Prologue

PROLOGUE

BLAYNE

10 years ago

Frustration and anger. Those were the only two emotions I felt as I stared at my brother Liam while he dressed. Water was still dripping off his hair from the shower he'd just taken. The intensity of my stare must have given me away because he knew I was standing there without bothering to look up at me.

"We aren't having this talk again. I told you earlier, this is happening," he said, still not looking at me as he tied the laces of his boots.

I stepped into his room and leveled a finger at him. "We're not done with anything, bro. I can't let you do this."

Liam finally raised his head, resting his hands on his thighs. "Blayne, we've been fighting about this for almost an hour. Nothing you say is gonna change anything. I'm going on this run. If you knew how much money this was gonna make us, you'd be thinking twice about all this."

Hissing out a breath, I said, "Money isn't everything. Especially when you have to do something as dangerous as this to get it."

Liam got up and walked over to grab his jacket, then shoved his arms through the sleeves. "You say that, but if you saw the fucking stacks of dough I'll be bringing home, you'd change your tune."

"For fuck's sake!" I barked. "It always comes back to money with you. Jesus H. Christ, can't we have a single conversation about anything that doesn't revolve around money?"

With a shake of his head, my brother gave me a rueful smile as he pushed past me into the hallway. He stepped over to a painting on the wall and slid it aside, revealing a built-in safe.

I blinked in surprise. "What the fuck is that?"

Liam punched in a code and opened the door. My stomach dropped when I looked over his shoulder and saw the contents of the safe—several stacks of bills held together with rubber bands and two pistols along with a couple of boxes of ammunition. He pulled out one of the guns and tucked it into his waistband before closing and relocking the safe.

He turned to look at me with a raised eyebrow. "Are we done here or what?"

I ran a hand through my hair, my panic increasing. The idea of my brother going on another of these drug runs with a gun seemed to make things more real. Real and dangerous.

"Listen…" I said. "I don't know if you enjoy this…this…gangster lifestyle or whatever, but you don't have to do this. You can be like other people and get a normal job. One that won't require you to shove a goddamned gun in your jeans."

Liam's eyes turned hard and cold. His lips peeled back in disgust as he waved his hands around the room, gesturing to everything at once. "Do you think we could afford this house if I wasn't doing this?" He yanked on his Louis Vuitton leather jacket. "Could we afford these clothes, pay for your college tuition, buy those fucking cars outside if I was flipping burgers or scrubbing toilets or something? Huh? Could we? No. We couldn't. Fuck, Blayne, we'd be in a one-bedroom trailer out in the middle of nowhere if I wasn't doing this."

He always brought that up, which only served to infuriate me more. I shoved at his chest, not hard, but hard enough to get my point across. "Stop throwing that in my face. It's not your responsibility to put me through school. Don't act like you're some sort of saint because you're paying my college tuition."

"It is my responsibility," he said, pounding a fist against his chest. "I'm the oldest. It's my duty."

Rolling my eyes, I huffed out a humorless laugh. "Liam, you are seven freaking minutes older than me. Stop trying to be the big brother ."

Liam stared at me, the fire in his eyes slowly fading until the only thing left was sadness and agony. It froze me to the spot. He stepped toward me and wrapped a hand around the back of my neck, pulling my head toward his and pressing his forehead into mine.

"Brother, I promised myself I would always take care of you. After those hunters killed Mom and Dad, I told myself I would do anything I could in order to make sure you had all you needed."

My anger leaked out, replaced with a hollow sadness that settled heavily on my chest. "I need my brother, Liam. That's it. I don't care if we're in a shack with a damned outhouse. Family is what I need. Not money, school, and things. "

Liam pulled away and shook his head sadly. "I know you don't like it, but it's the best a loser like me can do. It's the only way I can better myself." He stepped away and started to turn. "And I have to be a better man for Ava."

My anger had almost totally burned out, but hearing her name was like throwing gasoline on a smoldering fire. It raged back to life like a bomb blast. Gritting my teeth, I followed him downstairs.

"This thing with Ava has gotten your head all kinds of fucked up. She's the one who's got you doing this. You keep trying to spoil her, and it's pulling you deeper and deeper into this. Her father and uncles keep dangling that money in your face, and she keeps bouncing her tits, so you'll go running to do their little errands. There's no reason to risk your life for some mob princess."

Liam skidded to a halt in the living room and whirled around, his own anger reignited. He poked a finger into my chest. "Don't talk about her like that. All you ever do is talk shit about her and try to blame her for everything that goes wrong in our lives."

"Because she fucking is to blame!" Spittle flew from my lips as I yelled at him. I was going crazy with aggravation. How could he be so blind?

"No, she's not, Blayne. You're not seeing things the way I see them. She brings out the best part of me. I want to take care of her, and…" He looked at me with an intensity I didn't remember seeing before. "I'm going to marry her."

That brought me up short. For a few seconds, I had no words. Marry her? Ava Francis? I couldn't imagine it. He was going to propose? The surprise must have been evident on my face because Liam sighed and shook his head. He looked like he regretted our entire argument, but I could also see his mind was made up.

"Listen, Blayne. After this job, I'll have enough money to buy that house on the lake I've been looking at. That, and a ring that Ava can be proud of. I'm moving out. But don't worry, I'll keep paying for this house. It'll be all yours."

My jaw dropped open. Liam was actually planning on marrying her? He was going to bind himself to her family and become one of Gio Francis's lieutenants or something? I was too dumbstruck to speak.

Seeing my distress, Liam stepped forward and hugged me. "This changes nothing. You're still my number one—always will be. You'll just be sharing that spot with Ava."

When Liam pulled away, I was still staring at him in confusion. Nothing about this felt right. Not just the whole getting-married thing, but everything. I was always nervous whenever Liam went out on one of these missions for Gio, but this time? This time was different. There was an urgency to my nerves. It was like I was standing on a cliff about to jump off. That was why I was arguing with Liam. Something about tonight was different, and I couldn't shake it.

Liam was almost out the door when I finally snapped out of whatever fugue I was in. I hurried after him and grabbed his shoulder, spinning him around and pulling him into another hug. Liam, surprised at first, stood there unmoving for a moment, then he wrapped his arms around me and returned my embrace. We stood like that for a long time, and I imagined we'd held each other in the same way inside our mother's womb. Two boys, not even born yet, but already closer than any two humans could be.

"Come home safe, Liam," I said.

He patted my back twice. "Always, my man."

"I'm serious."

Liam laughed and gave me one last squeeze before breaking the embrace. "I know. So am I. I'll see you later, bro."

I stood at the door and watched him walk out into the darkening evening and get into his brand-new Mustang. That car had been paid for with the money he made off these little excursions for Gio, Michael, Sam, and Luis Francis—men I wouldn't trust with a puppy, much less my brother.

The rest of the night went by with me trying to stay busy. I spent a few hours on homework and studying, but I might as well not have bothered. Nothing I'd read stuck, and when I closed my books, I couldn't remember a single thing. Frustrated, I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for dinner, then went to bed early. The only way I was able to fall asleep was by telling myself a hundred times I would see Liam in the morning. After a lot of tossing and turning, I finally slipped off to sleep.

Late in the night, I jolted up in bed, gasping. Sweat poured off me as I dug my fingers into the sheets. Even though I heaved in breath after breath, I couldn't seem to stop the rapid beat of my heart. A glance at the clock on my nightstand showed it was a little after three in the morning. Something was wrong. My heart ached like I'd been stabbed.

I put a hand to my chest and blinked away the rapidly forming tears. What the hell was going on? Panic and fear surged through me, but I had no idea why.

Swinging my legs off the bed, I stood and walked to my bathroom. My pajama bottoms were soaked with sweat, and when I looked at myself in the mirror, I saw something strange in my eyes. It was the same look I'd had when our parents were killed when I was a kid. A thought slowly began to build in my mind. As hard as it tried to claw its way up, my consciousness tried harder to force it back down. The thought was like a corpse trying to drag itself out of a grave, and my mind acted like a gravedigger, shoveling spade after spade of dirt back onto it, desperate to keep it down.

Before the thought could fully form and drag itself into the world, a hard banging echoed throughout the house. I jerked in surprise and went to the hallway to see if it was my imagination. As I stood in the dark passageway, the pounding sounded again. This time I could tell what it was—a fist beating on the front door. Liam? Was he hurt and needed me to let him in? I went down the stairs two at a time as I rushed to the front door.

I was halfway across the living room when the voice called out from the other side of the door. "Blayne! Oh God, Blayne. Please open the door."

I slid to a stop. That voice, although familiar, didn't belong to my brother. No, it belonged to Ava Francis.

A chill crept up my spine as I reached forward to unlock the deadbolt. I swung open the door, revealing the last thing I'd ever wanted to see. Ava, standing on the porch steps, tears on her face, mascara streaking down her cheeks. Behind her stood her uncle, Luis Francis. Luis's T-shirt was splattered with blood, and he had the distant look of a man who'd seen something he hadn't wanted to see. His eyes were bloodshot, and it looked like he'd also been crying.

The beast in my mind, the clawing, grasping thing that had been trying to drag itself into my consciousness since I'd woken moments before, suddenly sprang forward fully formed. I'd known it the moment I'd sat up in bed, but hadn't wanted to believe it. Had done everything I could to keep the thought away. But seeing Ava's tears and the blood on Luis's shirt was like a slap in the face.

Liam was gone.

My brother was dead.

I crumpled, my knees hitting the floor hard, but I didn't register the pain. Ava leaped forward, wrapping her arms around me. She sobbed against my shoulder as she rubbed my back. The empty ache in my chest exploded into a dark numbness that spread through my entire body. I should have sobbed, screamed, or cried out, but all I could do was stare at the two people on my porch.

At first, Ava's comforting touch was nice—something I felt like I needed—then I remembered why she was doing it. My sadness warred with the rage rising like a bloody tide inside me.

When I finally spoke, my lips and hands quivered. "What did you do?"

The malice and hatred in my voice jolted the two people before me. Luis took a hesitant step backward, and Ava released me as if she'd been burned and backed away. The fear in their eyes only stoked my anger.

"What the fuck happened to Liam?" I screamed.

Ava flinched and took a few seconds to recover before she spoke. Her voice was clogged, and tears continued to stream down her cheeks. "He's gone. Blayne, I'm so sorry. You have no idea how sorry I am."

The world spun off its axis, and I barely heard the gut-wrenching sob she let out.

"Jesus Christ," Luis hissed from behind her and wiped at his eyes.

"I loved him. I…I needed to be the one to come tell you," Ava stuttered through her tears.

"You haven't told me what happened yet. How did he die?" I asked, my voice wooden.

Ava shook her head. "We know what you and your brother are. My whole family knows about shifters. Liam was…he was using his abilities to watch my dad's enemies and scout for missions. He got caught tonight. They found him, and shot him. Oh God." She buried her face in her hands.

My rage finally boiled over. The revelation that my brother had told humans about us was the least of my worries.

I leaped to my feet and grabbed Ava's shirt, yanking her toward me. I pressed my face into hers. "Your piece of shit family got him killed. This is all because of you. You stupid rich bitch. My brother is fucking dead, and it's all your fault."

"Hey!" Luis said, stepping forward and putting his hand behind his back, no doubt resting his fingers on a gun.

I swung my head to look his way. Our eyes locked and he froze, seeing God-knows-what in my gaze. Whatever he saw scared him enough to remove his hand from his gun. He raised his hands in surrender.

"Boy, it was a bad night. I understand you're heartbroken. Christ, so are we. I loved Liam like he was my own son. So did Gio and the others. He got shot, and by the time we got to him, he was almost gone already."

The mental image of a bullet tearing through my brother's body was like a knife digging into my heart. I fought back a sob, clutching it deep in my throat and burying it.

Instead, I bared my teeth and snarled, "You got him killed, you piece of shit. You and your trash brothers." I looked into Ava's still-crying eyes. "Your whole family is nothing but trash. And now my brother is dead because of you ."

Ava flinched at the words.

"Be that as it may," Luis said. "We came here to tell you what happened. We loved him, and we knew he'd want us to tell you. I'm sorry, son. Dammit, I'm sorry. I don't want you to worry about anything, though. We're gonna pay for the funeral and burial. You shouldn't have to worry about things like that."

I shoved Ava back toward her uncle. Luis caught her before she fell to the ground. My anger was fiercer than anything I'd ever experienced. No one could have been able to get as angry as I was at that moment. It was as if my entire body was on fire.

Taking a step toward them, I shifted. As I dropped to all fours, my skin morphed into an inky black coat and my teeth elongated into sharp fangs. I prowled closer, growling at them.

Ava and Luis took several hurried steps back. Luis raised a hand. "Blayne, calm down. I know you're upset, but don't do anything rash."

I hissed, pawing at the ground before shifting back to my human form. I pointed at them. "You stay the fuck away from me. You hear? I never want to see you again." I glared at Ava. "Any of you. You killed my brother. I don't give a damn who shot him. You"—I jabbed a finger toward her—"killed him. I'll claim my brother's body, I'll pay for his funeral. I don't want another dime of your goddamned blood money. Don't even think about setting foot there. I do not want you tainting his burial."

Ava's face crumpled and fresh tears tracked down her cheeks. "Blayne, please. I didn't have anything to do with this. I need to pay my respects?—"

"Fuck your respects, bitch!" I lunged at her. "I couldn't give a damn about your needs. Tell me where his body is, then get the hell out of here."

Luis pulled at Ava and dragged her back to the car. The sound of her sobs vanished when he slammed her door shut. He looked back at me.

"His body will be at the hospital. We know people, and we got it taken care of quietly. No police involvement. You can…you can make arrangements from there."

Without another word, he got into the driver's seat.

I sank to my knees as the car sped off and sat there, rocking back and forth until the dam finally broke and the sadness managed to crash through the rage. Leaning forward, I pressed my forehead into the dirt and screamed. It was the inarticulate, keening scream of heartache, loss, and sadness—unlike any sound I'd ever made before. It was terrifying, but I couldn't stop. The grief I felt now was worse than when my parents died. Because I was alone now. Fully and completely alone. The tears came then, hot and painful. I stayed like that—sobbing on my knees—until dawn broke.

Days later, I stood in the graveyard, my gray suit jacket draped across my shoulders. The priest was the only other person at the gravesite. Our pack had always been small, and after our parents died, the other family we'd lived with had drifted away to join another group of panther shifters. It had left Liam and me alone.

We'd been everything to each other, had been our own little pack. That had been enough for us. Then Ava came into the picture. I stared at Liam's coffin as it slowly lowered into the grave, unshed tears welling in my eyes.

I flinched when a hand came to rest on my shoulder. Whirling around, I came face to face with Luis Francis standing behind me in an immaculate black suit and tie.

My initial surprise evaporated into anger. Slapping his hand off in disgust, I took a step away, not wanting to be anywhere near the man.

Seeing my reaction, Luis sighed and lowered his head. "Blayne, we only came to talk to you."

"We?" I glanced around, looking for who else he was talking about. Only one person would have the audacity to come here for this.

Fifty yards away, tucked half-behind a tree, I saw Ava's dark hair. Big, black sunglasses obscured half her face.

The very sight of her sent me over the edge. I shoved Luis, pushing him away from Liam's grave. I didn't want that scum anywhere near my brother.

Leveling a finger across the cemetery toward Ava, I yelled, "Get the hell out of here!"

Luis raised his hands in supplication. "Please, Blayne. I need to tell you something. Your brother's last words. We wanted to tell you the other night, but none of us were in the right frame of mind."

There was nothing I wanted to hear more, but I hated that I had to hear the words at all, and I especially hated having to hear it from these people. "What was it? Spit it out, then get the hell out of here."

He sighed. "We managed to get him to Ava's house after he was hurt. It was the closest. He was barely conscious, but he made sure to grab me. I could see how important it was to him that I heard him. He said, ‘Tell Blayne not to blame Ava.' That was the last thing he said."

Luis shook his head and wiped a hand across his face.

I let out a sigh that was full of disdain. Glancing across the grassy cemetery at Ava, I said, "Even when he was on death's doorstep, she had him wrapped around her goddamned little finger."

Luis shook his head. "This was my fault, not Ava's. It was your brother's last wish. His final request. Don't put all this on her. Don't punish her like that."

My eyes widened in surprise. The sheer gall of this man to say these things to me. My brother was dead and in the ground, and he was brazen enough to ask me to forgive his fucking niece?

A deep growl escaped my lips, and Luis took a hasty step back. The fear in his eyes satisfied me on a level I couldn't even comprehend.

"You people need to leave me alone. Do you understand that? This is the last time you ever come near me. You can talk until you're blue in the face, and it won't change a thing. You're dead to me. I'll never forgive you." I turned and looked at Ava, then cupped my hands around my mouth. "You hear that? You are not forgiven. Burn in hell, Ava!"

Luis lowered his head and turned away to walk toward Ava. He looked depressed and dejected. In the distance, I saw Ava remove her glasses and wipe a hand over her face. Good. It was less than what they deserved.

I turned back to Liam's casket, which had been lowered to the bottom of the grave. The grave digger stood nearby, holding his shovel and looking uncomfortable at the interaction he'd just witnessed. Ignoring him, I knelt and scooped up a handful of dirt.

Standing at the edge of the grave, I tossed the soil down onto the coffin. The rattling sound of it raining on the wood had a strange bleak quality to it. "Goodbye, brother. I'll visit. Every year if I'm able to, but I can't stay in this town. Lilly Valley isn't the place I want to be. I'm gone, man. I need a new start. I love you, Liam."

Tears slid down my cheeks as I walked toward my car. As though heaven itself was in mourning, a drizzle of rain began to fall. I didn't hurry my steps, slowing instead to let the rain soak into my clothes. Unfortunately, the shower didn't wash away my heartbreak like I'd wanted it to.

Stripping off my suit jacket, I tossed it into the passenger seat as I got in behind the wheel. Without looking back, I drove away from the cemetery, away from Lilly Valley, hoping to never see the place again.