Marked for Them

by Lia Davis

  When I glanced up again, Salrus was gone, and Mom’s broken form lay on the floor.

  My tears turned into sobs as the flashback faded. I’d never understood why Salrus didn’t finish me off then. He wouldn’t let me go the next time. I was sure of it. He’d gone through enough trouble to find his band of minions.

  And they sat in the kitchen. Well, at least one of them.

  I couldn’t stay here. Not with Wyatt. Not when he’d made it clear that he’d turn me over because I was nothing but a name to him. I needed to find another way to end it, to free myself and them from the demon. Then Wyatt could go back to his bitter life.

  Closing my eyes, I teleported myself to the one place Salrus had no power, the Inbetween.

  Chapter 10

  Wyatt

  * * *

  The sour taste of guilt rose up in my throat. I knew Reese would be upset when she found out the truth. That I was the reason she’d been sent on the run again. If the stories Salrus told me were true.

  At the time, I didn’t have a face or a voice. Just the fact that she was the demon’s daughter and would be no better than he. My anger for the demon clouded my judgment.

  I was so wrong.

  Reese wasn’t a demon. She was a half-demon, beautiful, and it was obvious she hated Salrus as much as I did.

  “That’s fucked up.” Zane flattened his hand on the table and glared at me, his wolf flashing in his gaze. A possessive growl escaped him, making me flinch. “Why the hell did you have to tell her that?”

  I sighed, the ache in my chest growing. “Waiting to tell her would have only caused more issues.”

  Pushing away from the table, I left the room to search for Reese. Being in Dimitri’s house brought back too many memories of a time when the five of us had futures and big plans. Although Trevor and I were able to live our dream, Zane and D hadn’t. Yet they accepted Reese.

  The last thought made me curious about how long they had known her.

  Standing in the middle of the foyer, I glanced around. Which way had she gone? The sound of footsteps caught my attention. Zane had followed me out of the kitchen, Dimitri and Trevor close behind him. “You trust her?”

  Zane’s nostrils flared as if he smelled the air, most likely searching for her by scent. His green depths darkened. “She’s my mate.”

  The growled-out words made me take a step back. I glanced at D, who didn’t seem surprised by Zane’s admission. I folded my arms and glared back at the wolf. "And it doesn't bother you that she was straddling D's lap playing tonsil hockey?"

  Zane didn't flinch or express any emotion. It was like he accepted the fact that D liked her, too. I waited for a reply, but Zane didn't give one. He simply moved past me to the master bedroom on our left. "Is anyone going to tell me what's going on?'

  Zane held up his hand as if to quiet us so he could listen, then growled. He jerked open the door and rounded on me. "She's gone."

  "What? How?"

  Dimitri spoke softly behind me. "She teleported to the Inbetween."

  I'd heard Dimitri mention that word once before when we were in school. He'd said it was part of his witch training. Because he was half green witch and half hedge witch, his powers came from both sides. So he studied witchcraft from both his parents.

  The Inbetween was the realm between ours and the afterlife. One where demons were powerless. "Would she be limited in the use of her powers there?"

  Dimitri nodded while Zane yelled a name that I'd refused to say out loud since the night I watched him die. "Wade!"

  My heart pounded, and my gut twisted. Tears blurred my vision, so I closed my eyes. Beside me, Trevor laced his fingers with mine and gave a gentle squeeze. In the kitchen, Reese had said Wade found her. I knew enough about hedge witches to know that they could see and talk to the dead. Which meant that Wade hadn't crossed over.

  My chest tightened. I wasn't sure I wanted to see my brother's ghost.

  "She's in the Inbetween and safe."

  The sound of his voice made the tears fall. Trevor drew me into a tight hug. I could feel him taking shaky breaths before he said, "He's here for a reason. He needs closure as much as we do."

  I inhaled deeply and let the breath out slowly before opening my eyes and pulling out of Trevor's embrace. When I turned, I couldn't stop the gasp. Wade was still seventeen—the age he’d been when he died.

  He still had the cocky, playful gleam in his eyes that I remembered. I was the serious twin, while he was more free-spirited. For the first time in my life, I was at a loss for words. What did you say to a ghost?

  Wade glanced around, meeting each of our gazes as if unsure. When he finally locked gazes with me, he said, “I was the one who found her and gave you the clues. I never thought you’d hand her over to the demon. Being dead has its benefits. You can find out things about people. Most of the info I gathered on Reese was from the Council. The dumbasses killed the only hedge witch on the board, so I was able to go into their library and research. I also found out the Council wants Reese dead, as well as any others like her.”

  “Others like her?” I studied Wade for a moment and then glanced at the others to verify.

  Zane frowned. “She said the Council was the source of this mess. That they killed her mother.”

  Wade floated closer. “The Council summoned the demon, but they couldn’t have him just popping into their living rooms. It was up to Salrus to find his own way to this side.”

  “We gave him the gateway with the Ouija board.” Dimitri’s tone was sad, and it broke my heart all over again.

  As much as I didn’t want to relive that night, I had to think back to see if there was anything about Salrus that we could use to help us. “He marked us so we’d help him track down Reese. That means he’d already marked her, and she was hiding from him.”

  Dimitri stepped up next to me and clasped a hand on my shoulder. “We need to get Reese back and form a plan to take out the demon. Wade, can you carry another person to the Inbetween since my powers are still bound?”

  “Yes, but only one.”

  Zane spoke before I could. “I’ll go.”

  Shaking my head, I turned to the wolf. “I need to be the one to go and grovel.”

  Wade nodded, and his body shimmered before becoming solid. Then he held out his hand to me.

  With a shaky hand, I reached for his. Once our palms connected, I tugged him into a hug and let the tears fall, not caring what the others thought. They didn't know what it was like to have an almost psychic connection with someone your whole life and then have him ripped from you.

  Wade hugged me back and buried his nose against my shoulder. I inhaled but only smelled the slight scent of rosemary from the infuser I knew Dimitri ran. It was usually rosemary or frankincense. D said it helped purify the air.

  A moment later, I felt their hands on me. Trevor was on my right with his arm around my waist. Zane pressed a palm to my back and leaned into my left side. D somehow wedged in between Trevor and Zane.

  The feeling of being whole, of being a family filled me. We were back together. Wade was here in spirit—even corporeal—and that made things bearable.

  I wasn't sure how long we stood there before Zane spoke. "You are my family, all I have left. If that means we all develop feelings for Reese, so be it. I'll share her with you if it means staying together."

  One by one, we all agreed. Leave it to Zane to pick up on the fact that I was attracted to the witch. From the moment I’d seen her in my office, I knew I’d screwed up by giving Salrus information on her. The need to protect her filled me. There was something about her that intrigued me. Her passion for surviving when her own father was tracking her down pulled at my heart.

  Trevor kissed my cheek and whispered, "Reese is meant for us. You can't tell me you don't feel it through the demon mark."

  Yeah, I felt it. At first, I didn't understand it. I’d thought it was a trick of Salrus's or something.

  Zane and D backed up, and whe
n Trevor stepped away, I held Wade's gaze and nodded. "I'm ready."

  Chapter 11

  Reese

  * * *

  I lay on my back on a patch of grass I’d conjured and stared up into the grey clouds. In the Inbetween, everything was painted in bland, neutral colors. That was unless I used my low-grade witch magic to add color, like the ten-foot square of green grass I rested on.

  I'd stopped crying about three minutes ago and had flopped onto my back to stare at the clouds, thinking. The low hum of the spirits stuck in this realm was strangely calming to me. It seemed easier to think here.

  I needed a plan. And to discover Salrus's weakness. Then I'll deal with the guys. I'd get their marks removed one way or another so they could be free of me. Especially Wyatt.

  My heart ached again. Why the hell did I care so much?

  Tingles sparked my awareness, telling me that Wade and Wyatt were on their way. Funny how I'd come to recognize each of their energy signatures in such a short time. Especially Wyatt. It hadn't even been twenty-four hours.

  The mark. It had to be. That was another thing to think about; how the mark connected each of us. Well, my father did want the guys to find me. They couldn't because I’d blocked them all, Salrus included. Yet, Wade had found me.

  When they materialized a few feet from me, I spoke without looking at them. "Wade, how did you find me in the nut house?"

  After a long pause, he said, "The Council."

  I shot to a seated position and glared at him, his form very solid and alive-looking. "What do you mean? Those bastards knew where I was all along?"

  Wade nodded and stared at the ground. My annoyance deflated. It wasn't his fault. And it wasn't Wyatt's either. I held out my hands to them. "Come here."

  Together, they advanced and sat on either side me. I linked my fingers with each of their hands. "I'm not sure what I'm doing or how to stop Salrus. With the Council involved, it makes the whole situation worse. I'm guessing the first thing to focus on is removing the marks. On the other hand, the marks connect us, and we could use them to combine our powers."

  "Could we bond through Zane? He said you were his mate."

  What? Meeting Wyatt's gaze, I saw the truth as well as the confusion and a hint of jealousy. "He said that? Really? Yet when he saw Dimitri and me, he didn't react."

  Wyatt returned my frown. "I asked him about that."

  Wade scooted closer to me. "Zane and D want to share you, like the harem his cousin spoke of. She's right, though. Together, we would be stronger."

  "We?" I asked the ghost with a flutter of hope in my chest that he'd stay with us after this was over. I really was crazy. Or starved for attention. Maybe both. "Does that mean you’ll stay?"

  He shrugged one shoulder and leaned into me as if needing the touch of another. "I don't have to cross over, do I?"

  "No. There are many spirits who stay to look after loved ones or just like the human realm too much to leave. It's totally your choice."

  A wide smile spread across his face. "Then I'll stay. With you, Wyatt, and the others. Besides, you'll need someone who can sneak into the Council's house and library."

  "I have a suggestion," Wyatt spoke softly and then looked around as if searching for something. He was most likely sensing the other ghosts milling about. With a sigh, he focused back on me and asked, "If you and Zane mated, could that bond be passed through our demon marks? Or since you are half demon, couldn't you mark each of us, like claiming us as your mate?"

  Could I? I didn't know. The idea of embracing my demonic powers had never appealed to me. I didn't want to learn anything about that half me. The way Wyatt put it sounded too easy. It looked like I had to research demon mating rituals. "I'm not sure. But the type of bond you are talking about is not easily undone. Wolves mate for life. Adding that to a demon mark could make it unbreakable. Everyone would have to be on board."

  The idea was just crazy enough that it might work. It wasn't like we weren’t bound together already. "Wade, I'll need all the research you can gather on demon mating and marks. Does a mating mark cancel out the mark of another demon? And if there are cases of demons and wolves mating, I want to know. That kind of stuff. Oh, and demon laws."

  The ghost nodded, shot to his feet, and smiled at me. "No problem. I'll get it." Then he disappeared.

  Lifting my gaze to Wyatt, I noted how his eyes went round. "How do we get out of here?"

  I laughed. I couldn't help it. "The same way I got in."

  He narrowed his eyes at me and then chuckled. "Sorry. I'm not used to this. Can we go somewhere...else?"

  Understanding his discomfort, I stood and tugged him with me. "We'll go back." I paused and then added, "Sorry I disappeared. I just needed time to think."

  Stepping closer, he placed his hands on my waist and locked gazes with me. "Sorry Wade and I gave up your location."

  I placed a finger over his lips, feeling the softness of his mustache and beard. "My father would have begun to torture one of you. My guess would be Trevor to get you and Wade to talk. I should be sorry because it's my evil Daddy Dearest who dragged you all into this."

  He pressed his forehead against mine. "I know what it’s like to have an evil father. Take us home, and I'll tell you about mine."

  “Tell me now. “

  He let out a sigh then fell silent. After several minutes, I thought he wouldn’t speak. Then, finally, he took my hand in his and kissed my knuckles. “My father was a drunk. He also used drugs. You name it, he had to have it. He beat my mom and pimped her out for drug money. Wade and I were fifteen when I discovered what he was doing to her, and he started coming after me. I let him believe I was gay and flaunted it in his face so he’d be distracted from Mom. Of course, when I went to school or work, he’d still force her to do things.”

  He took a shaky breath. I tightened my grip on his hand and leaned into him. He continued. “Mom finally got help, and we left. She was dealing with independence well, and we started to be a family. She was happy.”

  Tears filled my eyes. Sorrow drifted from the mark that linked us. “What happened?”

  “Wade and I were able to hide the demon marks from her. She didn’t need to be brought into it. Then Wade died. Mom fell into depression. While I was away at college, she killed herself.” He sagged into me and dropped his head into his hands.

  I hugged him tightly. “I’m so sorry.”

  Wrapping his arms around my waist, he buried his nose against my neck. After a long moment, he lifted his head and locked gazes with me. “None of this is your fault. It’s the demon’s fault.”

  “He needs to be stopped.”

  Wyatt nodded. “I’ll help in any way I can.”

  “You ready to go home?”

  When he nodded, I rose up on my toes, pressed my lips to his, and flashed us back to the master bedroom at Dimitri's house.

  Once we materialized inside, I waited a few moments before stepping back. Sometimes humans found it disconcerting. “You okay?”

  He nodded and gave me a weak smile. “I’ll be fine when the room stops spinning.”

  I cupped his face and lost myself in his grey eyes. “Breathe in and out slowly.”

  Nodding, he did as I said while holding my gaze. With his dark, short hair and full beard, his eyes stood out. Inside those blue-grey depths was a passion that I bet no one got to see. Except maybe Trevor.

  Wyatt dipped his head, but before his lips touched mine, a knock sounded on the door. It was more like a pounding. I sighed and led Wyatt to the bed. Pushing him to sit, I kissed him quickly on the lips. “I’ll get rid of them.”

  He grabbed my wrist, drawing my attention to his frown. “As much as I want you to myself right now, you might as well let them in. They will want to know why you left like you did.”

  He was right. Each of them needed to know about my insane emotions and the past that haunted me. With them all together, I didn’t have to repeat myself four times.

  I pulled the door o
pen. Zane stood front and center, flanked by Dimitri and Trevor. Rolling my eyes, I moved aside to let them in. Zane took a step inside and then lunged for me, wrapping his arms around my waist and flatting my body to his. Then he buried his nose against my neck. “You left.”

  A sigh escaped me, and I hugged him back. I noticed how the wolf used the demon mark to check on me. Like being pressed to his human didn’t tell him enough. The thought gave me hope that mating with Zane would alter the demon mark enough that I could use it to mark the others as mine. Forever binding the six of us together. Yes, six. If I mated with them, Wade would be included.

  When I pulled back to step out of his embrace, Zane lifted my legs off the ground. He carried me to the bed and laid me down, pinning me to the middle of the mattress.

  Next to us, Wyatt cleared his throat. “You going to mate her in front of all of us?”

  Zane growled, and I framed his face in my hands. “No growling.”

  A smile curved his lips. He pressed his lips to mine in a lingering kiss before rolling to his side next to me. “Why did you leave?”

  I traced my fingers up and down the arm Zane had draped over my belly. Wyatt stretched out on my other side, while I felt a light touch on my feet. When I glanced down, Trevor smiled and gestured to the bed. “Do you mind?”

  “No, go ahead.”

  He lifted my legs and sat on the mattress far enough back to lay my legs across his lap. Then I felt Wyatt drape his legs over mine.

  “Dimitri, are you going to join us?” I was being a smartass because I wasn’t sure if there was any room for him. On the other hand, I wanted him close, too.

  Just then, the bed dipped, and Dimitri squeezed in between Zane’s and my legs, resting his head on my belly. I lifted my head and met his amused gaze. I also noted how Zane’s fingers inched closer to Dimitri’s hair.