Is it bad?
Yes.
Is it impeding-death—bad; or is it serious-injury—bad?
He didn’t answer.
Josh.
Both.
My body didn’t bother to respond to the new information by showing fear. It had been in that state for so long, it had developed a tolerance to it.
Do the vampires want me dead?
Skylar, let me further research the situation. I don’t want to alarm you unnecessarily. His voice was strained; he was hiding a hell of a lot.
Too late. I am already alarmed. Just give it to me straight.
I am not intentionally keeping you in the dark. It is important that I have all necessary information, not just for your sake but for that of the pack as well.
There was a long silence between us.
Will we be able to talk like this from now on?
No. It’s a blood-bond connection I established with you in order to use you as a conduit. It’s residual magic from earlier. I am about to release you from it now.
Why? I like it.
It’s too draining on me to block you from all the thoughts and information in my head. When we are connected like this, I can read your thoughts, and if I am not careful, you can read mine.
Are the thoughts in your head so disturbing that they need to be hidden?
Nah, just magic and pack stuff. Just a lot of boring things that need to be censored.
I scoffed to myself. They wanted it censored—not needed.
I am sure the ability to communicate like this has benefits that surpass anything you’ll want to censor, I challenged.
Yeah, but keep in mind I can read your thoughts as well. You, my dear, for such a pretty, mild-mannered woman, have an utterly filthy mouth when you’re angry and scared. You have quite an elaborate command of curse words. I forgive you for the dreadful names you called me. I agree, Caleb is unnecessarily melodramatic and far too pretty for a man. I am sure being wrapped in my brother’s arms felt wonderful, but I doubt you could stay like that forever. Yes, he does have the tendency to make the ladies’ hearts go pitter-patter and feel impossibly safe when they are around him. And you are right; it is quite unfortunate that he is a “raging jackass.”
I had no idea how to respond to that.
Do you still like communicating like this? he asked humorously. I find it quite entertaining myself, however I am sure you will become annoyed at some point.
I am not enjoying it so much now, I admitted. He laughed.
Go to sleep, he suggested when my head hit against his shoulder as I dozed off for a few seconds. Sweet dreams, dream girl. A-na rische. Unbind.
Josh, are you still there. I waited a few minutes. Guess not. I repeated the words that he had spoken quietly.
“The bond was broken. You don’t have the ability to reestablish it,” he whispered in my ear.
I tried to rest on the drive home, listening to the soothing sounds of wind bristling through the window in an attempt to ignore the unspoken rage that was screaming, howling and rapping through the quiet. Ethan was angry, shooting tension-filled glares in his brother’s direction. Josh glanced up at the sharp lines along his brother’s frowning face, and sighed as he relaxed back next to me. I didn’t know whether his unease was from the aftermath of dealing with Caleb or the potential wrath he was going to have to deal with from an angered brother.
I had finally gotten to sleep after spending some time with Dr. Baker, a result of Ethan’s overreaction to Caleb’s bite. My pride was wounded more so than the throbbing puncture marks that he had given me. I should have punched him, kicked him in the groin or even bit him back. It was easily treated with antibiotic and a bandage, but they both seemed concerned that a vampire drew blood, quite a bit. I wasn’t your typical were-animal; I had a terait. For anyone else, it was a simple bite and a blood draw—nothing. In my case, it could possibly be something. But after careful observation, Dr. Baker’s concerns were eased.
A quarter after midnight, I was jarred out of my sleep by the blaring sound of Ethan’s angry voice. I rolled over and covered my head with a pillow, trying to drown out the sounds. But his incensed rants only got louder, ripping through the silence of the room. Finally, after several attempts to ignore the sounds, I got up and followed them down the stairs, across the great room to the small room just behind the library where I first met Josh.
Ethan was standing nose-to-nose with Josh, yelling at him at the top of his lungs. “What the hell was that?” Ethan asked furiously. “You didn’t have control of the situation. You told me you knew how to do conduits, and obviously, you didn’t know what the hell you were doing! We could have been hurt tonight, and you could have been killed.”
“Well, by theory I did know how to do it. It’s not like I ever had the opportunity to practice,” His tone was far too relaxed for someone who had an angry wolf screaming at him.
“You were reckless and put us all in danger. You asked me to trust you and let you do your job. Well I did, and you screwed up! I should have been informed of all possible outcomes and potential risks.”
The look on Josh’s face changed as the sparks of his anger ignited. A similar form of anger emerged, matching his brother’s. “Why did I have to tell you anything? You couldn’t have done a damn thing about it! You are just upset because my magic is one of the few things in this house that you can’t control. That is the only reason you have your panties in a bunch and that is just too goddam bad. Go cry about it to someone who gives a crap,” he retorted angrily. “I did my fucking job! Are you doing yours? I wasn’t aware that being a ranting ass was part of the Beta duties; but if it is, you are doing a hell of a job! We have information that we didn’t have and otherwise would not have gotten., information that will help us. And if I weren’t down here playing around with you, I could be doing my research and finishing my job.”
Ethan’s face tightened, his fist clenched into a ball as his nostrils flared. He grabbed Josh by the collar. “Don’t push me, Josh; you won’t like it when I push back,” he snarled.
“Go ahead and push. I’ve just been itching to show you what’ll happen when you do.”
When Ethan didn’t release him, Josh’s eyes flashed. Using magic, he pushed Ethan away from him.
“I did what was necessary and got the job done. You think you could have gotten the same results storming into Caleb’s home ranting, threatening and beating him up? Sorry, but that tactic doesn’t always work. Accept the fact that I achieved something you couldn’t have. If your pride is a little battered, then that’s your problem,” he shouted.
“You smug, arrogant, son of a bitch!”
“Really. Smug? Arrogant? Surely, that is the pot calling out the kettle. Son of a bitch? That is no way to talk about our mother,” Josh replied, his tone losing its edge. He relaxed significantly into his calm persona, after his tirade infuriated Ethan to the level he desired. His lips spread into a charming boyish grin that only ticked off his brother more.
Ethan screeched, giving into his anger. He pushed his brother with such force it sent him soaring back. Before Josh crashed into the wall, he waved his hand in front of him. A chair thrashed against Ethan hard enough to make him stumble. He flicked his hand, and Ethan skidded back further across the room. Ethan quickly regained his footing and lunged at Josh, knocking him to the floor. Pressing his forearm into Josh’s chest, “I’m not fucking impressed with any of the hack magic you managed to pull over these last couple of months. It’s still amateurish at best,” he barked.
“Let’s see what I can do about changing your mind,” Josh countered. He pushed Ethan off him then held his brother immobile the same way he had with Caleb earlier. It lasted for quite some time until Ethan eyes shuddered into an even deeper gray. He broke the hold and punched Josh squarely in the jaw. Pushing Josh into the door, he crashed into it hard, breaking past it and falling just a few feet short of where I stood. They were so blinded by their anger, they didn’t notice m
e. Ethan charged toward Josh but collided with something … a force field? A thin film covered Josh like an egg, protecting him from any further assault from Ethan.
Amateur? Hack? Are you impressed with his magic now? I thought as I watched Ethan’s rage magnify.
His face distorted into a frustrated grimace as he battered it with such force that it sent him flying in the opposite direction. Ethan charged at the field again with so much power it shattered and he collided with Josh. They held each other by their shirt collars. Ethan finally shoved them apart.
That was enough. “Stop it!” I yelled so loudly that my voice cracked from the strain. I moved further into the room. “Ethan. Josh. Stop it! What the hell is wrong with you two?” As I inched closer, I wondered how I was going to break up a fight between an enraged wolf and a pissed off warlock. Brothers who were behaving as though they were mortal enemies. Before I could move in and intervene, a deafening growl erupted, shaking the walls of the room.
Well, hello, Sebastian.
His grand entrance pulsated throughout the room and I’m sure the Greater Chicago area. Members of the pack flooded the room, responding to Sebastian’s angered call. It was quite remarkable that no one reacted to the sound of the brothers going at each other like they were in an UFC title match. I guess this was just another day in the pack’s safe house. Too caught up in their fight, they ignored Sebastian. As they charged at each other, Sebastian moved quickly between them. He pushed into their chests simultaneously, sending them crashing into opposite ends of the floor.
He made eye contact with Josh, who stared back hard before settling back on the floor. Ethan came to his feet. When his gaze briefly locked with Sebastian—he remained still. The anger radiated off him as he struggled to extinguish it without success. Neither one of them made further eye contact with Sebastian; instead, they glared at each other from across the room.
“Enough. Ethan, the conduit was risky but it was necessary and you are going to have to let it go. Inevitably, some of the things Josh does will present us with unavoidable risk. It’s magic. It will always have its hazards. This is not new to you and it doesn’t change because he is your brother. We have to trust him and grant him the necessary autonomy to allow him to do his job. He has never failed us. You are going to back off,” he stated firmly. Ethan nodded once. It didn’t dowse his anger, which was so intense he had to turn his gaze from Josh.
Sebastian turned to face Josh. “And you. Stop being an ass. He’s been your brother for twenty-four years, and you know how protective he is when it comes to you. Would it hurt you to give him a heads up when you know things are going to get a little crazy? He deserves that much. You didn’t give him proper disclosure, and you were wrong for that. He has every right to be pissed with you right now. When you know he’s pissed with you, leave him the hell alone! Don’t antagonize him; it’s juvenile. This fighting between you two is no longer entertaining—it’s just ridiculous and annoying. He’s your brother, but my Beta, and you will respect him as such,” he commanded in a rigid voice.
Josh’s face tightened, a level of irritation and anger shadowing his appearance. “Are we done here?” he asked in a tight voice. When Sebastian nodded, he left, the doors opening and shutting behind him without him touching them. The front door slammed, and I heard his Wrangler speed off. Ethan stalked out of the room soon after.
I began to pick up the splintered furniture and broken accent pieces from the title match between Josh and Ethan. It took an hour to clean up before I returned exhausted to bed, yet sleep didn’t come easily. I lay in the bed staring at the ceiling. Between the earlier magic exhibitions and the brawl between Ethan and Josh, my mind was in chaos. I stared into the darkness. A full moon was coming; I could feel it murmuring, tugging and poking at the wolf, letting it know that soon it would be forced to answer.
Giving up on any ideas of sleep, I pulled on a pair of sweats and headed down the stairs to the gym.
The basement gym was divided into three workout areas. One was set up like a typical gym with cardio equipment, weight machines and free weights, far better than anything I could imagine in a home gym. The other room was rough and rugged: punching bag in one corner, a heavy bag in the other and a large bench with metal barbells and free weights. It was perfect for the person who wanted a hardcore workout without the frills. The third room was used to spar. Unlike the others that smelled like sweat, it smelled like old blood; and though I didn’t think pain had a smell—here, it seemed to have one. There was a large mat in the middle of the room surrounded by mirrors. In the corner, there was a glass front cabinet stocked with numerous weapons used in martial arts, yet I didn’t see any protective gear.
From the left, Ethan’s familiar scent swept over me. Before good sense could prevail, I found myself walking into the second room. He was in the corner, shirtless with sweat running along the defined crevices of his body as he terrorized the heavy bag, no doubt wishing on some level it were his brother. His anger was like a fire sucking out all the oxygen in the room. I started backing away to make a quiet escape when he called me. “Come in,” he urged, taking a break. I hesitated. I wasn’t in the mood to be around the irritated wolf.
I considered ignoring him and heading upstairs. But instead, I walked further into the gym. He started again with the heavy bag, pulverizing it with a series of kicks and punches. He eventually exhausted himself, breathing heavily; he leaned into the bag holding it in place.
“Speak,” he commanded in a low drawl.
“What?”
“I can hear you heart racing and your breathing is slightly ragged. You have something to say. So say it.”
First of all, does anyone else find your freaky superhearing annoying?
He stood still for a while before he turned to look at me, awaiting my response.
My eyes stayed plastered on my fidgeting hands. “I think you were too hard on your brother,” I muttered in a low voice, keeping my head down. When I looked up, he was wiping himself off with a towel, a couple of feet from me. I was an expert at denial but some things were just too blatant to ignore: strongly defined features, supple lips, intense mesmerizing graphite eyes with subtle hints of cobalt, and carnal power that was simultaneously appealing and repelling. His body looked as though he had been sculpted. Long sinewy muscles ran the length of his body. It was quite unfortunate that Ethan came wrapped in such a nice package.
“Was I?” he challenged.
I nodded. “Yeah. I don’t see what was so bad that would warrant you going off the way that you did,” I stated, forcing myself to keep eye contact with him.
He stared at me for a long time. “He was rash and irresponsible.”
“Josh is extremely powerful isn’t he?”
“He’s been gifted with abilities that exceed most,” he admitted reluctantly.
“You’re quite modest. I’ve seen him in action. He’s powerful—very powerful. What would you have him do? Sit back and not use his gifts to help when needed? You wouldn’t tolerate that, so why expect that from him?”
A grave look came over him; he washed his hand over his face, frustrated. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“You don’t trust him.”
“Of course I trust him,” he responded pithily, offended by the accusation.
“Then you should start acting like it. Were there other options, safer options that he ignored? Or did he do what was necessary in this situation to get results?”
He exhaled a heavy breath, his face weighed down by his thoughts. “Being a warlock isn’t like being a were-animal. No matter how inept you are as a were-animal, eventually you can control your animal. With magic, there are too many unknown variables that can change the outcome. It’s the little variables that you don’t think about that are the difference between life and death. I don’t like it,” he admitted. Concern swept over his face briefly before the hardened mask returned.
“Everything has risk, including being a were-animal. He shouldn
’t have to deal with your anger every time things don’t go as expected. It’s not fair to him. I am willing to bet if things went wrong while you were in were-animal form, he would never react the way you did.” I wasn’t sure why I defended Josh. Perhaps it was because he gave me the impression that he was also pulled into this world and was just doing a much better job handling it than I was.
He was quiet for a long time, considering my statement and watching me carefully. “You surprise me sometimes,” he admitted.
“Pleasantly, I hope.” The hostility seemed to have melted away, and standing in front of me was someone approachable—well, as approachable as Ethan could be. There was something about him that always made me feel as though I were just a tendril from petting the wolf to being hunted by it.
He smiled, but his eyes were too intense to appear pleasant. “What was it like, being swept into magic like that?” There was an immensely curious look on his face, and I really wanted to tell him the truth. To tell him it was horrible, terrifying, enigmatic and uncontrollable. I wanted to tell him how scary it was to be drawn into a rampaging tornado while you frantically searched for an anchor or anything that could somehow keep you grounded and planted to the world you knew. And the pain, I couldn’t forget about the pain. So excruciating it felt like I was being filleted, my inside coiled then set aflame. I didn’t want to lie to him, but if I gave him the truth, it would only make things worse for Josh.
He stepped closer, watching me closely with a gaze so probing I felt exposed—naked. Ethan stripped away all my barriers, exposing my secrets. He watched, listened and then touched me. Long fingers trailed along my jaw. When he spoke, his voice was tranquil and low, “No need to tell your lie, or even the modified version of your truth. The answers are in the panic in your eyes, the rapid heartbeat of your anxiety,” he stepped closer; his lips brushed my cheek as he spoke. “It’s in the set of your jaw, clenching at the very idea of reliving that moment.”
He took my arm into his hand, his thumb gently stroking along the pulse, his eyes fixed on me. “Your skin, it’s cool,” he brought my wrist to his face and inhaled, his lips brushed across it, “and fear can be sensed by a predator no matter how faint.”
Moon Tortured (Sky Brooks Series Book 1) Page 17
