“Hey, time to wake up. Come on. We’ve got company.”
“Aria…” It was whispered.
I heard a grinding noise. I turned to see sparks flying outside. The bastard had a powered grinder and was cutting away at the door. Shit. Shit. Shit. Who the fuck carried power tools with them? I pulled one of my daggers free and crouched facing the driver’s window. The grinding stopped and I could hear him yell a string of curses. He threw the power tool, and I bit back a smile. Note to self: ballistic nylon and Kevlar had been worth every penny.
He left my field of vision and for a moment I relaxed. I turned back to Inarus. His eyes beneath his lids were moving, but he still hadn’t opened them. I touched his cheek and a moan escaped him.
“Hey—”
Glass shattered, and I only had a second to move before I felt myself being dragged from the car. I lashed out, but the spray of glass had thrown me off. Unyielding arms held me and another pair of hands ripped my blade from my fingers. I tried to pull my fire in a vain attempt to defend myself, but nothing happened. We were still within the boundary of the wards. I elbowed my attacker in the face, and felt a grim satisfaction when warm drops of blood fell on my neck and shoulder.
He cursed and adjusted his grip, pinning my arms to my sides. Another man came to his aid. He picked up my still kicking feet, and the two of them dragged me towards an awaiting vehicle.
I kicked and bucked with everything in me, flailing like a rabid animal. Sweat dripped down my spine despite the chill of winter. Aiden dropped me and my back collided with cold pavement. Air whooshed out of my lungs but I recovered quickly. I pulled my second blade free from my sheath and stabbed him in the thigh before I twisted sharply in an attempt to free my legs, but the second man wouldn’t release me. Aiden grunted but grabbed me once more. It was like he’d barely felt the wound. I bit his hand, tasted the copper of his blood on my tongue. He slapped me across the face and I saw stars. Then he pried my second dagger out of my hand while his friend all but sat on me.
“Feisty little thing,” he said.
“Sonovabitch, Aiden! Let me go.” I arched my back while drawing my right leg forward and managed to hook my leg around my assailant’s neck, pulling hard with my leg to get him off of me.
“Ah, come on, Vince. You’ve got to be quicker than that,” Aiden chided. “Rookie mistake.”
I struck out with my fist, connecting with Vince’s jaw. His head snapped back, and before he could recover, I delivered a kick with everything I had to his midsection. He doubled over. I spun and kicked out, using my momentum to kick him with my booted foot in the head. He crashed to the ground, and I turned just in time to deflect a punch to my face.
“Aria, when are you going to learn to play nice?” Aiden had a wicked grin on his face. He stood with his arms hanging loose by his sides, his legs positioned in a fighter’s stance. I carefully stepped around him, watching his every muscle. I saw them bunch just before he struck again. As his fist shot out, I used my left hand to grab the top of his left elbow around the joint. I shot out my hip and, stepping forward, I shoved my right arm beneath his raised arm and turned my back into his chest. Bending my arm to grab hold of his shoulder with my palm, I stepped back into him as I pulled his body over mine in a twisting motion.
I bent my legs to absorb the weight of his body and violently leaned my chest forward, pulling down with both of my arms. His back slammed into the asphalt. He gasped. Without waiting for him to recover, I straddled his body. I punched him in the jaw, but before I could land the second punch, he shoved me off of him and sent me sailing into a nearby lamppost. My head smacked against the pole, and for a split second my vision blurred. Three Aidens walked toward me.
I felt hands grab me by the collar of my jacket. Instinctively, I struck out. My fist connected with hard flesh. He slapped me across the face, hard, before twisting me around. He wrapped me in a vise-like grip and began dragging me towards the waiting vehicle. I kicked and bucked beneath his hold.
“Stop struggling and get in the damn car,” he growled in my ear.
“Fuck you,” I said. I threw my head back, connecting with his nose.
“Jesus Christ.” I whirled on him as soon as he released me. He held his hand to his face. Blood seeped out through his fingers. “Fuck, would you stop that?!”
A glint of metal caught my eye. Aiden followed my line of vision. His eyes narrowed, and we both lunged for the blade. My fingers wrapped around the hilt just as I felt him slam into my back. I slid across rough pavement, my cheek feeling like it had just been rubbed with rough sandpaper. He knocked the blade from my hand before kicking me in the stomach when I tried to scramble after it.
Air left my lungs in a whoosh and I rolled to my back, hugging my midsection.
“Your mother wants to see you,” Aiden told me. He loomed over me as I fought to catch my breath.
“Well she, and you, can go fuck yourselves.” I swiped his legs out from under him, and before his body hit the pavement, I was already running. I grabbed my dagger and turned just in time to block a fist from connecting with the side of my jaw.
I felt a familiar simmer in my blood. I’d passed the invisible boundary. Fire came rushing to me in a wave of power. Without conscious thought, I let the flames engulf my hands, licking tendrils up my forearms.
Aiden smiled, and I only had a moment to wonder why before I felt my body soar through the open space. My back collided with a brick wall. A scream wrenched free from my throat of its own volition.
Blood filled my mouth, and I could only stare and watch as Aiden walked towards me.
“You always have to make things difficult, don’t you?”
Blood dripped from the corner of my mouth. I couldn’t move my legs, and my head swam. “You know me, always one for dramatics.” I smiled, or at least tried to under the fresh wave of pain that racked my body.
I heard a scrape of metal and turned to see Inarus crawl out of the passenger side of my car.
“Oh look. Two for the price of one,” Aiden said.
“Don’t fucking touch him,” I bit out. I pulled my fire to me, but it barely flickered an inch above my skin.
“Tsk tsk. Can’t have you using your pyrokinesis, now can we?” he chided before crouching in front of me. The bastard was shielding my abilities. I wiggled my fingers, but not my body. This was going to hurt. Every muscle in my body ached with a visceral pain that made even breathing difficult. “Let’s get you in the car, and then…” He turned to Inarus, watching as he struggled to stand. “Then I’ll take care of my dear old friend.”
I plunged my dagger into his chest while he looked at Inarus. Shock washed over his features as he turned to stare down at the blade embedded in his chest.
“Fire isn’t my only trick,” I said. His jaw clenched, and just as I pulled my dagger free, he disappeared. “COWARD!” I yelled, knowing that he was gone and couldn’t hear me.
I slumped against the wall and stared at the body of my other assailant. He still lay motionless on the ground. Ignoring him, I tried to stand and failed twice before I finally got my legs under me. My body swayed, and I leaned against the wall, resting my cheek against the cool brick. Come on. You could do this. You need to move.
Inarus took slow and measured steps towards me. His body wavered, but I watched in satisfaction as he pushed on.
“We need to get out of here,” he said as he reached me.
I looked at my Civic and shook my head. “Any ideas?”
Inarus clenched his jaw and reached out for me.
“You can’t be serious,” I said. He could barely stand, let alone port two people.
I heard a moan and turned to see the man on the ground start to sit up. Shit.
“Don’t really have a choice,” Inarus said. His mouth was set in a grim line.
“We could kill him first, then rest before…” I took a step forward. My knees buckled beneath me. Okay, I could crawl over to him and then stab him. Maybe. Before I could
try, I felt a tug and my body was pulled in a blur of motion that had my stomach rolling. I only had a moment to register where he’d ported us to before my body collapsed. I landed next to Inarus’ already motionless form and my vision went dark.
I opened my eyes to find Caden sitting in a chair beside me. The young cub looked exhausted. Dark shadows rested beneath eyes that looked haunted.
“Hey—”
He jumped at the sound of my voice. “You’re okay?” he asked. His sandy blond hair stuck out in random directions, and his clothes were wrinkled and hanging off of his limbs. He looked like he’d slept in the chair next to me.
“Yeah, I’m okay.”
I scanned the room, trying to find Inarus.
“He’s okay too,” Caden said, answering my unspoken question.
“Who?” I asked. I pushed myself into a sitting position. My muscles protested but nothing felt broken, for which I was grateful for. I rubbed the back of my neck and felt dried blood stuck in the back of my hair.
Caden smiled, a boyish smile that wiped away his worried expression.
“Inarus. He’s in the shower, but he should be out soon.”
I released a sign of relief. “Good.” I reached out and gave Caden’s hand a squeeze. “Thank you.” Caden grew two inches with the thanks, and I smiled before a question rose to the front of my mind. “Why did Inarus port us here?” I asked. The walls were familiar and clearly part of the Compound. The walls were covered with magazine photos of skateboarders and snowboarders. The more I looked, the more I saw touches of Caden’s personality in the decor. The seventeen-year-old boy had a love for anything on a board. I was clearly in his bedroom, by the looks of things.
Caden’s expression grew sheepish. “He’s visited me a lot, ya know. Ever since you two rescued us.” The “us” he was referring to were him and the other shifter children Inarus and I had taken from the HAC. We’d stumbled across them by chance while I’d been inside the Human Alliance Corporation. It was the moment I’d realized that my mother was never going to be the woman I’d grown up believing her to be, and it was when the line had been drawn in the sand.
“He has?” I asked. Shock colored my tone.
Caden laughed. “Don’t act so surprised. He’s a good guy. He’s, I don’t know, been there for me. It’s been hard to adjust.” I knew it had been. Caden had been the oldest of the children we’d rescued, at seventeen years of age, and one of only two who we’d been unable to locate parents for. The others had been relocated to their respective homes, all but one belonging to Packs outside of the Pacific Northwest, which was why the Pack hadn’t known they were missing in the first place. They weren’t one of Declan’s, and the other Packs hadn’t ever reached out for aid. Penny’s parents had requested to move into the Pacific Northwest Pack when it became clear that she wasn’t able to adjust back in her hometown in Phoenix, Arizona, and Wyatt and Caden’s parents were both deceased. We’d found relatives to take in Wyatt, but Caden had become a ward of the Pack. His parents had lived in Grangeville, Idaho, a tiny town a little over four hours away from Spokane. They’d kept to themselves, and without any parents to search for a missing child, no one had known that Caden was gone.
He had been making recent strides, but I’d assumed it had been due to Pack influences. I was wrong and pleasantly surprised.
“I’m glad he’s been there for you,” I said, my heart warming at the thought, even though my mind struggled to understand why he’d done it. When Inarus and I had rescued the children from the HAC, he’d made it clear that they were “only shifters,” and Caden had almost been left behind when he’d refused to take Inarus’ hand and time was running out. Why did he now decide to take an interest in Caden?
Inarus emerged from the bathroom before I could ask. His jet-black hair was still wet and had a slight curl to it that I didn’t notice when it was dry. He was dressed in a fresh pair of dark blue jeans and a black shirt that showcased his broad shoulders and narrow waist. He still had lingering bruises on his face from the crash and a large scrape on his forearm, but he looked whole otherwise.
“You’re up,” he said, and walked further into the room to take a seat at the edge of the bed.
“Yeah, how long was I out?” My head was still pounding and my body was sore, but otherwise I felt fine, if not still tired. Inarus turned to Caden.
“About two hours,” he said.
Well, nothing like a little power nap to get you healed and rested. I pushed the covers back and moved to stand. Caden handed me a fresh pair of sweats and I gratefully took them. “Do you mind if I take over your bathroom for a quick shower too?” I asked. He shook his head and I shuffled towards the door, my legs stiff. When my steps faltered, Inarus was there, his hand steady on my elbow. “Thanks.”
“Anytime.” He smiled down at me, and I felt heat rush to my cheeks before pulling away.
“Aria,” Caden called. I turned to face him. He was looking down at his shoes, a worried expression on his face. He ran his hand through his already mussed hair. “I have—”
“You have to tell him I’m here.” He looked up and nodded. “I know. It’s okay.” He looked so relieved I felt awful that he’d had to worry. I knew his duty was to his Alpha, and I was grateful that he’d waited this long.
“I’m sorry. Inarus said you wouldn’t want to see him. That’s why I waited, but he’s…” He trailed off. His eyes filled with worry as they briefly met my own. “He’s not doing too good. He growls a lot and everyone is avoiding him. My leopard gets worried every time we see him and claws inside my skin. I think it’s—” He didn’t finish his sentence, but I knew the rest. It was because of me.
“Are you good?” I asked Inarus.
He nodded. “Yeah I’m fine. Do you want me to stay?”
I shook my head. It would only make things worse if he was here when Declan arrived, and I didn’t want to put Caden in a bad spot, either. I was sure Declan didn’t know about Inarus’ contact with the cub, and it was best if it stayed that way, at least for now.
“No, it’s better if you don’t.” His mouth was set in a hard line. Yeah, I wasn’t too thrilled about this either, but I didn’t have much of a choice. It wasn’t fair to leave Caden to clean up my mess.
“I can port you home,” Inarus offered. I shook my head. It would only make things worse. Declan was going to hunt me down eventually. Better if I was here.
“I’ve got to face the music eventually. Might as well get it over with now.”
He nodded and stepped closer, his hands coming to settle on my shoulders.
“Whatever happens with you and him, I’m here for you, okay?”
I smiled up at him. “I know.”
He ported a second later. Caden slung a pack over his shoulder. “I’m going to go bunk with Rylee,” he said. “You should try and get some sleep.”
“You don’t need to do that,” I told him.
He shrugged his shoulders. “It’s no big deal. Besides, I don’t think you’d make it to your room right now. You’re looking a little rough. I’ll wait another hour or two before finding my Alpha.”
“Alright, thanks,” I said, watching him leave.
The warm shower spray stung the dozens of cuts on my skin, but the heat soothed my muscles and I leaned against the tiled wall, soaking in the warm spray. When the water started to cool, I shampooed my hair, the soap making me hiss as it slid down my body and into my wounds. Rinsing quickly, I turned off the shower and towel dried my hair and body before throwing on Caden’s oversized sweats. The kid was growing like a weed. I had to roll the sleeves of the long sleeved shirt and roll the waistband so the legs didn’t drag.
The room was empty when I left the bathroom. I’d half expected to find Declan waiting inside even though Caden said he’d wait a little while, so when I hadn’t, I decided to climb back into bed. I was asleep before my head even hit the pillow.
A warm body was wrapped around mine and I snuggled deeper into it, sighing in
contentment. The arm slung around my waist pulled me closer, and a deep purr rumbled against my back. My eyes flashed open.
I moved to pull away, but the arm was unyielding.
“You’re hurt and it’s still early. Go back to sleep.” Declan’s voice was deceptively calm. He nuzzled my hair, and my body seemed to melt beneath his touch.
“What are you doing?” I asked cautiously.
“Mmm, I’m trying to sleep.”
I checked the wall I’d erected, testing it with my mind to make sure it was still standing. It was.
“That’s not what I meant. What are you doing here, in bed with me?” Declan’s arm tightened around my waist.
“You’re my mate and you were hurt,” he said, as if that answered everything.
“I’m angry with you,” I told him.
“I know.” He still didn’t release his hold. “I fucked up.” I tried to pull away again. “Aria, just—” He sighed and I wiggled around to face him. “I just need a minute, okay? I thought I lost you there for a moment.” I bit back the smartass retort and nodded, allowing him to tuck my head under his chin and just hold me.
My body relaxed, instinctively feeling safe in his arms. When he finally let go, I slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
Declan growled beside me, and I turned to see his molten green eyes as he silently took in every scrape and bruise that covered my face and they were many. His eyes hardened when he took in my face and neck. I was sure that my jawline would have a scar. I’d had to pick shards of glass out before scrubbing my face earlier. The bruises would fade soon enough though so I wasn’t overly worried. Right now, my body was prioritizing and I was glad that all I felt was a little soreness. I’d felt a hell of a lot worse when I’d first woken up.
It was a good thing that the shirt and sweatpants Caden had loaned me covered the majority of my body, hiding the purple marks and rust-colored scrapes that all but covered my legs and abdomen as well.
Burned by Fire (Blood & Magic Book 3) Page 11
