Second Chance by Fate (Fated Apex Mates #3)

2. Enzo

Chapter 2

Enzo

S eeing her hurts me.

Getting the call from Baylor, I felt a dozen things, but pain was not one of them.

Anger, betrayal, slight arousal. Now, however, I’m overcome by pain, and it catches me off guard. I don’t expect it, but Violet’s golden-green gaze, widening with fear as she locks eyes with me, burns my soul.

She’s afraid of us, of me?!

It’s insulting. If anything, she turned our lives upside down. She has no right to look at me like that.

“Guys…” she sputters, backing out of the motel room, her back falling against the railing with her hands extended as if we’re about to attack her. For half a second, I think she’s going to sprint back down the steps the way she came until Jax emerges from the darkness with his hand extended.

“Hi, Violet,” my youngest brother says warmly. “It’s good to see you.”

Her eyes dart between us, taking in my furious expression and Jax’s unabashed half-smile.

“Come inside,” Jax urges her. “Let’s talk.”

Reluctantly, and visibly swallowing, she shuffles forward, readjusting the bag on her shoulder, and I step back to let her inside. Steele flips on a lamp from where he’s sprawled on the bed, rocking his crossed ankles casually, but he says nothing as our former lover ambles inside the modestly furnished room, his silver eyes shooting daggers in her direction.

Carefully, Violet sets her bag down on the table as I slam the door behind her.

“Did you really think you were going to come back undetected?” I bark. “What part of ‘exile’ did you fail to understand?”

“That wasn’t my intention?—”

“Save your bullshit, Violet,” Steele interjects, immediately picking up where I left off. Our youngest brother gives us both a reproving look.

“Steele,” Jax sighs. “Let her speak. She obviously came back for a reason. We should let her tell us what it is.”

“Yeah. To fuck with our powers more.” Steele sits upright, his scowl deepening. “When we banished you, we meant permanently. That doesn’t mean you can come back into town when you feel like it, when you think you’ve done your time.”

Anger colors Violet’s face, the corners of her lips tucking inward. She casts me a sidelong look, but to her credit, she keeps her infamous temper in check.

“I didn’t mean to blindside you by coming back,” she says. “But your patrol caught me off guard.”

“You’re in Apex territory,” I remind her.

“Yes, I’ve already been told,” she fires back.

A rush of affection toward her fills me in spite of myself. I forgot how feisty she can be, but this isn’t the time to show my appreciation for her attitude.

Nothing good can come of her being here. I know it, and so do my brothers, despite Jax’s kindness toward her.

“What are you doing here, Violet?” I demand, stalking toward her and casing around her slowly.

Her scent instantly overcomes me, the vanilla and sage that I still dream about but would never admit to anyone. I hate how easily she brings me back to those lazy summer days at our estate in Dusty Woods, romping around in bed. I try to shrug it off, but it’s hard—in more ways than one.

“Arizona is my home,” she reminds me.

“And you just randomly came back today?” Steele scoffs. “I don’t buy it. You have to have a reason. Something made you feel brave enough.”

I glance at my skeptical brother, but I can tell he’s looking her over with the same interest as Jax and me, even if he’s hiding it better. How can he not? Violet looks amazing. The Florida sun has done her good. She’s glowing and as beautiful as she’s ever been.

“I won’t bother you,” Violet promises. “Just let me live my life, and I’ll stay out of your way.”

Steele isn’t convinced.

“You think we’re just going to let you run rampant around Sedona?” He looks at me as if waiting for me to demand another banishment, but I can’t bring myself to say the words again.

I hate to admit it, but I’m glad she’s back. I regretted sending her away.

“He’s right,” Jax agrees unexpectedly. “You shouldn’t be allowed to run around Sedona unattended.”

Smugly, Steele crosses his arms over his chest and nods, but my eyebrows raise. That’s odd for Jax to say.

“We’ll bring you back to Dusty Woods with us.”

In unison, all three of us protest Jax’s suggestion.

“Hell no!” Steele cries out.

“That’s not a good idea,” Violet counters worriedly.

“No way,” I grumble.

“It’s a good way to keep an eye on her,” Jax insists. “She’s already here, and let’s face it, guys, it’s not like our powers have gotten any better since she’s been banished. That was the reason we sent her away, wasn’t it?”

“In part!” I blurt out. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Violet tense, hurt cross over her face. My eyes narrow, and I whip my head toward her. “Do you know anything about that? Is that why you’re here? Because you’re trying to mess with our powers more?”

“I want to help you,” she says coldly. “But not if you’re going to keep fighting me at every turn. I tried to tell you that I had nothing to do with your weakening powers before you cast me out.” She pauses. “And while I can’t do anything to help you find your fated mate, I’m not keeping her away by being here. I assume your Luna hasn’t appeared since I’ve been gone, either, has she?”

Embarrassed, I look away, but none of us answer her question.

“Right.” Steele scoffs again. “Our powers must have been affected by the other witch we had in our bed.” His words drip with sarcasm. “You know you’re at least partially responsible for the bullshit that happened.”

Violet grits her teeth. “Look, I came back because I want to be here and help you figure this out, but if it’s going to be a battle like always?—”

“Get your stuff,” I interject. “We’ll bring you back to Dusty Woods and talk about it there. I don’t like discussing this out here in the open. It’s not secure.”

“I don’t?—”

“It’s not safe out here where anyone can be listening in,” I repeat. “Dusty Woods is protected. Get your things.”

Grunting in dismay, Violet spins around to obey, and I nod at Jax to follow her.

“She’s your responsibility now because this was your bright idea,” I warn him. “If things get worse for us, it will be your ass.”

Jax eyes me. “You really still believe that she’s the cause of all our troubles? Even after all this time?”

I purse my lips as he shakes his head and follows Violet back out to her car to collect the rest of her belongings, leaving me alone with Steele.

“She’s powerful enough that she could have been wreaking havoc from Miami,” Steele says. “And she was mad as hell when we banished her.”

“You know we had eyes on her in Miami,” I growl in a low voice. “If she was trying to fuck us over from Florida, she did a damn good job of hiding it.”

Both of my brothers make valid points, and I don’t know what to believe. All I know for sure is that I’m glad she’s back, even for all the trouble I’m sure her presence is bound to cause, particularly with Steele.

But I haven’t stopped thinking about Violet once in three years, and whether Steele wants to admit it, I know he missed her, too.

We don’t exchange a word all the way back to Dusty Woods, but I carefully study Violet’s profile in the back of the magically armored SUV. She really has not changed much since I last saw her, except for the healthy bronze glow of her skin.

Dark strands of hair laced with purple curl around her angular chin as she watches the blackened landscape slip by. Her delicate hand presses to the tinted glass, full lips murmuring as if she were casting a spell, but I know she isn’t because her eyes aren’t glowing.

Who the hell is she talking to? Herself?

A pang of guilt overcomes me as I realize she must have been lonely in Miami. She was forced to leave behind all her friends, and as an orphan, she treasured the bonds she made with others.

That’s not my fault. She brought this on herself, I tell myself.

I catch Jax also watching her from across the car, a soft grin toying on the edges of his lips.

Stop that, I warn him, and his head jerks up. Warm amber eyes meet mine, but he doesn’t lose his smile. He’s too enamored with the idea of having Violet back to care about my annoyance.

He’s right. Stop grinning like an idiot, Steele confirms telepathically, his scowl cratering his face so deeply, the dimple on his left cheek becomes evident.

Jax doesn’t respond to either of our silent messages, but he’s nonplused by our commands.

As if she can sense us thinking about her, Violet’s head swivels around to peer at us in the darkness, but before she can utter a word, the sign for Dusty Woods emerges in the unstable night in a halo of eerie light.

Her full mouth parts in awe, as if she’s seeing our guarded secret haven for the first time. I don’t blame her. It’s always a sight to behold, even for me, and I’ve lived here my whole life.

In a fog, the town appears, shimmering against the desert night. The calligraphy sign welcoming visitors is painted in black and white, declaring a population of just over four hundred.

“I see it hasn’t grown much,” Violet comments dryly. The SUV sweeps through the guard posts, our security bowing respectfully as we pass through the gates, which are unnecessary, but Steele insisted upon them when we took over the reign of the pack.

“The town is by invite-only,” I reminded him when he ordered the gate erected. “No one is getting through with or without the gates and guards.”

“Better safe than sorry,” my brother replied. His distrust of the outside world only escalated in the untimely wake of our parents’ deaths.

The gates remain, and visitors are checked in and out at the booth, regardless of who they come to see. Of course, we’re immediately waved through, the guards recognizing our cars and faces. They don’t even look in the back to see if we have someone with us, which I find mildly ironic, but I make no comment, silent or otherwise. There’s no need to antagonize Steele when Violet’s arrival clearly has him on edge, particularly when Jax seems so tickled by her presence. I make an executive decision to put Jax in charge of seeing her to a suite and say as much aloud as the SUV steers toward the sprawling estate.

Our house is set slightly apart from the charming little village known as Dusty Woods, the town equipped with everything we need in case of an outside emergency. Years ago, someone in their infinite wisdom sought to protect the Apex Alphas and created independent towns, magically guarded and only seen through the eyes of the allowed beholders. Every Apex Alpha group in every state lives in their own town, all across the country.

I can tell that Violet doesn’t want to keep looking outside, as if she doesn’t want to be plagued by memories of better times. But her head inadvertently swivels back toward the window to peer back out at the passing town, her full lips parting in nostalgia.

“Don’t even think about putting a spell on any of this,” Steele grumbles, and she eyes him through her peripheral vision.

“Why would I do that, Steele?” she sighs, sounding defeated. “How does that benefit me?”

“I have no idea. Why did you do it last time?” he replies, leaning forward in his seat to glower at her. “I don’t know what makes you tick.”

“Hang on,” I interject, cutting off the fight before it can start.

A grimace forms on Violet’s mouth, but she doesn’t speak. She sits back, folding her arms over her chest to glare at the three of us, her eyes softening when she searches Jax’s face. Jax offers her a sheepish grin, and I’m torn between wanting him to toughen up and relieved that he’s showing her some kindness.

Violet has barely been back an hour, and I already have a migraine. It’s not going to get any easier from here.

Her pretty eyes brighten when the colonial-style house appears in front of us, the double flanking columns supporting the second-floor balcony to the library. She smiles, and it’s clear that she has fond memories of our home, regardless of how everything went down.

The car pulls up to our house, and Steele is the first one out, shaking his head and muttering under his breath. He moves far and fast, as though he needs to put distance between himself and our former lover.

“Take her to one of the guest suites and make sure a guard stays with her,” I order Jax, relieved that Steele isn’t around to complain. I was sure he was going to have more to say on the matter.

“I can do that.” Jax nods at one of the house servants to bring her bags up.

Shock fuses through the staff when Violet emerges from the vehicle, most of them recognizing the witch, but they wisely hold their comments. She bows her head, ignoring them, and I try to determine if she’s ashamed or feeling guilty.

“Come on, Violet. I’ll show you to one of the suites,” Jax offers pleasantly.

Before my brother can take her out of my sight, I turn to her. “If you are up to something nefarious, Violet, we won’t be so nice this time. Exile will be the least of your worries. Don’t mistake my kindness for weakness.”

“What are you going to do, Enzo?” she retorts defiantly, thrusting her chin at me as the driver closes the car door behind her. Her arms fold under her chest, and I find myself unable to stop checking her out, her beauty and power drawing me in as much as ever. “Are you going to kill me?”

“If I have to,” I say coldly, spinning away, but my pulse is racing in my ears. It makes me physically ill to say that aloud, but she needs to understand that we’re not the same pushovers she left behind. Like Steele, I need to put some space between us before I can be seduced by her magnetism again.

This was a bad idea, letting her come back. What the hell was I thinking agreeing to this? It’s completely within my control to send her away, but I don’t.

Because if I am being honest with myself, I want her here. Even with all the trouble she caused, or at least we think she caused.

“Get her out of my sight,” I growl.

Maybe when she’s out of sight, I’ll be able to think more clearly. But for now, I just need her out of my purview.

“Gladly,” Jax chirps, sounding pleased by the task. “Come on, Violet.”

He leads her through the front doors as I stalk around the side of the house, but once I’m out of view, I stop and collect myself. My breaths are shaky and uneven. Her presence has affected me so much more than I ever expected it could.

What the hell are we going to do with her now?