Page 24 of Into the Dawn (The Devil’s Claw #3)

24

VANESSA

T he fight is a blur.

I'm still struggling to focus on anything other than the stench of blood and the bodies littering the ground as Evan, Ben, and a few other Sutton shifters I recognise but don't know, start to fight with the biggest supporters of my father.

The metallic tang of blood mingles with woodsmoke and sweat, creating a nauseating cocktail that makes my head spin. My insides burn, and my stomach aches as my beast stirs restlessly beneath my skin, equally traumatised by the night's events.

It quickly becomes evident that the clan is fighting a losing battle, and when the rest of them turn and flee instead of fighting by their sides, I look away.

Years of toxic leadership crumbles in minutes, the clan’s loyalty purely based on fear.

Ben rushes back to me, barely paying attention to what's going on. I'm lifted and carried to a truck, allowing myself to go limp in his arms. His familiar scent wraps around me, comforting, helping to ground me in reality and ease the sickly feeling rising inside me.

Wrapped in a blanket, I’m driven away from the compound at speed over the bumpy, neglected road. Finally, I feel my muscles relax, and my brain, previously frozen in terror, start to work again.

My mother stands on the porch as we leave, not waving goodbye or trying to come with me. She remains there, unsmiling, but with a steely, determined look on her face. She takes a deep inhale and tips her head back, hands out to the side, like it's the first time she's been able to breathe in years, before turning to go back in the house.

The weight of decades of submission seems to lift from her shoulders as she disappears inside.

I hope I'll be able to come back and talk to her, and that she'll come and see me, but god only knows how this is going to pan out. Maybe I'll never see this place again. That wouldn't be the worst thing after what’s happened tonight.

But as I stare at the tiny cabins along the road with twitching windows of residents who've been too afraid to speak up against my father for so long, I have to admit, there are good people here. However scared and misguided, they aren't all beyond redemption.

Maybe there's something somebody can do for them… It's just not going to be me.

"John," I say quietly, clinging to Ben. The mate bond pulses between us, stronger now that we're back together. "Is John okay?"

Ben strokes my hair back from my face and presses a gentle kiss against my forehead. His touch sends warmth through our connection when his beast reaches out to comfort mine.

"John's going to be fine. He's already en route to the hospital, and Doc says the wound isn't too deep. Looks like it missed any vital organs." He snorts, rubbing a hand down his face and sighing, suddenly looking bone weary and exhausted. "Looks like even when your brother tries to murder a human, he's shit at it."

Ben stills and grimaces, pressing his hand to my cheek.

"Sorry, sorry. I know this must be really hard for you. That was childish."

I shake my head and lean into his comforting touch, letting the tears stream down my dust-covered face. As if I'd defend Jed after all the trouble he's caused, and the twenty-four hours we've just had. The salt of my tears mingles with ash and dirt as I stare up at my mate, the man who’s always been my rock… when I let him.

"There was always something wrong with him," I say. "Even when we were younger, my mother used to warn me to stay away from him. I guess she sensed it, even then. It was more than just being an entitled prick with a power complex. There’s something twisted inside him, something wrong with his wiring."

Ben nods but refuses to be drawn into further bashing of my family. His restraint is admirable, though I can sense the anger still simmering beneath his calm exterior. He doesn't need to point out that my father wasn't much better.

"It doesn't matter now anyway. You're free. You don't ever have to go back to that place. I'm sorry, I had hoped to get John out in a much stealthier way. I never thought it would end like this."

I shrug. It's not Ben's fault, and it's not mine. They started this when they took John and continued it when they went after Kali. There was no way this was going to end peacefully, and there was no way we could let them get away with it.

This war was always going to end in bloodshed.

Ben's arm tightens around my shoulder, and he continues to stroke me. Our bodies touching helps to calm my frazzled nervous system, wrapping me up in a cocoon of his warmth. His steady heartbeat beneath my ear, beating solidly in his broad chest, regulates my own.

"Are you feeling okay?" I ask, remembering Jed's drugs, knowing they're probably still circulating in Ben’s system. God only knows what was in that.

"I'm fine," he says. "Don't worry about me."

Evan's driving, but his ears prick up, and he turns quickly to look at me. His beast is close to the surface, his protective instincts triggered by any mention of his brother being hurt.

"What's that?" His tone leaves no room for argument, lying or half-truths, so I blurt it out immediately. I’m not going to get on Evan’s bad side after he came to our rescue.

"Jed injected Ben with something that suppressed his beast for a while and made him weak."

Evan thumps the steering wheel with his fist, parking at a fork in the road, then growls quietly. He had his indicator on to turn left but immediately changes it to signal a right turn and curses.

The truck swerves slightly as he puts his foot down and yanks the steering wheel. "For fuck's sake, Ben. You didn't think that was something you should’ve mentioned? You're going to get seen too. I'm not bringing you home until you've been checked out."

Evan is in full big brother mode.

"I'm fine." Ben insists, his voice getting louder and gravelly as his animal pushes to the forefront. Much like me, Ben just wants to get home. Unlike me, he’s not afraid to argue with Evan King.

Evan's eyes flash in the rearview mirror, and the confined space of the truck fills with tension. This is escalating rapidly. Tempers are frayed, and adrenaline is pumping. We don't need this right now.

I stretch out a hand and place it on Ben's chest, right above his heart, and he stills, reining himself back in immediately as he gazes down at me, my head resting against his torso.

"Please, Ben. For me. I won't be able to rest until I know that you're fully okay."

Immediately, his features soften, and he wraps his arms around me. "Of course, of course. Anything for you."

Evan grumbles from the front seat. "Fucking idiot. That's what I said."

Ben curls the corner of his mouth in an ill-tempered snarl but immediately returns to lavishing attention on me, the matter now settled as we pull up in front of the clinic where Doc is already inside and finished treating John.

The antiseptic smell of the clinic cuts through the lingering scents of smoke and blood as Evan comes around to open the door, allowing Ben to climb out with me still in his arms.

"Put me down, I can walk." I argue, but Ben just tightens his grip. There's no way my feet are going to touch the ground. He's in overprotective alpha mode, and I'm not going to lie, I kind of like it.

Evan opens the front door and holds it so Ben can enter, grumbling all the while about implanting tracking devices on every single person that he knows so this shit can stop happening.

As we pass, I reach out and touch his arm, knowing that his agitation comes from a good place.

"Thank you," I say quietly. But at that small gesture, I still feel Ben bristle, unhappy to see me touch another male, even if it is just an innocent gesture.

His fingers press me harder against him.

Evan's scowl dissolves, and he stares at me, letting the relief shine through in his eyes.

"Is this it now? Can we all just stop fucking disappearing and almost getting killed? Nessa, you're coming to Sutton with us, end of story. I don't know what went on between you guys before, but I'm not dealing with another three years of mopey head over here, so you two better patch things up."

As we step inside, Evan goes to turn away, but Ben stops. "Are you not coming in?"

Jack and Henry pull into the driveway behind us, their trucks' headlights cutting through the early morning gloom.

Evan shakes his head. "I'll be back, but first, I have a pregnant mate at home who I need to see in person before she'll believe that I'm not dead." He points at the two of us. "Work this shit out. You've no idea what you're missing."

With a wry smile, he gives Ben a salute and jogs away. He hops into his truck and drives out quickly, eager to get back to his mate. Happiness radiates from him now that he’s heading home to his other half.

He's right. Seeing the joy in his eyes and his excitement at getting back to his mate does look pretty darn good. I want that.

When I raise my eyes to Ben's, he stares back with an unreadable expression for a second before he storms further inside the clinic and accosts the first nurse he sees, demanding that I get checked over, even though he's the one who's here to be treated.

His protective instincts are in overdrive, but I can't bring myself to mind. After everything we've been through, I’m just happy he’s not on his way home with Evan.