Saul was half-dressed, the taillights reflecting red on his face. Like blood.
An unwanted pang of sadness hit me. He never wanted this. To be firstborn. To carry the burden of the Barbeaux line.
None of us did. That didn’t give us the right to kill each other.
“I’m going with Eli,” I said, turning my back on Saul.
Eli cared enough to tell her everything. To take that risk.
And if he didn’t—Jacques knew who she was. That she mattered to Eli. Would my cousin really do something to hurt her?
After all these years, I didn’t know the answer. I didn’t want to find out.
The first broken bond made us what we were. I knew what would happen to Eli if I didn’t help him.
I climbed in, nodding at my twin. Whatever happened, I was in this with him.
When the time came, I would need him to be in this with me too.
Chapter 13
Unraveling
Isaac
Elislammedonthebrakes. Red and blue lights filled the street.
Tara was in danger too. I needed to get to her.
No. I couldn’t do that.
My brother shouted, clawing his way through police officers to reach his mate’s house.
It was burning. Flames climbed rapidly. I choked on smoke, gripping my brother’s shoulder and forcing him back. Into the shadows.
Eli collapsed onto his knees. Broken.
I couldn’t stomach the expression on his face. That would be me. Tara leaving. And me—ripped open.
Saul’s voice drew us both back. “You’re bonded. What do you feel?”
Eli’s eyes unfocused. Mine did too. My attention turned inward, finding the chain embedded in my chest.
Chain wasn’t the right word. It wasn’t a weight. It was light. Easy.
“She’s not dead,” Eli murmured. I exhaled hard.
Smoke billowed around us, tainting our senses. It didn’t hide the set of yellow eyes watching from the shadows of a neighboring house. Eli noticed them too, rising to his feet, lips curled back in a snarl.
“Who is that?” Saul asked.
“One of us,” Eli answered.
Of course, he was. And the worst part? I’d seen him before, lurking around Rocky’s dock like some stray animal.
That was the day I found Tara running scared behind Celine’s.
We piled back into the truck, gunning through the neighborhood as the other wolf took off in a black sports car.