Page 160 of Body and Soul

“Easy, Laskin,” Boone said, holding his hands up in a placating gesture. “I don’t want no trouble.”

Shepherd's grip on Boone's shirt tightened, his knuckles going white. “Then look elsewhere!”

The redheaded mercenary’s eyes slid past Shepherd to where Dani and I stood still in the elevator.

Shepherd let out a growl and slammed Boone’s back against the wall. Except it wasn’t Shepherd any more. I saw the switch, the change in his posture, heard the subtle growl deep in his throat. Dani let out a startled gasp.

I put a hand on her shoulder to let her know I’d handle the situation. “Keres!”

Keres’s lips curled back from his teeth in a snarl, a low growl rumbling up from his chest.

But I held my ground, meeting his gaze head on. “Keres, stop. He's not a threat.”

Keres bared his teeth at me, but I saw the way his shoulders twitched at the sound of my voice, the command in my tone. He was listening, even if he didn't like it.

I took a step closer, reaching out slowly to put my hand on his forearm, feeling the way his muscles bunched and quivered under my touch like a wild animal barely restrained. “Look at him, Keres. He's injured, see? Trapped in this place, same as us.”

Keres narrowed his eyes, his nostrils flaring. The mercenary stood still, hardly daring to breathe as Keres's predatory gaze raked over him.

Now that I was looking closer, I could see that Boone was favoring his left side, his face pale and pinched with pain under his freckles. Dark circles bruised the skin under his eyes and there were more bruises of varying ages scattered around his neck, up and down his arms…

“He’s not worthy prey, Keres,” I insisted. “Let him go.”

Keres snorted and released his grip on Boone's shirt with a final shove, sending the mercenary stumbling back a step. Boone caught himself on the wall, wincing as the movement jostled his injured side.

I let out a breath as Keres stepped away from Boone. Crisis averted, for now at least. Keres was still radiating barely leashed violence, muscles coiled tight and ready to pounce at the slightest provocation.

He turned his intense gaze on Dani, jerking his chin at her in a silent command to follow. Dani hesitated, clutching Noah tighter to her chest as she glanced between Keres and me uncertainly. I gave her what I hoped was a reassuring nod.

Yeah, Shepherd was going to have to have a long heart to heart talk with Dani about his DID sooner rather than later. But for now, we just needed to get the hell out of there. The talk could wait.

I made to follow Keres, but a flash of bright color on the floor caught my eye. A little plastic bag of Dum Dum lollipops lay a few feet from Boone's scuffed combat boots. I bent over and picked them up, holding them out to Boone.

Boone's eyes widened in surprise as he took the bag of lollipops from me. “Thanks,” he said, his voice rough. He clutched the candy to his chest like it was something precious.

“You should be careful around here,” I warned him.

Keres growled from across the lobby, impatient. “Eli, come. Now.”

“See you around.” I waved to Boone and jogged after Keres.

Keres had one arm around Dani's shoulders, tucking her into his side protectively as we walked. She was paler than before, her face pinched with worry. Noah fussed in her arms, picking up on her distress.

“That was weird, right?” I said, looking up at Keres. “What’s Boone doing here?”

“I don’t know,” Keres ground out, “and if I ever see him again, it’ll be too soon.”

I blinked awake, disorientedfor a moment. My body felt stiff, like I'd been sleeping in an awkward position for too long. I was on my couch, I realized after a beat. And there was a warm weight curled up against my chest. Eli.

Memories came flooding back in bits and pieces. Confronting Algerone. Blood and death. Finding Eli and Dani. And then... not much. The last few days were a dark haze in my mind, which could only mean one thing. Keres had been in control.

I looked down at Eli, studying his face in the dim light filtering through the curtains. He looked so much more relaxed in sleep, the hard lines of his face softened, his brow smoothed of its usual furrow. His white-blond hair was sticking up in tufts, still damp from a recent shower. One of his hands was fisted in my shirt, like he was afraid I'd disappear if he let go.

My heart twisted in my chest. Christ, I loved this boy. More than I'd ever loved anyone or anything. It terrified me sometimes, the lengths I knew I'd go to keep him safe. To keep him with me.

I tightened my arm around his shoulders, pressing my nose into his hair and just breathing him in. He smelled like my soap and something uniquely Eli underneath. I'd never get tired of that scent.

Eli made a soft sound and nuzzled closer.

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