Awakened and Betrayed: The Lost Sentinel Book 2

by Ivy Asher

  “Hello, you there?”

  “Yeah, I’m here. You’re talking about Torrez right?”

  “The very one.”

  “Um Vin, Torrez left the pack. He had to in order to pursue you. I thought you knew.”

  “He did what?” I shout into the phone, and my eyes snap to Torrez’s.

  “You left your pack? Why the fuck would you do that?”

  “You’re not a shifter. I can’t claim my rank and also claim you,” he tells me casually, like somehow I should know that’s how this works.

  “But weren’t you second in line to take over or something?” I ask, shocked that he would walk away from that for any reason.

  Torrez shrugs again. His blasé attitude about this whole situation is really starting to irritate me. Mave calls my name from the phone, and I tune back into her voice.

  “Did you hear what I said?” she asks.

  “No, sorry, I was a little busy freaking the fuck out.”

  “Vin, Torrez can’t come back to the pack. If you don’t accept him as a mate, he’ll have to find somewhere else to go, and there’s no guarantee another pack will ever take him.” She’s quiet for a moment. “Basically what I’m getting at, is this is a big fucking deal.”

  I release a hollow laugh and run my fingers through my hair. “More like, this is a big fucking nightmare.”

  “He’s a good male. You guys could be really amazing together.”

  “Mave, I already have five mates...five!”

  “And now you can have six!” she snickers.

  “Why do shifters act like I’m just adding fruit to a basket? He’s not an apple. He’s a being, a male, an individual.”

  “Yeah, an individual any female in their right mind would want to take a bite out of,” Mave grumbles.

  “You’re not helping,” I tell her, exasperation seeping out of every word.

  “Come on, Vin,” Mave teases seductively. “Let him take a bite out of you, or better yet, a nice long lick. Get a taste for how shifters like to do it, and then call me and tell me you don’t see the benefit in adding a sixth to your collection of gorgeous males. I don’t even know why you’re complaining; it’s a tad ungrateful if you ask me. I’d switch places with you in two-point-five milliseconds, and I’d spend the rest of my life fuc…”

  I cut Mave off. “I’m hanging up on you now.”

  “Good, I’m going to go have some me time while I fantasize about the group orgy I’d be having right now if I were in your place.”

  Mave hangs up on me, and I shake my head at the phone as I hand it to Knox and watch him slip it back into his pocket.

  What the fuck am I going to do?

  I thread both of my hands into my hair and fight the urge to start pacing. He can’t go back to his pack, but he can’t join my Chosen either, so where the fuck does that leave him? My troubled gaze finds Torrez’s warm brown eyes. I stare into them, and it’s like I can smell the rich soil my feet sink into as I run through the forest on a moon-kissed night. I can feel the crisp air whooshing past me and the laughter and joy bubbling up in my throat. Why am I drawn to him?

  Torrez takes a step towards me, but I’m pulled from the moment when Bastien steps in front of me, cutting Torrez off from my line of sight. I snap back into reality. Our life is complicated enough. There is no chance I can add this on top of everything else we’re already dealing with. I sidestep Bastien, and Torrez’s eyes snap back to mine. His chest falls at whatever he sees in my stare, and he shakes his head.

  “Don’t decide this now. Not like this. You need time to see the truth your worry is hiding from you. I can wait.”

  I open my mouth to argue, but before I can so much as inhale in preparation of a response, Torrez flashes into his wolf and darts away through the trees.

  I shout for him to come back, there’s no point delaying the inevitable. But my call echoes through and around the trees and then falls to the forest floor unanswered.

  “What the fuck just happened?” Sabin asks.

  But any answer, or more likely the lack of one, is lost in the sound of the ringtone from someone’s phone. Valen pulls his phone out and brings it to his ear. He answers and then grows silent his eyes locking onto mine, his look searching.

  “We’ll be right there,” he tells whoever’s on the other end before disconnecting. “That was Aydin; I guess there’s someone named Pebble at the house. He’s saying he needs to talk to you right away.”

  I follow the guys into the living room where Aydin and Evrin stand, arms crossed, lording over Pebble as he sits stiffly in a chair. Pebble spots me as we pour into the room, and he stands up.

  “Are you okay? What happened?” I ask, stepping towards him.

  “I didn’t know they had been ordered to move against you if they considered you a threat, but I know who issued the order.”

  Everyone in the room seems to hold their breath as we wait for Pebble to continue.

  “Elder Cleary was who I heard on the call, giving instructions. When you took the ATVs through the forest we couldn’t track you, and a member of my coven called him. They must have forgotten that I wasn’t in the loop, or they figured the cat was out of the bag after what happened in the parking lot. But it was definitely him on the phone.”

  “Are any of the other elders aware of this, or do you think he’s acting alone?” Aydin asks, his eyes hard and his body language screaming that he wants to hurt someone.

  “I don’t know. When he took the call, he made my coven leader wait until he was somewhere more private he could talk. He could be hiding this from the other elders, or he could have been around casters that aren’t privy to what the elders are doing as a collective, it’s hard to say. As soon as I knew though, I came to tell you.”

  “What’s your coven going to do when they find out you were here?” I ask, aware that Pebble is risking a lot to be here.

  “I don’t give a fuck at this point. I don’t know what’s going on, but tracking and being ordered to move against citizens who haven’t broken any laws, is not what I signed on for when I became a paladin. If this is how it’s going to be, then I’m out.”

  Pebble moves toward the door, he’s clearly eager to leave, and I don’t blame him. I wouldn’t want to be on the elder’s radar if it was avoidable either.

  “Do you have somewhere to go? Evrin asks, as Pebble reaches for the doorknob.

  “I’ll figure it out,” he calls over his shoulder.

  “Thank you, Eli,” I shout toward him, as he takes a step out of the house.

  He stills for a moment and turns back to me. “It’s Pebble if you don’t mind, and I’m sorry for being such a prick before.” He smiles that arrogant smile that’s all him, and I chuckle.

  “Be good to Mave, asshole!” I yell, as the door starts to swing shut. Pebble flips me the bird before the door clicks closed, and I can’t help the grin that takes over my face.

  Who would have thought he’d grow on me? Mave is going to eat him alive.

  “Now what?” Ryker asks.

  “Now nothing,” I say, and then hold up my hands in a just hear me out gesture when all the tense eyes in the room turn their irritated gazes on me.

  “We already knew Elder Cleary was an issue.” I motion to the door that Pebble just walked out of. “He didn’t really give us new information. We still don’t know if the other elders are involved, and we already have plan B set up in the event things go to shit here.”

  Everyone nods their agreement, but I can tell they all hate not being able to do more. This whole waiting game is brutal. Who will make a move first; will it be the elders as a whole or just one of them? What does Adriel have up his sleeve? He was putting something together that had Sorik nervous enough to come to warn me and risk getting caught, but I haven’t seen any lamia here, outside of Sorik and whoever his friend was.

  I find myself antsy with anticipation.

  “Knox, Ryker, and Sabin. Why don’t you guys set up bank account backups fo
r us and your families, and make sure there’s enough money in multiple places that any of us can access it if needed. Pick out a place your families can run to, if needed, and a password we can tell them that will let them know to hit the road.”

  They nod and separate to grab whatever they need to start working on that. “Aydin and Evrin, you guys do the same if you have anyone you want to keep safe. Bastien and Valen, it might be time to reach out to Silva and find out what he, Keegan, and Lachlan are doing. If they have a lead on Vaughn or Adriel, that info could come in handy down the road. Not that I think they’ll share it, but it might be worth a shot.”

  I head in the direction of my room.

  “What are you going to do?” Valen asks me.

  “I’m going to call Enoch.”

  “Why the fuck are you calling him?” Bastien demands.

  “Because Enoch’s dad wants me to choose him. Maybe if Elder Cleary thinks I’m considering it, it will buy us some time and a little temporary protection from anything else that might be coming our way.”

  “Bruiser, you can’t trust Enoch and his coven.”

  My eyes move back and forth between Bastien’s green-ringed pupils and the earnest concern radiating from his features. Weeks ago I would have agreed with him, but my gut and head are at war on this. Logically, given everything that’s happened, I probably shouldn’t trust them, but my gut is telling me differently, and I always listen to gut.

  “Let’s hope you’re wrong, Bastien.”

  37

  I connect my phone to the speakers wired throughout the whole room. Imagine Dragons’ “Believer” fills the room as I walk over to the treadmill and power it up. I choose the run that I want and start a slow jog as the drum beat in the song helps to get my blood flowing. I’m not sure how long I run, but Linkin Park’s “Hit the Floor” is just getting started when it suddenly stops, and the only sound now filling the gym is the whirring of the treadmill track as it moves and the thump of my long stride as my feet connect with the machine. I look over at where my phone is docked to find Bastien leaning against the wall there.

  “What are you running from, Bruiser?”

  “What makes you think I’m running from something?”

  “Because you only run like that when you’re upset. What’s bugging you?”

  I turn off the treadmill and wind down my run. When the track stops, I step off and take a moment to catch my breath.

  “Take your pick. I’m not even sure if I know anymore, there’s so much to choose from.”

  Bastien gives a humorless chuckle and walks towards the black mats in the corner of the room. He picks up some pads designed for punch-kick combos and nods for me to come to him.

  “You want to kick the shit out of something?” he teases, and I snort.

  “I don’t know Bastien, can you hang with this?” I joke back, and motion down my body.

  Bastien takes his time looking me down and back up before his eyes return to mine.

  “I think I can hang; I am a paladin conscript after all.”

  Bastien puffs out his chest and takes up a defensive stance. He starts calling out punch combos, and I’m impressed to discover that he knows what he’s doing and can keep up. He starts adding in kicks, and we both fall into a rhythm. Me punching and kicking the shit out of the pads, and Bastien calling out different ways to help me release my aggression while he absorbs the hits.

  I’m surprised by how easily he falls into sync with me. I haven’t seen the guys in their element, training to be paladin, but I can see that Bastien probably excels at the physical aspects of it. A twinge of guilt shoots through me at the thought that he and the others will probably have to leave that behind, but I shut the guilt down. Just because their training at the Academy stops doesn’t mean training in general stops. We’ll be working together to become a team of unmatched skill and power.

  He calls out a jab, hook, roundhouse combo and I must be going too fast because I realize too late that my roundhouse is about to land on his torso instead of on the pad because it’s not in place yet. My kick lands brutally hard against Bastien’s ribs, and he lets out a pained grunt and crumbles to the floor.

  “Fuck! Bastien, I’m so sorry! Are you okay?”

  Bastien grunts out a response, but I don’t speak caveman and have no idea what this particular grunt means. I rest a hand against his side and call on my Healing magic pushing it into him. I don’t feel anything broken, but I can feel the deep bruise there as it heals. Bastien lays back against the mats, and I watch his pained face smooth out, and his breathing deepens as his body adjusts to the sudden absence of pain and injury. I crawl towards his head and brush hair back from his face.

  “Are you okay? I’m so fucking sorry; I was going too fast!”

  He opens his eyes, and I’m relieved to find humor in the hazel depths.

  “You know what this means right?”

  I look at him confused. “That you can’t hang with this?” I tease.

  He cracks up and out of nowhere pounces on me. Bastien declares retaliation as he pushes me onto my back and blows raspberries against my neck. I squeal and wiggle to get away, tickling his side in an attempt to try and gain the upper hand.

  “Can you hang with this?” he mocks, as he tickles me back mercilessly. I try to kick him off of me, but I’m laughing so hard I can barely breathe, and I can’t put much strength behind my efforts to escape.

  “Truce!” I half gasp, half squeal until Bastien relents and falls back down on his back chuckling.

  We both ride out our giggles, and the room grows silent as we lay side by side.

  “Bruiser, why didn’t you tell me about Torrez?”

  I turn to my side so I can see Bastien’s face as his question hangs in the air between us. His tone doesn’t give any emotion away, and his face just shows curiosity and not the hurt that I was afraid I might find there.

  “I didn’t mean to not to tell you. There was just so much going on that morning. What happened with him didn’t rise to the top of the priority list; not after Sorik, and the house news, and then Enoch knocking down the door, and all the drama with Pebble’s coven.”

  Bastien gives me an understanding nod and falls quiet again. I run my finger across his jawline and begin to trace the beautiful angles of his face absently. He closes his eyes against my touch, and I get lost for a moment in how gorgeous he is. His full lips call to me, and I lean into him and taste them the way that they’re begging to be tasted. He moans deeply into the kiss, and the sound of his pleasure vibrates through me to land right between my thighs. I deepen the kiss, needing more from him, and he answers my demand by pulling me on top of him as he masters my lips and my tongue.

  He pulls my shirt up and over my head, forcing his lips from mine, and runs both of his palms up the runes on my ribs. His touch sets my runes ablaze, each caress shoots right to my clit, and I pant out an approving moan at the sensations.

  “Did it feel like this with Torrez?

  His question throws me off, and I go still. Bastien continues to stroke my runes as he watches me.

  “I was turned away from him. Mave was in Pebble’s lap, and I was worried that the other shifters might take issue with that. He ran his finger across the runes on my shoulder…” I pause as the sensations from the memory run through me. “Yes, it felt like this when he touched me. That’s why I thought it was one of you.”

  Bastien rolls us, switching our positions and pressing me into the cool mats. “Do you want him, Bruiser?”

  He grinds himself against me, his hardness rubbing perfectly against my clit.

  “Bastien, I’m sure as fuck not thinking about him right now. Why are you asking me this?” Irritation peeks out of my words and eyes, and Bastien gives me a cheeky smile.

  “Because if he’s right, and you do want him, but you’re too worried to admit it even to yourself, then it’s something we need to deal with.”

  “I’d rather you deal with getting my bra off. The
n I can deal with getting you naked, and then we can both deal with you giving me a couple orgasms, while I do the same in return. That’s about all the dealing I’m interested in doing right now.”

  Bastien chuckles but doesn’t require any more convincing as he pulls my sports bra over my head and off my arms. He pulls his own shirt off, and we both take our time appreciating each other’s naked torsos. I run my eyes and a then a fingertip over the indentations of his abs, and he runs his heated gaze over my breasts. He hooks his fingers into my leggings and pulls them down my hips, taking my underwear with them.

  The fabric skims down my thighs and calves, and I’m beyond turned on just from his removal of my clothes. I lay spread out before him, and I hungrily watch as he pulls his sweats down. His hard cock springs free and it sends a jolt of anticipation straight to my opening. I lean forward, and without thought or hesitation, flick my tongue out and lick the shine of precum from the head of Bastien’s erection. Bastien moans and pumps his shaft with his hand as I steal another taste of him. It’s saltier than I was expecting, and he laughs at the face I make as I catalog the taste.

  Bastien kneels and cups my face pulling me into a kiss so deep that there’s no longer a separation between where he begins and I end. He pushes me back against the mats as he sucks and nibbles my lips. He grinds into my spread legs and dips his tongue back into my mouth. Our moans tangle together and intertwine, mirroring our tongues. Bastien lines up with my entrance, the tip of him shallowly thrusting in and then out of me. He teases me refusing to sink into me any deeper. I claw at his lower back trying to make him give me what I want as I grind against him.

  He pulls away from my lips and nips his way to my breasts. He stimulates one nipple with his tongue and rubs circles around the other with his fingers, tickling and teasing and driving me deliciously mad. His mouth and hand trade places, sucking and applying the perfect pressure to call to the wetness between my thighs. I run my fingers through his hair as he sucks on me, his lips and tongue waking up every nerve ending in my sex.