“No,” I say, walking to the sink to wash my hands. This place is isolated, and the odds are low that someone would come here to look for Robbie, yet we still remove all evidence. The fabric will disintegrate, and travel down the drain. If nothing else, we have vampire friends who could mind-fuck anyone brave enough to accuse us.
“Why? We would get there fast,” he says.
“I don’t feel like talking you out of a ticket.” I dry my hands and then wait by the door. “Plus, you don’t have a license.”
“Not my fault,” he mumbles, and I cringe.
“I know.” I hold the door open for them. “I’ll drive.”
“Big brother has to take care of us,” Law says, and I grit my teeth.
“I try.” I secure the door and walk to the car. He doesn’t mean to make me feel guilty. If I could have shielded my brothers from the pain, distance, and trauma, I would have.
Law drops in the back seat, sprawling as if he doesn’t have a minefield of anger bouncing around his head. Bane sits in the passenger seat, and I feel his stare but don’t meet his eyes. He's at a loss as to how to deal with the tension. He has enough dark thoughts; he can’t solve Law’s issues. We love each other, but it’s difficult to show it openly. None of us has experienced much softness living in the chaos of child services. It took all ofour energy just to hold on to each other. We lost Remy when a woman we had never met showed up and claimed to be our aunt. We thought we would have a home again. Unfortunately, she only wanted Remy, the youngest, with nearly jet-black hair. That’s where his nightmare began.
“When is the fight?” Law asks.
“Tomorrow night,” Bane says.
“Is Rylee fighting?” Law asks.
“She will.” I grin, and the mood lifts. Rylee is a fox shifter and an excellent fighter. Heath rescued her when she was a teenager, and she's thrived with his guidance. “I heard she will have a guest.”
“Who?” Bane asks.
“I don’t know.” We're protective of her and consider her a sister. She claims we don’t need to worry about her, but we know about her past and how hard it was to move on from it.
“Is it a guy?” Law asks, leaning between the seats.
“I don’t know the details. I heard her talking with Heath about it as we were leaving. I assumed he would say something if we needed to be concerned.” Rylee doesn’t date often, or at least hasn’t brought anyone around. She probably knows Heath would scare anyone who dared to kiss her.
“I’ll ask her,” Law says, pulling out his phone. Even though Bane and I have known Rylee longer, it didn’t take long for Law to develop a soft spot for her. It’s difficult not to like being around her.
“You know Heath wouldn’t let anyone near her who isn’t thoroughly investigated,” I say.
“But he didn’t ask you to do it,” Law says as he messages her.
“He is capable of finding out on his own.” I have developed a skill with computers, and usually, Heath relies on me to find any information he needs. But if they were someone Rylee had known for a while, he would have made sure he approved.
“She’s not answering,” he mutters.
“If we need to step in tomorrow night, we will,” Bane says.
All of us will be at the fight, and Bane and I will run security. Heath has a variety of fighters, and not all of them are shifters. He's careful with how they are paired and will never allow a shifter to fight a human. Bets will be placed, and anytime violence and money are involved, problems arise. I'll be splitting my attention between my job and watching Law. He has enough scars on his body; he doesn’t need more. We're all slightly broken, and we deal with it as best we can.
“Whoever it is, can’t be her mate,” Law grumbles.
“I don’t want to think about her mated,” Bane growls.
“None of us do,” I mumble.
We thrive on affection and can have multiple mates. The universe decides your perfect match, who you will be with forever. The mating bond shouldn’t be denied, and once you meet the one for you, it’s almost impossible to be without them. Until the bond is completed and bites are exchanged, a yearning will develop that's hard to ignore. It doesn’t matter if you just met; our animals recognize our mate by scent, and a knowing begins.
Having a mate has been a fleeting thought occasionally, but I don’t dwell on how it would feel. Making a safe life for my brothers and me has been my constant worry and goal. We have been apart for much of our lives, fighting to get back to each other. I would hate to be separated once again if I were to meet the one meant to be mine. Many of the female shifters here have multiple mates, and I secretly hope that if it does happen, we can share her. She would have to be someone very special to take on four feral jaguar shifters.
As we approach the restaurant, I feel Law’s tension return. He finds it difficult to be around so many strangers. The only thing I can do is stay close to him and lend my support. I pull into thespot beside Remy’s car and notice Heath is parked on the other side.
“Did you know Heath was coming?” Law asks as he opens his door.
