the city, Osiris. After all of the legal part is handled, I’ll sell the house; I don’t need it. Everything I have is right here.”
