Page 21 of Justice
“Don’t worry,” Ellis said as he reached over and put me onto his lap. “I would follow you to death if it meant you were protected.”
Our laugher died slowly, and I sighed as I rubbed my chest, forgetting about the mark embedded into my skin until the yellow eyes off to the corner caught my own. His stare was impenetrable. His eyes locked solely on me, and I couldn’t tell if it was hate and loathing that held them there or more.
Ellis’ nose nuzzled against my skin before he whispered, “Don’t worry, we won’t let him hurt you.”
Even the whisper caused a growl to emit from the man. I squeezed Ellis’ hand, thankful that he could feel what I was feeling without voicing my fears. “What are we doing next? Where do we go from here?”
“First, we need to head back home. We will rest, eat, check on our charter. But I want to be out of here at nightfall,” Oak ordered. “From there, we go home and figure it out.”
“Everything is on track with the plane home,” Sterling informed us before he tossed his phone on the table, lifting his chin in Justice’s direction. “What do you want to do with that?”
That. I knew what he meant. Monster? Man? Shifter? We had seen so many faces of the scolding man in front of us; I didn’t know which to be cautious of. Ellis’ hand drifted to my thigh, bunching my skirt as he kissed my neck, before saying, “Doesn’t matter. He’s not our problem.”
“I agree,” Sterling announced. “So we leave him.”
“You will leave my mate with me, then.” The yellow eyes pierced into me.
“Our mate,” Oak added.
“Mine,” Justice growled.
Ellis picked me up as he stood. “As far as I’m concerned, he can come with. But, the moment he threatens our girl, I’ll push him out of the plane myself.”
“I don’t want to go with you. I want to go to my people.”
“What people? No one has seen any of you in years,” Sterling spat.
“We – we have places. I’ll take the girl there. For – for protection.” Oak laughed at this.
“The girl you threatened to carve up hours ago? Yeah, I don’t think so. We will go to your lands or wherever you think they might be to drop you off, but she stays with us.”
“I couldn’t hurt her, even if I wanted to. The mark prevents it.” His eyes fell to my mark again.
“Do you want to?” Ellis asked.
“What?” Justice tore his eyes away from my skin.
“Do you want to hurt her if you could?” Ellis clarified.
“My mate is a vampire. She controls me. I should shun her.” His brows pulled together, “But even then. I do not wish her harm right now.”
Oak stood, then Sterling, leaving Ramsey and Justice sitting at the table. “Regardless, you aren’t to be left alone with her.”
The boys turned to the bedroom with me in tow, and I swore I heard Ramsey say,You should probably go outside, mate. Rest and replenishment seem to mean something a whole fucking lot different to those four.
Chapter 11
OAK
I should be sleeping.But I couldn’t. The only thing I could manage was to sit here and watch Liberty, protect her just in case. A mate? I shouldn’t be shocked. Stranger things than that have happened this week. But still, I thought she was meant to be ours.Just ours.
My palm rubbed against the leather-bound book. The feeling almost warm to the touch, like it was alive in my hands. I guess technically, it was alive. It was writing itself, fueled by magic this very second. My hands itched to creak open the cover and see what we had to do, what was in store for us, but I was also fearful. One wrong move, and we could lose her. She’s human. She’s a vampire. Now she’s a mate, and I had to know where it would stop, but I didn’t think I could stomach the wrong answer.
“Just open it,” Ellis mumbled from where he lay sprawled across the bed, his body intertwined with a sleeping Liberty, his leg against Sterling’s, neither of them caring.
“I will.”
“Do it now. I can feel your anxiety from here, and it's disturbing my sleep.” His voice was raspy.