The Dark-Hunters (677 page)

That he had mixed feelings about, but his brother needed to know he was alive and back in the world of the living. At least for the time being.

At the rate he was going, he could be sucked back into hell in a heartbeat.

Without a word, Fang dressed himself in a long-sleeved black shirt and jeans before he got up and almost fell again. He caught himself against the bedpost, despising the fact that he was still weak. He needed to be in fighting strength as soon as possible.

She put her hands on him to steady his balance. That innocent touch burned him to the core of his being. Covering her right one with his left hand, he gave a gentle squeeze.

Aimee paused at Fang’s uncharacteristic action. Normally he’d be pushing her away, telling her he was fine and cursing her for treating him like he was helpless. That alone told her just how shaken he was from whatever he was hiding from her.

He was a strong wolf and a proud one.

She stepped back to give him space as he made his way to the door and walked out of it. The fact he didn’t use his powers was also very telling.

Aimee followed him down the hall to the stairs and to the kitchen that was bustling with activity. One of the few times of the year that Sanctuary was closed to the public, Thanksgiving had always been a celebration for them, a time when they held a massive banquet. All of the Were-Hunters who lived in Peltier House came together to feast and hang out, and this year they also had several of the former Dark-Hunters, and Acheron and Simi, in attendance.

Everyone was laughing and partying. Their cheer echoed into the kitchen where Cherif and Etienne were spooning out more potatoes and meat and adding a lot of barbecue sauce to it—Simi must still be hungry. Smiling at the thought of the Goth Charonte demon who could eat an elephant’s weight in food, Aimee returned her brothers’ cheerful greeting as she helped Fang to the door.

She paused there while Fang continued into the bar and over to the table where Vane and Bride were sitting together and holding hands. He stood tall and moved fluidly, but she could sense his hurt and unease. His buried anger at the fact that Vane hadn’t been there for him.

“Good luck,” she whispered under her breath. She hoped everything worked out between them.

Her gaze went to Fury who froze and looked stricken the moment he saw Fang upright and moving. How she ached for all of them and for the family they would now have to piece back together.

A lump in her throat, she scanned the room to seek her own family … Alain, who sat with Tanya and their cubs, feeding them honey sticks while trying to keep Zar from playfully stealing them. To Kyle and Cody, who laughed at something Colt had said while Carson pulled a beer away from the twins. Maman and Papa sat to the side, holding hands while they whispered to each other like two teenaged humans wanting to be alone and knowing that they couldn’t. Dev, who sat talking and laughing with Remi, Acheron, Jasyn, Quinn, and Simi while Simi plowed through a plate of turkey, stuffing, and ham.

She couldn’t imagine not having them in her life. Through everything, family was family, and yet Fang and his brothers were now suspicious of one another.

That broke her heart.

Fang wanted to turn around and leave as he realized every eye in Sanctuary was now on him. Most of them had had no idea he’d awakened and he felt like a freak in a lab where everyone was trying to figure out what had gone wrong in his DNA.

But he wasn’t a coward.

Ignoring the cold lump in his stomach and wrapping his arms around himself, Fang kept his gaze on the goal of his brother and his mate. Even though Bride was seated, he could tell she was tall and Rubenesque—just the way Vane liked his women. With auburn hair and eyes so bright they danced with life, she was exquisite. And the love in her gaze as she looked at Vane was something rare. Something that should always be cherished and never abused.

His brother had done well for himself and that only made the lump inside him that much tighter.

Fang did his best to ignore all the other Were-Hunters and Acheron and Simi as he made his way to them. They were the only thing that mattered and as he approached, his anger mounted.

Fang hated what he felt, but he couldn’t stop it. Resentment and bitterness swelled inside him. How dare Vane go off and find happiness while he’d been tortured and abused. Images of the demons beating him, of the wounds that had cut him bone-deep, went through his mind. Again, he remembered the unrelenting hunger and thirst that had never been sated. The months of grueling agony.

All the while Vane had been with Bride.…

Stamping his rage down, Fang held his hand out to Bride the instant he reached her.

She hesitated a moment before she took his hand into hers and he felt the way she trembled in uncertainty. The scent of her nervousness was heavy in his nostrils and the protective wolf in him wanted to soothe her. It wasn’t her fault that he’d been locked in the Nether Realm. She was his brother’s mate and he would honor her as that no matter what he felt inside.

“She’s beautiful, Vane. I’m glad you found her.” He gave her hand a gentle squeeze before he withdrew and met Fury’s shocked gaze.

At least the bastard had the decency to look shamefaced. Well he should too. It was all Fang could do not to punch him for replacing him in Vane’s affections and loyalty.

But Fury’s presence in the room wasn’t nearly as shocking to Fang as Stefan’s was. Stefan, who’d been the ringleader who beat him and Vane and then chained them to the tree for the Daimons to eat. Stefan, who’d been sent out to kill them. Obviously things had changed while Fang had been out of it.

Now, their father’s grand asshole sat at a table looking like someone had beat the shit out of him. No doubt he deserved it.

Stefan refused to meet Fang’s gaze.

Vane came to his feet. “Fang?”

Fang didn’t stop on his way back to the kitchen. He was afraid that if he did, he’d attack his brother for abandoning him to the Nether Realm and the last thing he wanted was to taint the happiness Bride and Vane shared. Vane deserved to be happy and Fang had no right to hurt him. He knew that Vane would have moved heaven and hell to get him out … had he only answered when Fang had called.

Gods, his emotions were absolutely bipolar and volatile where Vane was concerned.

That pain and hurt were still raw inside him. The months of brutal survival couldn’t be undone with a simple encounter. He needed time to come to terms with what he’d been through.

What he’d consigned himself to.

With a hesitant smile on her beautiful face, Aimee met him at the kitchen door. Her T-shirt was a bit tighter on her body today and it caused a vicious wave of lust to consume him. Thank the gods something overrode his pain.

Before he even realized what he’d done, he reached out to her and put his arm around her shoulders. She wrapped her arm around his waist and helped him through the kitchen and back up to his room.

Fang didn’t speak the entire way up the mahogany stairs as the lavender scent of Aimee captured him.

Once in his room, he lay back in the huge tester bed while she covered him with a brightly colored quilt.

Her gaze suspicious, she paused by his side. “I know something’s wrong with you, wolf. You’re never this silent.”

Fang snorted at her poor attempt for humor. He probably shouldn’t mention any of this and yet he found himself confiding in her even against his better judgment. “If my mother’s defeated and Stefan is down there in the bar with Vane and Fury and not fighting them to the death…” He didn’t finish the thought. He already had a good idea of what that meant.

Someone was now in charge of those two clans.

And it wasn’t him.

That stung him deep inside. Things had changed so dramatically and he felt all alone. Disassociated. Stunned. Most of all, deeply betrayed. Maybe he should have stayed in the Nether Realm. It was obvious that no one here needed him anymore. Vane had moved on with his life.

Their entire clan had restructured under someone else’s leadership.

What was he going to do now? He felt lost and he hated that sensation.

Aimee felt Fang’s turmoil and it made her want to cry that she couldn’t help him. She couldn’t stand feeling so helpless. Most of all, she didn’t want to see their family splintered at a time when they needed one another the most. “You know your brother checked on you every day while you were out of it. Even today, he made sure to come see you. Fury was here too.”

“I know.”

And still he was so sad.

Without thinking, she curled up on the bed beside him and wrapped her arms around him to hold him close. It was the only way to comfort him that she knew.

Fang closed his eyes as his heart pounded from the warmth of her embrace. No one had ever held him like this before.

No one.

There was nothing sexual about it. It was a hug meant to comfort him. And may the gods have mercy on his worthless soul because it did.

Placing his hand over her much smaller one, he felt something inside him shatter and in that moment, he knew a truth that scared him even more than the demon that was living inside him.

He loved her.

It made a mockery of what he’d thought he felt for Stephanie all those years ago. This wasn’t the crush of a young wolf fascinated with a beautiful wolfswan who was coveted by the pack. This was the bloody and bruised heart of an animal that had never really been opened before.

Aimee had come for him and she had stood beside him when no one else had. She alone had fought to save him from hell.

Even now …

Gods help me.
He shouldn’t feel like this. He should shove her out the door and yet he couldn’t bring himself to destroy the serenity of this moment with her. The tenderness inside him that her touch awoke.

For the first time in his entire life, he was at peace.

Without a word, she trailed her hand up to brush through his hair. His body was white-hot, reminding him of the fact that it had been literally months since he’d last been with a woman.

And he wanted her with a madness that was consuming. A madness he had to deny for both their sakes.

“As much as I’m enjoying that, Aimee, you’re going to have to stop.”

“Why?”

“Because I want you so badly I can taste it.”

She rolled him over onto his back. Her crystal blue gaze only added to the need in him to have her. Those dainty fingers, so soft and soothing, played over his lips as she smiled at him. Then she did the most amazing thing of all, she lowered her head and kissed him.

Fang growled at the taste of her. At the warmth of her breath mingling with his as their tongues danced together. He surrendered himself to the magic of her mouth.

For a moment, all of his thoughts scattered.

“No,” he said, pulling away. “We can’t do this.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” Kissing him lightly on the cheek, she got up slowly and straightened her clothes.

His cock twitched as her breasts were made even more apparent by that action. Damn, hadn’t one of her brothers or her parents ever told her not to parade around like that? Her nipples were hard and outlined in a way that tortured him even worse than the demons had.

Gods, to taste just one of those …

The wolf inside was salivating.

“Are you hungry?”

Yes, he was, but not for food. “No. I’m all right.”

She nodded. “I’ll be in my room if you need me.”

Naked?
He almost groaned aloud as
that
image went through his mind with a clarity that should be illegal.
Damn it to hell, get out of my head.
But the image of her nude body was there and it blistered him.

As soon as she was gone, he placed his hand down to his cock to try and alleviate some of the pain she’d caused. It was no use. He was so hard, he could drive a nail with his erection.

“What am I going to do?”

If he touched her, he would violate all the laws of the Omegrion and her family would mount his balls to the mirror that hung over the bar.

So he would suffer. Whimper … none of it would give him what he really wanted, which was to be inside her sinfully delicious body.

“Fang?”

He heard Vane’s voice from the other side of his door. Pulling the covers over his lap to hide what Aimee had done to him, he sighed at the welcomed interruption even though he dreaded seeing his brother again. “Come in.”

Vane opened the door. “Hey.”

Fang would have been amused by his uncharacteristic hesitancy, but right now nothing much could elicit that from him. Not while his body was this hungry.

Awkward silence filled the room as they stared at each other.

Vane leaned against the closed door. “I can’t believe you’re finally awake. I really thought I’d lost you.”

“Yeah, well, you’ll have to forgive me for being a selfish asshole.” Fang cringed as those words flew out of his mouth before he could stop them.

Vane stiffened as he recognized the quote. “You heard me?”

Fang looked away, unwilling to answer. So he changed the subject. “Why’s Stefan downstairs?”

“Markus has fallen and Stefan is no longer a leader. I put Fury in charge of the pack.”

Fang couldn’t have been more pissed off had his brother slapped him. Then again, that’s exactly what he’d done by putting Fury in as their leader.

It should have been
him.

“He’s not strong enough to lead.”

“With my backing he is.”

And with Vane’s backing, Fang couldn’t challenge him for leadership. Well, he
could,
but it would break their bond and weaken them before the others, leaving them open to attack. Which was exactly what the other wolfswains would do. Perfect. He’d been completely cut out of his birthright.

Markus would be thrilled.

Vane moved forward cautiously as he watched Fang’s solemn contemplation. This wasn’t the reunion he’d expected when Fang finally came out of his coma. He’d dreamed of this moment over and over again. Fang waking up, happy to be alive. His brother embracing him.…