Page 9

A heavy weight slams into me from the side, Myles and I rolling over each other across the floor, bits of rubble biting into my flesh.

Out of breath, he pants, “Fates above, Ev. Stop. Running! We already lost you once; I can’t go through that again.

” Skimming his hands down my body, he searches for injury as best he can, shoulders relaxing when his palms don’t come away wet with blood.

“Stay by me, okay? We’ll find Bell and get out of here together. ”

Ledger suddenly appears, hovering above us and offering a hand to help Myles up with a look of frustrated confusion. “What the hell, man? You’re supposed to be inside by now.”

Swiping dirt off his pants, he says, “ Soooooo good news and bad news.” He gestures in my general direction. “I found Ever! ...I think.”

Ledger’s confusion swiftly morphs into anger. “What do you mean, you think? This isn’t a fucking game, Myles!”

Myles crouches down and threads his fingers through my fur like he’s afraid I’ll make a break for it the second his guard is down.

But before he can explain himself, a stone panel slides out of the wall opposite us, and out hobbles Elder Naomi and five soldiers.

Lips pressed into a thin line, she slams her cane down against the floor, and with it, a shockwave blasts every single person still standing off their feet.

The fighting stills to utter silence, and when I try to get up, my muscles are still vibrating so hard, my paw slips and I crash back to the ground like I’ve been tased.

“You dare attack our home?” she seethes while behind her, the men raise guns, leveling them in our direction. “Kill my men?” Her lip curls in a disgusted sneer. “You outsiders are all the same.”

Bellamy stumbles in front of us right as she’s about to give her men the signal to fire. “They’re only here for Ever, not our people. These are her, our, bondmates. They didn’t come here to attack us.”

She looks around at the carnage and raises a single, silver eyebrow. “You wanna try that again?”

Ledger pushes to his feet with a growl. “We're here for you too, idiot.” Turning his attention to Naomi, he clenches his fist and says, “We're only here for Bellamy and Ever. If you don't want your men to get hurt, tell them not to stand in our way. But we haven’t killed anyone. Yet.”

A wave of pain has me doubling over with a grunt, warmth flooding through my limbs until I’m stretched out on the ground, panting, but able to feel my fingers and toes again.

Without thinking, I reach for my necklace, still shook up over the fact I was trapped without a way to deactivate it while shifted.

As soon as my form appears, one of Naomi’s soldiers trains his gun on me.

With a soft thud, the man scrambles for the knife sticking out of his throat, falling to his knees.

I follow its trajectory back to see Arson leaning against a stone pillar, another knife in hand and eyeing the soldiers with cool disdain.

“If I knew you were waiting for me naked, angel, I'd have gotten here faster.”

Glancing down, I yelp, flinging my arm across my chest and the other between my legs.

I never even noticed I shredded through my clothes during my shift.

Ledger whips off his shirt, hastily tugging it over my head and drowning me in his earthen scent, cedar smoke and fall leaves filling my lungs with their familiar comfort.

It lands near my knees, more of a dress than anything, thankfully.

Myles tugs me behind him, discreetly slipping something into my hand.

Using his body as cover, I glance down to find the cube I helped him fix the first day we met, heart swelling.

It was created to automatically protect the user behind a bubble shield in case anyone broke into their house while they were sleeping until help could arrive.

Any of the guys could have used it during the attack and avoided injuries, but instead, they wanted to make sure Myles could keep me and Bell safe as we escaped.

Bellamy joins us, looking furious. “What part of stay hidden made you think ‘Oh, I’ll just run over here and strip naked in front of a bunch of soldiers?!”

In the next heartbeat, there’s a knife against Bellamy’s throat. “Yell at my wife again, I fucking dare you.” A trickle of blood stains Arson's blade as he stares down my mate, silently daring him to call his bluff.

Saved from defending myself, Ledger practically vibrates with fury as he grips Bell’s chin, tilting his face from side to side and stealthily putting a few inches between his neck and the blade.

“Who the fuck did this to you?” From the corner of my eye, I watch one of Naomi’s guards drag the one with the knife in his throat back through the panel they appeared through.

Wincing, I scratch the back of my neck. “Um, that would be me. I thought he was an imposter and headbutted him; my bad.”

Arson, though, beams like a kid on Christmas morning, shooting a smug look at Ledger and bumping his shoulder. “See? Told you it was a good way to vet out mates.”

While they argue, I take in my first real glance of the ruins around us, the air rushing from my lungs. “Fuck,” I breathe, gaze traveling over the dozens of bodies strewn amidst the rubble. “Did you… Are they…?”

“Dead?” Arson pouts, sheathing his blade. “No. I had a great plan, too. Swoop in, kill everybody, rescue the love of my life, and she’d be so happy, she’d let me eat her out as a reward.” He huffs. “But I was outvoted.”

Ledger looks between Bell’s bruised face and my disheveled state, anger flashing in his eyes. “I changed my mind. Murder is back on the table.”

Arson’s face lights up, but I hurry to cut him off.

“Hold on, you don’t understand. They’re not enemies, they’re Bellamy’s family. Other mimics.”

Ledger tugs me against his chest, hand stroking possessively down my spine. “That doesn’t mean they’re not a threat. They took you from us,” he growls, eyes practically glowing as his access to his wolf returns. “As far as I’m concerned, they can all burn in Hell.”

“They were trying to save us,” Bellamy says softly, glancing at his grandmother studying our group curiously. “They thought we were in trouble. That you're dangerous.”

“So they aren’t completely stupid, just suicidal enough to steal a shifter’s mate. Noted,” he says coldly.

Bellamy shakes his head numbly, looking at all the fallen bodies as if he’s just now realizing what the guys are capable of. “How’d you even get past the barrier?”

Myles half-heartedly raises his hand. “I sort of… broke it.”

Sick of being ignored, Elder Naomi demands, “How in the Fates’ name is that even possible? That barrier has kept us hidden for centuries.”

Myles shrugs. “I hate to tell you, but it really wasn’t that hard.”

Lips pressed in a thin line and brows drawn menacingly, Elder Naomi looks like she's ready to blow a gasket, gesturing at the destruction and dozens of unconscious bodies surrounding us.

“This is exactly why we have rules in place about who we take in, Bellamy. Now, what are you going to do to fix it?”

Stiffening, Bell replies, “Bring up the fact that the barrier was so easily shattered and our security taken down by three men who were cut off from their powers in front of the council, and that we’re damn lucky my bondmates showed restraint.

Because if they actually wanted to kill or capture us?

We wouldn’t have stood a chance. Make a plan to put better security measures in place, then find out if you’ll give me enough time to pack my things and train one of my men how to navigate my computer system before kicking me out alongside them. ”

She narrows her eyes, no doubt running countless scenarios through her head before eventually sighing.

“I’m not kicking my own grandson out of his home for having bondmates that care enough to fight for him.

Not to mention Everest clearly doesn't know the first thing about being a mimic. Any other situation, that mistake coming out of a shift would have gotten her killed. So… stay. Please. At least long enough to teach your mate how to defend herself.”

Ledger immediately scoops me off my feet, clutching me to his chest. “With all due respect, ma’am? Go fuck yourself.” Giving a harsh glare at the furious men surrounding her, Ledger gives them his back despite their weapons trained on him, stepping over the rubble.

“Actually… that isn’t a completely terrible idea. Maybe,” I bite my lip, torn. “Maybe we should consider her offer to stick around for a few more days.”

Myles scowls. “Why on earth would we do that?”

Ledger bristles. “They kidnapped you. Like hell are we staying here!”

Anxious, I wet my lips and rush out, “I know we can’t stay long; we left before I got a chance to sign the contract, and I really do want to get things rolling as soon as possible.

But… Naomi makes a valid point. I don’t know shit about being a mimic, and that puts us all at risk.

We’ve been trying to figure things out on our own in secret, but here?

Bell could show me how to use my abilities without us being afraid that someone will see or overhear.

If I really am in as much danger as everyone’s worried about, then I should know how to protect myself. ”

“ We’ll protect you,” Ledger protests.

Gently, I remind him, “I was already kidnapped once before we had any idea what hit us. We’re lucky it was Bellamy’s family trying to ‘rescue’ us, and not someone worse.

One of them was able to impersonate Bellamy; what if someone else impersonates you?

You have to sleep sometime. And use the bathroom.

Logistically, we can’t be around each other every second of every day.

At some point I’ll be alone, or there will be an opportunity for an imposter to infiltrate our ranks.

Wouldn’t you rather I knew how to defend myself than sit around hoping you’ll come save me before it’s too late? ”

Ledger curses, scrubbing a hand over the scruff on his jaw, holding me tighter against him.

“She’s right.” Myles looks like he bit a lemon, but lets logic outweigh his feelings on the matter.

“We have no idea how to train a mimic. We can stick around for a few days so Bell can give her a crash course without us having to constantly look over our shoulders, then go home. But if anyone tries anything, we say fuck it and leave.”

Ledger looks two seconds away from hogtying our entire bond group and single-handedly dragging us home until we come to our senses. “It’s too risky.”

Arson stares hard at the ground, using his crutch to nudge a piece of rubble into a crack. “What if someone here knows who her parents are?”

My chest tightens. I hadn’t even considered that. Do I even want to know? God, what if they’re here ?

As my anxiety ratchets up, Ledger buries his nose in the crook of my neck, taking a few deep inhales. His entire body vibrates like he’s fighting off the desire to shift… but he doesn’t leave, either.

Naomi addresses Bell. “You’ll need to put those boys on your team through a refresher course so they don’t lead anyone else back to our doorstep in the future.

But these three…” she eyes Myles, Arson, and Ledger clinically before eventually nodding to herself.

“They broke through our wards like child's play; they could be a real asset to our community. Could you imagine having a shadow demon on the retrieval team? A wolf of his caliber patrolling our borders?” She purses her lips. “And the mage clearly knows what he’s doing with wards. If he could rebuild the one he broke stronger than before, that’d only benefit us. ”

I side-eye Bellamy’s grandma, not liking how she immediately jumped to using the guys.

Sure, I get where she’s coming from. They came in as a notable threat, and as soon as they found me and Bell, they instantly stopped their attack.

Catch more flies with honey, and all that jazz.

Hell, if I’m being honest with myself, I even respect the fact she’s being up front about using them.

Doesn’t mean I have to like it.

“No.” She looks at me in surprise at my sharp declaration.

“I appreciate the chance to work on my abilities in a safe place, but if it comes with strings attached, thanks, but no thanks. If my mates want to help you, that’s one thing, but you aren’t forcing them in exchange for letting us stay here.

If that’s the way this is going to go, we’ll just leave and figure something out ourselves. ”

She cants her head. “You’d throw away the chance to see if anyone here knows your parents?”

Emotion clogs my throat. What orphan doesn’t dream about getting closure? But not at the cost of the men I love suffering to get it.

“Either they’re dead, or they’re alive and abandoned me. Doesn’t change anything, and if you’re the kind of person that would hold something like that over someone’s head to manipulate them, you need to take a long, hard look in the mirror.”

Shock slowly morphs into a wry smile, and she dips her head, respect shining in her gaze.

“You’re right. I was caught up in how I’d pitch outsiders joining the community after they attacked our people to keep the peace here, and was brainstorming aloud when I should have known better.

Forcing people goes against the very essence of why this compound was created; to protect our people’s freedom. ”

Before I can get a word in edgewise, Elder Naomi barks, “Cohen,” turning to one of her guards. “Arrange for another mattress and some clothes to be brought to Bellamy’s apartment, please. And inform the kitchen that we have three more mouths to feed.”

Protests spark up instantly, her guards vehemently objecting allowing the men that just attacked them to stay.

But Naomi squashes those protests brutally and effectively.

“Are you telling me if your mate was missing, you wouldn’t cut down anyone in your path to save them?

” As they press their lips into furious lines, she continues, “Now, if someone would fetch the healer, it appears he has his work cut out for him this evening.”

Arson levels a maniacal grin at a soldier shooting us dirty looks. "Keep looking at my mate like that and he'll be even busier."

* ? Non Playable Character. Typically used as an insult. (As in not the main character/ zero personality.) Similar to calling someone Townsperson A, Townsperson B, etc.