He pinches the bridge of his nose. “My daughter is selecting her mates tonight, so naturally, these assholes have lost their damn minds in a final desperate attempt to catch her eye before the announcement.”
The rest of our walk is spent with him grumbling complaints under his breath, but there's no real heat behind them. More like a dad that doesn't want to think about what his daughter's going to be doing with her newly acquired harem and contemplating places to dispose of the bodies.
Kodiak’s silent laughter vibrates through my body, and I have to mentally recite the alphabet backwards to distract myself from the way my clit is bumping against his stomach with every step.
A small eternity later, we follow Dominic’s lead as he strides up the wooden steps to a large cabin, pushing open the door. “Anita, my love, are you busy? We’ve got company.”
Not two steps into the main living space, a tell-tale moan from down the hall has Dom sheepishly rubbing the back of his suddenly red neck. “Sorry. Can’t leave those three alone to save my soul. But hey-” Glancing around the living room, he picks up random discarded clothing from where it was stripped off and cast aside. “Clothes!”
Snorting in amusement at his grinning face, I take the bundle he offers my way. “Thanks.”
He tips his head in acknowledgment. “Bathroom’s first door on your left. While you get dressed, I’ll get your men squared away, and we can get out of here before Anita can scratch exhibitionism off her fuck-it list.”
Waiting until his back is to me, I try to shimmy down, but Kodi isn’t having it. Walking straight into the bathroom with me, he checks that it’s empty before finally setting me on my feet. When he makes no attempt to leave, though, I draw the line.
“Oh, hell no. Out.”
“Little late to start acting shy around me now, angel. I’ve already seen you naked.” With a devilish smirk, he waggles his eyebrows suggestively. “And rearranged your guts.”
Rolling my eyes, I try to shove him out the door, but he refuses to budge. “Doesn’t mean you have to watch me pee. If it makes you feel better, you can guard the door, but from theotherside.”
With a melodramatic sigh, he finally relents and steps outside. “Scream my name if you need help getting dressed. Or just because you want to; I’m not picky.”
“Not sure how this comes as a surprise, Kodi, but you’re the one I’d call to ripoffmy pants, not help me put them on. Now, go find some for yourself and quit distracting me.”
Over his shoulder, he gives me a cocky grin. “Can’t blame a guy for trying.”
Shutting the door, I flip the lock, resting my forehead against the wood and closing my eyes for a few seconds. My thoughts are a whirlwind, there and gone too quick for me to make sense of; just chaotic enough to be stressful.
I killed the monster I’ve spent nearly a decade running from, not realizing how much harder things could be with himoutof the picture. And I hate myself for feeling anything other than relief that he’s finally dead. Hate that we live in a world where finding a mate is so rare that shifters have confused possession with love.
Malcolm tormented me, but in his twisted mind, he thought he was helping me. Protecting me. All he ever wanted was to be loved, and even if I don’t forgive him for the hell he put me through… I get it, because I’m not really any better. I killed someone to protect Raiden, Stone, and Kodiak, and right or wrong, I would do it again without remorse.
Love makes you do crazy things, and breaks your moral compass. You can justify just about anything to protect the people you love, so how can I celebrate being free from Malcolm without feeling like a hypocrite?
One step at a time. Clean up and dress, then we can decide on our next move.
Quickly relieving myself, I wash up and slap some toothpaste on my finger as a makeshift toothbrush. By the time I’m dressed in a pair of black leggings and a light blue t-shirt, I’ve slapped a bandaid on my emotions enough to keep the newly acquired trauma at bay for a while.
Sticking my head under the tap to drink my fill, I snag a hair tie off the counter and pull my tangled mess into a ponytail. For the first time in months, I feel like the old me, but… improved. I don’t have to hide the mark just inside the hairline on my neck anymore; everyone already knows it exists because of Stone’s shirtless display showing off the massive version covering his side. I’m dressed to run, climb, or anything else I might need, my movements unrestricted. While I’m too exhausted to do anything about it now, surviving my first shift and having more access to my abilities is a massive confidence boost.
Cool your jets, cockiness gets you killed. Hell, there’s a drug on the market now to render a shifter’s abilities temporarily useless, and Evren refused to deal with Raiden exclusively.
We’re all fucked, it’s just a matter of when and where.
Lamenting the loss of my temporary reprieve, I take a deep breath and unlock the door, forcing myself to face reality again. Stone has an arm banded around my waist before I’ve even fully stepped across the threshold, and something settles contentedly in my chest that I refuse to look too deeply into right now.
They feel like home, but every home I’ve ever had has left me with new scars to add to my impressive tally.
“Are you alright?” Stone studies my face carefully. Not judging, and not even suspiciously, more like he truly cares about the answer.
With a rough swallow, I quietly admit, “No.” Taking a deep breath and falling into step beside him as he leads me outside, I exhale heavily. “But I will be.”
“Of course you will.” His fingers dig into my side as he opens the door, guiding me onto the porch. “Because you don’t break, Amara. Every blow you suffer only serves to make you stronger. And the day you truly realize that?”
Kodiak is waiting at the bottom of the steps, wasting no time stealing me away from his brother and capturing my lips in a quick, brutal kiss. “The day you accept that is the day the rest of the world will bow at your feet. You’re easy to love, Amara.”
Stone hums low in his throat. “It’s why you find yourself in so much trouble. The damned can’t help but be drawn to the light, because we all want something to burn in our cold, dark souls.”
