Page 9 of Fire Bound

Having a home or a family has been the last thing on my mind.

From the age of eight, I had a goal.

I was going to take down the man who ruined my life. The man who used my mother as a living incubator and then threw her away like a piece of garbage when she had nothing left to give. I had a plan. I was going to pretend to play the role I was given, the dutiful soldier, the pawn on a much bigger board. All while I was going to be fighting from the inside to get to my target. There was a time I didn’t think I’d make it past the age of sixteen. Not to sound like a cliché, but I was going to kill the man who took everything from me or die trying.

The plan has changed, but the goal is the same.

I thought I was going to do this alone, but for the first time, I have allies. The entire Weylyn family has my back. Or almost the entire Weylyn family. One of them would like to see me beat into a bloody pulp and left for dead.

I know she’s here before we exit Pruitt’s white Jeep. I can feel it in my very bones when she’s nearby. For a month I’ve kept my distance, never allowing myself to get too close, but it doesn’t matter if I leave her for ten months or one month, I’d recognize that sensation anywhere.

Remington Weylyn is hard to forget. She crashed into my life like a wildfire, leaving burns that will never heal right. Each time those blue eyes clash with mine, they leave another scar.

Pru is talking to me about the plan for the weekend. While I’m sure it’s a riveting topic, I lose interest the second I lay eyes on Remington.

As she glares up at me from where she holds Ransom in a choke hold, I feel more permanent marks slashed into my skin. She didn’t used to look at me with hatred in her eyes, they were always so gentle and accepting. After all this time it still isn’t easy to know I’m the reason the tenderness is gone. That it’s my fault.

She’s not as volatile as her brothers, never has been, but she can still hold her own. I’ve seen her do it multiple times.

Remi was doing well fighting Ransom, even though it was clear to me that he was going easy on her. Her tenacity and all-out stubbornness are what makes her so strong. She would argue with someone that the sky is purple before she admits she’s wrong. Her unwillingness to be defeated by her brother is what kept her on her feet, or it was until she finds me watching her.

One split second of distraction has her losing whatever advantage she had over Ransom. In movements that are too fast for the human eye, Ransom has Remington in his grip. I know what’s going to happen before he does it. The cocky bastard’s face even splits into a knowing smirk before he sends her flying through the air.

I’m frozen in place watching her body spin uncontrollably. Next to me Pruitt gasps and moves into action faster than I do. I’m not sure what good she thinks she’ll be able to do, but she runs down the remaining portion of the hill in the direction of where her best friend is thrown.

The sound of Remington’s body colliding with the tree has the beast I keep caged tearing at the locks. His furious growls block out any other noise momentarily. His anger coupled with my own has me moving across the space before I can think it over.

The look of surprise on Ransom’s face as I roughly shove him backward confirms what I already know. My reaction is out of character and inappropriate, but logic and reason mean nothing to me right now. I can smell Remi’s blood from here, I heard her bonesbreak.

“Watch it,demon,” Ransom warns, his eyes narrowing, daring me to continue.

“What the fuck was that? You’re supposed to be sparring!” I yell in his face. He has an inch on me height-wise but that doesn’t mean jack shit. I could have him on his ass in half a second if I wanted to. “How is she supposed to learn and improve if she’s injured?”

Pruitt appears at my side and her hand wraps around my wrist. She tugs at me, trying to pull me away, but I’m unmoved.

What the fuck was Ransom thinking? We can’t afford to have people getting hurt right now. We need everyone at their best at all times, even with our advanced healing, those couple hours while we recuperate put us at risk. And to hurt his own sister?

“Weweresparring, and sheislearning,” Ransom defends himself. “Just now she learned what happens when she gets distracted. She won’t be able to let her guard down even for a second when the real fight comes. I just saved her from making that mistake when it actually counts.”

“She needs to learn how to protect herself against Sterling. Beating her so bad she can’t fight anymore for the rest of the day doesn’t do her any fucking good!”

“Jax,” Pru warns at my side. “That’s enough.”

I’m absentmindedly aware of Beau trying to pull Ransom away, but he too isn’t budging.

“Maybe I just need to protect her fromyou.” Ransom’s wolf rears forward, his eyes shifting into their silver forms. Like pools of mercury. “We both know you’re part of the reason she’s been hiding fromus. Herfamily.” He pounds his hand on his chest. “What’d you do, Jax? What did you do that made her hate you so much?”

She needs someone to blame for what happened to Gage. The anger she already had for me made me the easy choice. I can bear her anger, it’s for the best anyway. It just solidifies the wall I put between us.

“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” I snarl my warning.

“Maybe I would if my own sister wasn’t avoiding me!”

Ransom is hauled back abruptly when his mate decides she’s had enough.

He tries to fight her and return to his spot in front of me, but Pruitt quickly gets in the middle. She holds her arms up at her sides to ensure she keeps space between us. “That’s enough!” The alpha power that seeps from her pores is almost suffocating. Her green eyes glow as her wolf surges to the surface. To any other wolf shifter, the power is strong enough to stop them in their tracks. My wolf is completely indifferent to it. A pack hierarchy means nothing to him.No onecan control him. “Ransom, Remington’s boyfriend, died in front of her, and she isgrieving. We agreed to let her have space. That’s not Jax’s fault, stop acting like it is.” Her head turns in my direction. “Jax, stop picking fights with the members of my family. One day they’re going to snap and I’m going to have to stand over your dismembered body and say,‘I told you so’. I don’t really want to do that.”

The corner of my mouth pulls into a smirk as I snort on a laugh. “It’s adorable that you think that.” Patronizingly, I pat the top of Pruitt’s head before baring my teeth at Ransom, “I would honestly love to see them try.” If my hellfire didn’t take them out, my beast would.

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