Page 20 of Justice

My face pulled in disgust. “I absolutely will not call you that. I will not have my mate mock me with cliché names.”

Liberty. Justice. What a fucking joke these fates were playing on me.

“I don’t care what you call me.” She sighed. “I don’t even care if you follow me.”

But as they all climbed the stones, not a single one looking back, I followed. Because like it or fucking not, I couldn’t let my mate out of my sight.

Chapter 10

LIBERTY

I foughtto breathe but still tried to remain calm as we trudged up the rock, back into the cave with the disk-like eye of stone over our heads and toward the freedom of the outside world. Most of the obstacles disappeared the moment I held the necklace—most obstacles except the naked, entitled prick that was following behind our group.

Mates? Are you kidding me? If everything I learned about fate this past few days weren’t so serious, I would think it was a joke. But I wore a mark on my chest, on display for the world, claiming me as his. A mark that neither of us wanted.

“You’re freaking out inside.” It wasn’t a question, just a statement.

I turned, looking into Sterling’s concerned grey eyes. “I don’t know what to do.”

“First, we will go back to the cottage, have some coffee and a biscuit.” He smirked, and from behind him, Ramsey mumbled,I hear your mockery.“Then, we can worry about the extra body later.”

I groaned at how heavenly coffee sounded and leaned my shoulder into Sterling’s for a moment, ignoring the very animalistic growl that was coming from behind me. “Coffee sounds amazing.”

“Good, because it will be near morning by the time we get out of here, anyway.” I lifted my head and took his hand. Another growl. “He can’t help it, you know. It’s wired into his making. He may not like you, but he will protect you, and that might just be why fates made this pairing.”

Pairing, I would hardly call it a pairing. I was no shifter. I was no actual vampire. At this point, I was barely a human. I was lost, stuck in this world that kept rapidly throwing things at me and expecting me to deal with it. “Why do I need so much protection? Sterling, I was just an artist last week. I lived in an apartment. I fed my neighbor’s cat.”

He made a disgusted face as he remembered the paste we made out of cat food to feed the critter. “Don’t remind me.” With a sigh, he continued. “Look, I can’t lie and tell you I understand this.”

“Me, either,” Ellis proclaimed from my other side before he took my hand and squeezed. “But what I can tell you is, I would die protecting you.”

“I don’t want anyone to die protecting me. I don’t want any of this at all.” My voice was a whine.

Sterling wagged an eyebrow. “Any of it?”

I laughed. “Okay. Some of it I could do with.”

“Good.” His voice went lower as he leaned closer to my ear. “Because when we get back to the cottage, I plan to show you all the ways I could heal you.”

I shoved his shoulders and laughed. “What if I don’t need healing?”

“You say that, but your emotions say otherwise,” Ellis smirked.

“And what about you?” I teased.

“What about me?” Ellis asked.

“What do you plan to show me?”

I watched as he bit his lower lip, pondering his words before his face turned to me, his dark eyes mesmerizing as they held my gaze. “Me? I plan to show you all the ways to love you, Liberty.”

We arrived backat the cottage right before the sun crested the horizon. We were all covered in dirt, grime, and blood. But that didn’t stop Sterling from making true on his promise of cookies with coffee. The moment we sat, we released the tension we were holding.

I looked between my crew, intentionally not sparing Justice a glance. Each of my men looked weary. As my gaze fell on each of them, a slow smile pulled at my lips until I couldn’t hold back the amusement. A giggle escaped me before an all-consuming laugh took over. I was manic, I knew, but I couldn’t stop the laughter if I tried. The rich sounds of my boys’ amusement joined me until almost all of us were in a fit of uncontrollable laughter.

“Let’s not do that again,” I said around laughter as I wiped tears from my eyes.

“You could count me out next time. That is for sure,” Ramsey added.