Unraveled

I have a bad feeling about this, Elijah said gravely. Something’s wrong here.

“I know.” But what? His hands fisted, the answer eluding him. He couldn’t picture another scene, because he didn’t know any other details about Dr. He

Not knowing what else to do, he willed himself back to the present. As the darkness faded, he began to see the office through He

There was a moment of suspended silence.

He

“Time’s up,” Aden gritted out.

“Well, we were certainly productive today, weren’t we?” the doctor said, unemotional as always. His clothes rustled as he stood. Soft footsteps sounded, and then He

Aden and the souls didn’t have time to panic. Their entire world fell back into that black, black sea.

NINETEEN

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WOODS, with trees stretching all around, the quickly dimming sun, a cold wind slithering past every few seconds, Mary A

She’d spent every minute of those two hours trying to research Drainers, magic powers—again—and all kinds of other paranormal stuff. Two hours that now seemed wasted. She’d learned nothing.

Hopefully, that would change now that she was with the wolves. Not that they were informative, or even helpful. Once again, they’d walked beside her, silent.

Now she studied them, searching for a weakness. One word described them all: gorgeous. Nathan was all white, from his hair to his skin, with eyes so pale a blue they were almost eerie. But like Riley, he was tall and leanly muscled, with a hard expression that said, I’ll do anything, yeah, even stab you. Maxwell was ta

They were warriors, definitely, who looked like they ate glass shards for breakfast and anyone who got in their way for dessert.

“So we’re not hunting witches?” she asked. At this point, any other activity seemed extraneous and u

“Hunting?” Finally, something from one of the brothers. Nathan’s voice was low and husky, like a shiver over her skin.

“We’re teaching you how to defend yourself,” Riley said. “Hunting can wait.”

“And let me state again that I think this is stupid,” Nathan added.

“She’s human.” Maxwell, the other brother, had a much harder, more determined voice. “She’s also fragile as hell. We’re…not.”

“Just do it,” Riley snarled at them.

Mary A

Her knees were actually weak at the thought; she wanted to throw her arms around him and hold on forever, basking in his strength. You’re broken up, remember?

Don’t cry.

Nathan shook his head. “She’s yours, Ry, and we know how you are. If we bruise her…”

“I’ll behave.” Another snarl from Riley. “Just don’t scratch or bite her.”

She noticed that he didn’t disabuse them of their “she’s yours” notion. Well, she wouldn’t either. Right now she felt a little too much like the cheese in a mousetrap.

“You’re right. Learning to fight is important,” she began. “But right now there are even more important—”

“No,” Riley said, cutting her off without looking at her, “there aren’t. Teach her how to defend herself against wolves and vampires. Everything you can in the next two hours, then she and I will be on our way.”

Mary A

Would they later punish him for that?

A tremor swept through her, and those tears she’d fought against burned her eyes. She’d made the right decision, ending things. She would not hurt him. Ever. Even accidentally. Even after she…died.

Look what he’d done—was doing—to protect her right now. He deserved better than she could give him.

“Fine.” Maxwell sighed.

“Sure. Why not?” Nathan shrugged.

Such enthusiasm. Didn’t matter, though. She would listen and she would learn. She would never have another chance like this one.

“You’re—you’re not going to help them?” she asked Riley, blushing at her stutter.

His gaze didn’t flick to her, but remained on his brothers as he gave a stiff shake of his head. She remembered what she’d once told him, that if he taught her how to fight, he’d have to put his hands on her, and if he put his hands on her, she would want to kiss him, not learn from him. Did he remember? Did he not want her lips on his?

Oh, God. She wanted him to want her, wanted to keep him. Don’t you dare cry.

How many times would she have to issue the command to herself?

“Do it,” he said, backing away from the group. He stopped at a tree, pressing his back into the wide trunk, and folded his arms over his middle. His expression was dark, stormy.

“Do not interfere,” Maxwell told him with a finger pointed at his chest.

Nathan snorted. “Like he’ll obey you. He always does what he wants. You know that.”

She nodded in agreement, and both brothers focused on her. Uh-oh. All that intensity…closing in on her, one in front and one behind. Why had she agreed to this, again?

“You ready, little girl?”

“You go

Both were taunting her, and at first, her hackles rose. Then she remembered what Aden had told her. When fighting, emotions could ruin you. They made you dumb, kept you distracted. You had to remain distanced. You had to do whatever was needed to survive.

I feel nothing. Except nervous. Argh! She raised her chin, pretending, at least, to be calm. “I won’t cry if you don’t.”

Surprise flickered in both their eyes, and Maxwell even looked like he was fighting a grin.

“Spirit,” he said. “Let’s see how quickly we can crush it.”

In a snap, they were on her, tossing her to the ground like a doll, their now sharp, long teeth near her neck. She was too shocked—and terrified—to move or even block them. They’d swarmed her so quickly, her gaze had failed to track them.