I pulled my paws from the table as I shook out my fur. My nails left long furrows in the tabletop. Damn it. I was going to have to replace that."Atlas? You in there, buddy?" Asher called. My eyesight was so clear in this form I could count the individual strands that comprised his eyebrows. Immediately, I started formulating ideas on how I would be able to test the differences. What made the same set of eyes work differently in different forms? Would I be able to somehow apply the wolf's vision to my human form? I inhaled. "Damn, boys." I snorted. I needed to get that stench from my nose. "You stink." I chuffed. "You're the one who's a big dog at the moment, Atty. Not us," Asher smiled, crossed his arms. I snarled at him. The sound, and emotion behind it, startled me. I was a fucking wolf. If I could do happy dances without being seen or teased, I would have. But not with Asher in the room. The man could make a joke about the most serious of subjects. I wasn't going to e

Wherever I was, it felt like a freaking sweatbox. I kicked my feet free of the blankets. Ah, blessed coolness. At least for my legs. My upper body was still roasting in the heat. I pushed against the hard arm that kept me sweat sealed to the body behind me. The body behind me.I turned over, popped up on one elbow. A smile stretched my mouth until I felt like an idiot. Saint was here. He was with me. Touching me. Without pain. Without either of us being pulled to the spirit world. Honestly, I couldn't remember feeling this instant pull, this almost magical bond with Ransom that I do with Saint. A hint of sadness filled me. Am I such an awful person? The smile fell from my mouth as I contemplated my life. I know these guys shared women, but how did their women deal with being shared? Did they love each man equally? Wasn't that how this was supposed to go?"Keep looking at me, I'm going to assume you're fully awake," he mumbled. Saint's voice pulled me from my thoughts

"Blackhammer89, you've got unfriendlies on your six," I said into the headset. "Roger that MindFreak," came the reply. I fired on the enemies with my virtual gun, bullets sprayed and bodies fell in their wake. The picture flickered on my screen. "What the fuck?" I hit the side of it with my hand. That had never happened before. The picture steadied. I kept on blazing through enemy lines. We had to secure the package before it was airlifted off the island. The picture flickered again. Right before a loud electrical pop sounded through my headset. The lights went out as the fire alarms went off. "What the fuck is happening?" I shot through our mental network as I threw off the headset. I started counting down the seconds until the backup generator turned on.. Ten.Nine. I grabbed the right keyboard, my fingers flying over the keys to do a system check. We were completely black.Seven."Xander, if you've blown another breaker, I'm beating your ass," Asher

I climbed into the military vehicle, medical bag in hand. I set it on my lap as Taryk pulled out of the lab's bay doors. I rubbed at my hands. I know they didn't have literal blood on them, yet. But the idea that I'd taken those lives, without knowing them, without being able to look in their eyes shredded me. I'd gone into medicine to help those who needed healing. Not kill those who threatened me and mine.And that's what it came down to. They threatened my family, Kiema, my life, my livelihood. I could live with the stain against my soul for that. For them. For us. For me."Okay, bro?" Taryk asked quietly from the driver's seat.I nodded my head, continued to look out my window."I'm here if you need me."I nodded again. He'd been there the first time I'd had to protect us this way. I knew he would be there every time it came down to us or them. I thanked Gaia for that. Even as I prayed I'd never have to protect us in this method ever again."Aeron is pulling himself alo

"Why does Xander sound like a zoo escapee?" I asked as Taryk and I walked out of the elevator.The group on the couch burst into greater laughter.The scent of disgusting sweat, tears, blood, snot, and other bodily fluids I didn't care to catalogue caught my more sensitive nose. I turned to look at the pile of Juan laying on the floor."What happened to him?" I asked.Kiema lifted her foot in the air. A familiar boot was tied to the end of her leg. "Damn, Ki-Ki." I shuddered.Xander turned, made a cutting motion over his throat.I nodded."I got the Hold ready for him. You guys want to help me move him?" my twin asked.Ransom and Saint pushed up from the couch, draping the single blanket there over Kiema's body."I can help. I need to talk to you two," Taryk said."Just you and me, Ki-Ki." I jogged the handful of feet and launched myself over the arm of the couch. My belly landed on Kiema."Ouff!" She slapped my ass. "You're so heavy.""Cuz I'm a bear, baby." I