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But& your friend seems injured, the guy protested.
Mitch waved the man s concern away. He drank too much.
Obviously, Mitch didn t want the curious to pay too much
attention to why exactly he d been hunting for Avery. It was the first,
and most likely the only time, Avery would agree with the man.
Without bothering to explain anything else, Avery started to head
out. Mitch would cover it all up, and Ford would most likely deal with
any problem that might surface. It was time they got out of there.
Avery, Maddox, and their friends left the building in silence, and
they made their way to their cars. Blue and Onyx were already there,
just as quiet. As they all slipped into their vehicles, Avery s mind
went back to the memories of his teenage years.
Don t think about that, Maddox urged him through their bond.
He can t hurt you anymore.
He s even more dangerous than back then, Avery replied
earnestly. He knows about the syndrome, and he won t rest until he
gets his revenge.
Maddox nodded. That s why we have to be prepared. He s angry
now. It won t be long until he regroups and attacks us.
Avery shuddered as he thought about Dana and the other people at
the orphanage. It didn t take a genius to figure out that Mitch would
strike there. For all they knew, it might be that very night.
That s right, Maddox confirmed his thoughts. But for what
it s worth, I ll always be there and I ll protect you.
Avery leaned in closer to Maddox, wondering if he truly deserved
that affection. But even as questions and fears swirled through his
mind, he couldn t help but allow Maddox s love to surround him in a
comforting cocoon. Perhaps he was not worthy of his mate, but when
they had to face their enemies, he d make Maddox proud of him.
108 Scarlet Hyacinth
Chapter Seven
Through the windows of Doc s office, Maddox stared outside into
the night, anger and frustration coursing through him. He d always
wondered why his mate shied away from him sometimes, refusing to
let Maddox see a particular part of his past. Now that he knew, he
couldn t believe how much pain Avery had been forced to withstand
through the course of his young life. It was so unfair, and more so
since Avery was now blaming himself for Mitchell Cummings s
monstrous actions.
As far as Maddox could tell, no one else thought the same. Of
course, they weren t all informed as to the details of Avery s
acquaintance with Cummings. There simply hadn t been enough time
to worry about that since as soon as they d come to the orphanage,
they d started ensuring their defenses and preparing for a possible
attack.
Now, a few hours from their arrival at the orphanage, nothing had
happened yet and Ford had summoned Maddox to his office. It wasn t
hard to figure out what the lion wanted to discuss.
Are all the human children safe? Maddox asked as the lion
approached him.
Ford nodded. We sent them off to a different location and locked
it down. There s a special system in place for emergency situation,
and I have a group of men guarding the area. Ford gave Maddox a
serious look. Look, Maddox, I didn t want to ask Avery this since
he s obviously very upset about the whole situation, but I need to
know just how he is involved with Mitchell Cummings.
Dove Me Tender, Dove Me Sweet 109
For a few moments, Maddox didn t speak. He didn t want to
betray Avery s confidence by revealing things he d learned through
their bond. He d seen that memory through their connection, and it
was something very private.
Tell him, Avery s voice drifted inside his mind. He deserves
to know.
Maddox sighed and complied. Meeting Ford s gaze, he explained,
Ten years ago, Mitch picked Avery up with the intention to make
him a whore for Cummings Sr. Avery refused their advances. He was
very young, afraid, and alone. When they attacked him, they triggered
an instinctual response, and his wings burst out. The shock made the
elder Cummings have a heart attack. Avery managed to flee the scene
by shifting into his dove form and lived more like a bird than a man
for ten years.
I see. Ford rubbed his eyes tiredly. He blames himself, I take
it. Maddox nodded silently, and the lion added, It s not his fault.
Mitchell Cummings is a cruel, sadistic man. He s the only villain in
this story.
That s nice of him to say, Avery said to Maddox through their
bond, but I don t think Onyx or any of the others would agree.
As if to confirm Avery s doubts, Ford went on. Still, we ll keep
things under wraps until we have better hold on the situation. The kids
might be safe, but the orphanage itself is not. Onyx is very angry, and
so is Ivory. There s no telling what they ll do. And then there s
Avery s friend. I personally have no clue if he saw or figured out
anything at all, but he s coming to, and he will eventually become a
problem.
Maddox was aware of the situation with Will since his mate was
with the other man now. Given the circumstances, jealousy seemed
petty, but his wolf still howled at him to drag Avery away from Will s
bed. He d only managed to suppress this urge by burying himself into
the tasks that needed to be done. He knew his own emotions were
110 Scarlet Hyacinth
only burdening Avery more, but no matter how hard he tried, he
couldn t help how he felt.
You re too good to me, Maddox, Avery suddenly said through
their bond. I don t know what I ever did to deserve you.
I ve told you a million times, baby, Maddox answered. You re
an amazing person. Once all of this is over, I ll show you just how
much you mean to me.
Sadly, now was not the time for declarations, as was eloquently
proven when Onyx burst inside the office. Why are we just waiting
around for him to attack us? he fumed. We should be attacking
him.
Believe me, there s nothing I d like more, Ford replied.
Unfortunately, we have limited forces of people with shifter abilities.
What if while we re away, he strikes here? I hate having the
orphanage in danger more than anyone, but at least this is our home
turf. We ll be ready for him.
Exactly. He won t expect us to attempt an attack first.
Onyx s grin was predatory, and Maddox could see now what Ford
meant about the panther s temper being volatile. Unfortunately, Onyx
was unlikely to listen to Ford. Not only were they both feline and as
such competitive strains, but Onyx also had personal reasons to attack
Mitchell Cummings.
For his part, Maddox agreed with Onyx. He might have allowed
Mitchell to go free once since he d been forced to get out of there
before he could throttle the man. But a second time, Cummings would
not be so lucky.
As if guessing his thoughts, Onyx looked straight at Maddox.
You agree with me, don t you?
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