Ferris Braden [Beyond the Marius Brothers 6] by Joyee Flynn Page A

tonight.”
“Who said anything about sleeping?” I drawled, wiggling my eyebrows at him.
“You think I’m interested in sex after what’s happened tonight? How can you think me so cold?” he whispered in horror. That’s not what I’d been going for, obviously. I was more teasing him.
“It was a joke to try and make you smile but there’s nothing wrong with letting your mates distract you and help you feel something other than loss.” He nodded, realizing he’d hurt my feelings slightly. The three of us ate in silence while everyone else discussed other issues, getting caught up with each other and checking in. It was nice. They were a real family who loved each other.
I wanted that one day. Granted, I knew my mates would be there for me, but we didn’t have the comfort level yet of just being completely at ease with each other.
“I’m going to take a shower alone,” Rylan announced ten minutes later when we got to the rooms in the residence wing Elena told us we could use. It was an actual suite on the same floor as her sons, instead of the guest wing that were single rooms and some didn’t have their own bathroom. It was silly but it made me feel special that she put us by her family.
“Whatever you need, Ry,” I agreed as he walked into the bathroom and closed the door. I sighed and sat on the bed, smiling when Onah joined me. Taking a chance, I leaned my head on his shoulder. “I’m worried about him.”
“I am too but there’s not much we can do beside just be here for him,” he replied as he wrapped his arm around me. “I can’t even imagine how he’s being so efficient and driven, much less moving after going through what he did.”
“Yeah, but he’s got people who rely on him and need him. I had no one and no goals after I lost my family. I basically curled into a ball and cried once I got back to the warrior compound.”
“Are you ever going to tell us what happened?”
“I was planning on it eventually but we all kind of got thrown into the deep end with the attack tonight.” I sighed when I saw he wasn’t going to let me out of telling him. “I came home from a break in training after I passed my warriors test. My parents wanted to throw me a big party in my home coven. It was small and peaceful and everyone truly cared about each other in my coven.
“I smelled burning when I got close. I kicked my horse into high gear and then jumped off when I saw some of the houses on fire. I swear I never ran so fast as I did that night to get to my family. Three demons leapt on me when I entered my parents’ home. They knocked me out but I did some good damage on them first. I came to tied up and they were toying with my parents and my older sister.
“I told them if they left my family alone, I would go with them and be their personal blood source. I tried to reason with them that since I was a warrior, my blood was stronger and would make them so as well. They didn’t buy it. Instead they told me to pick one family member and they would only kill one if I chose. I said no and they slaughtered them all right in front of me, bathing in their blood.”
“So you know exactly what I’m going through,” Rylan whispered from the doorway of the bathroom. I’d been so wrapped up in my memories that I didn’t even realize he was there.
“Yes, and I know that if you don’t deal with it a little at a time, it will consume you. At first all I could do was hunt for the bastards that killed my family and once I was done with that, it was like I had nothing and my world fell apart.”
“How did you get away?” Onah asked as he rubbed my back.
“They were cocky. The sun was coming soon so they went to ground after drinking about half my blood. I got out of the restraints, bleeding and exhausted, climbed on my horse, and let him handle getting me to the other warriors at the compound. I brought back help, we took care of laying my coven to rest, and then we went on the hunt. Once they were dead I