Page 69 of Fire Bound

We have no idea what Sterling has been cooking up in his lab and what mutations he’s bringing with him. The pack needs to be prepared to fight everything.

I’m still holding out hope that we’ll be able to find Sterling and I’ll be able to deal with him one on one without having to bring the entire pack into it, but I don’t think I’ll get that lucky.

The sound of Ransom’s fist connecting with Ranger’s jaw makes me grin. Watching any of the Weylyn brothers fight is always a sight to behold. They don’t hold back. They fight like they are truly each other’s enemies, but when the match is called, they instantly go back to acting like brothers.

Ranger doesn’t have the savage edge that Ransom has, but Ransom doesn’t have the patience that Ranger has. It’s an interesting dynamic watching these twins fight. Their styles couldn’t be more different.

“Stop pussyfooting around each other and fucking fight!” Ryker yells at his brothers from his position next to Pru. “Get him, Ranger!”

Smirking, I lean around Pruitt so I can talk to him. “You’re cheering on Ranger and not Ransom?”

Ryker’s eyes cut to me just long enough to scowl at me. “Ransom kicked my ass last week on these mats. I want Ranger to do the same to him.”

“Hmm...” I think it over before a brilliant idea comes to mind. “This just got exciting. Ransom! Stop holding back and finish this!” I grin wildly when I find Ryker glaring at me. “It’s no fun being on the sidelines, I needed something to entertain me. One hundred dollars says Ransom beats Ranger.”

Pruitt holds her hands up between us. “No, we are not going to wager—” she begins to order at the same time Ryker nods his head and says, “Deal.”

Pru rolls her eyes as we shake hands on our bet before mumbling, “Holidays are going to be interesting for us moving forward.”

Holidays.The first Christmas I’ve ever celebrated was last year, and I only stopped in for a second. It will be an interesting learning curve to celebrate holidays with a real family and with a mate. And birthdays. I wonder how Remi and I will celebrate those. Preferably, I’d like if we could somehow arrange that she’ll blow me while I blow out my candles. I make a mental note to broach the subject with her. It could be our own special tradition.

Definitely can’t invite the whole family over for that kind of party.

I’m lost in thought, thinking about eating frosting off Remi’s body when I hear Ryker shout something incoherent at Ranger. Focusing back on the fight in front of me, I watch as Ranger tries to dive at Ransom, but no surprise, Ransom saw the move coming and sidesteps him.

Ransom is just about to pin Ranger to the mat when the ground underneath us shakes and the trees rattle as something explodes.

In a second, every single member of the pack that is here is standing at attention, their bodies rigid like they’re ready for an attack at any second. Everyone’s expression is a mix of dread but also determination. Which is the right combination of emotions to have if this is what we’re all thinking it is. If Sterling has finally come, we’re going to need both of those emotions if we’re going to make it out alive. The dread will keep them from doing something reckless, but the determination will keep them going even when it gets bleak.

Ryker is standing in front of Pru, guarding her and their unborn child in a flash and the twins are standing back-to-back, searching the surrounding area for the threat. When they don’t see anything like the rest of us, they give each other a silent look before they begin to jog away from the training area.

“Where the hell are you going?” Ryker yells after them.

“Our girls are alone at my house,” Ranger hollers back. “We need to get to them.”

My chest squeezes uncomfortably tight when I remember that Remi is there too. I kick myself that for a few seconds my mind was so overcome with thoughts of battle that I didn’t think of where she was. I’m only a few days into this mate thing, and I’m already failing.

“Remi’s there too,” I announce while pushing through the crowd after the twins. “I’ll meet you there.” there is no way in fuck I’m going to get into a car that travels fifty miles an hour when I can get to her in seconds.

As I call upon my power, another loud boom comes from the distance. My eyes squeeze shut as I turn my power to full force and allow it to wash over me at neckbreaking speeds. I’ve never traveled between locations as fast as I do now.

I’m moving so fast that when I land in Winslow’s kitchen, I stumble forward multiple feet and have to catch myself on the countertop to stop the strong amount of momentum in my body.

Her name is on my lips as I prepare to call for her when Isabeau and Winslow come around the corner. Each of them are armed to the teeth and wearing tactical gear. Winslow wears a black beanie on her head and there’s a bulletproof vest strapped to her chest. Just like every scary situation I’ve ever seen her encounter, her chin is lifted while bravery comes off her in palpable waves. She’s always faced each challenge head-on. Her lack of a fight-or-flight response makes her strong, but reckless at times.

“We heard the explosion,” Winslow tells me while she adjusts the strap of her rifle on her shoulder. “Is he here?”

Isabeau glances up at me quickly while she continues to strap weapons to the various holsters on her body. She’s as calm as can be. You’d think she was planning a trip to the local coffee shop based on her demeanor. “Do you know someone else who would set explosives off on our land?” the vampire asks the witch.

“No, but I was kinda hoping they were just fireworks,” Winslow mumbles before walking down the hallways yelling, “Whisper! I’ve got good news and I’ve got bad news. Good news is you can stop searching for Sterling. Bad news, we might all die.” Glad to see that the imminent battle hasn’t taken away from her humor. “Whisper? Where are you?” There’s a pause. “Are you hiding under the bed?”

My wolf nudges at me and bangs against his cage, demanding I pay attention to him. When I figure out what he’s trying to tell me, I narrow my eyes at Beau. “Where’s Remi?” I can’t sense her in the house. Her scent is too faint as well.

While she checks the clip of one of her guns, Beau frowns at me. “What do you mean, where’s Remi? She left fifteen minutes ago to talk to you at my house.”

“She wasn’t there when I left,” I tell her as fear creeps into my bones.

“She should have been,” Beau insists. “It’s only an eight-minute drive to my house from here and she was hauling ass because she had something important to tell you.”

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