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“You’re safe with us, Athelia,” Kellan whispers in my ear.
There isn’t a single part of me that doesn’t hate them. They’ve been cruel—worse than cruel.So much worse.
I shouldn’t let myself lean into their touches.
I shouldn’t welcome the feelings of safety that come with being surrounded by them.
Idefinitelyshouldn’t fall asleep.
But my body is drained, and the drugs are still fucking with my system. That has to be it. There’s no other explanation for why my judgment is so clouded, my head so fuzzy.
“Sleep,ma belle,”Kellan murmurs in my ear.
And no amount of hatred and fear can stop me from obeying his command.
Chapter Seventeen
Kellan
“He’s not going to want to leave you alone with her.” My voice is hushed as I continue stroking Athelia’s hair in the darkness.
She fell asleep mere minutes after we all crawled into bed together. I won’t be staying, but I’m enjoying having her body against mine.
“I don’t care,” Cal whispers back. “You’re the better match for this assignment.”
I hum in agreement. I’m not small, but I’m slimmer than Cal. If we needed to be intimidating, he’d be the better choice. But tonight, we need to go unseen.
“Wes doesn’t have much of a choice in the matter,” Cal adds quietly. “He can fucking deal.”
With a sigh, I glance up at my clock. It’s just past four. Wes and I need to get going, or we won’t be able to complete our assignment on time.
Carefully, I untangle my limbs from Athelia’s and slip off the bed. She doesn’t even stir.
“Be safe,” Cal whisper-shouts as I make my way downstairs.
I don’t acknowledge him, not wanting to wake Athelia. He knows we’ll be careful.
Downstairs, Wes narrows his eyes at me. “Of course he’s the one who’s staying.”
“You and I both know I’m better for this job.” I grab my black leather jacket from the coat closet and shrug it on. I’ve already got my gun on me—grabbed it when I was still in my room. “Ready?”
His only answer is to yank the front door open and march out onto the porch. Our bikes are already in the detached garage, ready to go.
Closing the front door quietly, I roll my eyes. We all get into pissy moods sometimes. He’ll get over it.
Besides, I’m beginning to think Cal may be right. While Athelia fell asleep, she was… different. She didn’t feel safe, but she wasn’t as angry. All it took was a couple inconsequential acts of kindness—a small kiss here, a gentle caress there—and her resolve crumbled like plaster.
I suppose Cal standing up for her to Wes might’ve had something to do with it.
Regardless, it’s obvious she wants us. Or at least, she wants to want us. And now that she’s let us in a little, we’re never leaving.
We roll our bikes out of the garage before starting them so the echo doesn’t wake Athelia. Helmets on, we ride off into the darkness.
We’re so far east in Pennsylvania that we’re practically right on the border. New York City isn’t even two hours away, and thesuburbs surrounding it are even closer. Plus, with so little traffic, we’ll be there in no time.
I ride behind Wes, letting the roar of my bike’s engine overtake my thoughts. Athelia has been an obsession of ours for years. Wes may be the most vocal about it, but he’s not alone. Cal and I just have more self-control.
Getting to fuck her tonight… god, it was better than I remembered. And I’ve gone through the memories of our first couple weeks together a lot—just about every night.
