I sat on the couch, tears dripping down my face as I silently cried. I'd become accustomed to it over the years, crying in silence. So that Jason wouldn't hear me, and prey on the weak like the vulture, I knew him to be. Marcus stood at the window, one hand in his pocket, and the other scrolling on his phone. I could tell he'd known Hex a long time, and the fear of him dying because of me felt deafening. I hadn't even realize someone knocked on the door when Marcus walked over to answer it. A blond-haired man stalked inside, with a tall red head behind him. I stood, out of habit, and interlaced my fingers in front of myself. The man stared at me with a kind smile. He looked a little like Marcus, with blond hair, but his eyes matched their mother, Barbie. "Well, you must be Lilly," he said, offering me a handshake. I took it carefully. "I am.""I'm Scotty, Marcus' other brother. This is Heather."Heather looked exotic, and something about her screamed paranormal, but not a wolf. I'
You're stupid, my wolf growled. You had her right there, and you just stopped. I shifted uncomfortably on the barstool from the kitchen, trying my best to ignore my wolf. Lilly stood beside the living room table where Heather sat, her brows pulled down in concentration, while she bandaged Heather's wing. She hadn't turned away from Heather, and part of me thought it was because of what happened in the bedroom. The thought sent my wolf into a tizzy, and I'd be lying if I said it didn't have me on the verge of tossing all the pack laws and pack morals out the window of the penthouse. She'd tasted like chocolate covered sin. So sweet. Her body soft, but needy. The fact she couldn’t make the first move pleased my wolf. A wolf loved a submissive mate, and Lilly was definitely that, but I hated the reason behind it. Heather hissed beneath her breath. "Sorry," Lilly whispered. "It's not too bad, it should heal in a day or two. I'm assuming you heal quicker than a human?" Heather st
Marcus was different from anyone I'd ever met. The way he watched me, how observant he was while I ate, making sure I ate. He'd been right. Jason never cared that I ate anything. Most of the time there wasn't much left after the lycans finished their meals, or he forgot to come get me from my room.So the hardly there dinner was all I had. It was more than enough to keep me alive, but I partially thought he enjoyed me being small. He always commented on liking 'small-framed' girls.I was definitely that.I slid the last piece of pineapple past my lips, and savored the taste of it. The lycans didn't have much of anything other than meat. Even their snacks, as you would call them, were beef sticks and slices of meat.The pineapple brought me back to my youth. My mother would cut them up and put them in my lunch for school.Marcus grabbed my empty plate before I could, and tossed it into the dishwasher, before turning to face me. "You like pineapple? Noted.""It's been a long time since
The bastard gave her nightmares. I could only imagine the torment he put her through. She looked like she saw a ghost when she woke up in a sweat, eyes full of fear. If God allowed it, I would make Jason pay. However, at that point, I just wanted him dead. So we could go on with our lives. So I could slowly earn Lilly's trust in peace, without looking over my shoulder because some deranged lycan wanted my mate. At least The Dragon King was Blaire's other mate, and not some random supernatural man that wanted her just because he staked claim on her like Jason. Jason wanted her because he was entitled, cruel and used to getting what he wanted. But this was one battle that he wouldn't win. What he didn’t know about the Reed Brothers was that we weren't quitters, and would fight to the death for our mates. It was in our bones. Our pack laws were strict about respecting our mates, and fighting for them was without question. I cooked some pasta for the both of us, and offered it
Red. White. I didn't care at this point.The chilled liquid running down my throat felt like magic in a glass cup. It made all those negative thoughts disappear. It drained me of those stupid memories at the kingdom, and the look on Jason's face as I hid my head in Marcus' shoulder in fear as we flew away. The liquid was magic. I felt like magic. Marcus' strong hands steadied me as I sat down my glass and walked toward the lake. "Hey. Hey, Lilly. You need to slow down. You've never drank, and now you want to swim? I'm not practiced in CPR," he said with a chuckle. I glanced up at his dark eyes, and smiled. "I can swim, Marcus. Come on. Let's cool off. It's hot out here."Without thought, because who cared about those, I shrugged out of my t-shirt and tossed it. Those dark eyes flashed a midnight black, and he turned his head away to sniff the air. His fingers curled into fists at his sides, but I didn't care. All the things I would have said if I were the same girl from before
I watched Lilly breathing, her small body moving up and down as she laid on my lap. Bridesmaids had kept her attention all the way until the end, but she fell asleep halfway into The Avengers. I watched her eyes as she watched the screen, the smile that blossomed across her face. It made my wolf happy. It made me happy, which was something that wasn't part of my life prior to saving her. And I felt myself slipping into that darkness again. The anger inside of me reared its ugly head, and wanted out. It wanted blood. We had one day together before we went in for the kill. To save Luther. He was still alive, because the pack would have felt if he was hurt. Axel was alive or his pack would have felt it. They were alive, but for how long? I brushed my fingers over the back of Lilly's hair and down her back, to her slender hipbone. She stirred, mumbling something incoherently in her sleep. I sighed, rubbing my eye with my thumb. My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I realized how late
The promise Marcus made me swam around in my head like unleashed tadpoles as I watched the lycans from across the field. The distance made it hard to see who they were, but I was sure I would recognize them. I remembered all of Jason's henchman's faces.A shiver raced down Marcus' spine, and I watched as he fought off his wolf. We were in broad daylight, in the middle of a publicparking lot. Shifting into supernatural creatures wasn't a good idea."Marcus," I said, but he only gave me a look that said do what I say.Quickly, I raced toward the rental and made it to the passenger side. Marcus stalked toward the field on the side of the apartmentcomplex, meeting the lycans halfway.I was thankful for the distance because I didn't want to see them fight up close. I knew from experience, and growing up aroundlycans, that just because it was one-on-one didn't mean he'd lose. In fact, I had a feeling Marcus could take care of himself. Thosemuscles weren't just for looks, I knew that much
The feeling of being watched followed me well out of town, and toward the dragon's lair. It wouldn't surprise me if the lycans followed us through the wooded area on each side of the highway. They came at us in broad daylight. Relentless on getting Lilly back. The bastard had the audacity to sink his claws into her, knowing she wouldn't heal easily. I curled my fingers around the steering wheel, glancing at Scotty driving behind us with Heather and Blaire. Gab and Emily behind them. Gab had pulled his weight back there, and proved to me he was on our side. Thankfully, or Lilly might have been shoved into that car and be back with Jason right now. The mountain came into view, a dragon circling overhead, signaling to the others we had arrived. I took the small trail, parking the rental as deep into the woods as I could get it. Lilly looked over at me with big blue eyes. "We're here?" she asked, glancing around. I nodded and pinched her chin. "Their lair is inside the mountain. The c