31. Ledger
Chapter 31
Ledger
I slam yet another book closed with a frustrated huff, setting it on the teetering pile with the others. I’ve gone through damn near every book the library has with the word ‘mimic’ in it, and not a single one has anything helpful. Fairy tales meant to scare children into hiding their powers from humans, and some in fantasy lore. But those tend to lean towards changelings or turn into objects, nothing about borrowing abilities from other mysts.
Knuckles rapping against the open doorway pull me out of my head. Bellamy’s face suddenly blanches, and I frown, getting to my feet. “What’s wrong?”
Swallowing, he shakes his head rapidly. “N-nothing, I just wanted to ask where the best place to get a headset and wireless mouse in town is. I’d ask Myles, but he’s at work.”
I crack my stiff neck. These overnights are killing me, and I don’t have a damn thing to show for it. “I need a break anyway, I’ll drive you.”
He’s quiet for a weirdly long time before nodding sharply. “Alright, yeah. Let’s get out of here.”
Eyeing him curiously, I don’t comment on his strange behavior. Honestly, he’s been so hot and cold that it’s giving me whiplash. First he hates us, then he never accuses us of tricking Ever into bonding again. He seems to have hit it off well with Myles, at least, especially after her shitbag ex showed up the other day. Nothing screams male bonding like punching someone in the face to defend your girl.
Snagging my keys off the hook, I’m halfway out the door when Ever comes walking past. “Oh, you two heading out?”
“Computer store, yeah. Want to come?”
She lights up instantly. “Hell yeah, I want to come. Give me a second, I’ll go grab my list!”
As she sprints off, my smile falls as I notice Bellamy anxiously tapping his fingers against his thigh.
Wouldn’t he be thrilled she wanted to come? Gaming is their thing; a fact that admittedly has me a little jealous. They have plenty of history the rest of us can never compete with. As happy as it’ll make her to go, I’m already bracing myself for the two of them to act like a couple of kids in a candy store and leave me feeling like an ancient third wheel.
I take a deep breath as my wolf scratches at my insides, hating the idea. It’ll make Ever happy. We’ll keep her safe so she’s free to be happy. And tonight, I’ll steal her away for some one on one time. A real date, just the two of us. It’s all about balance.
She comes back in record time, lacing up her shoes and nearly tipping over in her excitement. “Sorry for making you wait.”
I catch her elbow to steady her, chuckling. “Easy there, sunshine. We’re not going to leave without you, take your time.”
Bellamy fidgets restlessly. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather stay home? Just look at what happened with Adam. And there will be far more people around this time than at Myles's shop.”
Ahh, now it makes sense.
Bellamy already doesn’t seem to trust people in general, so that confrontation must have really freaked him out. Not sure what his issue is with mysts, but this’ll be good. I can show him that not only can we keep Ever safe here, but him too.
Ever slings her purse strap across her body. “I’m not going to stop living my life just because assholes walk among us. They can get bent, I’m getting a new keyboard and gaming chair.”
I clap him on the shoulder. “If anyone tries to hurt her, I’ll kill them. No need to sweat it, man.”
He doesn’t look like he believes me, but that’s fine. Actions speak louder than words, and he’ll realize soon enough that if anyone is stupid enough to threaten our mate, they won’t live long enough to tell the tale.
We had to grab a second cart, but much to my delight, Ever includes me in everything she’s considering. Sure, I don't know shit about tech, but I can test out chairs to make sure they’re not cheaply slapped together. If they can support me without collapsing? It’s solid and will last a little thing like Ever for years comfortably.
The bitter scent of Bellamy’s distress tips me off a second too late, and I glance behind me to find a group of four men approaching… and another five in front of me, blocking the three of us in. As Bell steps closer to Ever, I casually angle my cart to block the aisle ahead of me before leaning against it.
“Long time no see, boys. What can I do for you?”
From the corner of my eye, I catch a flash of Bellamy’s phone as he fires off a text as discreetly as possible. Can’t blame him for trying to tip off the others in case shit goes sideways, but it’s not necessary.
Lance swallows hard before puffing up his chest and focusing on Ever. “Blink twice if they're holding you against your will.”
What the hell is it with everyone acting like I’m some sort of horrible monster lately? “Oh, fuck off.”
Ever grimaces. “Well damn, now I'm hyper-aware of my eyelids and think I'm going to wind up blinking more trying to hold my eyes open.’ Shaking her head, she says, “I’m good, no hostage negotiations necessary.”
Carrick nods slowly beside him. “People were getting worried. Those guys pounced the first day you got here and you've barely been seen around town since. They treating you right?”
“Yeah.” She only hesitates a moment before flashing her wrist. “Got matching tattoos and everything.”
“You chose them that quickly?!” One of the men in the back balks. “What the heck did they offer you to con you into claiming them so fast?”
I bite back an annoyed growl. “Fated mark. So the only thing we're convincing her of, is to give us a chance.”
Lance breathes, “You lucky bastards.” He shakes himself out of his stunned stupor. “Still, fated marks don't mean they own you, so if one of them acts a fool and your other mates won't step in to throw their friend out, you flag any of us down and we'll take care of it. Okay?”
I roll my eyes. Like they’d be able to do jack shit. Hell, even in crutches, Arson could slaughter them all without breaking a sweat. But I suppose the more people she has in her corner, the better. Heaven forbid something terrible happened to me, it’s a relief knowing there are good men out there that would step up to help her. Between being a female center and a mimic? She has a target on her back every time she steps foot outside.
Ever chuckles. “I'll keep that in mind.”
From the back of the mob, Jack calls, “You know, just because you found a couple of fated mates doesn't mean you can't add some chosen to the mix.” He waggles his eyebrows. “Should at least know your options.”
The chainsaw rumbling in my chest stutters to a halt as Ever puts a soothing hand on my bicep. “I'd love to see some more magic in action. Never hurts to see what people can do.” She aims her words at me with a pointed look, and my shoulders relax a fraction. Between her hand on my arm and Bellamy tugging her into his side, I breathe a little easier. While I watch for threats, he’ll watch out for her.
At the same time, a niggle of worry scratches at the back of my mind. Bellamy’s been alarmingly silent through this entire confrontation. One glance proves he’s strung tight enough to snap into action the moment one of these guys so much as breathes wrong, but the tension lining his face worries me.
I have no idea what trauma that man went through, but I intend to find out. If we want to have any hope of a functioning bond group, we all need to be on the same page.
Doesn’t mean I like seeing a bunch of horny bastards trying to impress my girl, though.
They practically trip over each other to introduce themselves and show off what they can do, and I hate to admit that a few of them would honestly be a solid addition to any center’s mate group. I keep one eye on them, and the other on Ever, watching carefully to see how she reacts to each of them. But thankfully, her awe seems wholeheartedly focused on the magical ability itself, not the man wielding it.
Lance saves himself for last, much to my chagrin. The ice mage is cocky as hell, but annoyingly, he has a reason to be. With a flick of his wrist, he conjures a miniature unicorn out of ice, and with his secondary wind abilities, makes it prance around like a living thing.
If he ever actually applied himself past flashy displays, the mage could really make something of himself. But he just hasn’t found the right motivation yet.
“Show off,” Jack grumbles, shoving his shoulder playfully, but it throws Lance off enough that he stumbles, foot slipping out from under him and he goes down hard.
Ice shards fly out in all directions as his back smacks into the ground, Bellamy launching into motion and grabbing Ever, whirling around to shield her. But as I watch the frozen daggers fly toward them, my body moves before I even really think about it. In a split-second, I have them both in my arms, spinning them out of the way just as the first impales my back. The other three hit in quick succession, knocking the air from my lungs.
When I can finally suck in a labored breath, my wolf is hovering just beneath the surface, partially shifting my hands into claws and voice more animal than man as I snarl, “Run.”
None of them have to think about it, the entire crowd fleeing with their tails between their legs. One is considerate enough to drag Lance to his feet before I can pounce, reading the murder burning in my eyes as I grunt, fighting off my shift.
Once they’re finally gone, I can breathe a little easier. Panting, I toss Ever my keys. “Mind driving us home, sunshine?”
She balks, face far too pale. “To the hospital you mean? Sure. We should ask about a punch card while we're there. Fifth visit we get free ice cream or something.”
Fates, she’s precious. Gonna keep her forever.
“Bell, can you handle checkout?” With labored breaths, I clutch the cart hard enough the handle bends, but manage to stay upright. “I’ll help you load her chair when you get out, I just need to lay down for a minute.”
Steel grey eyes stare back at me, wide eyed. “I can load the damn chair myself. What the fuck dude? You were impaled and just want me to carry on shopping ?”
I frown. “Well, yeah. We came all this way and I got stabbed, I'm not going home empty handed. Besides, the ice actually is keeping the wounds pretty numb. By tomorrow, they'll be good as new. Shifter healing, remember?”
I swear, those unnerving eyes stare straight into my soul as Bellamy croaks, “Why not just let me take the hit? Less competition.”
I pin him with a fierce glare. “You're not competition, Bell, you're family.” Fumbling a bit as the movement tugs on my wounds, I toss him my wallet. “Now go pay for this shit so we can go home.”