If it was Gabriel, I would deal with him, but Gabriel wasn’t a man to hide from a distance and attack so cowardly. He was a man who attacked from the front so you could see how powerful he was.
Aylin and I would find our rhythm and we would fight. Together.
Chapter Twelve
Aylin
I fought the darkness too many times tonight. The first time, I prevailed. Fighting the black char wrapped around my soul had been easy compared to witnessing the destruction of my home. The frame stood among the ashes. I choked on the smells of burnt wood and smoke that wafted through the air. My knees buckled, refusing to carry me forward.
Everything gone.
The loss smothered me and tamped down my spirits. I grabbed a handful of the ashes and sifted the ruins through my fingertips, leaving behind black marks on my palms. I wiped the smeared soot on my pants and fisted my hands.
The glorious morning planned earlier had vanished — in its place, darkness. Hatred for the person responsible for the devastation before me branded my soul . Why was I being targeted?
I snarled. Connor. Me. The imprint. My mark.
“We'll figure it out.” Connor placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, his eyes boring into mine with a sympathy that begged me to listen.
Will it be okay? I asked myself. “I've nothing left.”
“Hey!” Connor pulled me into a tight hug. “When you and Drew came to this pack, you had nothing but the clothes on your back. You've built once, and you can do it again.”
I inhaled. Smoke tainted his woodsy scent. Still, his essence grounded me and I wished away the blemish from the fire. He was right. But I was younger then. Ready to tackle the world. Now, in my late twenties, I didn't want to restart. I wanted the life that I was accustomed to.
I kicked a charred, unrecognizable lump. Instead of flying through the air, the thing split into a million pieces with ashes flying. Had it been a piece of my house, the furniture? I didn't know.
The golden embers of the fire sparked then died out. That's what I felt like. A dying fire. As if Connor sensed the darkness spreading through me, he ran his hands down my arms, sparking an inferno deep within my soul. When his hand stopped on my imprint, our connection ignited with new life. Our magic mingled as one. His hopefulness and love moved through my body, lighting my veins, chasing away the darkness. The molten lava reclaimed my sadness with a much stronger emotion —a physical desire that would make me forget about the ruins and concentrate on what we could create together.
I cupped his chin. The light stubble of his beard scratched my hand. I looked into his eyes and the darkness vanished. He was mine. I might not have my house, my things, but I found something so much more precious. Love.
Love.
That single word sent a shiver down my spine. I couldn't think of any other word to describe this thing between us.
I moved my lips a breath apart from his and waited, feeling the connection, the anticipation. My body burned for this man. The one who would fight like hell to protect me and always stand beside me.
“Aylin.” His ragged voice churned the butterflies in my stomach.
I pulled Connor into a soul-reaching kiss and poured my feelings, my life into it.
He moaned. His hands roamed down my back, taking control and changing the angle, meeting my fervor for one of his own.
We broke apart to catch a breath… only to begin another assault.
My body quivered under his touch. I needed him now. I had lost everything but this man and I wouldn't lose him. Our imprints glowed and circled around each other, the strands twining in an intricate braid.
But it was the heat of his touch that had my knees buckling and my heart racing. I ran my hands under his shirt, feeling the rock-hard abs beneath.
“Ahem.” A quiet voice fluttered through the crisp air.
I moved my kisses along Connor's chin, then suckled the side of his neck. He inhaled an audible breath before pulling back. I reached forward, but another louder, “Ahem,” broke my lust-filled thoughts. Where was I?
“Sorry.” Luna's whimsical voice barely registered over the pounding of my heart.
“What?” I asked.
“Hmm,” Luna flushed.
Connor and I stood in each other's arms. I didn't want to step away from the heat of his touch to the cold reality that surrounded me. The destruction of the life I had created. I built.
“Luna, kid, just spit it out.” I ran a hand through my hair and finally stepped away from Connor, but I placed a hand at his waist, desperate to maintain our connection.
“We're getting company.”
Connor tensed and looked around the empty yard. “Where? Who?”
He was as dumbfounded as I was.
“They're coming via a vehicle and will pull up in approximately thirty seconds.” Luna cleared her throat. “I - I didn't think you would want to be in a compromising position when the alpha showed up.”
My cheeks flushed. Liam somewhat approved of our relationship, but that didn't mean I wanted to be making out like a teenager when he arrived.
“Thanks, but how do you know they're coming?” I asked. Were Luna's eyes more silver than normal? They practically shimmered.
A slice of lights spotlighted the surrounding destruction. I slipped my arm tighter around Connor’s waist, drawing from his strength to center myself. I silently chanted my mantra. I am tough. I am the enforcer.
Liam and Bryn stepped out of the Hummer, followed closely by Drew, Bryn, and Mack. Each one eyed the damage with various degrees of worry, but Drew's sympathy broke my hold on Connor.
“Aylin, I'm so sorry.” He pulled me into a tight hug. “I know what this place meant to you.”
I returned his embrace, then moved back to Connor's side. With the highest-ranking members of the pack present, I fought the urge to reach for his
