Banded Brothers 03 - To Enchant An Eagle by Amber Kell Page B

put a bullet through the arm of the first hawk shifter who got mouthy.
They feared him now.
Eaton couldn’t stop the smile of satisfaction. He’d never considered himself violent before, but after what they’d allowed Marty to suffer through, he’d quite happily pluck them all bald. Marty had protected and led them for years, and they had turned their back on him the first time he wanted something for himself.
Eaton had told them they were all free to go and find new nests. He refused to do anything except board them until Marty woke up. He wasn’t going to be a leader of hawks. He wanted their true leader to wake up and kick their collective feathered asses himself. However, they were Marty’s hawks until a new leader was chosen. Eaton didn’t have the right to kick them to the curb until Marty gave him the go-ahead.
The sound of heavy footsteps heralded the arrival of Harris before he lumbered into the room.
“How’s Marty doing?” he asked.
Being a bear shifter, Harris always held a commanding presence when he walked into any room. The fact that he was in fact a gentle-hearted artist with a beautiful soul often took most people by surprise.
“No change,” Eaton offered Harris a half-smile. He couldn’t quite ramp up the energy for believable fake happiness. “He’s healing slowly.”
It might be better that Marty remained asleep for a bit. He couldn’t transform until his bones fused back together. Lance, the sadistic fucker, had shattered Marty’s arms and legs.
“I hope he wakes soon. The hawks are starting to swoop in formations around the mansion. I’m gonna start practicing my shooting soon if they don’t stop blocking my light,” Harris grumbled.
Eaton bit his lip to hold back the laughter. It amused him sometimes how well he knew his friends. It took a lot to upset Harris, but no one messed with his lighting when he was trying to paint.
“I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one who finds them annoying,” he commiserated with Harris.
“I’m also tired of fishing them out of the fountain when they crash,” Harris said, a frown marring his handsome features.
“Next time leave them there. Maybe after a few of them drown, they’ll stop,” Eaton advised. He didn’t even try to hide his derision of the hawks.
“Eaton!” Harris protested.
“What? They didn’t even try to save Marty! Not a one of them had the guts to stand up for themselves. They’re lucky I don’t bury the lot of them under the house.”
He heard Gallen chuckle behind him.
Harris shook his head. “Fear does strange things to people. Give them a chance.”
Eaton folded his arms across his chest. “They had their chance and they proved to be worthless. If they cared about him at all, they would’ve protected him. Any of them could’ve challenged Lance, but not a single hawk tried.”
He wouldn’t cave on this. The hawks had let their leader down. Eaton didn’t trust any of them to watch over Marty now. What if one of them hoped to finish Marty off and take the hawk leadership for himself? It didn’t matter that Marty had tried to leave the group. They wouldn’t accept his resignation. Now since Eaton killed Lance, they tried to make him their leader but he refused.
“Just give them another chance,” Harris said. “They might be annoying, but I think they really care about him.”
“Friends don’t let friends get buried in the cellar,” Eaton said pointedly.
“Hi, I’m Gallen,” Gallen interrupted their conversation to offer his hand to Harris. Eaton jolted. He’d almost forgotten about his fellow student’s presence.
“Hi, Gallen.” Harris returned his gaze to Eaton. “You didn’t tell me you knew a sorcerer.”
Gallen laughed. “See? I told you everyone else could tell.”
“How did you know he’s a sorcerer?” Eaton asked.
“The eyes. All sorcerers have the same look,” Harris explained.
“What look?”
“Suppressed magic. Their eyes have a silver glow because they have trapped magic