by Lynn Hagen
Was that really silver?
“If we’re going to leave, we need to move now while they are distracted.”
Darcy wasn’t too keen on following behind a stranger, but he wanted his brother back. At this point, he didn’t care what happened to him, just as long as Sterling was safe.
Creeping down the hallway, Darcy found himself in a really large kitchen. Damn, it was nice. He might think cooking was boring, but in this kitchen, even he would have some fun.
“Let’s go,” Cecil whispered as he opened the kitchen door that led into an expansive backyard. There were small cottages built close to the tree lines, about five of them. Just how big was this place?
They hurried around the house, making it to a driveway filled with gravel. Cecil punched the fob on the set of keys in his hand, and a Hummer lit up like a Christmas tree.“Guess we’re taking Montana’s truck.”
“Just don’t scratch it,” Gabby griped.“He’ll kill me. Tanny just bought this. Do you know what he had to go through to get Nero to approve his request?”
“I can just imagine.” Cecil chuckled as he opened the driver’s door.
After they all piled in, Cecil called out a hurried introduction. “Darcy, this is Blair, Gabby, Johnny, Keata, and Oliver. I hear you already know Taylor.”
Darcy nodded at each of them. He wondered if Taylor had said anything to any of these men about their conversation. That would be the only way Cecil knew that Darcy was already aware of who Taylor was. If the man had betrayed him, Darcy was going to clean Taylor’s clock.“Can we go?”
“I like his impatience.” Oliver chuckled.“Let’s go kick some ass.”
Darcy sat there quietly the whole ride, fuming that Raven had left him behind. Who did the man think he was, treating Darcy with such a high hand? When this was over, he was going to tell Raven to take a hike. He didn’t need this kind of complication in his life. He and Sterling could find someplace else to set down roots.
This place was too damn nutty.
Darcy just kept kicking himself in the ass for not listening to his first instincts when he walked into Brac Village. If he had known the place was full of men who could change into animals and vampires, he would have kept on walking, bypassing the town.
When Cecil pulled the Hummer over to the side of the road and cut the lights, Darcy began to open the door.
“Slow down, Darcy. We are about half a mile from the ranch. We need to go in through the woods and check the place out,” Cecil said as he shoved the keys up in the visor and then opened his door.“No running in.”
Darcy slid from the truck, already heading toward the ranch. He wanted Sterling, and he wasn’t going to wait around.
“Gods, you’re stubborn,” Blair shouted as Darcy entered the woods. Fuck, it was pitch-black out here. Darcy’s fear of the dark tried to rear up and strangle him into running back toward the truck, but he wasn’t going to be a chickenshit and leave his brother out there by himself.
He heard the other men running to catch up, but Darcy had already started a light trot. Bears, wolves, and vampires be damned, Darcy was getting Sterling out of that house and out of this town.
Chapter Eight
Raven appeared directly into Sterling ’s bedroom. He had to make sure the guy was all right. Darcy was going nuts worrying about his brother, and Raven would do whatever it took to make Darcy happy and calm.
Too bad he was going to get his ass handed to him when he went back to the Den. It was true he hadn’t told Darcy about shifters, but if he had known there was going to be an all-out war at the ranch, he would have told his mate.
But who in the hell could have predicted this shit?
When Raven saw that the room was empty, he opened the bedroom door and stuck his head out. The hallway was clear. Oddly enough, he didn’t hear any fighting going on downstairs. The quietness was eerie.
Walking toward the top of the stairs, Raven chanced a glance. He saw two wolves sitting at the bottom of the steps. Well, going down that way wasn’t an option. Raven was positive he had seen a dozen wolves entering the Lakelands’. That meant there were ten more wolves around here somewhere.
But where?
And where were the bears? He was concerned about his brothers, but knew Remus and Daniel could hold their own. After all, they had grown up with Magnum as a father.
“You’ll tell me where my brother is or I’ll kill your mate.”
Raven froze. He didn’t recognize the voice, so it had to be one of the wolves. His anger spiked at the thought of one of the bears, or their mates, being threatened. He may not fully trust the bears, or any shifter, but they had taken him in when his own father no longer wanted him. Raven felt honor bound to help the bears out. They weren’t savages, not like his father, and Raven was starting to feel that maybe he could actually settle down here and be a part of this family now that he was mated. Darcy needed a stable home, a place to call his own. Raven had never considered those things before, not until Darcy. He wanted his mate happy. He wanted a place he could build memories with the human.
And what better place than a loving home filled with men that would help Raven protect his mate? But even if he wasn’t looking for a pack, Raven was still going to help the bears.
The bears were always nice to Raven, making him feel welcome. It was Raven who shied away from everyone, refusing to care. If he cared, he could get hurt again. And one betrayal in his life was enough.
But the more time he spent around Malcolm and family, Raven was beginning to see that the Lakelands were a better breed than vampires. Maybe. Hell, he wasn’t sure anymore, but Raven was tired of pushing everyone away. He wanted to be a part of this family. He wanted his mate to be a part of this loving family.
Damn, being mated was turning him into a softie. Who knew?
Glancing at the two wolves still lying on the floor at the bottom of the steps, Raven knew he had no choice. If he was going to save Sterling, he had to go into the living room. It was a huge risk, but Darcy was counting on him.
Here goes another crazy fucking idea.
Raven gasped as soon as he appeared in the living room. A hand was around his neck in seconds, squeezing tight. His claws unsheathed, but they weren’t doing him much good as his vision blurred.
“Who the hell are you?” the stranger snarled.
Raven’s eyes watered. They filled with bloodred tears as he tried desperately to pull air into his lungs. He was being lifted from the floor, his feet dangling as the pressure mounted at his neck. Gods, the guy was going to snap his fucking neck. Raven fought to get free, but the man’s grip was too damn tight.
“You’re killing him!” Malcolm shouted from across the room. “How can he answer you if he can’t speak?”
Through his blurred vision, Raven saw the man shrug. “He shouldn’t have crashed our little party.”
With all the strength he had left in him, Raven reared his leg back and then let it swing. He made contact with something, because the shifter dropped Raven, howling in pain. Let the bastard retrieve his testicles from his throat!
Being a guy, Raven should have known better, but he was fighting not to get choked to death. All’s fair…
Raven hit the floor, clawing at his throat, fighting past the burning pain as he sucked air into his lungs. He wasn’t sure if his damn windpipe was damaged, but it sure as hell felt like it.
Malcolm pulled Raven from the floor, shoving him behind the massive bear. Raven went to his knees, wheezing as he glared at the shifter who had choked him.
“Go ahead, Raven. He’s nothing more than a savage shifter. They know nothing about kindness or mercy. Kill him and feel what it is like to rid the world of violent, unrestrained creatures.”
His father’s words whispered through Raven’s mind as he felt his insides go calm, the feeling of blood on his hands washing over him. His eyes snapped over to another wolf, this one holding his claws against Luke’s throat. Now Raven knew why Malcolm hadn’t killed the bas
tard. They were holding his mate hostage.
“Give him here,” the man who had choked Raven said as he got to his feet.“I want that bastard.”
“No,” Malcolm said as he shook his head.
“Come and get me,” Raven said as he crouched down. His voice was raspy, sounding like sandpaper, but he was quite sure the man understood him.“That is, if you are man enough.”
“You bloodsucking bastard,” the man shouted as he stormed across the room. Raven disappeared, reappearing right behind the wolf that held Luke. In the blink of an eye, Raven snapped the shifter’s neck, pushing Luke toward Malcolm.
The bears roared, charging after the wolves as Raven grabbed Sterling from the corner where the human was balled up, and then he disappeared from the ranch. He had seen that Daniel and Remus were unscathed, and Raven knew his brothers could take care of themselves, but Sterling couldn’t.
As he appeared in the Den, Daniel and Remus appeared with Alex, Steven, Curtis, and Seth.“Where’s Luke?” Raven asked.
“He wouldn’t leave,” Remus said as he glanced around.“Where is Darcy?”
“Take me back!” Curtis shouted.“I fight beside my mate.”
“But you are human,” Raven pointed out as he glanced around for his mate.
“And? It doesn’t matter what my species is. Chauncey is my mate. I fight next to him, die next to him, live next to him. Everything I am is intertwined with my mate. Now take me back!”
Raven was stunned at Curtis’s outburst. He had never looked at Darcy that way. He had looked at his mate as someone he had to protect, someone who needed coddling because he was the weaker species. Watching Curtis grab Daniel and demand that he be taken back made him respect the human and see him in a whole new light.
Had he underestimated Darcy? Could Darcy have fought next to him? Raven thought about how he was choked out and knew in his heart that he wouldn’t have wanted Darcy there. His human mate would have been a bigger target.
“Chauncey will kick our asses if you get hurt,” Daniel pointed out as he brushed Curtis’s hands from his arm.“I’m not taking you back.”
Raven glanced around, but didn’t see Darcy anywhere. He knew his mate was pissed at him, but he was supposed to wait for Raven in the foyer. Raven closed his eyes and opened the blood call, letting out a slew of curses when he felt where his mate was presently at. Darcy’s blood called to Raven, and it was in the direction of the ranch.
“Darcy went back to the ranch,” he said as he staggered a bit backward. His mate had gone back to the battle. What in the fuck had his mate been thinking? Didn’t he trust Raven to get Sterling to safety? Raven wasn’t sure if he should be pissed or offended.
“Then take me to him,” Sterling said as he grabbed Raven’s arm, tugging at it.“My brother risked everything to save me. I can’t let him fight alone.”
Raven looked into Sterling’s light-grey eyes, unsure of what he should do. Darcy would never forgive him if Sterling was hurt, but his mate had disobeyed Raven and put his own ass in harm’s way.
He was going to paddle Darcy’s ass.
“He should be fighting,” Curtis said as he fisted his hands at his sides.“Mates are not creatures who should be tucked away when bad shit happens. We fight with our mates.”
Sterling nodded.“I want to go back to Riley.”
Did Sterling know Riley was his mate, or did he just feel the pull? “I can’t,” Raven said as he quickly disappeared from the Den. There was no way he was taking the mates back into the battle. The bears would kill him.
Raven appeared in the yard at the ranch, seeing the timber wolves had arrived and joined in on the fight. Raven growled when he saw Cecil. That man was nothing but trouble. In the short time Raven had been around the pack, he got the distinct impression that Cecil was a terror on two legs.
“Where is Darcy?” Raven shouted.
Cecil shook his head as Taylor levitated the grill on the back porch and threw it at the wolf.“He ran inside.”
His mate was going to shorten Raven’s life. This time Raven used the door. He wasn’t about to be caught off guard again and get choked. Once was enough. He entered the kitchen, hearing the fighting in the living room. Raven raced ahead, spotting his mate running up the stairs, and a wolf close on his heels.
Damn it!
“Sterling!” Darcy shouted as Raven raced up the stairs, tackling the wolf before he leapt toward his mate. Goddammit. This night was going from bad to worse. If Darcy fucked around and got himself hurt, Raven was going to be pissed.
After tussling around with the wolf, Raven managed to get free and went after his mate. He would worry about the dead wolf on the steps later, although it was eating at his conscience that he had to take a life.
He was not his father.
“Where is Sterling?” Darcy asked in a panic, his coppery eyes darting wildly around the hallway.
“Safe, where you should have been,” Raven snarled as he grabbed his mate around his waist and took him to the Den.
“Darcy!” Sterling shouted.“Oh, gods. I thought those wolves were going to kill you.”
Raven watched as Darcy grabbed Sterling, tears in his eyes as he hugged his brother. Now that he knew both men were safe, Raven went back to the fight.
He’d deal with his mate later.
“ Let’s go, Sterling,” Darcy said as he pulled his brother toward the door. He had to get out of this crazy place. If he didn’t, he just might end up as crazy as everyone else. Just that one battle and Darcy knew he couldn’t handle living here.
These people were fucking nuts.
And the biggest nut of them all was Raven.
“But I don’t want to go, Darcy,” Sterling said as he covered
Darcy ’s hand with his.
“What do you mean you don’t want to go?” Darcy asked as he tugged on Sterling’s hand, trying to get his brother moving.“You saw what it was like there. Can you honestly tell me that you don’t want to leave? We just saw men change into animals. How could you not want to leave, Sterling?”
“Because,” was the only answer Sterling gave. Darcy narrowed his eyes. “You don’t want to leave Riley, do you? Is that it? You don’t want to leave this madhouse because you have some crush on a guy? He’s not even a guy, Sterling. Riley is a bear.” How could he make his brother see what Darcy saw? Staying here was only asking to be attacked again.
Sterling shrugged, his expression petulant.
Was the man seriously pouting?
He so didn’t need this right now, because if Darcy admitted the
truth to himself, he didn ’t want to leave either. But he couldn’t risk Sterling’s life. His brother meant more to him than all the craziness in the world.
Or in Brac Village.
“Listen to me.” Darcy released his brother’s hand, cupping Sterling’s face.“We stick together. Where I go, you go, and vice versa. Remember that?” Darcy asked as he smiled weakly at his baby brother, the pressure in his hands becoming firmer on Sterling’s face. “What if the next time you get hurt, or worse? I can’t live with that, Sterling.”
Sterling looked on the verge of tears, but nodded, placing his hands over Darcy’s.“Okay.”
Darcy was relieved that Sterling wasn’t going to fight him on this. He grabbed Sterling’s hand, and got the hell out of that place. As much as he hated the darkness, Darcy was willing to face his fear in order to get Sterling out of this town.
What if the next time Sterling didn’t make it?
The thought made Darcy feel physically sick.
The further they walked toward town, the heavier Darcy’s heart felt. He thought it would be easy to walk away, that it would be easy to leave Raven behind. It wasn’t. Darcy hadn’t realized how much he had come to care about the man. In a short amount of time, Darcy had fallen in love. He blew out a slow breath, trying his best to hide his inner misery of being separated from Raven. This was for the best. And knowing he was getting Sterling away from the cra
ziness didn’t make leaving Raven hurt any less.
He thought of how Raven held him like he mattered. Like he was the only one in the world Raven cared about. Darcy thought about the man’s gorgeous smile, the way Raven touched him with such care. The way the man’s kisses drove Darcy to the edge every single time.
Fuck, he needed to stop thinking about Raven.
If he kept thinking about how Raven made him feel, or what Raven did to his heart, Darcy would never leave. He would run back to Raven like a moth drawn to a burning flame. Turning so Sterling couldn’t see him, Darcy wiped away the tears that had started to fall.
Gods, why was leaving Raven so damn hard? It was like his heart was chained to the man, and he couldn’t get free no matter how much distance he put between them.
“We could always go back,” Sterling said quietly next to him.
Yeah, they could. But where would that leave them tomorrow night, or the night after? He just prayed he was strong enough to stay away. It was killing him. Darcy wanted to leave, and he wanted to stay. He was so confused. It was such a hard choice. He wanted the pleasure he knew his mate could bring him, the happiness he knew he could find in the man, but he couldn’t deal with the pain of knowing Sterling was in constant danger.
It also dawned on him that Raven was in constant danger as well. Could he live with that knowledge? Could he deal with the fact that he could lose the man? Gods, he didn’t know what to do. He just did not know what to do.
“Darcy, listen to me,” Sterling said as he laid a hand on Darcy’s upper arm. “We should go back. Running away never solved anything.”
“We’re not running away,” Darcy snapped, trying his best to hide the fact that he had been crying.
“Sounds to me like you’re trying to convince yourself of that fact,” Sterling replied.“You care about Raven. Why are you running from him?”
Because.
Goddammit. Darcy knew why he was running.
He was running because he couldn’t trust his heart in Raven’s hands. He was too terrified to let go and love the man. He was a worrier, a pessimist. And lord knew Darcy was the biggest overanalyzer on the planet. He had flipped his relationship with Raven over and over again, but couldn’t make any sense of it.
