Page 7 of Séance

“Are you safe?” Barely contained rage gives his voice a rough timbre. When she doesn’t immediately answer, he slowly lifts his gaze from her injuries and stares directly into her eyes. “Are you safe?”

It’s a demand and a plea. A tremble goes through his hand, and I know he’s itching to retrieve his knives hidden in his weapons closet and go hunting for the bastard.

The woman shrugs, not the least bit intimidated at him being all up in her space. At six foot two, Hicks isn’t a small man. He might only be eighteen, but he works his body like a professional athlete. Over the years, he’s honed his abilities until he became a killing machine.

When he faces off against an opponent, he’s ruthless and takes them out as efficiently as possible. It’s not that he enjoys fighting, he just learned at a young age that he needs to be stronger and faster than others to protect those he claimed for his own.

Next to him, she looks delicate and very fragile.

She barely reaches his shoulders and couldn’t be more than five-four or five-five.

“For now,” the woman murmurs, the huskiness of her voice going right to my cock, and the damn thing practically springs to attention. The others have the same reaction, if the way Jaceson sucks in a harsh breath and the hungry gleam that enters Jameson’s eyes is any indication. Even Gunner is affected, staring at the girl like she’s some strange creature he’s never seen before.

Gunner is an odd one. He likes women, but he doesn’t actively pursue them. He’s completely focused on getting his future settled. Females are just a distraction that he refuses toindulge. I suspected he might be asexual, but the way he can’t look away from the girl tells its own tale.

The girl lifts her chin, pulling away from Hicks’ touch. A furrow instantly appears between his eyebrows, clearly not liking the distance she placed between them. He places a hand against the truck near her head and leans forward. “I live next door. I’ll send you the code to access the house. If you ever feel unsafe, you are free to come over and make yourself at home. We’ll make sure no one lays a hand on you ever again.”

The others grunt in agreement, and I find myself nodding as well. Though I’m not as intimidating as the rest, my slim stature is deceiving. The others have brute strength, but I’m all lethal grace. No one sees me coming. I’m quick and efficient. We all train together, each of us possessing our own special abilities.

As a group, we’re a deadly combination.

She glances at the mansion behind us, and a shutter drops over her eyes. She nods, and her smile brightens. “That’s amazing! Thank you.”

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that she has no intention of stepping foot in the mansion. From the way Hicks is scowling, I know he picked up on it as well. Frustration darkens his green eyes, then he straightens and pastes on a matching fake smile. “Great. Why don’t you show us what you want moved?”

Tension leaves her shoulders, something so slight that if I hadn’t been looking for it, I would have missed it. Her smile turns more genuine when she nods, then she slips between us and heads toward the back of the truck.

The guys don’t follow her immediately, each of us sharing a look—a promise.

Whoever touched her is dead.

Whether she knows it or not, she just gained five protectors.

She’s one of us, one of the lost ones, and we take care of our own.

Chapter Three

RUE

Iturn away from the wall of hunky men, slipping from view before they can press me for answers I’m not willing to give. They are more perceptive than my father, which is troubling, the group easily able to see through my lies, and I’m not sure I like the attention.

I should have felt intimidated when they surrounded me, but I found myself relaxing under their regard. My cheeks burn at being the center of their undivided attention. I’m not used to the attentiveness of such attractive men.

It’s a bit overwhelming.

They are the first boys I’ve seen who are my age, and I’m fascinated.

Unfortunately, while I might be drawn to the guys, involving anyone else in my life would be dangerous. My father wouldn’t hesitate to destroy them to get at me, and that’s not even mentioning the spirits who haunt me.

The guys would be defenseless against them.

No, the men next door are off-limits. Though they are kind of sweet, getting all protective and shit, I need to focus on myself. My entire life revolved around my father and his needs, and I’m not even sure who I am without him.

“You’re moving in with Mrs. Killaghan?” one of the twins asks as he falls into step beside me, while the other one walks on my other side. My cheeks heat once more at being between them, and I avoid looking at them too closely, for fear it would only increase my attraction.

Although they are twins, their energy is completely different.

Not bad, just different.

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