“Stop!” Maddox says to West, sounding frustrated. “We won’t be long,” he says, looking at me. “We need to save her. We need to plan. We also need…help, if we can get it.”
They walk away from us. The rest of my crew follow. Everyone but Jarrod.
“Don’t say it,” I tell him.
“I told you so,” my brother says. “You just stirred the fucking pot, and in a big way.”
“I’d do it again,” I say. “I only hope we’re in time to save her.”
“Before she’s mated off?”
I nod.
“She’ll never be free of her weyr. From the sounds of things, they’ll keep looking for them. Do you really want to be on the run for the rest of your life?”
“No, but I’m not sure I want to live without her either.”
“Holy shit!” Jarrod mutters. “You’re in that deep.” He scrubs a hand over his face.
I nod. “Deeper than deep. This could be something real.” I smile when I think of her. When I think of us. Then I feel all of that crumble away like dust when I think of her being held captive right now. “Let’s go inside. Maddox is right. We need to plan.”
“You need to eat.”
I shake my head.
“You need food and rest. You’re not going anywhere like that. You’re no good to Raven. No good to anyone.”
I nod. “I’ll eat while we wait for Maddox. I’m too wired to sleep.”
“Food and rest…you don’t have to sleep.” Jarrod cocks his head, giving me this look. “Oh, and maybe a shower….a long-ass shower. You reek of…far more than just sweat.” He smiles. “I think we need to try to get help from our weyr. Maybe with the right numbers on our side, we can go and get your woman.”
I like the sound of that.
My woman.
Numbers or no numbers, I’m going to rescue Raven.
20
Stephanus
I pull in a deep breath and look around me. We’re all here…most of us, at any rate. Bolt is due home tomorrow. We made the call not to tell him anything because he wouldn’t make it back in time anyway. Forge and Night are married. Lyre is engaged. Their women are all together at Night’s house. They’ll await word from us there. They know what to do if we’re not home within a couple of hours. If things go south. Death was summoned. It’s probably best if one of us doesn’t go along. That person, by default, is him.
This has to work. I can sense the tension in the air. Can scent the adrenaline. The pure testosterone. West still looks pissed off. He refuses to meet my stare. We’ve agreed to a truce. Once again, West made it clear that said truce would be temporary. I’m good with that. At least he’s keeping himself under control.
I pull my shirt off and toe off my boots. The air is somber.
“It’s not too late for any of you to bow out,” Maddox says.
“No one is going anywhere.” Barrett is frowning heavily.
“I’m not chickening out!” West says between clenched teeth. “That’s Raven out there.”
“It wouldn’t be chickening out.” Maddox rubs his chin. “Facing the weyr…facing Tarek…” He pushes out a sharp breath. “It’ll mean sure death for all of us mad enough to try this.”
“I’m not afraid of death,” West says, almost under his breath.
“I’ll go on my own,” Maddox says. “The rest of you can stay here. That’s the thing…whether it’s all of us, or just me,” he shrugs, “the outcome will be whatever it ends up being anyway.”
He looks around. No one says anything. I fold my arms. “I’m in!”
“Me too.” West glares at me, and for a second, I’m sure he’s going to come at me. He doesn’t.
“Okay, then.” Maddox pulls his shirt off.
“What is that?” West growls at…Tri. It looks like his focus is on Trident. What is he going to lose his shit over now?
He’s standing next to Tri, pointing at his side. “What the hell is that?” he growls.
“What is what?” Trident looks down at himself. He’s frowning. He’s even running his hand over his skin. “My tat?” He touches his abs at one side of his torso. He has a vicious-looking sea creature tattooed there. It’s thrashing amongst turbulent waves. He loves the thing. I can’t believe West would notice something like that right now. It doesn’t compute.
We’re all looking at him like he’s lost his mind, Trident included, even though I see pride there too. Back to the fact that he loves that tattoo.
“No,” West says, “that…” He points higher up. At Trident’s birthmark.
“This?” He frowns.
Instead of saying anything more, West shrugs out of his t-shirt. He has the same birthmark. Exactly the same. Same place…same shape…exactly the same.
I watch as Trident’s mouth falls open. He frowns. He starts to say something and then stops. He points at the birthmark and then drops his hand at his side.
West is looking from his birthmark to Tri’s and back again.
Barrett laughs. It’s loud and rich. He sounds just like Forge. Fuck me, but they could almost be twins. “I think that’s one answer that’s now become abundantly clear. The two of you are half-brothers.”
“No!” Trident says dramatically. He honestly can’t do anything without some flare. “It can’t…” He looks like he just saw a ghost doing cartwheels.
“Yes…I think we might be brothers.” West sort of smiles. “I’ll be fucked in the head.”
Trident swallows thickly. “Holy crap! Shit!” He walks right up to West. He touches the birthmark and then looks up at him.
Then they’re hugging. They both make these grunting noises as they smack each other on the back. West gets that same shimmery look to his eyes.
They’re half-brothers.
Fuck!
This is totally unexpected. I’ve never seen two people who are more different. Tri is carefree and fun. Almost too chilled. He’s fun-loving and full of fuckery to the point of being irritating at times.
West… Where do I start? It doesn’t get more serious. More intense. Downright angrier than West. It can’t possibly. He’s just as OTT as Tri but in the opposite direction.
“I can’t believe it,” West says.
“I’m…I’m speechless,’ Trident mumbles.
“Pity we’re probably all going to die,” Barrett mutters.
“Big fucking pity,” Forge adds. “It’s not over until it’s over.” He raises his brows. “I’m going to take a whole bunch of those fuckers down with me.”
“Our calculated risk is through the roof.” Zale scratches the back of his head. “But I agree…no giving up here. I want to meet Bolt.”
“I have to get back to my family.” Night’s eyes are clouded with uncertainty.
“Why don’t you stay? You and Forge?” I say.
“What about me?” Lyre growls. “Not that I’m choosing to stay or anything, because I’m not.”