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The other one of my father’s friends lunges to intercept them, but Arson snatches him out of mid-air and drags him back.

“Where do you think you’re going? Aren’t you supposed to back up your boss?

” Without breaking a sweat, he snags the man Bellamy has pinned as well and maneuvers them like action figures behind my father and grins.

“There, that’s better.” Meeting Bell’s gaze, he holds it silently for a weighted moment before slapping his shoulder.

“Tag, you’re on guard duty. No take backs.

” Cackling, he turns his entire focus back on tormenting his latest victims, his shadows the strings of his new personal puppets.

Briefly, I meet Ever’s gaze and nod a silent promise that everything will be okay; I’ll make sure of it. But I can’t do that if I’m hyperfocused on her the whole time, worried she’ll get hurt in the crossfire.

I don’t even need to warn Arson to save my father for me. He understands better than anyone.

His death is mine.

Catching his fist, I shove him back, but he’s quicker than I gave him credit for, hooking my ankle and sending me crashing back into the shelves as he slams into one of the coolers.

Like a switch flipped in my brain, I hone in on every one of his movements, letting instinct guide me.

From the corner of my eye, I note Arson toying with the other two enough to dismiss them as threats, allowing me to completely focus on my father.

“You never did know your place.” His fist clips my jaw, and I mentally kick myself for the slip up.

I should be better. Faster. Anticipating his moves. But there’s a reason my father has terrorized this town for so long.

“My place is between you and every poor soul you’ve set your sights on tormenting. I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.”

Flickering catches the corner of my eye and I risk glancing away from him long enough to release a stream of curses. One of the crushed coolers has gone up in flames, spreading quickly.

My father’s lip curls in disgust. “What a waste of an heir.”

I rock back on my heels as pain explodes across my cheek, vision blurring from the hard hit. Reeling, I suck down several deep breaths, trying to control my anger and failing abysmally. As much as I hate to admit it… he’s still a formidable opponent, even if his age is starting to show.

As I shove to my feet, bags of chips crunching beneath me, I grit my teeth.

Sure, I could shift and eviscerate him faster than he could blink, but at the end of the day, I’m the one that has to live with myself.

If he can’t shift… I won’t either. I want him to suffer .

And when I kill him, I don’t want anyone to think I had to cheat to win.

Feinting with my left, I ram my knee into his ribcage, reveling in the crunch and his hiss of pain.

Sucking in a pained breath, he snarls, “I should have known the old man lied about that soul-sucker dying alongside her parents. Should have killed them myself instead of cutting their brakes; left nothing to chance.”

I knew he was a monster, but even still, it catches me off guard.

He truly doesn’t care if anyone knows he killed Ever’s parents.

Or that he regrets not killing my mate as a baby; a female center.

They’re revered in our society, and yet, he tried to kill her simply because he was afraid of the power she was born with.

Flames lick at my arm and I curse, jerking back several steps.

While I was focused on fighting my father, the fire has spread to envelop half the store.

The men Arson fought are fueling the flames, while my bond brother is sitting on top of the ice cream chest freezer with a bag of chips and watching the showdown with my father without a single concern about the chaos surrounding him.

I knew he was deranged, but I’ve never appreciated having someone watching my back more. Sure, it’s a gamble if he’d push me into the flames and roast a marshmallow over my corpse or step in to slit my father’s throat, but I like to pretend the demon is on my side.

"Of course you'd fall for the freak of nature. Who else could love a pathetic wolf like you?" I grunt as he buries a fist in my sore ribs.

“She’s ten times the person you could only ever hope to be,” I growl, clutching my side.

“She’s a monster,” he spits.

He throws another punch, but I’m faster, catching it before it lands. His eyes widen as I tighten my hold, refusing to cower as I rise to my full height.

“No. You’re the only monster here.” Slinging a punch, he grunts as I bury my fist in his stomach.

“Murdering a good man and his mate.” My next hit lands on his jaw.

“Trying to kill a fucking baby because you were scared of what she was capable of?” The next two punches hit him in the face in rapid succession, breaking his nose.

Before he can get his feet under him, I grip him by the collar, dragging him upright.

“You’re pathetic. And I can’t believe I was ever afraid of you. ”

Before he knows what hit him, I take his head in my hands and twist until I hear a sickening crack, and every poisonous word on his tongue dies with him.

Releasing him, I watch his body collapse to the ground, unmoving.

No more threats. No more bullying anyone into submission.

He just… lies there, looking smaller with every passing minute.

“Time to go, bossman,” Arson says casually, and I glance up to watch him tip the last of the crumbs into his mouth as the flames close in on us without an ounce of fear.

Taking a deep breath, I nearly choke on the smoke, coughing before I can manage any sort of reply. I was more caught up with my father than I realized, the place nearly burning down around us.

“Fuck, man, why didn’t you get out?”

He cocks his head, looking genuinely confused. “Because you were still in here? Our mate would be pissed if I let you die. Besides.” He lifts a bulging plastic bag at his side and grins. “Free snacks.”

Rolling my eyes, I grab the front of his shirt and drag him out the door with me, coughing and sucking down lungfuls of fresh air.

The second we’re outside, Ever practically tackles me in a fierce hug, burying her face in my chest. “Don’t scare me like that again.

Fuck, Ledger, I thought you were trapped in the fire and none of them would let me through the door.

” Picking her up, I walk us back to where the others are gathered, farther away from the fire.

When I set her back on her feet, she catches my wrist and gently turns it, frowning at the burn running up my arm. “Are you okay?”

I cup her cheek and crush my lips against hers, kissing the hell out of her. Replacing every trace of smoke and heartache with the sweet taste of my mate. All strawberries and peaches and mine.

“I am now.”

Tucking her against my side, I search out Oscar, finding him silently staring at his shop and helplessly watching his life’s work burn down in front of him.

Guilt hits me hard, but maybe now that he doesn’t have to live in fear of my father, he can finally be free. Take the insurance money and retire.

As the flames dance in his glassy eyes, he whispers, “My son left this place determined to do some good. To save people. I didn’t find out until he came back that he’d been sneaking into underground auctions trying to free mysts and magical creatures that were being trafficked.

” He blinks rapidly, turning to face Ever with a sad smile.

“Not until he showed up on my doorstep with a mate and a baby, asking me to watch her while they followed up a lead about a group of centers that had been taken.”

He swipes at his watery eyes. “The alpha caught wind. Tried to force Jasmine to accept him into her bond group and it went… spectacularly poorly when she ripped his powers away from him and embarrassed him in front of the entire pack. After I heard about the accident on their way out of town, I was afraid of what he’d do to my granddaughter, so I claimed she died in the crash with them.

Really, I took her two states away to hide her, using the funeral arrangements as an excuse for closing the store so no one would realize I snuck her out of town. ”

Ever’s so tense beside me, I’m afraid to ask where her head’s at. My father killed her parents. What if… what if she can’t stand to look at me anymore? Blames me in part for what happened to her?

Bellamy frowns. “Why the hell have you stayed here all these years, then? He killed your son .”

Oscar glowers at the town in the distance.

“Exactly. And that monster was willing to murder my granddaughter, too. A baby. She was safe so long as I didn’t lead him to her, so I had to stay put.

And in the meantime, I could help some of the other children in town escape.

My shop was one of the only safe places in this horrible town.

” He catches my eye. “Would you have been able to leave as soon as you did without my help?”

It feels like someone kicked me in the chest. He’s sacrificed so much, day after day, while I just… moved on. Put this place behind me and tried to forget about it.

Ever’s soft voice breaks the awkward tension.

“Mercy Ridge is set up for this type of scenario, though; to get people back on their feet if they show up with nothing. They even set newcomers up with a house and some food, and offer to help them find a job if needed. You could have taken me there and raised me yourself instead of abandoning me.”

Oscar’s eyes flare in surprise. “I had no idea they had programs for that sort of thing, but regardless, if I’d run there with you, he would have followed. Hunted us down and killed me for defying him, and either killed you as well, or dragged you back here to make an example of.”

Ever’s brow furrows in frustration. “But the barrier-”

Myles gently interrupts to point out, “The barrier didn’t exist until I moved there a few years back. He’s right; it was too close to here to take the risk back then.”

Closing the distance between them, Oscar cups Ever’s cheek, eyes shining.

“If there was any way possible for us to stay together, I would have taken it in a heartbeat. But I couldn’t gamble with your safety when I’d already failed to protect my son and your mother.

” His thumb tenderly strokes the burn on her wrist and his lips press into a thin line.

“More threats would have come for you, and I just wasn’t strong enough to fight them all.

Being around me put you in more danger, especially as you grew up and people realized what you were.

The best place for you was away from mysts completely.

But never think for a single moment that you weren’t wanted or loved. ”

She swipes at her teary eyes. Mouth opening and closing as she searches for words, she gives up the futile effort and settles for throwing her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest as she crushes him in a hug to hide her face until she can pull herself together again.

Letting them have a few moments first, I eventually clasp his shoulder. “It’s time to put yourself first for a change. Come to Mercy Ridge with us.”

Oscar releases a cynical chuckle, gesturing at the fire. “Not like I have anything else left to lose. I lost the house years ago and have been living in my office. Doubt anything’s surviving that blaze.”

Bellamy glances around nervously. “Uh, guys? Hate to break up the sentimental moment and all but... we need to go.”

I glance around for any other of my father’s men crawling out of the woodwork, but there’s no one around. “Why?”

“Because we're at a gas station, and that fire is spreading fast.”

Realization dawns just as Arson loops his shadows around all of us and pulls us back into the safety of the shadow realm, waiting until the first explosion rocks the earth before taking us home.