Page 88 of Nita's Redemption

Tank gave a nod and sighed. “I’m good. You three take care of our female, okay?”

The two little guys lifted their chests as if they were preparing to battle a dragon or worse, and then they did the cutest little chest pound with their fist and agreed to protect Nita with their everything. She kept her grin hidden, knowing they were taking Tank’s order seriously while Zoe again rolled her gorgeous silver eyes at her brothers’ antics. She was such a little spit fire. Many would’ve found it most disconcerting, but not Nita. She loved them for all they did, even putting the fire in two tiny gods and the smallest goddess she’d ever seen, probably ever born.

The trio’s lips twitched like they were in on a joke the others weren’t, which Nita knew she’d have to figure out, and hope their amusement wasn’t at someone else’s expense especially hers.

She watched all three of the kiddos hop up onto the counters looking calm and cool. Yet each one of them couldn’t seem to control their knees from bobbing up and down. Nita eyed Zoe’s face, which was calm as can be, same as her brothers, but them knees bobbing just slightly told a different story. It was as if they had too much anxiety flowing through them, or adrenaline might be the better word for it. Nita was, or rather is like that too, especially after she did something new that stretched her abilities. Like the first time she’d burst into a couple dozen ravens, that had totally caught her by surprise. Afterward, when she’d returned to her human form she’d been unable to sleep for at least twenty four hours. The next thing she’d accomplished, which she’d never shared with anyone else, was to jump out of a plane without a parachute. Of course, she’d been with several others who’d chartered the plane, only she had no intention of using the parachute like everyone else. Luckily the pilot and the others who had been flying with her had no clue. Freefalling had been exhilarating and wholly scary on another level. She’d waited until she’d almost hit the ground before she’d shifted to her wolf. Her males would probably have heart attacks if they knew.

“You have a weird expression on your face. Are you constipated?” Zoe asked.

Nita coughed, nearly choking on her own damn tongue. “Do you even know what that means?”

Markos grinned, showing off pearly white teeth and two dimples that was surely going to be the downfall of many females in the years to come. Nita held up her hand, stalling the little bugger from answering. “If you say anything that you shouldn’t that includes curse words, I will have to punish you appropriately.”

She was totally bullshitting, but it appeared to make the three kiddos stop and think. Markos gave a hard nod, then he inhaled before he spoke. “What I was going to say was when you go to the shitter and you can’t shit, but since those are probably bad words, I will say it’s what my Papa says about my daddys’ when he is upset with them and says they make him constipated.”

This time she had to turn away, or she’d be unable to hide her mirth. Hell, her jaws hurt from keeping the laughter at bay. The little shit, pun intended, knew exactly what he had done and still did it in a way. She wasn’t sure if she should get on to him. Which meant, she couldn’t.

Nita turned back around, shaking her mom finger at him. “You are such a stinker. Now, why don’t you explain the reason you’re here?”

Three very earnest faces held her gaze. “Bakra is sick, and nobody is saying what happened, but we know it was after she was here. So we came to find out what happened to our B. Do you know what made her so sick?” Maximos asked, his dark gaze boring into hers as if he could see her soul.

Nita’s hand went to her chest, searching for the part of Bakra that was within her. The demoness females had all given her a part of them to make her whole again. She wasn’t sure if the pack was aware, and frankly she didn’t give a single fuck if they did or didn’t. The part of her that held a part of Bakra was still warm, still alive. Nita didn’t know if it would shrivel up if Bakra was no longer alive, but she did know that if Bakra wasn’t somewhere in the universes, then her own world would be a lot less bright.

“Can you take me to her?” she asked, fear for her friend made her eyes sting with unshed tears.

Zoe’s sigh was loud. “No, we need to find a cure here since this is what made her sick. What did it to her? Were you with her?”

The accusing silver orbs held Nita prisoner while she felt the child enter her mind. She wanted to protest the invasion, hating the things the child would see, what no child should see, or endure. Hell, it took the power of several demonesses and their blood mixing, along with help from Zeus himself to cure her. It was years before she was able to build up walls around the memories that threatened to kill her as a child. Now the horror was right there in front of her, running as if on fast forward while the grandchild of Zeus plucked out every bit of her past.

Anger, pain, humiliation, distrust, and a burning rage flowed through her. Her skin tingled, fingers itched to unleash her claws. She took a step back and then another until her back hit the counter behind her. “I have to go. You three stay here so you are not in the path of... me. I’ve called my mates and Jaklyn to come to your aid here. I—I must go.”

Zoe’s chin wobbled, tears leaked from her eyes making them shine a bright silver. “I’m so sorry. So sorry, NitaB.”

The little girl had her arms out as if she needed Nita to hold her. After the things she’d seen and heard, Nita knew she needed comfort but not from her. Nobody needed to be near her, maybe ever, but especially not now. Fuck, she had to get out of there before her males show up. She allowed her body to become less than molecules. The light filtering through the windows became her muse, and she followed it.

“Where did she go?” Markos asked.

Both boys launched themselves down from the counter, spinning in circles with their arms raised in front of Zoe who they’d lifted down and placed between them. Oh, she knew they’d seen what Zoe had plucked out of her mind. And the sickness that Bakra had, it wasn’t from her. Although the children didn’t know that. She’d realized what had made B sick while Zoe fucked with her head. The bitches who’d come to fuck up her life.

She didn’t flow out the window since they were closed, and time was of the essence. Her males would be able to track her, maybe. Nita burst out the small space under the door, using a similar speed which sound would travel, but on a smaller level, since she didn’t want to go over seven hundred miles.

When she came to a stop, she waited to get her bearings before she reformed. Shit, she wasn’t sure what to shift into right then, a wolf, a raven, a snake, or stick to air. Air was safe. Air nobody could lock up, or kick, burn, starve, or give others permission to harm.

The sound of leaves rustling in the wind mingled with animals scurrying about brought her out of her mind. She was not that helpless child, dammit. Yet she’d left a helpless child with the images and memories of the horrors she’d lived through.

She recognized the forest she’d stopped within. It was a good hundred miles from their own pack territory but unclaimed by another pack. This was human land and therefore a space where she couldn’t just flash into a human without causing a stir. Her mind filled with memories of how the land ran and where it connected with the towns before her pack land was. If she’d been human or on two feet, it would’ve taken her all day to cover the ground she’d streamed across. On four legs, it would have still taken hours, but her males were not regular males, so she didn’t know if they’d find her scent and if they did what they’d do.

Once she’d assured herself she was alone save for four-legged animals, she shifted to a small wolf. No way would she shift into that of a prey animal, nor did she want to stand out in case some human stumbled upon her in her normal wolf form. Nita shook out her shiny black coat, looking at the terrain through wolven eyes. She really didn’t want to trek back home with her tail between her legs. Something had led her to where she’d come. Instinct demanded she follow her gut even if that gut was air, animal intestine, or human. Bakra was sick because of her and the bitches who might be her biological family. Nita would find the cure, kill the females, and make Bakra better. As for Zoe, Markos, and Maximos, she would ensure Zeus fixed them. Nobody deserved to live through her hell, especially those beautiful babies.

ABE DUCKED UNDER HAYZE’S beefy arm, barely missed getting his head busted open by the other shifter. His mind was a swirling mass of confusion, hurt, and roiling rage. Only it wasn’t his, Link’s, or Tank’s feelings he was being bombarded with. “Fuck,” he roared, dropping to his knees seconds before Hayze lunged at him. The other male flew over his back, raking claws across his shoulders and drawing blood. Abe didn’t feel the pain.

“What the hell is going on? Why are you screaming like a bitch?” Hayze stormed up to him, his leg pulled back as if he was going to kick Abe in the face.

“Because, our female is hurt,” Abe rumbled, grabbing the other male’s foot in one hand, twisting it hard to the right. The sound of bones breaking while he stared toward their home wasn’t registering. Nothing did except the need to get to Nita.

“Fuck, let go of me,” Hayze roared.

Abe released the male, mumbling an apology that was half-assed at best. They were fighting for fuckssake. Pussy.

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