From the Ashes (Force of Nature Book 1) Read Online Free

responses they gave.
    “He asked if you were always like this.”
    “Like what?”
    Dean hesitated.
    “So uptight.”
    “I'm uptight? The guy that doesn't fucking talk for almost a century thinks I'm uptight?” I exclaimed before slamming the better part of my drink. “I've officially entered the twilight zone. If you need me, I'll be on the dance floor trying to sort all of this out.” I got up abruptly and walked away to the sound of Jase and Dean calling after me. Merc didn't say a thing, not that that was surprising. I probably would have fallen over if he had. How did those two manage to not once mention this strange brother of theirs to me? Dean couldn't keep a secret to save his life. Jase, though better than his younger brother, must have had a hard time sitting on that little detail—or not so little detail, as the case seemed to be.
    Either way, the cat was out of the bag, and it left my mind reeling. Why had he been gone? Why was he so dangerous? And why was he selectively mute? The last thing I needed were more questions in my life. I had plenty of my own, thank you very much.
    Thankfully, the pounding bass line reverberating all around me offered reprieve from the barrage of questions that ran through my mind. Instead, I let the rhythm take over, carrying me deep into the crowd of humans. It was easy to lose myself in there, to go unnoticed. It was a welcome feeling. While I danced until beads of sweat started to gather at my hairline, the boys hung out in their lush VIP section, drinking, canoodling with the high-priced ladies of the night that frequented the place, and, from what I could tell, trying to coax Merc into joining in their fun. Not surprisingly, he wasn't having any of it.
    After an hour of dancing, my body demanded liquids of some kind, so I made my way through the crowd (with a lot of difficulty) to find Kat at the bar.
    “Having fun, I see,” she said with a wink, handing me a bottle of water.
    “It's better than the alternative,” I replied after taking a huge drink.
    “Which would be not having fun?”
    “Ha! No. Well, actually yes, but maybe only kind of. Jase and Dean brought someone with them tonight. He's not very entertaining, so I've decided to do my own thing.”
    “He?” she asked with mischievous look in her eyes.
    “Oh my God, no! Not like that. Holy crap, Kat. You know the boys don't swing that way. And besides that, ew! He's their brother .”
    Her expression fell just as quickly as the color drained from her face.
    “Merc is back?”
    “So it seems.”
    Her hand darted out, catching my arm as it brought the bottle to my mouth. I got doused with water in the process, my white tank now translucent.
    “Stay away from him, Piper. I mean it.”
    “Well, that's a bit challenging since I came here with him and the—”
    “I am not bullshitting about this, Piper. I really mean it.” Her eyes pierced mine with a desperate intensity that I couldn't overlook. She looked more than concerned. She looked scared. “If even a fraction of what I've heard about him is true, he's no joke, girl. There's a reason he's been gone.”
    “Which is?” I probed, hoping for some answers about the newcomer.
    “No clue. All I know is it can't be good, and I don't want you around that.”
    “The boys already warned me about him; that I'm not to be alone with him.”
    “Ever!”
    “No objections here. He's super creepy,” I added. I conveniently left out the 'hot' part of my analysis, thinking it wouldn't do much for Kat's blood pressure. “I think this avoidance plan might prove problematic given that he and I both will be living in the mansion.”
    “I don't care. Find a way to do it. Live in my room if you need to. Whatever, just promise me you'll stay away from him after tonight.”
    “Okay. I promise. But you're going to have to explain to Jensen why I'm sleeping on the floor of your room. And you're also going to have to explain to the boys why I can't hang out with them