Chapter 7

"And you haven't heard from them?"

Keldin shook his head. He was Skyping with Aiden in the office at their new publishing house. "No. Last night he said he was going to Bryony's because he felt something was wrong, and he took Paycen and Emery. Carter and Petey were sent to keep an eye on the mob. I haven't seen any of them since."

Aiden rubbed her forehead. The bags under her eyes had gotten worse in the last several hours. Keldin could tell she hadn't been eating because he could see her collar bones through her shirt. "Do we have any idea where he could have gone?"

Her friend gave her a droll look. "You sent him after a woman."

"Point taken but still. He wouldn't disappear without telling someone."

"He's done it before." Austin had a tendency to do things without letting anyone know he was doing it. It had caused all sorts of messes growing up, especially when they had been on hunts.

It was her turn to give him a droll stare. "And I had to literally beat his brains out for doing it."

"But I had to deal with his drunken ass for three weeks before that." She was referring to the Isabel incident.

They stared at each other for a few moments before laughing. He propped his chin up on his fist. "We are a piece of work aren't we?"

Aiden nodded. "That we are. When your errant brother returns, tell him I want a full report and it better be good."

"I'll tell him. But don't ream him out too much. That's my job."

She smiled at him. "Take care, Keldin."

"I will." As she disappeared from the screen, the door to the office slammed open. He stared at the blackened screen then at the four people infiltrating the office. "You son of a…Wait. I can't use that phrase. We have the same mother. You're a sack of wine, you know that?"

Austin cast his brother a fleeting look before walking over to the bookshelf. "You've been watching 'Troy' again haven't you?"

Keldin mocked his tone then pointed his finger in his brother's face that mirrored his own. "I just got off line with Aiden. She and I agree that you're an idiot for going off without backup."

Paycen slumped down in a chair. "What are we? Cattle fodder?"

Keldin gave him a pointed look. "The point is you disappeared and didn't tell me where you were going. Your entire team just vanished."

Austin's head snapped to his brother. "You haven't heard from Carter and Petey?"

His brother shook his head. "No. Last I heard you said they were keeping an eye on the mob. Which by the way is a whole ordeal because I did my own recon, and their compound is massive." He paused in his rambling to look at his friends and their concerned faces. "What is it?"

"They were keeping an eye on the mob, but they were supposed to check in with you at midnight," Paycen explained.

"Well, they haven't."

Emery cursed. "That means they've been captured."

"I'll call Tyler." Austin slammed his hand down on his brother's as he reached for the phone. "What the hell, Aus?"

"Don't call in Ty. We don't have time for it." The look on his face said something completely different. In his head, he was saying, 'Don't. Ty just told me they have this place marked, as well as Bryony's house. We can't let her go home. She has to stay with us.'

'Staying with us could get her killed,' Keldin reminded his brother mentally while verbally he said, "Tyler will know what to do. He's one of the best in this field. We could use his expertise."

Paycen shook his head. "If we brought Tyler in, he'd be a sitting duck because he doesn't have a team."

Bryony opened her mouth to speak but a sharp look from Emery kept her quiet. There was more going on here and she wasn't privy to the details. But she watched them carefully, understanding fully that something was going on under the surface.

She tried to remember which one Tyler was. There had been six of them growing up. Three sets of twins. Two sets were identical twins and the last set was fraternal. Aiden was the fraternal twin to Mikey, the co-captain of the football team. Austin and Keldin were standing here currently. That let Tyler and his brother, but she couldn't place his name.

She looked at the picture on the table. As she looked over the colored Polaroid, the only different one was a black haired man. He had to be Tyler, which meant his brother had looked exactly like him. She just couldn't remember his name.

Emery wrapped his hand around her arm, shocking her from her thoughts, and tugged her towards the door. "I'll take her to my place. It should be safe considering no one knows where I live." In his head, this is how the conversation went: 'Our only safe house is your place, Aussie. No one will look for you in a warehouse."

'We're going to the Manchestor brothers first.' Austin turned to his brother. "I need you to watch the building, make sure no one gets hurt. We're going to the coast where we'll be safe."

Keldin made a face. "What about the woman?"

Bryony scoffed. "I have a name. You don't have to talk like I'm not here."

They ignored her.

"She's coming with me. Once we're safely at Emery's we'll let you know. We'll keep trying to get in touch with the boys. Stay safe, Kel," Austin said.

Resigned, the younger twin sighed and waved a hand. "I will. Do what you have to do."

Emery yanked Bryony with him as he headed towards the door. His grip relaxed briefly when he thought he was hurting her but it was still strong. Paycen followed them but soon passed them in the hallway. Austin brought up the rear. He seemed to be crackling even more now than he was when they were talking to the Elves.

As they headed for the stairs, everyone stared at them. Bryony would have felt a little self-conscious if the look of Paycen in front of her didn't strike fear in the hearts of everyone. He was a big man and armed to the teeth although the others couldn't tell that.

They managed to make it outside and halfway down the sidewalk when Emery gently pulled Bryony into his side. His arm held her securely against him between him and Paycen. She felt his fingers drum against his hip bone.

"Three o'clock," Emery whispered.

Paycen's hand went to his back and he unhooked a holster hidden there. She guessed being a Healer meant he didn't have any other abilities or powers or whatever the hell they were called.

"Em, it's raining," Austin said.

A smile bloomed on the young man's face. "Just what the doctor ordered. Paycen, take her so we can do the most damage."

Bryony walked shoulder to shoulder with Paycen to an dead end alley, stepping backwards when Austin brushed against her. Once again she felt a jolt of electricity as their skin touched. This time it was fleeting as he took up a stance on Paycen's right side.

"Emery!" Austin yelled. He threw his hands out to his side with his palms up. An electrical current arced between them. Finally he thrust them out, sending the current with them.

"Boss, there are four more," Paycen replied. His gun was level with his shoulders and he held it straight.

Together, Emery and Austin took care of the threat. Well, they thought they did because when they turned eight more showed up. Even so they were a well-oiled machine who worked in tandem with each other. As Paycen started firing shots to disorient their attackers, they swooped in to incapacitate them.

One came at their side. Bryony, thinking on her feet, grabbed a knife sticking out of Paycen's boot and shoved it into the man's side. She twisted her wrist upward, driving the serrated blade into the muscles. Blood spattered everywhere, even on her face. When she pulled it out and turned around, Paycen gave her an appreciative look. He laughed when she handed it back to her.

"No, no. You keep it, but a word of advice," he said as he took the knife from her. He pulled a black rag from one of his many pockets and ran it along the edge. "Always clean your blade before you sheath it. If you don't, you could easily corrupt it. Then you wouldn't have anything to defend yourself with." He handed it back to her inside the sheath. "Clip it to your belt that way you have it when you need it."

After doing as he said, she noticed Austin was holding his arm as he walked back to them. Blood seeped through his fingers but he was smiling and talking with Emery. He looked at her with the blood splattered on her new shirt the Elves had given her and crinkled his brow. His gaze went to Paycen immediately.

"Boss, you should have seen her. She saved my ass so I gave her the blade. She's very quick on her feet," Paycen said. "She's a good catch too."

"Would everyone quit saying that?" Austin asked as he ran his bloody hand through his hair. Underneath the rush of adrenaline, there was a faint stain of red on his cheeks that wasn't from the blood of their enemies.

He was embarrassed.

"Where to now?" Bryony asked. She could feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins. After the night she'd had, she was certain if they didn't move now, she was going to fall out in the middle of the street.

Austin looked at her. "We're going to Brooklyn to see the Manchestor brothers and their pack of Moon Chosen."

That wasn't what she wanted to hear, but there was nothing she could do. They were taking care of her and she had to follow where they led. Unless she wanted to end up dead. That last aspect didn't seem too appetizing.