Justice (Out for Blood Book 3) Read online

  “Have you come to a decision already, Liberator?” He asks.

  I don’t answer. I just continue to stare at my brother’s soul. I may have come to a decision, but it doesn’t mean I’m in a rush to give it. For a second, I’m almost tempted to throw the glass globe on the ground shattering it, and I grip it tighter. Sighing, I finally look up and gaze deep into Oreo’s eyes before I finally turn my attention to the reaper in front of me.

  “Yes,” I answer, closing my eyes while holding the globe out to him at the same time.

  I don’t open my eyes again until the weight from the globe is gone and I know that Maddie’s father has taken it from me.

  “You made the right choice, Liberator. It may not have been the easiest one, but it was the one rightfully to be made.” With that statement, his eyes light up and Rowen once again is standing in front of us, alive and whole. “I will give you a moment,” Maddie’s father says before disappearing.

  I don’t waste a second. I immediately run in my brother’s arms and inhale his scent. He smells like vanilla, a familiar smell I identify as home. Pulling back, I brace his cheeks as tears fall from both of our eyes.

  “You made the right choice, bean.”

  “How is it the right choice when you will no longer be with me?” I cry.

  “This is so much bigger than you and me. You cannot be who you are meant to be with me here. Everything will work out, you just need to stay strong,” he says, and then kisses me on the forehead. “I love you, bean. I love you more than anything in this world, even that arsehole,” he says tilting his head in Oreo’s direction, and I laugh. Leave it to Row to make a joke at a time like this.

  “I fucking love you too,” Oreo smoothly replies, joining us and making it a three man hug.

  Pulling back, I let them have their moment which they take advantage of and the two kiss and just hold each other. Rowen whispers something to Oreo too low for me to hear and he nods his head, agreeing to whatever Row is telling him. When Maddie’s father comes back, Rowen walks back over to me and press his forehead to mine, telling me again how much he loves me and that this isn’t the end. A bright light flashes causing me to close my eyes. When I opened them, the reaper and Row are gone, and I’m left alone with Oreo on the beach. Giving me a parting look full of sorrow, he blinks away, leaving me alone. I know when I go back to the house, he will not be there. That just like me, he’ll need time to deal. Row is gone, and he took my sanity with him. Glancing down in the sand, I see the glass globe used to hold my brother’s soul still intact, and I think that was the last straw before I finally snapped.

  Two

  Hangman

  It’s been two days since I last saw Remy. Two days from when she came in here and told me she didn’t think she could accept me as one of her soul bound mates. Her words didn’t surprise me. It’s not like I’d given her any reason to trust me. I failed at trying to save her brother, and now she’ll have to give him up. If I could, I would gladly trade my miserable life for his, but the Fates don’t want me. I’ve already tried when I jumped in front of him and took the bullet intended for him, and he still ended up with a fatal blow. I’m tainted and dark, but it still didn’t stop me from offering. I love Remy. I loved Rowen even more, and I hate that we will never be with one another. Soon Remy will suffer, losing him all over again, and I don’t know what that means for everyone else, but whatever happens, I will be there for her. I owe her that much.

  “Why are you still here?” A voice says behind me, and I turn to face Hunter’s snarling face. Ever since I recovered, he has not been my greatest fan. In fact, he’s probably the founder and president of the ‘I hate Hangman fanclub’.

  “I’m here for my mate,” I answer, baiting the wolf.

  He was not happy to hear the Fates chose me as one of Remy’s soul bound mates. If it weren’t for that fact, I believe he would have killed me by now. Probably still will, since Remy and I aren’t properly bonded yet, and my life isn’t tied with theirs.

  “Stop calling her that. She’s not your mate,” he growls.

  “I think the Fates will disagree with you, but by all means, why don’t you go ask them yourself?” I deadpanned.

  “Remy will never accept you. We will never accept you, so you might as well leave. I’m sure O’Donnell thinks you’re dead. You’re free. There's no reason for you to stay here any longer now that you’re fully healed.”

  Before I can respond to the asshole, Remy’s other mate,Cody, runs into the kitchen with a frantic look on his usually carefree face.

  “You’ve got to see this,” he rushes, before taking off again into the living room where the rest of Remy’s mates are already gathered along with her dads.

  “What’s going on?” Hunter asks before I can.

  “Shhh,” Atlas replies never taking his eyes off the flat screen hanging on the wall, and I switch my attention to the reporter on the screen.

  This information coming in at the heels of the fallout over finding out supernaturals exist has understandably sent the world into an uproar. Many of our world leaders, including the President and California Senator Thomas Sampson, will be put under investigation due to information of nefarious dealings with the billionaire business mogul Patrick O’Donnell being leaked. No one knows where the source of the information came from, but local authorities, as well as the FBI and CIA, are taking the information seriously and are currently conducting a formal investigation.

  “If this is happening then it can only mean one thing,” Conner says, breaking my attention from the screen.

  “The thumb drive,” his twin mutters. I’m lost, trying to piece together what the fuck they’re talking about.

  “What the hell is going on?” I ask, not able to take being in the dark any longer.

  I didn’t think anyone was paying me any attention as they all seem entranced by the news report, but Cody turns to me with a look of pure sorrow, and says, “Phantom is dead.”

  “What? That can’t be,” I reply. “Remy still has one more da..,” but before I could even finish my sentence a loud crash and a boom has us all turning our heads toward the staircase.

  Not wasting a second, we run up the stairs straight for Remy’s room when another crash and shattering of glass has us halting at her door. When I see her, I know what they said downstairs is correct. Phantom is indeed dead, and his sister is not dealing with it well. Her room is trashed. She’s turned everything over, including a solid wood vanity that had to weigh a ton. The anguish she feels is written clear across her face, sending the ones bonded to her to their knees, clutching their hearts. Only me, Atlas, and Remy’s dads are left standing, and I stare down at them, confused.

  “She must be channeling her pain through the bond,” Conner explains, and I raise my brow. The pain she’s feeling must be excruciating to bring four powerful supernaturals, including a fucking royal Fae, to their knees.

  Another loud crash has me snapping my head up, and I watch pieces from Remy’s king size bed roll broken on the floor. Having seen enough, I enter the room, and grab Remy, holding her to me. Instead of calming down, my presence does the opposite and she thrashes in my hold then flips me off her, sending me flying where I barely land on my feet. Her turquoise eyes are ringed with red and they flash on mine holding me hostage. She takes on a fighting stance, one that I remember well from all the times I spared with her back in O’Donnell’s tower of horrors when he was holding her captive.

  “Are you sure you want to do this, sweetheart?” I ask, taking my own fighting stance.

  In reply, she just growls and rushes me. With her power and strength returned, her impact is a lot harder and it sends me flying into the wall, which I flip off of and land on my feet, kicking her legs from up under her. When she lands on the ground, I don't waste time putting her in a hold. Normally taking her down wouldn’t be this easy, but she’s consumed with so much anger and pain that she’s just reacting, and deep down I suspect she doesn’t want to hurt me. Ad
justing my grip, I hold her tighter to my body, and in an attempt to get away, she bites down hard on my arm, drawing blood. I don’t let go or lose my grip. Not even when I see the marking of my rope and colorful blossoming flowers suddenly appear, wrapping around her arm from her wrist all the way up. Shit. Does she know what she just did? When I feel her go limp in my arms and her body start to shake from her sobs, I loosen my grip and pull her to my chest, holding her tight, allowing her to cry in my naked chest. I don’t know how long we stay like that, but before long, her other mates come into the room, and we all hold her together until she finally passes out.

  Three

  Remy

  I wake to a whispered argument going on not far from where I’m laying. From the voices, I could tell it’s Atlas and my grouchy wolf Hunter.

  “I still don’t see why you need to take her away,” Hunter whisper yells.

  “You saw what she did to her room. The pain had you all on your knees. Being in this house is not going to make things better. As her mate, my first duty is to protect her,” Atlas says, trying to reason with him.

  “That was then. Maybe when she wakes it’ll be out her system,” Hunter replies desperately.

  “I know you don’t really believe that. The girl lost her brother,” Atlas huffs.

  “Remy is going to need us all to get through this, even this arsehole,” Cody speaks up, and I suspect the arsehole in question is Hangman. I remember inhaling his unique leather scent when he held me close after I collapsed in his body after my episode.

  “It’s not forever. Remy needs to get her shit together, and she’s not going to be able to do that here in this house where she last saw her brother alive,” Atlas continues on with his argument.

  “I’m not arguing with that. I just don’t see why we can’t all go with you,” Hunter retorts.”

  “Because she won’t want you there,” Atlas yells harsly. When he calms down enough to recognize how callous his words are, he says in a much softer voice, “Remy is in a fucked up place right now. She’s not thinking straight. The last couple days she’s been distancing herself from you. In her mind, you were the ones that went along with her brother’s crazy plan and tried to prevent her from trying to save him. For her to start thinking things through reasonably and not give in to her anger, she’ll need her space from you. It won’t be forever. Just until she’s in a better frame of mind. I’ve already bought a house not far from here, and I can get Saraphenia to put a guise over it just like this one. It’ll be completely safe, and Remy will be able to work through her pain without damaging her relationship with you and Cody even further. This is what’s best for her and you. You have to see that.”

  Everyone is quiet. I don’t wait to hear Hunter’s reply before I close my eyes and let my body fall back into the darkness where I feel the most comfortable at. A place where I’m not making decisions or pushing people away.

  Blake

  “Sir, your father is at the door,” Thorn, my head of security, says, and I look up from the papers on my desk.

  I wondered how long it would take him to come crawling here after the news about him was released. Just like O’Donnell, his reputation is ruined, but I’ll be damned if I let him take me down with him.

  “Send him in, and stay close. I have a feeling this conversation will not go well,” I reply, gearing up for a fight. Thorn nods and saunters off to do my bidding.

  “Evening, son,” dad says as he strolls in my office like he doesn’t have a care in the world, even though he’s one of the most hated men in the world right now.

  “Father,” I reply boredly.

  As he takes his seat, I stare at the man that’s my father and wonder how we’re even related. Besides our eyes, I look nothing like him, thank fuck. He’s spent too many years feeding into his indulges with his ‘king of the world’ mindset that he hasn’t bothered to take proper care of himself. His hair has thinned out so much that doing a comb over isn’t even possible anymore, the suit he has on fits poorly, straining at his bulging stomach, a consequence from constantly stuffing his mouth with rich foods, his skin is red and blotchy, and he smells like stale cigarettes and expensive bourbon. I can’t imagine why my mother bothered staying with him.

  “How’s mom?” I ask.

  “I wouldn’t know, she has moved out,” he spits out hatefully.

  That’s interesting. About time mom grew some balls. I’m sure with dad’s latest scandal she didn’t have any other choice if she wanted to save face with her country club friends. She’s probably there now, acting like the victim when she knew all about dear ol’ dad’s penchment for young supernatural girls.

  “I didn’t come here to talk about your mother.”

  “Then why are you here?” We might as well get straight to the point.

  “O’Donnell contacted me,” he replies coolly.

  “Did he now?” I murmur, not at all surprised. I’m sure as soon as he left here he ran straight to my dad.

  “Well, when he informed me that my own son was leaving me high and dry, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I can understand you cutting him out, he’s not family, but I’m your flesh and blood. Because of my sperm, you are here,” he growls.

  “That’s funny, because from what I was told, you didn’t even think I was your son until I was born and you were able to conduct a blood test, and if it weren’t for mom being so determined to have me, you, my flesh and blood, would have aborted me, so excuse me when I say, I don’t think you are the best person to lecture me on loyalty.”

  “Your mother was a wild, dirty whore from the wrong side of the tracks. The only reason why I married her in the first place was because she said she was pregnant, so excuse me for not thinking the baby wasn’t mine.”

  “Why are you here?” I ask exasperated, already over this conversation.

  “I’ve come to see if I have your support. I’m currently under a formal investigation with the US Government. They’ve already started. All my accounts have been frozen, and the FBI just left the family estate, taking all my computers, hard drives, and whatever they could get their greedy hands on as evidence with them. The Senate has put me on unpaid leave, and has asked me to hand in my formal resignation. They have left me with nothing. Already deciding I’m guilty. Anything of value will have to be sold off just to keep my high priced lawyers paid. Everybody has turned their back on me,” he yells, pounding his fist on my desk. “I hate to add my own son to the list.”

  “But you are guilty. You are the one who partnered up with O’Donnell when you knew full well what kind of business he conducted. You’re the one who took great pleasure in raping supernatural girls as young as thirteen years old, and is responsible for a couple of their deaths. It’s your kiddie porn the Feds will find on your hard drives. Everything that is happening to you was brought on by your actions. I’m sure you couldn't have possibly thought the government would stand by you and let you keep your job after finding out about all this.”

  With each word that comes out of my mouth, I watch his face get redder and redder. He’s pissed. These were not the words he came here to hear, but I can’t find it in me to care or sugarcoat his situation. He’ll be lucky if he escapes the death penalty.

  “You’re talking to me all high and mighty like you didn’t participate or gain from my nefarious deals. Your whore of a mother couldn’t give you the opportunities I have. It’s my family name you’re riding on that has gotten you where you are today,” he counters.

  “Yes, and it’s your father you have to thank and his father before that for your own rise. We’re old money, I owe you nothing for my success. My last name may have paved the way, opened doors, but it was my hard work that got me where I am. As for your other accusation, I’ve only ever touched Remy. I don’t have kiddie porn on my computers. Besides Remy, I haven’t stuck my dick in anyone under the age of eighteen, and that's only because you lied to me about how old she was. Your threat is meaningless. You’re not the only
one who has connections. I have it on good authority that Remy wasn’t even mentioned in the information that was leaked. If you try to turn me in, it’ll be my word against yours, and right now, your word doesn’t mean shit.

  “You need to show me some respect. I’m your father,” he shouts, frustrated. Thick spittle from his mouth lands on the edge of my desk and I eye it with a look of disgust.

  “I don’t need to do anything,” I shout back. “I’m not the one on trial here. Because I’m your son, and see no point in sugarcoating your situation, I’m going to tell you the same thing I told O’Donnell. You’re done. I don’t give two shits that you’re my father. I will not be committing career suicide by associating myself with you any longer. If Granddad takes you in, that’s on him, but you can’t stay here, and I will not be keeping in touch. So if you came here counting on my support, you will be highly disappointed.”

  “You little piece of shit,” he roars, jumping up from his chair and it crashes on the floor.

  “Have we moved on to the insults already? First you threaten me, and now name calling. You’re acting like a petulant child because you’re not getting your way. I’ve made my decision. No matter what you say, I’m not changing my mind. Now get out. I have business to attend,” I tell him dispassionately, and right on cue, Thorn arrives to escort him out.

  “You’ll pay for this. Just mark my words. Don’t forget I know all about the bodies of the girls your abominations for guards killed and buried.”

  “Do what you need to do father. Just remember you need proof before you can come at me.”

  I don’t hear his response. Grabbing his arm, Thorn practically throws him out the door and down the hall. He has to know I’m smart enough to not leave any evidence behind. It’s all been taken care of magically. If the authorities are called, they won't find a thing, and my father will only ruin himself even more. Smiling, I call my mother to make sure she’s alright. I’m going to have to buy her a new home, one that’s not associated with my father. It won’t take the authorities long before they start seizing all my father’s assets once they break into his computers. My father is an idiot and loved to keep trophies. One of his favorite things to do was make live porn of the girls he raped, so it’s only a matter of time. Once I’m done, I push the buzzer on my desk and Thorn returns.