CHAPTER 6
"I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity."―Edgar Allen Poe Jade loved crowds. She didn’t like being in them, but she loved sitting back and observing the people passing by. All of them different. Each one living a separate life. Each one dealing with their own problems. She set her sketchbook in her lap, leaning the back of it against the black iron table. She continued drawing a man who sat by himself across the way. Long lashes hid his eyes as he stared down at his paper. High cheekbones were followed by a square jaw, a straight nose, and wide, ample lips the soft color of pink. He looked up, gaze flitting to her as he put his brown Styrofoam cup to his mouth. She wanted to look away but couldn’t. His eyes were the color of a storm, gray, silver even, glinting in the sun. They held her there, rooting her in place. He squinted as he rolled his bottom lip. As she gained her senses, she looked from him to her paper and finished the rest of the sketch based off memory. Zeke leaned over to her. “What’re you doing?” His dark brows drew together as he stared at her sketch. “Where do you see him at?” “Right here.” Jade looked up. The man she had drawn was standing at their table, pulling out the chair next to her. “Well, if it isn’t the devil himself,” Aidyn said, turning the man’s way. “What’re you doing in town?” “Came to see how you all were.” The man fixed the cuffs of his white button down. Aidyn nodded. “We’re good. Just got back from a road trip.” “We would’ve been in Montana by now if someone hadn’t cut Dom’s car cables,” Zeke said, looking pointedly at Jason. Jason bowed his head and remained silent. The man sat back in the chair. “How is he—your brother?” Aidyn and Zeke looked at each other before Zeke shrugged. “Same as always.” A sad darkness passed through the man’s eyes but quickly disappeared, fading into a false look of nonchalant. He then looked over to her. “And you. I saw you drawing me.” Jade nodded, figuring there was no reason to hide it. Zeke cleared his throat. “Jade, this is our father, L—” “Tyson.” He held out his large, slender hand. Jesus, what face creams had he been using? He didn’t look a day over 25. She shook his hand, and became aware of how soft his skin felt. It was silky like a vampire's, except he wasn’t ivory white. He was a deeper shade of cream. “May I have a look?” he asked, gesturing to the sketchpad. She handed it to him. He smiled as his gaze raked over the drawing. “You’ve got quite the talent.” He peeked at the page behind it, and his eyes hardened. And then he blinked, seeming to shake himself back to reality, and handed her back the sketchbook. “Yes, quite the talent.” “You coming over? We’re thinking about having a barbeque on the deck this afternoon.” Aidyn slurped at his milkshake. “I doubt your brother will want me there.” Aidyn shrugged. “He hasn’t been coming down to eat with us, so I don’t think it’d matter.” “Then I guess I could stop by for a few.” Aidyn looked the most like his father. He had his lean body build and angled face, where Zeke and Dom had ruggedness, muscles, and square jaws obviously given to them by someone else on the other side of their family. After repairing his cables, the last thing Damian wanted to do was drive to Jay's. In fact, he’d been driving in circles, hoping for some diversion. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with the elf who’d answer the door; he kind of felt threatened around her, like his dick was on the line. She had this wild glint in her wide, black eyes that yelled “crazy.” As if there were a possibility she’d lock him in her basement and . . . yeah, he didn’t even want to think about it. He grimaced, coming to a stop at the red light, which happened to be the longest red light in town. With a sigh, he glanced to his right, spotting a group of familiar faces sitting at a table in front of a café. He looked closer, catching a glimpse of Jade laughing with— Damian gritted his teeth. Since when did he get back? He bet his brothers invited him over to the house too, like the good old golden boys they were. His father wrapped his arm around Jade’s shoulder, and it was like a bomb went off inside Damian’s head. His breathing became heavy, and he was so mad that—that he could strangle a panda. His eyes shifted black, knocking out the whites of them with an emotion stronger than the fury he was used to. The hell is wrong with me? He rubbed his eyes, blinking away the darkness that was seeping from his pores. His vision adjusted back to normal, and he realized the car behind him was beeping its horn. He slammed on the gas, telling himself to just drive home. But of course he did the exact opposite. He swerved into a McDonald’s parking lot down the street and pulled into the only available parking space. He leaned back in his seat and took a peek in the rearview mirror. Everyone was standing to leave and his father was giving Jade’s hand one of those polite kisses. Great. His eyes flashed to that crazy, soulless look again. Jesus, he needed to go somewhere and cool off. Maybe run himself a cold shower and drown in it. She was a human girl, and she could hug, touch, suck, or fuck anybody she wanted to. His mind lingered on the touch, suck, and fuck part of the thought. A dangerous growl sprouted from his chest. Again, he shook his head and wiped his eyes. There was no reason for him to act like this. None whatsoever. Maybe he needed to get his rocks off. That was it—she was the only pussy he was remotely close enough to at the moment. He needed to get fucked. Revving the car back to life, he shoved it into gear and backed out. Perhaps that elf chick did need to lock him in her basement for a while. It’d stop the shit-fest going on his brain. On the way home, he dropped by the river where his problems originated. Sure, he could say his issues began the moment she walked into his house, but he'd be lying. They started the second he pulled her out of that water. And even though he left her on Len's couch, his problems didn't end there because, for whatever reason, he started having dreams about her. Bad dreams. To the point he couldn't sleep. He'd toss and turn and wake up in cold sweats night after night, wishing he could close his eyes for one second without seeing the same thing. For the past three years, that woman unknowingly made his life a living hell, and here she was making it even worse. He walked the bank, kicking the rocks into the water. The current was calm today, but that was about to change with the sky turning a dark gray and the wind beginning to whip. He knew it was shifting because of him; he had a habit of unintentionally doing that. He pushed a vine out the way and headed up the trench toward his car. He needed to go home, eat, and steal a bottle from the bar. With all the liquor he was pouring into his system, he felt like he was turning into Zeke; drinking from the moment he got up to the second he tried to catch some sleep. Driving the car to the house, he spotted smoke billowing from the grill. The sweet smell of grilled meat called to him as he stepped out. Laughter drifted from the backyard and, instead of going where the crowd was, he snuck in through the front door, hoping his brothers had maybe thought of him and left him a plate. As he walked in the kitchen, he realized they hadn’t. He sighed, grabbed a leftover hamburger, and stood, sniffing the air as a more potent scent hit his nose. He turned around. Jade stood at the island counter with a plate filled beyond its limits. “Figured you’d want something to eat.” His heart kind of warmed and did a little number inside his chest. It was just heartburn though. Just heartburn. He scowled, wondering why she’d go out of her way to bring him food. The human seemed to hear his thoughts. “I’m just trying to be nice. We invaded your house, and now you don’t eat dinner so . . . I think the least I can do is save you some food before your stingy brothers eat all of it.” Without looking, he chucked the stale hamburger back in the fridge and let it slam shut. He stepped forward, thinking she’d do like most humans and scurry off, but instead she stood there, waiting for him to take the plate. He slid it in front of him, picked up a rib, ripped a chunk off and chewed it. “You eat like a caveman. That’s hot.” He raised a brow as he kept chewing the cooked meat. “I’m being serious. That’s hot.” She went to the fridge and took out a soda. “So, is there a medical explanation for why you don’t speak, or are you mute for religious reasons?” He didn’t answer, only sat down on a stool and stared at her as he ate like a hungry savage. She swept a strand of hair behind her ear as she pursed her lips to the side. He realized it was her thinking face. “Well that answers a lot. So you’re one of those human-haters, huh? You know, rawr, humans are so puny and stupid." She sipped at her drink. "Totally understandable though. ‘Cause a few of us are. I mean, I'm puny and my sister's stupid." Again, he said nothing as he finished off rib after rib. "Have you seen Thor or The Avengers?” He gave a blank stare. “Really? No? Insane. You should watch it sometime. Thor's kinda like you. All big and . . . caveman-like.” She curled her arms in toward her sides and made a face. He was thinking about speaking, but then decided against it. This was too entertaining to interrupt. He lifted another rib from the plate. “I'm guessing you haven't seen Batman either.” Her fingers tapped against the granite. And then the subject changed. "You don't look like your father at all." At that, he paused, eyes glaring hard and raking over her. If she went any further with the topic, he'd have to bend her over his knee and . . . and spank her, which was pleasantly tempting. “Calm down, grumpy. Keep eating your food before I eat it.” He brought his plate in closer to him at the threat. She muttered something under breath as she left her drink on the table and went back outside. He picked up a piece of chicken, and heard the backdoor creak open. He looked up, expecting to see her again. Instead, his father stood in the doorway. “Well, well, I was wondering why the human came in here with such a big plate.” His father strode toward him. Running his tongue along his teeth, Damian dropped the chicken leg on the plate and stood from the stool, unsure if this would be one of those days where he and his father would get into a fist fight. “You know your scent’s on her? It’s real light. I almost didn't notice it.” The man stepped closer. “Why is that? She’s been here all of three weeks. I doubt you’d get attached that fast. I taught you better than that. In fact, I taught you better than letting humans stay in your home.” The backdoor opened again and Jade entered with another plate of food in her hand. She closed the door and turned around. They both looked to her, seeing her startled expression. She began to back away but his father grabbed her by the arm and jerked her into his hold. He wrenched the butcher knife from its rack on the counter and held it to her throat. Damian peeled his lips back, baring his teeth. “What’s a matter, Dom? It’s not like I’ll be the first person to do this.” He tapped the blade against her throat. “I got to thinking when I saw that sketch of blue eyes in her notebook. They looked pretty familiar.” Jade’s wide eyes stared at the knife, but she kept still and quiet. “Of course I heard about that mishap three years ago—you know because Len can’t keep her trap shut. And I thought to myself, ‘this isn’t the Jade that Dom pulled from the river’. This,” he outlined her form with the knife, shaking his head, “isn’t the human. She isn’t your type. She’d at least be slim like her sister. Blonde even.” His father pulled on a tendril of her dark hair. “I thought I taught you better than that. But then I realized it was your mother’s side coming out in you. The side that takes pity on humans.” A growl rose from within Damian’s chest. “Let her go.” He wanted to step forward and take her from him, but he didn’t know how far his father would go. He wondered if the man would slit her throat just for the sake of watching her bleed. “The hamburgers are ready!” Aidyn called from the deck. His father looked toward the door and Damian took his chance, wrenching his father's hand off her. With a rough push, he shoved her behind him and stood in front of her as a shield to protect her from whatever his father had in mind. The man chuckled, his eyes set on Jade as if he were playing a sick game. "Go to sleep.” Damian spun around, catching her before she hit the ground, and lifted her into his arms. He sent his father a look that could drain the life out of a thousand horses. The man did things like this for fun, thrived off of it. He was who Damian's sadistic nature came from when the spot of light inside of him dimmed. "Sniff her when you get the chance. I'm sure you'll notice it too." His father placed the butcher knife on the counter and went to turn away but halted. "I don't know what the deal is with you and her," he wiggled his finger at the two of them, "but I promise it's gonna come back to bite you in the ass." "Is that a threat?" "You're damn right it is. You better be prepared." His father smiled as he walked out onto the patio, joining the rest of the loud group. He stared at the woman in his arms, deciding if he should or shouldn't sniff her skin. A part of him wanted his scent to be on her, and the other part was scared to death. Deciding against it, he carried her up the stairs to her room and paused over her bed, stalling like an indecisive creep. He kind of liked holding her. In fact, he didn't want to put her down. Her face was softened with sleep as her head hung off his forearm, exposing the long column of her throat. The silky, dark curls of her hair brushed his skin, and he imagined running his fingers through them and burying his nose in their sweet smell. Her lips—he wondered what they tasted like. Wondered if they still tasted the same. He shook his head, cutting the idea from his brain. Laying Jade on the crumpled sheets of her bed, he stepped back and looked down at his arms. They felt empty by his sides. His fingers tingled from touching her, and if he stayed in the room any longer, he'd want to do more than just hold her. He halted at the door, taking one last glimpse of her lying fast asleep. Flexing his jaw, he left the room, not knowing what the hell had come over him. Jade rolled over, tangling the bed sheets between her legs. Her head pounded with the nastiest headache she’d ever had, the throbbing consistent and nauseating. She sat up, her vision spinning at first. One too many tequila shots maybe? Though she couldn’t remember drinking any after that one glass on the patio. She threw the covers off and stumbled through the darkness of her room, colliding with a wall and a dresser before finally managing to make to it to the door. The lit hallways were quiet and eerie as she went to the kitchen. She flipped the kitchen lights on and rounded the counter, heading for the fridge that her dry throat desperately called for. She popped the top of a soda and eased onto a stool at the island counter. With her eyes shut and sleepy, she rubbed her goose bumped forearms and scowled down at them as her hands became sticky. Red sauce covered her skin, and when she looked closer she realized they were fingerprints, ones that were too big to be her own. Cautious, she sniffed her hand. Barbeque sauce? What the hell did I fall asleep doing last night? At the corner of her eye, a black shadow darted out of the tree line. Her head jerked to the left, and she stared at the brush. It was then that it emerged from the darkness, its muscles rippling beneath its midnight fur. It was a massive beast—a massive monster. It was Batman. No, seriously, it was a wolf. But in her opinion, it had enough shock value to have been Batman. It walked along the edge of the woods, its head low as the shoulder blades gracefully contracted with every step. As if it felt her stare, the wolf looked up. Its electric blue gaze held her captive, froze her solid in her place. It had to be a couple yards out, yet she could still see that brilliant blue burning bright. Before she could blink, the wolf began stalking toward the house, toward the window. Toward her. Drawn by some unseen force, she left her soda on the table and walked to the doors, undauntedly placing her palm on the cool glass. The wolf's hot breath fogged the window as its nose came to a perfect level with her hand. In some way, shape, or form, there was a connection that ran deeper than she could explain. And those eyes—she’d seen them before. Sketched them daily out of habit. A part of her knew what that meant, but the other half screamed it wasn’t possible. Aidyn froze in the archway, the scene in the kitchen perplexing him. His dark brows lowered and his eyes squinted as Jade stood at the door with the wolf on the outside, both of them gazing intently at one another as they trailed each other along the width of the patio glass. It registered to him what was happening. But she's human. He wouldn't become possessive over a human. Aidyn stared in disbelief, stuffing the rest of his strawberry twizzler in his mouth. Icy eyes flickered to him and the wolf’s lip peeled back, revealing sharp teeth as it unleashed a growl, warning him of the consequences if he were to touch her. Aidyn understood without a doubt that she was his, and not to mess with her. Even though she hadn't been marked, the notion was unmistakably clear. Jade followed the wolf's stare, and Aidyn stepped inside the kitchen with his hands up. "I'm not gonna touch her," he said, with a mouthful of candy. Aidyn glanced at Jade, "He thinks I'm gonna hurt you." She looked at the wolf, who kept its intimidating gaze on Aidyn. "So, your brother's a wolf?" "How'd you guess?" He raised a brow, inching closer and letting his arms fall to his sides. The wolf finally returned her stare, its sneer vanishing. "I can feel it." She pressed the pad of her thumb to the glass. He didn’t doubt her; the electricity between Jade and his brother filled the room like static, raising the hairs on his neck. He wondered if she knew which brother it was, and if she’d be standing so close to the glass if she did. "You sure you know which brother it is?" "Dom." He edged toward her, and Damian threw him another warning, baring his teeth. "She's fine, Damian. You can go. I'm not gonna hurt her." Aidyn tried to gain his brother's trust. "Don't worry, she'll be fine." The snarl on the wolf's face faded. It took one last look at Jade and then disappeared around the house. She dropped her hand from the glass and pivoted, a strange look lingering in her eyes. "Whatever you do, don't go out that door on a full moon." Aidyn shot her a wary glance. "No matter how friendly he may seem at that window, there’s another side to him you don’t know about, okay?" She looked out the window again and nodded. Aidyn stared out into the darkness, feeling his brother's steely eyes bore into him. He couldn't see Dom, but Aidyn knew he was there.