Chapter 33

Chapter

Thirty-Three

Fane's presence burned at my back as he trapped me in his art studio. "You're never going to leave me alone, are you?" His gruff words vibrated in my ear, his warm breath spreading goose bumps down my nape.

"I could ask you the same question." I turned, pressing my back against the door as I stared into those tumultuous eyes, one demon blue and the other shifter gold. "You're the one preventing me from leaving the room."

"Maybe I'm a masochist." His voice had dropped several octaves and gained a husky, gravelly edge. "Maybe I enjoy the torture a little bit."

"We have that in common."

Once again, desire pulsated between us, and my skin grew hot and sticky. Fane's nostrils flared, his teeth bared, and a growl clawed up his throat. I thought he'd back away and tell me to leave.

Instead, his lips fell on mine in a heated kiss that stole every drop of air from my lungs and sanity from my mind. I swayed into him, unable to stop the craving for his touch from overpowering everything else. Electricity zigzagged over me. Fane's fingers sank into the hair at the base of my neck, and he pulled on the strands to tilt my head, the burning in my scalp making me moan as much as the feel of his tongue licking and tasting mine.

The savage way he claimed my mouth had my legs shaking and moisture pooling between them. He snarled, knowing how much I was turned on.

Fane skimmed his hand down my side and then beneath his shirt, forcing my thighs to part. They easily drifted open for him as if I were a puppet and he was my master. His gruff moan mirrored mine as he dragged a finger across my entrance.

"Already wet for me, fiera mika." Without warning, he plunged that finger inside all the way to his knuckle, and I gasped. "Did you plan this? Did you seek out my art studio and wait for me to return to shift in your human form, tempting me with your body?"

My laugh came out in a shaky breath. "Maybe it's the other way around, Maverick." My hands dug into his bare shoulders when he added another finger, and I cried out, slamming my head against the hard wood. "The door was open, so maybe you lured me here, knowing I'd shift, leaving me naked and vulnerable for you to take advantage of."

His lethal chuckle vibrated my throat as he dropped kisses along it. "So we're both guilty? Do you want me to throw you on the couch and take you like a beast?"

Yes!

My leg wrapped around his waist, allowing him to go deeper, his thumb flicking my tight bundle of nerves. "I'm pretty sure you know the answer, Maverick."

He grinned against my neck and then sucked it, his teeth scraping the sensitive flesh and making me shiver. His hand went around my ass, ready to lift me, when he froze, his head cocking to the side.

A string of curses tumbled from his mouth, and he pulled his fingers out, leaving me feeling empty. "You should get dressed." I opened my mouth as hot anger built within me, but he shook his head. "My family is here."

The fury vanished, and I leaned against the door, breathing heavily. "Why? What's going on?"

"Wrath thought it would be a good idea to bring them into hiding for a little while in case Barric tried to use them against us."

My heart plunged to the bottom of my gut as his words sank in. Because of me, the Anders had to leave their pack and be uprooted for who knew how long. The head alpha of Georgia had suddenly become their enemy.

All because of me.

"Not everything is your fault, Teague," Fane said. "Stop blaming yourself."

"How is this not my fault?"

This was the very thing I was afraid of. Anyone close to me suffered. Now the Anders were caught in the tangled mess of my life. I'd thought Venna would be the one to hurt them, but it was Barric, their own head alpha and my father.

"Stop hating yourself and get dressed before Dylan comes looking for you and realizes exactly what he interrupted."

"He wouldn't be able to tell."

Fane's heated gaze scorched into me as he lifted his fingers, the ones that had been inside of me, and stuck them in his mouth, sucking off the remnants of my arousal. A deep growl of approval rumbled through him.

My core pulsated with another dose of desire. That was one of the most erotic things he'd ever done .

"He most definitely would have. It's so fucking thick in the air, I'm having a hard time letting you leave."

That was when I realized his other hand still held my hair, keeping me from moving more than an inch away while his hard length bulged in his jeans.

I swallowed hard and fitted my hands between us, my palms burning against his chest. "You better let me leave then."

The tiny muscles in Fane's jaw feathered as he clenched his teeth before finally releasing his grip on my hair. "Get dressed."

His words said one thing, but his eyes said the opposite.

"Tate!" Dylan met Fane and me at the bottom of the grand staircase, bouncing on the balls of his feet like an excited puppy. As he hugged me, I wrapped my arms around him.

Fane gave a dramatic frown. "Nice to see you too, Dyl."

The boy released me and grinned at his cousin, playfully punching his shoulder before going in for a hug. "You know I love you, too, Fane, but who wouldn't want to hug Tate first?"

"I suppose you're right." He ruffled Dylan's caramel and copper hair. "You're getting big. You're taller than Tate now."

My heart gave a flutter at his casual use of my first name, and I avoided eye contact even though he'd probably felt my elation.

"Come on." Dylan gripped my hand and led me toward the left. "Everyone wants to see you, and I want to show you the snacks I made."

"Oh, snacks. Of course." I widened my steps to keep up with his hurried gait. "You only had to mention your homemade spicy snacks, and I would have gone anywhere with you."

Dylan laughed. "I knew it! I'm your favorite person, right?" He glanced at Fane. "Well, second favorite. "

"Nope, my favorite." I jerked my head toward Fane. "He's second."

The twelve-year-old pumped his fist. "Awesome. I'm the favorite!"

"We'll see how long that sticks, Dyl." The demon shifter ran his hand over my back as we walked into the living room, sparks of electricity crackling down my spine.

"Tate!" Preston grabbed me in a bear hug, lifting me off my feet. He smelled like spicy cologne and chocolate.

I patted his back. "It's good to see you, too, Pres, but I'd like to breathe at some point."

"Oh!" He dropped me to my feet. "I just feel like I haven't seen you in years."

"It's only been a few months." Fane scowled at the lack of space between Preston and me.

Such a possessive beast.

Preston rushed at his cousin, giving him the same enthusiastic welcome. "Aw, I missed you, too, Fane."

Fane slapped his back. "I'm sure."

"It's nice to see you getting all territorial over Tate," Preston said as he drew away, flicking honey-blond hair out of his face. "Just like old times."

The demon shifter shook his head and muttered something unintelligible under his breath.

We entered the large kitchen where Nora and Kesa chatted at the center island like best friends, and Ephraim unloaded food from bags they must have brought. A whole family of shifters would need copious amounts of groceries. Dylan darted to the counter and searched through the bags with Preston on his heels.

Ephraim noticed us first and set the package of meat down before striding in our direction. His amber eyes were so similar in shape to Fane's that they were obviously related. "It's so nice to see you guys." He hugged his nephew and then waited a beat as if asking my permission before pulling me into a tight embrace.

Fane's uncle was the only Anders who still attempted to respect my boundaries. Not long ago, I would have cringed in their hugs. Now, I was beginning to enjoy them.

"I'm so glad you're okay," he whispered, squeezing one more time before pulling away. "When Camus heard there was a disturbance at Silver Ridge, I had a feeling you two were involved."

Heat flamed my cheeks as guilt twisted my gut. Did he know why he'd suddenly been uprooted? Did he know I was Barric's human-born daughter?

"They only know that Barric turned on us after you uncovered dangerous information about him," Fane said into my mind, knowing where my thoughts had turned.

"Will Camus be pissed? I thought you couldn't just leave a pack. Isn't that defying the alpha or something?"

"Camus will get over it."

Ephraim cleared his throat as a grin worked over his mouth. "I see you two are doing better. At least you aren't trying to kill each other."

Fane dragged his hand through his midnight locks. "Not yet. There's still a chance."

I smacked his rigid stomach. "I'm so sorry about this, Ephraim. Once again, your family is put in danger because of me."

The humor evaporated from his face, and he rested his hand on my shoulder. " Our family," he corrected. "You're part of this family, Tate. Blood doesn't matter. And when one of us is in trouble, we're all in trouble."

Blood doesn't matter .

Barric may have been my father by blood, but he would never be my family.

A burning began in my eyes, and I looked at the black and white tiles, blinking rapidly. "I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me. I couldn't take it?—"

"We're shifters." Ephraim squeezed my shoulder. "We aren't fragile little creatures. We can hold our own. And protect our own."

"And like it or not, you're one of my little pups now." Nora had meandered over and hugged me tightly, spilling all her warmth into my soul. "Just like Fane."

He scoffed. "I was never little."

"You were such a cute little pup." Ephraim ruffled Fane's dark hair like he was a kid and not a dangerous killer.

A door leading to the side of the house opened, and Wrath walked in, bringing a wave of tension. "I managed to make everything fit in the freezer, but I'm sure you guys can go hunting for deer if you run out of the eight hundred pounds of meat within a week." He laughed at his own joke while no one else did. "Tough crowd."

"Thank you, Wrath." Kesa gave him a bright smile, attempting to ease the building tension. "I'm sure there's enough food to last a while."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Preston muttered, staring Wrath down like he was sizing him up before a fight.

Wrath was a high demon, and if he was anything like Ruin, Preston didn't have a snowball's chance in hell.

"No problem." Wrath looked so much like his brother yet so different. There was something a little unhinged and rough around the edges compared to Ruin. The high lord could resemble a marble statue, perfect, breathtaking, and cold, while Wrath seemed unable to remain still for too long. He vibrated with manic energy and was too unpredictable.

He looked more like his brother when he posed as the warden of Heldrok. Had he been trying to emulate his twin the whole time?

"Got it!" Dylan's excitement shattered the heavy atmosphere, and he hurried in my direction with a Tupperware container. "I brought your favorite."

My mouth watered as he opened the lid. "Spicy brownies." The candied bacon and jalape?o topping gleamed under the globe lights hanging above the center island. "I've been dreaming about these, Dyl." I snatched one and shoved a huge bite into my mouth, moaning as the sweet and spicy flavors popped over my tongue.

The youngest Anders beamed. "I brought some other stuff to make. Maybe we can do it together." He bit his bottom lip, peering at me under his shaggy mop of caramel and copper hair.

"That would be fun," I said after swallowing. "You can show me all your secrets."

Dylan's smile stretched all the way to his reddening ears. "Well, I can't tell you all of my secrets." He turned to the high demon still loitering near the door. "Try one, Wrath. These are the brownies I was telling you about in the car."

The high demon strolled across the kitchen, towering in front of Dylan as he plucked a brownie from the container. "Thanks, little man. These look—interesting."

"Go on and try it," Dylan urged.

Wrath took a bite, nodding as he chewed. "I need to go OD on some milk now." He coughed and marched to the fridge as crimson crept into his cheeks. "Preston was right. Tate's taste buds were formed in the fiery bowels of the Underworld."

This earned him a few chuckles around the kitchen, and the shifters relaxed.

Fane broke off a piece of the second brownie in my hand and popped it into his mouth. "They're not so bad. You're being dramatic, Wrath."

"Dramatic would be me dowsing myself in this jug of milk." He poured another glass and lifted it to his mouth. "Ruin is the dramatic one. Instead of politely seeking relief in a bottomless glass of milk, he would have made a whole spectacle. My brother loves being the center of attention. Not me."

Kesa scoffed. "That's why you used to dress up and put on plays at my house in Vlehull. Because you hated attention."

He pouted. "I was ten."

"Such an adorable age for any creature." Kesa chuckled as she turned to Nora. "And then they grow up and get so serious."

Nora shook her head, tossing her honey waves around her shoulders. "My eldest still acts like he's ten sometimes."

"Hey!" Preston yanked his head out of a white cabinet. "I'm just trying to hold onto my youth for as long as possible before I turn all moody and grumpy like Fane."

The demon shifter flipped him off. "I am not grumpy."

Preston scoffed. "If you were one of the Seven Dwarfs, you'd definitely be Grumpy." He winked at me. "And I'd be Happy."

I snorted on a laugh and snagged another brownie as Dylan set them on the island. My chest ached as their laughter echoed around the kitchen, feeling something I hadn't experienced since my short time with Jayla.

Could these people—minus Wrath—really be my family ?

I wanted that so much it hurt, but somewhere deep inside, I feared it wouldn't last. They would either see the real me and decide to kick me out, or something horrible would rip them away.