Page 24

TWENTY-THREE

Xander

The only thought in my head when I come to is Alexia . Turning my head to the right to check and see if she’s okay is more than painful, but when I see the passenger seat empty with nothing but blood and glass left behind... The pain is unbearable.

“Shit, ” I sob, tears leaking from the corners of my eyes. “Alexia, where are you?” My voice is nothing more than a weak croak, though, and I doubt she could hear me even if she were just outside the window. But she isn’t. She’s nowhere around; I would be able to sense her if she was. I struggle against the seatbelt, but I’m trapped. Between that, and the airbag, there’s no getting out on my own. I think all my limbs are in one piece, but the pain in my head and ribs is intense.

I don’t even know how this happened. I had my eyes on the road, I wasn’t distracted. Sure, Alexia and I were talking, but I was watching what I was?—

The Jeep. When I swerved to miss it, it matched my movements and hit us head on.

They hit us on purpose. Tried to kill us.

Tried to kill us and Alexia is gone.

No. No. I can’t think that way. I have to get out of this car and find her. I try again to undo the seatbelt and fail, a frustrated roar escaping my lips. I slam my head back against the headrest in anger and immediately regret it, the pain multiplying. I close my eyes for a moment, and when I open them, a bit of movement outside catches my attention.

It’s a person, someone moving beside the Jeep. They step around the open driver’s side door. Squinting, I attempt to focus, trying like hell to recognize the face, the gait, anything about them.

And when I do, my heart speeds up and anger boils my blood.

Kai.

“What the actual fuck?” I growl as he gets closer. “What are you doing here, Kai?” I don’t even know if he can hear me, but the rage and devastation in my heart is too much; I can’t stay silent.

He steps to my crumpled door and pulls on the handle. It creaks under his efforts but doesn’t so much as budge. His gaze meets mine over what’s left of my shattered side window.

“You have a way of pissing everyone off, don’t you?” he asks, pulling harder on the door.

“What have you done? I can’t believe this,” I grumble, yanking on my seatbelt. I don’t even know what I’m saying; I think I’m in shock.

Kai slams his elbow against the glass, clearing out what’s left of the window. My heart stumbles in my chest as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a pocket knife. He flips out the blade and aims it at me.

“Why are you doing this?” I ask. If I’m going to die, I can at least go with the knowledge of why he did this. Why did he walk away from Alexia when he had her from the start? Why go through all of this only for it to end in such a violent way? I don’t understand any of it.

He grabs the seatbelt and brings the blade toward the center of my chest. I close my eyes, anticipating the first piercing stab. Instead, a sharp rip fills the quiet between us.

“Because it’s the only way to get your large ass out of this tiny car.”

I shake my head in confusion even though the action hurts like a bitch. “You’re not going to stab me?”

Kai’s eyes widen. “Stab you? Why the hell would you think I’m going to stab you? And why would you think I’d do it with this shitty little pocket knife?”

“You mean you didn’t come back to finish the job?”

“What?” he asks, clearly frustrated with me as he tears the seatbelt away and does the same with the airbag, helping me to move out of the car through the window. “Finish what job?”

“Was it not you that ran us off the road? That Jeep you’re driving has been following Alexia around. And I’m with your mate...” I trail off, not wanting to piss him off while he has a sharp knife in his hand, no matter how small.

“That’s not mine. I don’t need to overcompensate with a lifted Jeep. No offense—your black truck is nice, but it gives small dick energy.”

“I don’t have a small...” I rub my aching head with my index fingers, refocusing on what’s important. “Where is Alexia?”

He scans the side of the road and shakes his head. “It was only you and this wrecked Jeep when I arrived. Was Alexia in the car with you?”

We turn to the passenger side door. It dawns on me then that it’s open. She would have never left me unconscious on the road. Someone took her from the car. My panic reaches new heights. This wasn’t about killing me. Killing me would have been a bonus, sure. But this was about taking her.

I stalk—well, limp—to the Jeep and climb inside. It takes a couple of tries but I manage to open the glove compartment and pull out the registration paperwork. The name it is registered to is one I don’t recognize—Black Diamond Industries.

“Do you know who it belongs to?” Kai asks.

I shake my head and hand the paperwork over to him. His eyes grow wide, and he blinks several times like he can’t be reading it right.

“What? Why are you making that face?”

“This is the business that Dad helped to establish for Carrington and me. He wanted us to work together on a project, but we could never agree on what we wanted to do. I was told he took back the money he was going to invest into it and dissolved the company.”

I move to his side so I can look at it with him, and we meet each other’s eyes after a few seconds. “How did we never see this vehicle at the house?”

“The property is huge. There is a big shed on the east end. He could have easily hidden it there.”

“I—I don’t understand,” I stammer, my heart thundering in my chest. “Your dad and I have never seen eye to eye, but this is?—”

“This is next level,” Kai whispers. “This is straight up evil.” He looks at me with true fear in his eyes that I haven’t seen since Mom told us she was sick. “We have to find Alexia. If he has something to do with this...”

“I’m going to kill him.”

He crumples the registration in his hand and moves to the back of the Jeep. “I think I know where they could be.”

His SUV is parked on the side of the road, the door open and a warning sound ringing in the air. He climbs behind the wheel, and I rush to the other side and slam the door shut.

“What would he want Alexia for?”

Kai chews the inside of his cheek. “I don’t know, but it has to be him. He was so adamant that we complete the bond and was so angry when I told him I didn’t feel it. He was...” He shudders and averts his eyes from me.

“He was what, Kai?”

“It was worse than you realized. He was trying to get me to force her to sleep with me in order to solidify the bond, Xander. Even though she didn’t want to. He told me that I needed to just...” He swallows and shakes his head. “Hold her down if that’s what it took,” he finishes in a whisper, a horrified expression crossing his face.

I see red, and I punch the dash, ignoring the flash of pain it sends through my fist and up my arm. “That mother fucker! I’m going to kill him.”

“That’s what made me leave,” Kai says, his voice nothing but a shell of his normal tone I’ve always known. “I would never ever do that to her or anyone else. I went to him that night before I left. I tried to reason with him, tried to explain that I wasn’t feeling the connection and that I didn’t want to sleep with her. That’s when he said that, and I knew then I had to leave because he wasn’t going to stop.”

I’m speechless, disgusted by the man I’ve had to claim as my stepfather for so many years. I knew he was being pushy, but this... this is too much.

“And there’s something else,” Kai says.

“What else could there possibly be?” I mumble.

“It’s nothing like that,” he says quickly. “Alexia isn’t my real mate.”

My heart stops for a moment. Does Kai know about me and Alexia? Did Carrington tell him already? I really wanted to be the one to tell him. I play it safe with my answer. “Why do you say that?”

“Because I found my real mate. I knew it the moment I saw her. Everything clicked in place, and I knew that whatever happened between me and Alexia wasn’t right. That something had gone haywire somehow.”

Now that is something I did not expect to hear. “Holy shit, little brother. When did this happen? Who is it?”

“The day I took Lex to clean out her office. It’s her coworker, Sophie.”

“Oh. Wow, that’s incredible. Why didn’t you just tell your father and clear it all up?”

Kai runs his hand through his hair, ruffling up the blond locks until they stand on end. “She’s human. He would never approve.”

“Fuck. Of course he wouldn’t.” I hate to call him out when he’s clearly struggled with this almost as much as Alexia, but I have to know. “Alexia would have understood. Why didn’t you at least tell her? You leaving her behind wrecked her.”

Kai sighs and lays his head against the headrest, keeping his eyes on the road. “I don’t know. I know I should have, but I just couldn’t. I wasn’t sure how in the hell it happened that I had another mate when I already had Alexia. It didn’t make any sense. It still doesn’t. And with Sophie being human, it’s not like she’d be able to explain it either. I haven’t even talked to her yet, for fuck’s sake.” He runs his fingers through his hair again. “I just wanted some answers before I talked to anyone. And I still don’t have any.”

I exhale and think before I speak again. “I understand that.”

“I just didn’t want to upset her even more, you know? She chose me, and I wasn’t into it. And I am aware she wasn’t in love with me or anything. But I’ve known Alexia a long time, Xan. Me telling her I think I found another mate when I’m mated to her ? That kind of rejection was going to crush her. It was better for me to just leave and keep it vague while I tried to figure it out. But no excuses. I was wrong, and I know that.”

He’s right. That would’ve made Alexia feel even worse, even if she wasn’t 100% in it with Kai yet. “And with Clayton breathing down your neck about completing the bond...” I say, “I’m sure that didn’t make it any easier.”

“No, it didn’t. And I still say there’s something fishy about that. I can’t put my finger on it, but I just couldn’t take it anymore. There’s no way I could even think about pursuing a relationship with Alexia when I’d met Sophie and there was even a chance she was my real mate. And I knew in my heart she was.”

I turn in my seat and clap him on the shoulder, deciding to alleviate the pressure a bit. “I’m glad you didn’t lay a hand on Alexia. I would have hated to break your fingers one by one. Your suspicions were right; she’s my mate, Kai.”

Kai’s lips part and his green eyes nearly bug out of his head as he glances at me before focusing back on the road. “She is? When did you find that out?”

“Last night.” Shit. Was that really just last night? How is that possible? So much has happened.

“Wow. How did you...” Kai wrinkles his nose. “Wait, if this has anything to do with hearing about your sex life, I don’t?—”

“We fucked, then we shifted afterward, and it obviously wasn’t a full moon,” I say with a shrug. “So not only are we mates, but we’re moon-bonded mates.”

Kai makes a strangled sound in the back of his throat. “Congrats, bro, but come on. I really don’t want to think about your naked ass.”

I let out a deep laugh and then clutch my ribs. “I think I broke something.”

“Probably. Let’s hold off on the belly laughs until we can get you checked out, okay?”

“Fair. That was a fluke anyway; I don’t feel much like laughing until I know my mate is okay.”

“She will be. My father has too much use for her to kill her. Her bloodline and mine is what he wants. He wants her to be queen and ensure the royal line stays with his last name. In his mind, there is no better way to make that happen than breed some of the most powerful shifters within this land, if not the world. I may not be sure how this mating mix-up happened, but that, I know for sure.”

The rage within me makes my skin burn and my teeth gnash. Clayton wanted her to be his prize mare. Nothing more. The title of queen was just a way to distract her family, keep them blind from the truth. Because what could be better than being mated to the future king?

“No one else knows about this, right? About her not being my mate?” Kai asks, drawing me away from my irate thoughts.

I close my eyes and shake my head. “She told Carrington before we left my apartment.”

“Damn,” he mutters. “That’s not good.”

“Tell me about it. I didn’t even get a chance to stop her. You know how she gets when she’s passionate about something, and Carrington was needling her and pushing every button.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. We’ll make it,” Kai says, pressing down a little harder on the gas.

“How did this happen anyway?” I ask, staring straight ahead. “How the hell did she think you were her mate when it was really me?” I know he doesn’t have the answers either, but not knowing is killing me.

“I don’t know. Ever since I met Sophie and felt the pull, I’ve spent countless hours trying to figure it out. It just doesn’t make sense. Especially after she’d been through the cleansing,” Kai says, lost in thought.

For every truth we uncover, one more remains unknown to us. The web that Clayton wove with all of this is complex and may never be fully revealed. At this point, it doesn’t matter if we never get all the answers. All I need is Alexia returned unharmed.

“For what it’s worth, I’m really sorry for leaving Alexia behind,” Kai says quietly.

“I know. But it’s not me you need to be telling,” I say gently.

He nods. “Trust me. As soon as I get the chance, I will be begging her forgiveness.”

Kai pulls his SUV into a parking lot at the edge of town in front of a sleek office building that looks like it hasn’t ever been used. The multi-story structure is nestled into a hillside. Its mirrored siding and glass door give a perfect view of the all-white reception area.

“What is this place?” I ask.

“This is where Care and I were supposed to set up our office. I figure if he didn’t trash the company yet, he might have held onto this as well.”

We get out of the car and are approaching the front door when I stop him. “Wait, I have one more question. If no one called to tell you that Alexia and I had ‘run off together,’ then why were you on your way home?”

Kai shakes his head. “I wasn’t on my way home.”

“Carrington said you were. That’s why we were coming in a hurry. We would’ve just taken our time getting back otherwise.”

“I was on my way to see you in Virginia Beach. I did text Carrington and ask her if you were there. She said no, but then tried to tell me that I ‘had’ to come home because Dad said so, and I basically told her to fuck off.”

“Why were you coming to see me?”

“I needed advice. I don’t trust my dad anymore, and with Mom gone...” He shrugs. “You’re the closest thing to a dad I have right now.”

My heart squeezes and for a moment, I see the kid Kai used to be—the one who asked me to take him to the park to shoot hoops, asked me for advice when he had his first crush, and ran with me for his first shift. I thought I’d never have the chance to connect with my little brother again, that I’d fucked up that relationship forever because of my hatred for his father. I wrap my arm around his shoulder and bring him in for a hug. He hugs me back, avoiding my potentially cracked ribs.

“What’s this for?” he asks.

“Just glad you don’t hate me anymore,” I say honestly, patting him on the back as we continue toward the door.

“I never hated you. I just felt like I lost my brother, and I was upset. But it seems like we’re on our way to fixing that.”

“Yeah, I think so too.”

We walk up to the door, and he tugs on the handle. The glass clunks as it hits the deadbolt.

“It’s locked.”

The words are barely out of his mouth before I’m jogging around the building. I refuse to believe she’s not here, not when time is working against us. The steel door on the side is locked as well. Fear courses through my veins like wildfire, canceling out the pain. Broken bones and bleeding cuts mean nothing to me when Alexia is in danger. I don’t care if I have to repel inside through the roof and break another bone or two. I will find her.

We reach the back of the building and goosebumps cover my skin. The Mercedes parked at the back door tells me all I need to know. Clayton is here. I turn the doorknob and a fraction of relief washes over me.

I look back at my brother, his face etched in worry. “You don’t have to come in. I suggest you don’t. I’m going to kill him, Kai.”

His face pales for just a second, but then he nods once. “Honestly, Xander, I don’t blame you. If he really is behind all of this and he isn’t here trying to save her from some disgruntled investor or something, then I won’t even try to talk you out of it.”

“Good.” I push the door all the way open, and we enter the building. It’s dark inside, and my stomach is churning so fast that I am on the verge of vomiting, but I manage to hold it down. “Where do you think they might be?”

“I don’t know,” Kai whispers. “I guess we just keep going until we hear something.”

We’re walking quietly through the building when I freeze. “Carrington was luring us all home for a reason. And I think we know who’s pulling the strings there.”

Kai’s breath catches in his throat, and he nods. “That’s what I’m thinking too.”

We pick up the pace, and I’m starting to panic. When I’m just about ready to start yelling her name, I hear a rhythmic thumping above our heads. It’s clearly intentional; maybe even a wordless plea for help.

Kai and I look at each other. “Let’s go,” I say, and we take off to the nearest stairwell.