by Marks, Teir
“I'd honestly be surprised if any of them laid bad pipe. I don't think it's in their blood.” Maleiha supplied.
“I think you're right,” Sutton told them softly.
For the next hour, Nyela participated in two of the games that Maleiha had planned for them while they continued to snack from the trays. When there was a lull in the conversation, she decided to bring up what Miles had relayed to her. Well, more so to Synn, but she had happened to be there.
“So, Miles found out some information in regards to where Brian will be next weekend.”
All of the women turned their attention to her. She took a sip of her drink before thinking of how to continue.
“We need to find a way to infiltrate it. Maybe we can snatch him, or find some information on the mystery man that we still don't know anything about.”
“I'm sure the siblings will come up with something,” Larkin stated.
“It will be a blood bath if they go in there,” Nyela told them. “That's the last thing we want. It will put the other two on their guard and make it harder to get close to them.”
“Then what do you suggest be done?” Korrae asked.
“I could go in and see what I can find,” Nyela told them. “Myself and another person.”
“That would work. If I hadn't recently been shot in the ankle.” Luna told her as if she had forgotten.
“It doesn't have to be you,” Nyela told her. “I was thinking more of Maleiha.” She finished watching the other woman's reaction.
“Why me? Why can't you take Emery?”
“Again, it would be a blood bath as soon as they saw her. Besides, you've been training with Ashton for a while. On top of that, out of the other women here, I get a distinct feeling that you'd be the best choice. That you'd do anything you could to protect Grae.”
Maleiha shook her head at her. “Training with him doesn't make me a professional fighter.”
Nyela cocked an eyebrow. Noticing that she had ignored the other part of her sentence, and she was sure it was on purpose because it would serve as help for her argument.
“But, you would do anything to protect Grae.” Nyela pressed, not giving her an out. When the other woman remained quiet, Nyela decided to challenge her resolve to do so. “So, you're telling me that if I were to try to stab Grae in front of you, you wouldn't attempt to stop me.”
Maleiha cocked a brow at her. “That's not something I have to think about.”
“Okay. You can't answer the hypothetical. Let's try reality.”
With that, Nyela pushed her seat back, and started to make her way inside the house.
“Again, it would be a blood bath as soon as they saw her. Besides, you've been training with Ashton for a while. On top of that, out of the other women here, I get a distinct feeling that you'd be the best choice. That you'd do anything you could to protect Grae.”
Maleiha leaned back in her chair as Nyela made her statement. She wondered where she was getting this logic from. Yes, she had been training with Ashton for a bit, but that didn't mean that she was an expert. She was simply training in order to be able to defend herself in the event that she was attacked again. To make herself feel safer.
Though she was right, Maleiha would do what she could within her power to keep Grae safe, because she knew he would do the same for her. After all, that was part of what being in a relationship was. And something told her that their relationship ran a little deeper than the other couples.
It wasn't that she didn't believe that they had a connection. She just felt that what she had with Grae was different. Maleiha was sure that it had more to do with the fact that she had known about the siblings’ business longer. That she had spent more time with them, with Grae, under the very roof they were all sharing for the moment.
Even if it were true, she wasn't going to say it out loud. That would just give fuel to validate Nyela's argument, and that was the last thing she wanted to do.
Maleiha shook her head at her. “Training with him doesn't make me a professional fighter.”
As someone who made their living as an assassin, Maleiha felt as if that fact should have been obvious to the older woman. It didn't mean that she was skilled for whatever it was that Nyela had in mind. In her opinion, you also couldn't throw someone with no experience into what they could potentially be facing.
“But you would do anything to protect Grae.” Nyela voiced again.
Maleiha remained quiet. It should have been evident that she would. Though Nyela didn't think so, Maleiha was sure that any of the women would do whatever they could, whatever was within their power, to protect their significant other.
“So, you're telling me that if I were to try to stab Grae in front of you, you wouldn't attempt to stop me.”
Maleiha's brow twitched. She was tired of this line of conversation. It was putting a damper on their bonding time, and she cocked a brow at her. “That's not something I have to think about.”
“Okay. You can't answer the hypothetical. Let's try reality.”
Maleiha watched as Nyela pushed her chair back and got up, heading back towards the house. She watched her go for a split second before she got up to follow her. There was an odd feeling in Maleiha's stomach that told her the other woman might have been going to make good on her hypothetical attempt.
Maleiha followed behind Nyela as the other woman walked with purposeful steps on a mission. What she wanted to do was crazy to Maleiha, but she wasn't about to let it happen. She didn't know if the woman was bluffing or not. Over the past week, she had found out precisely why Nyela was perfect for Synn. They were both crazy as fuck.
Reaching out, she grabbed Nyela's wrist in an attempt to stop her. What she had not expected, however, was for the other woman to turn around and swing on her.
It honestly took Maleiha by surprise, but her reflexes and time training with Ashton kicked in, and she threw up her free arm. Her wrist blocking the attack. Yeah, the other woman was definitely on something.
Nyela immediately threw another punch her way. While Maleiha was concentrating on blocking that hit as well, she was surprised by the older woman ripping her wrist free and catching her with a quick jab to the stomach.
Maleiha wasn't one that fought often. Growing up, if she had to defend herself, she would; and since training with Ashton, she had taken her fair share of hits from him. So, it wasn't that she couldn't handle it. It simply knocked the wind out of her for a moment, though she was able to focus past it and dodge the blow that was coming towards her head.
Countering with her own tactics, Maleiha threw a left, punching Nyela in the chest before sending an elbow towards her face. It was blocked, and Nyela's free hand came up and wrapped around her neck. The pressure she began to put on it was enough to cut the airflow immediately.
Maleiha used a breaking defense move that Ashton showed her before spinning and sending a kick to Nyela's stomach, sending her backward. If the other woman thought she was going to just take whatever she was dishing out, Maleiha was determined to prove her wrong. Assassin or not, she wasn't about to simply not defend herself.
She was in the heat of the moment and wasn't aware that someone else had walked into the foyer. It was only when she felt herself stumbling backward, barely catching herself, did she look up into the menacing eyes of Synn.
He was more pissed than she had ever seen him. Actually, she had never seen him pissed. His neutral face was usually harsh on its own. This...this was something else in its entirety. If she hadn't spent so much time around all of the siblings, she would be scared out of her mind.
However, because she had, Maleiha found herself only being slightly uncomfortable. Though she was sure, she should have been feeling a bit scared. She could only assume that Synn was the same way about Nyela as Grae was about her. Even though Nyela should have kept her damn hands to herself.
She could take it back even further and say that if she hadn't brought up the situation at all a few minutes ago, they could
have avoided this all together. There was no point in her trying to harm Grae though Maleiha knew that Nyela probably wouldn't be able to do much of anything to him.
The fact that Maleiha had come in the house to stop her had proven her point enough. So, her taking a swing at her was completely unnecessary, and now she was on the receiving end of Synn's wrath.
Grae had been in his office for the past few hours. He hadn't seen Maleiha all day due to the women wanting to have quality time and get to know one another, so he was more than ready to go kidnap her from them.
Standing up from his desk, he stretched before heading out of the office. He was going down the hall, towards the foyer when he saw his brother grab his little beauty and fling her backward. Red. That was all that he saw.
In less than a second, he was standing between Maleiha and Synn, shielding her from his gaze.
“Back off, Synn,” Grae stated through gritted teeth. His jaw tightened.
Synn's eyes came up to meet his own, and Grae saw that he was beyond pissed. Well, hell, that made two of them. He didn't know what had happened, but he would be damned if he let his brother do anything to hurt his woman.
Grae's glacier blue eyes were unyielding as he saw the challenge present itself in Synn's. If his older brother wanted to provoke his psycho, then he had no issues with reminding him just how fucking crazy he could be.
Grae's jaw ticked as Synn straightened his back, challengingly. It looked as if his older brother would be relearning a lesson he seemed to have forgotten over the years. He felt the first layer of his psycho evaporate.
It had been a while since he'd fought with any of his siblings, and none of them had ever fought over women before. Well, at least he hadn't. However, this was different. The fact that his brother had the audacity to put his hands on his woman was unacceptable.
Out of all of his siblings, the only ones he could see putting their hands on any of the others' women were Kylen and possibly Emery. It seemed as if he had been mistaken.
Synn took a step towards him, and Grae stood his ground. The hierarchy was something that they all respected, but sometimes that shit had to go out of the window. That and the fact that even though Synn was the oldest, Grae often found himself taking charge simply because he was a better strategist.
“Grae.” He heard Maleiha call him softly, but she wasn't going to be able to talk him down. “I'm okay.”
“Teach your woman to keep her hands to herself,” Synn stated.
“I didn't start this.” His little beauty responded from behind him.
“Looks like you're the one that needs to do some teaching,” Grae responded. His tone was admittedly petty.
He had barely finished his sentence when his brother swung at him. Grae leaned back and countered with a left, knowing his reach was longer than his brothers. He connected with Synn's jaw, and his brother stumbled back as he vaguely registered both of the women gasping.
Synn charged at Grae, and they went reeling backward. He could only hope that Maleiha was not still directly behind him. When he hit the wall, knocking a few pictures to the ground with the force, he knew that she wasn't.
His brother jabbed him in the stomach with his shoulder, and Grae brought his elbow down hard on his back. Being trapped to the wall was a disadvantage for him. One he knew Synn was purposely trying to exploit.
Taking his arm and wrapping it around the older man's neck, Grae began to squeeze. It wasn't long before Synn tried to get him to loosen his grip, deciding to jab him to the stomach.
The wind was expelled from Grae, and his grip slackened, allowing Synn to push himself free. Grae collected himself quickly and dodged the blow coming his way. His brother may have been stockier than he was, but he had reach and speed on his side.
Countering with a combo, Grae landed three of his hits before they were blocked, and Synn retaliated with a right hitting him in the jaw. He was well aware of Maleiha yelling at them to stop, but there was honestly no stopping them until one of them had proven their point. At the level of pissed that he was at now, he knew that he wouldn't be satisfied until he seriously hurt him.
Grae maneuvered his way around Synn, locking his arm around his neck, adding pressure. He was going to put his ass to sleep. At least that had been his plan. However, he felt arms pulling him before a foot made contact with the back of his left knee. He buckled, but he didn't release Synn.
“Stop it.” He heard Maleiha state, and a moment later, he heard what he could only assume to be tussling from behind him.
The fight in his brother hadn't gone out, and a moment later, Grae felt him hook his foot behind one of his own, and both went down. Hitting the table behind them, he heard it break with several cracks. However, he still didn't release him.
From the corner of his eye, he could see his beauty pushing Nyela backward before the other woman pushed her, causing her to stumble. His attention was brought from them as Synn elbowed him in his left side. Grae grunted out as he strained to keep his grip. However, it put a strain on his shoulder. Though it was healed, it still gave him problems if he overexerted it at times.
His grip loosened, and Synn was able to roll out of his hold. He came at Grae, but the younger man brought his foot up, kicking his brother in the stomach. He got to his feet quickly, just as his brother regained his posture and swung at him — hitting Grae in the chin.
He retaliated with his own blow just as he heard Maleiha groan out. His attention was stolen from the immediate fight at hand, and he found Nyela had one of Maleiha's arms trapped behind her back, while she had her other around his beauty's neck.
Another layer evaporated.
He took a step towards them but was grabbed. Grae shook it off, turning his attention to Synn. He immediately began to dish out blow after blow.
This was his brother's fault. If he hadn't been attracted to Nyela, then Maleiha wouldn't be fighting with the woman, and they wouldn't have come to this.
He was blacking, and all he could do was rain down blow after blow.
He felt a pair of hands on him, pulling him back, and he struggled against them so he could continue his assault. Another pair of hands joined the first, and he was lifted off of his brother, but he had lost himself. He was in a hole of black.
Grae struggled against them. Getting one arm free, he elbowed the person in the stomach, receiving a grunt.
“Damn it, Em. Hold him.” He heard. He was sure it was Ashton, and he was also sure his younger brother had been on the receiving end of that elbow.
“I'm trying. You know how he is when he gets like this.”
Grae continued to struggle with them, swinging one of his arms back, he knew he sent his sister to the ground, hearing when she hit it as she let out a groan.
Hands cupped his face in the midst of the chaos, and he soon felt lips on his. He knew those hands, those lips anywhere.
Slowly, the fight in Grae began to fizzle, and his vision seemed to clear. Maleiha pulled away from him, on her tiptoes, looking into his eyes.
“Come back.” She told him softly.
He hadn't known until that moment, though he had suspected, that she could actually get him under control if and when he lost it.
“Where are you?” She questioned.
Grae leaned in and pecked her lips. “I'm here, Beauty. I'm right here.”
He looked around him to see that Ashton, who he wasn't sure when he let him go, was restraining Synn as he glared daggers, but they weren't at Grae as he had expected them to be. He followed his older brother's line of sight and saw Kylen, once again, with his hand around Nyela's throat. Except for this time, he had lifted her off the ground, her feet dangling.
“You put your hands on my sister again and brother's girlfriend or not, I will enjoy making something that will rot you from the inside out slowly as I watch.” His baby brother told her seething before pulling her away from the wall, only to push her back hard against it and drop her to the ground.
Grae watched
as Sutton made her way timidly to Kylen, and it was in that moment that he noticed all of his siblings and their girlfriends along with Rico, Miles, and Luna had made their way to where they were.
Nyela's coughing filled the room, and Grae watched as Synn jerked away from Ashton and made his way to her. He stopped momentarily in front of Kylen, and the younger male simply raised a brow at him.
“It's fine, Synn.” She told him when her coughing died down. “I was just trying to prove a point.”
“By attacking me?” Maleiha questioned.
“Yes, and you responded the way I thought you would.”
“I defended myself.”
“In order to protect Grae. Even though you knew that I could have seriously hurt or killed you. You could have backed down and let me go and do what I had threatened, but you didn't. You took me on.”
Grae's jaw twitched. “Protect me for what?”
“I...have a plan. We all need to talk.” Nyela told them.
“Looking at you makes me want to stab you,” Kylen told her. “So, no. Not now.”
With that, he watched as his younger brother walked away with Sutton, who seemed a bit hesitant. Grae nodded to himself, thinking he had the right idea. He took Maleiha's hand in his and led her towards the elevator. He wanted to get her upstairs to their bedroom to see if she was hurt. Then, figure out what Nyela was talking about when she said Maleiha had proved she would protect him.
He could have stayed and listened to what she had to say. However, she wasn't who he wanted to hear it from; and Kylen was right. Looking at Nyela made him want to hurt her and if he fell into his rage again, all of his layers would disappear, and there would be no stopping him.
8
Maleiha felt like she may start hyperventilating at any moment and had to calm herself down. She recalled what she had learned in school and what she would tell patients. It was working only slightly when she felt arms wrap around her waist. Grae’s cologne immediately invaded her senses, and she breathed it in. Using it to help calm her down further.