Page 66 of Fated to Them

Cyrus lifts his head before pulling me to him while Eli ducks out of the room to turn off the alarm.

“You will agree, Addie. I don’t want to force you. But you need to let me mark you soon,” Cyrus says, pressing me closer against his chest.

“What if I don’t want you to mark me? I like my freedom,” I tell him.

“You lost that the moment you met us. You are ours. We won’t share you with anyone else. I know you think you love Sam, but you don’t. You can’t.”

“I don’t love Sam. Well, I do, but things have changed now,” I whisper more to myself than to him.

Eli walks back into the room, stopping at the door. “Tea is ready,” he says, watching us, his eyes turning onyx as they trail down my naked body.

“Just think about it, Addie. I will wait. But the urge to mark you gets stronger, and I am not sure how much longer I can hold out,” Cyrus says, kissing my forehead and stepping away.

He walks into the walk-in and comes out in a pair of shorts and with a shirt in his hand. He hands it to me.

“I have my bag somewhere here?” I tell him, knowing my pajamas are in it.

“It’s in the car still,” Eli says, and I slip the shirt on; it sits mid-thigh like a dress.

“Come drink some tea, and then we can chat,” Eli says, his eyes roaming over me.

He holds out his hand to me, and I take it, letting him pull me through the house and back to the kitchen.

* * *

After dinner, they leave me alone. I just watch TV while they go off to do something. When they return, though, Eli seems a little tense. I can tell he has just showered because his hair is still wet, and he is no longer dressed in his suit but in cotton pants.

Looking over the back of the lounge when they walk out, I can see Cyrus looking annoyed at him for some reason, making me nervous. Eli sits down on the lounge next to me, taking the remote from me and flicking the TV off. Cyrus, however, remains standing, his arms folded across his chest.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, wondering how they have gone from almost playful to serious.

“Nothing. Cyrus and I have been talking…”

“No, you have been talking. Don’t make this out to be my decision. I was happy to wait a little longer,” Cyrus says.

Eli glares at him, and Cyrus looks away. My mouth is losing all moisture from the tension that has suddenly filled the room.

“What decision?” I ask, hoping Cyrus hasn’t changed his mind about marking me. I am so not ready for that.

“We are leaving for Soya tomorrow. You will be coming with us. You need to say goodbye to your family,” Eli says.

My face whips toward Cyrus, who looks away, unable to meet my gaze.

“But you said soon, not tomorrow,” I tell them, looking back at Eli.

Eli reaches for my hand, but I pull it back.

“We are leaving tomorrow, and that’s final. I am done waiting. We don’t need to be here, and I want you as far away from Sam as possible,” Eli says.

“You can’t just throw that on me at such short notice. What about my sister and Maya?”

“Your sister is fine. Your family will be fine.”

“You don’t know that. My sister could relapse. My mom can’t raise Maya on her own,” I tell him, becoming frustrated.

“Your sister won’t relapse, Addie,” Cyrus says, and I shake my head.

“You can’t possibly know that,” I tell him.