5. Adam

Chapter five

Adam

Lucien smooths his hair down for what has to be the fifth time since I arrived in the lobby ten minutes ago, and I exchange an amused look with Elle.

"It'll be fine, you know," she says after a moment.

Lucien sighs. We're waiting for a car to pick us up and take us to Kieran's flat, where we'll meet his brother for the first time.

Lucien's clearly nervous. I can't get a read on Elle, but I know she was surprised when Lucien told her she was invited too, especially when he made it clear Kieran specifically asked for her to be there.

As for me? I feel… expectant. Like there's something waiting for me.

Unsettled by it, too.

Between all that and having no idea what Kieran's brother will be like, I'm more than a little restless myself.

Plus, there's something else going on. I might not have known Lucien as long as Elle has, but half a century is still a long time. There's something he wants to tell us, but he can't.

Maybe Elle knows, though. She seems entirely at ease, which is saying something, considering how fidgety both Lucien and I are.

Lucien looks at me, eyes sharp. Yeah, after all this time, he can read me just as well as I read him.

"You do want to come along, yes?"

I nod quickly. It feels less like a want than a need , but I'm not sure how to voice that.

I'm not just caught up in thoughts of Kieran and his family and whatever might be waiting for me there. No. I've been feeling out of sorts for not seeing Sam all day, too. I knew he was gone when I woke, and the text thanking me for looking out for him was nice, but he didn't mention our kiss.

I scoff at myself internally. One kiss—half-drunk on his part—and I'm acting like no one's ever touched me before.

"I'm coming," I say, trying to push my thoughts aside. "Wouldn't want to miss out on getting to know anyone who has dirt on what Kieran was like as a kid."

Is it the wrong thing to say? Lucien pulls a face, but Elle snorts, shaking her head.

"The car's here," she says. "Let's go."

The closer we get to Kieran and Sam's flat, the tenser Lucien becomes, though the trip itself is uneventful. Elle murmurs into his ear as we pull up, the words too low for even me to hear. He nods, looking a little calmer.

I catch a whiff of… something as we step out onto the street, but it's gone before I can really focus on it. Sam's magic burns too brightly from the wards, anyway. He must have juiced them up again in the past week—I feel as though I can almost see them now, a criss-cross of power covering the entire building and a few feet beyond.

Lucien herds us up the path, ushering the two of us into the building ahead of him. I frown again once I'm inside, wrinkling my nose. Again, Sam's magic is heavier, but that undertone—

Elle clears her throat, and Lucien's hand brushes my arm as he passes me by. I follow them both up the stairs and the scent becomes stronger and stronger the closer we get to the flat.

"Um," I say eloquently, hanging back a little. We're almost at Kieran's floor, and even though I'm the strongest tracker of the three of us, there's no chance Lucien and Elle can't smell this. "There's a wolf here."

Elle stifles what sounds like a laugh. Lucien lets out a terribly put-upon sigh. I look up at them both, standing on the landing as they are, and cross my arms over my chest with a frown.

"I'm missing something."

"Yeah, you're missing your sire being an absolute arse," Elle says. "Keep moving. We've got you."

They do. I know neither Lucien nor Elle will ever deliberately let anything happen to me, though the worry in my chest doesn't completely go away. I follow them both up another flight of stairs and then down the hall, where the wolf's scent is getting more intense.

Does Kieran have someone else in there with him? I scowl, gums itching as my fangs beg to be free. It doesn't make sense. Kieran's always seemed uncomfortable around werewolves. Why would he allow one around his brother if he wants to protect him so much?

We pause at the door, and I tilt my head to listen. I can hear three heartbeats in the flat beyond.

Kieran's is easy to pick out, strong and steady as it is. Sam's flutters like a hummingbird's at times, but it is calm now, picking up only slightly at Lucien's knock.

The other resonates . There's no other way to describe it. I fall into the sound of it, into the way it thumps evenly like Kieran's always does. Something inside me claws with the desire to set eyes on the creature that heartbeat belongs to. It's important. They are important.

Footsteps approach the door, and I blink, coming back to myself.

Wait…

Kieran opens the door, smiling brightly up at Lucien at the same time as I blurt, "He's a wolf ?"

Kieran's smile drops. The heartbeat I've never sensed before this moment—Kieran's brother's—skyrockets. Elle shoots me a fond, if exasperated, look.

"Adam," Lucien mutters. He pinches the bridge of his nose.

Kieran glances over his shoulder, back into the flat, then looks at me again. His mouth is set in a thin line, eyes flinty. "That a problem?"

I know I don't have to be scared of Kieran. I know it. Kieran loves Lucien and Lucien would never let anything happen to me, and I suspect Kieran's taken on some of that responsibility too when nobody's been looking.

Still. That expression. I fight back a shiver, dropping my eyes. "No," I mutter at the floor. "Of course not, I just—"

No. That's not all.

"Wait, but that means—"

"Gods above, let him in before he announces to all the bloody neighbours what's going on," Sam calls from inside. There's a laugh in his voice and Kieran grumbles a little before he steps back.

"Yeah, fine. Get in here."

We all file past—Lucien first, then me, with Elle bringing up the rear. The door closes and only then do I look up again from where I've fixed my eyes on my shoes.

I lock eyes with Sam first. He's perched on the arm of the sofa, bare feet tucked under a cushion. He's wearing a hoodie I'm certain is Kieran's, but his legs are bare too and the sight of all that smooth skin makes my mouth water. He smiles at me, the tips of his ears turning pink and his heart beating a little faster before his gaze flicks between the three of us.

I tear my eyes away—no good can come of that right now—and take in the stranger in the room.

Drew sits in the centre of the sofa, staring up at us all with trepidation clearly written across his face. My first thought is that even sitting down, he's huge, black T-shirt straining tight across his massive shoulders. But he's hunched down, like he's trying to make himself smaller, and he won't meet anyone's eyes.

How tall will he be when he stands? Taller than Kieran, for sure. Taller than me or Lucien, too?

"Everyone, this is my brother, Drew," Kieran says. His tone aims for nonchalant, but there's an edge to it. "Drew, this is Elle, Adam, and Lucien."

Drew's eyes shoot to Lucien first, widening a little like he's surprised. He all but leaps to his feet, stumbling a little in his haste. I swallow when he sticks out a hand in Lucien's direction, his expression absolutely earnest.

Holy fuck , he's adorable.

"It's really good to meet you," Drew says. His voice is a low rumble, and it's not only my heart that skips a beat to hear it. I eye Sam for a second.

Lucien shakes Drew's hand firmly, his smile as kind and indulgent as it was the night he turned me. "It is a pleasure to meet you as well. Kieran has told me a little of you, but I hope we can get to know each other better."

Drew's surprised expression shifts to aim at Kieran, as though he expected Kieran to never have mentioned him at all. Not that he's wrong—but I'm starting to get that it's nothing personal.

Kieran shrugs, dropping onto the sofa. "I don't know what you're all standing around for," he mutters.

Elle takes one of the chairs and Lucien the other, closest to Kieran. I hesitate, Drew and I the only ones standing, but then Elle pats the arm of the chair she's sitting in. "Get over here."

I do as I'm told. Drew sits back down a little stiffly, and I watch the way Sam nudges his foot closer until his toes touch Drew's thigh. The moment they connect, some of the tension bleeds out of Drew's frame.

I don't think anyone else has noticed. Elle's shrewd gaze is focused solely on Kieran.

"I guess I owe you all an explanation," Kieran says.

He looks between Sam, Elle, and I, and I realise that whatever he's about to say, Lucien already knows .

Elle shrugs. "I don't know that you owe us your past," she says, sounding almost pained. "We can kind of work out some of it from this whole situation."

She waves a hand, encompassing all of Drew in the gesture. He shrinks back a little on the sofa. I look over at Lucien.

"You knew."

The look Lucien gives me is pained, and Kieran is quick to jump to his defence. "I asked him to keep it a secret. I didn't want to talk about where I'm from. Where we're from."

Drew stares down at his hands. I nod. I get it, really, and it's not like I had no idea at all. Even I know vampires don't just die from feeding on regular humans.

We'd have a real problem on our hands if that were the case.

"Elle's right," I say finally. "You don't have to tell us anything."

Sam snorts. "Well, I want some details," he says haughtily, crossing his arms over his chest. Drew tips his head to one side, sending him a cautious, questioning look, and Sam winks at him before he turns his attention back to Kieran. "Start talking."

Kieran pulls a face, but there's a hint of amusement in his expression. "Yeah, okay. So I guess you've all figured out that Drew's a werewolf. Our father is, too. Our mother was human."

I frown. "So you're… human, too?"

"Not really." Kieran sighs. "I honestly didn't know until recently. I've always been stronger than the average person, but it wasn't until Lucien and I got together that I realised."

"Realised what?" Sam asked.

"The connection between us. It's more than it should be. Stronger."

Elle leans forward in her seat. "What does that mean?"

Lucien reaches out, and when his and Kieran's fingers twine together, he smiles. "A mating bond," he says softly. "Kieran and I are mates ."

Kieran's eyes go dark when his gaze meets Lucien's, and I watch in fascination as Lucien's cheeks turn pink. Elle smothers a laugh. I can't help my own smile.

I've never seen Lucien like this before. Even at the beginning with Nathan, things were different. More distant, somehow, the looks between them never full of such genuine affection.

I fight the urge to look at Sam or Drew, thankful when Elle pipes up. "What does that mean for you, Kieran?"

"If a wolf—or any were, I guess—has kids with a human, the kids usually come out were, but sometimes they don't. Our dad, he… He really hoped I'd have a wolf, but it got more and more obvious that wasn't going to happen. So I left. Apparently, you can be a wolf without having a wolf in some ways." He looks at Elle, then me, then Sam. "I'll never be able to shift, but I got some of the other traits."

"Like the bond," Elle says, nodding.

"Yeah, like the bond. The healing too, I guess, and my strength… There could be other stuff, but I don't know for sure. I didn't know any of this was possible."

Drew shakes his head, drawing my eyes to him. He doesn't seem to have been aware either, not if the worry clouding his pretty brown eyes is anything to go by.

I drop my gaze again as the thought crosses my mind. How good is his sense of smell? Can he scent the desire on me?

How inappropriate.

"Does it feel different to…" I trail off before the question can fully form. Our bond.

Lucien's answering smile is soft. "Yes," he admits. "The bond between you and me came from me, from my blood. The power in it was—is—all on my side. This is… even. Equal."

Kieran snorts, and from the heated glance they exchange, I realise there are some questions I don't want answers to.

Most sire-turn bonds quiet after the first couple of decades. Ours certainly had, even in spite of all the time we spent together.

When Nathan attacked me, it flared to life again. Over the past seven months or so, it's quietened down, but I wonder if the bond between Kieran and Lucien has really seen to that.

I look up and Drew is watching me intently. He flushes when our eyes meet, glancing at Sam before he studiously looks down at his hands again, shoulders hunched.

Something swirls in my gut. Some unnamed protective instinct, different to the desire I felt when I first saw him.

Whatever he's running away from—and I know we all know he is, even if he's not willing to voice it—it's done a number on him.

"Anything else we need to know?" Elle asks, drawing me back to the conversation, though not before I notice the bemused way Sam is watching me, too. "You're not going to start doing magic, are you?"

Kieran rolls his eyes. For the first time all night, he seems to truly relax, arm brushing against Drew's as he slumps back into the cushions. "No, Sam's more than got us covered with that."

Sam snorts in response.

"So what now?" I ask. "Do you have to go and see Alpha Deacon?"

I look between Kieran and Lucien, genuinely unsure of the answer. I don't know much of how things work for wolves, only that Alpha Deacon is in charge of all the packs, as well as the handful of lone wolves in the city.

Drew flinches and Kieran reaches out, clasping the back of his neck in a firm grip.

The reaction is instantaneous. Drew all but melts into that grip, tension leeching out of him as he ducks his head again.

"It'll be fine," Kieran murmurs. "I said so, didn't I?"

Drew nods and Kieran squeezes gently. "Drew."

"Yeah." He licks his lips, chancing a look up at Sam, who nods encouragingly. "Yeah, you did."

"I just don't know how things with Deacon are gonna go, after—" Kieran darts a sharp look at Drew, cutting himself off. "It'll be fine. I guess I just need to get in touch with Chaya?"

"I can call her," Elle says, carefully looking between Kieran and Drew. Has Kieran not told him everything that's happened?

He has only been here a day, I suppose, and he's obviously terrified.

Still. We know things aren't over, no matter how quiet it's been.

"I… What will I have to do?" Drew asks. Compared to his low tone before, his voice is timid, scared. His heartbeat suddenly rabbits. "I don't wanna be a lone wolf, please—"

"You won't," Kieran says firmly. "There are packs here, too."

"But—"

"We'll work something out." Kieran looks at Sam, who's sliding down into the narrow gap on the sofa, knees pulled up to his chest. "Right?"

"Right," Sam says, and his voice is just as certain.

I exchange a grim look with Elle. Lucien watches Kieran, his own worry reflecting in his eyes.

Alpha Deacon will be fair, sure, but things aren't going to be that easy. Drew will have to become a lone wolf or join a pack, and either way, one thing is clear: he won't be able to stay in clan territory.