22. Voss

22

VOSS

Murder.

It was the only thing that crossed my mind. Killing every last human being on the planet who ever dared to wrong my mate was the only thing that bled through my mind. I leaned back up, gazing down at Bexley from my perched position as she stayed seated in what was probably the only chair in the meeting house that I didn’t fucking ruin.

I rolled my shoulders back and cracked my knuckles as I took a second to gather my thoughts.

“I’m sorry,” Bexley said mindlessly as tears slipped down her cheeks.

Seeing her cry stoked a fire in me that damn near blinded me. So long as I was breathing, blood and vengeance will rain down on everyone responsible for the tears she shed with us. The fog of anger wrapped around my head. The haze of resentment was too much as Bexley sniffled. She kept apologizing, like that would somehow fix everything she had done, and I was too angry to tell her that she didn’t do shit.

She was caught in the crossfire all her fucking life.

And she apologized for being able to survive.

“I need a moment,” I glowered, making my way toward the back of the house.

“I’m so sorry. Please. I just didn’t know what else to do,” Bexley said through her tears. “Please, you guys, I’m so?—”

“It’s okay, you’re fine,” Dom said.

Her echoing words grated against my nerves.

“Just breathe,” Ronyn said.

“I-I-I—I’ve just been flying by the seat of my pants, you guys. There was no plan. I’m not here to cause any harm. Just—it’s just—I’m so sorry.”

I whipped around as my anger poured forth. “Bexley, if you apologize uselessly one more time for shit that’s not yours to apologize for, I may just kill you myself.”

“Voss!” Dom exclaimed.

She leapt to her feet immediately and stuffed her tears down. In an instant, she stood on the chair she was sitting in, hunched and ready for a fight as she bared her fingernails.

“Oh, I’d love to see you fucking try, Voss,” she hissed.

My furious lips ticked with a grin as I studied her form. Of course, only my mate could make me smile when I was so goddamn angry that all I could think about was the death that was coming. I studied her as I drew in a few deep breaths. Ronyn shot me a blank stare. Dom tried to coax Bexley to sit back down. But, just like that, she was prepared for war. Just like that, she was on alert. Just like that, she was ready to battle. One threat. One set of words.

She had pristine control of her emotions.

Shifters could never be so lucky.

“What?” she asked flatly as she flapped her arms out. “Dog got your tongue?”

Dom barked with laughter and even Ronyn had a bit of a snicker for her. I continued staring at her, giving my body a chance to digest the adrenaline and fury working its way through my veins. And as I stood there on the opposite end of the room with her, I watched as she eased herself down from that chair.

She flopped back into it and picked at those fucking nailbeds of hers again.

“That’s an awful habit,” I said from the darkness.

She scoffed as she tossed me a deadpan look. “You gonna come stop me?”

I just thought it was interesting that she backed down first. “No.”

“Best choice you’ve made all day,” she murmured as she went back to looking at her hands.

Dom threw open a cabinet and started clinking glasses around. Before I knew it, the smell of whiskey filled the air as he poured each of us a glass. He passed them out and handed one to me, which coaxed me out of the shadows. Bexley sat there, swirling the liquid around in her glass as I took mine from Dom’s hand.

Ronyn lifted his glass to me silently before he threw his back. I watched Dom sip on his as Bexley threw hers back like Ronyn. She grunted and hissed with the burn as she studied the glass in her hand. She swallowed every last drop, and the impressed look on Ronyn’s face didn’t go unnoticed.

I sipped mine, like Dom, as I scooted the coffee table over and sat on it like a chair.

“Feeling better?” Bexley asked as she peered over at me.

I stared down into my glass before taking another sip. Sometimes, anger can only be drowned out by alcohol.

I take a few more sips before I respond. “There’s a good chance that the boss you’re running from is the same vampire that killed my family.”

I felt her gaze patrol my face and I couldn’t help but look over at her. And in a flash, her eyes turned soft. Her gaze morphed into one of warmth. Gone was the cool, collected anger and in its place resided a woman who looked upon me as if I were the reason she got up that morning. Sympathy strolled across her features. Her brows knitted together. Her body turned to face mine. Goddamn it, she was beautiful in the moonlight streaming through the window behind her.

“What he means,” Dom said as he polished off his whiskey, “is that you’re not the only target in the compound right now. So, it doesn’t make sense for you to leave.”

He sat his glass in the sink, then hopped up onto the kitchen countertop. Bexley turned to face him as he situated himself, propping a let up onto the countertop while the other dangled freely off the edge.

Bexley’s gaze raked over him before she snickered. “Better close those legs before you put an eye out with that thing.”

Ronyn barked with laughter as he abandoned his glass on the kitchen countertop. “You’ve got spunk, I’ll give you that.”

My mate smirked. “I’ve got more than that going for me, I assure you.”

“Trust me, we know,” I said.

Bexley’s gaze whipped over to me as a small grin crossed her face. “Who did you guys say was the first to peg me as not a shifter?”

Ronyn raised his hand. “That would be me.”

She tilted her head back and looked up at him, upside down. “Impressive. I threw everything I had at that cover story.”

He peered down at her, and I could’ve sworn I saw the shadow of a grin cross his face. “It was a good cover story. You played your part well.”

My ears perked up as Dom leaned forward. “Did you just… compliment her?”

“Can it,” Ronyn growled.

“Did you question it?” Bexley asked as she looked over at Dom.

He tossed her a playful wink. “I’ve always been down for a little bit of roleplaying.”

“Oh, Christ,” Ronyn growled as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

Bexley’s nose wrinkled with her giggle as her gaze came back to mine. “And what about you, Voss? Did you question it?”

I stared her down. “There were times where I wondered, though I wasn’t sure. Ronyn was the only one who was absolutely certain.”

Dom snickered. “Hey now, I’m not an idiot.”

I rolled my eyes. “No, just a lovesick little puppy.”

Bexley laughed at that before I spoke again. “You’re very good at what you’ve been trained to do.”

Her gaze grew somber as it came back to me. “I know.”

I tilted my head as my stare softened. “I’m sorry for what happened to your family, Bexley.”

She swallowed hard. “I’m sorry for what happened to your family, too, Voss. It’s not something that anyone should have to endure, no matter how fucked up their family situation is.”

“You’re damn right,” Ronyn murmured behind her.

Then, as if by some force of nature, the smallest knock came at the door. So small, in fact, that we almost missed it. I ignored the sound, obviously. The wind rustled outside and I demolished the inside of the house. For all I knew, wind leaked somewhere through a broken window and smacked something softly against the wall.

Then, we heard her voice. “Alpha? Are you in there?”

Bexley was out of her chair before either of us registered what was happening. And as she ripped the door open, I found her crouched down in front of one of the kids from her pack who had tears streaming down her face.

“Ashley, dear, what’s wrong?” Bexley asked softly as she brushed the girl’s tears away.

I looked over at Ronyn and Dom, who hopped off the kitchen countertop. The three of us moved toward the front door, listening, but not wanting to crowd the obviously upset little girl.

But, it was her next set of words that leapt me into action.

“What is it?” Bexley coaxed softly. “What’s going on, princess?”

That’s when the little girl, Ashley, finally found her voice. “Mommy’s really sick. I don’t know what’s wrong with her. Can you help, please?”

Bexley scooped the little girl into her arms and pulled her through the doorframe just as I charged. Bexley moved the two of them out of the way, cradling the crying little girl against her chest. I heard Dom murmuring something to them. I heard Ronyn hot on my feet. And as I tore down the stairs of the lookout-house-slash-meeting-house, I bellowed my voice over the compound.

“Meridaaaaa! We need your help out heeeeere!”

Calling all healers, Ronyn said as he reached out in groupthink, we have a sick mother. I repeat, we have a sick mother.

I called for the most talented healer of the entire pack to come help us. Ronyn beckoned for the rest of the healers, just in case.

I watched as healers poured out of their homes to the sounds of us beckoning them, while Dom helped Bexley get the crying little girl to calm down.