Page 52 of Shattered Illusion

“That’s fine. But… where exactly are we?”

After rattling off the address, I leave Marion to call her brother and finally get to my feet and make my way toward Luka and Bailey, needing her in my arms like I need blood to survive. Luka is reluctant to let her go, so I press myself into her back, relishing in the way she seems to deflate now that the two of us are touching her.

My red eyes meet his blues ones over her head, and some unspoken pact is born between us from just that one look.

The three of us are in this together, and we’ll give our lives to keep her safe.

Needing a little more reassurance that she’s here and she’s safe, I bury my nose in her hair, hoping her scent will comfortme. But on my first whiff, I’m knocked almost breathless by the scent of her blood.

The last time I’d smelled it was when the professor hurt her almost a week ago.

And now, once again, I’m faced with the temptation of her life force staring me in the face. Literally. But I swallow back my need, determined to givecor meummy full attention.

Marion still isn’t off the phone by the time we finally get Bailey calmed down enough to tell us what happened. Her voice is a scratchy rasp, almost making it too hard to understand what she’s saying. Bruises marr her beautiful face, and in a near perfect ring around her neck is an almost blackened handprint.

To say both of us are pissed is a dramatic understatement. The glint in Luka’s eyes mirrors my own, with the need for retribution against this piece of shit who thought he could take our girl away from us.

“Why haven’t you healed yourself,cor meum?” I trace my fingers over the delicate flesh of her throat, watching as she winces under my touch.

Her eyes dart over my shoulder to where Marion paces back and forth, her hand waving wildly in the air as she continues speaking on the phone.

“As soon as she leaves, I want you to heal yourself, and if you can’t, I’ll call Olga.” She nods her head at my words and snuggles back into his arms. “Luka?—”

Luka looks up from our girl, and the moment our eyes connect once more, I see it. The vow of revenge. It simmers hotly in his blue eyes, and I just know that if the troll isn’t deadalready, he will be. But not before we find out if this was random or if it was because he knew what lies beneath her glamour.

“I’m on it. Be a good girl, goddess.” He places a tender kiss on her forehead before he pops out of the room without so much as a goodbye.

Bailey startles at his disappearance, looking lost for a mere moment. She then shifts, leaning into my embrace. Seeking comfort. The same comfort she received while in his arms. And she’ll get it ten times over.

If I had it my way,cor meumwould never leave my sights again.

And now that Luka has gone to find the fuck that dared to put his hands on our girl, I realize just how important his words were earlier. How it’s going to take more than just him or I to protect her. I remember the old saying, “It takes a village to raise a baby.” I guess the same could almost be said for this.

It’s going to take all of us—whoever she chooses to be with—to keep her safe.

Especially if her true origins come to light.

Fuck.Shit. Fuck.

My hands slam against the steering wheel over and over again as I dodge traffic, heading to Axel Pennington’s office building. Multiple horns blare as I cut people off left and right, but my mate and my sister are in danger. They take precedence over any of the fucks on the road.

I knew—I fucking knew I should have followed them while they went shopping, but Marion begged me to stay away, not wanting to ruin her first outing with Bailey.

But if Mari knew what Bailey really is, she would have understood why I wanted to be there in the first place. Bailey is so much of an unknown in our world now. She’s rare—something that shouldn’t exist anymore. And me, yeah, I was stupid enough to let them go alone.

It’s totally my fault for telling Mari in the first place what Bailey is to me, but she’s my sister and all I have left. She deserved to know that I found the other half of my soul.

Even if I fucked it all to hell.

And she gave me one hell of an earful for it. She was front and center as I hurt my mate, and she even tried to stop me. But I was blinded by anger. Convinced the little human-turned-supernatural was stalking me. Because why else would someone as tiny as she is be in a shifting class that I teach after I yelled at her in the dining hall? Only, that was the furthest from the truth. Then I turned around and stalked her instead, getting my ass beat rightfully for it, too.

Marion laughed at my expense when I found her afterward. The fucking demigod responsible put a block on my self-healing for a little while, making me show off the repercussions of my actions.

All warranted. If someone had done to my sister what I did to my mate, I would have done the same thing. So I can’t really fault anyone for what happened afterward.

After what feels like a lifetime on the road, with my own thoughts swirling in my brain, Axel’s building comes into view. Supes on the sidewalk scream in dismay as I hop the curb, pulling right up to the main entry.

Once I throw it in park, I rip the keys from the ignition and jump out with a snarl, scaring the patrons nearby even more. A few growl in return, but I let my eyes flash silver, and they avert their stare and continue on in a different direction, avoiding confrontation with me. Lycans are one of the top predators in our world, and I’m not afraid to show why that is.

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