When I finally came to, Heath and Sierra were gone. Riley and Enzo began to stir with me as we each became aware of pounding at my bedroom door.

I rose and went to open it, a strange feeling of lightness within my entire being, as if I’d suddenly lost fifty pounds of weight off my body. I even did a quick check to see if I’d become emaciated, but I looked the same on the outside.

My parents stood in the doorway, their faces pale and drawn. My gut clenched. “What’s happened?”

They looked past me to Enzo and Riley.

“Is Heath with you?”

“He was.” My gaze flicked to the guys, and they looked as wary as I felt. We knew bad news was coming.

“What happened?” I repeated.

Dad looked at Enzo and Riley again, then back to me. “Harris escaped. Harold is dead, and so is Cordelia. We don’t know where Helene and Heath are.”

“And Sierra?” Enzo’s face tightened at their pained expressions.

Dad shook his head. “I was hoping she was with Torin.”

CHAPTER 13

ENZO

OUTSKIRTS OF RAVENSWOOD

My breath came in ragged gasps as I pushed forward, gaze darting between the dense trees and twisted vines. Torin’s tension was a living thing as we moved deeper into the heart of the forest. I couldn’t believe I got stuck doing reconnaissance and rescue with that fucking asshole, but his made it make the most sense for us to come, while he and Riley had gone looking for Sierra and Heath.

We’d silenced the crunch of fallen leaves under our boots as we marched forward in silence, listening for any indication that we weren’t alone. Our mission was clear: find out if Carlo Maroni and his goons were still at the school, prevent them from causing more harm. And for me, find out if my sister was back with him. Anger and pain fueled my steps, as well as guilt. I’d been so glad to see Sierra and so caught up in the crazed desire we’d all experienced at the return of our mate, that I’d let too much time pass before searching for my sister.

I’d gone to the safe house where I’d left her, tried to get there before the Warners, but it was too late. Either Maroni had found her again, or she’d escaped on her own. I desperately hoped it was the latter.

A sudden rustle in the brush caught my attention, and I held up my hand, signaling for Torin to stop. We froze, waiting for any sign of movement. But the woods remained still, the only sound was our heavy breathing and the whisper of wind through the treetops. I didn’t trust it though – not when Carlo was involved. He was a master of using his dirty magic to manipulate situations to his advantage.

We moved forward, wands drawn, ready for anything. The air felt thick, and the earthy scent of damp soil and decaying leaves threatened to make me sneeze. Up ahead, a flicker of light danced between the trunks of the trees. We crept closer, our presence hidden by invisibility spells that I hoped they hadn’t set traps for. The sound of movement in the woods sent us both whirling, preparing for battle. A few seconds later a deer wandered into sight, and a flash from Torin’s wand brought it down before it even had a chance to flee.

“What the fuck did you do that for?” I hissed.

“Better safe than sorry,” he hissed back, bristling. “It could have been a shifter setting a trap for idiots like you.”

I sent a slapping spell at his arrogant face. He retaliated with an electric shock across my chest – not enough to incapacitate, but enough to burn. Anger, fear, and adrenaline ratcheted the tension from zero to a thousand within seconds, and we forgot about wands as the confrontation became physical.

Fists flew, teeth gritted, and curses spilled from our lips, as the fight became more brutal than I had ever imagined – and I had imagined pulverizing that motherfucker many, many times. I landed a punch to his jaw and felt the satisfying crunch of bone against my knuckles before he countered with a roundhouse kick that sent me sprawling across the forest floor. I swept out a leg and knocked him off his feet as well.

It wasn’t enough. It wouldn’t make him understand how much he’d hurt me all these years.

Because of him, I’d spent most of my life denying my own desires, my own feelings, trying to be the better man. I fucking tried. But it had only left me angry and empty inside. And now, something within me snapped. Maybe it was Sierra missing. Maybe it was the absence of the Dark Ones within us, but I tackled him back down as he tried to stand, my teeth clenched as I landed hard on top of him.

“I wanted to love you,” I yelled into his face, my hands clenched into the material of the shirt by his throat. “I wanted to be your friend, and you shunned me like I was some kind of leper just because I was poor.”

“Seriously?! I kissed you! You rejected me first,” he bit out, anger and hurt mingling in his voice.

Neither of us even had to spell out what we’d meant. Our collective memories were clear. He’d snuck into my bed and kissed me during a sleepover at Warner’s when we were in our early teens. After he’d been a dick to me all day.

“You made it obvious you didn’t want anything to do with me,” Tor said.

A muscle ticked at the side of his perfect jaw, and I couldn’t look away. “Are you fucking kidding me? I wanted to be your friend, but you were jealous of Heath’s friendship with me. You were afraid he’d like me more than you, you couldn’t stand losing his attention, so you tried to make my living a hell long before you tried to kiss me.”

He didn’t say anything, but I saw the truth in his eyes. The regret. The admission of his weakness. My stomach churned with the knowledge that we’d both been too scared to admit the truth – the attraction had been there all along. How our one-upmanship had just been us trying to impress each other in our own fucked-up ways.

Our bodies pressed together, breathing hard, sweat forming a sheen on our skin. The forest seemed to hold its breath around us, waiting for our next move. We were two alpha males, usually so in control, reduced to fighting like this over teenage mistakes.

I felt him stiffen beneath me, and I knew he was about to push me off.

But then he didn’t.

Instead, his hands cupped my face tenderly, his thumbs tracing the lines of my jaw, his blue eyes searching mine like he was trying to find something he’d lost. “I wasn’t ready for someone like you, Enzo,” he whispered roughly. “I was stupid in pride, and ... you’re right. Fear. I went about approaching you the wrong way.”

The tenderness in his voice, and it lit a fire inside me. His vulnerability, and memories of his hard body over Sierra, sharing her with all of us, made me bold.

I leaned in close, our lips a breath apart, my heart pounding so hard I thought it might burst from my chest. “Make up for it now,” I challenged, my voice low and rough. “Show me how much you want me.”

In an instant, his mouth crashed onto mine, a firestorm of hunger and need. His hands fisted in my hair, pulling me closer as our tongues danced together. Our teeth clashed, and I savored the bite of pain mingled with desire.

The forest around us blurred as we devoured each other, now side by side, our need reaching new heights. Heat radiated from him, searing through our clothes and setting my whole body on fire.

He growled into my ear, “You’re so fucking hot.”

I moaned in agreement, feeling every inch of him against me. “So are you.”

His hands roamed over my chest and abdomen, teasing the sensitive flesh, sending sweet shockwaves through me. My hands found purchase on his ass, squeezing tightly as he ground himself against me.

We were clawing and biting and moaning, our bodies moving together as if we’d been doing this forever. The rough earth digging into my back only heightened the sensation.

He tasted like heat and an intoxicating, lingering hint of whisky, and I could’ve drunk him down.

As if he sensed my need, he pushed me further, kissing his way down my neck, nipping at the skin there gently before licking the spot to soothe it. He growled against my skin, “Mine, at last.”

It was a possessive declaration that made me shiver with anticipation and bristle with need. My hands tangled in his hair as he moved lower, sucking and nibbling his way down my chest and I pushed him further. “No. You’re mine.”

He chuckled darkly and sank his teeth into my flesh, and I arched off the ground, a sharp gasp leaving my mouth. He lapped at the wound gently, healing it as his hands traveled lower. “We belong to each other. We’re mates.”

My body knew the truth of it as his fingers dipped into my boxers, brushing against my aching cock. I gasped, feeling the fire that licked at my insides. And then he was pulling them down, his rough fingers wrapping around me, stroking me expertly.

I thrust into his hand as he sucked and nipped at my stomach, my hips bucking wildly.

His voice was a rasp when he spoke. “You feel so good.”

I grabbed his head and pulled him up, capturing his lips again in a hungry kiss. Our tongues dueling as his hand continued to work me over, faster and harder.