Page 192 of Blood and Ruin: The Complete Series

Any warmth I felt moments ago shatters with his words. What if I can’t come back here again? What if this is the last time I see them for a while? What if…

“Don’t. I can see your thoughts going into overdrive.” Kai looks at me, giving me one of the hard looks he gives the guys.

“Kai?” There’s so much I want to ask him. To say to them all.

Kai gives me a smile, running a finger down my frown. “When you wake up and start to doubt yourself…” His eyes soften. “Just remember… Always, Kiarra.Always.”

Just like he promised me when we were kids. That he wouldalwaysprotect me. That we’dalwaysbe family. That we’dalwaysbe there for one another.”

“Always.” I nod my head and try to push my doubts to the back of my mind.

Kai steps back, his eyes not leaving mine as arms come around my waist from behind. A familiar calming warm scent wraps around me. I lean back into Luka and let his warmth soak into me.

“It will all be okay. Trust us,” Rion tells me.

Swallowing hard, I nod my head. I couldn’t constantly think of the worst thing. I needed to have more faith. In them and in us.

Rion walks over, taking Kai’s place. “If I kiss you right now, I won’t be able to stop.” He instead kisses my forehead, letting his lips linger a moment before pulling back. “We’re going to bring you home to us. Soon.”

He looks over every part of my face, reluctant to leave. I reach up and take his hand, squeezing it tight.

“Soon.”

Reluctantly, he pulls back and goes over to Kai and Axel. With one last look full of heated promises and determination, they disappear.

“Guess it’s just us three.” Jax gives me a wicked smile while Luka leans his chin on my head.

CHAPTER 13

KIARRA

“Fuck,” Luka curses. Stepping back, he scrubs a hand down his face, narrowing his eyes behind him at some invisible annoyance.

“What is it?” I look around him, trying to see the source, but just like with Kai, there’s nothing there.

He looks at me and then Jax. “Another attack.”

Jax clenches his jaw, shaking his head at Luka. “Fuck them.”

“You know we can’t do that.” He glances at me, his eyes softening. “As much as I want to… I also want us to have a home to go back to.”

Frowning back at Jax, exhaustion settles over Luka, making him look a lot older than he is right now. “I want us to have the future we’ve worked hard for. We earned their respect, but leaving them to fend for themselves when we know they can’t handle it would make them lose faith in us just as fast.”

Luka gives me a sad look before looking at Jax. “I’ll go.

You stay here.”

“No, I’ll do it.” Jax rolls his shoulders, giving me a savage smirk. “You know I can’t resist stirring up some chaos.”

Luka cuts him a look. “I’ve got this.”

“Brother…” Jax starts, but Luka gives him a sharp look, stopping him.

“I’ll do what I have to.”

Whatever they were up against was obviously dangerous. There was no need for them to stay here—wherever here was—and babysit me.

I could get pulled out any time, and then this would all be pointless.

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