Page 27 of Ashes

When I reach the driveway, I park up outside the gates. Instead of going up the driveway, I loop round on foot and head for the wood. When I reach the barrier, I press my palms to it, close my eyes, and whisper the incantation key. As soon as I’m through, the portal seals again.

The state of the trees tells me Snow’s been having fun terrorizing the news crews. Probably not the best idea, but better than full-on attacking them.

I sprint up to the house. The rush of adrenaline makes me feel alive. Before Nova came to town, I ran ten miles a day. Since she arrived, things have been too chaotic for routine exercise.

I stop at the bottom of the steps, near the fountain, looking up at the house. There’s something different about it. Heat quivers around it, like it’s a mirage in a desert.

Nova.

I take the stairs two at a time and emerge in the kitchen. The warmth calls me. I follow it, the air growing thicker, fire itching inside my skin, clawing to be released.

When I reach the ballroom, I stop. I put my hand on the door. It’s so hot my palm sizzles. I push it open and stop in the doorway.

Nova is on the floor. Naked. Mack has his arms around her, also naked. In fact, all of them are fucking naked.

I’m about to yell at them to pull themselves together because we’ve got a fucking emergency here, when I realize Kole is pressed up against the wall. Tanner has his hands on his shoulders. Kole isn’t moving, but his eyes are two black pools staring at Nova.

Mack sees me and helps Nova to her feet. She looks spaced out; doesn’t seem to care that her entire body is on display.

My cock pays attention as Mack brings to her to me. A rush of heat floods my balls. She’s perfect. Every inch. Then I notice the blood. Trickling down her neck, merging with the ink on her chest.

“Shit.”

Mack meets my eyes. “Take her.” He leaves her for a moment, grabs a blanket from the window seat, then wraps it around her shoulders. As it shields her breasts from view, I swallow hard.

“What the fuck happened?”

“I’ll explain.” Mack looks sheepishly down at his semi-hard dick. “Just give us a minute.”

* * *

Nova follows me quietly down the hall. Upstairs, in Mack’s room—because it’s the biggest—I sit her down on the bed and fetch a cloth from the bathroom.

“Here.” I offer it to her. She doesn’t seem to hear me.

Kneeling in front of her, I try not to think about the fact I’m between her legs, and press the cloth to her neck. A bite mark. Not the kind a vamp would leave; theirs are like two small puncture wounds. This one is messier. A bruise is already forming around it.

“Wait there.” I go back to the bathroom, dampen the cloth, then return and try to mop the drying blood from her skin. I follow the line down her neck to her chest. When I smooth the cloth over her tattoo, she blinks and it’s like she’s come back to life.

“Luther?”

She looks down at my hand, close to her naked chest. She sees the blood red stain on the cloth, then gently touches her fingers to her neck. “Kole,” she whispers.

“What happened?” I ask, letting her take the cloth as I stand up and fold my arms in front of my chest.

She looks over at the door. “Where are the others?”

“Figuring out whether Kole needs to be chained in the basement again, if I had to guess.” Fury laps at my insides. The world’s falling apart; the entire town thinks she’s a human-killer, and she’s spending her time getting down and dirty with my housemates? And what weretheythinking?!

Nova doesn’t say anything, just pulls the blanket closer and stares at the door. A moment later, as if she knew, Mack and the others enter.

They’re now fully dressed, each with a mixture of raw satisfaction and guilt on their faces.

“Kole?” Nova stands and steps toward him, then flicks her eyes to Tanner.

He nods at her. “It’s okay. He’s okay.”

“Fuck knows how,” Mack adds in a growl. “But he is.”

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