Chapter 18
Sitting on a wooden stool at a kitchen island in what was probably the most elegant kitchen she’d ever seen, Briel quietly studied Aries as the woman filled two mugs with coffee before pulling creamer out of the large glass-front fridge.
Aries was beautiful. Long satiny waves of thick jet-black hair hung down to the middle of her back. The inky blackness was interrupted by a stark white streak that started just at the hairline above her right eye. The pale strands mixed with the black, making it hard not to stare. Yeah, Aries was unique, but something about her exuded a lethality that let Briel know that Aries wasn’t to be messed with. Warm hazel eyes flicked up to catch Briel staring. Briel tensed, tearing her eyes from where Aries was gathering napkins with one hand while the other snagged the giant plate of cookies from the microwave where she’d heated them.
“So, ask,” Aries directed. “I know you’ve got questions, so shoot.”
Briel’s eyes instantly dipped to the halo around Aries’ throat as she lifted her fingers to clamp on the one she wore. “Does that thing make you sick too?”
Settling on a stool across from Briel, Aries placed napkins beside each of their cups of steaming coffee before dolling out two cookies onto each napkin. “Aaah, the halo. A good place to start. The short answer is, no. My claiming was different though. My Walker abilities were suppressed, so things were different for Conn and me. But, to answer your question, yes. Most women who are collared have flu-like symptoms for the first few days after they wake. Doc Jenny thinks it’s because the males have an inherent need to care for their females, and women being sick for the first few days is just a way of driving home for the male Walkers that they are now responsible for their Angels.”
So many questions, so many questions. “Claiming? Angels? What are you even talking about?”
“Us.” Aries grinned, before sinking her teeth into a warm cookie. She shrugged and spoke around the bite. “Angels have halos. Female Walkers grow their own, but even if the woman has her own, Walkers gift us theirs, making us their Angels.”
“But, Tyce only said he’s responsible for me. You’re making it sound like Angels are synonymous with girlfriends.”
Aries shook her head as she swallowed. “No. Nothing like a girlfriend.”
Briel relaxed a little, but her relief quickly dissipated with Aries’ next words.
“Angels are more synonymous with wife, only more so. It’s like if you were already his wife for thirty years. That’s how he feels about you. A Walker can’t live without his Angel. She is the single most important thing in his universe.”
Aries’ admission rocked Briel to her core. She had to be wrong. The woman. Had. To. Be. Wrong! The corners of Briel’s eyes crinkled in a frown as she breathed, “No. You’re wrong! He doesn’t even know me, he couldn’t…”
“Conn didn’t know me either,” Aries cut in. “I was on the run, hiding in the South American jungle. He and his team were sent to hunt me, to retrieve me. I was literally racing through the jungle, running from him, when we finally locked eyes.” She grinned. “He went down like a sack of bricks and there was this loud noise before his halo flashed. At first, I thought he’d been shot, but it was the affliction.”
Briel’s mind went back to when Tyce dropped to his knees back at the hotel. There’d been a loud noise and a bright flash. If what Aries was saying was true, then why hadn’t Tyce said anything to her? Wouldn’t he want her to know? “A-affliction? What’s that?”
“It’s the instantaneous trigger that happens when a Skin Walker meets their mate.” She snapped her fingers. “That fast, they know you’re the One. No second guessing, no uncertainty. It’s a gift, really. Could you imagine if humans knew in just a moment whether someone was their One or not? Walkers will only ever have one mate, and it gets even better.” Aries grinned wildly, eyebrows winging up. “No cheating.”
When Briel’s expression morphed into one of disbelief, Aries continued. “And I’m not just talking about them not wanting other women. They can’t even get hard for anyone other than their Angel.”
Briel snorted. “And now I suppose you’re going to tell me that doesn’t make them resentful.”
“Why would it? They’re not regular men. They don’t have time for chasing women and playing games, Briel. They’re struggling to survive. Part of that survival is finding their compatible female. They’ve only got one, so it’s paramount to their very existence that when they find their Angel, they keep her.”
Feeling guilty, Briel lowered her head. Aries sighed, her tone softening. “Look, I know this is a lot to take in. Too much, really. But, I’ve been where you are. And I ran, just like you tried to do. Only I got away, and it was stupid. I was so stupid! I ran from the one man who would literally rip out his own heart to ensure my safety. And I can’t explain it, because there’s nothing I can say that’s going to make sense to you. Yes, you just met Tyce. And yes, you are now more important to him than his next fucking breath. You and Fena both. If you can’t trust him for yourself, trust him for her. Give him a chance to prove he means what he says.”
“You’re wrong. This claiming, this ‘affliction’, isn’t happening to Tyce and I. I’m only here for ransom, or so he can get answers. I’m not sure which, but I can’t give him anything. I don’t know about any safehouse, and I certainly don’t know about any cash.”
A grin split Aries’ lips. “And surprisingly, for the first time ever, Tyce doesn’t care about cash. He doesn’t want the safehouse, Briel. He wants you. He needs you to accept him, or at least to try to let him in, even a little.”
“I can’t believe you actually think that’s what’s happening. It doesn’t make sense.”
“Oh, it does.”
“And what about the people hunting us? Even if it’s not other Skin Walkers, I could still be bringing trouble right to his doorstep.”
“And he’d welcome it if it meant finding out who’s after you and actually getting his hands on them.”
“And what if he finds out the men that are after Fena and me, the men who killed my father, are Skin Walkers? What then? You actually think he’s gonna go to war with his own kind over me? A woman he just met?
At her question Aries turned serious. “Conn told me that your father was helping Monroe. If he was helping Monroe, than he was helping all of us. It doesn’t make sense that a Skin Walker would have killed him. But if one did, then yes. To answer you as simply as possible, yes. Tyce wouldn’t hesitate to go to war with his own kind over you. He’d go to war with any person currently under this roof if he thought it would protect you.”
Briel hesitated a moment with her next question, but she had to know, and despite blushing to the roots of her hair, she asked, “And sex? Will he expect it, if he thinks I belong to him?” She didn’t want to admit that he’d already kissed her twice. The question was difficult enough to ask, because while she didn’t know Tyce, she still found him savagely handsome. Just the idea of being his in all ways sent a zing of excitement tearing through her.
As if she could sense it, Aries smiled knowingly. “He won’t force it. Never would. But,” she lifted her head and sniffed, loudly. “I don’t think you’re as opposed to it as you want to believe you are.”
If possible, she blushed brighter and looked away, stammering, “I-I’m not even his type.”
“No,” Aries agreed with a smile. “You’re not, which is why this is going to be really interesting. I admit, I always pictured Tyce with a spoiled rich bitch. But you…”
Her words stung, and Briel regretted her impulse to fish for info on whether Aries thought she was Tyce’s type. The problem was that, while Aries was all giddy and gung-ho on the theory of Briel being Tyce’s Angel, she was missing the big picture. Tyce had said nothing to Briel about any of this. Perhaps he was hoping it wasn’t true. Aries’ admission wasn’t helping matters either. If Briel wasn’t Tyce’s type, then yeah, maybe he was holding out hope that someone better would come along. Maybe him falling to his knees back at the hotel hadn’t been the affliction, maybe it was something else entirely.
“You’re way better than I hoped for,” Aries finished with a confident grin. “You’re real, and you’re gonna make this place better. You’re gonna make Tyce better, and he needs that. He’s been way too dangerous, too frivolous with his own well-being and ours. It’s why Conn and I mostly reside at StoneCrow.” She waved her hand at the kitchen. “Apex is great, but it’s not secure enough for Walker children. I can’t take the risk with my little girl, Wynter. I’ve gotta do what’s best for her, and right now best means safest, which means StoneCrow Estates.”
Her words ripped Briel from her thoughts about Tyce wanting someone better. “Is Fena safe here?”
“Don’t worry,” Aries grinned. “Apparently, Tyce is hiring contractors.” She winked at Briel. “Let the changes begin.”