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they d all done to Keen long ago. The pain and agony his youngest brother endured over the years, his
struggle for control& It was nothing compared to a little thoughtlessness.
Dammit, Isaac.
Fuck you, Ty, he volleyed back.
His anger brought forward a rush of adrenaline, heart-pumping blood through his veins, and the
transition shoved more of his pain forward. A wound or two split open beneath the new onslaught. He
hadn t had a real chance to heal and it showed. The sting on his side was the worst, but the other on
his thigh pulsed with an ache as well.
Their father grunted. One that told them to shut the fuck up already. What happened?
Isaac sighed. He could fight with his brothers, but he couldn t ignore Dad. So, he repeated the
events. Skipping over Kira s visit, and rushing forward to him hearing her screeches and her animal s
calls for help. Even now, after all this time had passed, the sounds haunted him. Her pleas and wails
bouncing through his head and enraging the bear once again.
His skin rippled, fur sliding through his pores and then retracting when he urged the animal to
calm. Kira was safe. She was downstairs with his mother and his brothers mates. Just because the
mates couldn t shift didn t mean she was unprotected. Mom clearly claimed her, which meant she was
now a deadly Momma Bear who d defend her family to the bitter end.
I remember making it to the house. It gets a little hazy for a bit and then my memories pick up in
the shower with Kira dumping a baking soda mix over me. He shrugged, the action pulling at his
skin.
How d she know? Is the poison so common that she knew how to treat it? Keen, the analytical
one, the one who used his mind to do battle rather than his fangs and claws. Mainly because if his
youngest brother actually brought out the bear& everyone better run.
No, it s not. Obviously the hyenas knew of it. That was how Isaac received his scars during the
battle with the bastards. Of course, he d have a few extras to decorate his body now. But other than
that, it s not common. The Southeast Healer knows, of course. Your average clan or other shifters&
He shook his head. No, it s not something they d be familiar with. Hell, the only way to get it is
home brewing or through a chemist willing to risk his life for it. Manufacturing the good stuff is a
very delicate process.
I doubt Vanessa is smart enough to do it on her own, Ty mumbled and none of them disputed his
words. The woman wasn t the brightest crayon in the box. And Grayslake isn t exactly a hotbed of
illegal activity or brilliant chemists.
True again.
So where d she get it? Van voiced the question in everyone s minds.
I have no idea. Why don t you guys go investigate? Send Kira up on your way out. That earned
him four equally threatening glares.
Seriously, Ty. Vanessa went after Kira. She s my ma He wasn t going there. Not with his
brothers and father hanging around and definitely not before he spent more time with her. He loved
liked everything he knew about her, but it was still so little. A man couldn t claim a mate on next to
no time spent together. Then again& Ty had. And Van. And Keen.
Maybe&
Vanessa had poison on her claws. I admit, I might have gone a little overboard. Though his bear
didn t agree with his statement. If they d had their way, Vanessa never would have gotten off the
ground. But that doesn t change the fact she tried to kill someone. Not in a challenge. Not because
she was threatened. She was pissed at Kira and decided a mole didn t need to live in a bear town.
Period.
Two of the four glares disappeared, Keen and Van no longer as angry and his father was slowly
easing toward annoyed. Ty though, he still appeared ready to do battle.
Well, the male could wait until Isaac healed. It was a rule in the family. No hitting a cub when
he s down. They were far from cubs, but he figured his father would make them stick to the spirit of
the words.
That s not the story Vanessa told.
Isaac snorted. Of course not. She probably said I attacked for no reason. That I d gone crazy.
Ty s slow nod confirmed his statement. Yeah, well, did anyone get a good look at Kira before she
saved me? Because that s what she did, by the way. She saved my life. Each time a person is exposed
to this shit, it gets worse. After last year, he huffed. Without her, you d have one less brother right
now. Did you see the blood and scratches on her? The raw, broken fingernails? The way one& Her
condition came back to him in a rush, reminding him that more than one finger looked and felt crooked
as she d touched and stroked him. She broke at least two fingers trying to get away, Ty. And even
with that damage, she made sure I lived.
He leveled a steady glower at his eldest brother, at his Itan. So before you discount my story
before you brush aside the words that come from the woman I saved you should think about how we
got this way. He tore his gaze from Ty and focused on his dad. Can you send her up?
A nod and grunt came from Dad, the sound followed by a tip of his head. The universal sign for
get the fuck out and his brothers listened. No one gainsaid Dad.
Ty, Van, and Keen filed out and his father was the last. The old man paused by the door, turning
back to him. You did this before. People tell me you cared for them before yourself after that fight.
That fight. Nice way to put the battle that existed in Isaac s hazy, agony-laden memories. He
didn t want to go back to that time. Didn t want to think about every seeping wound&
Yeah, he pushed the word past the emotions clouding his throat.
Dad held up a hand, the palm red and rough indicating a recent wound. Cut m self getting you in
the shower. Got some of that acid on me. He shook his head. Don t know how you survived that.
All them bears and wolves, and you not treating yourself for hours. His dad looked away and a small
shudder wracked the old man s body.
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