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“LongCoolWoman(InaBlackDress)”—TheHollies
“Mom!” I cried out when I saw an intimidating dark-skinned man carrying my mother in the building as I came out of the bathroom. Another man who hadn’t been here before was right behind them. Sandy hair fell over startling blue eyes before he raked a hand through it, brushing it back. He was tall, handsome, and had tattoos on his arms that looked a lot like they were from a horror flick.
“Back here,” Raptor instructed as he led the man carrying my mom down the hall. I quickly followed. Jesus, the man was as broad as he was good-looking. Literally larger than life. He damn near filled the hall from wall to wall.
He obviously knew there was only one bed in the place, because they headed straight for that room. My cheeks heated at what had happened in there.
Before they got there, I concentrated and hoped it worked.
“What the fuck?” I heard Raptor say from up ahead, and I assumed it was a success. Not that I could see around the giant carrying my mom. At least not until he entered the room after Raptor.
Peering around him, I sighed in relief at seeing linens on the mattress, along with some fluffy pillows. Raptor turned back the sheet and blanket with a shake of his head. The big guy surprised me by setting my mom down so gently she seemed to float to the bed.
“Thank you, Stone. You’re so kind,” my mom told him. The man named Stone grunted in response. His jaw jumped a little under his close-cropped beard, and I swear he was fighting a smile. I was glad to know the big guy was on our side because he looked like he could fuck some stuff up.
“Isn’t he handsome?” my mother teased as she placed a frail hand on his forearm. The drastic difference in his tawny brown skin and the sickly pale tone of her hand broke my heart. She used to be so full of life. “He just swooped in and picked me up while that other boy distracted the nurses with all those tattoos and bright blue eyes of his.”
A soft chuckle broke free from Stone, and I searched the room as the ground seemed to rumble, but it stopped as soon as it started. My narrowed, questioning gaze hit his dark brown eyes that had a moment before appeared golden. He gave me a nearly imperceptible lift of his broad shoulder, and the corner of his mouth actually kicked up a notch. For a blink of an eye, it gave him an almost boyish look—one that he quickly smoothed to his previous stoic expression.
He quietly stepped back as I made my way around him to cover her up, then sat on the edge of the bed. The dark circles under her eyes were a stark contrast to her sallow skin and another reminder of how much she had deteriorated. When I moved to brush her hair back from her face, she gripped my wrist with a strength I wouldn’t have imagined she had. Eyes wide, she studied me.
“You found him,” she said in a raspy but strong voice. It wasn’t a question, and I had no clue how she knew. I also knew she wasn’t referring to my brother.
“I think so,” I murmured. I knew so. Her cocked brow said she didn’t believe me.
“The scrolls?”
Pointedly, I shrugged off the backpack and set it next to her. “Safe.”
She breathed a sigh of relief, then seemed to sink into the pillow, energy spent for the moment. “Your powers?”
Not wanting to talk about it in front of the other men, I shrugged.
“He will protect you and the scrolls. Together you will be a force to be reckoned with.” She sounded so sure.
“We need to see if there’s something in them to help you,” I whispered, not wanting the others to hear what was meant for her. Though they obviously knew Phoenix, I didn’t know them; therefore, I didn’t completely trust them.
Surprising me, she nodded. Honestly, I thought she’d fight me.
“If you’re feeling up to it, Ms. Fontenot, I’d like to talk with you and Sloane.” I glanced toward the door to find Voodoo standing there. Stone shook Raptor’s, then Voodoo’s hand.
“I’ll be out front if you need me,” Stone said before he exited the room. I was surprised to hear his Australian accent. He was obviously a long way from home, and I wondered how he fit in the picture.
Phoenix came in after Stone left. I drew strength from his dark blue gaze, and a soft smile lifted the corners of my lips as I stared at him.
“I knew it,” my mother said. A brief chuckle followed.
“Phoenix filled me in on everything that you told him.” Voodoo addressed me as he sat on the dresser, and I nodded. “But what I wanted to let you know was the results of some phone calls that were made. My president, Venom, spoke with our national SAA and president. He requested help from any brothers in the area who were willing to render aid. What you need to understand is the only reason they were willing to ask is because you’re my sister; otherwise, we’d have been on our own. However, it seems there may be more of a reason.” He cast a meaningful glance at Phoenix, who cleared his throat. From the exchange, I wondered if Phoenix had told Voodoo everything.
“I need to try to open the scrolls. Do you think you’re up to helping me?” I asked my mom.
Regret filled her tired gaze. “I’m so weak. I’m not sure I’d be able to be your second, and you still need a third. But I’ll try,” she replied.
“Yes, I need Niara too,” I told them. “When will she be here?”
The expression on Voodoo’s face told me I wouldn’t like what he had to say.
“What is it?” I questioned with a frown, my gaze darting from Voodoo to Phoenix, then to Raptor.
