“She’s still here,” he says softly.
“Right. Thanks. I did the right thing, and she won’t hold it against me. It’s better to show her now what we'll do if she's threatened again. We’re animals. We fight for what belongs to us.” I rest my elbow on the door, my fist pressed against my temple. “Hunter told me,good job.”
“I know.”
“Remy was slightly shocked.” I chuckle. “I suppose he doesn’t get into fights in the restaurant business.”
“You’d be surprised,” he says dryly.
“Probably.”
Bane doesn’t say much, but the words he uses mean a lot. I can read him easily now. It took weeks to understand how he works. I spent most of my life fighting to get back to my brothers, and in just four months, it felt like we were never apart. I need Hunter’s steady presence and cool head. Remy is calm, yet his rage is similar to mine. He can be pissed, but no one can tell. Bane is quiet and steady. He can kill in an instant, but knows when to pull back. I can rage for hours, and he won’t get upset and join my rants. I need all of them. They keep me grounded in a way I never have been.
They balance me.
I wish we could have grown up together. Life kicked the shit out of us and tore us in different directions. I was losing hope when they found me. I thought I would never see the brothers I loved, yet had hardly seen.
I was six when our parents died. My memories are fuzzy. Sometimes, I think I can hear my mother's soft voice in my dreams. I don’t remember much, but I know I loved them. Dad was my hero, as were my brothers. Mom had a tender touch. My life was separated into two categories: before their death and after. Before, our life was filled with love, and after, chaos and torture. When I was adopted at age seven, my hell began.
A lovely couple wanted me. It was tempting to fall into their arms until they refused to adopt my brothers. I fought. I kicked and screamed. Hunter took me aside and calmed me down. He swore we would find a way to be together, but the adults wouldn’t listen to the children. He wanted me to have something stable and loving. It hurt, but I listened. Secretly, I needed some softness, some kindness. The woman seemed nice, and she smiled gently. The man held his wife with care. I feared being with humans who knew nothing about our kind. They were coyote shifters.
They fooled us. They were not the perfect couple. I know it eats at Hunter that he encouraged me. I don’t blame him. His intentions were pure, and at my core, I wanted it. A home. Love. Safety. How was he supposed to know I wouldn't get any of those things? He was selfless. I was selfish. Every day since, I have wished for my brothers. Time is funny. It seems like forever, but not. I can smell the foster home. We used to huddle together in one of the closets, making up stories and pretending we were still with Mom and Dad. We ignored everyone and built a world where everything was normal. Being a shifter made it more complicated. Forcing our animal down, never shifting, isn’t natural. A human was in charge, and we couldn’t chance being caught.
After the adoption, I missed being human with my brothers. When you're forced to shift every day to kill, it takes the magic out of being a shifter.
“She’s coming,” Bane says. I shake off the past and look out his window. Haven is walking towards us, her hands in her pockets. Bane drops his arm and rolls down the window.
Fuck, she's stunning. I want to pull her close, wrap her in my arms, and never let her go. She smells like sunflowers, and I could soak in her scent forever. Her blonde hair is down now. It’s thick and wild when it’s not in a ponytail. The streaks of color hint at a boldness I'm eager to uncover. She changed out of the sexy dress. The white sweatpants are baggy and hang at her hips. All it would take is to slide one finger beneath the waistband and tug. Her shirt is black, long-sleeved, and tight around her rib cage. I want to trace her bare skin below it and above her pants. She doesn’t try to be beautiful, she just is.
My jaguar prowls inside, ready to claim her.
“Are you hurt?” she asks as she stops at Bane’s window.
“Hurt?” I don’t see any judgment or fear on her face. She’s worried about me.
“I wanted to make sure that guy didn’t hurt your hands.” She frowns and glances down at them.
“He didn’t hurt me. The cuts are healing.” I tilt my head. She confuses me. Any human would be terrified of me.
“Good.” She smiles, and I suck in a breath. “Rylee has removed the rule. She invited you in.”
“Sleepover?” Bane asks, and she focuses on him.
“Yes, but not in the same room.” She bites her lip, and I don’t think she knows the beasts she's tempting. “She has two rooms. I’m in her spare, but she said you can sleep on the couch. I told her I didn’t think both of you could fit.” She wrinkles her nose. “It’s a rather large L-shaped. But both of you are rather large.” She shakes her head and laughs. “Just get out of the vehicle and come inside.”
“Back up, baby,” Bane says. He opens the door when she’s clear and rolls up the window. I get out of the car slowly, hesitant to overwhelm her with my eagerness to be near her.
“Rylee is rewarding you for defending my honor.” Bane locks the car and falls into step beside her. I catch up and can’t help but grab her hand as I walk on her other side. “She’s already in her room. I guess the fight drained her. I was surprised because I thought shifters didn’t need to recharge.”
“The fight is easy. It’s the aftereffects that sneak up on you,” I say.
“Once the adrenaline wears off, she needs to rest,” Bane adds as he opens the door to the building.
“Have you been here before?” she asks, leading us to the elevator.
“Yes,” Bane says.
“No.” I haven’t spent much time with Rylee outside of the fights.
