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I smiled, and before I could help it, laughter bubbled up out of my throat.
A menacing growl ripped through the air, and I stopped myself midlaugh, somehow managing to control myself. Kade’s gaze was dangerous, as if he was about to attack me.
I licked my dry lips and didn’t miss the fact his gaze tracked the movement. “So let me get this straight: you expected to torture me until I turned into a monster, but instead, we’re now linked, and you can’t kill me because that would also kill you too? You also can’t hand me over to the Taratun, as they might kill me, which, again, would kill you?”
“We also have enemies who would love this information,” Darian added as if he was as amused by the situation as I was. “We’re immortal, but there are ways to kill us.”
“Though, it’s near impossible,” Asher said with a smirk.
“Killing a human is much easier,” Kade growled, and his eyes were haunted as he said it.
“So for now we have to keep you a secret,” Locke said. “Whatever you’re turning into, we need to get the change to happen faster and hope no one hears of this.”
CHAPTER 17
~ Locke ~
Thedamnhumanwouldbe the death of us. Her body was fragile, but she seemed to care nothing for it, doing whatever she could to infuriate me.
It had taken all my effort to keep from biting her. The urge to sink my fangs into her neck had been almost irresistible, the scent of her sweet blood pushing the limits of my control. And that was not all I wanted to do to her. I pictured Kade’s gray shirt sliding up, revealing her bare thighs.
Fucking Halced.I’d never wanted anyone this badly before. I’d had my share of females, but I’d always been in control, and they’d never been anything more than a way to let out my frustrations for the night, just like I had been for them.
If Raine didn’t turn soon, I couldn’t be held responsible for what happened to her. Monsters and humans were not meant to coexist.
It didn’t bother me that we’d told her of the past of the Katakin. The human was a part of our world now whether she wanted to be or not, so there was no point denying her the truth. At least, the part she needed to know.
When I’d scented her in that clearing on the island mere nights ago, I’d only selected her thinking she would be a hearty distraction. That body certainly was. But had something else compelled me to select her? I’d never believed in the gods. I had grown up in a world of monsters, and gods didn’t live where the dark things roamed.
The magic that bonded us together now called to me. Even at this moment, it urged me to get closer to her. To be with her. To…protect her. It wasn’t just that we would die when she died. The magic was compelling me to protect this human. I could feel it with every part of my dark being.
Whatever this was, someone wanted me to keep this human alive. Whether it had been created by Raine’s own subconscious, a defense magic she’d unknowingly unleashed when she’d come here, perhaps a biproduct of whatever monster she was turning into, I couldn’t be sure.
All I knew was that unfortunate things would happen to my brothers and me if anything bad was to befall her. A fate of hers that was becoming more likely with every day she remained alive. With every day she remained human.
Fuck.I couldn’t let my father take her. The outliers were bad enough—the monsters without a conscience. They would be a danger to our kind anyway. But not this human. Her attitude was…refreshing. A wake-up call to my dark soul.
A knock sounded on the door to our common room, and my gaze tracked Darian as he glided to the door, his long limbs moving as gracefully as if he was in water.
Finally.I stood as the iron door opened.
“Lyr, it’s wonderful to see you,” Darian greeted the newcomer.
“Darian, as eloquent as ever,” the lithe female said with a smirk, kissing Darian on the cheek and sauntering into the room. Small lilac flowers were twisted into the snow-white braid that trailed down her back, and I guessed one of her mates had put them there. The shifter wore her usual leathers and boots, the supple material molding sinfully to every curve of her body.
Behind her strode Dean, the mate who I suspected had used his magic to weave the flowers into her hair. The male’s kind olive-green eyes crinkled as he smiled at Darian, and I noted the black leather case he held at his side. “Darian,” Dean said with a nod.
Darian greeted the male and shut the door.
Lyr’s gaze swept across the room, and she strutted forward toward Kade, who was the next closest. “Kade, I was surprised when Dean said you visited the house,” she said and planted a kiss on his cheek. “You could have come inside.”
Kade wrapped his arms around her, embracing her, and then set her back on her feet. “I was only there to deliver a message.”
Dean tensed as he watched them from nearby, his muscles twitching beneath his green skin, but he said nothing. I had used to think Lyr’s mates were foolish. The way Dean, Nic, and Soren would always keep close to Lyr’s side, ready to protect her against any foe, had always seemed…unnecessary. Especially when Lyr was one of the strongest females I knew, and certainly did not need protecting. But now, when I thought of someone going near Raine who was keeping out of sight in Kade’s room, I felt the instinct rise in me. I clenched my jaw, bringing my attention back to the situation at hand.
When she finished greeting the others, Lyr spun toward me. “Locke,” she said, her lips upturned. “You finally called in your favor.”
“Thank you for meeting us,” I said, returning her smile with a dark one of my own. I appreciated that Lyr didn’t try to come forward for an embrace. That wasn’t my style. Her ability to understand our boundaries was one of the biggest reasons we were still friends. That, and she was smart enough to know having me on her side was an asset.
