CHAPTER20
REN
The man striding towards us glares at me with such intensity my wolf raises in alarm. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, and I stop, preparing to shield Cassandra from his onslaught, but the breeze changes, and it hits me — the charred scent. I heard it’s characteristic of dragon shifters. This must be Apollo, Cassandra’s other mate, and I understand why he looks so pissed off at me. I slowly put her down, raising my hands in a pacifying gesture.
“Apollo!” Cassandra cries out, limping to him. Apollo reaches out for her, slamming her against his chest, and she responds in kind, throwing her arms around his neck. “I’m so, so sorry.”
“It wasn’t your fault, mate,” he says against her hair. “The vampire’s the one who lost control.”
A vampire. That’s getting more and more interesting by the moment. I was just having my morning run with my wolf when I met my mate, the person every shifter hopes for. Thought I didn’t have one. Now, she has a weird set of friends tagging along.
Cassandra pulls away from him and punches his shoulder. “Stop putting the blame on him. I sucked the shadows out of the car, you saw it. He’s a vampire. Of course he would burn in the sunlight.”
Apollo shrugs, disinterest obvious on his face. I guess he’s not a fan of said vampire. “And who’s that?” he asks Cassandra, motioning for me and narrowing his eyes in suspicion.
I shoot out a hand. “Ren. Found Cassandra in the woods. Why are you shirtless?”
Apollo studies my hand for a moment before shaking it. At least he doesn’t bite. “I’m Apollo,” he says. “Thanks for bringing her up. I was looking around the road.” He turns to Cassandra, and I know I lost his attention. He ignores my question about his shirt. He might be one of those buffed-up guys who like to show off. His eyes soften as he raises his hands to cup her cheeks. “Are you hurt? You smell like blood.”
She shakes her head. “I’m fine. My foot hurts a little, but nothing a bag of ice won’t solve.”
“Good. My place’s close.” Apollo juts a thumb over his shoulder. “We were about to arrive.”
“Where’s Donatello?” Cassandra asks, her hands curling into fists. No matter what Apollo says, she’s still going to blame herself. I wouldn’t blame her, though. If she has no control over her power, then she has no control. She didn’t do it because she’s evil or anything.
Apollo drapes an arm over her shoulders. “Let’s search for him,” he says, with zero interest.
I chuckle and tag along. “You don’t look like you enjoy this guy’s company.”
Cassandra limps once, and Apollo’s quick to correct his hold, taking her around the waist. I don’t question what he told her. The way he protects her leaves no doubt he thinks she’s his mate. I walk to her other side, paying attention to the way she walks, making sure she’s not in pain.
“He’s a vampire,” Apollo shoots at me. “Hard to enjoy the company of someone who might suck you dry in the night.”
Cassandra slaps his chest. “He wouldn’t do that.”
Apollo shoots me an amused glance, and I chuckle, knowing half of him believes what he says, while the other half just enjoys messing with Cassandra. I watch the two, wondering if I’m the wrong one here. If I’m the third wheel. Then Cassandra looks at me, her rosy lips tilting into a soft smile as the early morning sun bathes her beautiful features, and I know I’m not an intruder.
I’m here to stay.
We reach the wreck of a car, angled out of the road, the front smashed into a tree. I crane my neck back, watching the pine stretching to the sky, unmoved by the hit. The car doesn’t share the feeling, and the engine sputters smoke out, broken glass circling the spot.
“Wow, that looks bad,” I mutter as we approach, and I peek inside. The car’s empty. “Weren’t you guys wearing seat belts?”
Cassandra makes a face full of regret. “Apollo and I were joking his senses were so good we didn’t need seat belts.”
Apollo twists his lips as he makes his way to the back seat and pulls a couple of bags from it. “I’m surprised these are intact. Good thing I stuffed them under the seats.”
Cassandra limps away, looking between the trees. I stride to catch up, offering an arm, which she dismisses. “He must be around here. He was driving,” she says under her breath. Her eyes focus on a point in the underbrush, and she gasps.
She runs the best she can with a limp, then drops next to what I now see is a body. He’s face down, and Cassandra struggles to flip him chest-up. I kneel next to them and help her. The dude is bulkier than he looks. At least this one’s wearing a shirt.
My eyes go round when my gaze meets his face. Cassandra gasps again, dropping from her crouch onto her ass. Donatello’s face is burned to a crisp. Even his lashes and brows are gone. Crap, he doesn’t look good. I curl my nose, and my wolf whines inside me. The stink is goddamn awful. Charred skin is the kind of scent you never forget.
“What have I done?” Cassandra breathes, kneeling next to Donatello. Her mouth hangs open, eyes glinting with unshed tears. I drape an arm around her shoulders and pull her close. She hugs me back, hiding her face in my chest.
“It’s okay,” I murmur against her, stroking her back and her dark hair. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“What are you guys even worrying about?” Apollo’s husky voice approaches, and he stomps onto the underbrush like an overgrown bear. “He’s a vampire. I shot one in the head yesterday, and it came back up.” He nears us, then kicks Donatello’s foot. “This bloodsucker’s just taking a nap.”