by Dana Archer
“The one where Uri’s going to live his life, and I’m going to live mine.” Ezra turns his head to look in my direction. “Without him sticking his nose in it and treating me like a victim.”
Ouch. I flinch at the harsh reality of the other side of Uri’s protectiveness and his sense of obligation toward his twin. While I’ve only seen one interaction between the brothers to base my opinions on, I can’t say I agree with Ezra’s assessment. Of course, Uri is mine. I want to treasure the good in him—defending him to the world—but I won’t lessen what Ezra’s feeling. I have no notion what he’s lived through.
“I saw my first therapist right before my thirteenth birthday. We talked about a lot of stuff.” I laugh at the simplicity of that statement. The issues I have now are nothing compared to the hot mess I was back then. Guilt will do that to a person. “But the most important thing I learned is that everyone’s dealing with their own demons. Some are born by circumstances, others by what we create. Both are dangerous if we feed them. Or if we allow others to feed the demons eating at our souls.”
“Of course you’d defend your mate,” Ezra mumbles under his breath.
“How can I defend something when I don’t know all the details? I’m just saying when we continue to stay in a place that’s not healthy for us—mentally or physically—we’re allowing our demons the perfect environment to grow. And that’s as much our fault as it is those around us.” I glance out the window at the slum I escaped almost two decades ago, the one that sucked Izzy back in. If she ever escaped it at all. Moving somewhere else doesn’t automatically save a person if they seek out the situations they’re familiar with, even if their reason to return to that lifestyle is a noble one.
“You have no idea what it’s like being a blind sh—” Ezra presses his lips into a thin line, then exhales slowly. “You have no idea what it’s like being a blind man.”
“You’re right. I don’t.” I glare at Ezra even though he can’t see my anger. Maybe he can feel it. Hopefully, he can feel it. “And you have no idea what it’s like living with the knowledge your big sister is a rape survivor because she wanted to save you from becoming one.”
Ezra closes his eyes. “Point made.”
Just in time. “Ours is the next stop.”
“I remember.” Ezra scoots forward and grips the back of the seat in front of him. “And when we get to the Crescent Moon Tavern, make sure you and your friend stay in our line of sight. My twin would take my head if something happened to you.”
While I doubt Uri would take such a brutal action against his own flesh and blood, the sentiment sobers me. “Because I can die.”
Ezra inclines his head slightly. “And life without you would be my twin’s hell.”
I force a smile. “But we’d get another chance someday.”
“Maybe. There’s no guarantee Uri will be around when you’re reborn. Suicide’s the number one killer of men like us.”
The bus comes to a stop before I can respond, not that I know what to say. The idea of Uri slipping into such a deep depression without me here to comfort him or pull him back from the edge is chilling.
Kade’s waiting with one foot on the step, his boot holding the door open, and the other on the pavement. He grips my arm, helping me from the bus. I’m perfectly capable of exiting on my own, but after Ezra’s comment about Uri’s possible fate if something were to happen to me, I accept Kade’s help with a smile. “Thanks, Kade.”
He nods in reply, then leads me to the sidewalk where Ezra and Odin are surveying the area, no doubt evaluating those around us for threats. Both dog and man will have different ways to do so and different views as to what constitutes a threat. For Odin, a moving car would be enough. For Ezra, the scent of an enemy might do it.
“Men like us have been down here recently.”
Kade nods at Ezra’s statement. “The same man who killed Lyla’s mother is one of them.”
I grab Kade’s sleeve and tug. “Are you sure?”
“Cedric Yuran’s scent is one I won’t forget.” Kade studies me as if waiting to judge me. “And if it was your male who’d accompanied you today, he’d want to hunt him so he’d never be able to threaten you or yours again.”
Kill him. That’s what Kade’s implying. Uri would hunt and kill the man who hurt my sister all those years ago. I let the knowledge settle over me, but honestly, I’d be more surprised if he didn’t. Or maybe angry. I want Cedric Yuran to suffer for what he’s done. “Only if there was someone to protect me while he did.”
With a small smile, Kade dips his head. “And I’m glad he wised up. Heaven isn’t guaranteed for men like us. We need to claim our slice when we have the chance.” His features harden. “Before she steals it along with your favorite car.”
Ezra sighs while I stand there staring at Kade with my fakest smile. Apparently, Uri’s not the only Alexander who falls into the hot-mess category. “Yeah, I’m glad he wised up too. Um…we better get to the bar before Abby thinks I stood her up.”
Kade clears his throat, then he motions me forward. “Abby’s a local?”
“Originally. She moved away when we were kids. Now she’s back.”
“Hmm.” Kade stops in front of the tavern with his hand on the door. “What is Abby’s last name? You never did mention it.”
“Ernest. Her dad’s family are pig farmers out in the country.” I glower at Kade’s amused expression. “Is there a problem with coming from a working family?”
Kade rubs the back of his hand down his nose, literally wiping off his smile. “No, but I’ll need to stay out of sight in case this Abby Ernest is the same one who’s been a blight on my family. Our history is…” Kade pauses as if searching for the right word. “Unpleasant.” He glances at Ezra. “I’ll watch the streets. Reach out if you have need of me.”
With that, Kade walks away before I can ask any questions about Abby, leaving me with Uri’s blind twin. I reach for the front door, but Ezra’s already holding it open for me. “After you.”
Once we enter, I survey the tavern’s main barroom, searching for Abby and not finding her. We are early, though. Hopefully, she’ll show soon. I turn to ask Ezra where he wants to sit. He’s not behind me. Another quick sweep of the room shows Ezra and Odin making their way to the bar, where Sasha is staring at him with a look of shock. It’s not all that surprising to see Sasha’s reaction. Although blind, Ezra gives off a dangerous vibe.
A woman with her mouth hanging open in blatant appreciation jumps from her seat and rushes over to him while Sasha edges to the opposite end of the bar. Ezra nods at whatever she says and takes the seat next to her at the far end of the bar near the hallway leading to the backrooms. No doubt Ezra’s satisfied with the arrangement as he’s sitting at an equal distance to both the front and back entrances.
Sasha waves me over to where he’s standing behind the bar as far from Ezra as he can get.
“What are you doing here?” Sasha leans close to me. “I thought you learned your lesson about sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”
Tension slithers into my muscles. I try to lean past Sasha’s shoulder to see if Ezra is looking my way. I don’t know if he can hear Sasha’s whisper, but Sasha’s hand on my shoulder stops me. I raise my voice. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Sasha Kostov.”
“Don’t worry about alerting your owner’s twin to my presence. Uri was already in here earlier today asking about the local street girls.”
“My…owner.” The word is hard to get out with my mouth dry.
“Without a bite on your shoulder, that’s how those in my world see you.” Sasha lowers his chin but never takes his gaze off me. “You’re a dominant’s possession only, and that role makes you extremely desirable to other dominants, especially to the one who was supposed to have owned you.”
Although Sasha’s words don’t include any of the trigger words I’ve been conditioned not to utter in public, this topic isn’t one most humans would converse
about.
Sasha’s not human, though.
“You’re like Uri, aren’t you?” I whisper, all too aware of our location.
Sasha nods. “But much older and not as lucky. Uri still has a chance to claim his gift from the heavens.”
“Me.”
Again, Sasha nods. “But as of right now, you’re just the present he hasn’t opened. Maybe unwrapped, but not opened. And until he does, another man can pluck you out of his hands just as my gift was stolen from me.”
“Another man.” I swallow hard and lower my voice to a breath of sound. “You’re talking about Cedric.”
Sasha tucks a lock of my hair behind my ear. “You should’ve let things be. He was content with the knowledge he broke your sister. He was content with the little business he’s been running out of this state for decades, moving from city to town and building his network of dealers.”
“But now he’s not content.” Ezra steps closer to me, Odin on his other side.
Sasha looks from me to Ezra and shakes his head.
“Then he needs to be taken out.” Ezra responds even though there’s no way he could’ve seen Sasha shake his head. “Where is Cedric?”
“I don’t know. Sometimes here. Sometimes not.” Sasha focuses on me. “I’m just the passive contact who allows his dealers to work out of the backrooms. Or I was. I’ve lost his trust.”
And the easy way he’s shared the knowledge sets me on edge. “You need to tell us everything.”
“No, I don’t. Saving you isn’t my fight.” Sasha leans closer. “But if Uri was smart, he’d take the knowledge I’ve shared and act on it.”
“My twin is smart.” The protectiveness in Ezra’s voice is strong. “And he will protect Lyla.”
“Then I’ve done what I needed to do to remain honorable in my female’s eyes, even if I’ll never look into them again.” Sasha pushes away from the bar and turns. “Now get out of here.”
“We can’t. I’m supposed to meet a friend, but it looks like Abby’s running late.”
Sasha stops and glances over his shoulder. “You have no friends in this section of town. Here, people are only nice to you if they can use you to get what they want.”
“Then I’ll do the same.”
Sasha snorts. “You believe whatever helps you sleep at night, Miss Lyla, patroness of the lost.”
“What exactly do you mean by that?” Because it both sums up the work I’ve done for the homeless and makes me sound like a fool.
“When a person’s spent their life struggling, whether it’s for their next meal or against the voices in their head, they’re living in constant prey mode.” Sasha gives me a pointed look. “And victims don’t have friends. They have people they exploit. That’s it.”
I press my lips together, then nod, not liking Sasha’s words but seeing some truth to them. “I’m sorry you feel that way.”
“It has nothing to do with how I feel. I’ve seen more than you can imagine. I’ve lived more years than you can comprehend. I know more about life than you ever will.”
My phone buzzes with a new text before I can respond. I glance at my phone’s display and read Abby’s text out loud for Ezra to hear too:
Running late. Be there in five.
Ezra settles a hand on my arm. “Let’s grab a table for you and wait.”
“Sure, okay.” But I no longer want to wait here for Abby. I want to go home to Uri, where it’s safe. Too bad I can’t. I promised Abby I’d be here. She sounded so excited to see me and said…
She needed a friend.
After reminiscing about the past and listening to Abby’s life story, I’m glad we decided to meet for lunch in a bar. I also understand what Kade meant about Abby being a blight on his family. While Abby has censored her words—alluding to shifters, not outright using any of the trigger words—it’s obvious she knows the Alexander family are Royal shifters. It’s also obvious she’s as troubled as she was back in elementary school.
Now I’m in an awkward spot. I don’t trust Abby. Not one little bit. At the same time, I feel sorry for her. Ugh, this is what Sasha was referring to earlier. I want to help everyone. I can’t do that unless they want to help themselves.
With the mug to my lips, I glance at where Ezra’s sitting at the bar, then take a sip of my third beer, the lightheadedness of a good buzz setting in. “Why are you here?”
Abby toys with the black hair tie around her wrist, a stark contrast to her pale, freckled skin, before pulling the elastic band off and gathering her curly red hair at the base of her skull. “To have lunch with you, of course.”
Abby’s laugh is the amused kind. Too bad I have to push this point. I might have this overwhelming need to help others, but I have too much to live for to blindly trust.
“I mean, why did you come back to this city when you did?” And why did I run into you minutes before Cedric hurt and threatened me? I can’t ask that question, though. At least not yet. While I might suspect Abby of not quite being truthful, it’d be wrong to assume she’s working for Cedric. Paranoia won’t help me.
“I needed a change.” Abby’s laugh turns into a forced chuckle. “I told you that.”
“You did. You also said you were sick.” Dying from extended Elixir use, actually. And now she’s fine. “And your new boss got you the help you needed. What kind of help was that? And what did it cost you?”
“Everything.” A haunted look slips over Abby. “It cost me everything, and I’m not sure it was worth it.”
I wrap both hands around my beer and lean forward. “You mean your entire savings, or something else?”
“So…” Abby’s smile is the fakest I’ve ever seen. “Are you seeing anyone important?”
“Abby.” I let the warning bleed into my voice. “Tell me about this treatment that miraculously reversed the damage to your organs. What was it?”
Abby licks her lips and studies the beer in front of her. “Blood.”
“A transfusion?” Or something else? Maybe blood-tainted Elixir C.
“Something like that.” Abby swipes her hand in front of her as if waving away my questions. “Seriously. Enough about me. Let’s talk about Uriel. What’s he like?”
Every muscle in my body tightens, and my pulse races. Too bad Ezra wasn’t sitting closer to me. The bar is too far away. “I don’t know who you’re talking about.”
“Don’t play games with me. My boss told me all about how you’re involved with Uri.”
The debate plays though my head: try to find out more information to see if Abby can lead us to Cedric if that’s who she’s working for, or cut this lunch short and get out of here. Ezra’s close, though. Uri trusts his brother to protect me. So does Kade. He didn’t even come in here. “Yeah? What did Cedric say about him?”
“No!” Abby stands, the table between us rocking and spilling beer all over the front of her green jumper. “You’re not supposed to know about Cedric!”
The tone in the bar changes with Abby’s loud outburst, as if everyone’s attention is on us.
“Why not? You already mentioned him.” Lying in this moment is necessary in order to get Abby to talk. Actually, Shifter Affairs calls such tactics leading the witness.
“I didn’t.” Abby shakes her head. “I know I didn’t.”
“Really?” I raise a brow. “How can you be so sure?”
“Because I’m supposed to tell you about him, about how he wants to meet you.” Abby wipes her hands on her loose pants. “You’re going to make me fail.”
I catch a glimpse of Sasha moving toward us, but I focus on Abby. “Fail at what?”
Abby pulls a gun out of the side pocket of her jumper and points it at Sasha. “You stay back. You’re not to be trusted.”
Someone in the background screams. Others flee for the door, and Kade runs in. Sasha raises his hands. “Put the gun down.”
Abby shakes her head. “I messed up. I messed up. He’s going to hurt me. Let me rot. That’s what’ll happen.
” Abby sobs. “I’m going to rot. They didn’t tell me that would happen. They didn’t tell me! I wouldn’t have started taking it. Wouldn’t have given it to my brothers. Daddy blames me for hurting them, making them sick like me.”
The nudging against my leg jerks my gaze from Abby to where Odin’s bumping me with his nose. Ezra settles his hands on my shoulders and lifts me from the chair, placing me in front of him, his body as my shield.
“Where are you going?” Abby’s screamed question cuts through the silent bar.
“Abby, stop!” I feel Kade’s demand in my bones.
I catch a glimpse of Abby with the gun in her hand before Ezra knocks me to the ground, his body covering mine. A shot goes off.
Screams resound within the bar. Someone shouts about calling the police while someone else keeps repeating, “She killed herself. She freaking killed herself.”
I push against Ezra’s chest. “Let me see.”
“You don’t want to see. And for once, I’m glad I can’t. Smelling it is enough.”
“I have to.” I wrangle myself free enough to glance past Ezra’s wide shoulders. Blood is sprayed over Sasha’s face and Kade’s upper chest, but they don’t appear hurt. My focus strays to the huddled mass at their feet. Bile chokes me. “You’re right. I didn’t want to see.”
Now I won’t ever unsee the sight of Abby’s face partially blown away or erase the memory of knowing I failed her. I didn’t get Harry’s warning.
Abby was the bad girl—the sad girl—who swallowed a hard shaft.
Because of Cedric.
I don’t know how he’s pulling his mind-controlling off, but he’ll pay for every sin, including making my sister think she’s been broken, when in fact, she’s stronger than ever.
Twenty-Six
Uri
The moment I step into Lyla’s rental, I do a double-take at the sight of my twin sprawled on the couch, his long legs hanging off the end and his hand resting lightly against the side of the dog stretched out on the floor. The German shepherd’s ears perk, but a small tap from Ezra’s fingers settles the animal. He rests his muzzle on his paws.