“First of all, he knows about our short involvement,” Mitchell began. “I told him about you and Mark, but he still may be hoping we’ll get back together if you’re around.”
“All right,” Nate said with an uncomfortable laugh. “It’s a little strange that he’s trying to play matchmaker for you. I don’t recall him ever doing that before.”
“I wasn’t involved with Abram before.” Mitchell watched Nate’s reaction. “You hate him, and I get why.”
“Yeah, I’m not crazy about Abram,” Nate agreed. “In all honesty, I never got to know him very well. He fought on Roger’s side and tried to kill one of my best friends. With that said, I trust your judgment more than most. Abram’s not the same person he was two years ago. Since taking over Treasure Island, he’s done right by his people. Several of the humans who lived in his settlement were moved off Treasure Island.”
“I know,” Mitchell agreed. “I remember when Abram sent them away.”
“Did you know that he snuck some of them in with the group he originally sent off Treasure Island?” Nate asked.
Mitchell shook his head.
“Yeah, I recognized several of them since they’d lived on the island while I was growing up. At first, we watched them carefully since we had no way of knowing if they were spies,” Nate explained.
“I’m surprised you didn’t refuse to let them stay,” Mitchell remarked. “Did Connor know about this?”
Nate shook his head. “We kept it from Connor because we knew he’d tell us to send them back to Treasure Island, not that I’d have blamed him. There were a lot of kids in the group. At first, I thought Abram just didn’t want to deal with the kids.”
“He may have also been trying to protect them,” Mitchell suggested.
Nate shrugged. “That could be part of it, but there’s more. It wasn’t until I saw a woman and a girl of around fifteen that I started to suspect why he’d done it.”
“His mother and sister,” Mitchell deduced. “You recognized them and knew about their connection to Abram.”
“He gets his looks from his mother,” Nate explained. “He was hoping that we wouldn’t notice if she was in a large group. She also did her best to avoid looking anyone in the eye. His sister wasn’t quite as shy, and we saw her eyes first.”
“Abram’s eyes are unforgettable,” Mitchell admitted.
Nate chuckled. “You never looked this besotted when we were together.”
A bark of laughter escaped Mitchell’s lips. “Besotted? Please tell me you don’t talk that way around Mark.”
“He likes it when I act all poetic,” Nate stated. “It doesn’t matter what you call it. You are totally into Abram.”
“Yeah, I am,” Mitchell agreed. “So, what did you do when you discovered Abram’s mom and sister were hidden in the group from Treasure Island?”
“Don’t look at me like that,” Nate told him.
“Like what?” Mitchell asked.
“Like you think we locked them up and tortured them for information,” Nate replied. “You know me.”
Mitchell nodded. “I know you, and I’m worried. I don’t think you’d torture them, but lock them up? Yeah, I think you’d do that to keep your people safe, and I don’t want to keep that kind of secret from Abram. He’d lose his shit if he heard you had his family in a cage.”
“They aren’t locked up,” Nate assured him. “They never were. Yeah, we considered it. Instead, we set up a more secure area for the families from Abram’s island.”
“Do you trust them now?” Mitchell asked.
“The majority of them are fine,” Nate replied. “We have a few who still hate vampires, but that’s a problem at Connor’s settlement, as well. I’m not sure people will ever get past all their prejudices. It’s been over a hundred years, and vampires still think humans want to enslave or kill them while humans have the same fears regarding vampires.”
“You’re proof people can change their minds,” Mitchell reminded him. “We’ve seen a lot of people let go of their hate. My friend, Faith, came from a family who wanted to see all vampires destroyed. They were plotting against Connor. She fell in love with a vampire, and now she’s one herself. You know as well as I do that we need to try to avoid focusing on the bad stuff.”
Nate laughed. “Who would have ever guessed that a guy with both demon and Fae blood running through his veins would preach about all the good in people.”
Mitchell shrugged. “I think our environment plays a bigger role in who we become than our genetics. I’ve had great role models.”
“Yes, you have,” Nate told him. “I gotta say that, even knowing you’re all about love and forgiveness, this thing with Abram shocks me.”
“It surprised him, too,” Mitchell admitted as he sat with his back to a tree.
Nate took a seat beside him and leaned against his shoulder with a sigh. “If I was still single, I might try stealing you away from him. You are something else.”
Chapter 71
Abram stood in the shadows, watching Nate cuddle against Mitchell’s side. He had no reason to be jealous; at least, that’s what he kept telling himself.
Nate looked up, met Abram’s gaze, and the little fucker smirked. He knew what he was doing, and he enjoyed Abram’s discomfort. He had intended to approach Mitchell and Nate, not spy on them, but then he’d heard mention of his mom and sister. After that, he’d stepped back and eavesdropped, hoping he wouldn’t need to kill Nate. Killing Nate would upset Mitchell. They also required every fighter they could get. Nate had always been a capable fighter, so they couldn’t afford to lose him.
Funny how he’d always believed his mom and sister had gone unnoticed. They’d done their best to avoid notice since his sister’s birth. His mom hadn’t wanted his sister involved with the leaders of the settlement, and on that, he’d agreed. Women had been nothing more than tools for breeding and pleasure in the opinions of the old leadership.
Abram decided it was time to stop lurking like some insecure loser and approach them. Nate continued to watch him with amusement. Mitchell looked up, but he gave nothing away in his expression. Abram figured only Nate might suspect that he felt like a jealous moron. All he needed to do was act cool with what was going on. He excelled at keeping his emotions hidden, so it shouldn’t be a problem.
“Get the fuck away from him,” he snarled at Nate. Oh, yeah, he felt totally in control of his emotions.
Mitchell’s eyes narrowed. “It would be nice if you didn’t get jealous every time someone touches me.”
Nate pulled away, looking intrigued. “Who else was touching you, Mitchell?”
“Just the head of Vexx’s coven,” Mitchell explained. “She donated blood.”
“And offered to donate a lot more than that,” Abram muttered.
Mitchell looked annoyed while Nate laughed at his reaction.
“You need to calm down,” Nate told Abram around his laughter. “Mitchell’s not the type to fuck around on you. If he’s thinking about leaving you, he’ll tell you.”
“I’ve never given you any reason to doubt me,” Mitchell added gruffly.
Abram let out a frustrated breath and ran his hands through his hair. “I know that. As I approached you, I told myself I had no reason to be jealous. I told myself to greet you like any sane person would.”
“That didn’t work out too well for you, did it?” Nate asked, amusement still twinkling in his eyes.
“Not even close,” Abram replied.
“Maybe next time you should try for something more attainable,” Nate suggested, putting his hands up in surrender when Abram glared at him.
Mitchell got to his feet and put a hand on Abram’s shoulder. “I need you to trust me if we’re going to make this work.”
“I do trust you,” Abram assured him.
“Don’t even think about telling me it’s everyone else you don’t trust,” Mitchell warned. “That’s a bullshit answer.”
“It’s not about tha
t either,” Nate interjected, and Abram glared at him for still being there. “I’m trying to help you,” Nate told him.
“I seriously doubt that,” Abram muttered.
Nate ignored him and continued. “Abram doesn’t think he’s good enough for you.”
“Great!” Abram said as he threw his hands up in the air. “Go ahead and bring up the other thing that pisses Mitchell off.”
Instead of getting more irritated, Mitchell laughed and slipped an arm around Abram’s waist. “What the hell am I going to do with you? You are a serious mess.”
“I told you that before,” Abram reminded him.
“So did I,” Nate added. “Maybe you’re looking for a bad boy to reform.”
“Abram’s not bad, he’s just a little on the crazy side,” Mitchell argued.
A startled bark of laughter escaped Abram’s lips, and all the tension eased from his body. They were teasing him, and he liked it. “I could be a bad boy,” he argued.
Mitchell shook his head. “Nah. I’m part demon, so you’d have to be pretty damn bad for me to consider you worthy of reform.”
“True,” Nate agreed. “He’d have to be sucking Satan’s dick for kicks bad.”
“Sucking Satan’s dick for kicks?” Abram asked around his laughter. “You’re both crazier than I am.”
Chapter 72
Kish paced between two trees, longing to run and be free of the confines of the witch coven. She was used to being an outsider, but it bothered her even more at the witch coven, especially since people kept trying to make her feel welcome. Mitchell, Abram, Jase, and Vexx had all been much nicer to her since she’d stopped snapping at them all the time.
Rowan sought her out daily. He’d made it clear he wanted to spend time with her, and he’d asked nothing in return. She’d caught the scent of his arousal more than once and even called him on it. He’d merely shrugged off her accusation and promised he could control his hormones. A bigger part of her believed he had no intention of asking her for anything. Still, she avoided him, not that it did her much good. There wasn’t an abundance of places to hide within the protected areas of the coven lands.
“You’re making me dizzy,” Rowan complained as he approached.
“Why do you always show up when I’m thinking about you?” she asked with a huff.
Rowan grinned. “Ah, so you were thinking about me!”
Kish tried to hold it back but ended up returning his grin. “I was thinking about how often you try to talk to me.”
“Only once a day,” he argued.
She frowned. “I didn’t mean that as an insult or an accusation.”
Rowan let out a sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. “You’re tense, and I’m the cause of that tension.”
“I’m always tense,” she admitted. “When people are nice to me, it makes me tense because I’m waiting for them to reveal their true self.”
“You expect anyone who’s nice to you to betray you,” he concluded as he moved closer.
“That’s been my experience until recently, so yes, I expect that of people,” she admitted. “You seem genuine, but I don’t trust you.”
“I understand,” he assured her. “You’re starting to trust the others you came here with, so there’s hope for you.”
“I am starting to trust them,” she agreed, surprising even herself with that admission. “They aren’t pretending to like me or asking me for anything.”
“You think they dislike you?” he asked.
“I think they didn’t like me before,” she explained. “Now, they go out of their way to talk to me, and I don’t bite their heads off for approaching me. It’s an improvement for us all.”
“Yes, you are starting to let people in,” he replied softly. “It’s hard for you. Even now, you want to snap at me and tell me to go away. You don’t want me to notice anything that I could use against you. You’re afraid I’ll exploit any weakness I find.”
“I’m not afraid of you,” she snarled before taking a deep breath and struggling to calm her rising panic and anger. She wasn’t angry because she thought he was wrong but rather because he was right. She hated having anyone see her weaknesses, had grown up knowing that people would exploit them to hurt and control her. That wasn’t the only reason. She also hated the arousal Rowan’s presence caused in her. After she’d made it clear there would be no sex, she was getting turned on.
“I’m not like the people from your past,” he said softly.
“No,” she replied as she reached out and allowed her fingers to trail along Rowan’s bare chest, down to the waistband of his shorts. The heady scent of his arousal grew stronger, and when her gaze moved down, she saw his cock hardening in response to her touch. “Do you want to kiss me, Rowan?”
“Yes.” His voice was hoarse as he caught her hand before she could trail her fingers down the front of his shorts. “I want that very much, but I’m not going to kiss you.”
She regarded him with curiosity rather than anger. “Are you worried I’ll be angry with you?” She didn’t give him a chance to reply. “I won’t be angry or read anything into it. We’re both turned on, and sex will help relieve some of my tension.”
Rowan didn’t release his hold on her wrist, and Kish was surprised by his strength. “You can find other men willing to help you relieve tension that way.”
“I don’t understand,” Kish said with a shake of her head. When she stepped back, Rowan released her wrist.
“I don’t want to hurt you, Kishara,” he murmured. “If I do this, you’ll never trust me as your friend again. You already doubt my intentions. Someday, I’ll kiss you, not because you need me to, but because we both want each other.”
“I’ve already told you I want you,” Kish pointed out. “It’s obvious you want me.”
“I want you,” he agreed. “The problem is that you don’t want me. You want to lose yourself in a mindless fuck, and I’m convenient.”
“It’s more than that,” she argued, but she knew that wasn’t entirely true. “I guess a small part of me wants mindless sex. After worrying that you wanted to use me, I tried using you.”
Rather than looking angry or hurt, Rowan’s lips lifted in a fond smile. “Yes, you did, but it’s okay. I would very much like to kiss you, but only after you’re able to trust me completely—only after your wounds have healed.”
“Healing doesn’t sound possible,” she admitted. “Sometimes things are too broken.” His expression turned sad. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m not saying that I don’t think my life can improve. Look at all I’m doing now. If I keep going the way I am, I may even have real friends.”
Rowan caught her hand in his and squeezed. “You already have a friend. Let’s go for a walk.”
“A walk?” she asked. “Where?”
He shrugged. “Just a walk with no destination in mind. How does that sound?”
“Wonderful,” she replied. “I’m getting tired of seeing the trees I’ve been pacing between.”
“Did you run as a jaguar when you were a child?” he asked as he started walking with her hand still in his.
She shook her head. “Shifters can’t change as children.”
“I didn’t know that,” he admitted. “I didn’t even know shapeshifters existed until I came to live with the witches.”
“Did you know about witches before they found you?” she asked. Since he’d been human, it seemed likely he’d believed all preternatural beings were merely the stuff of stories.
“Not exactly.” He paused to consider his words. “I wasn’t surprised to find out there are witches. When I was a kid, I believed in witches, and I even thought I might be one for a short time.”
“Were you disappointed when you found out you’re not a witch?” she asked. “Or were you relieved?”
“Disappointed,” he admitted. “It would have been nicer to discover I was a witch, rather than hearing I was just a weird human.”
“I’ve heard
a lot of psychic humans are the result of humans intermingling with preternatural beings.” Looking down at their joined hands, she asked, “Are you going to hold my hand the entire walk?”
He grinned. “Probably. I like holding your hand.”
“Why?” she asked. “I never understood the point of holding hands.”
“It’s about intimacy,” he replied. “I like touching you. Do you want me to release your hand?”
“No,” she admitted. “I think it’s likely you have preternatural blood somewhere in your family.”
“And I think I’d rather not know if it’s true,” he replied. “I learned enough about the various preternatural beings who mingle with humans to realize I don’t want them to know I exist.”
“Mingle?” she asked. “You mean fuck?”
“Yes,” Rowan replied. “That’s what I meant.”
“You’re smart to avoid them,” she stated.
“That’s what I’ve heard,” he agreed. “I’ve been hiding out here for well over a hundred years.”
Kish couldn’t hide her surprise. “I guess the bond you have with the witches is doing an excellent job of keeping you young. So, you were already living with witches when the Moon virus outbreak happened.”
He nodded. “When I heard about it, I was tempted to leave the coven lands to check on what little family I had left, but I decided against it. The only people I truly cared for had already died.”
Kish sensed his pain, something that occasionally happened when she touched someone. “Who did you lose?”
“My wife and daughter,” he replied. “They were murdered.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
He flashed her a sad smile. “Thank you. It was a very long time ago.”
“But it still hurts,” she added.
“Yes,” he agreed. “It still hurts. Two years after their deaths, I was still a wreck. I drove to a wilderness area and started walking. I wanted to die, but I was afraid to do it myself. Fate had other plans for me. I came across a young girl who was injured and frightened. Her mother was dead. I picked her up and planned to go to the police, but she begged me to bring her here. It turns out she was a witch. The coven recognized my ability and took me in.”
Inevitable Darkness Page 30
