“Youwillfinish your lunch.”
She scoffed. “What makes you think I’ll still be here for lunch?”
I stiffened, knowing I had a battle ahead of me. There was no other option. This was the only plan Ez and I could agree on that would actually work. She was going to hate every part of it. I eyed the front door, hoping she didn’t bolt again, and Ezra took that moment to come yawning down the stairs in nothing but a ratty pair of basketball shorts.
If he noticed the tension in the kitchen, he didn’t comment on it. He did, however, help himself to Eryn’s half-eaten omelet.
“Dude.”
He stopped, his fork halfway to his mouth, and blinked up at me. “Wha?”
“It’s fine,” Eryn said. “I told you I was done.”
Ez went back to eating like he hadn’t just stolen my bond’s breakfast, finished or not. I sighed and planted my hands flat on the island. Hopefully, with Ez here, we could contain her rage. Half asleep or pumped with adrenaline, Ez was a force to be reckoned with and great backup. I gave Eryn my full attention once more, and she straightened in her chair.
“Back to what I was saying.” From the corner of my vision, Ez slowed his eating, finally clueing in to what was happening. “You’ll be here for lunch, dinner, and every meal thereafter because you live here now.”
Dead silence. I don’t think I heard her breathe for a good twenty seconds. And then…
“What! You can’t decide where the fuck I live, Kaiden.”
“I can. And I have.”
Ez snorted, but I ignored him. Eryn had my full attention. I sensed the absolute storm surging on her end of the bond. Confusion. Fear. Anticipation. Desperation. And through it all, a clean slice of rage.
“Well…No,” she sputtered, and my head cocked. I expected more than that.
“No?”
“Fuck,no. You don’t own me, and I refuse to stay here a second longer while you spew this bullshit.”
She vaulted off the chair and sprinted for the door. There it was. I was only mildly surprised. She was no match for the both of us, so running was her only option. And her forte. She wrapped her hand around the doorknob and yelped, yanking it away, then spun and glared at Ezra, who was whistling while putting his plate in the dishwasher. My lips fought a smirk. He didn’t have to freeze it.
“You could have phrased it a better way, man,” he told me, and I shrugged.
“I prefer the direct approach. There’s no room for confusion.”
“I’m still plenty damn confused!” Eryn shouted, hands on her hips, which lifted my shirt high enough to give us a glimpse of her panties.
Fuck. What was it about the top of a woman’s thighs that was so damn attractive? I glared at my cousin. He grinned but respectfully looked away.
“What about this confuses you?” I asked her. I truly thought I was being straightforward enough.
“The part where you get to decide all on your ownanybit of my future!”
Ez laughed and clapped me on the back. “I’ll let you handle this. I’ve got patrol.”
He dipped back upstairs without another glance at my half-naked bond. Smart man. She was absolutely delectable right now, all pissed off and puffed up like a feral kitten. Her cheeks were rosy, and her eyes sparked with a subtle green glow. And those legs. Fuck me, I loved it. If she thought her anger a deterrent,she couldn’t be more wrong. I subtly adjusted myself behind the island.
“You almost died,” I said. “Someone poisoned you, somehow, in front of the entire Greek society, andme. And. You. Almost. Died.”
“And?”
Was she fucking serious?
“And? You may have no sense of self-preservation, but I have enough for the both of us. You’re not leaving this apartment until I know we can keep you safe. If I have to lock you in my bedroom to make sure that happens, so be it.”
Oh, that really set her off. Power surged down our bond, but it didn’t affect me. I was glad Ezra chose to go upstairs, though.
