Page 39 of Saving Nevin
“No!” I shouted, and he slapped me across the face again. Hard enough that I stumbled backwards. “Rex! Please!” He struck me again, and then someone screamed behind us—but it wasn’t Xan this time.
I spun around to see Xan standing over the other Alpha, the man curled up on the wet pavement, grasping at his face and writhing in pain. Xan kicked him in the ribs, then shouted, “Nevin! Duck!” He came running over, and I didn’t hesitate when I saw the small pink canister gripped in Xan’s hand.
I veered out of the way as Xan raised his hand and sprayed the mace directly into Rex’s ugly face. Rex screamed and covered his eyes, stumbling back, temporarily blinded. “YOU LITTLE BITCH! I’LL GUT YOU!” he howled.
“Come on!” Xan grabbed my arm and the two of us made a break for the car. Yanking open the doors, we got in and locked them behind us. My breath came in shuddering pants as I fumbled with the seatbelt, while Xan gunned it. The tires squealed, and he narrowly avoided hitting another car as he barreled out of the lot, but we were out of there.
We escaped. We escaped… Oh god.
I hugged my arms around my belly, shivering like I was cold to the bone, sick with nerves. Xan was deadly silent, his fingers tight over the steering wheel. I looked over to see him bleeding from a couple of gashes and a bloody lip. He was pale and looked as scared as I felt.
“Xan…?” I whispered.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
“I’m assuming that’s your ex,” he murmured.
“Yeah. I’m so, so sorry?—”
“Don’t be,” he cut in, his voice sharp. “We have to tell Kace. That was too close of a call.” I nodded soundlessly, unable to think of a good enough reason not to tell my mate. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“No,” I managed to say. “Just shaken.”
“Okay, good.”
When we got back home, my heart sank when I saw that Kace’s truck wasn’t parked in the drive. Xan unlocked the door and we went inside. I sank down on the couch, wrapping myself in the blanket I always used. Being there, surrounded by familiar scents, made me crack. I began to cry openly.
Xan paced the floor as he pulled out his cell and dialed Kace’s number. A few moments later, he said, “Hey, bro. Where are you?” Silence as he listened to Kace’s response. “Listen, I need you to come home. Nevin needs you.” Another pause. My stomach twisted. “No, no. The baby is fine. He’s fine. Just… Get here, would you? We’ll explain everything soon, but we need you home.”
After he hung up, Xan sat down next to me and draped his arm around my shoulder, hugging me gently as I sobbed. “It’s gonna be okay,” he promised, but all I could see was the cold possession in Rex’s golden eyes as he slapped me around like property.
I never wanted to see him again, and now… Now that he knew I was alive, he’d stop at nothing to drag me back to hell.
27
KACE
After Xanand Nevin had left for the mall, I’d decided there was no time like the present and drove over to Pike’s new place to help him with a few things. He’d helped me more times than I could count when I’d decided to buy my DIY cottage. It’d been in dire need of some TLC, let’s put it that way, and both Pike and Sevren had come in clutch many times.
So when Pike said he might need some help installing some new lighting in the living room, I was the first one to offer. What else are friends for?
I was standing on a ladder with a cordless drill, anchoring the housing for the recessed lighting fixture, when my phone went off. It buzzed against my butt in my back pocket.Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt.
“You wanna get that?” Pike offered. “We can take a break.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “Thanks, man.”
I carefully climbed down the ladder and set the tools aside, then answered my phone. “Hello?” I wasn’t sure what I expected, but a very serious-sounding Xan, asking where I was, was not on my bingo card. “I’m over at Pike and Phoenix’s place. Why? What’s going on?”
Nevin needs you.Three words that made my heart squeeze and my stomach shrivel. He needed me?
“What happened?” I barked into the phone, gripping it a little tighter in my hand. My thoughts flew to my pregnant mate, and the baby, not due for another three months. “The baby, is it?—”
But Xan assured me the baby was fine. Nevin was fine. I just needed to get home because they needed me. My Omega needed me, and from the quiver in my little brother’s voice, he needed me too. Something had happened, and I had to get back to them. Now.
“I’ll be there soon. Hang tight, Xanny.” I hung up and turned to Pike, feeling a little shaky. “I need to go. I’m sorry.”
