Chapter Eight

Sadey startled awake. She blinked rapidly, her heart galloping against her sternum. The soft glow of the living room light fixture made her wince. She'd fallen asleep on the couch, and the television now had a frozen screen, asking if she was done watching the show she'd nodded off to.

She exhaled and stretched, then smiled as Aric cupped her breast and settled again. Silly mate, feeling her up in his sleep.

Sleep? She frowned at the window near the door. It was still pitch black outside.

Her blood chilled to ice. Aric was on shift tonight, not lying behind her on the couch. Panting shallowly in fear, she forced her gaze down to the arm draped over her hip. It was bigger than Aric's, tanned from the sun, and scarred from where she'd raked her claws down it after Brock had hit her.

"Did you miss me, baby?" Brock murmured in her ear. His warm breath made her want to retch.

She lay there, too afraid to breathe, too afraid to move, her palms going damp with sweat. Her animal snarled a warning, but she couldn't get a single muscle to move when he sat up and pressed his weight onto her, slipped his meaty hand around her throat.

It was the touch of his calloused hand against her skin that woke the fight in her. Sadey struggled like some wild thing, but Brock was twice her weight. She wanted to Change, but he was straddling her now, both hands wrapped around her throat, his eyes glowing the same light gold color hers did. Sadey thrashed and bucked, gasping for air, but Brock's eyes were empty. They were soulless.

"I knew you were here all along, you stupid bitch," Brock growled out. "Who do you think ran you off the road? Who do you think has been watching you play house with that fucking bloodsucker? I was going to let you live, Sadey." His voice echoed with the hollowness of insanity. "If you would've come back to me, I would've let you live."

"Please," she choked out. "Don't." Tears streamed down the corners of her eyes. She wasn't ready to go yet. Wasn't ready to succumb to the darkness without telling Aric goodbye. Without explaining she'd tried to be stronger for him.

"You'll die alone now. No people, no friends. No vampire fuck-buddy to save you. He's working. He'll find your body long after you've gone cold, and that's my revenge on him for taking what was mine. I can put you in the grave, and he can't raise you from the dead."

Wait…Aric. Reach! " Aric! Help me! Please, Aric. " She squeezed her eyes closed against the shattering edges that were demolishing her vision. Sparks zipped this way and that behind her eyelids as she sucked desperately for air. " Aric…I'm sorry. I love you. I'm sorry. "

This was it. The end. The darkness had reached across two state lines and swallowed her up. At least she'd had a good ending. A happy one. How sad would it have been to go still trapped?

The front of her house exploded inward, and when she opened her eyes, sheetrock, siding, insulation, and glass blasted above Brock. His face was red with hate and exertion, but as he looked up, fear flashed in his eyes. And then he was gone.

There was no weight pressing her down, no hands crushing her neck. There was just the beautiful breath of oxygen she dragged into her lungs, and then the pain of her knees hitting the wood floor beside the couch.

Aric was against the wall, and a moment of confusion took her. Where was Brock?

Aric reached in the hole and yanked something massive out of it. Brock fell to his knees, crimson painting his neck and arm.

Sadey winced away from the sight of Brock's throat, which had been badly torn. Gads, Aric was so much faster and more lethal than she'd realized.

The front of the house was demolished, and outside, the squeak, squeak of bats and a thick purple haze transformed the night. Garret appeared on the porch first, and then one by one, the rest of the Asheville coven solidified.

Aric paced wordlessly, only a deep hiss in his throat as his eyes stayed on Brock who was hunched over and holding his bleeding neck.

"Sadey, are you okay?" Garret asked from outside.

She tried to say yes, but couldn't get her voice box to work yet, so she nodded instead. Swallowing hard, she wheezed out, "Come in. All of you come in."

Garret stepped over the rubble, followed by the others. When he helped her upright, his hand was strong and cold and firm under her elbow. His jet black eyes churned with hatred as he looked at Brock. Then to Aric, he said, "Kill him for what he's done."

What? Sadey thought the coven hated her, but here was Aric's Second encouraging vengeance against crimes committed against her.

Aric shook his head hard as though he couldn't think straight. "It's your right," he ground out, casting a quick, dark glance to Sadey. "Do you want to kill him? Or do you want me to take the burden. I can. I want to."

But did she want that? Did she want to make Aric a murderer? He cared about life so much—human, shifter, and vampire. Would killing Brock ease his need to defend her, or would it hurt him?

"There's another way to keep him out of our lives." She punched each word past her vocal chords, and it hurt, but this needed to be said. "There's a way that would keep the blood off both of our hands."

In a moment, Aric's face transformed to that of realization. His lips snarled back over his long, sharp fangs, as though a part of him still wanted to end Brock's life. But Aric wasn't like Brock. He wasn't heartless, and the more she thought about it, the more she knew Aric would carry this night with him for always if she didn't keep logical enough for both of them.

"I want him dead for what he did to me, Aric. I do. But a quick death is too easy on him and will echo through this coven for always." She swallowed hard and clenched her fists. "Wreck him instead."

Aric's snarl turned to an empty smile, and he squatted down just out of Brock's reach. Brock stretched his hand for him, but when Aric twitched his chin, Brock reared back as if he'd been slapped. And then Brock's bright blue eyes were taken over with the dark color of his pupils as they dilated completely.

She didn't want to watch, so she followed Garret and the others outside. A few of them asked if she was all right and wanted to know what had happened. She tried to explain in as few words as possible, her gaze never far from the inside of her house where Aric was canting his head the other way, his eyes locked on Brock's as he put who-knew-what visions into his head.

Brock looked terrified, his eyes wide, his mouth hanging open like he was mid-scream. She'd never seen fear on his face until tonight. She tried to conjure a single ounce of pity for him, but couldn't. He would've killed her with his bare hands while he stared at her petrified face if Aric hadn't come for her.

Aric was talking low now, murmuring something not even her snow leopard hearing could pick up.

"Sheeeyit," Garret muttered in a gleeful voice, shaking his head. "Our king isn't playing around. This guy's fucked." He turned to her and frowned thoughtfully. "I hoped Aric's interest in you would pass. It won't, will it?"

Sadey rubbed her tender neck and shook her head. "I hope not."

"Do you love him?"

Her voice pitched to a whisper as soft as a breath as she answered, "I do. Very much. Garret, how did you know to come here?"

He chuckled darkly. "Your man pulled in the entire coven. It wasn't our choice. Looks like we owe you fealty now."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't say that, shifter. Don't let the boys see a drop of weakness, or they'll test you relentlessly. Apologize for nothing. It's beneath you."

"Beneath me?" she whispered, staring at the other vamps who stood in pairs talking low.

Garret leveled her with a look, one eyebrow cocked, his chin lifted high. "You're mated to the King of the Asheville Coven now, Sadey. Chest up, chin out, princess. You are royalty in our coven."

"Our coven," she murmured.

She'd never been a part of anything like this. These almost strangers had come to help her. Even if Aric had forced them, Garret had showed her kindness tonight, and the others, too.

Perhaps she'd been wrong about vampires. Perhaps it wasn't just Aric who was protective and caring.

Inside, Aric stood and crossed his arms over his fire department shirt, puffing out his biceps and chest with the motion. He tracked Brock's progress as her ex left the house. Brock shook uncontrollably and looked around like a terrified field mouse in the shadow of an owl. When his eyes landed on her, Brock screamed a high pitched, horrified sound. He pinned himself against the porch railing, chest heaving as he sobbed.

"Go on, or I'll let her have you," Aric said blandly.

Shoulders shaking with his crying, Brock ran for his car, tripped in the yard, and then crawled as fast as he could through the mowed grass. The murmur of the coven's chuckling filled the night as Sadey watched Brock blast out of the driveway in the black pickup truck that had run her off the road. He must've bought it recently, but if he wasn't careful, he was going to swerve off the road himself.

She turned around to ask Aric what he'd put in Brock's head, but he was right there, and he hugged her so tightly it pushed the air out of her lungs. His face was buried against her neck, and she could feel it—the relief.

"Are you okay? Tell me you're all right, Sadey. I heard you…fuck." He hugged her tighter, lifted her off the ground. "I heard you call for me, and I was afraid I would be too late. I heard you say you were sorry." His voice hitched on that last word. "Garret," he said in a hard tone as he set her down.

"Yep, we're on it," Garret muttered. "Come on boys, let's check out the damage." The others meandered up onto the porch, but Garret hung back and clapped his king on the shoulder. "I'll order the supplies, and we'll get it fixed up."

"Thank you," Aric murmured to Garret's back as his Second made his way up to the destroyed house with the others.

Cupping her face and angling it back, he studied her throat. His relief she'd felt a second ago transformed to anger, and power pulsed against her skin. "I wanted to kill him, Sadey. Seeing him choking you…" He gritted his teeth and looked like he wanted to spit. "You should know what's in my heart. If you hadn't spoken up for him, that asshole wouldn't be breathing right now."

"I wasn't speaking up for him, Aric."

Her mate frowned, and confusion filled every beautiful angle of his face. "What do you mean?"

"I was speaking up for you ." Sadey gripped Aric's wrists to keep his touch on her. "I didn't want you to have another black mark on your heart because of me. I wanted to protect you."

Deep emotion pooled in his eyes as he shook his head in disbelief. "I keep thinking you're a dream. Like I'll wake up, and my life will be like it was before you. Dark and empty. I don't know how I got lucky enough for you to pick me back." He parted his lips to say more, but his phone chirped in his back pocket. He checked it and muttered a curse. "I have to get back to the station. Will you do me a favor?"

"Well, you did just save my life," she said with a shaky laugh. "I pretty much owe you any favor you want. What'll it be? Titty squeezes? A BJ? I'm drawing the line at a threesome because I don't share my man, my food, or—"

Aric kissed her into silence, making her forget her train of thought completely. With a deep chuckle, he eased back and rested his forehead against hers. "I was just going to ask you to sleep at the coven house tonight. My protective instincts are kicked up, and Garret can make sure you are comfortable." He bit his bottom lip and grinned wickedly. "We can discuss BJ negotiations when I get home."

"Deal," she whispered, thoroughly enjoying the way he'd said home , as if it was hers, too.

But as she watched him saunter off, evaporate into a powerful gust of bats and smoke, and then disappear into the night, she reconsidered that word. Home wasn't her rental house or the coven house, or even Winterset.

Now, home was Aric.