Page 10 of 3013: Wonderland
In order to escape his pain over losing her, Raek had accepted the Artanes’ offer to move to Evo. When they had told him they bought a planetoid, he hadn’t been surprised. The three Artane brothers were visionaries, so they were always coming upwith some outrageous new idea. However, when they decided to turn the planetoid into a live-action version of their new video game, that had been a whole new level of crazy.
Their video game Evolution was an advanced multi-layered survival game that combined several different types of games into one complex universe. Inside the game, players could essentially do whatever they wanted. They could live out their wildest fantasies or create a whole new exciting reality for themselves.
Raek wasn’t much of a gamer, but he had been intrigued by the whole concept. When the Artanes had spoken to him about running a new sanctuary on Evo, he’d immediately loved the idea. But before he had agreed, he’d had to clear it with Fenris and Charm. Their sister had been just as excited as he was to start their own sanctuary, but it had taken a little longer to convince Fenris.
Although he had been all for moving to Evo for the same reason as Raek, Fenris hadn’t been completely thrilled about all the responsibilities that came with owning and operating their own business. Once they came up with a concept and had agreed to hire a shit-ton of managers to help them run things, he had finally approved.
And so, Wonderland had been created.
Raek had just started feeling like he was acclimating to living on Evo when he’d been notified about what James Borov had done to Juliet. Since they had started beta testing on the planetoid, it was the first time they had really gotten information about what was happening back on Earth.
He had gone on a rampage, destroying furniture and tearing through the damn walls in his suite after he’d scoured through all of the information that had been collected during the trial. He’d been so enraged and out of control, they’d had to sedate him to stop him from breaking things.
In contrast, Fenris had almost drowned himself in guilt, literally and figuratively. After he’d gotten rip-roaring drunk, he had almost flung himself off the damn balcony of his own suite. Luckily, one of the Artane brothers and a few of their other friends had been with him at the time, so they had been able to stop him from doing anything stupid.
Thankfully, Charm had more sense than they did. She had contacted a few people at Exodus to find out exactly what had been going on. Raek and Fenris had wanted to hop on a shuttle and head straight back to Earth, but Charm had talked them out of it after speaking to Jade Vyper.
Raek, Charm, and Fenris had been friends with Rogan and Lucian Adaro for a long time, and Jade had gotten to know them through the memory exchange with her mates. Because of that, she also learned about the deep, abiding love Raek and Fenris felt for Juliet.
While she was all for helping to bring them together, the Dragon Warrior had expressed some concerns after she had consulted with the counselor treating Juliet. While it was clear Juliet would have found comfort having Raek and Fenris with her at the sanctuary, the counselor thought it was more important for her to re-establish her own sense of power to help her heal.
Because of that, Charm convinced Raek and Fenris to wait for Juliet to come to them.
Waiting was probably the hardest thing he’d ever done, but Raek had been willing to do whatever was best for her. It had helped ease some of the strain when Jade told them she would give Juliet a nudge in their direction once she was ready.
And now, she was finally on her way to them.
Raek wanted to hunt James, Willard, and Beatrice down and kill them with his bare hands for what they had done to her. He’d even considered paying someone inside the Mars Penal Colonyto take care of the deed, but after hearing that Juliet enjoyed knowing they were the ones who were locked away in a cage now had made him rethink his plans.
“Calm down,” Fenris demanded from where he was casually leaning against the wall. “You’re scaring the natives.”
Realizing he was growling, Raek forced himself to stop. Just thinking about the fuckers who had hurt Juliet never failed to make him furious. Glancing around, he saw everyone inside the transport center was casting wary looks his way, but he couldn’t really blame them. When the lights on the landing platform designated for their special arrival changed color, Fenris pushed away from the wall and came to stand next to him.
As they watched the shuttle land, Fenris said, “I’m nervous. Are you nervous?”
Raek grunted in reply.
Of course, he was, but he wasn’t about to admit that out loud. He suddenly wished he had dressed up a little instead of wearing his standard uniform of black cargo pants, a basic T-shirt, and black boots. He sighed. It was stupid to worry about now. The short sleeves strained around his muscular arm as he rubbed a hand over his shorn head. Unlike the colorful images covering his brother’s body, the tattoos on Raek’s arms were strictly done in black and gray.
Fenris was wearing old-fashioned jeans that were worn white at the knees and a dark blue tank that was frayed at the hem and showed off his colorful arms. He had his shoulder-length black hair pulled back in a messy bun and was wearing a pair of tinted gray glasses to combat the strong blue sunlight. He looked more like a rock star than someone who was in charge of a sanctuary and casino. Then again, Raek looked more like a warrior than a chef or businessman, so who was he to judge?
It wasn’t long before people started to depart the large vessel. The Dragon Warriors had arranged for Juliet and her friend tohitch a ride on a shuttle that had already been scheduled to travel to Evo. The passengers were all individuals who lived or worked at the various sanctuaries that were on Earth, so it had been a safe flight for them to take.
When he caught sight of her in the crowd, he started forward before he could stop himself. Fenris’ hand on his arm reminded him to let her come to them. She hadn’t noticed them yet, so he stopped moving and just admired her. It was as if everything else around him faded away until only she remained.
His world.
His everything.
Juliet’s long blonde hair had been pulled back in a ponytail, giving him an unobstructed view of her beautiful face. A small smile curved her lush lips as she closed her eyes and tilted her head back. The strong blue sunlight made her pale skin look luminous, but he worried about the damage the unfamiliar light could do to her.
Even though she was wearing a long-sleeved pink jumpsuit with a puffy white vest over it and white boots, he could tell she had lost a lot of weight since the last time he saw her. She had always been delicate despite the lean muscles she’d honed from countless hours of training, but now she just seemed frail.
She turned to speak to a female with flaming red hair, then they both shuffled forward as more people exited the shuttle. He wanted to shove all the other people crowding around her off the damn platform, especially the male staff members sending her admiring glances.
His muscles tensed the moment her head turned, and she caught sight of him and his brother. He saw several emotions flicker over her expressive face in rapid succession. The fear and worry made his heart ache, but the joy made his own lips curve into a welcoming smile.
Going on instinct, he spread his arms wide just like he used to back when they were young. His stance told her that he was there for her if she needed him, offering protection and support. He felt a twinge of disappointment when she stood frozen in place for several heartbeats, but he refused to let it show.