27. Cáel
“Don’t get blood on the fucking rugs,” Cillian snapped as he stepped through the front door.
I just snarled in his direction.
Maddox shook his head. “They are handmade from Egypt.”
Easton snorted as he brought up the rear.
I tried to find humor in Maddox trying to lighten the mood, but I couldn’t. My beast was still riding me hard. The enforcer’s blood wasn’t enough for him. He wanted more.
Footsteps sounded on the stairs, and we looked up to find Knox striding down them.
“Where’s Hayden?” Cillian asked instantly.
“Asleep.” His gaze moved to me. “Holy shit. Did someone go Carrie on your ass?”
I glowered at him. So, I might’ve had a little blood on me. So what? “I never knew you assholes were so sensitive.”
“Get changed,” Cillian growled. “Then we’ll talk.”
My back teeth ground together, but I jogged up the stairs, Knox giving me a wide berth. The pull to go to Hayden’s side of the floor was strong, but I knew if I peeked in on her now, I’d never leave. My dragon held too much of the reins.
Instead, I forced myself to head in the direction of my bedroom. I flicked on the light. The blue on the walls was meant to be calming, but it didn’t do a damned thing to soothe my beast right now.
I moved to the bathroom, turning on the light there, too. As I did, I took in my reflection and winced. Maybe my brothers had a point. I might’ve gone a bit overboard in our session with the enforcer.
My dress shirt was plastered to my chest with blood. There was spray across my face and in my hair. Thank the gods I’d taken my favorite leather jacket off before I’d gotten to work.
I shucked my clothes and tossed them in the garbage. Taking the fastest shower known to man, I donned sweats and a tee. I was itchy. My dragon wanted to hunt again. Or fuck. But mostly, he wanted to claim Hayden. But if I let him at her now, he’d scare the shit out of her.
I forced myself to head for the kitchen, where I knew my brothers would be. It was our favored late-night meeting spot. One where Knox could easily snack, and there was whiskey on hand for Cillian. When I stepped into the massive space, all talking ceased.
“You look remarkably less like a serial killer,” Easton muttered.
I bared my teeth at him. “I could change that if you want.”
“Enough,” Cillian said, exhaustion in his voice.
Guilt gnawed at me. I didn’t want to make things harder for Cill. He had enough on his shoulders. I slid onto an empty stool at the kitchen island and glanced at Knox. “How was she?”
A shadow passed over his features. “Tonight was too much for her. She had a bit of a breakdown.”
I stiffened, a fresh wave of anger sweeping through me. I wanted to gut that enforcer all over again. But more than that, I wanted to hunt Hal and Dexter and leave their body parts littered across their territory as a warning.
“How bad?” Maddox asked, his finger tightening on a mug of tea.
“Could’ve been a lot worse. She’s strong. She had a hard cry, and then…” Knox’s words trailed off.
“And then you fucked her,” Easton finished for him.
Knox moved to deck his twin, but Easton knew the move was coming and evaded it. “Am I wrong?”
“It wasn’t like that,” Knox growled. “She said she needed me.”
Cillian held up a hand. “She’s our mate. She’ll need physical closeness in times of stress.”
My back teeth ground together. I didn’t begrudge Knox for being there for Hayden when she needed him, but my beast wanted the same.
“What’d you find out from the enforcer?” Knox asked, clearly ready to change the subject.
Cillian cracked his neck. “Not a whole hell of a lot.”
Maddox took a sip of tea. “The Corbetts must do desensitization training.”
I grunted in agreement. The enforcer hadn’t broken until all his fingers and half of his toes were gone.
“We didn’t learn anything we didn’t already know,” Cillian said. “They want Hayden, and he said they won’t stop until they have her.”
My beast roared, pushing against my skin. I gripped the edge of my stool, letting the metal bite into my palms.
A muscle under Knox’s eye fluttered. “Did he share their plans about how they were going to attempt that?”
Cillian shook his head. “He didn’t know.”
“How can you be sure?” Knox pressed.
“Because he still wouldn’t tell us when Cáel had his intestines wrapped around his fist,” Easton mumbled.
Knox’s shoulders fell. “Shit.”
“For now, the plan is the same. We stick close to Hayden. We double her enforcer detail. Nowhere alone,” Cillian ordered.
“We need to bond,” Knox said.
The room went wired.
“I can’t,” Maddox said. “Not until she’s no longer a student. If we mate, my dragon won’t be able to keep from touching her at school.”
Knox glared at him. “Then maybe you need to switch jobs. This is more important.”
Maddox opened his mouth to argue, but Cillian held up a hand to stop him. “We can’t force this on Hayden. She needs time to make this choice. As much as most of us want this, we can’t rush her.”
He glanced at Easton, who slid off his stool. “I need to call it a night. Early class tomorrow.”
Knox watched his brother haul ass out of the kitchen. “This is such a clusterfuck. She needs us.”
Just the words had my dragon surging to the surface again. I stood, heading for the door. “I need to get some sleep, too.”
It was a lie.
I needed to see Hayden. To feel her body curled against mine. To rest my hand over her heart and feel it beat beneath my palm.
I was out the door before anyone could say a word. Jogging up the stairs, I headed for her room. I didn’t turn on any lights as I slipped inside, letting my vision adjust to the darkness. But the moment I did, I heard a whimper.
My body reacted before my brain, striding toward the huge bed in the center of the room.
Hayden made another sound of distress, a cry almost.
I sank to the mattress, my hand going to her face. “Little One.”
She batted at my arm, jerking upright, her eyes going wide. The moment she registered it was me, she threw herself at my chest.
I caught her, my arms wrapping around her small form. “It’s okay. It was just a bad dream. I’m here.”
Hayden trembled against me. “It wasn’t a dream.”
I pulled back, taking her in. “It wasn’t?”
She shook her head, blonde hair flying around her. “It was a memory.” She took a shaky breath. “I think Dexter Corbett killed my parents.”