Page 116

Fox

E ven across the street from the pool, the hot asphalt between it and them, the air was saturated with the harsh chemical scent of chlorine.

Fox didn’t mind it. It reminded him of the few happy moments of his and Dane’s childhood, before they’d run away, when their mom used to dump them at the pool for hours, leaving them to their own devices. Just how they’d liked it best.

They were waiting outside the pool in the hopes of getting their hands on their guy before he ever entered, minimizing the risk of any humans getting hurt.

Of course, if Serena’s plan worked, he’d supposedly just follow at her heels wherever she would lead him, unaware she meant to kill him in the end.

A lot hinged on Serena’s faith in her husband still worshipping the ground she walked on.

It wasn’t Fox’s preference, planning around someone else’s shitty relationship.

But then again, they didn’t have any better leads when it came to getting a hold of him.

And the guy was still trying to turn a kid for her, so obviously his wife was still on the forefront of his mind.

Still, in this moment, listening to the happy shrieks of children in the water, it all felt like a pretty big if.

It hadn’t been long after relocating that Fox and Dane had taken on a protector role of their new home city.

Something about Tucson seemed to appeal to vampires, and not just the model citizens.

The very first time they’d stopped a feral vampire midrampage, it had been like an awakening.

It was part of why it had made sense for them to stay.

They may have been rejected loners, they may not have had a den to call home, but they’d had a purpose.

Jamie and Luc were here now though. If Colin wanted to leave Tucson, Fox and Dane could follow without feeling like they were abandoning anything. And if he wanted to stay, wanted to spend what time he could with his dad, well…what was one more decade?

“Where the fuck is she?” Dane growled. He was leaning against a stop sign, his leg twitching, obviously fighting to keep himself from pacing out his restlessness.

Fox checked his phone—noting the text from Colin that he was finally leaving his dad’s. “We’ve still got a few minutes. She wanted a large buffer, give us plenty of time to settle in before Robert arrived.”

Robert. That was his name. So banal, just like how Jamie had described his looks. It seemed wrong, that such an ordinary guy could be capable of such evil—ripping a child away from their parents, forcing a bloodthirsty monster to grow inside them.

But that was the thing, wasn’t it? Evil was rarely the spectacular, charming supervillains of Colin’s comics. It was ordinary people acting selfishly, taking what they wanted without a care for anything or anyone else.

It wasn’t being a vampire that had made Robert bad, although maybe that had exacerbated things a bit. He’d just had a shitty personality to begin with.

Fox eyed Dane, who was still looking twitchy as fuck. “You don’t like her much, do you?”

Dane’s gaze bounced around, never landing on just one thing for long. “What’s to like?”

Fox shrugged, not really having an answer for that.

He clocked Luc and Jamie across the street, lingering at the fence separating the pool from the sidewalk.

Luc’s vamp face was actually hidden for once—Fox hadn’t even known he was capable of that—and his eyes were a shockingly beautiful bright green. It was fucking unnatural.

Jay and Alexei were supposedly around the corner, covering the other side of the pool. Fox didn’t exactly have much faith in tiny, bubbly Jay taking down any kidnappers, but Alexei looked strong enough. Seemed to have a sensible head on his shoulders too.

Fox supposed Colin could have had worse friends.

He turned back to Dane. “There is the fact that she’s helping us catch this dickbag. We could count that as a point in her favor.”

After all, their truce with Luc and Jamie had started on similar ground.

Dane scoffed, kicking his foot against the sidewalk. “Yeah. Sure.”

“You don’t trust her?”

Dane stilled for the first time since they’d arrived, looking Fox square in the eye. “I don’t trust anyone in this world but you.”

Warmth flooded Fox’s chest. It wasn’t like he needed the words from his brother—he knew where they stood—but sometimes it was nice to get a reminder. He cocked a brow. “Colin?”

Dane looked at him, incredulous. “Of course fucking Colin.” He started kicking his foot again, mumbling, “Goes without saying, doesn’t it?”

But here was a time when Fox wanted the words. He needed Dane to admit to things, more for himself than for Fox.

“You love him,” he said bluntly. He was met with silence. “So do I.”

Dane shot him a glare. “Obviously.”

Oh, but he was pissy today. Forced separation from their human didn’t seem to be doing either of them any good.

“He’s our mate, Dane.”

Fox’s devil rumbled its agreement. Mate.

Dane’s gaze drifted off again. “We can’t know that.”

“No one knows until they do. It’s a feeling.” Fox stepped in close, putting his face right into Dane’s, forcing him to look at him. “Feel your fucking feelings, brother mine.”

“And if we ruin his life like Robert ruined Serena’s?” There was a naked vulnerability in Dane’s eyes as he voiced his fears out loud.

“Then we spend an eternity making it up to him. And that’s if .” Fox didn’t let his gaze waver. “I’ve never regretted it. Neither will he.”

All at once, Dane deflated. “I love you, you know? I’m sorry I don’t say it more.”

Fox stepped back, giving him breathing room. “We don’t need the words. We’re beyond that.”

“Well then, I’m sorry I let our shitty den get to me. I’m sorry I pulled back.”

Fox grinned. “You’re very after-school special today, you know that?”

“Fuck you.” Dane flipped him off, but the words lacked heat.

“Let’s finish this shit and we can fuck our little lamb instead,” Fox said, waggling his brows in a way he knew his brother found ridiculous.

“Except, where the fuck is she?”

Dane’s antsiness must have been catching, because now Fox was getting nervous. Something didn’t feel right. He’d been chalking it up to their twitchiness at not having Colin near. But it was more than that, wasn’t it?

This plan fucking sucked.

He looked to Jamie and Luc, ready to call out and open a discussion. Instead, he watched as Jamie collapsed onto the sidewalk.

“Fuck!”

He and Dane ran over. “What’s wrong with him?” Fox asked, as Luc knelt on the sidewalk, hoisting Jamie’s limp form into his lap.

It couldn’t be too terrible, whatever it was—Luc didn’t look murderous enough for it to be life-threatening.

Luc confirmed it with his next words. “He’s having a vision,” he told them, brushing Jamie’s hair off his forehead with a tenderness that was almost painful to look at.

Instead of that reassuring Fox, his sense of foreboding only increased. His devil, already restless with the thought of impending violence, was now threatening to come out of his very skin. Wrong. All wrong .

Jamie’s eyes started twitching, the whites showing as they rolled back in his head. He opened his mouth, but somehow, Fox already knew.

All Jamie had to do was gasp, “Colin,” and Fox and Dane were already running.

They’d been played.

It was daylight, and they were moving too fast to be human, conspicuous as hell, but for once, Fox couldn’t be bothered to care. They needed to get back to the house.

If Serena really was trying to fuck with their human, she was about to find out what happened when someone messed with what was theirs.

She wouldn’t live to see another day.