“Jonah, are you there? Where the fuck is my mate?” Casen snarls through the phone, and I grit my teeth and ease my foot off the accelerator.
“Hang on, I can hardly hear you. I have hardly any reception. Let me pull over,” I lie.
“Pfft, I can hear you fine,” Casen scoffs, knowing I am feeding him bullshit.
“Huh? What was that? Speak up; I can’t hear you!” I retort, and I hear him growl as I pull off onto the shoulder and off the road.
Stopping the car, I feel for my bond with Kaif.
“Please don’t be wanking or fucking some bimbo,” I repeat in my mind before I gather the courage to reach out, and feel my thoughts merge with his. It is like being sucked into a vortex. A shiver runs through me and cold dread settles over me.
My body feels like it has turned jelly-like, and I am melting through my seat. I blink my eyes, opening them to new scenery that I know isn’t mine. I expect to see blood and carnage. Instead, I find myself peering down at Marabella, sleeping.
My brows furrow as I try to figure out what is going on. What shocks me most is that I’m not in Kaif’s head; I am in Kyan’s, yet I can feel Kaif is present – like he is in control along with Kyan. Which is weird because usually, Kyan has a firm grip on keeping Kaif out of his body, but it almost feels like he is willingly letting him go forward with him.
“Out!” Kaif snarls at me, feeling me in his head before I am shoved out. I am plunged back into my surroundings with a force that makes my body jolt.
Catching my breath, I exhale loudly, knowing if Marabella is with Kyan, that means Rose must be too. Not that I am at ease knowing Kyan and Kaif have Marabella with them. One slip-up and Kaif can force control and hurt her. However, both seem to have calmed down. And Kaif is no longer furious at whatever happened.
“Jonah, what the fuck bro, where you at?” Casen snarls into the phone, and I grip the steering wheel.
“Ah, that’s better. I can hear you now.” Casen growls menacingly. “What was the question?” I ask, playing dumb while pulling back onto the road and heading toward the city again.
“Rose, you know your damn sister and the pain in my damn ass. She and Marabella are gone. Now, where are they? Where the fuck is my mate, Jonah? Marabella isn’t answering my calls, and neither is Rose!” he screams.
“Oh, I ah… picked them up earlier. We are staying at Kyan’s place,” I mutter out another quick lie. Shit, I should work on my lying skills.
“What? And you didn’t think to fucking wake me? You know that wherever Rose goes, I fucking go!” I roll my eyes at his goddamn reminder.
Yeah, dude, because you are possessive as fuck. Honestly, he is a godsend and would do anything for my sister, despite him being a controlling asshole at times.
“Girls said you looked nice and cozy sucking your thumb in ya sleep and shit. They didn’t want to disturb you,” I chuckle, despite knowing I’m close to pissing him off to no limits.
“I do not suck my thumb! I swear if you are lying to me,” he hisses.
“You’ll what?” I ask, and Casen growls.
“Now shit will be awkward when everyone gets up,” Casen mutters under his breath.
“Head to the city. We are all going there tomorrow for Rose’s birthday. Stay in the hotel. You have a key,” I tell him.
“Fine, they should have left a note if they were going with you. I don’t even think Kat knows they’re gone.”
Yeah, this I didn’t think of. Quick, brain, work, show some power of thinking, I’m begging you!
I hid my hand on the steering wheel to fake frustration. “Damn it, I told them to leave a note or wake Kat!” I lie. Fuck, I hope this doesn’t bite me in the ass.
“All good, I will leave a note. See you tomorrow and don’t let her out of your sight.” I am about to hang up when he speaks again. “Wait, if you’re with the girls, why are you driving? Is Rose with you?” Busted.
“Na, she fell asleep at Kyan’s. I am just getting milk,” I blurt out. What the fuck is this? Why do I sound like the average dad, who leaves for milk and never reruns home?
“You’re getting milk at midnight?” he questions, and I can hear the suspicion in his voice. I know Rose will get her head bitten off tomorrow when he gets his hands on her.
Jonah
“Yep, Kyan is a real Cuntahontas in the morning if he hasn’t had his morning brew, figured I would get milk before I have to put up with his morning head,” I tell him. Shit, I am digging a bigger hole to bury myself.
Casen sighs. “I don’t know with you sometimes. You better not be lying to me?”
“Ring Kyan. He is still at home, but hey, you wake him, you deal with him,” I tell him.
“Fine, fine, I believe you. I will head to the city then.” I cut the call and continue driving when I feel a rush, and this time I know for certain Kaif has shifted. His anger smashes into me, and my heart jolts in my chest, knowing my sister and Marabella are both with him.
“Kyan!” I try to feel anything from him, calling him through the bond, but nothing like he is nonexistent, and I know that couldn’t be a good thing. It made me wonder what changed. Kyan was letting him forward, but something angered him, and now I can only feel Kaif.
It takes another twenty minutes of my heart palpitating in my chest erratically before I hit the driveway of the manor, having done the entire drive in an hour. My car pulls in next to Kyan’s, and I rush to the door, shoving it open. A shiver runs through me from how cold this place is, and I had noticed over the years this place grows colder when Kaif is in control like the place is reacting to his energy.
When I was in Kyan’s head, Marabella was in his room. I recognized the bedspread and all his family’s grimoires on the shelves, but all I got was silence walking in. Walking through the place, I quickly check the guest bedroom and find Rose snoring, and she has kicked her blankets off.
I shake my head, quickly closing her door and sucking in a deep breath as I turn the corner and start climbing the stairs. I expected bloodshed and the house to be totaled or screaming like usual, but it is unusually silent. That scares me more because silence usually means he is hunting.