Destined to Run

by J. Kearston

  Ares slows down and I admire his restraint at not slamming on the breaks while he growls. “The hell you will. Only skills you’ll be thinking about in bed are ours.”

  She shrugs flippantly, smiling softly to herself in victory. “Guess we’ll just have to see if you keep cutting me out of the conversation.”

  “You are devilishly perfect,” Cole purrs, and I’m half expecting him to try and crawl in the back with us.

  We drive a little ways more before running into construction. Ares sighs, backtracking and taking an even longer route out of our way while I have a brief pang of worry. Sarah was looking fairly well when we visited, but her symptoms tend to come in waves. If she was good then, I have no doubt she took a turn within a couple days of us leaving.

  The lows are getting lower in recent months and I hate to think that we came so close, just to be a few hours too late because of some construction. Logically, I know I’m likely being ridiculous, but it’s hard to rationalize the vision away after she took such a bad turn I decided to risk going to the city.

  Hours pass, and Rin senses my mood, trying to pull me out of my introspective silence. “So, tell me something about yourself. I know Cole and Ares’ stories, but what about yours?”

  Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I pull her tighter into my side. “Afraid you’re going to be pretty disappointed, love. My family is the one that took in Cole as a kid and Ares as a teen. They’re pretty amazing people.”

  She smiles, tucking her head beneath my chin. “Not disappointing at all. Just because I had a few shitty experiences doesn’t mean I’d wish them on anyone. And I like knowing that Cole and Ares had a safe space, had people to love them when they needed it most.”

  Cole glances at our mate in the rearview mirror, absolute devotion softening his gaze. “But still nothing compared to being near you. I completely shut down for the longest time despite their best efforts, but you just swoop in and cauterize old wounds like it’s nothing. Pretty damn amazing if you ask me.”

  She snorts. “You don’t need to pander to my ego. I’m all feeble; and that’s okay. I don’t need to be able to tear someone’s head off when I have you three. I’ll just figure out a different way to contribute to the pride, because I’m not about to just accept you waxing poetic about how my very existence is gift enough. That’s lazy and conceited. Least I can do is organize your workshop or something,” she chuckles, sounding less self-deprecating than before, so I’m taking it as a good sign.

  The piercing shriek of a siren assaults my ears long before I see the flashing lights reflecting off of the mirrors, all levity draining away in an instant. Ian sleeps right on through, the palpable fear in the air not fazing him any more than the blaring noise.

  Ares lets loose a string of curses as he pulls over and Rin’s heart isn’t the only one sprinting right now. We were so fucking close, the wilds taunting us before we had to backtrack, that I should have anticipated something like this happening. Things were going too smoothly, I should have anticipated something like this happening. There’s simply no way that the cosmos would allow us to just fucking go home without kicking us in the balls a few more times.

  A single highway patrolman strides up to the truck, his hand already resting on the gun holstered on his hip. “That’s not a good sign,” Cole breathes, not even thinking too loud for fear of drawing any more attention to us.

  Just keep cool and don’t engage.

  “Exit the vehicle,” he commands aggressively.

  “Is there a problem officer?” Ares asks calmly, keeping his hands in plain sight, but not making to get out just yet.

  There might only be one, but there’s usually cameras in the car, Ares. We can’t just kill him and run, I warn, since of all of us, he has the least experience in situations like this.

  “I said get out of the vehicle.” The officer doesn’t back down, and reluctantly, Ares follows the order. “Hands on the hood.”

  “Was I speeding?” he asks, trying to get a sense of what’s going on.

  “Few abandoned cars a few towns over were called in,” he states, glancing inside the truck. “Bloodbath not far away and witness reports identify your truck fleeing the scene.”

  He starts to pull a pair of handcuffs out and I panic. If they think Ares killed those feebs, there’s no way he’ll even see a trial date. He’ll get tossed in lock up and the biased system will make sure he never walks out of there alive.

  “You animals just can’t help yourselves, can you?” he sneers. “Should stay in the wilds where you belong.”

  “Wait!” Rin exclaims, shoving her door open.

  I wrap my hand around her upper arm, hissing, “What do you think you’re doing?!”

  “Trust me, okay? We can’t let him take Ares.”

  Peeling my fingers off of her one by one, she slips from my grasp. Every step away from me she takes is another punch to the gut, and when I share a look with Cole, I see the same terror reflected back at me. Our family can be put together by one human, but it can also be torn apart by one just as easily, and we’re helpless to stop it.

  And they call us monsters.

  “Officer, please,” Rin starts, keeping her steps slow and deliberate.

  “You’re human,” he states, surprised and standing straighter before his eyes widen. “The daughter, right? One of the cars found at the scene was reportedly chasing after the shifter that abducted her.” He draws his gun. “Get in the cruiser, ma’am, we’ll take care of things from here.” He grabs the radio on his chest to call for backup when she interrupts him.

  “You don’t understand, that’s not it at all,” she exclaims, fear bleeding into her tone along with her frustration.

  She proceeds to give him the entire story, starting from the first day and ending with being attacked by the vamps. Naturally, she glosses over the bit where we abducted a mage, spinning everything onto fleeing her father. By the time she’s done, he’s lowered his gun, but doesn’t look convinced.

  “You’ll need to come to the station while we get this worked out,” he reluctantly agrees. “But you’re riding with me.” She nods, thanking him effusively, not that he sees it. His gaze stays locked on Ares as he gets back in the truck, like he’s waiting for him to attack at any second.

  The officer gives Ares precise directions to the station and tells him to leave first so that he can follow directly behind in case Ares thinks to try something stupid like making a break for it. The entire trip is made in absolute silence, the three of us straining with the urge to shift from the stress. Our mate, not with us where she belongs, but sitting next to that asshole. Still, he did back down and agree to hear her out, so I should be grateful.

  But I’m so sick of being grateful for basic human decency.

  When we’re close to pulling into the station parking lot, I glance at Ian with fear. We’re never going to be able to explain him away. So, as carefully as I can so as not to draw the officer’s attention to my movements, I slide forward and brace a knee on the center console. Groping behind me, I yank Ian to the floor, flip the back of the seat down, and lift the bottom up. The storage compartment only has some emergency equipment in it, but it’s hell trying to toss him in with only one arm and trying to keep my head steady so I don’t look suspicious.

  I just barely get it back in place and give my thighs a break before we pull into the parking lot, because gods know how many cameras are out here. None of us move before we’re told, being absolutely compliant.

  We’re all ushered into the building, disdain clearly aimed at us from several directions. There is no innocent until proven guilty for shifters. When you have the power to tear a man’s head from his shoulders, it’s assumed that brutality is a part of our personality. But just as humans are capable of great good or evil, so are we.

  It’s laughable, really, since they’re the reason the world went to shit and we became what we are.

  The three of us are shoved into a room and Rin another, the
door locking behind the man. Cole swipes a shaky hand down his face as Ares starts pacing, but I grab them both and drag them down with me onto the floor. There are only two chairs, one across from the other, and a table. So instead, we sit with our backs against the wall, side by side.

  Least amount of threatening as possible. No agitated pacing, no quick movements. We don’t want to look guilty and nervous.

  “Of course I’m fucking nervous!” Cole shouts and I put a reassuring hand on his knee.

  All hopes of calming down go out the window when an insanely high pitched noise nearly shatters our eardrums, forcing us to press our hands over our ears in an attempt to muffle the sound.

  “Fuck! It feels like my ears are bleeding,” Ares groans, face pinched in pain.

  I grit my teeth. Likely so we can’t listen in to whatever they’re saying.

  Our conversation tapers off, a headache already blooming and making telepathy a struggle. I couldn’t even tell you how much time passes, the three of us just focusing on surviving the auditory torture and our own panic so we don’t involuntarily shift and make things ten times worse than they already are.

  When the door opens, Ares’ head whips to the side and I sink my nails into his thigh to make sure he doesn’t launch himself at the human. “You’re free to go,” a different officer states, disdain dripping from his voice.

  A minute later the ear piercing noise cuts off and I sag in relief, though the ringing in my ears carries on. We cautiously get to our feet, the feeling of it being a trap pressing against my instincts. The officer stays two steps behind us, watching as we head through the precinct and towards the exit, just making the hairs on the nape of my neck stand on end as we turn our backs on the perceived threat.

  By the time we step out into the crisp, autumn air of evening, I feel like I’ve run a hundred miles under the desert sun. Nervous sweat coats my skin and my muscles ache from so much adrenaline pumping through my system with no outlet. But it’s just another blow when Rin’s not out here waiting for us, the door slammed behind the officer as he goes back inside.

  What’s happening? Are you alright? Fuck, Rin, what did you do?

  The three of us share a look, mulling over the likelihood of us walking back in there and getting her out alive. It has about the same success rate as storming into a vamp nest, but fuck, we’ll go down fighting before just walking away and leaving our mate to pay for my crimes.

  “Breathe. Just wait in the truck, I’ll explain when I get there.”

  “God damn it.” Ares sags in defeat, swiping a hand through his hair and leaving it sticking up every which way. His hand is trembling when he pulls it away, clenching it to try and hide his nerves.

  “She’s coming back,” Cole states definitively, sounding so sure. “She wouldn’t do something stupid and leave us alone.” His face falls a bit as his confidence starts to wane. “She wouldn’t, not even to save us, right? She knows what that would do to us.”

  “Come on.” I throw an arm over his shoulders and lead them towards the truck.

  Every second that ticks by shaves another day off of my life, feeling like I’m walking towards the gallows. The not knowing, that’s the worst part. I have no idea what’s happening, but trust my mate as much as I do the other members of our pride, so I don’t ask again. The last thing I want is to distract her from whatever she’s up to, to screw things up by being impatient.

  But fuck, I’m on the verge of going feral and tearing the shit out of this truck right now.

  I hear the door snick open, not even needing to turn my head because I’ve been boring holes in it with my eyes from the moment I sat my ass down. And hell, it’s clear that I’m a fucking goner where this woman is concerned, because the only thing I can think of is marking the shit out of every exposed spot on her neck; anything to make my animalistic side calm down even a little right now.

  I’m out of the truck before she’s three steps from the building, the female officer smirking and rolling her eyes as she returns inside. I beat my brothers to her, grabbing her around the waist and burying my face in her collar, inhaling her scent. It helps push my instincts down a bit.

  She’s our own brand of catnip, mellowing us out better than any drug.

  Be it aches, pains, or anxiety, just a hit of her intoxicating scent has me feeling better. It’s not lost on me how ridiculous I sound, but I refuse to feel bad about it. I love her so completely that she’s become an intrinsic part of my being. So fuck all of the fragile male egos and macho bullshit; I missed the hell out of her.

  “You’re alright?” Ares confirms, just as shaken up as I am, but better at concealing it.

  He jerks her away from me, kissing the top of her head and taking his own hit of her scent. We’re nothing better than addicts, and Rin is our drug of choice. She fists his shirt, kissing his chest before pulling back.

  “Completely,” she assures with a sad smile. “And I’m sorry I couldn’t explain more until now. I’m sure you guys were going out of your minds.”

  Cole steals her away, kissing her on the mouth and sighing in relief. “Us? Heck, I didn’t even notice you were gone. Too busy admiring the sunset, you know,” he brushes off, but she knows him better than that by now.

  “Missed you too,” she whispers and he rests his forehead on hers.

  “Don’t scare me like that again, alright?” he asks, the vulnerability he’s trying so hard to hide seeping into his tone despite his best efforts.

  “No promises,” she admits, nipping at his throat and it makes me growl.

  For all of my bravado, I’m not any better than the beast they claim me to be. I tug her away from my brother, fisting her hair and kissing her. Just a hard press of my lips to hers, conveying all of my desperation and fear.

  She flicks her tongue against my lips, parting them, and I meet her eagerly. Each roll of her tongue against mine has my already frayed control scrambling for purchase. She tastes like home, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. It may only take one human to tear us apart, but it takes another to knit us back together. For all of the disdain we’ve held for humans over the years, it’s clear there’s so much we still have to learn.

  “They never even filed the marriage certificate because they didn’t want to risk me getting half of Jax’s stuff,” Rin informs us and I sigh in relief, though I’m not exactly sure why. It wouldn’t have mattered to me either way, but somehow, it makes things feel easier. “So I wasn’t officially married.”

  “Yet,” Ares scoffs for our ears only and I smile, expecting it from Cole, but not so much him.

  “But,” she continues, hand fisted in the front of my shirt. “I am my dad’s sole beneficiary. Which means I’ll need to do some paperwork, but,” she tapers off, looking sheepish. At Cole’s prompting though, she rushes out, “Everything’s mine. The house, the cars, the business; it all will be transferred into my name after the paperwork is handled.”

  My stomach sinks, but I force a smile for her sake. “That’s great news, love. You won’t have to worry about anything anymore.”

  She gives me a strange look before kissing me again, just a soft press of her lips. “For future reference, you have a terrible poker face. I’m not going back to the city, Osiris. After all of the legal part is handled, I’ll sell the house; I don’t need it. Everything I have is right here.”

  As much as I want to crush her against me, I don’t fight him when Cole steals her away. He’s struggled more than any of us with abandonment issues, and I know he’s got to be about five seconds from shifting right here and now.

  We climb into the truck, Ares so careful about following every speed limit and sign that it would be comical in a different scenario. It’s not until we’re miles away and pulling into wild territory before Rin asks a very important question.

  “Umm, where’s Ian?”

  Twenty-One

  Rin

  “Jesus, where does he put it all?” Cole asks, staring at Ian with rapt fascination.


  “Excuse you,” Ian’s muffled voice attempts around a mouthful of food. “But that took way more energy than I’m used to using. Least you can do is feed me.”

  The floor of the truck is littered with paper bags and food wrappers at his feet, but he’s looking about back to normal. “Better enjoy it while you can, because that was the last of my cash. Until money gets transferred into my account, I’m officially broke.”

  Ian turns his wide, grey eyes on me. “Then rob a gas station or something if you’re expecting me to try to fix a kid too. I swear, you four are some of the worst criminals I’ve ever met.”

  Osiris snorts. “Oh, I’m sure you’re just running the streets with the worst of the worst, right? First name basis with all sorts of degenerates.”

  Ian flips him off as he finishes his burger. “No names; keeps me safe.” He leans forward to meet my eye over Ozzy’s lap. “Seriously, it’s like, rule number one if you’re going to do something illegal. How the hell you managed to talk your way out of being arrested is mind boggling.”

  I chuckle, enjoying the way Osiris toys with my hair absentmindedly. “What can I say? An innocent face is really the only thing I have going for me. At least it’s good for something out here.”

  Ian gives me a knowing look before popping a fry into his mouth and wiggling the fingers on one hand. “I know what you mean. Apparently these magic fingers are the only thing I’m good for; I doubt a single person back home could tell you a personal fact about me. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’re interested in. When you’re a mage, the only thing anyone cares about is how powerful you are. It’s a constant competition to get to the top and I doubt anyone would even know what to do with themselves if and when they got there. They want the title for bragging rights, not to actually do anything with it.” He sits back in his seat, taking another bite. “All this power, and for what? Not like anyone’s using it to make things better.”

  There’s a heavy silence as we follow the winding path towards Sarah’s house, each of us feeling the weight of his words in our own way. The humans want to keep everyone beneath them, the mages want to prove they’re the most evolved, and the shifters just want to be left alone. Imagine what we could accomplish if we quit fighting amongst ourselves for once.