Page 38 of Blood Moon
I practically smacked myself in the face, covering my mouth and trying to hold it in.
“Baby,” Logan flung his door open and helped me out as every last ounce of the food I had eaten on the plane left my stomach. My ears were ringing as I continued to heave onto the pavement outside of the SUV.
I felt a hand on my back and one on my forehead, steadying me in my place. Thank God for that because otherwise, I was sure my weak, trembling body would have brought me to my knees in front of God and everyone here at the cabin.
“It’s the bond,” I heard Cole’s voice break through the ringing in my head. “She’s feeling their loss. The bond is getting stronger.”
“How the hell would you know that?” I snapped, angry for no reason at Cole.
“Because I feel their loss too.” Cole’s emerald eyes fell on me.
“Baby,” Logan said as he pulled me into his arms, “we’re all feeling it. Enzo will pay for this shit.”
“That’s an understatement,” I heard the diabolical death growl erupt from Zane as he stepped around to cradle my face in his hands. “Listen, Ellie,” he said in a soft yet stern voice, “we have to focus on getting Aria back. We will have time for this later.”
“How did you not feel like this when you first lost them? How could any of us just have blown that off?” I questioned.
“As you know, we were in a bit of an un-bonding situation,” Braden said. “We all grieved the fact they died, but not like this. Zane wouldn’t have felt it because they weren’t bonded any longer. If anything, the alpha saw them as threats with you, sort of how we all saw each other between wolves and vamps.”
“Whatever.” I blinked through glossy eyes. “I want this aching feeling to go away,” I said, feeling the spasm in my stomach. “I want everything to go away.”
“Well, we can make that happen,” Val sang out, catching death gazes from all the guys.
“Fuck you, Val,” Cole said. “I don’t even know why the fuck you’re still moving.”
“All of you need to get your damn heads in the game, or I take her pain away myself,” she said pointedly.
“What the hell are you talking about?” I asked, not knowing why Val had just gone full-on bitch on the guys, saying something that I instinctively felt threatened by.
“Taking all of it away.” She eyed me, “Is that what you want?”
“Shut the fuck up, Val,” Braden snarled.
“What the hell is she talking about?” I looked at Cole.
“You can be turned by a vamp, and in the process of that, a vamp can take your soul, making you essentially an empty shell that works for that vamp. It’s another form of vampirism and the most dangerous shit this side of what Enzo’s doing. Humans who lose their souls to a vamp are just empty, blood-sucking shells of a walking body. They’re numb because their souls are in some fucking abyss where all the other hijacked humans’ souls have been sent,” Cole said dryly, glaring at Val the entire time.
“She okay?” I heard a female ask. “I heard the Banners were coming back, but I didn’t realize they were bringing a pet. Val?”
“Hey, Alexi,” Val said, turning to a vamp chick that was all legs, tits, and long blonde hair. Her crystal blue eyes went straight to Zac. “I’ve missed your ass, baby.” She offered him a flirty smile, then flung her wavy hair over her shoulder, revealing her neck to him. “I’m down for making up for lost time.” She giggled.
“Oh, God,” I said, eying the girl who was giving me a peculiar look.
“You?” She threw her head back and laughed. “What the hell is going on, Zac?” she questioned him as if she and Zac were an item I’d never known about, and Zac was about to let her down pretty damn hard.
“Have you been living in another reality?” Logan questioned her while Zac’s eyes were the size of saucers. “She’s our girl. Zac’s off the market. Go and find another vamp to fuck.”
“This is a joke, right?” she stepped back while I looked at Zac to see if we’d just made a new enemy at the worse time possible.
“It’s not a joke, Alexi,” Zac finally spoke up. “Elle’s ours. In fact, we’re all together as one unit with the shifter. I don’t know how you can’t sense that shit a mile away.”
“She’s an average fucking human, Zac,” Alexi said, fire igniting in her eyes. She looked over at Zane, “What the fuck are you doing with this alpha whose entire pack was slaughtered?”
“I will rip your goddamn throat out, bitch,” Zane snapped.
“Oh, I’m sure you will,” she taunted. “What the fuck is really going on?”
“They’re my men,” I finally spoke up, shoving the grief I’d been hit with from out of nowhere and forcing that into fuel for my rage of this airhead. “Obviously, you have no idea what’s going on in the supernatural realm, or you’d know that your sexy vamp here was no longer yours.”
