Ugh! I sit up, gaze zeroing in on Nathan in all his shirtless glory staring at the group of intruders. It should be illegal for him to look this good and interruptions and restrictions lie in this world.
“So,” Courtney sings, waggling his brows. “What were you two getting ready to do?”
“Lock the door,” Nathan mutters, passing them to the closet.
“Whoa, Nate!” Olar exclaims.
“Oh yeah. That’s what we were supposed to be doing,” I say to myself.
“What is that on your back?” Carmen asks, high-pitched.
“Nothing,” Nathan answers, whipping around so he faces them. “What do you need? Can you give us five minutes?”
“That’s all you need?” Courtney asks, twisting his lips to the side. “I expected a lot better from you, Nate.”
“No. What I need is for you to know what to do before you enter my room,” he fires back.
“Unh, unh, unh,” Courtney hums. “Man, the benefits of having your girl stay with you. You can get it whenever you want.”
Nathan turns up his nose. “Obviously, I can’t.”
“But you haven’t said anything about those markings on you.” Olar cuts in.
“If you give me five minutes, there will be nothing for me to say.”
“Come on, Nate, we’re family. You can tell us what’s going on,” Carmen assures.
“Or, I can tell you to get out.”
Leaving the bed, I meet him, understanding he doesn’t want to talk about it. With his height, I can stand behind him without being seen. Olar goes on trying to convince Nathan to talk about his problems and how, maybe, he can help. I place my lips on the left, right, and middle of Nathan’s back, willing the marks to go away. The cool air passes my lips and dances against my face from pushing off his back. It’s sucked up by his skin as if it’s breathing it in. I lean back, watching the scythes, evil eye, and hand fade out.
Plastering a frustrated expression, I step aside. “It doesn’t matter,” I say, cutting Olar off. “There’s nothing to talk about. What do you need?”
“I know I saw something on his back when you were on the bed and when he almost passed us.”
“There’s nothing here, let it go.”
Olar comes over and examines Nathan like a post.
“Now, if you’re finished being my girlfriend. What is it?” Nathan asks.
Fixing us with a suspicious stare, Olar waits before responding. It’s funny. When did he start caring this much? What happened to the easygoing, don’t give a damn Olar? “Little Nathan had a girl over,” Olar starts. “She tried to attack Lana. She accidentally died,” he says, disclosing his tell as if he were telling us dinner is ready instead of someone just died.
I turn down the corners of my mouth and squint my eyes. “Accidentally?”
He returns my expression. “Yes.”
I shrug. “Well, it—”
“Wait, Sparks,” Nathan cuts me off. “Let’s talk to Little Nathan.” Nathan leaves to the bathroom, closing the door.
Olar’s suspicious gawp cuts a hole into the side of my head. “What?” I blurt.
“You two are hiding something,” he accuses.
“We’re not. You’re just, I don’t know, seeing things.” I leave to the hallway, waiting for Nathan to come out.
Not shortly after, he does, and we head downstairs. “Call him and see where he is,” he says.
I draw my brows together. “You can’t call him because . . .”
“He won’t answer if it’s me.”
I nod. “That’s because you’re a Grim Reaper and you scare the shit out of people.”
He snorts a laugh. “That’s not funny.”
Little Nathan, I call.
Yeah, Tracey, he answers.
Where are you?
My room. Nathan’s with you?
Of course.
Is he angry?
No. Not at all.
Okay. I’ll meet you in the family room.
Little Nathan beats us there. He avoids our gazes. We sit on either side of him, and Nathan nudges his shoulder. “Why are you attracting these psycho girls, little brother?”
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” he huffs. “I meet them, and recently, the ones I bring home haven’t been what I expect.”
“Stop bringing them home.”
“Yeah. You mad?” Little Nathan asks nervously.
“Nah. It wasn’t Sparks, so I don’t care. Just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
“I don’t know how I—”
An explosion shakes the house.
The wall with the fireplace explodes, and I have no choice but to watch the vast fire blast toward me. Gasping, I close my eyes, readying myself to feel the heat and be consumed by the angry flames.
The heat consumes my body, but there’s wind, and then a heat-free breeze blowing around me. I peel my eyes open. I stand on the beach, seeing the right side of Nathan’s house go up in a raging blaze.
Alone, I panic. I cover my head, blasted by the wind of another explosion.
Nathan! “NATHAN!” I shout.
I race for the house.
Natalia and Nathan appear in front of me, bringing me to a halt. “I’m okay,” he says in a rush. “I need to make sure everybody gets out. Look out for our mom.”
I take Natalia by her shoulders. She wails, shaking in my arms. I sit her down on the sand and rub her shoulders. I’m not able to soothe her how I want though, so I stand and pace the sand.
Valerie and Vance run to us, and they take a seat next to Natalia. The rest of the adults come out with the children, and I sigh, relieved the babies are okay. But Nathan, Olar, Lana, and Little Nathan still haven’t come out. I don’t see Ann and Roseland either.
Carmen takes my hand, letting me squeeze the life out of hers. The entire right side of the house caves. My left shoulder strokes in excruciating pain, and it sends me sprinting for the house, racing to get to him.
Sparks, don’t! Stay there! Nathan yells in my head. I’m just. . . Stay there!
I stop in my tracks, making it to the grass of the beach. Nathan, please, come out. I can’t take it.
I have to get Little Nathan. I’m fine. Just stay there. You’re safe there. Do not come in here.
I throw my hands up, smacking them on my forehead, then shoving them through my hair. I need to go. I need to help him. Hearing him isn’t enough confirmation he’s okay. The strain in his voice proves he’s hurt. Pacing, I battle staying or going.
I sprint to the house.
Dammit, Sparks!
My hand heats and my sight tints. Nathan’s words play back in my head, Consume the fire.
That’s a lot of fire, unruly spitting out flames, heating this area. Don’t be afraid of it, I tell myself, raising my hands, ready to consume it.
Nathan appears at my side, holding Little Nathan over his shoulder. “You don’t listen.”
“Where’s Olar?”
“I can’t find him and keep you from trying to play Superwoman.” He snatches me up, and another powerful explosion shoves us away from the house. We’re airborne for only seconds before smashing onto the sand. Carmen helps me to my feet. Nathan makes sure Little Nathan is breathing and okay. He props himself up on his elbows, and I release the breath I was holding. Nathan pats his shoulder and stands to look everyone over.
“Roseland and Ann still aren’t here,” I say, knowing he’s checking for missing faces.
A thin line of remorse sticks in his narrowed eyes. “I have to go back, Sparks.”
The middle of the house collapses in, echoing in the afternoon air. The sound of blaring flames and crackling wood is accompanied by many wheezing and crying. It’s only going to get worse.
“No way, Nathan.”
He slow retracts. “Sparks, I have to.”
I can’t take it. “Nate, please?”
He looks at the house, then to me, then back to the house. “I know where he is. I’m sorry, S
parks. Just stay here. Don’t help.” He takes off before I can object.
I throw myself down on the sand. Carmen sits beside me, wrapping her arm around my shoulder. We wait, and we wait. Natalia comes and sits at my other side, and there’s still no sign of Nathan. I count the times the fire spurts toward the sky at its highest point.
One-hundred-four. One-hundred-five. One-hundred-six.
Finally, through the smoke, I see Nathan coming out with Olar slung over his shoulder and Lana walking at his side.
“Can you please run?” I mutter.
“Calm down, Sparks. He’s heavy.”
He places Olar to the ground when he makes it, and I jump from the sand, wrapping around him. Behind him, Roseland is carrying an unconscious Ann.
Nathan hugs me tight.
I return it, kissing over his ash-smeared cheek. “Don’t play Superman if you don’t want me to be Superwoman. Especially when I have to sit back and wait on you.”
“Everybody is safe and we’re all okay. I’m sorry, but you know.”
I draw back to look him over. “I understand. I just don’t like it.”
The firefighters contain the fire after hours of us watching our home burn down. If people aren’t crying, they’re complaining.
Nathan and I walk through the water damaged, half-burned down house, looking for a sign of what happened.
The left side of the house containing the kitchen, living room, and a couple of bedrooms remains standing, never touched by the flames. There’s nothing that can be done to the right, where the majority of the bedrooms were, including the great room and the family room.
“Who could have done this?” I ask, taken aback but the damage. “Why would they do this?”
Nathan rubs his hand over his beard. “I don’t know, Sparks.” He’s doing a good job at containing his rage. We walk through what used to be Olar and Lana’s old room.
I examine the area, and a glimmer catches my eye. Something in the corner reflects a gleam from the sun.
“Wait,” I say to Nathan when he turns to leave. The carpet squishes under my shoes as I cross the floor. “What’s this?” I point to the black box with thin black cords sticking out from it.
We crouch in front of it. “It looks like a homemade bomb,” he says low.
“That seems human,” I say, not able to put the pieces of the puzzle together. “Why would Sephlems need a bomb?”
“That is human,” Nathan mutters.
Bonus Chapter
Nathan
An unknown number’s been calling my phone since seven this morning. Sparks woke up, throwing her hands over her ears, as she does every time my phone rings playing a screeching electric guitar. It’s the only tone that alerts me.
It rings again, the same unknown number. And once again, I consider answering it or letting it ring. I know who it is and I know what he wants. I’m just not in the mood for threats today. After losing the house, losing Scott and Sparks losing Glen, and my mother, the last thing I need is to take shit from Lunis . . . again.
Lunis called me on my birthday, saying I should enjoy the day with much joyfulness because stealing from him will end my opportunities to see another lucky year. I laugh and hung up. We were out, trying to enjoy the little time we had of no drama; the small window of opportunity to enjoy life without thinking about who’s coming after us next. I was begging for that sweet spot of being old enough to know better, but young enough not to care. And I wouldn’t let Lunis ruin it.
But that shit didn’t last long.
Olar and I were on our way out of the bar, riding the line of drunk and sober, both of us hungry for a feeding. Leaning against the driver’s side door of my car was that fucking Faylaman. I had to give it to him, Michael had the balls of Samson, but there’s only so much I’m willing to ignore.
He was with another Faylaman, Detrick. Both of those fiends needed to die. And that may make me a hypocrite, to also host my own demon, but I have my reasons.
I dragged my gaze from my car to him. With a single shove, he hit the floor. I was a second way from beating him to death, when this girl came charging out of the bar. She was bitching about how wrong Olar was and how he would regret cutting things off.
This drunk chick with short, red hair, no ass, and tight lips went back and forth with Olar over some ‘don’t break things off’ bullshit. She was too fucked up to remember anything, and the risk of exposure to get rid of that fucking Faylaman would’ve been worth it. But Michael jumped to his feet, standing the same height as Sparks, and said, “I know you know what I am and understand your threat if I don’t stay away. But remember, no matter what you are now, I will always come before you. I paved your way.”
I wasn’t prepared for his boast. Before I could react, he and his associate were gone. The dickhead had a point, but it was a point I didn’t need made.
“Olar, stop and listen,” The drunken girl slurred. Olar held her back by her arms, stopping her from pushing up on him. “Can you please?”
“No, Faye.” He tried his best to avoid her waving hands and puckered lips. “Stop already. You’re drunk. Go sleep it off.”
“You’re going to go with her and just drop me? You know, she has secrets too!” she shouted.
“You don’t even know her,” he objected, pushing down her arms she tried to wrap around his neck.
“I do know your mate, Lana,” she sang. “And if you knew her, you wouldn’t be dissing me for her regardless of what she was to you.”
Olar charged forward, shoving her. Faye hit the ground, flinching away as Olar furiously pointed. “What the fuck is that shit supposed to mean?”
I separated them, taking a fist to my back when Faye jumped to her feet. “Step back, Olar.” I threw my arm out, stopping him from passing me. We can get a little protective over our mates and with Olar and his anger problem, Faye was about to take a one-way trip down a dark road.
He shook in his attempt for control but retracted. Stepping to the side, he shot her a cutthroat eye, snarling, “Tell me what that meant.”
“Maybe you need to do a background check on your woman to see what you’re dealing with. You never really know someone until you meet their family,” she hinted in a singsong voice.
I, too, wondered where she was going with this.
Faye flicked him off with a “Fuck you!” and wobbled back inside the lounge.
I held Olar back from going after her. “Walk away from that. She’s probably just talking shit,” I told him, grabbing his shoulder.
“What the fuck did she mean by that?”
“That shit is not important right now.”
I didn’t know just how meaningful that insignificant comment was . . .
My phone rings again. I answer it, after making sure Sparks is no longer around with her bionic ears. “Yeah?”
“Nathan, we have never had animosity toward each other. Why start now?” Lunis suavely avouches on the other end.
I lean against the wall, tickled by his attempt at intimidation. “Yeah. . .?” I drag, propping the soul of my boot on the wall at my back.
“You come in and steal from me. I’ve done nothing to you.”
“Neither have I.”
“Have you not? You take my prisoner and my family for your personal gain of torture.”
I keep my shock from his statement from sounding in my voice as I say, “No. Never for personal gain.” He has to be referring to Lana. “She wasn’t taken. She came willingly.” This girl is his fucking family, this entire time, and she said nothing. It clicks what Faye was saying the night at the lounge.
“How do you mean?”
I smile so he can hear the delight in my voice. “She’s family now.” May as well piss him off, this will end badly anyway. “Welcomed, with open arms and a hard dick.”
“My sister would never mate with a nuisance like you, not a Newcomb. Watch your mouth, boy.”
Sister? His fucking sister! I shake my brain, stammered by the news
, but say without falter, “Ha.” I snort. “Nah, not me. But close. And yes, it is a Newcomb.” I laugh. “Your sister will now be known as Lana Newcomb. Congratulations! I’ll send you an invite to the wedding.”
He goes silent. I should hang up, but I can’t resist the enjoyment of his speechlessness. “You owe two.” A slam sounds in his background. “You. Not Olar. You!”
“I owe you nothing,” I spit.
“Deliver me two plus yourself, or I will come for her and your mother.”
“Good luck with that.”
“Do not think I can’t find out. I know more than you think. And with Roehl’s older sister living with you, I’m sure she will be more than willing to release that for a vengeful price. Who your mate is.” The phone beeps in my ear, letting me know the call ended.
Same second, Sparks comes around the corner. “Hey. Who were you talking to?”
Damn ears. “Do you want me to be honest?” I want to lie. She’s gonna spaz out.
She thinks no, but she says, “Yes. Though, I’m nervous that you had to ask.”
“Lunis.”
Her heartbeat quickens, and her hearing fades out but back in. She’s been having these anxiety attacks ever since Glen died. I’ve been trying to keep her leveled, but I can’t control myself.
“What? Why? Did he call you? What did he want? Why did he want to talk? What did he want to talk about? Why aren’t you answering me?” She throws question after question at me. Her heart’s going crazy, and her cheeks are turning red. She talks with her hands out in front of her and at the end of each question her pinky finger twitches.
“I will answer you, but you haven’t stopped asking.”
“Okay, answer,” she pushes.
I take a breath, bracing myself for her reaction. “He said I owe him for taking Olar and Lana.”
“Owe him how?”
“With me and two others. Or, you and my mother. He wants me to come to him.”
“Do not tell me you are thinking about going, Nathan!” Her voice rises at the word tell and every word after.
“I—”
“No, Nate.” She whines my name, and when she does that, it crushes me, turning me soft. “You can’t. Please don’t. We’ll deal with it as it comes, like we do everything else. They’ll come for us, and we’ll fight them off.”
Brazen: A Dark Paranormal Romance (The Sephlem Trials Book 2) Page 45