Ruin (The Rhodes 1)

He nuzzles his nose in my shirt and purrs, inviting me to play.

“I have things to take care of. If you release me, I’ll come back to play with you and let you stay the rest of the night.” My hands plunge in my black jaguar’s fur, caressing it. “If you don’t, I’ll throw you back with your friends. Do you want that?”

He licks my face, his sharp teeth grazing my skin in a gentle bite. His sandpaper tongue leaves a scratching trail in its wake.

I twist my head to the side and lift my hand. “Up, Knight.”

My jaguar follows his training and gets up. I roll from underneath and leave him on the bed, his strong black body occupying half of it.

I take a quick shower and throw on a shirt and trousers.

When I come out of my walk-in wardrobe, Knight looks at me with eager shiny eyes, expecting me to play with him. Instead, I lift my hand then slowly bring it down. “Sit.”

Knight follows my command.

“Good boy. I won’t be long.” I pat him before leaving my quarters and securing it with a pass code.

Knight and his peers were trained by Tristan and me and thus, only the two of us can command them. They don’t deal well with strangers. Especially when we aren’t around. One of the guards got bit once. I suppose it wasn’t a pleasant experience.

Chilling air greets me as soon as I step outside the estate’s western wing. My boots don’t make a sound in the cut grass that expands beyond sight. Beside the lit passages out of each wing, the vast property slumps in silent darkness.

My guards should be here somewhere. They hide well, I’ll give them that.

Rustles tickle my ears. I turn when Kane comes out of the shadows. He’s dressed in a full black combat suit. Only his blond hair stands out.

He likes to think he’s a ninja.

“Is there something I can help you with, Sir?”

“Let’s take this somewhere private.” I walk ahead of him.

Once we’re inside the weapons’ storage vault, I re-enter the code, locking us both between metallic walls of multiple firearms.

Kane stands in front of the rifles’ wall, seeming unaffected.

I stroll to the semiautomatic section. I pick a random 1911, remove the magazine, and load the bullets. One after the other. No hurry whatsoever. “Tell me, Kane. Do you know why I don’t prefer guns?” I push the magazine back in its stash. With my right hand, I pull back the slide and release it. At the sound of a bullet clicking into the chamber, I aim the 1911 at Kane’s head.

He doesn’t flinch. His loyalty and professionalism are unquestionable. According to the Rhodes’ custom, each family member has a team solely assigned to them. Their ancestors served mine, and therefore, they’re loyal to the bone. They live and train in the estate’s southern wing for multiple generations. Their official title is guards, but they serve us in any way we want.

“Guns are easy and don’t provide you with a challenge,” Kane says in his gruff voice.

I smile. “Correct.”

“Also.” His dull blue eyes meet mine. “You like it up close and personal.”

I lower the gun and stalk around until I’m toe-to-toe with him. “Are you loyal to my family, Tristan, or me?”

“Is this a test?” My team’s chief’s gaze remains unfazed. “You won’t believe me even if I answer you.”

I raise my eyebrows. “Now, why do you assume that?”

“You don’t trust people, Sir.”

“I trust their fears.”

“I won’t dare betray you, Sir.” Kane straightens further. “Unlike you, I have people to care for.”

“Lovely. Now that we’ve established that.” I put the gun back, reach into my pocket, and fetch a picture of Mae. She was laughing with her friends. Her light giggle had me click the shutter of my phone’s camera without prior thought. I hand it to Kane.