the vampires who were now her family, she had lifted the lid on one of the warriors.
Murhder was coming from South Carolina—
Male voices caught her attention and she looked up. Members of the Brotherhood were streaming out of Darius’s old place into the snow, their heavy bodies covered with loose coats to hide their weapons.
“Help is on the way,” she said as she got to her feet.
“Don’t leave.”
Guilt stung as she turned away, and it wasn’t on account of leaving him in the street. “Good luck with your Brothers.”
“I’m not one of them anymore.”
As she dematerialized, she hated that she’d been seen. The Brothers all knew what had gone on between her and Murhder back before she’d headed up to the colony that final time, and she’d just as soon they not know she’d been anywhere near the male in the present.
And as for John Matthew, yes, he was aware of the who, what, where, and when of her time with Murhder, but she’d just as soon things stayed on that newspaper article level. After all, she’d—what did they call it—she’d “processed” what had happened, including what had been done to her and how Murhder had lost his mind and everything the male had done afterward.
It was over. Finished. In the past, moving on, focusing on the future.
So there was no reason to reopen anything—
And yet she had come tonight. To see him.
She was surprised he was still alive.
The fact that John didn’t know she had sought out another male—even though it was, obviously, not to have sex or bond or feed or anything like that—felt like a betrayal of her mate because it was an admission that, much as she hated it and wished it were not true, there was unfinished business between her and the Brother who had been kicked out for insanity.
Business that threatened every part of the life she held so dear.
This was not the way he wanted to return the fold, Murhder thought: Facedown in the street. Eyes leaking. Throat choked.
As Xhex dematerialized and the Brotherhood approached in fighter formation, he reflected it was also not the way he wanted to see that female again—although he would have been hard-pressed to define exactly under what conditions he would have chosen to meet up with her. She was the fulcrum of his downfall, the eye of the storm that had taken him into madness, the catalyst, although not the precise cause, of his disintegration.
All things considered, it was a relief to have to face the Brothers—which was saying something, as he had no real interest in seeing them, either.
As he pushed his torso off the snowpack, and rolled over to sit up on his ass, he measured the males who came unto him. He recognized all but two, and noted two were missing: Wrath wasn’t among them and neither was Darius, no doubt because the latter had stayed inside to guard the former.
When he tried to get to his feet, he became aware that his right thigh bone was probably broken. The pain that registered as he moved his leg was a chainsaw that rode up his spine and slashed through his brain, his vision going in and out as he attempted to put weight on it. He ended up back on his butt.
So he was stuck looking up at all of them as they formed a circle around him.
Like they didn’t trust him to behave himself.
Made sense. With his brain the way it was, thanks to Xhex’s people, he was far from on their level functionally speaking, and he didn’t resent the tacit reminder of reality.
Fuck knew he was used to being crazy.
“Someone mind giving me a hand,” he said dryly.
Not a request. More like an if-one-of-you-assholes-doesn’t-help-me-up-we’re-going-to-still-be-here-at-sunrise kind of thing.
A palm presented itself directly in his face, and he took what was offered without caring whose it was. The hoist up was slow and steady, and after he balanced on his left foot, he dragged in a deep breath and met a pair of glowing yellow eyes.
He should have known it was Phury. He’d always been a decent guy, like Darius and Tohr.
“Welcome back to Caldwell,” the male said.
The “my brother” was left out because it was no longer applicable. And somehow, that hurt more than his leg.
He couldn’t look at any of the others.
“Let’s get this over with.” Murhder nodded at the house. “Wrath in there, I take it?”
In lieu of an answer, Phury stepped in close and hitched a hold to Murhder’s waist.