Feral Craving (35 page)

Bari stood still, his jaw clamped tight,
a muscle ticking along the side of his cheek. His hands clenched and released
at his sides for several seconds before he spoke.

“Mackenzie, give me time to work this
through my head. Please.”

“Shall I make a list of what I’ve tried to
work through my head? Where should I start?” Mackenzie brought her hand up and
cocked a hip. “One, let’s start with how you left nine years ago.”

“Now, Mac—”

She cut him off. “Two, you show up in
town and not a word was given to me for weeks, Bari! Weeks!”

He tossed a dismissive hand in the air,
but his cheeks flushed.

“Three—”

A knock sounded on the door and they both
shouted, “What?”

A throat cleared outside. “Uh, sorry to
interrupt guys, but Bari, we need to head out, brother.”

Bari scrubbed a hand over his head and
dropped his hand. “I’ll be out in a minute, man.” He turned toward Mackenzie.

“You finished, Dollface?”

She crossed her arms over her chest.
“What do you think?”

He snorted. “I’m going to take a shower.”
He started past her.

“Yeah, don’t get lost on your way there.”

He stopped and whirled on her, and then
reached out to snag her arm. With a tug, he brought her body up to his and
almost groaned, almost lost his control and tossed himself at her … again.

“Let’s get something straight, Mackenzie.
I care for you. Most than you will ever. Fucking. Know.” He stepped back but
kept a hold on her arm and motioned between them. “Whatever is going on between
us, whatever you have swirling around in that pretty little head of yours?
Tonight, it gets settled. Because let’s get one thing clear.” He shifted
forward and dropped his head, his eyes holding hers. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Damn it. I can’t tell if I love or hate
you right now.” Her eyes practically spit fire at him.

He pivoted and lifted her in his arms,
turning to the bathroom, intent on caring for her. She had managed to scream
past every one of his defenses. Something unexplainable just happened,
something that was confusing and yet oddly exhilarating at once. Bari kicked
the bathroom door shut behind them with a resounding thud, as if the gauntlet
had dropped.

Chapter
Thirty-Six

“She’s your mate, Bari.”

Bari leaned back, crossed his arms over
his chest, and ignored Tyler’s statement.

“I think the entire wall should be gone.
It’ll open the space between the two places and give the kid some more room to
just be a kid.” Bari trailed off, not exactly comfortable with how things were
with Mackenzie, but it was something he couldn’t deny any longer. He spent
weeks, hell years, away from her and that was as long as it’d ever be again.
Bari turned and met the other male’s eyes. All the
Eurydice
were very territorial over their females. Reason being?
They were a gift, a solace for each demon, the only to tame and keep them
linked and bonded to the Earth, toward the pure soul. A bond stronger than the
link he had with his brothers.

“I know you care for her as a friend,
Tyler. I’m going to ask you to give us the time and fucking space to get this
worked out. It’s new to us all. Fuck, dude, I’m still trying to get used to the
fact that I’m a Dad
and
a demon.”

Bari broke off eye contact and pushed off
the desk, crossed to the sledgehammers, his silence hinting the subject closed.
“You in or out?”

“I’m in.” Tyler reached over for another
sledgehammer and brought it up, sending the hammer forward as if it didn’t
weight anything before it slammed into the wall. A crater-sized hole broke
through the sheet rock. Despite Tyler making enough noise to wake up Matt
Hamill, he apparently wasn’t through parting his words of wisdom.

“I think what you’re doing here is great,
Bari. I do. I understand your past, especially since none of us can really keep
secrets from one another.” The hammer came out of the wall before he sat it
next to his leg and tapped his head with his free hand, indicating their weird,
yet efficient, communication ability. “I’ve told you before and I’ll tell you
again, you need to realize you make your own destiny. There’s only so much you
can do for Mackenzie before she’ll walk. I think you’re trying to do this, move
them in to play house because you’re comfortable with the thought of it and
nothing else. The very thought of you doing this makes me want to beat some
sense into you.”

Aaaaaaaaaaand he still wasn’t finished.

“You don’t want anyone else to take care
of them, and I get it. What I also get is it isn’t fair to Mackenzie, or your
son for that matter, if that’s all you’re willing to give to them. You keep it
up, my good brother, and I’m going to have to whoop some sense into you.”

Bari frowned as he worked through Tyler’s
words. Was that the case? His own fears over Mackenzie’s safety did come up
when it came to how he felt for her. It should. His past was a dark and
disgusting place that held no place for such beauty as her. Dust rained down
over them both, the wall between the two rooms crumbling with each passing
stroke.

“You can try to whoop me, but I doubt
you’d be able to.” Tyler lifted a brow, and Bari shook his head. “All kidding
aside, brother, of course I have doubts. You would too, if you were in my shoes
and knew what I did. Do I want to hurt her? No. Do I fear things when she is
near me? Yes, I do. I’d rather kill myself before I brought any harm to her or
Byron.”

“If you love her, if you truly fucking
care, you need to tell her. You need to accept the link twined between you two.
You need to accept the bond. Otherwise, you’re gonna be a miserable
motherfucker before too long.”

Bari blinked, wondering where in the hell
all of this deep, soul searing shit was coming from.

“You want a cookie or something, bro? Or
maybe we should make some tea and talk about our feelings a little more?”

Bari rested the hammer against the floor
and crossed one ankle over the other.

“Bari, just understand this. That bond is
more important to both you and your demon than you realize. Neither of you have
hurt her because you’re unable to. Trust me on that.”

“How about we get off this subject, dude?
I feel like I’m breaking out in hives or some shit.”

He wasn’t knocking on Tyler; he realized
he was right. He wouldn’t hurt anyone who didn’t need to be, but fuck, he just
met his demon, barely trusted the dude.

Which said something, seeing as it was a
part of himself.

“I got an idea. How about we bust down
this wall, then grab a brew? Maybe we can sit there and measure our dicks just
to resemble men again instead of talking about our feelings like a bunch of
chicks.” Bari lifted the hammer, uncrossed his ankles and started on a new
section of the wall. “Or perhaps we can talk about Bethany…” Bari tossed
Tyler an arched brow over his shoulder, saw the male scowl. He hit his mark.
“Exactly. Now seriously, let’s finish this then maybe, maybe, if you say please
and get the sand out of your vagina, I’ll give you back your man card.”

The whoosh of air was the only warning
Bari had before all hell broke loose.

****

Smoke billowed up from his cigarette, the
cherry at the end bright in the darkness. Bari stood outside the house where it
all began, where his life drastically changed, where not only who he had been,
but who he was to become centered around. A man standing on the sidewalk
watching a house in this neighborhood wasn’t something that stood out. No, the
neighbors around this area didn’t ask questions. In fact, you were taught at a
young age to look the other way.

Despite the night’s late hour, people
still lurked the neighborhood. Shades hid glazes of the latest high, hats
tugged down low to shield others from who was amongst them, bulges evident to
keep anyone from getting too close.

Dropping the smoke, Bari stepped along
the broken sidewalk, his steps silent as he sidestepped old childhood toys and
broken bottles. It all came back in a rush, hit him so hard he almost felt as
high as those stalking the streets.

A muted scream caught his attention, and
he jerked his head toward the house. Adrenaline rushed his veins as he
recognized the plea, his heart breaking all over again. Standing outside the
window he saw the fit of rage he expected. Bari was frozen in time, a time
where his worst nightmares were born. The little boy hid in the corner, his
legs drawn up, head pushed to the tops of his knees as he tried to shield his
face from what was to come. Only this time it would prove to be so much worse.

The child shook like a leaf on the last
day of fall, nausea most likely swirling in his stomach, the tears fought back
as a promise to his mother.

The man’s skin switched back and forth,
raised diagrams curving where no mark should be, colors popping unlike anything
human. The man, his father, beat blow after blow upon the small woman. Her
screams cut, her energy waned. No longer did she beg for Bari, the child,
to get help. Nor did she try to fight back. No, she did none of it. She pulled
at his father’s rage, drew all the anger to herself, in an attempt to save her
son.

Light flashed inside, the moment
approaching when the demon his father was made its appearance. At the window,
Bari’s hands clenched in fists as he stood, helpless. The child’s cries broke
through the piercing screams as his mother begged for her life. The deep violet
demon rose over her, spittle dropping from his mouth, eyes the color of dark,
tinted black glass. No compassion, no love, nothing but pure, unadulterated
anger, evil, stood in the demon’s eyes. One second of time held suspended as both
he and the child watched. The demon’s head, which had replaced his father’s,
lowered hauntingly to bite down in a violent measure on the female’s neck.
Bright, crimson liquid spewed in every direction, the female’s cries growing
gurgled, and the child who watched it all unfold finally gave his response and
ran from the house. The loud clang of the front door echoed in the silence of
the night.

Bari watched the small frame run off,
unshed sobs held tight in his chest as he mourned for the child. He knew what
happened to that boy, knew he never stopped running, and that he’d never find
anything at the end.

His mind spun, lost between the past and
present, fighting for control, an answer, something. The child running turned
around and paused, his eyes catching the man’s across the lawn. Bari didn’t
know what to do, didn’t realize how much his own mind was catapulting out of
control. He blinked, and the child, the young Bari, was gone.

****

Returning to his house had been a shock
in itself. It wasn’t that he didn’t think of this place as home now, because he
did. His mind was fuzzy with the need for sleep, his vision hazy, and his body
drunk with exhaustion. Sleep called to him, but first he needed, had an
absolute need to see Mackenzie. He needed to make sure she was okay. His soul
was shaken to its core after reliving the moments before.

Stepping up to Byron’s room, his heavy
footsteps sounded with a loud echo, a dreaded cell door shutting, something
waiting for him on the other side. He frowned at the sensation.

Would they be there?

Did she leave?

Would she give him a chance?

Urgency trampled on patience, and he
opened the door and fought not to let his temper surge.

Mackenzie walked around the room, packing
their things in large boxes.

“So that’s it?”

At this point, he didn’t know if what he
originally came to say would do any good if she was giving up.

She didn’t even glance in his direction.
Sadness reflected in Byron’s eyes, eyes resembling the child in his past, his
own. Shaking his head, he took another step in. Bari’s entire body trembled
with anger, fear that she would leave.

“Mac. Answer me.”

Mackenzie stopped and turned to him with
a huff, dropping the clothes she held in her arms and shot him a glare. Her
hand lifted to point at his face. “You know what? Yes, we’re leaving. I refuse,
refuse
to keep throwing myself at
you. I refuse to keep trying. I refuse to be cast aside like someone who means
nothing to you. I’m that same someone who gave you a child, who waited to hear,
just one, damn, thing from you for years. I refuse to be
that
girl, Bari. I refuse to be unloved. You may want me, but you
don’t
want
me. And I refuse to let
things stay that way. I love you, Bari.” A sob punched from her chest as she
said those three little words. “I love you, but I love you enough to let go
when this will only tear us both apart.”

Bari’s boot hit the back of the door, and
it slammed shut with an echo. This entire situation was such a mess; he’d
completely fucked it all up, hadn’t he? Mackenzie scowled, but he ignored it
and focused on her words, his feelings, and what they needed to do to get on
the right path. The earlier exhaustion disappeared as a newfound fear of her
walking away rose sharp and fast. It pulsed through his veins as she said her
goodbye. It seemed as if she had already given up.