The Dark-Hunters (662 page)

Turning human, he pulled her into his arms and held her as his own tears brimmed. “I won’t leave them alone, Anya. Ever. They will want for nothing.”

Except you and their father.

Those words choked him and succeeded in breaching his control. Against his will, his tears flowed. Embarrassed, he hid his face against her neck and held her for everything he was worth. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. His brother and sister were the only constants in his life.

They were his only solace.

And now to lose one … it was more than he could stand.

He held her close, rocking her for hours, unaware of anything else. It was only when Vane returned at dawn that he realized how much time had elapsed.

Vane approached them slowly. “What’s wrong?”

Fang grappled with a way to tell him gently. Anya was asleep now, but there was no such solace where he was concerned. He tightened his fist in her white fur and decided there was no way to sugarcoat the truth that would shatter Vane the same way it’d shattered him. “Did you know Anya had bonded with Orian?”

Vane curled his lip as if he found the idea as repugnant as Fang had. “Why would she have done that?”

“She said she loved him.”

Vane went stiff all over. “You spoke in the past tense.”

Fang took a deep breath and braced himself for Vane’s reaction. Gods, how he wished he wasn’t the one who had to tell him. “He died tonight.”

Vane let fly a curse so foul, Fang was dumbfounded by it. Normally his brother was much more circumspect. But he understood completely. He mirrored the same emotions.

Vane sank down on his knees beside them and put one hand on Anya. When he met Fang’s gaze, Fang saw all the agonized pain inside his brother’s eyes that he held in his own heart.

“What are we going to do?”

Fang shook his head. “We’re going to have to watch her die.”

Vane looked away. It was as if he couldn’t face it any more than Fang could. “What happened?”

“A group of Arcadians attacked them and Orian was killed during the fight. What else? Stupid fucking wolf. He should have been here with Anya and not out carousing with his friends.”

Vane glanced around the den as if looking for the shadows to come to life and chase them down. “Did they track the rest back here?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t ask that question. Markus and a group of others went after them.”

“And?”

“They haven’t returned.”

Those words had barely left his lips before the others loped slowly into camp. Some were bloody and limping. But none seemed to be missing.

“Stay with Anya.” Vane went to check with them.

Fang didn’t move until his brother returned with a steely look on his face. “What?”

“It’s the group of Arcadians Acheron warned us about. Somehow they found out we’re here and their Sentinels are out for our blood.”

That was the story of their lives. No matter where they went, the Arcadians found them and attacked them. Why couldn’t their human brethren just leave them alone?

Because the Fates are three psycho bitches bent on completely annihilating your species.

Now his sister would pay the ultimate price for a curse none of them had wanted or deserved. Life was so unfair. But as Acheron said so many times, deserving had nothing to do with anything. Life just was.

Vane sat down beside him. “You look like shit. Why don’t you go get some rest?”

“I can’t sleep.”

“You need to sleep. You’re not doing anyone any good if you’re too tired to function.”

Yeah, but how could he find peace tonight? There was nothing except this sick lump in his stomach that made him want to vomit.

How he wished he could go back twenty-four hours and be oblivious to this future.…

Vane gently pushed him. “I have Anya. Go rest. If nothing else, turn wolf for a while.”

Fang nodded glumly before he relinquished her over, even though all he wanted to do was hold on to her for as long as he could. But Vane was right. He needed some time in his true form.

And he needed to find some kind of comfort for himself. Something to numb the pain if only for one tiny nanosecond.

*   *   *

Aimee came awake with a start as pain sliced through her. It was the same sensation she had whenever Wren or one of her brothers was threatened.

Only this time, it was for Fang. She could sense him as if he were in the room right beside her.

And it was the same dread feeling in her chest. The same urgency to locate him immediately and make sure everything was all right.

What had happened?

Closing her eyes, she found him. He was lying on his stomach in his wolf’s form. He didn’t appear to be injured and yet something about him seemed to be broken. Hurt.

Before she even realized what she’d done, she materialized beside him … still in her nightgown.

“Fang?”

Fang froze at the soft sound of Aimee’s voice. Opening his eyes, he saw her kneeling beside him.
“What are you doing here?”

“I-I don’t know. I just sensed that you needed someone.”

Scowling, he wanted to tell her to leave. To get as far away from him as she could.

Until she placed one gentle hand on his neck.

Fang had always hated to be touched there. Not even Anya could stroke him while he was in his wolfs form. He couldn’t stand it.

Yet Aimee’s touch soothed him. She ran her hand through his fur, to his ear that she gently rubbed between two fingers. Before he could stop himself, he inched closer to her.

“What happened?”

He choked as he thought of Anya.
“My sister’s bond-mate died last night.”

“Your sister who’s burdened?”

He nodded.

“Oh, sweetie … I’m so sorry.”

Sorry … that was a worthless word no doubt uttered out of habit. He hated for people to say that when they had no idea what it really meant. No idea of the pain that was burning deep inside him at a loss he would soon bear that no amount of comfort could alleviate or even dull. How could he go on without his sister here?
“You have your family. You have no idea what—”

“That’s not true,” she said, tightening her grip on him. “I’ve lost two brothers and one of their mates. I know
exactly
how much it stings and how it aches. I know the anguish that no amount of time heals. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t remember them and how they died. So don’t take that tone with me, buster. I won’t tolerate it.”

Fang turned human and pulled her into his arms. “I’m sorry, Aimee. I didn’t know.”

Aimee tightened her grip on him as she bit back the tears she always felt whenever she remembered Bastien and Gilbert.

Worse, they’d died because of
her.
Because she’d shared her powers with them and shown them the location of their enemies. They’d gone after them to protect
her.
The guilt of it. The sorrow … there were times even now when it was more than she could bear.

Still, life went on, every aching agonized beat of it.

“It’s okay,” she whispered, but she didn’t mean that. It was never okay to lose the ones you loved. Life was brutal, harsh, and cold. She knew that better than most.

Her mother’s bipolar mood swings were proof of that. While Maman welcomed and protected anyone who was loyal to their house, she was just as quick to kill any she suspected of treachery—hence her unnatural hatred for Wren.

And she was so unforgiving. While Maman loved her, Aimee saw in her mother’s eyes the blame that she still had for Aimee even though she’d only been a cub at the time of their deaths.

Aimee sighed. “As Wren so often says, sooner or later life victimizes us all.”

“Wren?”

“The tigard you helped me to save. He has a terribly jaded view of most things, but in this I think he’s right. We are victims.”

Fang shook his head. “I refuse to be a victim. Ever … but I can’t believe I’m going to lose her and that there’s nothing I can do to stop it.”

“At least you have time to say good-bye. My brothers were gone in an instant. There was no time for anything, not even grieving.”

Fang paused as he realized how much she was comforting him. They were sharing their pain and …

What are you doing?

He was reaching out to her and he had no idea why. He didn’t trust anyone, especially not strangers. He spurned comfort and always had.

Yet he didn’t want to leave her. He wanted to stay like this for a while. To have her stroke him and soothe the pain inside his heart.

Aimee pulled back from his embrace to look at something on the ground. She bent forward and pulled up the scrap of fabric that Stefan had ripped off one of the attacking Arcadians. He’d carried it back for their inspection and Vane had brought it over to him earlier to look at. Unfortunately, the scent was so contaminated, it was worthless for them to even try and use it to track them down.

She frowned intently as she studied it.

He duplicated her scowl. “What is it?”

“I know this patch. It’s from a tessera uniform.”

His heart stopped beating. “What do you mean, you know this?”

Aimee closed her eyes to use her powers as images played through her head. She could see the wolves fighting, hear them snarling and tearing. See the Arcadians attacking them. But one face was clearer than the others.

It was a face she knew all too well.

“It’s Stone’s.”

Fang tilted his head. “Stone? Why do I know that name?”

“He was the wolf you fought behind Sanctuary.”

Fang’s breath left him as if she’d hit him hard in the solar plexus. “What?”

“He was the wolf—”

“No.” Fang shook his head in disbelief as those words shredded his soul. What had he done?

“Dear gods … I’m the one who killed my sister.”

CHAPTER 8

Fang was nauseated as reality came crashing down and crushed him. His stupid fight had cost his sister the life of her mate and it would take her from them as soon as her litter was born.

How could he have been such an idiot?

“Fang, you can’t blame yourself.”

He heard Aimee’s words, but he knew the truth. “They wouldn’t have even known we were here had I not attacked them.”
For you.
He didn’t say that last bit out loud, but it burned in his mind like a fiery coal.

What have I done?

“Fang—”

He pushed her hand away. “Please go. Every time you get near me, something bad happens.”

Aimee recoiled as if she’d been slapped. And those words stung as much as a physical blow. She tried to tell herself that it was his pain that made him lash out. But it didn’t matter. It still hurt.

“I’ll go, but if you need a—”

The look he turned on her was harsh, biting, and condemning. “I don’t need shit from you or anyone else.”

Her throat tightened instantly. Nodding, she took herself home, back to her bed where she sat stunned by his rejection. It shouldn’t hurt at all.

So why did it? And it wasn’t just a little ache. Her heart felt battered and stomped on.

He’s just a stupid, angry wolf.

True, and she needed to put it behind her. She needed to put
him
behind her. There was nothing she could do for him. She needed to focus on her own future and finding herself a mate who was appropriate for her station. One her family would not only accept, but be proud to bring into their ranks. That was her duty to the ones she loved.

Tomorrow she’d find her a bear and there would be no more thoughts of Fang or any other wolf.

*   *   *

Fang felt like crap. He shouldn’t have yelled at Aimee and he knew it. It wasn’t her fault. He’d been the one to jump into the fray without thinking. Blaming her was pointless. It was his anger at himself that he couldn’t really cope with. Blaming her was easier than blaming himself.

But in the end, he knew the truth.

He was the sole reason Anya would die. His temper and need to fight had caused this. The wolf in him wanted vengeance over that. He wanted to bathe in the blood of his enemies. To wash away his anger and guilt with their deaths.

If only it were that easy.

But his human side knew that no amount of violence would undo what had been done. Anya would die and it would be all his fault for trying to save a bear he shouldn’t even care about.

So why did he?

Unable to cope with it all, he returned to his wolf form to lie on the damp ground while thoughts chased themselves through his head.

In the end, he kept coming back to a single reality—how could one chance meeting with one person on a crappy afternoon alter his life so much? How was it possible that a bear had somehow wormed her way into his heart and ruined his entire life?

*   *   *

Eli walked the floor of his dark, immaculate study as he imagined skinning his own son. Yes, the boy was still young, but how could he be so imbecilic? So reckless …

Now the Katagaria wolves knew they knew of their existence and they’d be hunting for them. The element of surprise had been lost.

Damn you, Stone.

“You summoned me?”

Eli paused to find Varyk standing in front of his black wood rococo desk, watching him. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. That man had the creepiest ability to travel completely undetected. He’d never seen anyone more accomplished at hiding their scent or presence.

“We have another mess.”

Varyk took the news with complete stoicism. Then again, he took everything that way. “Stone?”

Eli winced. “Of course.” There was no need to deny what Varyk could easily verify. “Stone’s tessera went after a Katagaria patrol and slaughtered some of their members. I’m sure they’re now gunning for us.”

To Varyk’s credit, he didn’t make a face or any indication of emotion. “You wish me to clean this up?”

“I want your opinion on the best way to proceed.”

Varyk crossed his arms over his chest and leveled a cold glare at him. “I’d start by killing my son and his crew of idiots before their stupidity spreads to anyone else and infects them.” There was even less emotion in his tone than in his body language.