Escaping Death

Solana

Around here, especially with my gift, it’s easy to stretch my wings and go for a flight. But letting my wolf out to run is far more difficult here in the city which is probably why I sneak off to Shadowmoon every chance I get so she can weave through the forest without fear of being discovered.

The dawn is breaking over the mountains in the distance indicating that it’s time to get back to the house before any of the guys realize I’m gone. For bodyguards, they sure are shit at knowing my comings and goings.

I fly back to their house in a matter of minutes, shifting midair concealed in shadows so the neighbors don’t see, and land silently on the roof outside of the bathroom window I snuck out of.

I’m relieved when I confirm that the house is still sleeping, now I just have to get into the bathroom and I’ll be—

“Welcome home, Sunshine.”

I bang my head on the window frame as I jerk around to see who is talking to me, only to lose my balance and nearly topple off the edge of the roof. The yard was clear, the house was clear …I’m sure of it.

A hand grabs my wrist just as my wings open to counter my downward trajectory. “Easy there, didn’t mean to scare you.” Tate laughs at me.

“What the fuck are you doing on the roof?” I scold him.

“Sunrise,” he says, like the answer should have been obvious. “Better question, what are you doing on the roof?”

My mouth opens to respond but he cuts me off before I can even exhale a puff of air.

“Lying is a nasty habit,” he tuts at me. “Ace won’t tolerate that.”

“I went out.” It’s not exactly a lie.

“Mm,” he hums as he stands, wings unfolding and stretching wide. “You don’t need to sneak out the window, you know. You can just walk out the front door.”

The expression on his face reads as sincere, if not a little pained, a little angry. He glides off the roof around the house towards the back porch. The light is bleeding across the earth quickly so I duck into the window, strip down, and run the shower.

While I lather my body in the body wash Dean bought me, I ruminate on how I could have missed Tate sitting on the roof. I figure he must be a shadow dragon like me, but what really hangs me up is how he saw me despite the shadows.

My thoughts are disrupted at the sound of the bathroom door opening. Through the perfume of my body wash and the steam in the room I can easily make out Ace’s scent.

I don’t say anything, he’ll know it’s me in here but hopefully he’s just here to use the bathroom and leave me alone.

I wouldn’t describe myself as easily scared, I don’t often flinch, but when Ace pulls back the shower curtain and steps into the shower with me I shriek from shock.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I hiss at him, using my hands and soap bubbles to cover myself from him.

“You’re showering during my time.” He reaches around me for his shampoo and then he lifts his inked arms up to his head, his muscles flexing beneath the water jets, and begins to wash his golden hair.

“I’ll be done in like five minutes, get out.” I demand.

“Don’t mind me, carry on.”

He takes his own advice because he doesn’t pay me any mind, turning his back to mine and continuing his self-care routine as if I’m not here. I run my soapy hands down my body, slipping the bubbly lather over my thighs and between my legs.

Ace’s scent envelopes me, and whether it’s him or the humidity filling up the room, my head becomes dizzy and my fingers glide over my slit with more sensuality than is appropriate for a simple shower.

“Sol,” Ace growls.

My body freezes on the spot but my heart beat picks up speed like a runaway train. Gods how stupid do I have to be to lose control even for a second with him at my back?

“You’ll be going out on assignment with Tate today.”

Breathe.

“It’ll just be the two of you so I’m asking you to behave, please.”

A low growl begins to rumble through the small bathroom, getting louder as Ace turns around to face my back. His hands brand my skin where they make contact with my hips and he dips his head down to hover over my shoulder by my ear.

“If you could please not touch yourself while I’m talking about another guy… I can just about tolerate you slipping out of my bed before morning.”

“I — I wasn’t,” I stutter, panting against his chest, his heat and his scent overwhelming me. I dip under the shower head, dousing my desire and rinsing away the last of the soap covering me.

Ace’s hands don’t leave my hips, even as I draw back the shower curtain to get out. He snarls and slams me back against him, throwing the curtain closed. I elbow him in the rib and ready my tongue to curse at him when the bathroom door opens again.

“Not now Dean,” Ace commands, knowing exactly who is behind the curtain on scent alone.

“Aw come on Alpha don’t be bashful,” Dean’s tone starts playful and then dips down lower, “but seriously, you’re dangerously close to impinging on my time.”

Ace doesn’t respond, he remains silent, his body still tensed with anger. But Dean doesn’t need him to say anything again. I’m learning that Ace never needs to repeat himself, his silence speaks louder than his words would, conveying to whoever is on the other end of that silence that they’ve been given their answer and would do well not to challenge it.

Dean shuffles out, leaving the bathroom grumbling about schedules and abuse of power. Only when the door shuts behind him does Ace release me, allowing me to step out of the shower, grab a towel, and dart out of the bathroom to get dressed in his room.

Though he’s the first to shower, I don’t see Ace again until after Dean, Tate, and Eli have all come down and started on breakfast. Dean made omelets today, using all of two dozen eggs, the majority of which were consumed by Eli.

Ace cuts him off with a swift slap to the back of the head as he walks in. “Down boy, save some for Hunter.”

“What can I say? I’m ravenous after watching my little Sunshine dart those two assholes last night.” He shoots me a wink and a grin, clearing his spot at the table and trying unsuccessfully to steal a last bite from Hunter’s saved plate.

I feel him before I see him, even though he’s not my mate my body senses him all the same. Hunter. He’s last to join us in the kitchen, opting to eat standing by the counter opposite me. My appetite vanishes and I push my plate with my half eaten omelet towards Eli.

“Sol, you’re going with Tate today. You can leave your guns at home, you won’t need them where you’re going.” Ace says with a hint of disapproval that I was carrying last night unbeknownst to him. I’m not sure if his dissatisfaction comes from me carrying weapons, or the fact that he didn’t know I was carrying weapons.

“By the way, Sunshine, where did you have that gun stashed?” Eli asks, lust dripping from his smile.

“Oh, I’ve got all kinds of tricks up my sleeve.” I wink back at him and he visibly shivers, ice crystallizing on the last of his omelet.

“Last night will not happen again, Solana. You are not here to help us with jobs, you are our job. The sooner you understand that, the better.” Ace’s words bite at me like the lash of a whip, exposing a raw and most unexpected pain.

“Yes, Asshole,” I snicker. As infantile as it makes me I enjoy the way Ace’s jaw tenses a little more every time I say it.

“Tate, you have carte blanche today. Keep her safe, no more surprises.” Ace addresses Tate but his eyes don’t stray from mine.

“Yes, Alpha,” Tate practically sings, his sinister thoughts screaming across the table. “Let’s go, Sunshine, before he changes his mind.”

Rather than heading towards the front door like I expect, Tate walks in the opposite direction towards the back porch.

Eli grabs my hand as I stand and plants a kiss on the back of it, “have a good day at work, my dear.”

There’s no stopping the memories of his lips on me last night, or his fingers trailing down to forbidden places. I quell them as soon as they surface, but not fast enough to go unnoticed by Ace whose eyes are manic and blown black.

I scurry out after Tate, finding him in the backyard with his wings folded loosely behind him.

My wings unfold and are about to stretch when I hear Hunter call out to me. “Solana!”

I look over my shoulder but keep my back turned to him. I want to ignore him, I want to keep my mouth shut and not give him the satisfaction of my attention, but I can’t.

“What?” I grind out.

He sighs, “I know Ace said no weapons, but…”

I peer over my shoulder just in time to see a knife materialize in Hunter’s open palm. It’s not just any knife, though.

“I owed you a gift, and everything in the stores felt wrong…”

He flips the blade in his hand so the handle faces towards me. I welcome the blade in my hand like embracing an old friend. This blade was made for me, it knows the shape of my hand, the curl of my fingers, and its weight is balanced for my grip.

Hunter built it for me decades ago. He can summon me a thousand knives but nothing will compare to this one.

It’s not exactly an olive branch, and it doesn’t absolve him from a single second of the last four years, but I accept the blade nonetheless.

“I thought you’d like to fly today instead of driving. This way you don’t need to sneak out at dangerous hours.” Tate calls to me, dragging my attention away from Hunter.

His stare is knowing as I approach him but he says nothing as I stash the blade.

“Ready, Sunshine?” His smile is dark, and heady, and all things dangerous. Against my better judgement I look back towards the house before I take off into the sky after Tate.

Sure enough Hunter is still standing there watching me, looking at me with the same expression that haunted my reflection for months after he left.

I’ll worry about what it means later because for now it would appear that I have a date with Tate.