“Get in.” I yank the door open forcefully, my hand dropping to the small of Sienna’s back as I nudge her in before gesturing abruptly to Alicia.
She huffs, but Jax darts in front of her before she can climb in, pulling himself into the back of the car with a dark glance in my direction.
Alicia stamps her foot. “You’re ruining my buzz, Tristan.” Her whining, so high-pitched, pushes the building pressure in my head to a full-blown ache.
I sigh. “Sit in the front with me,” I offer belatedly, and she whisks around to the passenger side with a smile. Erikkson comes up next to me, his hands folded behind his back.
“An interesting day,” he remarks. Rounding on him with a snarl, I keep my voice low.
“Satisfied?”
“Not quite. But I will be, as long as you stick to our agreement.”
Waving him off, I get into the driver’s seat, slamming the door behind me and ignoring Alicia’s yapping to just squeeze my eyes shut and take a goddamned breath. Letting it out, I glance in the rear-view mirror, meeting a pair of blue eyes.
Sienna glances away from me, looking out of the window. The silence emanating from the back is as painful as Alicia’s yapping next to me.
Fingers flexing on the steering wheel, I put the car into drive.
21
SIENNA
My fingers twist in my lap. Tension thickens the air around us until I can taste it on my tongue, an accompaniment to the ache in my chest. It pulses in tune with my heartbeat.
Next to me, Jax shifts, his leg pressing against mine in the cramped space. The heat from his skin soaks into my side, a tiny respite from the itch to reach out tothem, to bury my face into them.
Mine.
My focus is thwarted by the feel of eyes on me. I flick my glance up to the mirror, but Tristan has already turned away.
I felt it though. Just like I felt every glance he’s stolen over the last twenty minutes.
The car slows, entering through ornate black iron-wrought gates. Despite myself, I lean forward slightly, the omega in me unable to resist a glance at my home. At least, it’s my home for the next four weeks. What happens after that is a question mark, polluting the air between me and the four alphas around me.
I purposefully don’t think of Alicia. The urge to scream, to shriek and rage and stake my claim on the men around me is a noose around my neck, slowly tightening. Clearly, Soul Bonded are very possessive.
So I bite my lip savagely until the faint tang of iron fills my mouth. As the doors open, I exit the confined space, taking a deep breath to clear my head of their scent.
Then I take another as I look over the mansion in front of me.
Pale stone rises from the ground into the sky, tapering off into columns. Bright, wide windows line the walls, surrounding detailed carved dark wooden entry doors.
I take another breath. I couldn’t have designed this house any better.
Calm down, Si. It’s not yours.
As I turn away, yet another gut punch hitting me, I come face to face with Grayson. Both of us pause.
The warmth I saw earlier is gone now, his face shuttered. “Let’s go inside.”
His sharp tone has me scurrying after him into the house, following the others. Belatedly, I look around for my cases before I remember that we left without them.
“They’ll be delivered tomorrow.” Logan brushes past me, his hair glinting in the late afternoon light. Glancing back at me, he tips his head towards the house, unsmiling. “Come on.”
Okay then.
I expected marble, towering ceilings, huge paintings of weird things that make no sense, but I’m met with well-worn wooden floors, cream walls, and very little in the way of furnishings.
