AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Of course,” I whispered because that made sense. He had been covered in Killian’s blood. The lack of clothes put his massive tattoo on display. Hundreds upon hundreds of tiny stars decorated his shoulders, upper arms, part of his chest, and his entire back disappearing past the waistline of his pants. They created swirls and wispy designs when lined up. It was truly a fascinating design. “What does the tattoo mean? Or do you just like stars?”
“Humans are nothing more than stardust,” he told me honestly. “And when we die, we become stardust all over again. Each star represents a person I’ve killed.”
Oh. Stunned silence was an understatement. There had to be… there were too many on his body to count. And those were just the ones I could see. Across the room, Nolan’s head cocked to the side as he stared hard at Lane.
“You’ll never be able to count them all, kid.” Lane chuckled as he crossed the room. “The answer is two thousand, eight hundred, and seventy-nine.”
“Jesus fuck,” Declan muttered.
“I told you I wasn’t a good man,” he reminded us. His fingers touched the curve of Killian’s neck. “His heart sounds better. He should be—”
“Where the fuck are you?” The front door slammed open, startling all of us. Lane quickly moved around the edge of the table, Declan and Nolan were on their feet fast, and I gripped Killian’s hand tighter. However, all defensiveness fizzled when Gabby stormed in.
“You came!” I exclaimed.
“I hear about this bitch opening fire on the fucking pack house barrier, and when I get there, I find out you’re here?” she demanded, completely ignoring my question. “Who the fuck thought you being here was a good fucking idea? Do you know how fucking dangerous it is right now?”
“That’d be me,” Lane cut in.
“Who the fuck do you think you are?” Gabby demanded. Without hesitation, my sister crossed the distance between them, chin up and ready to fight him. I sighed. My short-tempered sister raging on an ancient magical man was exactly what this whole situation needed.
“Gabby—”
“Be quiet,” she snapped, never once looking at me. Yeah, I wasn’t about to try. I was too tired to play mediator. They could handle themselves without killing one another. Hopefully. “She belongs at the fucking house, where it’s safe!”
“And if we weren’t here, he’d be dead.” Lane gestured to Killian.
“I don’t fucking care what happens to him,” she retorted. A vicious growl tore out of her throat, but he was undeterred. Instead, he crossed his arms and smirked. It only pissed her off more. “I care what happens to my sister, and you put her in danger!”
“You don’t scare me, little wolf.”
“I should rip your fucking throat out,” she threatened.
“Please, try.” His smirk turned into a full-blown grin of amusement. “I’d love to see what you can do with those teeth of yours.”
Another growl rumbled through her.
“Tone it down, Gabby,” Declan called from the couch, his voice tired. “He’s not one of the good guys, but he’s on our fucking side. You couldn’t kill him, even if you wanted to. He’s immortal. God, the shit I find myself saying.”
His status as a pack leader was enough to quell her anger. Well, put a leash on it. There was no stopping Gabby’s anger once she got started.
“I don’t give a fuck who you are, and I don’t give a fuck if you’re immortal.” Gabby stepped closer to him. “If you put my sister in danger again, I’ll hunt you down and find a way to fucking kill you.”
Oh, Gabby. I didn’t have words to describe how emotional my sister’s protectiveness was, even if there wasn’t a single thing she could do against Lane. It was the thought that counted.
But I also didn’t miss the weird little stare-down between Lane and Gabby. It wasn’t just the intense eye contact. His gaze flicked to her mouth, she openly checked him out head-to-toe. It was charged and inappropriate all things considered.
The tension between them was broken as Killian bolted upright in a panic. I stumbled back from my spot, nearly getting hit in the process. His hands lashed out, but Lane grabbed them quickly. They struggled with one another.
“She’s going to kill them!” Killian exclaimed wildly. “She’s going to kill them! She’s going to kill them! She’s going to—”
“I know, I know,” Lane said over him. With minimal force, he guided Killian back down on the table.
“She’s going to kill them all… she’s going to kill… all of them… all of them…” he babbled in a frenzy. “The curse… the curse…”
“I know,” Lane assured him. “I know. Breathe… just breathe…”
Deep gasps faded to steady breaths as Killian fell unconscious again. I returned to his side, brushing the matted hair from his face.
