Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

E vander parked the SUV in the parking lot of Zane's hotel and glanced at Kari. She was scanning the parking lot, as if looking for any signs of her brother, but they both knew the other man was already inside.

After confirming that Axel was indeed Kari's brother, Evander quickly made plans for them to meet.

First, he'd given his King an update, and then he'd reached out to Zane to ask about the use of his hotel. Axel might be Kari's brother, but that didn't mean that he was welcome in the castle—at least not yet—and they knew the man wouldn't come to this meeting alone.

He might be an Assassin, but meeting with a clan of dragons and several wolf and bear shifters alone was just stupid.

And there was no way he was allowing the meeting to be in Cedar Falls. Not when Axel was backed by seven other Assassins. If something went wrong, and a few of them attacked him, he would have a hard time keeping Kari safe.

He grabbed her hand and laced their fingers together, causing her to look at him.

"Ready?"

"Yes," she nodded, and they both got out of the car.

Zane and Leo, along with two of their Enforcers were helping them watch the hotel, and they knew that Axel was already in the conference room, and that his two men were waiting in the tiny lobby.

Anton and Sabine were on the roof, invisible in their dragon forms, and Bastian and Eron were stationed at the building's exits. He didn't think anything would happen today beyond a tearful family reunion, but he wasn't taking any chances with Kari's safety.

More so because she hadn't yet confirmed that Axel was her brother.

Once she did that, they could all relax a little, but for now, they only had their hunches. He was pretty sure they weren't wrong—the similarities were too many—but he wasn't about to let his guard down until Kari confirmed what they all thought.

They walked into the building hand-in-hand, and before they opened the conference room door, he pulled her into a tight hug. He didn't like her meeting the wolf alone, but that had been her request, and so he'd honored it. Barely.

If there were any doubt in his mind on whether or not Axel was her brother, then he wouldn't have been so accommodating, but there weren't any doubts, and he didn't think the other man would kill his own sister.

"I'll be right here," he said. "If something doesn't feel right, you come and get me. Or you scream, and I'll be there."

"It's going to be okay, Evander," she said, kissing his chest. "I'm going in now."

He nodded and let her go, and then watched her walk into the room and close the door.

Every instinct told him to follow her, that this was somehow a bad idea, but he stayed rooted in his spot against the wall, and instead pulled up the live feed on his phone. He didn't want to spy on his mate, but he couldn't rest until he was sure the other man was her brother, so he watched their initial hug, and when they both sat down to talk, he closed the app on his phone.

The thirty minutes they stayed in that room felt like forever, but when Kari came out, her eyes were red from crying, and a huge smile was spread across her face.

"It's him," she nodded, and hugged him tight. "Thank you for finding him for me."

"You're welcome," he smiled, holding her tight. "But this all happened because you trusted us with your story. Anton relayed it to Sabine, and she was the one who made the link between you and Axel. This is what it's like to be part of a clan, sweetheart."

"I know, I?—"

"Sorry to interrupt," Axel said, walking out of the room, "but we're going to get some lunch at the diner down the way. Text me when you're ready, Kari, and we'll meet you back here."

"Okay, I will," she smiled. "See you soon."

Evander watched the other man walk down the hall, narrowing his eyes at the man's back. Where the hell did Axel think he was taking Kari? He looked down at her, andthe look on her face made his chest ache.

His mate was leaving him.

As if reading his mind, she dropped her hands and took a step back. It was only a few inches, but the distance felt like a chasm.

"What's going on, sweetheart?"

"Axel said I can stay with him, and I want to go."

She wanted to leave him and move in with her brother? He'd wanted to give her a piece of her family back, but he'd never expected that she would leave him.An invisible band tightened around his heart, and it got tighter with every word that came out of her mouth.

"For how long?"

"I don't know. I just know that my brother is alive and I want to know him."

"You don't have to move in with him to get to know him. I'll take you there every day if you want, or we can rent a place in Cedar Falls. It doesn't have to be one or the other. We don't have to be apart for you to know him."

He sounded desperate, he knew that, and yet, he didn't want to let her go. They hadn't completed the bond yet, but she was his mate, and he didn't want to live without her.

"I know, but I want to do this. He's my family, Evander, and I've been alone for so long."

She wasn't alone.He and his clan were her family now, or at least he'd thought they were, but apparently, he'd made a mistake.

Anger warred with the pain, and the urge to hunt down her brother and burn the man alive rode him hard. But he didn't go around attacking innocents with fire, and the man had only made a suggestion. Kari was the one who made the choice to leave him, and if that's what she really wanted, then he wouldn'ttry to stop her.

He took a deep breath, and nodded.

"Okay. Let's go get your stuff then."

"I'm sorry, Evander. I know this is aninconvenience, but I really think this is the right decision for me."

"Not at all," he forced a smile. "Let's go get you packed."

He resisted the urge to grab her hand, and motioned that she should lead them out of the building.

When they reached the SUV, his clan members took to the sky, and he couldn't wait to join them. Anything to get rid of the ache in his chest that seemed to suck all of the air out of him. He needed to give everyone an update, but he'd do it later. Right now, all he could focus on was breathing in and out, because inside he felt like he was dying.

T he short drive back up to Winged Mountain was quiet and tense, but as they ascended the hill that led to their home, Evander was able to let the anger go. He was still hurt, but he could think rationally now, and understood Kari's side.

His mate had believed her brother was dead for nearly fifteen years, and it made sense that she would want to get to know him without an audience. She could do that while staying in the other man's house, and as much as he hated not being by her side, he could let her go.

At least for a little while.

Or... he would try his best, because there was no way he was letting her go completely.

Once they got back to their room, he went straight to the bedroom and pulled a suitcase out of the closet. It wasn't large, and he was glad for that, because she wouldn't be able to fit everything she owned inside.

She could stay with her brother for a week or two, but he hoped she didn't plan on moving in with the other man permanently. He was trying his best to be supportive, but having every trace of her gone would tear him up inside.

"I have a suitcase," he said, walking into the other room. "It's not big, but it will definitely hold enough for a few days. We might need something else for your laptop and drawing stuff, though. Do you want me to see if one of the girls has a bag you can use?"

"No, that's okay," she said, her voice small. "I can just use one of the boxes we saved from my apartment."

He noticed that she hadn't moved from her spot near the door, so he set the bag down, crossed the room, and pulled her into his arms.

"What's wrong?"

"I just..." She sniffed once, and he realized she was crying. "Are you mad?"

"I'm hurt, sweetheart, that's all. Honestly, it never occurred to me that you'd want to move in with him, and I definitely didn't think he'd ask you to, but I understand both your positions."

He didn't like it, but he understood.

Axel was an Alpha and an Assassin. The man considered it his job to take care of his family, and now that Kari was alive, he wanted to take care of her, too.If Evander and Kari had already completed the mating bond, things would be different, but his mate had been holding out on completing the bond, and maybe this was the reason why.

With so many changes in her life in such a short amount of time, maybe it was best she lived with her brother for a while.

That didn't mean she would be getting rid of him, though, unless she told him to leave her alone and meant it, because he was never letting her go.

Nothing had changed for him in that regard.

She held onto him for a few more minutes, and then she took a deep breath and let him go.

"I guess I should start packing."

He hated the pain in her voice and decided he wouldn't make things harder for her than they had to be.

"Did he tell you his clan owns a pizza place?"

"He told me." She laughed, moving to pick up the suitcase. "I can have all the free pizza I want."

"You'll probably be sick of it by the time you come back," he said, following her into the bedroom.

She looked at him then, and he leaned down to kiss her.

At first it was just a meeting of their lips, but he pushed it further and slid his tongue into her mouth. She opened for him easily, but when her tongue met his, it was tentative, almost searching. He wasn't sure for what, but he had an idea. He kept things slow, fully branding her mouth his own, and when he pulled back, they were both breathing a little heavier.

"You are coming back, Kari," he said, his voice hard. "It's just a matter of when. And don't forget your phone charger, because I will be texting, and if you don't text me back, I will be on your brother's doorstep, banging down his door."

Was his declaration possessive? Yes, and it was also true.

Luckily, Kari didn't seem to mind.

K ari sat on the bed in her brother's guest room and thought about the past week.

After she'd finished packing her things, Evander had driven her back to Zane's hotel, and her brother and his two friends had met them there. Luckily, the group had arrived in two cars, and she and Axel were able to make the drive back to Cedar Falls alone.

She hadn't asked the important questions then—it seemed odd to do that in the car—but the conversation still flowed easily between them. He told her about his clan, its members, and explained how he started tattooing, and how much he still loved art.

Later, after introducing her to everyone and showing her around the clan businesses, Axel showed her some of his artwork, and the man was truly talented. She had skills, but her brother had honed his in a way that was foreign to her, and she was impressed.

It wasn't until nearly the end of the first night that they had sat down and talked about the attack on her family, and her brother still carried the blame for that fateful day.

The dragons had come for him, so they could use him against their enemies, and they killed their parents in order to get his compliance. When that hadn't worked, they tortured him with liquid silver until he was able to escape,and then he'd returned with a couple of his future clansmen and killed them all.

He hadn't looked for her because he didn't know about the compartment in the floor, and by the time he returned to their home, the ash and bone had been mixed with so much dirt from the elements that it almost looked like their home had never been there at all.

The reason their family hadn't belonged to a clan was because of him—because many Alphas felt threatened by Assassins, and their old Alpha had been one of them—and after he'd exacted his revenge, he'd decided to start his own clan for others like him.

There were nine of them now—eight males and one female—and all the males were Assassins.

Evander had warned her about them, about how they felt different from other shifters, but his warning hadn't prepared her for how it would feel to actually be surrounded by so much power. And so much hardness. She wasn't afraid of her brother's clan, but she also knew she didn't belong with them.

They didn't feel like her family, and even though Axel was her blood, he didn't feel like her Alpha.

She belonged with the dragons—with Evander—and after a week, she was ready to go back home.

Honestly, she'd been ready to go home after a couple of days, but she'd wanted more time with her brother, and she was pretty sure he felt the same.

They talked a lot, but they also just spent time being in the same room. They watched movies, practiced drawing, and one of his clients had even let her watch while he worked on one of their tattoos. He'd also taken her running in the nearby forest, and let her sit in on one of their weekly business meetings in case she decided to stay longer.

She could have a job whenever she wanted, either in the bookstore or the pizza place, and he'd even offered to let her have one of the empty homes the clan owned.

A month ago, she would have taken him up on all of those offers, but now things were different.

She was glad her brother was alive, and that those who killed their parents were dead, but she had a mate now. And a family. And that was where she belonged.

She glanced at her suitcase and box sitting next to the door, and at the same time she heard Axel enter the house. The way he called her name reminded her of when they were kids, and knowing she could hear it whenever she wanted filled her with so much joy she thought she might burst.

Even though Axel wasn't immortal like she would be soon, he would still live longer than most humans, and that meant they had a lot of time left to be in each other's lives. He would get to know any children she had, and she would get to know his, and together, they could share memories of their parents.

And that was enough.

She took the stairs and walked into the kitchen, the smell of pepperoni filling the air. After the first couple of days, they'd eased back on the pizza, and for that she was glad. Though she would never admit it to Axel, she preferred Eron's pizza, and having a close second only made her miss home even more.

"I know that look."

She looked up to find Axel laughing at her.

"What look? What are you talking about?"

"It's the determined look you get whenever you've decided something. We might have lost fifteen years, but I'll never forget that look. You're leaving, aren't you?"

"I am," she smiled. "I'm glad you're alive, and that we've had this time, but I belong with my mate and his clan."

"I know," he nodded. "Honestly, I'm surprised that he even agreed to this. I'm sure if you two had already completed the bond, he wouldn't have, but he impressed me. I swear I could almost feel flames at my back as I walked out of that hotel, but he held it together better than I think I would have. He's a good fit for you."

"It doesn't bother you that he's a dragon?"

"Not at all," he shook his head. "Bad dragons killed our parents, but I've met a few good dragons over the years, and I know what it's like to be judged based on what—instead of who—you are."

Because Assassins were different than regular shifters, and that was why the dragons had wanted him.

She crossed the room and hugged him, happy that he hugged her back so easily.

They would be okay, but she had to live her own life now.

"I love you, brother. Thank you for everything."

"I love you, too. Now go text your mate, and make sure you're packed and ready. I'm sure it won't take him long to get here."

L ess than fifteen minutes later, Evander arrived on her brother's doorstep.

"How did you get here so fast?"

They had been texting every night since she'd left Winged Mountain, but she hadn't seen him all week.

He shrugged. "I was in the area."

She decided he must have flown in, and though she was eager to take a flight with him, she wasn't sure how they would do that while holding all of her stuff. She'd seen him in his dragon form, had even touched his face and scales, and been held close to him while being wrapped in his wings,but she'd never been in the sky with him.

He had offered, of course, but she'd still been slightly afraid and didn't fully trust him at the time.

Something she now regretted.

"Where are your bags?"

"Upstairs." She moved aside so he could enter the house.

"And where is your brother?"

Evander seemed calm and collected, but she remembered her brother's comment about feeling flames at his back and wondered if her mate was still angry.

He could be, she realized, so she wrapped her arms around him, and placed a kiss on his chin. He looked at her then, and what she saw there made her heart ache.She'd hurt her mate by leaving, and yet, he'd supported her anyway.

She needed him to know how much she loved him, and opened her mouth to tell him so, when her brother walked into the room.

"I'm here."

Evander looked at Axel, and then pulled out of her hug and crossed the room with his hand outstretched.

"Thank you for watching over her this week. I hope you'll decide to be our guest at the castle soon."

This was big—huge—and the gesture wasn't lost on her. The castle was their sanctuary, their home, and only mates, or soon-to-be mates, were allowed inside. Friends were almost never welcome, and yet, Evander was inviting her brother, and she knew he was doing it strictly for her.

Suddenly, she couldn't wait to get out of this place and get back home. She wanted to complete the mating bond with her mate as soon as possible, and she also had a surprise she couldn't wait to show him.

"I will," Axel nodded. "Thank you."

"Okay, well, it's time for us to go."

Evander turned away from Axel and gave her a knowing smile. He could probably smell the liquid heat dampening her panties, and though her brother could likely smell it, too, she couldn't bring herself to care. She needed her mate inside her as soon as possible.

"I'll get your bags while you say goodbye."

She watched Evander disappear on the staircase, and then she turned to Axel.

"He's a good man, Kari. He'll take good care of you, but if you ever need me, all you have to do is call."

"I know," she said, giving him another quick hug. "I'll see you soon."

Evander came down the stairs then, and Axel let her go.

"You kids have fun."

She laughed and waved goodbye before following Evander out onto the porch. When she saw the SUV parked in the curb, she looked up at him, startled.

"You drove here? How did you get here so fast?"

"I drove in this morning. I had this crazy idea that if you saw me again, I might be able to convince you to come home. I missed you, sweetheart."

He hadn't said the words yet, but he loved her. She felt it in every fiber of her being, and she loved him, too. So much. He'd probably kept the words to himself so he wouldn't scare her—especially in the beginning—and honestly, that was probably a good idea. But now, everything was different, and she needed him to know how she felt.

"I missed you, too," she said, reaching up to kiss him. Their lips brushed in a chaste kiss, and then she started walking down the stairs, calling over her shoulder. "And I love you. How long will it take us to get home?"

A low rumble filled the air, and she laughed as Evander ran past her and practically threw her stuff inthe back of the SUV. She was reaching for the handle on the passenger door when he came up behind her and caged her in with his arms.

"It's a two fucking hour drive," he growled in her ear.

She could feel his thick cock pressed against her lower back, and more liquid heat dripped out of her core.

God! She'd missed him so much.

"I guess you'd better drive fast."

"Fuck, sweetheart," he growled again. "Do you trust me?"

"I do."

Two simple words, but they meant so much, and she was glad he understood.

"Good, then get in the car. Now."

He opened the door for her, and she quickly scrambled inside. She'd never seen Evander so close to losing control, and she wondered where they were going, because it certainly wasn't straight home, and she was glad.

She was done waiting for her life to start.