Evans, Gabrielle - From This Moment [The Moonlight Breed 7] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic Ma by Gabrielle Evans (ebook reader with highlight function .TXT) 📗

“Please, Cian,” Zavion pleaded. “I have to do this. Zuriel would  do the same for me, and I can’t  just sit here and twiddle my thumbs.”  His hand settled lightly on Cian’s elbow, stopping him just before  they reached the front porch of the dorm-like cabin. “I won’t let my  brother die, and I’ll do this without you if I have to. Please don’t  make me choose.”

It wasn’t quite that cut and dry, but Cian understood what the man was trying to say. If placed in  a  situation where he had to choose between Zavion and his brothers, Cian would choose Zavion, but it

would kill him to do so. However, if he could save his family without  endangering his mate, he’d do that as well. It was all a matter of  perspective, and right then, his views were a little skewed by his  worry for his lover.

“I’ll not make ya choose, Zavion, but we’ll do this my way. Do ya  understand?”

From This Moment                       67

“I’ll do whatever you tell me as long as it doesn’t include doing  nothing.”

With a resigned sigh, Cian trudged into the house and settled  Zuriel onto the sofa to wait for Logan. “Stay with your twin.” He  cupped Zavion’s cheek and pressed their lips together lightly. “I have  some things to do, but I’ll be back.”

“What do you have to do?” Zavion’s fingers looped around his  wrist, holding him in place as he nuzzled against his palm. “Where  are you going?”

“I need to have a talk with my brothers. I promise I won’t  be gone  long.” He really didn’t want to leave Zavion’s side, but if they were  going through with this crazy plan, he hoped his family would be  willing to come along for extra protection.

He respected the hell out of the other Enforcers in the coven, but

he’d feel more comfortable with his brothers there to cover his back.

He just didn’t trust anyone like he did the Murphy men. They were family, and where he came from, that meant something.

“What should I do?”

Cian kissed his mate’s lips again and eased away. “Watch Zurieland keep him company. Tell Logan what happened.” He ran a hand through his hair and bobbed his head with a huff. “Then pack a bag and be ready to go when the sun comes up.”

68                        Gabrielle Evans

Chapter Eight

“Are ya okay? Do ya feel sick? We can stop for a bit, darlin’.”

When Zavion had said that he wanted to go hiking and camping,  this wasn’t exactly what he’d meant. “I’m fine.  There’s still an hour  of daylight left. Let’s keep going.”

For three days, they’d marched through the hills of Missouri as  Zavion tried to retrace the path they’d followed from The Hive. The  days were cold, but the nights were frigid, and he’d taken to curling  up next to Cian in his fox form to stay warm.

So far, they hadn’t found anything, but Zavion could sense that  they were getting closer. Once or twice, he’d even picked up a  lingering scent from one of his friends, but each time, he’d lost it just  as quickly. Still, it was a good indication that he was on the right track  and headed in the right direction.

The trip probably would have been mind-numbingly boring if not  for Cian’s brothers. While most of them were busy hunting evil  vampires in the mountains  back home, Devlin and Flynn had agreed  to make the journey with them. The two had talked nearly nonstop  since they started, regaling Zavion with tales of Cian as a boy.

“So, he’s screamin’ his fool head off like a wailin’ banshee, he  is,” Devlin said around his laughter.

“We all go runnin’ into Cian’s bedroom,” Flynn continued when  Devlin had to stop to regain his composure. “Thought Da was goin’ to  wet himself from laughin’ so bloomin’ hard.”

“I was five!” Cian huffed in disgruntlement, which forced Zavion  to slap a hand over his mouth to muffle his giggles.

From This Moment                       69

“So, Cian’s on the top bunk, and Jiminy Christmas, I still don’t  know  how he managed it,” Flynn  added, ignoring his brother’s  indignation. “But he’s hanging upside down with one leg caught in  the rail, and Farren’s just starin’ up at him like he’s lost his damn  mind.”

“So, Da asks what he thinks he’s doing.” Devlin picked up the  story, though he still had to pause after every few words when he  started chuckling again. “Cian stops shoutin’, pushes himself back up  on the mattress, crosses his arms, and stares our Da in the face bold as

you please.”

“And what did you tell him?”  Flynn asked, bumping his shoulder  against Cian’s.

“I don’t remember,” Cian mumbled, but the gleam in his eyes said  he was lying through his teeth.

“Well, I remember.” Stopping in his tracks, Devlin folded his  arms over his chest and stuck his nose into the air. “‘I’m trainin’ to be

an acrobat, Da. You’ll not stop me. I’ll run away with the circus.’”

“Oh, wow,” Zavion breathed before he dissolve into giggles.

“Aye,” Flynn answered, “but it gets better.”

Zavion had no idea how the brothers were going to top  that one,  but he listened intently just the same. “So, what happened then?”

“Well, Da tells him to go on and run away with the circus if he’s  so bothered about it. Cian, being the rebellious shit he was, says he’ll  do just that.”

“You really ran away? At five?”

“I didn’t make it far,” Cian answered with a chuckle.

“You didn’t make it off the bloody porch!” Devlin shouted. “For a  whole hour, we were sittin’ in the front room listenin’ to ya goin’ on  about how you couldn’t run away because ya had no clean  underpants.”

“You couldn’t run away because you didn’t have clean panties?”  Zavion teased, though he was starting get a cramp in his side from  laughing so hard. “Oh, that’s precious.”

70                        Gabrielle Evans

Cian’s cell phone began to ring, quickly sobering everyone’s mood, and Zavion lunged for his mate, holding his hand out with his

palm up. Pulling the phone from his pocket,