The All Consuming: A Shifter MC Novel (Pureblood Predator MC Book 4) by May Ellis Daniels Page B

sometimes he looks at me like he hates me—
    “I say we roll into Phoenix like we planned before you healed up,” Nash says. “Secure a headquarters for the Pureblood territory west of here. Start hunting Stricken and signing up the Skins that are still alive. Leave someone in charge. Leave a few MC members behind as well. Lily and her Skin friend stay with them while we ride on the Fallen and his band of merry fucksters.”
    “You tell Trish your master plan?” Aaron asks.
    Nash glowers. Shakes his head.
    “Didn’t think so.”
    Aaron stares at Blue and Tate. “You both back Nash on this?”
    Blue and Tate nod.  
    Aaron takes another pull from the bottle, then taps a rail onto his wrist and snorts it home. I can almost see the weight of responsibility crushing his shoulders.
    “I fucking hate this shit,” Aaron mutters.
    I know that’s true. He does hate it. In fact I think it’s probably tearing him up. Hurting him worse than he’ll ever show.  
    And that’s on me.
    Aaron looses a long sigh, then says, “I fucking hate it, but I’m thinking the same thing. Lily’s carrying my son. No way she’s riding south with us. Trish? Fuck her. We’ll tie her to a pole if we have to.”
    “C’mon Prez,” Nash growls.
    Aaron laughs. “Okay Nashy. Whatever. You deal with Trish. Although I gotta say it’s pretty fucking rich, you two hooking up after all the grief you gave me about Lil being a Skin.”
    “Maybe it’d be better if Lily was a Skin,” Nash says. “Then we wouldn’t have three dead Purebloods to burn.”
    “They all die?” Aaron asks. “Fuck sakes.”  
    “Jacko might heal. He got here yesterday. Pretty cool guy. The other two…not so lucky.”
    “Serves ‘em fucking right for attacking my bloodmate,” Aaron spits.
    “She attacked them , Prez,” Blue corrects.
    “Okay, okay,” Aaron says, raising his hands. He’s trying his best to stay cool. But I hear the strain in his voice.  
    He’s wearing thin.  
    A heavy silence descends on the men. No one wants to say the obvious: even if they do somehow manage to keep me in Phoenix while they ride off like gunslingers to clean up the ranch, and even if they do defeat my prick brother without me…what then?  
    I’m still a Risen.
    Still a threat to the Purebloods.
    I’m about to slip into the night when a hissing voice whispers in my ear, “Welcome home, piglet. That was quite the peep show. Wild and rough, just how I like it. You came a bit fast, but other than that you weren’t bad.” Mia nods at the men gathered around the fire. “Really worked, didn’t it? You flashing gash for the entire crew? The boys all got your back. We’re one big happy family again.”
    The sneaky, sarcastic fucking snake.
    “Piss off, Mia. I’m beyond tired of your bullshit.”
    “Aaron looks pretty tired too. But not from the lay.”
    “He can take care of himself.”
    “If he only had himself and his pack to worry about, yeah. See what you’re doing to him? Your bloodmate ? Since day one it’s been like this. Aaron caught between us and you. You know there’s only one way to fix it. You gotta fuck off. Forever. But you keep coming back, don’t you? I gave you the benefit of the doubt for a while. Told myself you love him, and love can do fucked up things. Make us blind to what’s really going on. But now? I don’t give a shit. You’re bad for him. Even worse for us. Plain and simple. You know that. But you’re still here. Why? Only one reason. You’re a selfish little bitch. You don’t give a fuck about Aaron Arud. If you did you’d be gone by now.”
    It takes every ounce of willpower I possess not to summon my animal and bleed the slithering snake out into the dirt. But a part of me knows Mia’s right. I am bad for Aaron and his pack. I am being selfish by not letting him go. But instead I grind my teeth, ignore everything she said and say, “You bring Anik back?”
    “Fuck do you care? You’re shit for him too. Stay the fuck