Page 21 of Eternal Light (Fated in the Stars #5)

Lowering his voice as deep as he can, Nix pulls on that place where his wolf lives and where Grayson’s magic lights up their soul. “You should die now.”

When the big guy’s eyes go wide at the blue light emanating from Nix’s eyes, he slides in close. His wolf reminds him that BigAndStupid’s hands were on their mate, choking him, threatening him, and with a single swipe, Nix slices across the bottom of his throat with a razor-sharp claw.

BigAndStupid is already gasping for air from the verbal command when his head rolls back, and then immediately falls forward.

Stepping out of the way, BigAndStupid’s body falls face-first to the ground, a pool of blood rapidly growing under him.

Nix finds Stupid’s phone in his back pocket, uses his dead face to open the device, and then again to change the password.

Powering it down, he can’t believe that actually worked.

It’s amazing what Lauren shares during their family brunches—Nix can also pick a lock now.

Between Logan, Arlo, and Lauren, Nix is well on his way to a new and useful skill set.

Tucking the borrowed phone into his tiny red briefs, he turns to find Luca in the doorway.

“Ew. But also, so hot.”

“Come on, let’s get out of here before someone comes back.” Nix grabs Luca’s hand, and they make their way out past the television and across an open area, toward the door on the far side.

They creep into the evening sunshine onto the driveway of an out-of-business automotive repair shop.

The garage sits at the bottom of a short drive.

A retaining wall runs along the far side, topped with an overgrown hedge at least ten feet tall.

Beyond that, behind the building, an automotive graveyard looms, already casting long shadows on the parking lot.

There’s only one way out, and that’s through the front gate.

“This way.” Nix pulls Luca along as gently as he can. They’re both pants- and shoe-less, but they can’t let it slow them down.

Nix barely has time to register the sudden stillness before he hears it—the sound of a car speeding up the street toward them. He hauls Luca back behind the white truck parked just inside the gate.

“Shhh…” Nix whispers.

Beside them is a bucket of used motor oil, and Nix grimaces but pulls the lid up. “Sorry, baby, but we gotta hide your scent from whoever is in that car. Here.”

He grabs a few handfuls and swipes them on Luca’s throat and through his hair.

“Ew, ew, ew.”

“I know, I’m sorry.” Nix replaces the lid as the big black car rolls to a stop beside the open garage side door.

Both backseat doors pop open as Withers and Carnell climb out. There is nothing but rage and a thirst for vengeance coursing through his mind at the sight, but Luca has both hands around Nix’s forearm to stop him from exposing them both.

“Please, let’s just go.”

As the rage fades to a low simmer, Nix can finally hear what they’re saying.

“Why would you leave them here alone, you idiot? I warned you, the omega is powerful.”

Withers laughs and uses his arm to indicate Carnell should precede him. “He’s scrappy, I’ll give you that, but powerful?” He laughs again.

“Listen, you moron. Trust me when I say that if he’s still here, it’s because he wants to be. You should have brought them directly to me. I am still unclear as to why I am here, however, and without the protection you promised.”

Withers says nothing—he just lets Carnell gripe and moan.

“Even if today didn’t go exactly as planned,” Carnell sneers, “the sniper still did his job. The blight on my son’s pack is dead. Now, I can bring the rest of them to heel.”

The words strike like a physical blow. Nix can’t breathe—wants to scream at the callous tone reveling in his pain.

Luca’s loud gasp pierces Nix’s grief, and he cannot meet his eyes because he knows it’s true. His bond to Jamie was gone and had been since that moment in the truck.

“No,” Luca moans, pressing his bond bite and then at his chest. “I can still feel him…right?”

“Luc—”

“You lied to me? Jay is g–gone, and you didn’t say anything? Oh god, oh god,” Luca cries and turns to run, only to crash into Carnell’s arms.

Nix had lost track of them under the onslaught of Luca’s horrified betrayal.

“Well, well, well. Seems we are just in time,” Carnell grins. “Today is going down as one of my favorite days. Hello, little omega and…Luca.”

Luca is keening loudly now, and his claws are out. He catches Carnell in the face, and their father-in-law is so involved in gloating that he nearly loses an eye.

Nix takes up an attack stance, just waiting for an opening or for Carnell to retaliate. His wolf has had enough of people beating on his mate today, but Luca is swinging madly with his arms and legs, thrashing wildly in Carnell’s hold.

He’s afraid any attack he makes will get his mate caught in the crossfire.

“I hate you! I’m going to kill you! You fucking bastard! I hate you!” Luca sobs, managing another swipe at Carnell’s face before he goes limp.

“You couldn’t have done that sooner?” Carnell sighs.

Withers says nothing, but the smile on his face is sly. “See? Scrappy, but not vicious.” He’d been attempting to prove his point.

Carnell’s head snaps up, and he lets Luca fall to the driveway in an unconscious heap before Nix can grab him. He laughs and points at Nix.

“That’s the omega, you ridiculous idiot.”

Withers’s eyes go wide as his gaze snaps to Nix, and then they narrow with menace. “That’s not very nice, little Novice. You lied to me, and here I thought we could be friends.”

His lips move in what Nix assumes is going to be a magical retaliation, and Nix feels the residual magic in their soul ebb and flow. As it had in the apartment, whatever he’s whispering rubs Nix’s wolf the wrong way.

In a second, Nix has Withers’s throat in his hand, his thumb pressing in. He enjoys the way the magic user’s eyes bug out, even if the scent of fear is putrid with decay.

“Ah-ah-ah.” Carnell’s oily, patronizing tone distracts him. He’s holding the now-awake Luca up by the hair. “I have claws, too. And unlike you, I don’t care what happens to Aleksander.”

His threat belies his words, and Nix will give it thought later about why.

Luca’s eyes are flat, tears running down his cheeks. It’s heartbreaking to see all his sass melted away under his grief.

Nix shoves Withers to the ground and watches him land on his ass. The indignant squeal is petty, but satisfying.

If the hatred on his face were enough to kill him, Nix would be dead already.

Withers gets to his feet, slow and shaky. He leans in, breath sour.

“I have a long memory, omega.”

“We’re done here. Get in the car.”

Carnell gives Luca a hard push, enough to make him stumble into Nix. But the beta straightens quickly, wrapping his arms around himself and avoiding Nix’s attempts to catch his eye.

Withers opens the back door, and Carnell bundles them inside. Neither Withers nor Carnell wastes time checking on their henchman, so the driver just does a mundane three-point turn before pulling out into a busy street.

There are two bench back seats, one facing the other. Nix pulls Luca to him on the rear-facing one so they can cuddle together. He’s so grateful when Luca finally comes to him, even though his burnt coffee scent makes Nix’s nose burn.

Carnell pulls a tissue out of a dispenser and wipes the already-healing wound on his cheek and then at the droplets of motor oil on his formerly pristine tan suit. “Well, that was an adventure. Quite thrilling to see you in action up close…Austin.”

Up close? Austin? Nix can’t help the tiny tremor at the memory of the last time he heard it.

How the hell would Carnell know that name? He flashes, for the first time, to Hayes begging him to end it. He’d not wasted a single moment on that day after Nix had commanded Hayes to die slowly…until now.

That day flashes through his memory, and Nix remembers Hayes’s stuttering breaths and the way he’d groaned, “Was my father.”

Holy shit. Could it be possible?

His eyes fly to Carnell’s, and even though he can’t read Nix’s mind, he’s clearly waiting for a reaction of some kind. It’s horrifying to think that Carnell was responsible for Hayes keeping Jamie from him.

He wants to tear Carnell’s throat out with his teeth. But just one name—Jamie—sends a bolt of pain through his chest. Oh, Goddess, no.

Nix refuses to give Carnell the satisfaction of any emotion. Even though the name is meant to unsettle him, to tear him down and take him back to that time where he was a victim. So he makes his face blank and stares him down.

Disappointment flashes across Carnell’s face. “Nothing to say? No matter. So many new horizons are opening up in front of me now. Imagine what we can accomplish?” he says absently. “Allistair will need a powerful enforcer, and you’re already his mate. It really is destiny.”

Withers turns toward the window, but not before Nix sees him roll his eyes.

Huh. Not a stupid magical lackey, then.

Earlier in the apartment, he’d mentioned he had his own cause. It makes Nix wonder how Carnell is being of use to him?

“Gideon won’t do shit with you,” Luca says under his breath.

That gets Carnell’s attention. There’s a flash of fury in his eyes before he just smiles. “He’s my son. He wants to please his father. It’s all a good son wants.”

Wrong audience, Nix thinks, just as Luca snorts. He looks like he’s going to start up on the long list of things Gideon does have plans for, but Nix hugs him closer. His soft sniffles and hot tears press against Nix’s neck, each one tugging at the fraying edge of Nix’s own grief.

Carnell couldn’t be more wrong about Gideon, but it’s alarming how delusional he is. Gideon needing an enforcer is ridiculous, but that Carnell is changing his vision to include Nix is crazy. What would he want Nix to do? Scare people? Murder them? What does an enforcer even really do?