Blood and Ruin (Blood and Ruin Series Book 1)

A loud bang shoots me out of bed, alert and ready for the oncoming attack. Even if I knew what was coming, I need to be on guard. Just because I could heal myself didn’t mean it hurt any less.

“Kiarra, open up, it’s us.”

At the sound of Kai’s voice my adrenaline rush eases. I grab my chest and close my eyes letting out a deep breath.

I force the sheer terror and rising panic down, focusing on the present.

It’s not him. The plan will go ahead. Everything will be fine.

I repeat the words over and over until I can calm my racing heart and turbulent thoughts.

The banging gets louder shaking the door. I grip my fists tight to stop the tremor in my hands.

“Come on, open up. We have something we need to talk about,” Kai demands.

Wait. How did I get in my bed? Last thing I remember was King’s session…. Running into Axel and then… Luka.

Luka must have moved me after I fell asleep. I smile thinking about his thoughtfulness, releasing the last edges of panic from my mind.

Throwing some clothes on, I walk out to the main room, pausing to narrow my eyes at the rattling door.

“Open up or we’ll take the damn door down.” Axel’s fiery outburst is followed by muffled voices.

“Kiarra.”

I shake my head at Rion’s cutting tone, releasing a frustrated sigh.

What could be so important they had to bang my door down at… I glance over to the time… 7 am in the morning.

Taking one final deep breath, I walk to the door.

Leaving the chain on, I pull it open spotting Jax’s cheeky smirk.

“There she is.”

Beside him I see Kai, and from what I can make out, the rest of the guys standing around him.

“What are you all doing here?”

Jax shares a look with Kai before turning back to me, but it’s Kai who answers.

“Let us in and we’ll tell you. We really don’t want to have this conversation out in the open.” He looks around checking for anyone who could be listening in. If he only knew.

His tone piques my interest but not enough to let them in. Having them anywhere near me only brought trouble. For us both.

“If it’s about the other night—

He clears his throat, his eyes softening. “It’s not. At least, not now.”

Meaning there would be a conversation coming soon? Not if I could help it. I would be out of here well before we started that train wreck waiting to happen. “Then what—

“Just open the damn door,” Axel grits out, his frustration bleeding into his every pore.

Begrudgingly, I slam the door in their faces feeling a slight bit of satisfaction from their shocked looks.

Taking a second to gather my thoughts, I release a deep breath before pulling the chain back and swinging it open. I turn and head straight for the coffee machine. I needed some strong caffeine to get me through whatever they were about to say.

“What could be so damn important, you needed to barge in at this hour?”

“Missing out on some beauty sleep, princess?”

I think about throwing my coffee over the dick but why waste good coffee.

“You’ll be missing a very important appendage if you don’t shut the hell up, even if it is too small to find.”

“There’s nothing small about me, princess. You’ll find that out for yourself.”

“I’d rather fuck myself.”

Axel’s chuckle is downright wicked. “If you wanted an audience, all you had to do was ask. I might even let you play but you’d have to beg.”

“Why would I beg when my hand could do a better job than your tiny dick?”

Luka shakes his head at me, sharing a smirk with Kai. Jax coughs out a shocked laugh and Rion smiles, a wicked glint in his eyes.

“Tiny—”

“I’ll show you fucking tiny…”

Axel throws off his jacket, heading toward me with his hand on his belt.

Rion throws a hand out stopping him.

“Move—”

“Enough. We have bigger issues right now.” Kai’s nostrils flare, his eyes demanding obedience.

Jax groans. “I think we should let them continue, it’s hot. I’m so fucking hard right now. I want to watch the angry sex between them.”

“I’m not fucking any of you,” I bite out giving them all a glare.

Savage smirks fill the room.

“You will. That I can promise you.” The look in Rion’s eyes promises that and so much more.

I take a large gulp of coffee, hoping the burn in my throat will take my mind off the heat gathering in my core.

Luka and Rion shift their bodies, drawing attention to how much our argument is turning them on.

“You’re all fucking crazy.” I sip my coffee mumbling to myself.

“Yup, five hot tempered possessive alphas and we’re all yours.” Jax points at Axel. “No matter how much this dick would like to deny it.”

Axel whips his head to Jax, his eyes pulsing from their deep hazel to a golden amber. His deep warning growl sends a rush of warmth to my stomach, making me clench my thighs together.

Jax chuckles, throwing me a knowing look before taking up a dominant pose ready to attack, not one bit fearful of the dangerous glare Axel is now giving him.

Axel growls at the challenge, amber scales shifting across his arms. I guess his dragon wanted to prove who the real alpha was.

Just what we need. His two-tonne ass destroying my apartment and King’s calvary to come knocking.

Axel steps up to Jax, his nostrils flared, ready to take him on. I move forward, about to interrupt their little play time when Kai’s commanding voice surrounds us, making us freeze.

“Focus. You can let loose on one another later.” He sends them both a deadly look waiting for either of them to question him.

“What?” Jax wears an innocent smirk glancing at Axel. “We’re just playing.”

Kai gives him a disapproving look. “Tensions are high because of the… situation. Stay away from each other if you can’t play nice.”

“Fine.” Axel growls, shouldering Jax on the way to the kitchen. Jax’s deep chuckle follows him as Axel throws him a snarl over his shoulder.

“Fuck off.” His frustration bleeds through his voice but there’s no real heat to it.

Jax’s chuckle grows but I’m too focused on the fucker rummaging through my cupboards to notice much else.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

Axel whirls his head around to me. “Looking for something to eat. Don’t you have anything in this damn place?” He continues to slam my cupboards, nearly taking them off the hinges.

“Yes, but not for you.” Or even me really. This was the place I slept in to keep up appearances for King. I never kept any of my priceless possessions here or anything that was the real me. They were mostly hidden around the hotel in vents and small storage rooms.

I never really lived here, and it showed. The walls were bare, the colour scheme a drab white and grey.

Apart from the closet full of expensive dresses two sizes too small, the apartment looked bare.

“Well, if I don’t find anything, I’ll start eating the fucking furniture.”

“Be my guest.” I point to the ugly dark charcoal one-seater.

“Start with that one, I fucking hate it.”

He didn’t need to know the reason I hated it was because King made his men hold me down and slice me up until my skin was slick with blood soaking into the chair. Apart from a small stain, everything had been scrubbed cleaned.

King never left any evidence that could fall back to him. He never did anything without an ulterior motive.

Leaving the chair was one of the many mind games he likes to play. He wants me to know I am under his control and always will be.

Of course, no one would ever believe me. I have no blemishes or scars on my skin. But my scars run a lot deeper than the surface. I am no longer whole, too broken beyond repair and even after everything, the guys deserve someone who can give them more than what I am.

“I know of a snack we can both share,” Jax murmurs loud enough for us to hear, his eyes drinking me in.

He better not be implying what I think he is. I narrow my eyes at him.

His smirk grows, the heat in his eyes like flames.

“Not now, Jax.” Luka sighs looking drained.

It makes me pause. I look at him, really look at him. His hair is all over the place, as if he’s been running his hands through it all morning. His clothes are rumpled, wearing the same ones from yesterday. He has dark shadows under his eyes and there in the depths of them he looks lost.

Checking over all the guys, none of them fare any better, finding similar looks of exhaustion and worry.

“What’s going on?” The slight rise in my voice makes them lose any attitude or hostility and get down to business.

“We need your help,” Luka says slumping on the sofa. Pulling at his hair he glances down to the floor.

Help? What would they need my help for?

My heart stutters and stops. Maybe King…

No! He couldn’t know.

I’m about to go into full panic mode when Luka speaks up.

“Someone we… care about, has been taken. We need to get her back before it’s too late.”

I release a harsh breath. King doesn’t know. They’re safe. At least, for now.

The realisation of what Luka said finally hits in, my heart kicking into overdrive.

I mean, of course they have someone they care about. They were all sex on legs, every inch of them created to make every woman’s dream come true.

The mate bond could be a powerful force, pushing together an unwanted joining. I knew from my mother that having a mate didn’t mean everything would be full of sunshine and rainbows.

The only thing between us was lust and misplaced emotions from when we were kids, nothing more.

I just wish the heavy lead now sitting in my stomach would get the message.

The slight shock makes me try to scramble to think of what they were talking about.

“Why do you think I would be able to help?”

“The man that has taken her is one of King’s contacts. Kaladar.”

Fuck. I knew of Kaladar. He’s one of the worst and one of King’s higher ups. Which means, not only more powerful, but he also has more control over the underlings in this city. Stirring up trouble with him would cause me more harm than good.

But knowing someone is being held captive by any of King’s men didn’t sit right with me.

The guys were right, in a way. I did have access to him but not because I was King’s so-called stepdaughter. No, it was because they were also my captors.

But even as my captors, there was still information I could find. Everyone too used to seeing me around, I went ignored, sometimes appearing invisible.

Luka lets every emotion running through his head show on his face. It shocks me silent.

“Please, Kiarra. If you’ve ever cared about us, you’ll help us find her. We’ve tried everything so far and came up empty and going around making accusations will only stir up more problems rather than solutions.”

Of course, I fucking cared about them. More than I’d like to admit.

I’ve never seen him look so distraught. Luka always wore his heart on his sleeve. I can see how much he loves this girl.

With my mind resolved I start forming a plan.

“Stepping on people’s toes is not how we want to start our new alliance here, but if you don’t help us, it’s what we’ll have to do.” Kai is determined to get this girl. The guys nod in agreement.

If they go around asking questions, King will break the fragile alliance they have, and they’ll never find their girl.

“You’re King’s stepdaughter. You have to at least have some contacts that could find out where she might have been taken?” Luka asks.

They assume my silence means my refusal. But it couldn’t be further from the truth.

Axel gets up, most likely to leave but before he gets the chance I speak up. A small plan starts to form and come together, one that would hopefully get us all what we wanted.

“Kaladar is not someone you want to mess with.” The guys pause their exit to look at me.

“We’re not afraid to get our hands dirty.” Meaning they have no problem going to great lengths to get to her.

Good, it’s what I’ll need them to do in order for this to work.

“Kaladar sits just under King on the power wheel of control in the city. He’s secretive, so much so that no one knows where he stays. He has the backing of the warlocks, the fear from most of the covens and most shifters and demons will listen and obey at a moment’s notice. No one will dare betray him or give out any information that may make him any way vulnerable, as they know their fate would be worse than death.”

“Fuck.”

The guys explode trying to formulate another plan. Jax decides on just blowing up the whole city. Impulsive and rash as always. If he only knew how impenetrable the city was, how much power the city has, thanks to King, he wouldn’t even suggest it.

“We can’t risk hurting her. Also, there’s plenty of innocent people living here, you idiot.”

“Besides, we don’t even know where he is! How the fuck are we supposed to blow him up then?”

Jax scowls but gives up on his crazy ass idea.

Luka slumps back onto the couch, looking more distraught than ever. They start arguing between themselves.

But it’s all a waste of time. No matter what they come up with, they won’t get anywhere near their target.

But maybe I can.

“I guess it’s your lucky day.”

“Yeah, and how do you figure that?” Axel, the dick, taunts at me.

“Because I might know where to look for him.”

The guys halt their bickering to all turn and glare at me.

“You couldn’t have led with that?” Axel grits out.

“As if I could get a word in edgewise.”

He narrows his eyes on me. “How—”

“The how or why doesn’t matter. What matters is I can get in, but I’ll need you to come up with a distraction for his men and King’s.”

Jax perks up, answering my call for some destruction. “Done and done. So, you’ll help?”

I look around at the hopeful expressions on each of their faces, my mind made up the minute they told me about her.

No one should be held against their will.

I nod. “I’ll help.”

The guys all share a relieved expression.

“I have somewhere to be, but we’ll meet up tomorrow and figure out the details.” I head to the door and open it, hoping they take the hint.

They share a look before heading out. I stare at the ground waiting for the last to leave.

A shadow casts over me, pausing.

“Thank you.” Luka’s soft voice sends flutters to the part of my chest I thought to be hollow. I nod, not able to speak, the lump in my throat too full to swallow.

He leans in, giving me a soft kiss to my forehead. It burns through whatever little defences I have left.

How could I be so stupid to let any type of feelings get involved? I needed to shut them down as quickly as possible. It’s better I found out about their girl now anyway. It was better for us all.

After all, I was leaving soon with Alana, never to look back on this place.

If that was true, then why did I feel sick to my stomach at the thought of never seeing any of them again?