by Elle Boon
Whatever she’d done, he and River would protect them both. They’d make for damn sure her sacrifice wasn’t in vain.
Chapter Two
Sky blinked, trying to bring the room into focus, wondering where she was. “Where am I?” Her voice was a raspy whisper as if she’d gone too long without liquid or she’d gargled glass for shits and giggles.
“You’re at our place. Can I get you a drink?”
The voice was one she recognized, the deep baritone belonging to one of two men. Twins who were identical in every way. Her mind felt foggy, her eyes felt as if she’d been in a sand fight. “Why am I here, and for fuckssake, what the hell is going on?” She blinked several times, trying to bring them into focus. “Did I get hit in the head or—that man.” Her mind began to race. Images of being tied to a chair, her mouth sewn shut as pain seared her with each needle poke. She reached up, touching her lips, feeling for scars.
“You’re okay. You’re safe, Sky.” The other male with an identical voice spoke up from the other side of the room.
“Why can’t I see you clearly? Am I blind? Oh, dear Goddess, did he...he, do something to me?” Panic had her scooting farther away from the voices until her back hit a wall.
“Sweetheart, it’s me, Talia. Do you remember me?”
She shook her head back and forth, then nodded, tugging her legs up to her chest. “I want to go home. Please, let me go home.”
The sound of more voices entered the small space. How she knew it was small, she didn’t know. The echoing sounds made her feel as if the room were no bigger than a cell. They had her in a cell. Did they lock her in. Were they with the man who’d taken her?
“Sky, stop that shit, and stop it now.” Her friend Taryn’s voice broke through her thoughts.
“Taryn, where are you?” She held out her hand, batting at air.
“Right here. You’re going to be fine,” Taryn promised.
“Stop saying that. Everyone just stop fucking saying that. I can’t see. What happened to my eyes?”
Silence descended. She counted seven people in the room by their heartbeats. All were breathing hard, and her friend Taryn was crying. “Stop fucking crying, Taryn. Just tell me what happened and don’t sugar coat it. I watched you be broken from the inside out. I had to wash the blood and gore from your body more than once. I even had to wipe your ass, so don’t you dare try to sugar coat this.” Her voice trembled, but she didn’t care.
When she thought nobody was going to answer her, she prepared to get up and—what she’d do she didn’t know. Hell, she couldn’t whoop her way out of a wet paper bag, let alone walk out of wherever the hell she was with dignity.
“Right now, you appear to have a cloudy substance over your eyes, but they’re clearer today than they were yesterday.” Taryn paused. “Every day, they’re a little better. We just don’t know. It’s not like we’ve come across this before.”
“How long have I been here?”
Again, the silence was deafening. “Fucking answer me, or get the hell away, so I can make my way out of here. Someone will tell me.” Her parents would, probably.
“Two weeks, hellmouth.”
“River, don’t.”
“No, let him speak. At least he’s being honest.” She was shocked at the amount of time she’d been out of it and tried not to let it show, but it was hard, especially with her emotions so raw.
“Now that you’re awake, I can try to heal you, if you agree.” Talia’s voice was even. Goddess, being unable to see, she was picking up on every other nuance of things. Next, she’d be counting breaths, knowing who was skipping one. Fuck. That.
“Let’s do it, Fey.” She took a deep inhale of air, nearly choking on everyone else’s fear.
“Wait, what are the consequences?” River asked.
“The consequences are I’ll be fucking blind, and if you keep putting your two cents in, you’re going to get your nuts smacked,” she warned. River wanted to call her hellmouth, she’d show him hellmouth.
“Hellmouth, keep it up, and I’ll put you over my lap and teach you some manners,” River growled.
“How about everyone clear out while I see what I can do for Sky?”
Didn’t Talia the broken Fey sound so damn reasonable.
“Be nice, or my reasonable mate will leave your ass to whatever your fate has in store for you, Sky,” Torq growled.
Shit, she didn’t realize she’d said that out loud. Goddess, she just wanted to rewind time and go back to before. Before they left the compound. No. That wasn’t true. At the compound her best friend was being abused by her crazy dad while she too had to suffer, in silence, almost the exact same fate. Oh, and let’s not forget her best friend’s mom, the woman who was now offering to heal her was being held captive in a cell. But dammit, her life really sucked since then, too.
The number of heartbeats went down. She assumed it was her, Talia, and Talia’s mate.
“Alright, hellmouth, you keep your cool and just do what Talia says. You got a lot of people surrounding you with good vibes and shit.”
Well shit, she sucked.
As far as devotions go, River really sort of sucked at them, but no shifter wanted to mate up with a blind female.
“I’m ready when you are, Talia.” She tried to sound confident but having no clue what was going to happen was really putting a damper on her confidence.
“Sky, if you begin to feel any pain, let me know. I’m going to place my hands on either side of your head,” Talia paused, then touched Sky on each of her temples.
She walked Sky through what she was going to do, explaining step by step the process, but to Sky it wouldn’t matter as long as the end game was her seeing again.
Time slipped away while Talia worked slowly, methodically. Sky let herself float away while the other woman worked. Her mind reached for River’s and Raydon’s, slipping inside theirs without alerting them. They were alike, yet different. She didn’t stay long, only skimming the surface. An exclamation had her blinking to see Talia kneeling in front of her on the bed, her body shaking.
“It’s really bright in here,” Sky sobbed, wrapping her arms around Talia, her cries soaking into the other woman’s shirt. She hid her face, not wanting to show weakness to the others.
“Does it hurt?” Talia asked.
Sky raised her head, looking over at River, who stood by the door, a shocked expression on his face. Raydon eased inside, his face a study in worry like they’d both aged a few years in the last couple weeks. “What’s wrong with you both?” They were freaking Sky out.
“Nothing, we feared you were never going to wake up, and then when you couldn’t see...we’re relieved,” River said, truth ringing out in his every word.
“Now answer the question. Are you hurting?” Raydon strolled toward the bed, not stopping until he was within touching distance.
“No, I just thought I was never going to see light again. I know it sounds stupid ‘cause it’s only been whatever, but oh goddess, it was so scary. You don’t know,” she cried.
Talia let her cry, acting more like a mother than Sky’s had ever done. Heck, she wondered where her parents were. If she’d been out for weeks, had they called her parents? “Did anyone call my parents?” she had to ask even knowing they probably had and hated the fact others would know how little they cared. Niall being their alpha now would’ve made sure they were aware.
The growl from the other room had her turning toward the door. “What the hell is that?”
“How’s everything going?” Taryn asked, pulling her attention away from the strange noise.
“I’m crying like a whiny ass bitch. How’s it look like it’s going?” Sky asked, raising her face, realizing nobody answered her. In all honesty, she didn’t care either way. She had money secured away that neither of her parents could touch. Once she was able to stand on her own without falling over, she’d...do what had to be done.
Taryn gasped, then wrapped her arms around Sky. “D
on’t you ever do that to me again.”
Talia eased off the bed, nearly falling on her ass when her feet hit the floor. “I got you, farfalla. Come on, let’s give them some time.” Torq’s deep baritone rumbled around them.
“Oh goddess, are you alright? What’s wrong with her?” Sky scrambled up after Talia.
Torq turned with his mate in his arms. “She just needs to rest after healing you. Don’t...” he shook his head, stopping Sky. “She would never have allowed you to suffer if she could help, which is what she did.”
They left the room, shutting the door behind them, leaving her alone with Taryn. Her senses flared, picking up conversations she shouldn’t be able to, hearing animals too far away, making her hyperaware something was very different about her.
Sky listened as Talia accepted water from Cora, the second to the pack alpha’s mate and also a veterinarian. To hear the powerful Fey woman’s voice shaking as she accepted the glass of water made the guilt even worse for Sky.
“Thank you, Cora. Um, I made all the medical equipment disappear. If you need it, I can get you more,” Talia said to Cora.
“I appreciate that. Who knows when I’ll need it again.” Cora cleared her throat.
“Her eyes are purple. Not like the light hit them and they looked purple, but they’re fucking purple. Like the dragon female’s,” River announced. His voice angry.
Sky bit her lip, worrying over what others would think of her changes.
Lula’s words and memories slammed into her. She’d given her a sliver of herself, nothing major the pink dragon had said, just enough to keep her from being...well, dead. What else was different, other than her eyes were now purple, and she could hear every fucking thing like it was amplified? Goddess, the saying if a tree fell in the woods, would anyone hear it? Yes. Yes, she’d fucking hear it, motherfuckingsonofabitch. She felt a pulse of magic and more talking from outside the room while she tried to filter out the noise she didn’t want to hear. Twin growls had her girlie parts quivering. What the hell was wrong with her? She did not quiver, damn her traitorous body.
Once she stopped worrying so much as to whether trees cried, she could see the pulse of magic. “I’ll be damned,” she muttered. “You won’t hide shit from me,” she snarled, her wolf rising from her slumber inside her.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Taryn asked.
Sky pointed toward the door. “Do you not see that, or feel it?”
Taryn looked where Sky pointed. “Sorry, but no. Maybe you should lay back down. Maybe I should call Talia or Peyton back in here.” Her voice rose in clear panic.
With a raise of her hand, Sky waved Taryn’s suggestions away. “The hell. I don’t need to rest anymore than I have. Two damn weeks is long enough, don’t you think?”
“You’ve really developed a potty mouth. I like it,” Taryn laughed.
“I was on Fey for well over a month with a crazy pink dragon. I think she wore off on me.”
Her words had Taryn gasping. “A month?”
Before she had to explain what that month entailed, she headed for the door.
“So, what you’re saying is, that in order to save her, Lula put a dragon...in her?” Niall asked.
“I really don’t know, and neither did Lula. Only time will tell. But one thing that is for sure, is her eyes are that of Lula’s.” Talia sighed.
Sky walked out of the room with a puzzled Taryn trailing her. “Newsflash, your bubble doesn’t work on me. Clearly, that’s something dragonish I’ve got. So, I have purple eyes, and I might be a fucking dragonwolf. Great. Sign me up for freak of the fucking week.”
“Hellmouth, I’ll put you over my knee,” River warned.
Raydon tilted his head back. “Goddess give me strength.”
Torq clapped his hands. “Alright, folks, looks like our job here is done. I’m taking my Fey mate home and try to talk her into making babies.”
Taryn groaned. “Oh lord I didn’t need to hear that. Sky, burn me with your laser eyes.”
Sky slapped at Taryn. “That’s so not funny, beotch.”
“And hearing your mom is going to go bump uglies with her mate isn’t either.” Taryn gagged.
Stifling her laughter, Sky met Talia’s gaze. “Thank you for what you did for me.” She pointed toward her eyes.
Talia walked up to her with Torq. “I’m here if you need anything or have any questions.”
At that moment she just wanted everyone gone so she could process.
“Alright, party’s over. Everyone, out.” River pointed toward the door.
Bronx clapped his hands together. “That’s our cue.” He and Taya stood by the fireplace, rising gracefully.
“When you get done figuring shit out, get in touch. We’ll handle you and Raydon’s shifts at Chaps and Garage Inc until.” Bronx looked at Raydon and then River. “Well, until your shit is settled.”
Jett straightened from the far wall, his hand raising. Sky wished she had a connection like her friend Taryn did with Jett. The love was clear to anyone who looked between the two, even though the man had been known as the Magic Mike of the shifter world. Now, the only bumping and grinding would be done with Taryn. “You ready, Taryn?”
“Yeah, just a second. Sky, you need anything, I’m only a holler away.” Taryn pointed at her head, then her eyes narrowed. “Why can’t I connect with you?”
“Just leave it for now. My head hurts, and I just need to breathe.” She closed her eyes, her purple fucking eyes. Goddess, everything was different now.
River could see Sky was struggling to stay civil. Hell, he and his brother were having a hard time keeping their own wolves level, knowing she had a wolf, and possibly a dragon inside her. Neither of them knew what to say with all the new knowledge. One thing was for certain, and that was they wanted some alone time with her.
“You three need anything, you only have to ask. Sky, as your alpha, I’m here for you, but you need to realize this is new for all of us. There’s going to be an adjustment period, and I’m aware as is everyone. Be patient but also be honest. Our pack is built on honesty, loyalty, and above all love for one another. That includes you. Talia risked her life for you as would any member of the Mystic Wolves. When you became one of us, you vowed to do the same. It didn’t change just because you got caught in the crosshair of a psycho and now you’ve got a little something extra. Embrace it, and life will even out for you.” Niall pulled Sky forward, his blue eyes staring into Sky’s. “Welcome back, little one.” He kissed her forehead, then stepped back.
Alaina sighed. “See, that’s why I love him, and he’s so getting lucky tonight.”
River was sure he heard Talia say something about neutering, but then he blocked out the others. “Are you thirsty?” he asked.
Sky licked her lips. “I could use something a lot stronger than water.”
Raydon grunted. “I’m thinking that wouldn’t be very wise.”
“Pretty sure you’re not my daddy, or the boss of me.” Sky faced off with Raydon.
“Enough you two. Raydon, let’s all have a drink and settle in the family room. I think we could all use a stiff drink.”
He knew one of the reasons his twin was angry at Sky’s words. The mention of dad was a reminder that their soon to be mate’s parents hadn’t shown an ounce of care to their daughter’s wellbeing, let alone whether she lived or died. For fuckssake, they’d been more concerned with whether anyone in the pack knew where she kept her bank info. No way in hell would he tell Sky the truth of her parents’ lack of interest.
“Alright, what’ll it be? We’ve got beer, wine, and Patron.” River glanced over his shoulder from the fridge, catching Sky staring at his ass. Her cheeks turned a sweet pink. He couldn’t wait to find out if she blushed all over with the same shade.
“You keep your tequila in the fridge?” she asked with one raised brow.
River opened the stainless-steel door wider. “The freezer for Patron Burdeos. This tequila is aged f
or at least a year in French and American oak before it finally gets put into the Bordeaux wine casks. You see this?” River held the bottle up with the burnt caramel looking liquid inside. “Once the tequila is ready, the flavor is rich with vanilla and bright with dried fruit, some of the best there is out there.” He poured three double shots, then recapped the bottle.
“Ask him how much that lovely tequila costs, hellmouth.” Raydon reached for his glass, raising a brow when River moved it out of his reach.
“If you’re gonna talk that shit about fine Patron, then you can get the lower shelf tequila.” River tilted his head toward the clear bottle of tequila that sat on the counter.
“Alright, I give. What’s a bottle of that cost, like fifty dollars?”
River pushed her drink across to her, nudging Raydon’s toward him, then taking his own. “How about we drink first, then I’ll tell you. Do you like tequila, Sky?”
Sky shrugged. “What’re we going to drink to?”
“To the future,” Raydon suggested.
“Sounds very promising,” Sky agreed. “Bottoms up, boys.” She tapped her glass to River’s and then Raydon’s, swallowing the entire drink in one gulp.
River waited for her to cough, or more likely hack, but she just closed her eyes, her chest rose and fell a couple times, then her bright purple eyes opened. “Damn, I think I like tequila. How much does a bottle like that set a girl back?”
Raydon laughed. “I think it’s a little over five hundred. Right, River?”
Tossing his own drink back, he kept his eyes pinned to Sky’s, waiting to see how she took the news of the expense. “About that, bro,” he agreed.
“Well, I guess I’ll need to get me a couple ordered and only share with those I like then. Damn, that’s some spendy liquor.”
She shocked him with her words. Not only did she not look at him and his brother like they were crazy for spending that amount of cash on alcohol, but she planned to buy some for herself. Of course, neither of them would allow her to shell out that kind of dough. If their mate wanted a few bottles of five hundred dollar tequila just for herself, they’d make damn sure she had it. However, the only people he hoped she planned to share it with were him and Raydon. The fact they still hadn’t mentioned the truth about them being fated mates ate at him.