Read Online Evans, Gabrielle - Hell's Tempest [Fatefully Yours 4] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever ManLove) by Gabrielle Evans - Free Book Online

Whatever it was, his mate didn’t need to shoulder the burden alone.
    “Can I get my hair cut?” he asked instead, changing the subject to a less depressing topic.
    Apparently, that had been the wrong thing to ask. Syx and Vapre whipped around to stare at him as though he’d grown a second head, and Hex jerked on the wheel, almost sending them careening into the drainage ditch along the side of the road.
    “Is that what you really want?” Vapre’s fingers combed through Echo’s long hair, lifting it gently as he brushed it back from Echo’s forehead. His eyes looked a little sad, but Echo couldn’t understand why. It was just hair.
    “Maybe we could get it trimmed and braided,” Hex suggested casually.
    Pulling his blond mane over his shoulder, Echo stroked the silky strands, straightening it out to its full length so that it hung just above his hip. “We’ll see.” It wasn’t like he wanted to shave his head and get a tattoo, so why was everyone making such a big deal about it?
    They’d never allowed him to cut his hair at the lab. Though it hadn’t mattered much then, Echo wanted a fresh start, removing all traces of that life he’d left behind. Besides, men didn’t have hair this long. Did they? He might be the smallest member of their little group, but that didn’t make him any less of a man. It was time he grew up and started dressing and acting the part.
    Syx gave a deep sigh, his back still to Echo, and shook his head sadly. Echo didn’t know what that meant, but he had an inkling, and it only served to cement his decision.

    * * * *

    “What the fuck?” Fiero yelled when they walked in the front door several hours later. He was sitting on the sofa, remote in hand, flipping through the channels at random. “What the fuck?” He repeated, but with less heat, as he jumped to his feet and stalked toward them.
    Vapre didn’t know whether to laugh or nod in sympathy at the dumbstruck look on Fiero’s face. He was pretty sure he’d worn a similar expression when Echo had first stepped out of the salon at the mall. Though his reaction hadn’t been quite as vocal, he’d been asking himself the same question all afternoon.
    Fiero grabbed Echo by the shoulders, pulling him farther into the room, and spun him around abruptly. Then he just stared, his mouth hanging open, and his eyes wide. “What did you do?” he whispered.
    “Don’t you like it?” Echo’s tone made it clear that Fiero better like it or else. They’d all received similar pointed looks like the one he was giving Fiero over his shoulder as well.
    Fiero seemed to get the hint fairly quickly and cleared his throat as he took a step back. “It’s just really different.”
    That was an understatement to the extreme. Gone were the waist-length blond locks that Vapre had loved running his fingers through as Echo curled by his side at night. Echo hadn’t let any of them accompany him into the salon, saying he wanted it to be a surprise. Well, it was definitely shocking.
    Not only was Echo’s hair much shorter, reaching just long enough to brush between his shoulder blades, but he’d gone a step further, having the golden blond dyed to a deep chestnut brown. It looked soft and shiny, swaying gently as he moved his head, but it just wasn’t the same.
    “Well, I like it,” Echo told them as he spun around and fisted his hands on his hips. “It’ll be much easier to take care of, and I don’t look like a fifteen-year-old girl anymore.” The little imp actually stuck out his tongue. “It’s my hair, and I’ll do what I want with it.”
    “Wow, that’s hot!” Myst strolled into the room, beer in hand and grinning from ear to ear. “I like it. Makes you look all mysterious and sexy.”
    Vapre didn’t know if Myst was being sincere, or if he’d overheard the conversation before announcing his presence. Watching the radiant smile stretch over Echo’s lips, he decided it didn’t matter. They were all being ridiculous. He