He looked out at the passing scenery, the leaves just starting to turn colors as Georgia welcomed the onset of fall. He’d grown up here, and fall and winter were his favorite seasons.
The sweat coating his skin quickly dried in the breeze, providing a temporary coolness that helped to settle his rattled nerves. He cautiously lifted one hand to pull at his damp T-shirt.
His brain was locked in an endless loop of Holy shit! That was insane! Who the hell robs a bakery? But then, Baer seemed to know who those assholes were. They didn’t seem interested in the register, and not once had those crooks demanded money from the customers.
When that shotgun had gone off, he’d thought he was dead for sure. Adrenaline and fear had raced through his body, coating him in a cold sweat.
But instead of dying in a freak bakery robbery, he was in a Jeep with the sexiest man alive. A real live superhero!
Not only that but the man was fucking built. He was taller than Wiley—which, face it, wasn’t hard since Wiley barely topped five seven. Not that his height really made a difference. It wasn’t like Wiley would be climbing the man like he wanted to.
Baer had thick arms and shoulders. His thighs filled out his jeans in a way that made Wiley’s mouth water. And holy hell, he smelled good. Better than those stupid doughnuts, which he swore he was never eating again. Baer’s presence filled up the front of the Jeep. Wiley took in a deep breath and held it, hoping to keep some of that essence in his lungs.
Silly? Maybe, but Wiley was just so overwhelmed by everything he’d seen. The man had turned into a cougar, for fuck’s sake. He’d ripped through those strange people with guns like they were nothing. And then he’d flowed back into human in the blink of an eye.
This was like every one of Wiley’s dreams come true. Like every one of his stories had come to life.
He looked at Baer as he concentrated on driving. The man had nice, big hands. Wiley shivered as wicked images of those hands running along his body danced through his poor brain. He couldn’t help it—something about the man called to him on a deep level he’d never felt. It was like he automatically knew he could trust Baer with his life. Was this the bond or whatever the man had spoken about? Something about him being a Weaver.
Baer glanced at him, one corner of his mouth turning up. “Surprised? Confused? Scared? You know I wouldn’t hurt you, right?”
“Mostly surprised and confused. Nowhere near as scared as I probably should be.”
Baer grinned at him. “I’d never hurt you. You’re one of us. It will all make sense to you soon. You’ve stumbled into a world that’s pretty damn unbelievable, at first. But it’s also special—this brotherhood. Wait until you meet Clay and Grey. You’ll love them. Oh, and Dane. He’s not technically a part of the brotherhood; he’s Clay’s boyfriend, but he’s just as cool. You’ll also meet the goddesses.”
Wiley’s breath got caught in his throat and he coughed. “Brotherhood? Goddesses? Wait…goddesses?”
Baer chuckled. “Yeah, and they’re a trip. Each one of them holds our magic until we arrive, but we’ll go into that more when we’re there. The brotherhood was pulled together to fight those things that were at the bakery. We call them pestilents.”
He curled his lip. “Awful name.”
“But it fits. You noticed how rank they were, right?”
Wiley hadn’t noticed that, but then, he’d been overwhelmed by being caught up in a battle with supernatural elements. It was like something out of the comic books he worked on. Excitement thrummed through his veins, and he rubbed his hands down his jean-clad thighs as they started perspiring. “I did see they weren’t quite human. One of them had glowing red eyes. What are pestilents, exactly?”
“They’re beings from another dimension, and they’re trying to steal all the energy from ours. In a way, I feel for them, with their world dying. That makes them desperate. And dangerous as fuck. But they’re working to destroy our world.”
“And that’s where your brotherhood comes into play?”
Baer nodded. “Your brotherhood now, too. You’ll see. I can’t wait to see what powers you get.”
His heart knocked hard against his ribs. He sucked in a deep breath, then let it out in a huge whoosh. “I’m getting powers?”
What the hell had he wandered into? He’d just wanted some freaking doughnuts. If he couldn’t feel his heart hammering, he’d have been positive he was still asleep in his bed. But then, his dreams were never this vivid.
“All the brothers have them. And believe me, we need them to fight these things and keep our world safe.”
Wiley’s mind lurched. Powers? Him? The idea was ridiculous. He looked at his hands, which had spent hours drawing things just like this. Most of his adulthood and teen years were passed in endless fantasies about supernatural beings and superheroes with powers.