Page 327 of Blood and Ruin: The Complete Series

“Yes,” Soren answers for us. “They destroyed the horde of demons at the gate without breaking a sweat and took on realm demons as if they were flies.”

Ivor’s eyes widen, a look of complete shock slashed across his face. He shakes his head again, looking at each one of us, his gaze landing on me. After a second, I catch the slight flare of his eyes before he whips his head to Soren, his eyes asking him a question. Ivor nods to himself before a small smile releases a slight bit of tension from his face.

The demon guards grow restless, inching forward. “Sir?”

“Yes, yes.” Ivor waves them away before turning back to us. “We’re under attack. Again. Old ones from the prison keep passing into our realm while hordes are attacking daily and growing by the hour. Come with us and show us what you can do and we’ll help you any way we can.”

Ivor leaves without a backward glance. He must assume we’ll choose his option but from the looks that each of the guys is giving me, they’re not too set on it.

They aim their glare at Soren. He raises his hands and takes a step back. “I’ll let you have a moment alone.” He quickly leaves but the tension in the room stays.

It takes seconds before Axel blows up in anger. “We didn’t come here to fight their battles.”

Kai sighs. “What other choice do we have? It’s either help them or—”

“Or find King ourselves?” Axel says, as if it’s the obvious answer. But even I know that will not be as easy as it sounds. King has been three steps ahead of us this whole time. While we were fighting to survive each day, he’s been working on some larger plan that he set in motion years ago.

Kai releases some alpha power, glaring at Axel to stand down, the others flinch at the power behind it whereas I’m brought back to when he used it on me with just him and Rion. I immediately get overheated and turned on. I shift my thighs, trying to get it under control, but my body just doesn’t want to listen.

The guys freeze, all turning to me with heat in their eyes.

“Kiarra?” Kai’s eyes darken as he looks at me.

Stupid shifter sense. “It’s not my fault. You’re the one who used your alpha powers.”

Kai smirks, amused at my temper. “To get everyone to calm down.”

I clear my throat, looking everywhere but them and their savage smirks. “Well… it obviously has the opposite effect on me, so maybe try something else next time.”

Jax steps closer, making me look up at him. “Nah, just means we’ve got more to work with.”

What the hell is he talking about? He must see the confused look on my face as he dips down. “Kai’s not the only alpha here, baby.”

Oh. Fuck.

Jax’s chuckle is echoed by the others as they see me finally catching on. “We’re definitely trying that out when we get the chance.”

“We’re in Hell.”

“That’s not going to stop me babe. The world is already burning around us. Why not have a little fun while it goes up in flames?” One glance at the others and I can see they all feel the same.

I shake my head to myself. “You’re all crazy,” I mutter.

I’m not embarrassed, knowing my body craves each of them, each of their touches and kisses. But right now, we need to focus.

If anything, it breaks the tension that was in the room a moment ago. Even if it does still leave my body overheated.

Rion is the first to speak up, taking over where Kai left off. Kai’s eyes still burning right through me, making me shiver.

“King has changed the setup down here. Even Soren can’t lead us directly to him. Our best option is to gain their favor and then let them help us. If we don’t help them now, their battles will become our battles and then we’ll have a war none of us want to fight.”

Axel clenches his jaw but keeps his mouth shut. He grabs my top, pulling me backward into him and wrapping his arms around me. Jax narrows his eyes on him but stays where he is. The rest just look at him, waiting for some type of answer.

“You already know how I feel, but if you want me to stay quiet, I’m holding on to my mate to distract me from your shitty decision-making.”

“Who said I agree to this?” I tell him while leaning further back into him. His scent easing every tense nerve in my body.

His head dips to the side of my neck. I feel the hint of a smile at the side of my face. “We both know you’ll takeanythingI give you.”

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