Found and Forged Read online

  “We’ll hike until we find a good spot to stop for the night. It isn’t too steep, but if any of you need to stop for any reason, just let the people at the front know,” Sorik announces, and we all nod and voice our agreement. “I didn’t run into any scouts or anything before, but that doesn’t mean we might not now. Our traveling party is a bit more conspicuous, so if you see anything or feel anything out of the ordinary, call it out.”

  With that, Sorik turns and starts to make his way away from the cars and out into the hills. Siah moves to walk with him but suddenly stops and looks back at me like he’s confused.

  “I think he just remembered he has a mate who might want him by her side instead of by his friend’s side,” Nash informs me, clearly having watched the same reaction I just saw.

  I smile warmly at Siah and try to communicate silently that it’s fine if he hangs with Sorik. I know their friendship goes way back, and I’m not bothered by it. Fact is, I don’t always know how to manage this pack of Chosen. I worry a lot about whether they are all getting what they need. Nurturing relationships with each of them is no joke, and we’re all working hard at this. I’m lucky that they are all figuring each other out and building those bonds as well. They all get along, which means things are so far, so good, on the mate front.

  Enoch makes his way over to Nash, and I find myself watching my Chosen to see if his proximity to me is going to be a problem. Knox and a few others are watching him, but they’re keeping their mouths closed. They’ve been doing this since I put my foot down about them coming with us. It’s obvious that they still aren’t a fan of Enoch or his coven being here, but they aren’t being vocal about it, and they aren’t starting shit.

  I’m not sure if it was the way the magic reacted when Siah joined our bond, and Enoch and his crew were unaffected other than a little glowing, or if they’ve just had more time to process and deal with the other coven’s presence and can bite their tongues better. Either way, I’ll take it, regardless of how much I’m expecting the ceasefire to crumble and the bullshit to start again.

  “So how are you holding up?” Nash asks me as we all fall into place behind Sorik, Siah, and Vaughn.

  I shrug and tuck my thumbs into the pack straps on my shoulders. “Good,” I answer casually.

  Nash snorts, and I turn to watch his face, my eyebrows dipping down in question.

  “What? You’ve decided I’m not good?” I challenge as he shakes his head and runs his gaze over my face.

  “I’m not deciding anything. I just don’t see how you’re good with anything that’s going on.”

  “What would you prefer I be then?” I snark.

  Nash releases a sigh. “I don’t know. It’s just that you thought you were the last of your kind, and yet we’re hiking to a city full of Sentinels. Your uncle died. Your mates’ uncle hates you. He’s also headed back to Solace to stand trial for crimes he committed to find his sister and your father, one of who happens to be traveling with us on this quest that just might get us all killed. And you’re just...good.”

  I give a humorless snort at his wrap up of things. “I’ve felt cautious, unsure, sad, relieved, hesitant, excited and a ton of other shit. Right now, this is an adventure, and I’m surrounded by people I love and care about, so I’m...good.”

  I take a moment to study Nash. I’ve been busy with the sisters, the logistics of this mission, my dad, my mates, the lamia. I haven’t made time to check in with Nash and his coven. I take in the tightness around his eyes and the flattening of his lips and realize that his question about how I’m feeling is more about him than it is about me.

  “How are you?” I ask, and I watch his brow furrow in confusion.

  “I’m fucking nervous,” he admits.

  I give him a reassuring smile and a soft shoulder bump with my shoulder. We step around an old log sitting in the middle of the path we’re on.

  “Anything I can do to help you feel less nervous?” I offer and then give him the space to think about it.

  “What do you do when you feel fucked up and restless?” he asks me.

  I think about it for a minute. “I usually need to do something physical: run, fight, get stabby with something.”

  Nash laughs, and a few other chuckles sound off around the group.

  “We’re all unsure of what’s going to go down,” Bastien surprises me by saying. “But you’re not alone. We’ll all deal with whatever happens together.”

  I don’t fight the smile that creeps over my face as I watch Bastien comfort someone he doesn’t even like. Nash nods his head at Bastien’s declaration, and I can see his shoulders relax a little. I’m pretty sure I hear Becket mumble something about “afterschool special bullshit,” but I ignore it and instead bask in my mate’s awesomeness.

  “I’m sure we’ll all run the gamut of feels as we get closer to Sentinel City. Just know we’re here if you need to get the nerves or whatever out of your system,” I offer. “Fuck knows, I’ll probably need the same.”

  Nash studies my face as my words sit in the air between us.

  “I mean, I’m good now, but that could turn into freaking the fuck out at any minute,” I admit, and Nash snorts out a laugh.

  He gives me a small smile, the thanks clear in his eyes. Nash looks away, his expression contemplative, and I leave him to his thoughts. I reach out and lace my fingers with Bastien’s. He’s so hot when he’s being all sensitive and shit.

  Torrez’s chuckle fills the silence, and Sabin, Knox, Ryker and Bastien all suddenly shout dibs at the same time.

  “You pricks can’t steal my thing!” Sabin exclaims.

  “Our thing now, bro,” Knox teases and dodges the punch Sabin aims for his arm.

  “Never telling you fools anything again,” Sabin declares, but the amused smile fighting to take over his face sells him out. “First one to the top of the hill sleeps in Vinna’s tent tonight!” he suddenly declares and then books it.

  Two seconds later I’m left in a cloud of dust and man grunts, laughing my ass off. Maybe my vagina is more magical than I thought it was. Who knew?

  4

  “This is bullshit,” Knox announces once again as I throw my pack in my tent.

  I remind myself to take a deep breath and not tackle him and put him in a choke hold until he stops sulking.

  “Technically, Sabin never specified who could or couldn’t win, so it’s fair play regardless of whether or not you think it’s bullshit,” Kallan retorts while zipping up the door to his and Becket’s tent after throwing his bag in it.

  Enoch sets his bag next to mine, and I can feel the eye daggers being chucked at him from all angles.

  “A tie is a tie,” Enoch once again voices as he watches Knox add his bag to the tent too. “We both won, so we both sleep in here tonight,” Enoch declares, zipping up the closure to my tent, one of his eyebrows rising in challenge.

  “As much fun as it is listening to the nonstop bickering about shit I just don’t give a fuck about, I’m getting hangry,” I announce and then go in search of the pack that has snacks and other provisions stuffed in it.

  My legs feel a little jelly like, and my exhaustion is playing a key role in my pissy emotions. Well, that and the drama that started when Enoch and Knox reached what was considered the top of the hill at exactly the same time. The fragile acceptance between my Chosen and my Shields crumbled to dust, and every old wound that ever existed between these two groups broke open.

  The problem is that I understand both sides of the arguments, but we need to figure out how to work together and get over all this bullshit. I just wish I had some idea how to make that happen.

  “Anything I can help you with, mate?” Siah asks me with a cheeky smile and understanding in his eyes as I growl at a granola bar that’s refusing to let me open it.

  I release a hollow chuckle. “Tell me more about how compulsion works,” I joke. “Because I could really go for some forcing them to get along and work together until all of this is ov
er.”

  He chuckles and shakes his head as he looks over his shoulder at a new argument that’s just started between Nash and Ryker. “Yeah, unfortunately I’m not that good,” he admits, taking the bastard unopened granola bar from my hands and opening it in one try.

  He hands the stubborn sustenance back to me, but before I can take a bite, the argument going on behind me gets even louder. I sigh and blink through the eye twitch I can feel starting up.

  “I don’t think any lamia is that good,” Siah observes, and I cringe as the name calling and posturing starts.

  The short brittle grass and tall trees surrounding our camp site for the night suddenly feel like they’re closing in, and the yelling is not fucking helping.

  “Enough!” I bellow, the frustrated declaration bouncing around the trees and surging back at me.

  Enoch and Knox are squaring off with each other at this point, oblivious to how over all of this I am. I send a pulse of Sentinel magic out and watch as it slams violently into both of them, forcing them to stumble back away from each other. That finally does the job of catching their attention, and they both turn to me, anger and confusion in their gazes.

  “Follow me,” I command and then turn and trudge away from camp before anyone can say anything.

  I can tell by the sound of crunching brush behind me that more than Enoch and Knox are following, which is good. It’s time for everyone to get this shit out of their system. I find a clearing big enough for what I need and stop in the middle of it. I turn around and catch frustrated looks from both my Chosen and Shields, along with a healthy dose of curiosity staring back at me.

  “We have no idea what we’re walking into, but even if we’re greeted by a bunch of tree hugging Sentinel hippies, all of you have to cut this shit out,” I demand as frustration boils over inside of me and stains everything. “I have tried to give you time and understanding in hopes that, as grown ass males, you could work this bullshit out. But obviously that is not going to happen. So it’s time to switch shit up.” I gesture at the space around me. “Fight,” I declare and then step back to give them the space to do just that.

  “What?” Valen asks me at the same time Torrez gives an amused holler of approval and rubs his hands together eagerly.

  I turn back to Valen. “Fight it out. Beat the shit out of each other. Fuck shit up. I honestly don’t care anymore, but whatever it is that’s fueling the hate and mistrust, get it the fuck out so we can move the fuck on.”

  Valen raises his eyebrows.

  “Don’t give me that look. You all have been itching to do this since our first training session. So go for it. I refuse to be the referee between you anymore.” I look at each of my Chosen. “They are my Shields. Like it or not, we’re all connected. You can see that as a bad thing if you want, there’s nothing I can do about that. But I’m tired of you trying to make me see it as a bad thing.”

  I shake my head and look at Becket, Kallan, Nash and Enoch in turn. “I think everything happens for a reason. I trust my magic and each of you. So beat each other bloody if that will make you feel better, but when the fighting stops, so does the bickering and the petty bullshit.”

  “I don’t have a dog in this fight, I’ll just be over here egging them all on though,” Torrez announces as he steps away from the group.

  Siah follows him, and they both get comfortable and lean back on the trunk of a surrounding tree, ready for whatever happens next. The guys are all looking at each other and then back at me like they’re not sure what to do. I cross my arms over my chest and wait. Maybe they’ll finally see how ridiculous all of this is and we can just fucking move forward already.

  No sooner does that thought cross my mind than Knox walks up to Enoch and gets in his face.

  “No magic, just me beating the shit out of you the ol’ fashioned way,” Knox challenges.

  Enoch snorts. “We both know who ranked higher when it comes to hand-to-hand combat. I’m happy to remind you of that fact though, since you clearly need it.”

  Enoch unzips his jacket and hands it to Nash. He starts to stretch out and limber up, and the rest of the guys all back up to give them space. Knox pulls off his jacket and his t-shirt. He bends over to remove his shoes, and I take my time studying the muscles in his back. They flex as he straightens up and hands everything to Bastien.

  Nerves flutter through me. I worry that letting them do this could just make it worse. Instead of working this anger out of their systems, it could just give them a taste for each other’s blood and make them even more hungry for it. Well, fuck it. It’s a risk I’m willing to take because I’m at a loss at this point for what else to do. Talking doesn’t seem to work. Rationalizing doesn’t seem to work. The competition and anger is too deeply rooted.

  “No permanently disfiguring each other in any way. No biting, no junk punches, no eye gouges, no hair pulling. If your opponent taps out, you will back the fuck off. When the fighting is over, you will move on and stop living in the past. Understood?” I bark at them.

  Knox and Enoch both nod as they stare angrily at one another.

  “Begin,” I announce.

  Knox and Enoch both just stand there for a minute, sizing each other up. Knox is half a head taller and bulkier than Enoch, but Enoch doesn’t look fazed by that at all. They both start simultaneously circling one another. They look like predators trying to convince the other one that they’re the prey. I can practically feel the hate and anger wafting off of them. It feels heavy and oppressive, and I just hope to fuck they can both purge it.

  They charge each other at the same time, their movements a blur. It’s brutal and beautiful, the way they hit and dodge and look for an opening all while setting a punishing pace with their fists. Enoch gets a hold of Knox. He picks him up and body slams him to the ground. The other guys wince and ooh, but I watch Knox’s calculating face as he yanks Enoch’s legs out from under him. They grapple, both pressing for the upper hand.

  Enoch tries to push Knox off of him with his legs. It forces Knox back, but then he dives over Enoch’s outstretched legs and nails him in the face with a right hook. It’s such a graceful move I didn’t expect from my big beefy Knox, and I smile and file it away to try out in the future. The hit opens a cut on Enoch’s cheek, but the two continue to go at it like the blood doesn’t matter.

  Enoch lands a few knees amidst the flurry of punches, and I’m surprised that all of the guys on the sidelines aren’t shouting their support or guidance. Everyone is just watching tensely. Taking this seriously. Waiting for the outcome. Knox bellows out in pain and grabs his side. The sound of him hurting sparks something in me that I have to hold back. It makes it way fucking harder for me to see the violence in a disconnected, analytical way. I find myself glaring at Enoch for a second before I shake it off and remind myself why we’re here. Why things have come to this.

  Enoch tries for another shot at Knox’s ribs, but Knox spins and nails him with an elbow to the head. Enoch stumbles, the hit making him unsteady on his feet. Knox sees the opening and pounces. He charges Enoch, tackling him to the ground, both of them landing hits to each other’s faces. A cut opens up above Knox’s eye, but he has the upper hand and clearly won’t be distracted by the blood now dripping into his socket. I step in when Enoch stops throwing hits and instead attempts to shield his head from Knox’s onslaught.

  The fight is over. Knox won.

  I tap on Knox, but he doesn’t stop his attack. The guys rush over and help to pull him off of Enoch. But what I see in Knox’s face drops a heavy weight in the pit of my stomach. I check on Enoch, hoping that maybe Knox just needs a minute to snap out of battle mode. To let the hate and rage go.

  Enoch sits up and swears. He’s pissed off, but he stands up, brushes himself off and looks at me. His gaze is filled with frustration, but there’s resignation and acceptance there too. I nod at him, and he wipes blood from his face and turns around and heads in the direction of the tents. Relief bubbles up inside of me as I watch
him go.

  This bullshit can finally be over now.

  That thought turns to stone and sinks into oblivion inside of me as I turn back to Knox. He’s watching Enoch walk away like he’s still hunting him. This fight changed things for Enoch; it clearly did not change things for Knox. Anger and frustration flare inside of me. I approach my Chosen and watch them congratulate Knox and pump him up over what just went down.

  “Anyone else want to fight?” I ask tersely.

  Kallan, Becket, and Nash are still standing off to the side, and I look from them to my Chosen. They all shake their heads.

  “Sure?” I press. “Because this will be your last chance to air any grievances with each other using your fists,” I inform them all again.

  No one steps forward.

  “Good,” I declare. “My turn then.”

  5

  “What?” Bastien and some of the others ask as I strip out of my coat and shirt revealing the sports bra I’m wearing underneath.

  “What are you doing?” Becket asks me as I kick off my shoes and push my jeans down my hips. I flex my toes against the frosty grass and start hopping in place to get my blood flowing and my body warmed up.

  My movement pulls Knox’s focus back to me, and he gives me a confused look. “What do you mean your turn?” Bastien demands again, but my gaze is locked on Knox.

  “What? You think you guys are the only ones with issues? The only ones so pissed off that you need to fight it out?” I ask.

  I square off toward Knox, welcoming all the rage and fight I still see in his face.

  “Vinna, don’t do this,” Sabin starts, and my glare snaps to him.

  “This is between me and Knox. Stay the fuck out of it.”

  Sabin jerks back like I’ve just slapped him across the face, but it’s not my words that hit him so hard, it’s the pain I know he can see in my eyes. His forest green gaze bounces back and forth between my seafoam green stare. Then he takes a conciliatory step back. Sabin backing off seems to confuse the others. I wait to see who else’s objections will need to be dealt with, but everyone stays quiet, unease floating in the air.