“I would never ask you to betray his trust.” I rest my hands on his arms.
“I know. There are some things I can share. We agreed not to keep secrets from you. My brothers will speak to you about their experiences. I can tell you about mine.” He stands straight. “Let’s sit.” I follow him to the couch. As I sit beside him, he faces me. He slides his arm under my legs and drapes them over his thigh. He moves me however he wants, and it feels natural to let him. He lays his arm behind me and laces the fingers of his other hand with mine. “Our parents died when I was eight. It was and still is a mystery how. We were suddenly in a foster home with no answers and broken hearts. I was the oldest, so I naturally took over the task of keeping us together, which I failed at.”
“Hunter,” I whisper. It’s easy to see he's a natural leader. He speaks for them often, but my heart aches at the guilt in his voice.
“I thought I was doing the right thing, but I made mistakes. It was crushing to see other children get adopted, and I saw my brother's hope crushed. I wanted to keep us together, but I couldn’t. I accepted the fact, so I encouraged them to leave if it was possible. Remy was adopted by an aunt we didn’t know. He’s the youngest and doesn’t remember as much as I do. I’d hoped he would have a good life.” He cringes.
“He didn’t,” I say softly.
“It’s his story to tell.” He clears his throat. “Next, it was Lawson. A couple came and focused on him. He didn’t want to go. Bane and I didn’t want him to, but he couldn’t hide how torn he was. He loved us and wanted them to take us too. No one wanted to take on three boys.”
“They weren’t good people,” I murmur.
“The worst,” he whispers.
“Oh, no.” My heart hurts just imagining his pain and the things they subjected him to. I have to be patient. Lawson wouldn’t like anyone telling me the details until he’s ready.
“I saw his desperation to be loved. All the children were the same, but the older ones lost hope. I didn’t want him to be one of those kids. I convinced him to give them a chance and promised we would find him one day. I was lying to myself. Having a family was what I wanted too, yet there was no interest in me or Bane.” He looks away for a moment, his jaw tense. “Lawson gave in as if he had a choice. The home we were in was not the most legitimate place. The caregivers weren’t soft, nice people. They were in it for the money and didn’t give much thought to background checks on willing adopters. I was young, but I could tell. I was observant, and my animal warned me of their bad intentions. Yet, I didn’t notice anything off about the people who took Lawson.”
“You aren’t to blame.” I tighten my hand, hating that he has to live with the memories and guilt. I don’t have to know exactly what happened to defend his actions.
“As a man, I know that now, but as a child…” He shakes his head. “I carry the blame. Watching him leave was as bad as seeing Remy walk away from us. Bane and I never left each other's side. We were determined to stay together, so we became the problem kids. Taking a chance that someone would want us long term wasn’t an option. After skipping from foster home to foster home, we decided to act out. Every order, curfew, and chore assigned, we disregarded. We had one goal: stay together, age out, and find our brothers. We saw kids come and go, and prospective parents turned their noses up at us. It worked. We stayed until I turned seventeen and then ran away. Bane was sixteen, but we had lived like someone much older. I didn’t care what we had to do; I wanted out. Away from the cries of children and the angry voices of adults.”
“Where did you go?” I ask.
“The first night, we slept in the alley behind a bar,” he says.
“Hunter.” I scoot closer.
“The second night, the owner caught us.” He chuckles. “Big man. Human. He just looked at us, and before we could run, he told us to follow him. He gave us an opportunity to clean the bar after it was closed, and we could sleep in the back room. We had to be gone by the time he opened. He paid us a few dollars so we could buy something to eat. We agreed and stayed for six months.”
“Why did you leave?”
“A man walked in early, before we left. He recognized us; he worked in the foster home. Bane wasn’t eighteen yet. He threatened to call someone and get him taken away from me, unless we did something for him.” He flinches and looks at our joined hands.
“What?” I ask, my heart pounding.
“The man had a thing for young men,” he grits out, looking at me. “We refused. The man attacked Bane, so I killed him.”
Chapter Eleven
Hunter
“We had been holding our animals at bay. There weren’t many opportunities to shift while living with humans. He lunged at Bane, and he froze. The man took him to the ground, and my jaguar burst out. I tore him to pieces. There was nothing left of him except bones and blood.” I can see it clearly in my memories, and I avoid meeting Haven’s eyes. “Bane had to calm me down, so I would shift back. He became my strength. He found me some clothes in the office because when we shift, we shred anything on our bodies. When I snapped out of my daze, we ran again. We left the destruction in the man's bar. After that, we avoided any relationships with humans. We hid for months. Stealing food, sleeping in alleys, and we would take turns, so we were never vulnerable again.
“Once Bane turned eighteen, we got random jobs wherever we could. Money meant we could sleep at a hotel. They were cheap and never in the best neighborhood, but they had running water and a roof. Still, we never slept at the same time. This went on for years, and when I could, I went to libraries and looked for our brothers. It was like looking for ghosts. At that time, we didn’t have social media. I began to study how to find missing people. I checked out books, and as the years passed, technology became more advanced. We thought it was hopeless, and many times I wanted to give up. But I would remember their faces, and how much I loved them. Our parents were gone, so they were the only family we had.”
“When did you find them?” she asks softly.
“Years later,” I whisper, focusing on her. “First, we met Heath. We were two wild jaguar shifters who hated authority and rules. I knew he was different, dangerous. Most shifters can identify the different species, but he was a mystery. I had a lead on Lawson's location, so we went to investigate. What we found was a group of humans and shifters who took pleasure in torturing. I could smell Law’s scent, but he wasn’t there anymore. I questioned them, and it didn’t go well. There were too many of them, and we lost control of the situation. Heath walked in as if he were on a stroll through the woods. He wore black from head to toe and walked with a cane. His presence was powerful.”
“Why was he there?”
“He was searching for someone. Even though he didn’t know us, he protected us and helped get the answers we came for. It wasn’t much, but it was more than we had before. If Heath hadn’t shown up and been on our side, the outcome could have been different.” I sigh. “He saved us in so many ways. He gave us a place to belong, safety, and a purpose. We could channel our anger into work. All he asked for was loyalty and honesty, which we gladly agreed to. I expanded my education. Computersfascinated me, and they allowed me to continue the search for my brothers. Heath offered his help, which I gratefully accepted. He revealed what his animal was, and even though it was shocking, I didn’t care that his animal was a snake. There were whispers in our world about mysterious snake shifters and the deadly consequences if you crossed them. Heath was different. Yes, he was still very dangerous, but not to those whom he let in his inner circle. Not many knew what he was, and he liked it that way.
“We have been by his side since and have never regretted it. He's my boss, yet he’s my friend and brother. Our relationship grew steadily over the years, and I can’t imagine not being in his life. He has connections, so he could get the answers I couldn’t. There were many sightings of Lawson, yet every time we got to the location, he was gone. A few years ago, Heath found Remy. He had acquaintances in this town and put the pieces together. We had been searching databases all over the world, and Remy was a few hours away.”
“Didn’t you live here?” she asks.
