fourteen
I crept out of Jade’s bed while it was still dark outside. I wished she were in my bed, where we could stay all day without worry of her neighbors seeing me. That was a complication my brothers and I didn’t need. Especially given BioSynth was still operational.
The lab that created us—the one we’d destroyed when we escaped—may no longer be standing, but the company was still working. Bull, the tech genius for Superhuman Security, felt sure he was getting close to locating them, but the length of time they’d eluded us was frustrating.
Even if BioSynth was permanently shut down, we couldn’t walk the streets in broad daylight. Humans were unaware Society existed, and supernaturals liked it that way. There were too many of us with fearsome appearances or odd dietary needs to coexist nicely with people.
I had experienced firsthand what humans could do when they thought another species was less than or a commodity. Bacon, a Society historian of sorts who worked with Jackal Division, gave us binders as a crash course on Society that detailed more examples. None of which ended well.
With Kendal’s help, we hadn’t needed to exist in the wider world. She acted as a go-between for all the mundane needs we had. Security systems, fences, and gates secured our compound, a large tract of land with each of our six houses, from the outside world.
Our need to stick to the shadows had never bothered me before. When we ran missions, we borrowed Zeus’ private plane and flew at night. The all-supernatural crew didn’t bat an eyelash.
Now I wondered if Jade would chafe at the restrictions. She couldn’t talk to her coworkers about me. I could only see her at night unless she moved in with me, which presented its own set of problems.
Kendal rarely left the compound. She acted as our property manager. If we added a resident that wished to work outside every day, our security would need to adapt.
I was getting ahead of myself. Jade made me jealous, in more ways than one. I didn’t want anyone else to touch her, but I also wanted what Drym had. He was happy with Kendal, but more than that, he was at peace.
His nightmares were gone. He slept through the night, his mind quiet.
Quin’s foot tapped the boards of my back porch as I approached, the rhythmic sound keeping time with the swing’s back and forth sway. I was halfway across the porch when he spoke.
“Is it true?” Uncharacteristically sad eyes met mine. “Is she your mate?”
“I think so.”
He sighed. “I want to be happy for you, but I’m sad I’m losing my brothers.”
I joined him on the swing. The wood released an ominous creak, but it held. “You aren’t losing us.”
“Logically, I know that. You’ll still be here. But Drym’s changed. He has Kendal. He doesn’t need us anymore.”
I leaned my head back and thought. Quin was the most emotional of us. He masked his deeper emotions with humor, but I could see he was haunted. He felt responsible for us. Not like Kragen’s big brother energy and its need to protect and guide us, but as someone who would save us from despair. He tried hard to keep us smiling, even in the darkest of days.
I always thought it was part of being a healer. I envied his ability to be lighthearted. Now I wonder if it was a burden, the weight of which none of us knew.
“We will always need each other, Quin. We are brothers. We are the only wyrfangs in existence. Our mates don’t change that. They are a different need. Our hearts swell large enough to hold them, along with all of you. I don’t love you less now that I’ve found Jade.” I snorted. “Besides, I have no idea if she’ll accept me.”
He put his hand on my knee. “She will.”
“Thank you, but I’m not entirely confident.”
We sat in silence and listened to the sound of the chain and the birds. He shot to his feet and off the porch, turning when he reached the lawn.
“She will.” His tongue swiped at his muzzle. “You’re a protector, Thurl. She would be a fool to turn away from you.”
My heart clenched in my chest as I watched him walk away.
I knew Quin wouldn’t come to me to chase his demons at night anymore. I made a mental note to ask Roul to look in on him.
Roul was difficult and became more so with each day that passed without Victoria. The witch who helped us escape had followed BioSynth after our last encounter with them and took another piece of his soul with her. I didn’t think she knew the anguish he felt, not knowing where she was or how she fared.
I couldn’t imagine being separated from Jade. I had a greater appreciation for his pain, and my heart broke for him. We would find them. We would get her back. It needed to be soon, before we lost him to madness forever.
I went inside and checked my phone before heading to bed. Kragen had sent me a text.
Bull found out who Jade’s attacker was and who he worked for. He’ll come to the commons at noon.
It was barely eight in the morning, but I couldn’t risk falling asleep and not waking to an alarm. I bypassed my stairs and went out the front, following the path to the structure we used as a gathering place. I settled on the floor, just beyond the door.
There was little chance I’d sleep through my brothers tripping over me when they arrived.