Page 80 of Ruin

Stone scoffed. “You’re kidding, right? You’ll never keep her locked down. She’ll kick your ass six ways from Sunday if she thinks you’re protecting her or keeping her a prisoner of any kind, even to keep her safe.”

I couldn’t help my grin. “Yeah, she will.”

“So do you need more time or are we agreed? You will remain king of the shifters and pull your race into some form of order. You, your brothers…” He waved his hand at Owen. “...or your council or whatever you wish to call them, and Ember, will be provided with a secure place to live and train, and I will bring Lance, Ava and the rest of the team to you in the next twenty four hours.” He walked towards the door then stopped with his hand on the handle. “Hmm, I have an idea where you can go until I have somewhere more secure for you. Begin sorting out your people Shifter King. You will be moving on very soon. B’nar? With me. We have things to discuss.”

The quiet prince gave me a respectful nod, despite having a blade at my throat only a few minutes ago. Once father and son had left, I sat back down.

“Brothers? Please sit. We have much to discuss…”

Four cups of coffee, two bacon sandwiches and a steak burger later, I sighed and rubbed my face. “Mother Wolf, who knew there was so much to sort out here?”

Shane, who I’d sent for, laughed. “And this is only the beginning.”

I stood and stretched. It was late, but there was something else I wanted to do, or at least try and do before I made my way back to Ember. I hadn’t seen her or Shannon come back out of our cabin, and I couldn’t feel any emotion through our bond. I was glad. She needed to sleep. I wondered if she’d eaten since I’d seen her earlier. After this last task, I’d bring her something. The thought of sliding into bed next to her warm, soft body had me adjusting myself in my jeans. Godsdammit, but I couldn’t stop wanting her, even now after we’d enjoyed each other so many times, in so many different ways. I inhaled, imagining her body and scent wrapped around me and the taste of her on my tongue.

A cough had me opening my eyes and a frustrated growl erupting from my throat.

“Hey boss, you alright there? You zoned out again.” Owen chuckled and slapped me on the back. Only he would get away with that, and he knew it. “C’mon. Let’s go. The sooner we try this, the quicker you can go back to being totally pussy whipped.”

“Laugh it up, Owen. One day you’ll all find your mate, and then I’ll take great pleasure in taking the piss out of each and every one of you.”

He just laughed, along with the rest of my brothers. Even Stone cracked a smile.

“We should all be so lucky,” Drake muttered, his green eyes glittering.

“Yeah? Well, I hope you all are one day. Come on, I don’t want Ember to come looking for me. If this doesn’t work, then I don’t want her to be disappointed.”

Myles stood and blew out a breath. I could sense his nervousness and stepped up to him, giving his shoulder a squeeze. “I can’t promise anything, you know that, right?”

“Yeah, boss, I know. But it’s worth a try. His body is wasting away, but he can’t die. That evil leech won’t let him.”

“Come on, let’s go.”

Together with my new council, Owen, Stone, Alex, Kawan, Lionel, Myles, Drake, and the newly named alpha of the Western Canadian shifter pack, Shane Dower, we marched across the compound and into the cave.

From where she helped some of the newer mothers with their babies, Selina’s attention fixed right onto my beta. I hid my smile, their dynamic wasn’t lost on me, and I hoped for Owen’s sake he would find with Selina what I had found with Ember. I would talk to him about taking her and her son with us when we left. Owen’s attention snagged on her before he pulled his gaze back to where we were going. “You alright there, beta?” I asked in the same tone as he had used on me not long ago. He gave me a scowl, his easy-going manner lost.

“Trouble?” I asked.

“You have no idea,” he murmured.

We marched through the cave system to where my brother was still chained to a pallet. Reed stank, not just unwashed and animalistic, but that sulphurous stink of Hell lingered around him. I took a deep breath as the demon opened his eyes and began to chuckle, a cold sound that set Prime snarling. I didn’t fight him, I let him out. We merged, all the spirits in me becoming one monstrous creature. The demon soon stopped laughing. Instead, he screamed as I stalked towards him.

I cracked my spine and stretched my jaws, drawing on the power in my veins. I’d ingested enough of Ember’s blood to make her fire simmer with mine, augmenting my own strength. Ember’s power was to open and close the doorways to Hell; my own was to control shifters of any kind.

I glared down at the emaciated and chained body of my friend, praying to the Mother that this would work.

“Connor, what are you going to do?” asked Myles, his voice tight. I sensed his worry but knew I couldn’t alleviate it. This was going to be hard on both Reed and me.

“My human side is going to join with Prime, the King of the Hell-beasts, and along with my fae side, Prime and I are going to rip away this mother fucker’s hold on Reed. I’m going to keep his shifter and human souls tethered to me, then give Reed the satisfaction of pushing that evil bastard out of his body.”

I heard Myles gulp.

“Don’t worry, I know this will work. The King has done it before, and he will guide me. If Reed isn’t strong enough to throw that demon out, I’ll happily toss what’s left of that putrid fucker back to its master. But it isn’t taking Reed’s human or wolf soul with it. Not while I still have breath in my body.”

Without another word, I placed my huge clawed hand on Reed’s chest and thrust my consciousness into his mind. I ignored the demon’s enraged yells and worthless threats, and slowly pushed my claws into Reed’s skin, piercing his flesh as I used my strength to pin his weakened body to the pallet. My spirits and I merged and became one, snarling as we searched through the fear and darkness that filled Reed's mind. There it was, a disgusting inky stain, slithering through my friend’s thoughts and memories. I hunted it, pushing it to where I wanted it to be, to where it could no longer run, right up against the wall behind which it had trapped Reed’s souls. I snarled and fixed my gaze on it. It froze, knowing its time was at an end. The predator in me savoured the power I held. I prowled closer, my claws flexed, ready to shred it into pieces. The demon screeched as my gaze burned into it. I cocked my head, a thrill running through me. He was...lesser, no match for me at all, a mere leech, hitching a ride in my friend’s body. But this wasn’t about me. Reed needed to kick this parasitic evil out of his body himself. I knew my friend, and he would gain at least some self-respect and power back by being the one to expel it.

I pushed my way towards the demon. It screeched and flailed, twisting itself all around me, trying to deter me from my purpose. I roared and shoved it backwards, pinning it against the wall. The king lent me extra power as he showed me what I needed to do. Thrusting that power forward, I shoved the demon sideways. Fervently, I beat my fists against the wall the demon had erected, and within moments it cracked and exploded. I didn’t hesitate and pushed into Reed’s mind.

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