Jaded [The Moonlight Breed 9] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) Gabrielle Evans (the read aloud family TXT) 📖

Throwing his hands toward the sky, Zuriel growled and grumbled under his breath as he took off stomping through the trees in the direction of the village. “I give up.”

“Wait just a damn minute.” He was trying, but Zuriel was going to have to give him something more to go on. Lengthening his strides, he caught up to his lover quickly and pulled him to a stop. “I can’t read your mind, Zuri. I can’t fix it if I don’t know what’s wrong, and I won’t know what’s bothering you until you tell me.”

“I want you to care!” Zuriel yelled up at him. “I want you to care about something—anything! Your dad dies, and you act like it’s a burden. Your brother dies, and you barely blink.”

“Everyone deals differently with grief. Besides, my father—”

“I wasn’t finished,” Zuriel snapped, cutting him off. “Your mother is a raging bitch who tried to slip three women into your bed, and you shrugged it off. You keep saying you don’t want to lead, but you won’t step aside either.” His chest heaved, and his bottom lip trembled as he continued. “Scream. Cry. Get angry. Throw a chair through a window. I don’t care, but do something! Stop acting like a fucking robot and let me in!”

Spiro stood there with his lips pressed together in a thin line, unsure of how to respond. Everything Zuriel had accused him of was true, and he had no rebuttal that wouldn’t sound trite or come out as an outright lie.

In his defense, this wasn’t a recent development. He’d never been one to wear his feelings on his sleeve, and he considered it inconsiderate to burden someone else with his problems. While he doted on Zuriel, made sure the man knew how beautiful and special he was, Spiro admitted that might not be enough. He hadn’t intentionally left his mate out in the cold, but he understood how it could be interpreted that way.

Yes, he comprehended these things on an intellectual level, but emotionally, he didn’t know how to fix them. Opening up to Zuriel, pouring his heart out and releasing all the bitterness, resentment, and rage he’d harbored throughout the years would be a good place to start, but it was so much easier to push everything away and pretend like it didn’t exist.

When he didn’t answer, Zuriel shoved his hands into his pockets and shook his head sadly. “What happened to you, Spiro?”

Apparently, this was a rhetorical question, because Zuriel didn’t give him an opportunity to answer before turning his back and marching down the dirt path. Spiro could see the cobblestone streets through the clearing just ahead, and he knew his mate would be safe once he reached them. So, instead of chasing after him again, he waited, giving them both a chance to cool down.

He’d canceled all of his meetings for the day, and he’d intended to spend the whole afternoon with his mate. Ten minutes into it, however, he’d fucked everything up without clearly understanding where he’d gone wrong.

Spiro wasn’t sure how long he stood just inside the tree line, arguing with himself about what move to make next when Zuriel’s scream pierced through the forest. When his mate called his name, their argument no longer mattered. Their disagreements weren’t important.

His pulse galloped as he sprinted toward the sound of Zuriel’s voice, hoping he wouldn’t be too late.

* * * *

“Spiro! Spiro, help!”

Kneeling over the prone body of a young woman, Zuriel fought to keep his breakfast down. It was the most grotesque thing he’d ever seen, and he was pretty sure the female was already dead. However, if there was even a chance that she could be helped, he needed to act quickly.

He’d stumbled out of the woods behind the general market where people brought their craft items to be sold and had nearly tripped over the petite blonde when he’d rounded the corner. Steeling his courage, he pressed two shaking fingers to her engorged throat, feeling the bile rise in his esophagus again at the cold, stiff texture of her skin.

“Zuriel?” Nithron jogged up to him and crouched on the other side of the girl. “Zuriel, what are you doing here?”

“Spiro,” Zuriel whispered. “He’s coming. I called for him. He’s coming.” His brain wouldn’t function properly to form more than a few words at a time, but he hoped he’d gotten his message across.

“Okay,” Nithron answered just as quietly. Rounding the unmoving body, he took Zuriel’s shoulders and lifted him to his feet. “Let’s get you out of here. You don’t need to see this.”

A flash of metal caught his attention, and he glanced back at the girl, noticing the gold bracelet that adorned her wrist. It was thin and delicate with just a single charm in the shape of a daisy. “I knew her.” He couldn’t recall her name, but she’d worked in the bakery just down the street.

Footsteps pounded against the earth behind him, slowing as they approached, and another set of hands landed on his shoulders. “Come here, lirimaer.”

“I knew her,” he repeated, unable to look away. “I can’t remember her name.” This was very important. He needed to know her name.

“It’s Lily,” Nithron answered. “Her name is Lily.”

“Lily.” He bobbed his head. That sounded right. “I forgot to tip her for the apple bread yesterday.” His eyes stung, and his throat constricted, burning as he fought back his emotions. “I just saw her yesterday.”

“Shh, baby.” Spiro wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him back to his chest. “I’ve got you.”

“Who would do that?” Lily was so sweet, and she’d welcomed him—a complete stranger—with a smile and a hug. “Who would want to hurt her?”

“She looks like the others.”

Zuriel jerked around to stare at the guard, and guilt hit him hard in the gut. He’d been trying to find answers. Hell, he’d broken his golden rule and eavesdropped on people’s thoughts, hoping