by Ginna Moran
Bronx doesn’t try to stop me this time, and his brothers don’t stay behind. They follow me.
With my heart in my stomach, I jump.
Chapter 16
The Barons
MIKKALO CARRIES ME THROUGH THE dark property, following closely behind Everett. Jameson circles us, keeping a look out as we head toward where we left Silas. Shadows move and dance in my vision, the blurring world around us hard to focus on. I can’t tell if it’s the wind stinging my eyes or unbidden tears. Either way, I continue to blink and clench my jaw, praying that the knots in my stomach don’t get the best of me.
“He’s over here,” Everett says, speeding ahead to the wild terrain he camouflaged Silas with.
Everett pulls off a few bushes, and I release a relieved breath to see my brother’s unconscious form still lying under the green blanket. Standing straight, Everett shifts on his feet to face us. His calm features help ease my building nerves, but even though he smiles, I still feel as if my heart might fall out. Bronx should be here with us. I thought he’d give in and follow, but he didn’t.
“Jameson, why don’t you hop the wall? I’ll throw Silas over to you,” Everett says.
Without hesitating, Jameson launches himself at the wall, effortlessly catapulting to the top. He smiles at me and winks, probably sensing the wild emotions hurting me. But no one talks about Bronx. They keep their focus on the task at hand.
Everett looks at us. “Mikkalo, you’re in charge of our girl.”
Mikkalo nods. “Jameson, catch.”
I don’t have a chance to brace myself as Mikkalo tosses me into the air. Jameson grabs my hands and swings me up and onto the wall. I wobble on my feet, disoriented by the motion. Mikkalo lands beside me and steadies me with a smile.
“You’re getting better at not reacting to sudden relocations,” Mikkalo says.
I clutch his shoulder and gasp. “Too fast to...even make...a sound.” The words come from my mouth in bursts.
“Get ready for the drop down.” Mikkalo hooks his arm around me and jumps from the wall. He lands with ease on his feet, not even jostling me in the process.
We smile at each other, and I hug him close for a second, just feeling the good weight of his arms around me. If a growl didn’t sound through the air, I would have kissed him too. Spinning on his feet, Mikkalo unsheathes his dagger and searches the area.
“Someone’s here—”
Everett grunts and snarls from the other side of the wall. Without hesitating, Mikkalo throws me back into the air where Jameson catches me. He hands me a dagger while holding onto me, making sure I don’t fall.
“Shit, is it the Hunters?” I ask, peering down at Everett blurring in a fight with another vampire.
Mikkalo’s booming voice draws my attention behind us, and I tense at the sight of five vampires emerging from the trees. One looks up at me and waves, baring his teeth in a smile that sends dread down my back. Not because of the way he smiles, although creepy, but because I notice a naked dude on his shoulder—and not a stranger. It’s Silas.
“Looks like the bastards followed us,” Jameson says. “One was hiding under the blanket as a decoy.”
“What do we do? We’re outnumbered,” I say. “That asshole has Silas.”
Jameson doesn’t get the chance to respond to me. A burly vampire, taller and bulkier than even Bronx, lands on the wall next to us. Jameson jabs his dagger, stabbing the vampire in the stomach, but he barely reacts. And then he shoves Jameson into me.
The wall falls out from under me, and I screech and brace myself to collide into the ground. A familiar vampire catches me and flashes his fangs. It’s the same guy that attacked our car the other night.
Jameson rams into the both of us, knocking the guy off his feet. I tumble over the rough terrain, losing my dagger. Somehow, I manage to somersault to my feet to get a better view of the area. Jameson and the guy fight, sending waves of dirt and debris flying through the air. I scour the ground for something to use as a weapon. I spot a pretty hefty tree branch and race toward it.
A black boot steps on my fingers as I try to pick it up. Without thinking, I swing out and punch the asshole right in the dick, sending him to his knees. I lock my fingers around the branch, striking him in the face. He falls on his back, stunned from the action, and I hurtle away from him and toward the towering wall.
“Gwen, don’t fight.” The other familiar vampire from the other night materializes in front of me. “I don’t want to hurt you, but I don’t care about your brothers.”
I pretend that I’m going to knee him in the balls but instead sucker punch him in the nose. I only get a few feet away. The vampire rams into my back, knocking the wind from me. I never touch the ground. He tosses me on his shoulder and takes off.
Gripping his shirt, I yank it up and scratch my nails into his back. He only grunts and readjusts me, locking my arms underneath me. I attempt to bite him, snapping my teeth at his back, but I just can’t get close enough. He zooms me farther and farther away that I can’t suppress the fear billowing inside me.
I slacken my body for a minute, pretending to give up. If I relax, he might. I can then catch him off guard.
“Why are you doing this?” I ask, trying to keep my voice even.
“We have a contract. You belong to the Baron Coven.”
“I do not.”
He hums his disagreement. “You do. And had my obnoxious brother used his head, you could’ve been properly transitioned into our household. You’d have never been claimed by a coven far less superior or powerful.”
Fury ignites inside me, and I buck my body so hard that the guy can’t catch me from falling. I spill to the dirt and skid across the overgrown terrain, ripping my clothes and scraping my hands and cheek across the ground.
“Fuck, Gwyneth. You could’ve been seriously hurt.” He bites his arm. “Here, drink my blood.”
I flare my nostrils, the strangely familiar scent of his blood wafting over me. “No.”
“Come on, you’re probably hungry. When was the last time you had blood?”
“It’s none of your business.”
He smirks. “So recently. Who knew your brother was right about your...willingness to do what it takes to survive.”
That fuckhead.
Jerking my leg up, I try to kick him in the junk, but he grabs my foot. A shadow materializes behind him, but he’s so focused on me that he doesn’t see the figure approach. My heart nearly explodes at the sight of Bronx raising two daggers, preparing to cut the guy’s head off.
I brace myself to catch the asshole’s head, but my body’s reaction gives me away, and the guy turns. He drops low and charges at Bronx, taking a dagger to the back. He doesn’t stop, running so fast that Bronx hits his back on the tree.
The guy disappears, choosing not to fight, and Bronx looks ready to chase after him. But he doesn’t. He rushes to my side and scoops me off the ground, cradling me in his arms. I don’t even care if we had gotten in a fight or if he’s pissed at me. He’s here and that’s all that matters.
“Are you okay?” he asks, his voice gruff, his muscles rippling as he flexes with his movements.
I lick my lips. “I think so.”
“Can you walk?”
“Yeah.”
A sense of emptiness engulfs me as Bronx sets me on my feet, putting space between us. My heart crashes back to my stomach. I blink a few times, gawking at him. He doesn’t look at me, keeping his attention on our surroundings. He leads the way through the trees until I spot our car idling on a smooth road.
“Silas?” I ask, spotting my brother slumped against the door in the backseat. “You got him.”
“That was Everett,” Bronx says.
With his comment, Everett emerges from the trees with Jameson and Mikkalo. The three of them rush to me and engulf me in the most amazing vampire sandwich. Even though my body screams with the aches from falling, my heart explodes with relief.
“What’s their st
atus?” Bronx asks, his deep voice cutting through me again.
“One dead, the rest gone. Think there were seven total,” Mikkalo says.
Bronx nods. “We’ll look into them when we get home. I now have seen their faces.”
“And I have their coven name,” I say quietly.
Bronx glances at me. “At least that’s something.” Motioning to the backseat, he adds. “Everyone in. Gwen, you’re going to have to share a seat unless you want your brother in the trunk.”
“Okay,” I murmur.
“Good. Now, let’s get home.”
***
Silas sits on the edge of his bed in a guest room on the second floor. An empty plate rests beside him, and I balance my still full plate on my knees. Bronx, Jameson, and Mikkalo retreated to their rooms the second we returned, and I haven’t seen any of them since. They’ve left me and Everett alone to deal with my brother.
The one thing stopping me from succumbing to the wave of emotions inside me is that I don’t want Silas—or Everett for that matter—to see that I’m still upset over the whole ordeal with Bronx. Or that I had expected them to come to us for dinner. But they didn’t. And then they missed breakfast too. And dinner again.
I’m nearly certain that Bronx won’t come to get me for my time with him, though I’m not sure I even want him too. The awkward as hell, quiet car ride home with him did nothing to help my fragile nerves.
“Gwen, may I talk to you?” Everett taps on the door. He left me to stay in the hallway to give me some time to talk with Silas. I feel bad that he’s spent our time together dealing with this, but I’m also so thankful he hasn’t complained once.
Silas looks at me. “I’m fine, little sis. I’m not going anywhere.”
I swallow and bob my head. “I know this is a lot to take in.”
“Yeah, I’m just trying to figure out what’s worse—you seeing me jizz all over the place or the fact that you are living with four vampires...by choice.”
“Can we never talk about my cock-blocking you again? ‘Kay, thanks.”
Silas releases a cross between a laugh and a groan and takes the plate that I offer to him. Without the instigation of my other brothers, he seems chill enough. Or maybe he’s been through so much that he doesn’t have it in him to fight anymore. At least, not against me.
Everett opens the door, hearing my approach, and I join him in the hallway. He combs his fingers through my hair, pushing the strands behind my ears. Leaning in, he brushes his lips to mine like he can’t help himself, and I give in to his need and lace my arms around his neck to pull him closer.
“This is going better than I expected,” he murmurs against my lips.
I nod. “Silas wasn’t as invested in the rebel cause as my other brothers. I think he resented the fact that our dad kept us—or I guess Rochester—kept us away from everything.”
“It must’ve been tough.”
I shrug. “I don’t even know anymore. I’m still trying to process everything.”
“I was hoping that if you’d let me, I could see if your brother would be of any help.” He tilts away to check my reaction before I can answer.
“Not if he doesn’t want to.” I search his blue eyes, trying to figure out his feelings before he says anything to me. He’s excellent at hiding his expressions better than any of his brothers.
Everett swings my hand with his. “That works for me. Will you formally introduce me to him? I don’t know how much he remembers from the Blood Match Center.”
I smile. “I’d like that. My brothers aren’t really as crazy as they come off. They got along okay with Laredo...” My words trail off. Of course, I don’t know how much of that was real or manipulated into their heads. Or if it matters. I don’t want Everett to think about my life with Laredo. I know it bothers him.
“I’ll just make sure to keep my hands off you, though the task might kill me in the process.” He kisses me again, lifting me up to press my back against the wall.
I rock against him, just to tease the hell out of him. I can’t help myself. He thinks he’s the one who’s addicted, but I’m nearly certain I’m hooked. Even his closeness excites me. Thinking about his passion and desire draws me to him.
“If you don’t stop, we’re not going to make it.” He squeezes my ass, digging his fingers just right into the spot of the bite Mikkalo had left on me. It’s already healed but the memory lingers.
And ohmyfuck. It sets me off so much that Everett spins me into another room to muffle the sound of my loud ass moan. Mikkalo wasn’t kidding about it being a pleasure bite.
“Shit. I forgot about that. I’m sorry,” Everett murmurs, one side of his mouth twitching in what I think is a smile he tries to suppress.
I pant, rubbing my hands over my legs. “It didn’t hurt if that’s what you’re worried about.”
He clears his throat and rubs his hand on the back of his neck. “But it’s not mine.”
“Oh. Is that a big deal? It’s barely even a mark now. And even so, it might be Mikkalo’s bite, but it’s my body.”
He chuckles. “It doesn’t bother me. I just assumed it might be weird for you.”
“It’s fine, Everett. Just...be careful. Thinking about you even touching it again turns me on. It’s so weird.”
Licking his lips, he looks fully prepared to test me. “Serves Mikkalo right for doing that to you not long before my time. Now I get to have all the fun.”
I wave my hands at him. “I want to. I mean, I really want to. Just imagining what we did earlier...it’s taking everything in me not to jump on you.” Biting my lip, I smile at the silver flashing in his eyes.
He swallows, his Adam’s apple bouncing in his throat. “Come on. We should return to your brother. If we don’t go now, I’m not so sure I’ll let you.”
I open my mouth to tease him, but he tugs me to my feet and kisses me all the way back to my brother’s room. I enter in first, turning my gaze to Silas. He stares at his hands in the exact same spot I left him. Something about his sullen expression cuts deeply through me. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look so hopeless. Empty.
Strolling to the bed, I ease down beside him and drape my arm over his shoulders. He turns to me and returns my hug, squishing the breath out of me. A blip of fear rises inside me, because I know my guys get weird about others touching me, but Everett doesn’t react. He doesn’t come any closer either, giving the two of us space.
“Silas, I’m sorry I didn’t protect you like I should’ve,” I say, patting his leg.
Silas surprises me with a laugh. He pulls back to look into my eyes. Dad used to say Silas had our mom’s eyes—golden caramel with speckles of chocolate. I never saw a picture of our mom, but just knowing Silas even has a hint of her makes me feel close with the woman I never knew.
He messes up my hair with his fingers. “Gweny, we were the ones who fucked up. It was our job to protect you not the other way around. I don’t care what Grayson or any of the elders say. The fact that you went through all of this for me—” He waves his hand around the room to refer to our situation. “To help us. It means everything. I’m sure it’s been difficult. I can’t even think about what you’ve had to do.”
“Nothing. I haven’t had to do anything I didn’t want to. I know that you guys thought the Royale Coven was manipulating me, but they’re not. They’ve been amazing. Better than Laredo ever was. They helped me see the truth.”
He frowns. “What do you mean?”
“Silas, we were prisoners. The bunker? Only leaving on special occasions? Rochester made sure that we were separated from everyone. He used dad. He manipulated him. And now, there are others coming for us. They got Grayson.” The words spill from my mouth, and I pout my lip.
Silas stares at me. “I don’t understand. Who is Rochester?”
“The monster that killed dad,” I say.
“The blood source had a name?”
“Laredo manipulated us to stop us from remembering.” Reach
ing out, I take his hand. “But that’s not the only thing. He was Rochester’s coven brother and leader. They were the ones responsible for Gwyneth and the Gallagher dhampir gene. I think Rochester loved her or something. I’m not sure. He wanted me to be her.”
“But Gweny, how do you know all this?” His brows furrow, his head tilting.
I motion to Everett. “Everett helped me. He was able to break the block on my mind.”
Silas regards him suspiciously. “How do you know he didn’t manipulate you to believe these things?”
“Because...he would never. He and his brothers give me their blood. None of them would even have a chance to try. You have to trust me. They’re different.”
Silas doesn’t respond but continues to stare at Everett.
I get up and cross the room, taking Everett’s hand. “They care about me. Protect me. They’re trying their best to reunite us.”
Silas flares his nostrils, his brows pinching together. “And what do they get in return? Surely you can’t sustain those kinds of dues on your own, Gwen.”
I can’t blame Silas for thinking that. I’d have thought the same if our positions were reversed.
Everett clears his throat, drawing Silas’s attention from me to him. Silas stiffens as Everett approaches, and I squeeze my brother’s hand to reassure him that everything is okay. Everett pulls the desk chair to the bed and sits beside me, resting his hand on my knee. I automatically cup my fingers over his cool ones, sharing my warmth.
“I understand that this might be hard for you to believe, but the only thing I have asked of your sister is for some of her time,” Everett says, turning his gaze to smile at me. “She’s the most interesting human I have ever met.”
“And what of her blood?” Silas asks.
“What I choose or don’t choose to share with Everett is none of your business. You never involved me in the arrangement you guys had with Laredo. Just know this is far better,” I say. “I care for Everett.”
My brother groans. “How can you after only a few weeks, Gwen? Help me understand.”
