Brothers 3

Chapter 30

James had only seen his father a handful of times after that day, including when he was on his death bed. After spending over 100 years at the man's beck and call, James couldn't have taken another second of it. To say that their relationship became rockier after that would be an understatement. Though James hadn't left the family home right away, he fought Richard at every turn. He was done being told what to do and fell into a pattern of doing the opposite of what he was told. In the end, it had been Mrs Greene who had asked him to leave, scared that their spats would escalate to physical violence. Trying to protect the old man from James.

All these thoughts were running through his mind as James came to in his bed. Not Robert's but his. He held his breath, waiting for the scent of either Ella or Mikey to waft off the pillows and into his face. Yet he smelt nothing. From the covers. Mikey's scent did linger in the air, but James quickly remembered why that was. He had given James his blood. Why, James had no idea. The memory of the wolf saving his life warmed him. Perhaps he had misjudged the alpha. Perhaps he did care what happened to someone other than Ella. Why else would he help James when it was considered so bad for a wolf to offer their blood?

James pushed away the thought. Whatever his reasoning was for helping James he would be sorely disappointed if he thought James was going to cave to his every desire now. No wolf was going to rule this house. James crawled out of the bed. There was a glass of blood on the bedside table, and he downed it in one. It was old, but human, and tasted better than the wolf's blood had. He shuddered; I can't believe I drank that.

His muscles ached as he forced them to take him down the hallway. He got to the living room to see Skylar, standing admiring the mantel piece with a glass of blood in her hand. Her other arm was wrapped around her middle and James noticed that she wore a crop top. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the exposed skin as he came alongside her.

"You are an idiot." The harshness in her voice startled him. Studying her face, he noticed that her lips were pressed thin, and her forehead creased with tension.

"I have been called worse."

She didn't even smile at his joke. "You could have died. What were you thinking?"

You are meant to be strong enough to take on anyone, his father's voice from his dream echoed in his mind. Shoving it away he smiled broadly at Skylar although it felt fake.

"I wanted to find out what she wanted. Turns out that was to kill me."

"She is working for Ella's pack."

"Really? But they terrorized her."

Skylar shrugged but her movements were jerky. "I suppose she needed to find someone she knew could help her with her powers, someone who knew about all of this stuff. Apart from the vampire who lied to her, who else was there?"

James sighed. "Fine. Well, that means we need to kill her."

Skylar nodded slowly, still not looking at him. "It appears that way."

Wetting his lips, he dared to put his hand on her shoulder. The muscles under his palm relaxed a fraction and she finally turned her head towards him. She searched his eyes with an intensity that James usually shied away from. Who knows what she might see in there, the things he hid with a smirk and a smarmy comment. Yet he found he didn't mind. Whatever she noticed about him, he was confident that she needed to see it. Besides, she is an assassin, What could he possibly have done that she hadn't?

"Mikey saved your life."

James let go and rolled his eyes. He wasn't going to have this conversation. "I thought we were having a nice moment."