Rivers of blood and sand

Jade standing in front of Koa was the first thing I saw when I threw open the back door and ran out onto the grass. Her hands were planted on his chest as she stared up at him, speaking in a low and soothing tone. “Koa, Starling is a grown woman, and capable of deciding who is and who isn’t good enough for her to…engage in physical activities with.”

If this situation wasn’t so dire, I would’ve laughed at Jade’s careful choice of words, trying to avoid setting him off further.

He grabbed the tops of her arms—his knuckles bleeding and from this distance, I couldn’t be sure if it was his or not—ready to move her out of the way. There wasn’t a speck of copper in his eyes as his dragon’s potent energy radiated from him. Blood was smeared on his bottom lip, and speckled the front of his gray shirt.

That better not be Ander’s. I jolted at the ferocity of those thoughts as I came to a stop beside Rowan. She was big compared to normal wolves, with a slight shimmer around the edges of her white and black fur in the light of the setting sun. She inclined her head in a wordless greeting as she pinned her glowing yellow eyes on me, seeing way too much.

Standing across from us was Reed. He met my gaze and for once, all traces of humor were gone. There was a healing bruise on his cheek that he most likely earned trying to separate the two, along with blood on his left arm.

Ander was a few yards to Reed’s right, his gaze on me. His eyes scanned my body from head to toe, heat trailing over my body. He exposed his chiseled abs when he used the hem of his shirt to dab at the blood pooling at his temple. Blood dripped from his healing split lip. Even though he was bleeding, Ander appeared unconcerned. He didn’t even seem pissed like I thought he would be.

Based on the state of Koa, Ander got in a hit, maybe two, but nothing else. It went to show his restraint that he let Koa get off several hits and didn’t retaliate. Even though Koa was cocky and claimed he could easily beat Ander in a fight, we all knew it would be a close match either way. No way would Koa walk away with barely any injuries. Not in a real fight with Ander.

This whole situation was complete and utter fucking bullshit. While I appreciated how he was protective of me, and I loved him more than I could put into words, I was fucking annoyed at his overreaction.

Koa’s entire focus for now was on Jade as she refused to move out of his way, still talking to him in a low voice. Reed was watching me expectantly, waiting to see what I’d do next, as was Ander.

My patience—which had already been worn thin by Ruby and her bullshit—was now gone and I was pissed. “Are you fucking kidding me?” My voice was sharp and showcased my lack of patience as I strode between the two, my focus on my brother.

While I faced Koa, I was acutely aware of Ander and where he stood.

Jade shot me a look over her shoulder, nonverbally asking if I had this under control. I gave a small nod, and she stepped to the side to stand beside Reed, asking him if he was alright. I appreciated how she understood this was something I needed to take care of by myself. My only wish was that Koa and I could have this conversation alone, but I figured the chances of that happening were slim. It was probably for the best to get all of this out in the open anyway.

After taking a deep breath, I closed the distance between my brother and me until we were only a few feet apart. His breaths were still heavy and his dragon was still close to the surface, throwing off waves of heat. His face was impassive as he silently watched me. “I love you, but I’ve just had the longest and most hellish day of my life. The last thing I need right now is to deal with you acting like a fucking asshole.”

Jade snorted, pressing her hand over her mouth to hide her smile and smoother her laugh. Shock was painted over Koa’s expression as he opened his mouth, most likely to defend his asshole actions, but I was having none of that. I wasn’t exaggerating when I said I wasn’t in the mood.

The tingling awareness at my back told me Ander had drifted closer and stood right behind me. Koa’s gaze flicked up to Ander, lingering there for a few moments before returning to me. Rather than the anger that had been overshadowing every other emotion, he now was displaying confusion. His eyebrows knitted together and he looked between us a couple more times. I nearly jumped when he reached out and grabbed a lock of my freshly washed and detangled hair. I was once again embarrassed when he leaned down and smelled my hair.

I huffed out an annoyed sigh at how everyone thought it was okay to keep smelling me.

Koa’s confusion remained as he dropped my hair, his lips pursed as he grabbed my wrist. What the hell was going on? Why the sudden change in demeanor? You’d think he’d be pissed that Ander’s scent still lingered. No doubt my expression showcased my own confusion.

He raised his free hand, and a claw appeared at the tip of his forefinger. His gaze met mine, the question in his eyes clear as day. Rolling my eyes, I inclined my head toward my wrist, telling him it was okay to draw my blood.

Hopefully, he wouldn’t lose his shit when he smelled Ander’s blood intertwined with mine.

A moment before he could make contact, Ander’s hand shot out and grabbed Koa’s wrist. He’d moved even closer, his chest firmly pressed against my back as his chest rumbled in a low growl. His other arm wrapped around my stomach, pulling me even tighter against him. Warmth pooled in my stomach at the contact and now I wished we were alone. “Mine,” Ander rumbled.

Rather than be pissed at Ander’s hold on his wrist, Koa retracted his claw, pulled his hand out of Ander’s hold, and held up both hands in a placating gesture. A surprised gasp slipped free when Koa took a couple of steps back, a smirk tugging on his lips. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

What the hell was going on? Jade was as perplexed as I was, looking between Ander and Koa, not getting a single thing from either of them. “I’m so fucking lost right now,” Jade said with a sigh, placing her hands on her hips.

“It’s simple,” Reed stage whispered to Jade, his tone casual. All the tension was gone from his body as he crossed his arms, a small smile warming his expression. “Koa just put together that Starling and Ander are fated mates.”

I met his gaze, surprised he somehow already knew. Reed’s grin grew as he shrugged.

I was surprised Jade’s eyes didn’t pop out of her head with how wide they were as she glanced between us. “What?”

As soon as the shock wore off, she was nearly bouncing with excitement. She most likely would’ve rushed over and hugged the two of us if it weren’t for Koa grabbing her wrist and pulling her against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her in place.

He bent his head down and whispered a “threat” he would do to her if she didn’t behave. I wanted to bleach his words from my mind, not wanting to ever think about my brother’s sex life, much less hear about it.

Jade tipped her head back and looked up at him. “Promise?”

I made an exaggerated gag, reminding these two that we were still here and that none of us wanted to listen to them. Ari’s chuckle came from the direction of the house. “I know, those two are nauseating.”

Ander had yet to let go of me, his hand a weight against my stomach, pulling my focus to every flex of his fingers. I hadn’t forgotten how he called me his—maybe he was talking about my blood, but it still counted. Did he mean it in the way I hoped he did? Before those thoughts took hold, I shoved them down. Now was not the time to get my hopes up.

“Maybe we should let these two have a moment alone, without you nosey fuckers sticking your noses where they don’t belong.” Ari came into my line of sight, coming to stand beside Rowan. Her gaze locked in on the couple in front of me.

Jade gasped, pressing a hand to her chest and before she could say anything, Ari pointed in her direction. “Yes, you are and you know it. Fair is fair, we all gave you the space to sort your shit out.” Ari shot a look over my shoulder at Ander. “Sort of,” she amended, referencing how Ander and Koa had been at each other’s throats back then.

Ander’s hands flexed against my stomach as he bent his head down. His lips brushed my ear, sending shivers down my body. “Come on, I know somewhere private where they won’t bother us.”