by Sharon Kay
Cursing a wild streak in his head, he dragged his gaze away from her luscious body. He stalked over to his own clothes and pulled them on.
“What were the coordinates for?” Gin pulled her tank top over her head.
“Water treatment facilities. A whole bunch in Illinois.”
“Shit.” She grabbed her boots. “I can test the water.”
“That would be great, but we may not have time. We’ll talk to the others when we get there and come up with a plan.” He shoved his phone into his pocket.
She nodded. “I haven’t seen my sisters in months. And I’ve never met the guys.”
“Everyone at that house is eager to meet you, I can assure you.” He took her tiny hand and led her outside.
A door opened down the row of bungalows and Ria strode out to the walkway. Mathias heard her murmur goodbye to someone. He didn’t want to know who. She jogged over to meet them.
“Do we have time to say goodbye to Zinaya and D’Mari?” She ran a hand through tangled hair.
“No. They knew we couldn’t stay long. I’ll explain it to them later.” He pulled the amulet out of his pocket and murmured the spell that would open a portal. In seconds, a shimmering ring appeared in the air. “Ready?”
Ria made a face. “No, but I have to be.”
Gin turned to Ria, concern on her face. “What’s wrong?”
“Our trip here made me sick. The last thing I want to do when we arrive is barf all over the feet of two Solsti.”
“I felt sick too,” Gin said.
“Come here.” Mathias extended a hand to Ria and pulled her close. “It’ll be quick, and eventually you get used to it. Let’s go.” With his sister under one arm and Gin under his other, they stepped through the surface of the portal.
CHAPTER 34
THIS TIME GIN KNEW TO expect the nausea of the portal. But unlike last time, she had Mathias.
She pressed closer to him and buried her face in his T-shirt. She was vaguely aware of Ria folded into their impromptu group hug, but she tried to block everything out except for him.
The cotton T-shirt still smelled like the salty sea air of Tarsa. As her stomach churned, she held tightly to the memory of black sand, blue waters, and Mathias’s hard-muscled chest.
Finally they landed in a heap on cold, snowy ground. She sat up and immediately began to shake. Her teeth chattered. Big fat flakes fell steadily from a dark, violet sky. Lake-effect snow, one of the many versions of white stuff that graced Chicago’s winters.
Mathias reached for her, holding her tightly against him. His much-larger body enveloped her, swamping her in warmth and his delicious masculine scent as he pulled her up. “Let’s get you inside.”
“Wait, where’s Ria?”
A groan sounded from somewhere on the other side of Mathias. “I’m fine. I just need a minute.” Ria sat in the snow, her head between her bent knees.
“Are you sure?” Gin peered around Mathias’s arm.
Without looking up, Ria waved her hand in the air, shooing Gin away.
Gin looked up at Mathias. “Wh-where are we, anyway?”
He chuckled and steered her toward a building. “Guess the rumors are true—you’ve never come here for a visit.”
Her attention snapped to the horizon, scanning for clues. “What—oh.” They were in someone’s backyard. A giant house loomed like a mountain against the evening sky. The place would’ve looked menacing except for the cheery lights in every window.
What had her sisters named it? Demon Point? Maybe she’d remember if she’d ever bothered to come. She hid behind the excuse of being busy, but if she was honest with herself, she’d been afraid. Afraid that if she walked in here, she’d walk out a changed person. And since she’d wanted to run from her power, she figured the change wouldn’t be for the better.
A door flew open, spilling light onto the frozen ground. Male voices echoed as heavy footfalls crushed the new snow. Then a woman’s voice called out, “Gin?”
“Nicole!” Thank God. Gin clomped through the snow as fast as she could.
“Oh my God, you’re in a tank top?” Nicole ran, her boots kicking up white powder in every direction, and enveloped Gin in a hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay! You weren’t answering your phone or email, then we heard you were on Torth. Some place called Tarsa? Crap, we need to get you inside.”
Gin let Nicole and Mathias lead her to the door, grateful for the heat of their bodies. “Tarsa must be warm. Maybe I need to go there,” Nicole murmured.
Brooke raced out just as they reached the house. “Gin!” She threw her arms around Gin, shoving Nicole aside in the process. “Where’s your coat?”
“It’s a long story,” Mathias said. “She needs to get inside. Can you go check on Ria?”
Gin craned her neck, trying to spot her friend. Ria was standing in the middle of the yard with a group of tall men. Must be the guys who live here.
“Ria’s here? I’m on it!” Brooke darted to the other group.
“In you go.” Mathias guided her through the open door.
Absorbing a burst of much-needed warmth, Gin’s jaw dropped as she gawked at the spacious kitchen they’d entered. Black granite countertops and stainless steel appliances sparkled. Blue pendant lights hung over a large island. The room had to be almost as big as her entire apartment.
A man even taller than Mathias walked in after them and threw an arm around Nicole’s shoulders. “Hunter. Good to see you.”
“Gin, this is Gunnar.” Nicole smiled at her man, and the look that passed between them was nothing short of all-out mushiness. Gin couldn’t be happier for her sister. She’d only seen Gunnar on video chat, and here in the bright kitchen the inch-wide blond lock stood out in stark contrast to the rest of his black hair. What had Nicole called it? Gin stared at the black stripe in her sister’s blond hair. A mate lock.
Gunnar stepped to Gin and gave her a quick hug. “Glad to meet you in person. You coming here makes your sister so damn happy. So you should do this more often.” He winked, then shot a glance at Mathias. “You both smell like the ocean. And…grilled seafood.”
“I wish I could do that,” Nicole muttered.
“Tarsa,” Mathias replied.
Gunnar let out a low whistle. “Can’t wait for the full story. Rilan and Arawn gave us a bare bones version.”
A man about her height walked into the room. I thought all these guys were supposed to be huge. His hair was a mop of chestnut frizzy waves. His brown eyes seemed wise and kind. “Welcome back, Hunter.” His gaze moved to Gin, and he stepped closer, taking her hand. “My child, I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you. I’m Rilan.”
“I’m Gin, but I guess you already knew that.” She racked her brain, trying to remember if her sisters had mentioned Rilan.
Brooke burst into the kitchen, followed by Ria and three of the tall men. Someone shut the door. The room was suddenly quiet, as if no one knew who should speak first.
Gin looked back and forth between her sisters, and in one fluid motion, they all came together in the middle of the kitchen, melting into an embrace.
Home. This was home—where her sisters were. Gin closed her eyes and absorbed the smell of their hair and their comforting presence. “I love you guys.”
“We love you too.”
“I have so much to tell you.”
“And we’ll be hanging on every word.” Brooke pulled back. “I’ll get Ria settled, then I’ll find you two.”
“We’ll be back down in a few minutes,” Nicole announced, and started to pull Gin toward a hallway.
Gin dragged her feet, glancing over her shoulder at Mathias, who gave her a slow wink and a dazzling smile.
“Don’t take too long doing girl stuff,” drawled one of the men, who had close-cropped brown hair.
Behind her, Brooke giggled but managed to make her voice stern. “We’ll take as long as we want, Rhys.”
The four women made their way up a staircase to a h
allway lit with sconces. Nicole pulled Gin to an open doorway and into a large bedroom. “Come in here. This is Gunnar’s and my room.” She opened a closet and started tossing things onto a king size bed. “Jeans, big sweater, thermal tee, socks, slippers.”
Gin sat on the duvet, overwhelmed with a dozen years’ worth of emotion. Stubbornness, fear, and the need to run from what burned within her soul. “I’ve been such a bitch.”
Nicole whirled. “What? No! You haven’t been a bitch.” She crossed the room to sit next to Gin and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “You’re just stubborn. That’s nothing new.”
“But that’s not a good thing.”
Nicole gave her a gentle squeeze. “It is what it is. You’re here. You’re safe. That’s what matters.”
Brooke came through the open door and closed it behind her. “All I heard was you’re safe, and yes, that’s what matters.” She sat on the other side of Gin and rubbed her back.
“I know but—” Tears pricked at her eyelids. “I’m so sorry, you guys.”
“No need to be sorry.” Brooke shook her head.
“I-I didn’t want to be part of this. But here I am. And I gave you so much shit for using your powers. But it turns out…I should’ve been using mine. I could’ve gotten better, just to be prepared if for no other reason. I wouldn’t have to actually use it for anything. Then I wouldn’t have been helpless against that demon who took me to Torth.”
“There are some creatures you can never prepare for,” Brooke said grimly. “Some have very few weaknesses.”
The expression on Brooke’s face told Gin there was way more behind her sister’s words. “Will you tell me about them someday?”
“Absolutely. And you’re about to get a crash course in supernatural things.” Brooke smiled.
“I’d say she’s already started the crash course. Right?” Nicole smirked. “Getting dragged to Torth is a hell of a way to start.”
“I started before that. There was a demon fight in my parking lot.”
“What? Oh my gosh. I have to hear this.” Brooke’s eyes gleamed.
Gin frowned. “Well, it actually started before that, when—”
Nicole held up a hand. “No, wait. I’m dying to get the story, but it’ll be easier if we hear it all at once, with the whole group. Now, get changed!” She gathered the clothes she had thrown on the bed into a pile and pushed them toward Gin. “The bathroom’s that way.”
Gin walked to the adjoining bathroom and closed the door, but not before she heard Nicole call out, “We’ll be waiting!”
She was thankful she had taken a shower in her room on Tarsa. All she wanted was to be wrapped in about six layers of warmth. She changed clothes, grateful for the cozy oversized sweater and fuzzy red slipper-boots.
She glanced in the mirror. Her hair had dried in tangled waves that she didn’t have a prayer of combing out anytime soon. She shrugged, doubting anyone would care what her hair looked like. They had just come through a portal and landed in the backyard, for heaven’s sake.
Opening the door, she found her sisters in close conversation on the bed. They stopped when they saw Gin. “What are you talking about?” She folded her arms over her chest.
“We’re just wondering something.” Inquisitive mischief danced in Brooke’s eyes.
“What?” Uh-oh. Gin didn’t like where this was headed.
“Anything going on with you and…Mathias?” Nicole raised her eyebrows and her voice.
I knew they were gonna ask that. Gin scrunched her eyes shut. “Um…”
“Ha! I knew it!” Nicole jumped up. “Now that I didn’t expect. I mean, I didn’t know it or expect it, until I saw you and him together.”
Gin blew out a breath. “Don’t say anything. I don’t know what’s going on. We went on a date, and we spent time hanging out, and…stuff.” She looked at the plush rug beneath her feet. What exactly was going on? “We haven’t even talked about it.”
“Your secret’s safe with us, but you do realize that the guys have enhanced senses?” Brooke grinned. “If you two have, you know, then his scent will be all over you and they’ll totally pick up on that.”
“Oh no.” Gin groaned and covered her face with her hands.
“Don’t worry, we’ll tell our men to keep it quiet.” Nicole smiled. “But I can’t say the same for Rhys and Brenin.”
Gin sighed. “Let’s get this over with then.”
They walked downstairs to a great room where the rest of the group had gathered. A stone fireplace anchored one wall, flanked by large windows.
Gin fought back a giggle at the sight of Ria in Brooke’s old oversized Chicago Bears jersey. Ria was talking to a man whose straight hair matched hers in color and length. Their heads were bent over an object…a knife. Ria tested its weight in her hand, and light reflected off its wicked-looking curved blade. Do I even want to know what that’s for?
Mathias stood up when he saw them, his hazel eyes locked on Gin. They swept up and down her body, not in a heated glance but one of assessing concern. He now wore a black thermal tee that clung to his broad chest.
“I’m warm now.” Gin crossed to meet him, guessing he wondered how she was doing.
“Good. You look like an Eskimo in those slipper things. So you should be.” His grin warmed her through and through.
“Let me meet my sister-in-law.” A tall man with short blond hair walked over and hugged her. “I’m Kai.”
Gin shot a glance to Brooke. The love shining in her sister’s eyes was beautiful, happy, and proud. “Nice to meet you.”
Kai motioned to the other men. “You met Rilan. He’s our Elder. He’s the one who discerned your species. And those two are Rhys and Brenin. They’re part of the Chicago group.”
Brenin waved from his spot next to Ria.
“Yo.” The man with the close-cropped hair was sitting at a desk, looking at one of three computers. He tapped something in his hand against the mouse pad. She peered closer. A test tube?
“Is that a t—?”
Mathias shot a glance over his shoulder before turning back to her. “That’s the tube you took from Xavier’s. Rhys is running the coordinates.”
Voices from the foyer caught Gin’s attention and she turned to see a striking couple. A man as tall as Gunnar stood at the entrance to the great room. He was dressed in a black suit and black dress shirt, and holding hands with a petite woman. Both had long dark hair, though his was wavy and hers straight.
The woman wore an ivory silk dress that flattered her mocha skin tone. Her green eyes were wide and somehow familiar…Gin blinked. That made no sense.
“Hunter.” The man nodded at Mathias.
“Hey, you guys are back,” Nicole said. “Um, Gin’s here.”
Gin narrowed her eyes at her sister, who totally looked like she was hiding something.
“Gin, this is Raniero and Ashina. They’re visiting from Torth and just had a night out, Chicago style,” Brooke said.
“Nice to meet you,” Gin said. Brooke had a weird look on her face too. But before Gin could say anything, Ashina stepped forward and hugged her.
Gin sucked in a breath. This woman’s hug was warm and comforting, like they somehow knew each other.
“I’m so glad to meet you,” Ashina said, and looked over Gin’s shoulder. “Hi, Mathias. I take it the two of you just got here?”
Does Mathias know everyone from Torth?
“Three of us.” Mathias nodded at Ria. “My little sis is here too.”
Ashina and Raniero both waved to Ria, then Ashina flicked a glance to Mathias. “Did we interrupt anything? If you just came from Torth, you probably have a story to tell. We’d love to hear it.”
“That sounds good. Hey, is anyone up for a midnight snack?” Brooke asked. “Since it’s the middle of the night. I’m hungry.”
“Yes, let’s get started. Or would you rather do this in the morning?” Ria asked Gin. “You need more sleep than we do.”
“
I’m too wired to go to sleep.” Gin said. “And I’m hungry too.”
Brooke came out of the kitchen bearing a platter of cinnamon rolls. “I made these earlier today,” she murmured as she set them on a coffee table.
“Oh, I’ve missed these!” Gin grabbed one and took a bite, smiling as the buttery cinnamon flavor filled her mouth. Brooke was the best baker ever.
Brooke took a roll for herself and sat next to Kai on the couch. “So, let’s hear it.”
Gin settled next to Mathias on the other end of the sectional. “Well, the school had a dance—”
Mathias’s arm draped around her back, and he squeezed her shoulder. “Actually, the night before that was when we found the dirt.”
Oh. Gin opened her mouth, then closed it. May as well listen from the very start.
Between Mathias and Ria, with occasional input from Gin, the events of the past week unfolded. The other warriors expressed admiration that the Tarsa demons had taken them in, given their fierce reputation. And when Mathias elaborated on the visit and Rosa’s unexpected appearance, the room went nuts.
“No way!” Brooke leaned forward and stared at Gin. “We had to search for her! Treck through wastelands! And she just came to you?”
“You had to go looking for her?” Gin’s eyebrows raised.
“Yeah, we did too. Not in a wasteland though.” Nicole said. “Wow, that’s really telling that she felt the urgency to get to you.”
“That witch’s power is intense.” Brenin spoke up. “You don’t want to cross her.”
Raniero and Ashina exchanged a look. The room quieted.
“What?” Gin and Mathias asked at once.
“We have stuff to tell you too. Things that happened this week. But you finish your story first.” Brooke said.
“Um, okay.” Gin shrugged. “Then I practiced my power some more.”
“She was getting really good with her aim and with rings of fire. We had to cut it short thanks to one of Tarsa’s famous monsoons,” Mathias said. “Then we had dinner, put two and two together with that test tube, and here we are.”
Gin breathed an inward sigh of relief at his quick summary. Had it only been a few hours ago that they’d been wrapped in each other’s arms? She looked at his strong thighs next to hers on the couch, encased in tight dark-washed denim. His whole body was lean, chiseled muscle, honed to fighting perfection.