Wilder pulls his phone out as it buzzes, blowing out a breath as he sees who’s calling.
“Hey.” He listens with a nod after answering, and I wonder if it’s Devon. He must have ridden like a bat out of hell if he’salready in Minneapolis. “Yeah, we’re on our way home now, Devon. I’ll see you soon.”
“Fuck,” Lore sighs.
“Hop the back fence and go in the back with the key,” Wilder suggests, shoving his phone away. “You won’t have to break the fucking window this time.”
“Nothing like your brother coming back from death,” I say brightly without a smile.
Lore growls as he pulls me behind him on his bike, and I don’t know what else to say as I pull on my helmet. There’s nothing I can do to make this better, though I hesitate as I think of something.
“If you’re jumping the fence, should I really be going with you on the bike?” I ask.
“I think fate has already loudly stated that you’re stuck with me, Princess. I don’t much want to test how far we can be from each other. I also need you with me. I’ll help you hop the gate,” he chuckles.
“Devon has a hard-on for hurting Marie with his words when he’s pissed,” Ransom warns. “Try not to kill the fucker. I think you’d miss the little shit.”
“Already talking shit about your ex-prez,” Wilder tsks. “Didn’t take that long, huh?”
“Pretty sure the only loyalties that matter are the ones that lie in the present,” Ransom shrugs, revving his engine before pulling away.
“The new kid is showing you up,” Lore smirks.
Rolling my eyes, I wrap my arms around his waist as I say, “Spank him later, baby. Let’s go face the music.”
Lore’s body trembles with amusement as he begins the drive home, even though he doesn’t make a sound. I have no idea how Devon will react to his brother being alive, but something tells me I’m going to need to grab my gun.
Chapter Thirteen
Lore
Marie jumps the fence without an issue, while I curse every god I can name as my stitches pull. Ransom is gonna kick my ass if I fuck up his hard work. The threat doesn’t keep me from doing what I need to, and I’m through the back door with my girl fairly quickly.
I deal with the alarm by turning it on silent as I lock the door behind me, and drag Marie to the living room. She’s breathing a little hard despite how easy she makes breaking and entering appear.
Though…
“I need you to know something,” I whisper into her ear.
I can hear the motorcycles out front, and know my time alone with my omega is limited. I left my bike in the street behind the house to give myself some extra time to shore up my strength. Devon and I have always been ride or die, and my decision to stay dead while I had one foot in the grave may not sit well with him.
“Hmm,” Marie murmurs, leaning against my body. The days are getting colder, and she doesn’t have warm enough clothing. I need to start putting together a winter closet with the guys for her.
“This house is in your name,” I confess. “Storm did it after your heat. We know you need security. If you wanted to drive away, you can. If something happens, you have?—”
“Stop,” she rasps. “You can’t ever leave me. Iwilldie. The bond sickness may be the strongest with you, but I wouldn’t survive if any of you left.”
“Never,” I promise her. “I need you to know we can provide for you. I don’t want you to kill yourself at work anymore. Take shifts because you want to, not because of this frenetic fear that says you have to provide for yourself. Have you checked your bank account recently?”
“Ah, yes,” she admits. “There’s money in my account, I just have this irrational fear that I need to build up a nest egg.”
“I’ll add you to the pack account,” I decide. “We are your nest egg. You know how smart Storm is. I promise, you’re well covered. Only work when you want, okay?”
“Thank you,” she sighs. “There’s a fear still after being fired from my job in Chicago. I’ve always relied on myself. It’s very difficult to remember that I may have people to lean on.”
“May? Fuck that. Wearethe backbone of your support team. One day, you’ll even believe that.”
“Why the hell did you drag me all the way back to Minnesota?” Devon groans in the front hallway.
