Page 19 of Revenge of the Blood Pack

When I finally stop talking, I’m shocked, and by the look on my brother’s face, he’s shocked too. But I meant what I said. There are no words to explain what Trouble means to me. There are no words to explain how much I need him. Thisdogwill be fine without me. He’s smart, capable, and a beautiful creature.I’mthe one who needs him. I need him to remind me that I have a reason to live. I need him to care for, so I remember to care for myself.

Without him, I’m pretty damn sure I’d just stop breathing.

After a minute of staring at me, my brother nods. “Okay, but you’re responsible for him, and I won’t slow down for him.” His words are tough, but his voice is gentle, like maybe he has some sense of just how much I need Trouble.

“You won’t have to.” I realize I’m standing at attention when Trouble rubs his wet nose against my hand, and I calm, letting my muscles relax.

“Let’s go get her,” he says, as if we didn’t just have a blowout, then heads for the diner.

That’s one thing about Max. He likes rules. He likes everything to run just so. But underneath all that, he cares about people. He cares about animals. He has a big squishy heart that makes him impossible not to love.

I guess that maybe I’m the only one of us who has completely changed.

Unfortunately, inside the diner, there’s no dangerous Blood Mage. And no one seems to have a clue where she might have gone. After we search the place and ask everyone questions, Max just stands frozen for a second, looking around as if she might have blended in with the yellow wallpaper. Looking like he’s on the verge of losing all control, he marches out to a black SUV in the parking lot and throws the door open.

I stare at my brother silently, slightly amused at his behavior. Even though it's obvious he's genuinely angry. The thing is, Max never lets anything ruffle his feathers, andthishas.

What makes it all the funnier is that he's muttering something aboutthatstubborn woman, like she's a thorn in his side and he's officially reached his limit. He's quite literally tearing through their car, as if losing track of this woman for a short time is a national emergency.What the hell is up with my bro? I thought he said she wasn’t that dangerous.

"She isn't anywhere, dammit, and I can't pick up her scent either. If I get a hold of her..." he says, clenching his fists tightly, yellow flashing around his irises.

Threats? Losing control? Well, fuck. This isn't Max.

"So does this woman usually stay when you tell her to stay?" I ask him, trying to keep my tone light as I pet Trouble’s head. The dog is giving me that look, like he sees Max is in distress and wants to go to him, but Max has just barely accepted my best friend, so I warn Trouble to stay with a firm hand on his head.

And like usual, he stays put. Like the creature can read my thoughts.

My twin stops tossing things around and turns to glare at me. "I'm aware she's not a dog."

Okay, that joke didn’t land."So why does it matter if she decided to do some shopping, or whatever?"

His glare deepens as he chucks something into the backseat. "You read about what happened to her pack!"

"And based on whatyoutold me, I’ve concluded that she has the potential to be dangerous, but isn't. Plus, she's willingly helping the Enforcers. So, she can both take care of herself and has a motivation to come back here."

Max snorts. "Like hell."

I blink slowly at him. "If I'm the calm, rational one and you're the explosive one, there's really something wrong with this situation."

He looks like he might punch me for the briefest moment but then sighs and collapses back against the driver's seat, staring at the diner. "Asha is complicated, but at least shetriesto obey my commands. I asked her to wait for me at the diner, but according to the staff, she freely left on her own. Which means she disobeyed me, which is not good given the thin ice she's already on with the Enforcers. What's more, she has no idea that going outside of my protection is a bad idea."

"Protection from what?"

He stares at his hands in obvious frustration. "Asha has a target on her back in far too many ways. On the most basic level, Enforcers, and those who associate with us, always have to be careful. Which includes her now. But that's not her only threat. There are also all the families of the people who have been hurt by Blood Mages that want revenge, and we can't be sure whether they know about her. Along with the other supernaturals who might want her for their own reasons. And that's not including the fact that she's not a pure shifter, which in itself is enough for people to hate her."

Well, shit, okay, maybe he's right to be worried.

He continues, while shaking his head. "The woman absolutely shouldn't be out by herself, both because she could be hurt and because she could go down if she hurts someone else."

Yeah, that's obvious now."So, you think someone possibly took her after she left the diner?" I ask, my chest suddenly feeling tight.

"I don't know," he tells me, which says more than he realizes.

"What's the deal? Is there a possibility that she doesn't want to be here and has escaped? Because if you don't know if she's been hurt, but you're this worried, that's the only thing I can conclude…"

He glares at me. "She doesn't want to be here, alright, but I was under the impression that she was smart enough to know why sheshouldbe. So, I sincerely don't know. And if she just left for a short time to screw with me and I call my bosses, I've fucked her. But if she's running away or in danger and I don't call, I'm fucking myself. And you."

Interesting. The choice should be easy: fuck her. So why is my brother hesitating?

---