Chapter 4
Kylian
Iwalk to my room on wobbly legs, my skin heated and on the brink of perspiration, which is weird considering I took a shower because I was chilled to the bone while sitting with Kash.
Unlike my brothers, I don’t run perpetually hot.
If it were up to them, we’d never run the heat, which is why Dad and I wear layers and have heated blankets strewn through the house.
But right now I feel like I’m on the verge of combusting.
Hopefully Erick didn’t notice. After years of living with shifters, I’ve learned to mask my tells. My poker face is practiced and professional. I know how to keep my pulse and breathing steady when I don’t want them to know I’m anxious about something.
Fanning myself, I lean against my bedroom door and press my ear to the paneling, wondering what it is about Erick Bjourne that has piqued my interest in a way that no one else has.
Sure, he’s handsome in a works-with-his-hands kind of way, which is all Montana really offers outside of the big cities.
I assume he’s a shifter, although I don’t know what kind, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he was a bear.
He’s not nearly as big as my brothers but bigger than any of the cat or wolf shifters in the community.
I wonder if he knows anything about me? Does he know I’m the reject of the Barrington clan and Fortune Falls pack?
For some reason, I can’t imagine Kade talking about that.
He barely acknowledges it when he’s home, except for lately when I’m having a meltdown about it.
I’ve been better the past few months and haven’t lashed out nearly as often.
Not that I don’t still have rage simmering in my belly—a perpetual anger at my mother for abandoning us.
I hate the Fates for leaving me behind—not that I say that out loud.
The bathroom door opens and I hear a few footsteps and then nothing. If Erick has gone downstairs, he walks with a cat-like grace that differs from my three baby brothers. Or maybe he’s standing at the top of the stairs waiting for me.
Rolling my eyes, a silly grin spreads my lips.
It’s just like me to form an instant crush on my big brother’s shifter friend.
No wonder Kade has never brought his pack around or hosted me at his home in Broken Falls like I’ve begged him to do over the years.
He’s been hiding his hot friends from his awkward sister.
Or maybe Erick is mated and unavailable.
Yeah, that would be my luck.
“There you are.” Kade’s voice registers at the same time I hear his heavy boots hit the stairs. “What are you doing?”
“Just finished washing up,” Erick says, his voice deep and rich. Have I ever thought much about a man’s voice before? Not that I can remember.
“Did you see my sister?” Kade asks.
“We met briefly. I think I scared her when she opened the bathroom door.”
“Was she nice?”
Erick chuckles. “Yeah, man. Why do you ask?”
My brother says nothing and I assume they’re speaking telepathically, which sets my teeth on edge.
My brothers know I hate it when they do that and considering Kade has a human mate who also cannot speak telepathically, I’d think he’d be a bit more considerate.
But I can’t march out there and yell at him without giving up my eavesdropping position.
“The day hasn’t gone like I expected and I haven’t talked to her about it yet. She had no idea Kash was missing, much less injured, and I owe her an apology.”
His words dump a cool bucket of water on my head, my anger extinguished—for the moment.
“What are we doing?” A third male voice floats up the stairs, and since I don’t recognize it, I assume it’s Sly who I met briefly while he fussed over Kash’s vitals before giving me a reassuring nod, pulling his phone out of his pocket, and walking outside.
“Well, now that Kash is back in his human form, I figure if you want to take off after dinner, you can.”
My heart drops. I guess I won’t be getting to know Erick after all. Although, if he has a mate, I suppose he wants to get home to her as quickly as possible. I know Kade feels that way every time he’s away from Dinah.
“The terrorists declared we’re having a good old-fashioned Barrington bonfire out at the cabin at sundown,” Sly says. “That’s why I was coming to find Erick.”
“Is Kash up for that?” my brother asks.
“Physically, he’s stable. You need to get nutritious food into him, building up the grams of protein each day and packing the pounds back on.
Then we’ll start physical therapy to get his muscles back into fighting condition.
I called Mirmax and talked to the doctors.
They advise avoiding stress or trying to shift for a couple weeks until he has regained some of his former strength. ”
“Fucking Mirmax doctors,” Kade grumbles.
“Sitting around a bonfire and having a beer isn’t going to kill him, right?” Erick asks. “I think something chill that holds positive childhood memories would be good for him right now.”
“True,” Kade agrees. “You don’t mind camping out?”
Sly chuckles. “Kason already gave up his shack.”
“Thanks. Both of you.”
“Of course, brother. Kash is our family too,” Erick says before three sets of heavy boots descend the stairs.
I sag a little against my door, oddly comforted by their familiar bond born of shared experiences versus blood. For the first time, I feel like I understand why Kade stayed in Broken Falls instead of coming home after the military.
They’re his family too, but one he chose.
My phone beeps, pulling me out of my head and back to the task at hand. I need to hurry and get dressed, throw on some makeup and hide my darkening bruise, so I can get down and eat before the boys leave nothing left. Snatching my phone off of the dresser, I see a slew of missed text messages.
11:47am Lana: Did a helicopter land in your backyard?
12:51am Alyssa: What is going on over there? Everyone and their mother has traipsed through here today talking about secret government programs and aliens being stored in your backyard.
12:52am Lana: Call us as soon as you can. After this morning, we’re worried about you.
I also missed a couple of concerning text messages from James.
12:23pm James: No response? I see you’ve received and read my texts and yet you can’t even tell me you’re home safe? That’s cold Kylian. After all the time I’ve spent on you? On us? This is how you repay my top-tier effort? No way, babe. You don’t ghost me. Chicks like you don’t get to quit me.
12:53pm James: Okay, I see you haven’t read that message yet, so let me say right now that I’m sorry. I’m a passionate guy. I lashed out because my ego is bruised, but that’s wrong and I know it. I’ll do better. For you, I’ll be better.
James: I’m just hurting so bad today. I don’t want things to end.
I can’t live knowing you hate me for what was an accident.
Honest, babe. It was an accident. Give me a chance to explain.
Let me look into your eyes as I pour my heart out.
I told you the moment we met you are special.
I knew instantly that you are my future.
James: I didn’t want to tell you this so early in our relationship but I knew it the moment I heard you order your sandwich with spicy ranch and peppers. It’s exactly how I like it. Beautiful and bold. That’s what I said to you. Remember?
James: Tell me where to meet you and I’m there. I’ll drop everything.
3:42pm James: You know, you really are a brat - just like your brothers say you are. It’s obvious I’m your first boyfriend, your first everything. This is not emotional maturity Kylian. You don’t get to ignore me over one tiny disagreement.
James: Tim said you’d be a lame lay anyway and maybe he’s right. There is a lot I’ll need to teach you but I don’t care. The simple fact is I want you and I always get what I want. Know why? Because I don’t give up. EVER.
That was almost an hour ago. I reread his psychotic rantings again and when I scroll to the bottom of the screen three bubbles appear.
4:29pm James: Finally. Are you okay?
“Shit.” I jump when my phone rings with an incoming call—James’s name and picture flashing on the screen.
I throw my unanswered cell on my bed and quickly shed my towels to pull on a pair of thick thermal leggings, wool socks, a tank top, and an oversized hoodie with a pair of well-worn hiking boots.
My hair is a pile of brown curls that do whatever they want no matter how hard I attempt to style them, so I tie them back in a loose ponytail before grabbing my makeup bag.
My phone rings for the next several minutes, ending in multiple voicemails before the text messages app beeps again.
At this point, I’ve given up on doing more than my normal mascara and eyeliner.
Something tells me I’ll cry most of it off by the end of the night, anyway.
Instead, I grab a pair of thick black framed Blublocker glasses I bought for my online classes and slide them onto my face.
They don’t completely hide the bruise but they distract enough to fool my brothers.
Add them to the soon-to-be setting sun and my disguise is complete when I pull my hair free and tousle my curls around my face.
With a shaking hand and too much nervous energy rushing through my veins, I disconnect my phone from its charging cable and chance a peek at the locked screen.
4:38pm James: It would be a mistake to think I don’t know where you live.
Holy shit!
A heavy knock on my door pulls a startled squeak out of me at the same time I drop my phone on the floor. The door cracks open and Koran pokes his head inside. “Are you coming to dinner?”
“I’m seconds away from coming down.”
He pushes my door open, his brow furrowed as his eyes trail over my bedroom decor and then me. “I’m sorry about the text messages this morning. Kade called at the asscrack of dawn to tell me they were bringing Kash home.”
Scooping my phone off the floor, I slide it into the front pocket of my hoodie and stare back at my baby brother who at eighteen is four years younger than me but burdened with infinitely more responsibility. “How long have you known?”
He raises his brow. “About Kash? A few days. Karter told me before Kade got here and they took off for Colorado. They asked me not to say anything until they knew what the plan was. I don’t think they would’ve told me if they hadn’t had it in the back of their minds they might have come home with him. ”
“So while I’m the last to know—again—Kason and Kit only knew a few hours before me?” I try for a smile, my lips curling ever so slightly. They all know how much I resent being the outsider.
He wrinkles his nose. “If you’d been in your bed this morning, you’d have known earlier. At least at the same time as Dad.”
I arch my brow and say nothing.
Koran holds his hands up and takes a step back. “I know, I know—it’s none of my business. You’re a grown woman but that doesn’t mean I won’t always worry about you. It doesn’t matter if you are younger or older, you’re my family—a Barrington—and we take care of our own.”
Taking three steps forward, I grab his shirt and pull him into my arms. “You know, there was a time I’d pick you up and swing you around in circles until both of us were on the verge of puking.”
“You can still try, if you want to throw out your back.” He tightens his arms and lifts me off my feet, swinging me around easily.
A laugh comes from my belly, and I feel light for the first time in a while. Is it because Kash is home? Is it because this is the first time in a decade that the entire family is assembled? “Won’t the Pack Alpha lose street cred when I throw you around?”
He sets me down and shrugs. “Now that Kash is back, maybe he’ll take over once he’s healthy.”
“Is that what you want?” I search his eyes, noting the exhaustion I hadn’t noticed before. I guess I’ve been ignoring my brothers as much as they’ve been giving me the space I demanded.
“Karter thought they disrespected him as Pack Alpha but he wasn’t an eighteen-year-old terrorist from the Barrington clan stepping in to settle disputes.”
“He was when he took the position.” I boop Koran’s nose. “If you haven’t yet, talk to him about it.”
“Yeah, yeah. Don’t tell me what to do.” Throwing my often said words back at me, he throws me a wink before walking out of my bedroom.
He stops in the doorframe and says over his shoulder, “You know, I’ve got your back no matter what.
Whatever you want, whatever you need, the terrorists are on your side. ”
“You sound like an insurance commercial.”
“You never know. It might be our next entrepreneurial endeavor.”
Rolling my eyes, I follow him out, my hand on my phone in my pocket—James’s unread texts on my mind.
How could he know where I live? I told him I lived in the mountains but I never said Fortune Falls and it’s not like we advertise our community, anyway.
Hell, there wasn’t even a sign until we painted it on the top of the roadside warehouse that is now our trading post a few months ago.
He knows I have brothers, but I was careful not to mention they were the Internet famous triplets all the college girls drool over.
He also knows I make and sell honey and bee pollen skincare products but otherwise I gave no specifics because I wasn’t sure how to explain to a human male about our closed community without making it sound like some religious cult.
He has to be bluffing.