Mason’s the first to relent. He kisses my temple and murmurs to be careful before dragging Maverick into the living room. Alec hugs me, whispering that he trusts me. Jace dips his head for a brief kiss, not saying a word. His eyes tell me everything. Luc follows after Jace, possessively commandeering my mouth before telling me to use it if I have too. It takes me a moment to figure out he means the gun.
“You fucking touch her, King,” Luc warns, The Slayer shining through, “and I’ll put a bullet through your head. Truce or not.”
Drake’s silent but nods. Luc gives me one last look before following the others out.
Drake relaxes the second they’re gone, removing his hand from where it was clenched around his knife.
“Bit protective, eh?” He says lightly but the questioning eyes give his concern away.
“I don’t need a lecture, Drake,” I warn him. I place Luc’s gun down on the counter.
“You weren’t going to get one. If you trust them…then good on you,” Drake tells me with a straight face.
Is he…is he serious? That’s it?
“Wait, really?” I ask, dumbfounded.
Drake chuckles. “Hel, you can handle it. I know you can. After you met Linds, I pretty much expected her to corrupt you. What I want to know is how you got mixed up with Lucifer.”
I scrunch my nose at the use of his full name.
When Drake waits patiently for me to start, I realise he isn’t letting this go. I pull myself up onto the island slab and tell him the whole story. Leaving out a few details.
“Which one’s Jace?” Drake’s eyes darken.
“Did you miss the bit when I told you that Iforgavehim?” I stretch out the word.
“Rather quickly it seems,” Drake scowls from where he’s leaning against the bench, opposite me. “All the pain and resentment but you took one look at him and melted.”
“That is not what happened,” I argue, weakly.
That’s totally what happened.
“A few weeks and you trust them this much?” Drake asks seriously, like he actually wants to know.
“I do,” I say honestly. “Just like I knew I could trust you when you kidnapped me that first day.”
“I didn’t fucking kidnap you.” Drake groans. A grin tugs at my lips. We often have this argument and it always ends the same way.
I give him a soft smile. “What are you really doing here, Drae?”
He sighs and comes to stand in front of me. He braces his hands on either side of me, bowing his head before me.
“Your father,” he murmurs. I freeze. My heart starts pounding. “He’s wormed his way up the ranks and he’s drawn the attention of the president.”
The president. Giovanni King. The president of the Dark Riders MC. Aka, Drake’s father.
I haven’t told him I already knew this.
“With all the kids related to MC members around here…you shouldn’t return to Cattle Creek high.” Drake raises his head. “I’m trying to find out what I can but Marcus has people in the Dark Riders looking for you.”
Marcus. My father.
I take a shaky breath, fear slithering into my bones. Drake watches me carefully for any indication that I’m losing it. I inhale. Then exhale. And repeat. I do this until my vision is no longer blurred.
“Okay.” I rub a hand over my face. “So if he’s got people looking for me then clearly he doesn’t know I’m here.”
Drake shakes his head. “He doesn’t know for now, Hel but in a town this small, he can find you here.”
