Chapter 4
“How the hell can she sense that?” Ronan barked.
Declan sent him a wary look. “You know she has unique gifts that go beyond the typical.”
A muscle in Ronan’s jaw ticked. “Just more of a reason not to trust her.”
My stomach twisted. “She’s been helping us.”
Saoirse was a character for sure, but there was a fierce kindness beneath the quirky exterior. She’d stood up for us when we’d needed it most and helped me unlock the beginning pieces of my magic.
“I think we need to let her in,” Colt said.
“It’s a mistake,” Trace growled low. “We should get out of town while we still have the chance.”
That twisting in my belly intensified. Was this really what it had come to? Us running for our lives for the rest of our days? All because of me.
Dash met Trace’s gaze. “You know if we run, they’ll track us.”
“They’ll try,” Trace argued.
“We need to try to find a way through first. If it doesn’t work, we’ll bail,” Dash said.
Trace’s eyes glowed as they moved in my direction. His gaze was a physical caress. My skin tingled at each place it touched.
“Fine,” he gritted out.
“I should let her up?” Baldwin asked.
Colt jerked his chin in a nod.
“She makes a move on Leighton, and I’ll gut her like a fish.” Trace’s voice was smooth as silk, but there was a barely restrained fury simmering down deep.
There was a part of me that took comfort in his defense of me, hoping that it meant that he cared. That he was simply hiding it away. But it hurt, too. That he was so determined to hold himself back from me, even now that we were mated.
Baldwin disappeared out of my bathroom, and Declan rubbed a hand up and down my spine. Each pass of his palm sent delicious shivers over my skin.
“It’s going to be okay,” he promised.
“Don’t say that shit,” Ronan clipped.
The brothers held a heated stare, so many unsaid things passing between them.
“Please, don’t,” I whispered.
Their gazes jerked to me.
My eyes burned with unshed tears. “I can’t stand being the reason you’re at odds.”
Ronan moved then, crowding me from the front, his rough hands cupping my cheeks. “We’re not at odds. And you could never be the reason. You’re all that’s good and light in our worlds.”
Declan pressed a kiss to my neck. “He’s right. You’re everything.”
That burning intensified but for a whole different reason. “I love you,” I whispered.
Ronan brushed his lips across mine. “I love you, too.”
“More than life,” Declan said, the words ghosting across my skin.
Colt cleared his throat. “Let’s move this into LeeLee’s sitting area.”
Ronan shot him a mock scowl. “Cockblock.”
Colt just rolled his eyes. “Even you aren’t that quick.”
Ronan barked out a laugh that wrapped around me. The sound eased the worst of the tension in my chest. It was hope and promise. And I held on tight.
We made our way into my bedroom, and the guys settled me on the couch between Ronan and Colt. The piece of furniture was way too small for the three of us, but I knew they wanted to surround me on both sides. Trace stood behind us, pacing. Declan and Dash took the two armchairs.
Everyone was silent as we waited. The only sound was the occasional purr or hiss from Briar, who was back on her cat tower, and the ticking of the second hand on my clock.
A soft knock sounded on the door, and I jolted.
“Come in,” Colt said. His voice was low and authoritative.
The door swung open, and Saoirse bustled inside, her necklaces swinging back and forth as she moved. She only had eyes for me, her gaze scanning and assessing. “What happened? I felt…darkness and then a burst of power.”
“How do you feel anything when it comes to Leighton?” Ronan growled.
Saoirse’s focus moved to him. “So protective. A good thing to have in a mate.” She toyed with her necklace.
“My gift leaves behind a trace of sorts. When I fully sense into someone’s magic, I can tell if that magic shifts or changes.
Hers has been all over the place for the past twenty-four hours. What happened?”
The guys and I shared a look. It was Colt who finally nodded. “Show her.”
I swallowed hard and stood. Turning around so that my back was to Saoirse, I lifted my pajama top.
She gasped. “Oh, my fates. The anchor mark.”
I let my shirt fall and turned back to face her. “Maryanne attacked me, and something happened when she did—”
“Your magic protected you,” Saoirse supplied.
Her eyes were unfocused as if she were somewhere else altogether, putting all the pieces of a puzzle into place.
“I think your mark did manifest on your sixteenth birthday. But when your mother attacked you then, your magic protected itself by locking it away, hiding. This attack broke through the barrier it had built.”
Hope flickered somewhere deep. “Does this mean I can anchor them? Balance their powers so that they’re safe and healthy?”
A smile spread across Saoirse’s face. “I would guess you already are beginning to.” She looked around the room. “How are you feeling?”
Dash raised an eyebrow. “It’s been an intense few days. We almost lost our mate. I don’t think any of us have been feeling rainbows and butterflies.”
“But how do you feel right now?” Saoirse pushed.
“I feel more at peace,” Declan said. “It’s not that I don’t have worries about what’s coming, but there’s something deeper that almost feels like it’s evening me out.”
Saoirse’s smile widened. “That will only intensify when you claim her as your mate and even more once we have the anchor ceremony.”
Declan’s eyes flashed silver, and Saoirse stilled.
“You’ve already claimed her.”
No one said a word, but the energy in the room crackled as the guys braced.
Saoirse swallowed and turned to Dash. “A spell to block the sensing of the bond?”
He nodded slowly.
“Good. Don’t tell anyone. I’ll work on The Assembly from the inside. I’ll report the mark when I think I can get them on my side.”
More tension bled out of my muscles, and I sank back down onto the couch. She was on our side.
Saoirse’s spine jerked straight. “What is that?” she snapped.
I stilled, following her line of sight to my chest. My pajama top had shifted to the side, exposing the skin over my heart. I thought perhaps there might be a bond mark there, but it wasn’t. This was something different.
It looked almost like a smudge of ash in the shape of a pair of wings. I stared down at it. “I-I don’t know.”
Saoirse crouched low, her hand hovering over the ash-like wings. She sucked in a sharp breath. “Phoenix mark.”
The guys around me tensed, energy crackling the air.
“What?” I croaked.
Saoirse’s gaze came to mine. “The mark of those brought back from death. It comes with unknown power. Power that scares our kind.”
My heart hammered against my ribs.
“You must hide this from everyone. If others see it, they will try to capture you—if you’re lucky. If you’re not, they’ll end you.”