21. Blayne

TWENTY-ONE

BLAYNE

Ava was still wrapped in my arms when I woke the next morning. The unfamiliar room and Ava being with me in bed felt like a dream. Her warmth and the pressure of her against my skin, however, told me that it was no dream. This was real.

I hesitantly ran a hand through her hair. Things had changed so fast that it left my head spinning. All the time I'd spent being angry and pushing her way seemed to have happened years ago. How could letting one tiny flicker of emotion through the walls I'd built do this?

However it had happened, I wasn't bitter about the change. If anything, I was more relaxed and happier than I'd been in a long time.

As I'd slowly drifted off to sleep the night before, I'd felt Liam's presence. Like he was in the room, watching. Not in a bad way. Not judging or jealous. Instead, I had the distinct feeling that he was giving us some sort of blessing.

I mulled over the promise I'd made as I'd fallen asleep. I would take care of her. In every way I could think of.

Ava's eyes fluttered open. She didn't look as confused as I'd felt when I woke up. She looked happy to see me, practically relieved. When her eyes met mine, the ache in my chest was unbearable. It knocked my breath out of me.

Ava had said the words that had broken our mating bond. I'd experienced the pain and agony of it. Yet somehow, we still shared a connection so strong, I had no words for it. Nothing could explain why I reacted to her this way.

We lay like that, looking into each other's eyes, until I couldn't hold back any longer. I crashed my lips against hers. The heat of her mouth sent my panther into a frenzy. I was tentative at first, but then Ava trailed her fingers over my cheek, and the kiss deepened.

As our tongues flicked together, Ava let out a breathless moan. That sound made me wild in a way I didn't know I could get. My cock hardened, throbbing against my pants. I became acutely aware of her body pressed against me—the curves of her breasts, her flat stomach, her hands clutching at my arms and chest. The delectable scent of her arousal hit me, and my mouth watered with need. I'd never wanted anything more than to taste her, but I held back. I didn't want to rush things.

I assumed she'd push me away eventually. Calm the situation down, and we could think about things like adults. But she didn't. It was almost like she was more desperate than I was. She slid her hand down my chest, her fingers digging under my waistband and wrapping around my cock. I gasped into her mouth. The coolness of her hands stroking me almost made my eyes roll back in my head.

A growl, deep and satisfied, erupted from my throat. I wanted her. Had to have her, but not fully. Not yet.

As she stroked me, I ran a thumb across her breast, caressing the nipple beneath her shirt. "I want to make you come," I whispered, trailing my lips along her jaw down to her neck.

"Mmhmm. I want it. Do it. Oh, fuck." Her words were breathless murmurs.

I pulled away and sat up on my knees. Fingers slipping under her panties, I tugged them away. Seeing her like that made my heart erupt and jackhammer. Ava spread her legs and played with her breasts as I brushed my nose against her pussy. She arched her back as I slid my tongue along her slit and tasted heat, sex, and warmth. My body throbbed with longing.

Gripping her thighs, I pressed my face into her. The tip of my tongue circled her clit, and then slid up and down her cleft. Ava's moans grew louder and more insistent as I worked her faster. My cock was on the verge of exploding, but I wanted this to be about her. All I'd done for years was make her think I hated her, and I wanted to make up for all of that.

When I slipped a finger into her, Ava clutched at the sheets and gasped, pressing her hips against my face as I sucked at her clit. My hand and mouth worked at her feverishly, and I could feel the orgasm building within her. Her grunts and groans of pleasure were growing in volume, and she quivered gently beneath me.

"I'm coming," Ava moaned as she bucked beneath me.

I clutched her to me, sliding my tongue deep into her as she orgasmed. Unable to handle it any longer, I tugged my cock out with my free hand and jerked myself off as she continued to come. My own orgasm came in seconds, and I pulled my face away from her pussy. We both collapsed into a heap beside each other.

Once the exhilaration passed, I looked up to see Ava staring down at me. She'd tugged her shirt up and her breasts were out. My eyes locked on the dark red nipples, and I glanced up at her. We both burst into childish giggles as she pulled her shirt back down to cover her chest. It felt so natural. The moment of awkwardness vanished.

"Uh, I think your cousin's gonna need to get me some fresh sheets."

Ava burst into another gale of laughter, her face going bright red as she attempted to catch her breath. I liked the abrupt change in our relationship dynamic. From Ava's demeanor, she did as well.

"I'm starving. Is there any food in this place?" Ava asked as she started getting dressed.

"Yeah, the woman who works for your dad stocked some essentials in the little kitchen. Cereal, bagels, butter, stuff like that. I think there's coffee and cream."

"Oh my God. A royal feast?"

I pulled my pants back up and headed out the door. "I'll put something together."

A few minutes later, we were sitting around the small table. I was eating a bowl of cereal and Ava was nibbling on a bagel with cream cheese. We didn't speak, but the silence was companionable—not awkward or strange. I sipped at my coffee and watched her smear more cheese on her bagel. The corner of my mouth tugged into a smile. It was strange how everything could change in such a short period of time.

My phone rang, and a glance at the screen showed me it was Gio. "Blayne here."

"Blayne, I've received some new info on Antonio. I think you and your boys need to hear this. Can you round them up and come over?"

"Yeah, I'll call them now and be over in a bit."

Once I'd hung up, Ava raised an eyebrow. "What was that about?"

"Your dad has information on Antonio. I need to get the guys over here."

Tate answered on the second ring. "Morning. What's up?"

"Gio's got news he needs us all to hear. How soon can you and the guys get to Gio Francis's place?"

"Miles and I are at the office. Steff went to pick up coffee. He should be back any minute now. Give us around fifteen minutes."

"Cool. See you then."

"What did my dad want?" Ava asked when I was done.

I shook my head. "Nothing really. He did sound excited. Well…excited or nervous, or some combination. Won't know until we talk to him."

My coffee cup was halfway to my lips when I froze and clenched my jaw.

"Why do you look like you just pooped your pants?" Ava asked.

"I didn't shit my pants," I said. "Does your dad know you came over last night?"

Ava shrugged. "Not sure. Uncle Sam saw me head over here."

Shit. That meant every member of her family knew she'd spent the night out here. Suddenly, I was no longer a full-grown adult man. Now I was a horny sixteen-year-old, hoping the dad of the girl he liked didn't know he'd been doing naughty things with his daughter.

I let out a sigh. I'd probably be subjected to the talk soon. Gio was sure to ask me what my intentions were with his daughter. Would he do the stereotypical thing with the shotgun laid across his knees? Or worse, a few of his mafia soldiers standing behind him while he asked if I was going to break his little girl's heart?

Either way, it was coming. At least there was the little issue of the hunters and Antonio to deal with first. I never would have thought that would be the least of my concerns.

We cleaned up and I changed into fresh clothes. Due to the spontaneous nature of the night before, Ava only had the clothes she'd been wearing when she'd come over here. Thankfully, no one noticed when we headed back to the main house.

As we circled the pool, Tate's big black truck rolled up to the front door. Ava's cousin LJ greeted them as they got out. Miles, seeing me and Ava, raised a hand in greeting. I thought I spotted a shit-eating grin on his face when he saw us walking together, but decided to ignore it.

Ava took my hand as we joined the guys. Tate glanced down and quirked an eyebrow.

"Yeah, yeah. Shut up," I grunted.

LJ led us through the foyer and up the stairs to Gio's office. As soon as the door opened, I could tell Gio wasn't doing well that morning. His skin was ashy gray, and it looked like he hadn't slept in days.

Ava rushed over to him. "Dad? Are you okay?" she asked, kneeling beside him.

Gio nodded. "It is what it is. Some days are better than others. Plus, I may have overdone it last night."

"You look like shit. Are you being honest with me?" Ava's tone was almost maternal as she chastised him.

He patted her hand. "It's the treatments, sweetheart. I was up sick most of the night. Since I wasn't going to get any sleep, I decided to work. I'd tell you if something were truly wrong. I promise."

She glared at him for a few seconds before she stepped back and joined me. Gio chuckled. "Little mother hen you are," he said, pointing at Ava.

"Gio, I hate to cut to the chase," Miles said, "but why'd we have to rush over here?."

Gio turned and pointed at Miles, his smile growing brighter. "A man who knows business, this one. I like you. Let's get down to it." He patted his desk and nodded to himself. "Part of why I barely slept was because I spent a lot of the evening speaking with some of my contacts. We managed to flip some of those guys who used to help Antonio. Made sure they knew we were who they should be afraid of, not him. Once they turned, the dirt piled up. I printed a lot of it last night." He pulled open a drawer and pulled out a stack of paper, photos, and files that looked thick enough to be a bible. "Fucker's been busier than I thought. If this got leaked to the press"—he tapped the stack with a fist—"his ass is done. It'll be a total shit-show for him. He'll know there's only one person who could have dug this up. That means all hell will rain down on us. We've got a couple of options."

"And those are?" Tate asked.

"One, we take it to him and try to blackmail him into leaving all of us—and you all—alone. Or we release it to the press and hope the authorities get his ass before he can bring thunder and hell down on Lilly Valley and any shifter caught in the crossfire."

"How deep does this dirt go, anyway?" Steff asked.

Gio whistled and leaned back in his chair. "I'd say six feet deep. Antonio has dumped a lot of bodies. It seems he got even more brutal and sadistic after he started this shifter war and tried to take his business to the legal side. All just a front, though. For every single dollar he uses for some kind of straight business or charity, he puts five more into something dark and dangerous. He covered his ass well, but not well enough."

I leaned forward and nodded at the stack on his desk. "What do we have?"

"Call logs, photos, lines of credit, proof of bribery, jury fixing, assassination. Sam is working on getting some tape recordings put on a backup drive right now. Those are the jackpot. A few of Antonio's lackeys recorded themselves, admitting to a ton of dirty shit they did for him. Basically everything. It's enough to lock him away forever. Hell, in a few states, it's enough to put his ass on the chair." Gio lifted the stack again and dropped it on the desk. It made a heavy final thud. "This is power. All I need to know is how you wanna use it."

"We see if he'll back down," Miles said. "We show him what we have, let him pull back. It's the safest thing to do. That's my vote, anyway."

Tate nodded and ran a hand through the stubble of his cheek. "I think so, too. If there really is that much damning evidence, he's got to relent. Would anyone be that crazy to throw all that money and power away on some stupid vendetta? It's probably the best way to avoid retaliation."

I glanced across the room and locked eyes with Steff. He was chewing on his lip and looked almost disgusted by the suggestion. He shook his head. "Nah. This guy is batshit-crazy. We can't assume he is going to think logically. Christ, look what he did to his own daughter. Turned her into a sociopath, damn near did the same to Jared. Besides, even if we do go that route, and he says he'll back off, what's to say he actually will?"

"Right," I added. "Are we really okay looking over our shoulders the rest of our lives? Like, in five years, are we still going to be worried anytime our mates or children aren't home right away? Are we gonna find them dead in a ditch somewhere because Antonio finally came back for revenge?"

Miles sighed and gestured to Gio. "You know this guy and his kind. What do you think?"

"Antonio's greedy. He'd take this as a direct threat. Does he love money more than he hates shifters? That's the question you have to ask. He may see reason, or he may see red."

I had a sudden mental image of what would happen if we weren't successful. Tate dead in his front yard, his house on fire behind him, Harley and the kids screaming as the flames consumed them. Miles and Celina covered in blood, lying limp on the floor, a small and silent bundle lying still beside them. Steff and April, floating face-down in a river, bodies bloated and drifting away.

I'd lost too much in my life. I couldn't bear to lose more.

"I can't let any of you get hurt. I won't risk losing all of you. I won't fucking do it," I hissed. "I won't lose my family again, and not to this piece of shit. I won't."

Tate, Steff, and Miles all looked at me with palpable concern. Ava put a hand on my back and I gritted my teeth, trying to rein in my emotions.

"I got you," Steff said, standing and putting a hand on my shoulder. "We are family. This is our pack. I know exactly what you're talking about. I feel it, too. We're right on the edge. No matter what it feels like, this is coming to a head."

Tate and Miles joined Steff and they all put their arms around me. We huddled like that, making a silent vow to each other. At the back of our minds, we'd all known we'd die for each other. Now, it was out in the open. Without words even being said, we'd told each other exactly what we would do.

"What if we play both sides?" Miles said once we'd all composed ourselves.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Let's be honest. He's probably too crazy to really drop back and play the waiting game if we give him the chance to back down. He'll either tell us to fuck off, or he'll run. That's it. Either one of those means he'll come for us sooner rather than later. Let's give him an out and see what he does. I'd love to believe he'll see reason, but the more I think about it, the more I doubt he will. Maybe by showing him this evidence, it'll freak him out enough that he makes a mistake. It gives us an opening to take him down."

"Probably the only plan we have," Gio said. "Antonio won't go down easy. I like waving the red flag in front of the bull. Might panic him into doing something stupid. What do you boys say?"

After exchanging a glance, we nodded in silent agreement. War was coming. And we had some ammunition now. We'd need more than that if he decided to bring his full force down on us. Until then, we needed to prepare.