by R. A. Boyd
They all nodded and began to back away from Ronin. Willow didn’t blame them one bit. The anger in his voice was formidable. Hell, even she could see the annoyance in his eyes. Maybe Samiyah was a little more present than either of them realized.
“You may leave,” Ronin said, dismissing the men all at once.
With nothing more than a nod, the men retreated and went back the way they came.
When they were out of hearing distance, Willow slumped against the wall and let out a worried laugh. “That was fun. You sounded just like Samiyah. It was weird.”
Ronin puffed air through his lips and reached forward to push her hair behind her shoulder. “Shit. I listened to Samiyah complain enough to have his high-horse sitting ass down pact. We need to get back. I don’t feel comfortable with them walking around.”
Stress lines pulled at the corners of his eyes. He was worried. She could feel it rolling off of him in tight waves. The air of hesitance was back in Ronin’s voice, and it unsettled something in Willow’s mind. He was taken aback by the presence of the Rogues, but there was something he was hiding.
She didn’t want to push him, but what if all of that fanfare wasn’t just Ronin pretending to be Samiyah. What if the angel himself had made an appearance, and neither of them knew it.
Damn-it.
Willow hoped to high Heaven Paige could do the spell sooner than they’d planned on. Ronin’s life and freedom depended on it.
Chapter 10
Ronin smiled as he opened Willow’s car door for her. He’d yet to tell her that he had to fight Samiyah for control when they’d been confronted by the Rogues. His high and mighty voice had been a distant whisper of upheaval as he struggled to communicate with the men, but with the help of his saber-tooth fighting to keep their mate safe, they’d punched Samiyah’s presence back into the darkness where it belonged.
It had been easy.
He felt like grit for not telling Willow what was going on in his head. She knew they were working on a short timeline, and worrying her over something neither one of them could control wouldn’t help anyone.
“Look,” Willow said as she took his hand to step out of her yellow vehicle. She’d called it a mid-size SUV but never bothered to tell him what SUV stood for. “Cole is here with the other Ghosts. They’re standing in his yard.”
After he closed the door, Ronin looked over and saw Simon and his mate Charlie talking to Damon and Sabastian.
Sabastian had been a son of a bitch over seventy years ago. He must really be a bastard now.
Ronin wrapped his fingers around Willow’s and started walking toward the small group. He pulled her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles, and damn if she didn’t have the cutest fucking look on her beautiful face when he did it.
Surprise. Shock. Happiness. Lustful. Absolutely magnificent.
Since he woke up this morning, he’d felt more like himself than in had in a long time. The runes may be fading, but he and his beast were working together to make Willow proud. To make their clan proud.
He wouldn’t let them down. They believed in him. He owed it not only to them but to himself. He would fight like hell until he was in complete control of his life.
“Who the fuck let you out of the Coven house, asshole?” Sabastian clamped Ronin on the shoulder so hard, he pitched forward and almost fell into a patch of fake flowers in front of Cole’s house. “Where’s the woman of the Alpha Triad? I hear she’s a fighter. I haven’t had a good fight in days. I want to see how fierce she really is.”
Instant fury heated Ronin’s veins at the thought of his brother even suggesting he wanted to hurt Cass in any way. But he knew she was powerful. The Salvatore Ghosts would all have to see her in action before they genuinely accepted her as the third in the Triad, and handing Sabastian’s ass to him was the welcome wagon the entire group needed. Still, the comment made Ronin want to rip his brother’s animated blond eyebrows off his face.
Before Ronin had a chance to reply to the idiotic words falling from his brother’s mouth, Damon grabbed Sabastian by the front of his shirt. The Omega of the Ghost shifters was not amused at the idea of anyone challenging his mate.
“Sabastian,” Damon said coolly. His eyes glowed with his beast as he pulled Sebastian close enough to bite his face off if he felt so inclined. “I’m not going to threaten to gut you or break any of your bones. Cass is sweet as sugar, quick as fuck, and has no problem watching you bleed out while she nicely explains why you deserve the ass-kicking she gave you.” A low snarl worked its way up Damon’s chest, and his eyes shined so bright Sabastian had to look away. “As for me? Why, I won’t even wait for you heal to start in on you. Any future mate would walk away from your dumb ass after getting tired of me ripping off different parts of your body every time I laid eyes on you. Look at that,” he said, a feral grin splitting his face. “I guess I did threaten you.”
With averted eyes and shame written over his face, Sabastian leaned his head to the side, and in a show of submission, barred his neck to Damon. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it. It was a joke.”
The dominance flowing from Damon made Ronin’s chest tight. He took a few steps back to give his Omega the space he needed to do whatever the hell he wanted to with Sabastian.
Damon let go of Sabastian’s shirt and nodded. “Everybody clear out.”
Fear flashed in Sabastian’s blue eyes as he stared at Damon. “I said I was sorry.”
The dry laugh that poured from Damon’s mouth sent a shudder through Ronin. He remembered times like this when they were still trying to control themselves after being locked in their saber-tooth cat form for so long. Punishment from the Alpha and Omega of the clan was swift and fierce. Sabastian had been away too long. He must have forgotten.
“And I accept your apology,” Damon said, pulling off his shirt. “But you toyed with the idea of fighting my mate for fun.”
Simon lifted his hand and said, “It’s definitely not fun to fight Cass. You’ll learn. I’d like to be there to watch when she shreds you, though. How about you, babe?” he said to Charlie.
The silver-haired woman shook her head as she turned and started walking away from their small group. “Absolutely not. I always get blood on me when one of you is dumb enough to pick a fight with Cass. See you later, losers. I’m going to make pancakes.”
“I’m in for pancakes!” Simon said as he turned and walked after his mate. “Charlie makes the best fucking pancakes. She puts berries and some other tasty shit in the batter. See you bleed later, Sabastian.”
Just as Damon promised Sabastian he would stay in human form as he thoroughly beat him to death, Jax’s pick-up truck pulled to a stop in front of the community hall where they all shared most of their meals.
Jax got out first and ran around to the passenger side door. He helped two women and Cass out of the truck.
Damon turned to Sabastian and said, “You get two minutes to think back on your life and contemplate what led you to this moment while I greet my mate.”
“I’d like to go back to Salvatore now,” Sabastian said as he pulled his shirt over his head.
“Stay the fuck where you are.” The command in Damon’s voice was clear. There was no way in hell he was going to get away from Damon’s ire.
Cass walked toward where they were all standing. The tight coils of her shoulder-length hair bobbed around her as she smiled. “Hey, guys,” she said as she joined them. “I want you to meet my sister Andi and my niece Laurel. Hey Cole!” she hollered as they all turned to see Cole and Ambrose step out of the open door to Cole’s house. “You let your hair grow. Looks good on you.”
Cole gave Cass a bashful grin as he pulled her into a sideways hug. “Thanks.”
Ronin grinned at his brother’s as they walked toward them. Damn. It felt good to see his brethren again, especially without his beast pushing him to kill anyone who posed a threat to them. Hell, it was nice to have his animal be semi-present and not wishing death on th
e world.
Ambrose and Cole both gave him a welcoming grin. He was finally starting to feel like himself again. His people weren’t walking on eggshells as they talked to him. Regardless of everything he’d done, whether in control of himself or not, his family forgave him and received him back into the fold. Even Audra had seemed okay with him. Well, a little more than she did yesterday.
With no hesitation at all, Ambrose and Cole shook his hand and pulled him into an embrace only offered up by people who know and love you.
One of Ambrose’s dark eyebrows shot up as he looked at Ronin. “You still you, brother?” The teasing in his voice was clear. His dark hair and light blue eyes made him look otherworldly, but the warm smile on his face showed just how kind he was. “You’ve had a shitty couple of decades.”
“Hell yeah,” Ronin replied. He sucked his teeth and gave a hard shake of his head. “Animal drove me crazy, and then I wake up to Samiyah riding around in my body. Not so much fun.” He looked over to Willow, and all the shit that brought him to this moment seemed like nothing at all compared to how good she made him feel. “But I’m here. And so is my mate. I’m back with my family. Things are looking up.”
Jax walked up and shook hands with Ambrose, Sabastian, and then Cole. He held on to Cole’s hand a little longer than he had the others. “It’s good to see you. You here to stay in New Rose, or are you heading back to Salvatore?”
The heartfelt tone in Jax’s voice wasn’t missed by any of them. From what Ronin overheard this morning, Cole was on the verge of asking the Coven of the Fallen to put him down. He’d gone to Salvatore, Maryland with the other Ghosts to clear his head. None of them wanted him to be asleep for the next century, but they all understood why he wanted it. Living life as long as they had lived came with consequences. Sometimes, a break was needed.
“Still deciding,” Cole replied. He shrugged and smiled as Cass punched his arm in a sweet welcome. “It’s good to be home. I came running when you said Willow needed our blood to complete a spell to help Ronin.” He turned to Ronin and nodded once in agreeance. “Good to have you home and actually yourself. My blood is here for the taking.”
Ronin tried to offer his thanks, but Sabastian opened his mouth again, and more stupidity poured out. “What if I don’t want to offer my blood? What if I just came here to say hello?”
“Well,” Willow said as she stepped forward. “I can always take it when one of them rips out your throat for simply being your wonderful self.”
Ronin’s cock grew stiff as he listened to the warning in his mate’s voice. She was feisty. He loved it.
He could sense her need to help him in any way she could, and Ronin fell just a little more in love with her for caring so much for him.
Shit. Love? Was he already there with her?
Cass waved her hand and went to stand between Willow and Sabastian. “Simmer down, Willow. I’m sure he didn’t mean it.”
“Is this how you always talk to each other?” Cass’s sister Andi asked.
The woman was about six inches taller than Cass and had a short bob-cut to her hair. Other than that, it was obvious they were sisters. She wasn’t as full-figured as Cass, but the woman definitely had curves. She wore baggy clothes that hid her shape, and her face wasn’t as kind as her sisters’.
“Hello, Cass’s sister,” Cole said, smirking at Andi. “You look… healthy.”
He eyed Andi, letting it be known he liked the way she looked. It seemed to piss her off.
“My name is Andi, and you know it,” she said, throwing her arms in the air. She shoved her hands in her pockets and shrugged. “And I know I’ve gained weight. You didn’t have to point it out, asshole. Rude.”
Cole snickered and took a step toward her. “Looks good on you. Last time I saw you, you had dark circles under your eyes, and your stomach was growling. Healthy is a compliment in my book. I like it.”
A palpable tension rose between them as they silently stood and sized each other up. If Andi and Cole ever got together, it would either be really awesome or supremely detrimental.
“Oh my gosh,” her daughter Laurel said, an air of irritation playing in her voice. “Please, stop. She’s my mother and this is gross.” Her hair and shape were much like Cass, but she was obviously much younger. She and her aunt could be sisters.
Ronin couldn’t help but laugh at the young woman’s annoyance. She put her finger in her mouth and pretended to gag.
She went and stood next to Cass. “What time is dinner, Aunt Cass? I’m hungry.”
Flexing his muscles like someone was taking his photo, Sabastian walked closer and winked at Laurel. Was he trying to have someone beat the hell out of him today?
“My, my, my,” Sabastian said, eyes roaming over Laurel in a way that made Cass and her sister grow visibly upset. He didn’t seem to give a shit. Staring at her breasts much too long for even Ronin’s comfort, Sabastian said, “Who is this short glass of tasty looking chocolate milk I see before my angelic eyes?”
“The reason you die today,” Cass said. With a savage growl in her throat, she stepped in front of her niece and looked Sabastian up and down. “You don’t have a shirt on, and neither does my mate. That means you were about to be punished for something you did that was completely idiotic. Or maybe you just walk around waiting for someone to bleed you. I’ll happily deliver. Look at my Laurel like that again, and I will ruin your day.”
As Cass’s eyes lit to that of a full moon, Ronin grabbed Willow’s hand and took a few steps back. He knew his brother. Much like Simon, Sabastian had often been a shit starter. From what he’d heard about Simon, maybe Sabastian had grown to be glutton for punishment so his life would move by faster. Cass was about to deliver precisely what he wanted.
Sabastian blew a raspberry and ran his hand over his stomach and let his fingers hover over the zipper on his blue denims. Eyes still on Laurel, he shrugged and shook his head. “I’m just joking. None of you seem to be able to take a joke these days. Can you take a joke, Laurel? I bet you can take a lot of—”
Before Sabastian could finish his sentence, Cass gave him a quick one-two punch—once in his chest and the other in his stomach— hard enough to double him over. Ronin shot out a laugh as Sabastian’s face wrinkled in pain and disbelief. He let out a quiet hmph as all the air was pummeled from his body by Cass’s quick and unexpected reaction. When he was finally down to her height, she reached up and put her hands on either side of his face as if she were going to kiss him.
Cass’s sister and niece screamed as pops and crunches echoed through the air when Cass wrenched his head around, breaking his neck.
“Oh, Jesus!” Andi yelled. She threw her hands to her mouth and backed away from Cass as if she didn’t know her. “What the fuck, Cassiopeia?”
“I thought your name was Cassandra,” Ambrose calmly added, never even flinching at their brother’s seemingly dead body before them. They were used to stuff like that. “It’s wonderful to finally meet you.”
Cass smiled and reached out to shake his hand. “Thanks. It’s great to meet you too. And no. My name is Cassiopeia. Our mom loved to read books on Greek and Roman mythology. She once said that if one of us had been born a boy, our name would be Menelaus. I guess we got lucky being born girls.”
Still screaming, Andi clawed at Laurel’s arm and tried to pull her away from their small group. “What did you do? You killed him!”
Cass fluttered her hand in the air and rolled her eyes. “He’s a fallen angel, Andromeda. He’ll be fine.”
Laurel gave a breathless laugh that was half sob- half maniacal giggle. “Holy shit, Auntie. Are you a badass now?”
“Cass’s sister and Laurel,” Cole said as he held in a laugh. “Meet the third in the Ghost shifter Alpha Triad. Your aunt is definitely a badass. She’s fucking fierce.”
Andi’s eyes zipped away from Sabastian’s prone body. She stomped toward Cole and pushed him, both of her small hands pressing against his chest as she yelled in
his face. “My name is Andi! An. Di. Learn it. Hell, you can even call me Andromeda if you want. But stop calling me Cass’s fucking sister. I have a name.”
A slow smile spread across Cole’s face as he looked down at where she’d hit him. “I didn’t call you Cass’s fucking sister. I simply called you Cass’s sister.”
“As much fun as this is,” Willow said, rolling her eyes and looking at all of them like they were idiots. “We’re on a time crunch. The spell to free Ronin needs to happen sooner rather than later. The runes are still disappearing, and three Rogue members approached us in town. Ronin did wonderfully,” she added, giving him a smile that lit up her lovely eyes. Ronin couldn’t wait to kiss her. “He pretended to be Samiyah pretending to be him. If that made sense. Oh, and Remus, a member of my coven, is now aligned with the Rogues. He’s powerful. None of us in the coven ever thought he would do something like this. I mean, we’ve all had our doubts about him. We just thought he was unpleasant to be around. Not a conniving traitor.”
The stress in her voice crept along Ronin’s skin, making him want to kill whatever made her feel this way. But it was him.
His possession by Samiyah was the reason she felt this way. He was doing this to her. If he could kick his own ass to make that evil son of a bitch Samiyah pay for the pain he was causing the Ghost clan, he’d do so happily. Well, at least he’d ask one of his brethren to do it. As of right now, there was nothing he could do to make this better, except be there to do what his mate told him to do when she told him to do it.
Willow looked up at him, a line of tension between her brows pulling at her eyes. “We’re running out of time. Putting you back in the cell to bind Samiyah will set us back to square one. It took me and Sari days to make that bracelet. Ronin, I’m so sorry my calculations were wrong about how long we had.” She turned to Jax and shrugged. “I need everyone to the community hall in twenty minutes. I need to collect your blood to start the spell. We have enough Heaven’s Flame to make this happen tonight, and I have faith in Paige. She can do this.”
