She scrambled to him and straddled the bike behind him. She clung to him as if he were her lifeline. If the supposed image in her head was real, he could see why. He tried to push the thought of her nearly killing Ezekiel from his mind as he sped through the woods back to camp. It was no use. It assaulted him over and over.
He pulled to a stop in the place his bike sat beside the other vehicles, his tires matching the worn grass as if it was home. He helped Kai from the back of his bike and hurried across the camp to the gym. He didn’t know where she went. Fuck, at this point he didn’t care. He needed to stow the amulet again and rehang the bag before his entire family figured out he had almost sacrificed their fate and the fate of the entire planet during the first blowout fight he had with his mate.
Abraham lifted the bag until it stood straight and jammed the amulet inside. It slipped from his hand as he stumbled back and cursed in fright.
“Sorry,” Kai apologized.
“Where the fuck did you come from?” Abraham asked as he thumped himself in the chest to slow his stampeding heart.
“I followed you.”
“You normally take off for the forest. My family is on their way.”
She looked away while she scuffed her bare toe on the mat. “They’re my family too now. I suppose I better meet them.”
“Suppose so.” Abraham bent over to pick up the bag. He wrestled it back to standing. At least it felt like wrestling. He had an easier time subduing opponents than he did dealing with this.
“Can you get that up there by yourself?” Kai pointed to the bracket and chain hanging from the ceiling,
“Not easily. I’ll make do.”
“Can I help?”
“Sure. Get on the other side. We’ll lift together. Then I’ll figure out how to brace it while I hook the chains up.”
They both grunted as they lifted. Abraham did his best to balance the bag on his bent knee and hip as he reached up for the chains above. The weight was lifted from him. He glanced up to see the chains snaking themselves into the eyelet holes of the bag.
He gazed at Kai to see her staring at the serpentine chains. He glanced back up to the ceiling and back to her.
“If you were going to do that, you could have just told me. I would have let you,” he commented with a smirk.
She smiled at him as she caressed his hands still clinging to the bag. “We wouldn’t have done it together.”
He grinned at her. It was the first time since he’d found her in Momma’s cabin that he did. His soul was still torn. Fuck, she went from one extreme to the other in minutes. Could he trust her?
“Abraham, where the fuck are you?”
Abraham sighed and laid his forehead against the bag. “Shit. Joe’s back. I gotta go. You can escape through the kitchen.”
Her hand trembled against his and he noticed her swallow hard. “Nope. I’ll go with you. Lead the way.”
He pulled his hand free and wrapped it tight around hers. He led her out of the family building to meet his family. The single brothers were still pulling luggage out of the cars. Most had gathered at the steps of Momma’s porch.
“Where were you?” Josiah demanded as Abraham and Kai approached.
“We were in the gym,” Abraham answered. “I was showing off my sweet fighting skills to my mate.”
“Speaking of your sweet fighting moves,” Micah interjected, “I have talked to every promoter. Nothing. They can’t fit your fight in.”
“Meaning?” Abraham questioned.
“Meaning the fight that has to happen isn’t. Not unless you’re going to fight Loch on the lawn at the North Cabin.”
“Fuck, no.”
Micah shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you then.”
“Fucking fantastic.”
“I see you’re not alone, turd,” Caleb taunted. “Sweet fight moves my ass. Did we interrupt something?”
“Shut it,” Abraham warned.
“Or what?”
Meg smacked Caleb in the chest with the hand not balancing Ruby on her hip. “Stop it.” She gave Kai and Abraham a big smile as she stepped toward them. “Hi. I’m Meg. I’m Cay’s wife and mate.”
Abraham could hardly hear Kai’s response. “Hi.”
She bounced Ruby up a little higher on her hip and gestured to the other women. The little girl wrapped her pudgy legs around Meg’s swollen belly. “The brunette about to burst is Eve, Mike’s wife and mate. She’s not. She’s carrying triplets. And the tall blonde is Sarah, Joe’s wife and mate. Hopefully, in a few months she’s be as big as us. You’re missing Delilah and Henry. They’re off getting hitched to Sam.”
Kai scuttled a bit behind Abraham. Being the center of attention obviously unnerved her. “I’ve seen them. It’s nice to meet you.”
“We’re heading to the kitchen with Momma to start supper. Want to join us?”
“I don’t know how to cook.”
“That’s all right. We’ll teach you. It’s a valuable skill to have as a Hallow mate. These guys eat a lot.”
“Hey,” Joshua protested.
Meg gave him a quick glare and took Kai’s hand in hers. Kai looked at Abraham, alarmed.
“It’s okay,” Abraham encouraged.
“We won’t bite, Kai. I promise,” Meg added. “We were just like you once.”
“None of you are like me,” Kai mumbled.
“That’s true. Let us get to know you. You’re part of our family now. And there are things that are unique to us Hallow mates. We can share what we know with you. And Momma has been so excited to meet you she talked about it non-stop at Littlefoot’s.”
“Momma loves her daughters,” Sarah replied. “And that oddball new son.”
“That I do.” Momma beamed from her perch on the step. “I love all of you.”
Kai glanced back at Abraham as she smiled and nodded. “Okay. I’ll go.”
“Great.” Meg winked at Abraham. “I’ll have her back to you at supper. Does she have a chair?”
“I put it at the table when I found the tattoo,” Abraham answered.
“Fantastic. See all you guys later.”
Abraham watched with the other brothers as Momma and the mates disappeared through the door that led to the kitchen with Littlefoot on their heels. One by one the Hallows shuffled off to do their own things. He noticed the scuff of dirt beside him but never took his gaze off the building.
“She’s becoming one of them,” Ezekiel warned.
“What? A mate?” Abraham questioned.
“Yeah. Those girls have started their own freaky tribe against us. They even have Henry starting to act like them.”
Abraham chuckled “I don’t think they’re against us.”
“What makes you say that?”
“They feed us. Be honest. Living with the seven of us hasn’t been easy. They’ve given up everything to be our family. Fuck, they have to live in the woods in the middle of Nowhere, Minnesota.”
Ezekiel seemed to ponder it for a moment. “That’s true.”
Abraham gave him a side-eye glance. “Do you have that knife you found?”
“In my cabin. Why?”
“It’s mine.”
“Why is your fucking knife in my cabin under my bed? Are you trying to kill me?”
“No. But Kai was.”
“What the fuck?”
Abraham shot a look around the camp. A couple of the other brothers had heard Ezekiel shout. “Shit. Keep it down. Can we talk?”
“Yeah. Let’s go to my cabin. I’ll give it back if you promise me she won’t plunge it in my heart.”
“Yeah. I think that strange power that mates us together prevents her from doing it. She says some great force kept her from getting rid of you. You’re good.”
“Awesome.”
The two men strode across the camp to Ezekiel’s cabin. Once they were inside with the door shut, Abraham plopped down onto the leather sofa while Ezekiel retrieved the knife from his kitchen drawer.
He laid it on the coffee table in front of Abraham. “So tell me what the hell happened.”
“You all left. I was heading to the kitchen figuring that Kai took off. Instead I found her looting Momma’s bedroom for the amulet. She told me that Neptune is holding her family captive and torturing them. He wants her to kill us and bring him the amulet.”
“What about Henry? The amulet is pretty much worthless without him.”
“I guess she convinced Neptune that delivering the Heka couldn’t be done. Fuck knows what that asshole has planned to get his hands on Henry if we were gone. Anyway, I dug the amulet out of the bag and dragged her to the lake to send her away. But instead she told me that she couldn’t leave me. And that she loved me. She gave it back to me and has been glued to my hip ever since.”
Ezekiel dropped onto the couch next to him. “Dude, I’m all for true love, but this bitch wants to destroy us.”
Abraham frowned. “Hey. I get the threat but she’s still my mate. Call her bitch once more and I’ll kill you.”
“Sorry. But you get what I’m saying. She went from a murderous rampage to smitten lover in a millisecond. Can you trust her?”
Abraham shrugged. “No. But yes. I don’t know. That’s why I came to talk to you. And frankly, you’re no help.”
“Sorry, dude. Maybe I’m the last person you should talk to. I don’t have one yet so I have no idea how all that mystic voodoo works.”
Abraham grinned at him. “Woe to the poor female who ends up with you.”
Ezekiel laughed as he shoved him. “Yeah, yeah. Get out of my house. Hey, you know the Luchador fights tonight.”
Abraham’s eyes grew wide. Shit, he’d forgotten all about it, and tonight he was fighting for the belt. He was going to have to bail on the family dinner to get there in time. Josiah was going to go fucking ballistic. “Thanks for reminding me. I bought tickets for it.”
“And you’re not taking me?”
Abraham’s blood turned to ice. Of course Ezekiel wanted to go. He’d only been begging for the last few weeks to join him. “I was going to take Kai but we can round up another ticket.”
Ezekiel waved him away. “I’m not going to be the third wheel. But next time you’d better take me and leave her.”
“Consider it done.” Abraham gave his brother a mock salute before he hurried out. He had only minutes to get his gear, extract his mate from his sisters-in-law and his mother and get on the road. He hopped up the steps of his own cabin in one leap and threw open the door. Once he stowed the knife away safely in a drawer, he searched for his bag. He did a double check of his gear and raced across the camp toward the family building.
He was met with a chorus of giggles as he slipped into the kitchen. He smiled for a moment as he watched Kai. She was laughing along with the rest as if she belonged with them all her life. He was so grateful she fit in.
His smile faded as he looked up at the clock on the wall. Shit. They had to go.
The chatter stopped when he stepped into the room. “Yes?” his mother questioned.
“Sorry. I just need to talk to Kai privately for a second if you don’t mind,” Abraham answered.
His mother grinned at him. “Go on. Make it quick. Kai is amazing.”
“Sure.” Abraham took Kai’s hand and led her outside.
“What do you need?” she questioned.
Abraham glanced around to make sure no one was around to hear him and pulled her close. “We have to go.”
“Why?” Kai’s voice was almost a screech.
“I forgot the Luchador wrestles for the belt. This is a huge deal. We have to leave now to make it in time. Plus, I have to get you a ticket and a lanyard to get backstage. Can you go now or do you need to grab something?”
She nodded. “I’m ready to go.”
“Good.”
They snuck hand in hand across the vacated camp. Abraham slipped the bag onto his back and climbed onto his motorbike. He waited patiently for Kai to do the same. He fired up his bike and fled down the trail before anyone found them escaping.
Chapter Ten
Josiah leaned against the doorframe as he watched the family filter in and find their place at the table laden with food. It looked like the wood was bowing under the weight of their supper. He smiled. He’d been thinking about all this for a while. Each of the seven brothers were alphas in their own way. They followed no one and that was probably a good thing with the apocalypse that was headed their way.
But here? Here they were normal. Here they were a large dysfunctional family settling down for dinner. There were no vampires, no mermaids, no evil magic. It was just family.
He watched as Caleb pulled the chair out for Meg and took Ruby from her arms and set the little girl in the wooden highchair Littlefoot had carved for her. Caleb was a grade A asshole. But he was a good husband and father. Despite his bastard attitude he doted on Meg and Ruby.
Maybe there was hope for all of them yet. Josiah pulled out his own chair and sat at the head of the table where his father used to sit.
He frowned at the two empty chairs at the opposite end of the table as everyone settled in. “Where’s Abe and Kai?”
“Fuck if I know,” Caleb replied. “Can we eat? The girls made chicken and I’ve been dying for it since the full moon.”
Josiah huffed. There was the asshole in Caleb, thinking of his stomach over his little brother.
“Kai didn’t come back after Abe came to talk to her,” Eve added. “She probably was overwhelmed with us all. Which was a shame. I like her.”
“Me too,” Momma confirmed. “She’s quiet but she’s also funny. And very helpful.”
Ezekiel snorted. The entire room looked at him as he stuffed his face with a drumstick.
He spoke with his mouth full of chicken. “They’re probably gone.”
Josiah growled. “Why the fuck would they be gone?”
“The Luchador wrestles tonight. You know Abe can’t miss that stuff, especially since the Luchador is fighting for the belt. It’d kill him if he missed his idol win his first belt.”
“Shit.” Josiah shoved his chair away from the table and stood. “You couldn’t have told us sooner.”
Caleb threw a fresh-baked roll at Ezekiel. “Or waited for the rest of us?”
Ezekiel looked at Josiah. “As Momma used to read to us, ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’ And the answer to that is fuck no.” He then glared at Caleb. “You want to food fight, asshole?”
Josiah strode to the door, stopping long enough to pull on the back of Caleb’s shirt. “Come on, we’re going after them.”
“Fuck you. I’m eating. What is the big deal?” Caleb countered.
“Vampires. Mermaids. Fuck knows what else. They’re going to get killed.”
Micah pushed away from the table and rose. “I’ll go. You need a cool head with you.”
Josiah shook his head. “You need to keep peace between Zeke and Cay.”
Sarah crossed her arms over her chest and glanced from Caleb and Ezekiel. “Go, sweetheart. I’ve got this. If anyone throws any more food, they’ll deal with me and the rest of the girls.”
They lowered their heads muttered an apology. Josiah doubled back to his chair to kiss Sarah. “You’re amazing.”
“Teacher’s voice. Now, go. Take care of Abe and Kai. And go easy on them, love. They’re just testing their wings.”
“Yeah. In a shark tank.” Josiah waited for Micah to kiss Eve goodbye before they raced out of the family building to Micah’s Jeep.
Josiah didn’t say a word as they sped through the woods and down the interstate to Duluth. Micah was silent also but the tension between them was thick as the late night summer humidity bearing down on them. Micah was right. He needed to be there as a clear head. When Josiah got his hands on Abraham, things were going to blow up.
He wasn’t distracted by his rage enough to notice the new gas station that stood where Sharky’s once was. In fact, it looked exactly like Sharky’s h
ad before it was burned to the ground. No one was allowed to build there, but unfortunately, he’d have to look into it later. He had bigger problems right now.
The sound of the crowd echoed to the outside as Micah pulled into the first spot he saw in the back of the lot. They jumped out and ran for the veteran’s hall. No one was at the ticket counter as they approached and slipped by. How long had this thing gone on?
Josiah looked up at the ring to see the match going on as they shoved their way through the crowd. The two wrestlers inside were going at it pretty fierce. One was hairy and looked like a bodybuilder. The other was smaller with a mask and covered nearly head to toe.
“Is that masked one the Luchador?” Josiah shouted to Micah.
“I have no fucking clue,” Micah replied.
“Yes, that’s the Luchador. How do you not know the Luchador?” A guy pressed tight to them, guzzling a beer and glared at them.
“We don’t come to these,” Micah admitted.
“Why fucking not?”
“Not our thing.”
“Well, you can take your pansy asses back to your coffee shop and sip on your lattes. My boy is about to win the belt.”
Josiah took a menacing step toward the man. Micah slapped his hand on Josiah’s chest and pushed him back. “Abe. Kai. We’re here for a reason.”
Josiah nodded with a huff. “Right.”
They weaved their way through the bodies but froze as the crowd erupted around them. They looked back at the crowd to see the Luchador rising from the mat. His opponent lay flat on his back, his barrel chest rising and falling in defeat. They watched as the Luchador’s hand was raised in victory and the belt was strapped around his waist.
“Joe, look.” Micah pointed toward the fenced-off red carpeted lane that led to the backstage. A familiar brilliant colored head of hair nudged through the raucous crowd.
“Kai.” Josiah led Micah through the crowd toward her. For being so little, she moved as fast as they did. She wedged herself through a break between two fences. After she showed the security guard the lanyard around her neck, she scampered behind the curtain.
“Why’d she go backstage?” Micah question.
“Fuck if I know. Maybe Abe’s back there.”
Bantamweight Page 10
