Evans, Gabrielle - Hypnotic Healing [Fatefully Yours 6] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever ManLove) by Gabrielle Evans

am. There’s not much we can do about me, but we can find Onyx. I’ll deal with my shit when he’s home.”
    “You are kind of amazing,” Eyce said reverently. “You know that, right?”
    Shrugging, Echo pushed away from Hex and rose from the sofa. “I just refuse to feel sorry for myself. I’ve always been different. Now, I’m just really different. Besides sleeping during the day now, and needing blood to live, I’m still the same person I was.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Do I want to find out who did this to me and why? Sure. Do I want to make the scumbag pay for it? Absolutely.”
    “Oh, he will pay,” Fiero vowed.
    Echo nodded and offered the warriors a crooked smile. “I know you’re all foaming at the mouth to get to this guy and rip him apart. As much as that should disturb me, it actually makes me feel pretty damn special because I’d do it for any one of you. Right now, it’s not nearly as important as finding our mate.”
    “Your mate,” Vapre corrected quietly.
    “No,” Echo said firmly. “I know what I said.” He’d never felt anything with more conviction than the understanding that they were all supposed to be one—claimed, mated, and bonded for eternity. He’d work that out later, though.
    “We don’t even know where he went.” Myst settled back in the armchair and rubbed his temples. “How are we supposed to find him if we don’t know why he left in the first place? I still think he’ll be back when he cools off. In the meantime, we should do some more of this ripping apart you were talking about.”
    A lightbulb went off in Echo’s head, and his mouth fell open. “He’s gone after him.”
    “What? Who? What?” Mac looked back and forth between Gage and Echo before finally settling on Gage. “What’s that mean?”
    “It means we need to find Onyx before he gets himself killed.” Hex jumped to his feet and began biting out orders. “Syx and Vapre, take Gage and head out to the west. Jet, you go with Fiero and Eyce toward the north. Myst, you take Pax and go east. Jinx and Syn, you come with me.”
    “I’m coming, too,” Echo demanded.
    “No.” Hex’s tone brooked no argument. “If this is a trap to get us all out of the house, we can’t leave Mac and Sony unguarded.”
    “Then leave Craze here. It’s not like he’s much use for anything else.”
    “No,” Hex repeated. “I need Craze to come with us. Stay here and keep your friends safe. You’re much stronger now, and we need you here.”
    Echo thought it over for a minute and dipped his head. “I’ll take care of it.”
    Hex took Echo’s hand and pulled him close. “Thank you for not arguing.”
    “Oh, I’ll have plenty to say about it later, but I don’t want to waste the time right now. I’ll go get Craze. You guys get ready to go.”
    As he hurried across the room and up the stairs, Echo had to wonder about the intelligence of the man that had turned him. If the goal was to kill him, or give him some kind of disadvantage, the guy had acted rashly.
    So far, the only thing his transformation had succeeded in doing was to make him a stronger, more formidable weapon in the war. The thought made him smile. It was kind of like a big screw-you to Ares. He liked that.

    * * * *

    “Something has been bothering me,” Jinx said as they pushed through the trees.
    “What’s that?” Hex kept his eyes straight ahead, scanning the dim light for any signs that Onyx had been through there.
    “I didn’t smell any vampires at the party. I would have been able to scent them.”
    “Right,” Hex answered distractedly. “Echo said the guy didn’t match any of the descriptions on the paper, though.” He saw Jinx bob his head slowly from the corner of his eye. The man looked thoughtful, though.
    “I still should have scented something in the woods where we found Echo. He couldn’t have been there that long. A vampire would have left a lingering trace at the very least.”
    Hex’s