Page 69 of Ignited

She hadn’t expected that. “I bet you’re sorry now.”

“It doesn’t matter how I feel.” But he didn’t deny it. Instead he said, “Don’t you love him at all?”

“Of course I do!” The words were out before she could stop them. “He’s so damn fucking lovable.” For the first time, she saw a tiny smile briefly soften his brother’s face. And then it was gone.

And she got a glimpse of the misery he carried around inside.

He loved his brother more than anything. Boomer was all he had in the world. And he was willing to share him with Karisma—to give him up, if he had to—if it would make Boomer happy.

Make him whole.

Bro said, “So go convince him to claim you.”

She rolled her eyes. “That’s not how it works. Even if it’s what he wants, he doesn’t want to be forced into it.”

“What’s the difference?” Bro said. “The outcome’s the same.”

Karisma gave up. “You’re hopeless. No wonder you don’t have a girlfriend.”

“Yeah. Never will.”

But it didn’t sound like a preference. It sounded like someone who’d made up his mind that nothing good would ever come into his life.

Her heart broke for him.

But as usual, he wasn’t thinking about himself. “So are you going to go talk to him, or not?”

She hesitated. “You really think I could be a good mate to him? How? I’m just like you. Broken. Fucked up. Just trying to survive. Would you make someone a good mate?”

“You’re not me.”

“I might as well be.”

He didn’t answer her. They just stood there, staring at each other, knowing they were more alike than different.

She realized he wanted desperately for her to be able to be Boomer’s mate. Because if she could, there was hope for him too.

And if he’d managed to love Boomer all these years, have his back and be a good brother to him despite the damage that had been done to his soul, maybe there was hope for her too.

She said, “Okay. Okay, I’ll try. If he still wants me to.” She bit her lip. “And if I can find him.”

Boomer’s brother pulled his dog tags from around his neck, pressed his finger to the edge of one of them, and held them out to her. “Here. Take these. I’ve activated the homing beacon on Boomer’s set, so they’ll lead you right to him.”

Karisma reached for them, and then stopped. He was giving up his link to Boomer, handing it to her. And somehow she knew he didn’t mean it just for today. He was saying she was Boomer’s partner now, not him.

He was on the outside, and would be from now on.

Karisma hesitated, then took the tags and slipped them around her neck. “I’ll take care of them. And I’ll bring them back.”

Then she stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. “You’re a good brother. No wonder Boomer loves you so much.”

Karisma shed her clothes and went tiger. With the tracking device in the dog tags, she didn’t have to waste time looking for Boomer’s trail. She could head straight for him.

It turned out he was about five miles away, in a cave under one of the rocky ridges outside of the compound. Karisma was tired when she got there—she might be able to call on her tiger, but Boomer and DB were both right. She still wasn’t at full strength.

And now that she was here, she was terrified. Boomer was so hurt, so angry. What if she totally screwed this up?

She knew she should Change and call out to him, but the idea of walking barefoot and naked into a dark cave with a furious wolf in it was beyond what she was ready to deal with right now.