Chapter One #3
He steps forward, the light grazing the stubble along his jaw and cheeks, enough to mark him older and twice as dangerous.
Leo positions himself in front of me, widening his stance as he shields me with his body.
“One more step and this gets ugly,” the man says.
“Get out of my way,” Leo warns, fists clenched.
Movement flashes in my periphery from the opposite direction. I go down hard, cement tearing at my skin. Arms lock around me from behind, wrenching my hands back.
No. Not again.
I jab my elbow into the man’s gut. He groans, his grip loosening. Pushing myself up, I scan the area for Leo. He’s locked in combat with the man from the lamppost, a pocketknife clenched in his hand. Sprinting toward him, my feet barely leave the ground before an unseen force seizes me.
My body flips, gravity abandoning me for a sickening moment. The invisible tether snaps free, and I hit the cement like a dropped stone. Pain rockets up my spine, a sharp gasp tearing from my chest.
“Get away from her,” Leo snarls at the man who hurled me through the air.
The man lunges for me again, yanking my arms behind my back. I shove at him, but it’s like trying to fight a statue—solid muscle and completely immovable.
“Stay still,” he commands, his grip tightening around my wrists.
Leo charges, but the man from the lamppost intercepts, driving him to the ground. Leo scrambles up as the man swings—the blow snaps his head to the side, but he regains his footing and fires back.
They’re the same height, but Leo’s attacker has a broader frame. He dodges most of Leo’s strikes, but then Leo clips his jaw just right, nearly knocking him off balance.
“Fuck,” the man spits, blood dripping from his mouth.
He raises his arm to punch again, but I step in. “Leo, run! I don’t have any powers. The Aether Hunters don’t need me. Please, go!”
Leo is the one they’d want. The one they could use.
The man about to hit Leo drops his fist. “Aether Hunters?”
“If you’re going to torture us, get it over with already,” I snap.
“They think we’re Aether Hunters,” the man restraining me says. His voice vibrates through my entire body. It’s deep and smooth, strangely melodic. Masculine, but soft in a way that throws me off.
It’s the kind of sound that could lull someone into a false sense of safety.
“You’re not hunters?” Leo asks.
“We’re here to kill them,” the man who was fighting Leo says. He steps back and glances my way. “Let her go.”
The man releases me, and I take a huge step back to create distance. “How kind of you,” I mutter.
“You’re who I saw in my vision,” Leo says, eyes locked on the man in front of him.
“Ah, that makes sense. I had a similar vision,” the man replies. “But when I first saw you, I thought it might be a trap.”
What is happening?
“Leo, we can’t trust them. Let’s go.”
He raises a hand, silencing me. “What’s your name?” he asks.
“My name is Carter Radshaw,” the man answers, nodding toward the man now standing next to me. “That’s my younger brother, Kylo Radshaw.”
A light dusting of facial hair defines Kylo’s jaw, giving him that rough, controlled look that only makes him more intimidating. He stands with his arms crossed, eyes set to kill. His black shirt clings to his build, outlining the muscle underneath, and the ink along his tanned arms.
“I’m Leo Collins, and that’s my twin sister, Lia Collins,” Leo says, gesturing toward me.
“Carter, you’re the man I’ve been seeing in my visions for weeks.
I believe those visions led me here to find a team with the same goal—to take down the Aether Hunters.
Are you the one I’ve been searching for? ”
“I saw you coming too, Leo. It’s good to meet you,” Carter says, shaking his hand. “And yes, you’ve come to the right place. We’re forming a team strong enough to stand against them. You were smart to trust your instincts. Your visions led you well.”
“We’re not taking them to the compound until we confirm they aren’t Aether Hunters,” Kylo says.
“They aren’t.” Carter gestures toward me. “Besides, does she look like an Aether Hunter to you?”
Blood rushes to my face.
“You’re well within stabbing range.”
Carter presses his knuckles briefly to his mouth. “She’s got fire. I like her.”
“We’re not Aether Hunters. I’m here to protect my sister, learn more about my powers, and find others who want to take them down.”
“We want those assholes dead too. I can teach you more about your abilities. Follow us. We’ll show you our compound and get you both settled in,” Carter says as I cautiously walk over to Leo.
Kylo steps in front of us, blocking our path. “If you two show any signs of being connected to the Aether Hunters, I will kill you.”
The threat loses its edge when his attention fixes on me. His eyes are a striking mix of blue hues, with a darkened rim. Chocolate-brown hair brushes his brows in casually disheveled waves.
“We have the same enemy,” Leo says, standing tall beside Kylo.
“Then we have an understanding,” Kylo barks with authority.
Now I’m surrounded by not one, but three controlling men.
What could possibly go wrong?