Page 98 of Hybrid Heroics

Blaire let go of my hand, leaning into Grim. He scooped her up and disappeared in a blink. Death’s magic was strange, but the reaper was always where he was needed without hesitation. He was good to Jack; I knew he would be the same for my sister.

“Who was that?” My mom cut wide eyes at me. “Peach? And who is Trouble?”

I blew out a long breath. “That was Grim, one of Blaire’s mates. They’re great guys. You’ll love them more than I do. And Trouble is my mate. Her name is Sloane. But you already knew that stuff, didn’t you?”

She hummed a little tune under her breath, flashing a coy grin at me. “I’ve known for quite some time, son. I haven’t met them, though.”

“I wish I could be mad about that, but I’m not,” I commented, tucking her under my arm to steer her away from the carnage. “I’ll introduce you to Sloane when she’s done.”

“You look at her like you love her already,” Mom said wistfully.

“I’ve been in love with Trouble since the day we met,” I confessed, grinning down at her. “She’s wild and fierce, protective and unpredictable, and everything I didn’t know I needed. I had suspicions about her and why the Kings moved all of us in together, but it was just that.”

“She flip your world upside down?”

I chuckled at her understatement. “She lit my world on fire and made everyone kneel before us or risk death. And if you ask her why, she won’t give you a straight answer, because she doesn’t have one. She’s impulsive, even more so than me.”

“That’s why you call her Trouble?” she guessed.

“She is trouble, Mom,” I clarified, serious, but also amused. “In a gorgeous, wicked package. But she’s… sweet. In her own way. You’ll love her.”

“Is she why you took the face rings out?”

Leave it to Daphne to bring up my piercings when Blaire had finally left the topic alone.

I snorted. “No. She doesn’t mind them. We’ve been in and out of battles for the last few weeks. I took them out because it hurts like hell to get punched in the face with them there.”

She scoffed at me. “I’ll have to talk to her about that.”

“I brought her by to see you while we were in Baton Rouge,” I mentioned. “Did Blaire tell you we were there?”

“She did,” Mom affirmed. “Said you walked in without knocking and scared her.”

“Of course, we scared her. She was fucking a stranger on your couch, so…” I trailed off, sealing my lips shut and biting down on them for good measure.

“What?” she asked, her voice colder than Trouble’s or Vaughn’s had ever been.

I covered my mouth with my hand, the single word reply muffled. “Nothing.”

“Blaire,” mom shouted, grabbing my arm to hold me still when I tried to pull away.

To run.

I was in so much fucking trouble.

Sloane needed to finish her fight with Alric before my sister tried to kill me.

Kicking Gustave’s ass was one thing…

Blaire Malin was a terror I didn’t want to face head on.

Thursday, June 25th

Late Evening

My steps didn’t falter as I crossed the yard. My lungs didn’t constrict from rage or anxiety. Instead, my breaths were steady, leaving me calm and collected, despite the man who had my attention.

Aoiden Lynch was nothing more than a sperm donor. There were no sentimental memories from my childhood that involved him. Aoife Lynch had been the mother and father in our household, even when her mate was home from his drunken expeditions and gambling adventures.