We head out of the club. Everyone gives us a wide berth with the shadow beast trailing alongside me. With just a thought, I tell it to leave.
It disappears before we make it outside. I glance back and watch as Malik trails stiffly behind us.
“Where the hell did that puff of smoke go?” Jax glances up and down the street.
“Who cares? What I want to know is how you can control the demon like that?” Axel narrows his eyes on Malik in his demon form.
I swallow hard, my stomach twisting, making me feel nauseous. “I didn’t mean to keep it from any of you. It hasn’t been that long since… I was just trying to process it myself.”
“Let’s get back to the penthouse, then we can talk more about it,” Luka tells us, coming closer to me.
But Axel doesn’t let up. “But how?”
I throw my hand up. I still don’t understand it myself, so how do I even begin to explain it to him? “I don’t know… it’s like there’s a connection—”
Axel fumes. “A fucking, what?! He better not be anyway connected to you—”
“Not like that,” I tell the possessive ass.
Axel moves closer, stepping in front of me. “In case you didn’t know, this isn’t a fucking pick-and-mix. You don’t get to add more to your harem depending on your tastes. We’re fucking it.”
If I could roll my eyes any harder, I’d looked possessed. “I have five possessive alphas, one of which is a complete alphahole, and you’re all crazy as hell and a fucking handful. Why the hell would I want any more?”
The violence in Axel’s eyes dims and the muscles in his shoulders ease with my words. “Good thing you recognize how fucking crazy we are. Because I’ll use that crazy to fucking destroy anyone who tries to become in any way connected to you.”
“And as I said, I’m not interested in anyone else. But just so you know, the same goes for you.”
My threat makes him lose the rest of the tension in his body. I give him a baffled look before shaking my head to myself.
Some people like flowers and a declaration of their love… Axel, however, seems to prefer violence and threats.
“Psycho,” I tell him with a smirk, not denying that I might love the fucker a bit more because of it.
A knowing smirk grows on his lips. He’s about to reply when Kai comes over to us.
“Can you get him to shift back?” Kai tilts his head towards Malik’s demon, who stands there silently, looking in my direction.
“I can try?” With that thought, I reach down, calling my new ability up to the surface. Pulling it up, I feel it expand throughout my body, and just like in the club, I focus on Malik and pull on that connection, yanking it hard.
“Shift. Now.” Something in my voice makes the guys look at me. I keep my focus on Malik, trying not to think too much into it.
Malik’s body starts shaking, his eyes roll to the back of his head as he drops to the ground with a thump. I cringe at the hard fall.
A low groan sounds out seconds later, Malik now in his human form. “Where the hell am I?”
“Downtown Manhattan,” Luka tells him, moving over to give him a hand up.
Malik looks back to the club frowning, “Did I…”
“Hulk out and start trashing the place? Yeah. Ruin our night? Also, fucking yeah.” Jax huffs.
“How did I get here?” he asks, looking up and down the now vacant street.
“No clue. What’s the last thing you remember?” Jax asks him.
“Last thing I remember is talking to Jazmyn. She…” Malik stops, shaking his head. “The rest is all a blur.”
Jazmyn… Shit.
I look at Kai as my heart rate picks up. “We need to go check on her—”
“I would never hurt her,” Malik says to me with complete confidence in his voice.
“But… you can’t control it.” He might have hurt her and not meant to. He said it was all a blur, that he didn’t remember. Maybe he blacked out, maybe—
“She’s…different.” Malik looks down, hunching in on himself.
“I don’t—”
“They’re mates,” Kai tells me, glancing over at Malik. Malik swallows hard, looking away.
“I know, but—”
“He could never hurt her.” Kai’s eyes soften as he looks at me.
“But…”
Kai picks up my hand, placing a kiss on it. “Never. The beast side of us isn’t just something we can transform into, it’s a part of us… a part of our soul. Both recognize our mate and neither wants to see them harmed in any way.
“Somewhere deep down, beneath whatever King did to him, his demon knows that too. He’d rather slice his limbs off than hurt one strand of hair on her head. You don’t have to worry about her, but we can still check on her if you’d like.”
“Thank you.”
Kai gives my hand a squeeze.
Malik’s frown deepens as he looks at me, a light of recognition sparking in his eyes. “You… You told me to stop, didn’t you? No… Not told me… made me.”
I nod my head, not knowing what else to say. I still didn’t understand it myself.
“Your voice… I was drawn to it. I… needed to listen to it.” Malik rubs his chest, glancing away just as the limo pulls up.
“Did it feel like a command? Like something you had no control over but also wanted to do?” Kai asks him.
“Yes.” Malik nods.
The guys share a look before they get moving. “Let’s get back. We can sort all this out then,” Kai tells us.
We get into the limo and head back to the penthouse quickly. The whole time, the guys are quiet, making my thoughts run wild.
Pulling up to the building, we get out. Luka takes my hand. It gives me a small amount of reassurance that maybe this isn’t as bad as my thoughts are making it out to be.
“Where will I…” Malik looks unsure of himself, glancing up at the huge building.
“Come with us.” Kai tilts his head toward the building. “We’ll get you set up, and you can call whoever you need.”
Malik hesitates before sighing. He nods his head, silently following us up.
We enter the apartment, my stomach twisting in knots as I wait for them to tell me what they think about all this. Will they hate me? Will they think I’m… evil?
My mind starts going over every little thing, picking at it until it becomes a gaping hole that I can’t seem to find a way out of.
I feel the panic as it starts to rise, turning my chest tight.
“Stop.” Kai steps forward, gently tilting my chin up to him. His hand and demanding look ground me, pausing my downward spiral.
“I can see the worry in your eyes, but whatever you’re thinking right now needs to stop. We have a lot to talk about when it comes to your new ability, but before we have that conversation, I need you to know something.”
Kai’s eyes turn soft, as he looks over every inch of my face, only warmth and compassion shining through. “There is nothing about you that would make me love you less, and nothing you could say or do that would change my mind. You’re my soul mate, Kiarra, and even if you weren’t, I’d still have found you and made you mine… Ours. I don’t love you because you’re my mate. I love you because you’re you. And no matter how many times that changes and grows, I will still love you. Always.”
Warmth spreads through my chest, making me feel like I can finally take a deep breath. This man… this beautiful man, and the way he seems to know exactly what to say to put my turbulent thoughts at ease, is everything.
I swallow the lump in my throat, trying to answer him, but it’s impossible. I can see how much he means it with every word as he stares down at me with nothing but love in his eyes.
“As usual, Kai tries to one-up us with his epic speeches.” Jax playfully narrows his eyes at him.
Kai smiles, placing a kiss on my forehead, and shakes his head at Jax.
“But even I can see the doubts racing around in your head.” Jax moves closer. “If it’s because we were quiet on the way back here, that’s only because we were all so fucking turned on from seeing you in action. None of us could think straight.”
I raise a brow, looking at the rest of the guys. Rion gives me one of his slow smiles. Luka gives me a shy smile, clearing his throat and glancing down, and Axel rolls his eyes, crossing his arms. “Like you don’t already know.”
I go to reply to the dick when Jax grabs my hand, distracting me. “Back to the topic of you doubting this… us.”
“I don’t—”
“You do, but I know that’s because we still have a lot of work to do to get there. But you need to understand that I don’t care how loud your fucking doubts are. I’m not going anywhere. You want to burn the world down? Have at it. Go on a killing spree? Be my fucking guest. I don’t give a shit, because I’ll be right there with you, every step of the way.
“Me, you, and them, is not an option. It’s the endgame. It’s definite, with no other way, option, or fucking choice. You can’t get rid of us, and I’m sure as hell not letting you go. So, suck it up and tell that little voice in your head to fuck off. It’s bound in blood, written in the stars, and all that shit.”
A laugh escapes me at Jax’s words and how black and white it all is to him.
“Couldn’t have said it better myself, brother.” Luka pats Jax on the shoulder, looking at me. “We’re inevitable, Kiarra. We always have been. We all knew it as kids when none of us wanted to be anywhere else but with you. You were taken from us not once, but twice, and I’ll be damned if I ever let that happen again. As Jax and Kai said, there is nothing you can say or become that will change our minds, and it will always be that way.”
“You already know how I feel, Princess, but if you need me to nail home the point, I’m more than willing to show you.” Axel’s smirk grows. His eyes are heated as they pin me to the spot.
Before I get a chance to reply to them, Rion moves over to us. “You were made for us, Siren. So, show us. Show us you—all of you—and don’t ever hold back. Not from us.”
I glance at them all, seeing the same expression Rion is giving me. It’s the push I need to go through with this. Stepping back, I close my eyes and dig to that deepest part of me. Pulling it up is starting to become as natural as breathing.
I sense the shift in the air before I open my eyes. Cords of dark inky smoke flow around me, reaching out to each of the guys.
None of them move away from it, instead they move closer, reaching out to touch them.
“Baby, your eyes. They’re black.” Jax moves in front of me.
“Scared?” I ask him hesitantly.
“No.” He moves right up to me. “More like fucking turned on.”
He slams his lips to mine, showing me just how much he isn’t afraid, and kisses me like he can’t get enough, like he’s hungry for me, and I’m all he wants to consume. It’s wild and reckless, with so much passion and love. It’s everything that makes Jax the boy I became friends with and the man that made me fall in love.
He sees the world differently, sees it the way he chooses, and doesn’t hold back when he wants something. And it’s something that makes me love him even more.
My mind slows, the doubts and fears slowly drift away as my senses envelop him whole. With the thought of wanting him closer, wanting to absorb the feel of him against my body, my dark shadows swirl around him, pulling him into me. I feel his deep chuckle as he runs his hands up my back.
“Damn,” a whispered groan sounds out just before a knock on the door breaks us apart.
Luka adjusts himself before opening it. I look over at the rest of them, finding their heated stares on me.
“Talk about bad fucking timing,” Jax mumbles, narrowing his eyes on Jazmyn as she storms in, a wild look in her eyes as she searches the room.
Finding me, she stops. “What the—”
“Don’t even think about finishing that sentence,” Jax warns her.
Jazmyn rolls her eyes. “I wasn’t going to say anything bad. She looks fucking badass.”
She gives me a tentative smile, unsure of where to go from here. She wasn’t exactly the hugging type, and even though she was the closest thing I had to a friend back in King’s tower, I didn’t know if I could call us that either. But she looked out for me, and that’s not something I’ll ever forgot.
She opens her mouth to speak, but Kane walks in, scanning the room before his eyes finally land on me.
“Kiarra…” He moves to take a step toward me, but Axel steps in, blocking his way.
“I just wanted to see if she’s all right.” Kane frowns, trying to look around Axel.
Axel scoffs. “You can see well enough from where you are.”
“Axel, it’s fine,” I tell him, trying to step past Jax. He takes my hand, pulling me back to his side.
“Nope. Not happening, baby. Kane is included in the ‘no looking or touching rule.’”
“Guys, come on. It’s Kane.” I give them a baffled look. It should be damn obvious I see him as nothing but a friend.
“I wouldn’t try to make sense of their crazy if I were you. They only seem to make sense of the sound of their own voices.” Jazmyn shakes her head at them.
Jax scoffs. “You’re one to talk.”
She narrows her eyes on him, opening her mouth to reply to him when Kane moves around Axel. He only gets so far before he’s blocked again.
“Look, I know it’s never going to be enough, but I’m sorry, Kiarra.”
I don’t understand why he is apologizing to me. It wasn’t his fault. “You don’t have to—”
“I do… I should’ve looked closer at everything, instead of focusing on my own mess.”
“No. It wasn’t your job to look out for me.”
He shakes his head, not hearing me. “You were just a fucking kid when he took you there. I should’ve done something. Paid closer attention.”
“We all should have,” Kai tells him, glancing over at me.
The guilt and sadness choke the room as it spreads out among the guys.
No. We aren’t doing this. We are moving forward, and King isn’t getting another minute of our time. Not until I put the nail in his coffin, and I fucking bury him.
“Can we drop the guilt stuff, please? I don’t want to be focusing on him when I just got you all back. I want to focus on us and building our home.”
“That might not be an option.”
The guys whip their heads to Kane, each glaring at him with nothing but violence in their eyes.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Jax looks about two seconds away from losing it.
“We might have a problem.” Kane sighs. “Scratch that. We definitely have a problem.”
“What do you know?” Rion asks, his body turning stiff as his eyes narrow on Kane.
“News travels fast. There were a few demons at the club you were at earlier.” Kane looks at me, his eyes turning sad. “They saw what you did with Malik and made sure to report back to their superiors.”
Kane gives Kai a sharp look. “It doesn’t look good. From what I’ve heard, Kiarra has just become a hot commodity in the supe world, with those in the Underworld eager to get their hands on her.”
“Fuck,” Axels spits out, a look of violence in his eyes aimed straight at Kane as if it’s all his fault.
“The rumor mill has already started making its rounds. Some think she’s going to destroy us all, while others want to use her for her power. Either way, she’s got an open target on her head.” His eyes find mine, softening, before a frown appears. The longer he stares, the more uncomfortable I start to feel.
Realizing that I still have my abilities showing, I release my hold on them and look away.
“What can we do?” Luka asks the others.
“Draven,” Rion tells us. “He’ll be able to keep the demons and Underworld at bay. At least until we figure out what we’re working with.”
“I’ll call him and arrange a meeting,” Kai says, turning to organize it, but Kane calls out, stopping him.
“No need. He’s already on his way.”
Kai raises a brow at him.
“As I said, news travels fast. Draven’s been made aware of this new… development.”
“She’s not a development. She’s our mate and deserves some damn respect.” Luka narrows his eyes at Kane.
“I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant.” Kane glances over at me, looking apologetic.
Jazmyn cuts him a sharp look. “What he means is… we’d like to help in whatever way we can.”
A quiet tap sounds out before Malik walks in.
“Oh, thank the Gods.” Jazmyn turns, moving to him. “Are you… okay?”
“I’m fine, Jaz,” he tells her, shoving his hands in his pockets. He nods at Kane before looking around.
“Draven’s coming,” Kane tells him.
Malik clenches his jaw, looking away. “For me?”
“No. You’re staying with us,” Jazmyn says.
He whips his head to her, narrowing his eyes before looking over her head at Kane.
Kane nods his head. “What she said.”
Malik swallows hard, dropping his shoulder. He nods his head to himself. “Why is he coming then?”
“For me,” I tell him.
Malik glances at me, his frown back in place. “Because of what you can do?”
I shrug, not having an answer for him. “I guess.”
“He’ll want to take you back with him.” Kane huffs in agreement.
The guys tense up, their gazes veering straight to Kane. Each looks absolutely furious at the idea.
“No one is taking her anywhere,” Kai growls out, his eyes pulsing red.
Kane raises his hands. “He may want to, but I didn’t think for one minute you’d allow that.”
Kai steps up behind me, wrapping his arms around me. I lean back into him, letting his warmth seep into me.
“There’s more, isn’t there?” Rion asks, narrowing his eyes on Kane.
Kane sighs loudly. “Draven thinks Kiarra might be the answer to our new Underworld problem. He knows something but won’t tell me anything until he shares whatever he knows with you first.”
Jax shrugs, looking unbothered by this new information. “Then we’ll meet with him to see what he knows. But if he thinks he’s going anywhere with our mate, he’s got another fucking thing coming.”
