EVELYNN
Tensions are high.After the meeting, Silas called Clutch and Diesel over and spoke to them quietly. Whatever he was saying looked serious from the expressions on their faces. The thing I didn’t like was that at one point, all three of them looked over at me.
I even did the dumb thing of looking behind me to make sure it was me they were staring at.
It was.
Something was going on, and whatever it was, it had to do with me.
Getting up from my seat at the table, I go in searchof Lucian, but before I can make it to the entranceway, Silas steps in front of me.
“Where are you going?” he asks.
“To find Lucian,” I say, going to move past him. Silas stops me again. I frown. “Silas, what is going on?” I ask.
His black eyes narrow. “It’s club business.”
“This isn’t a real biker club. You can’t quote those rules,” I argue, my hands going to my hips.
“We are, and I fucking can. We are a brotherhood, a coven, a fucking MC. You are just an ol’ lady, nothing more,” he growls back.
This man has hated me from the moment I got dragged here.
“Okay, let it out. What is your problem with me?” I sigh.
His mouth thins, like he’s holding back what he really wants to say.
I roll my eyes. “Oh, come on. In the time I’ve been here—however long it’s been—I’ve watched my friend die, I’ve been drugged, tortured, left for dead, threatened by a vampire, and knocked out by one. So, whatever you say can’t be much worse, can it?” I rant.
He arches a brow, like he’s surprised by my sudden ballsy attitude. “I don’t have a problem with you,” he murmurs.
“Okay, you had your chance.” I shrug. “Can I tell you what I think about you?”
“Okay,” he says sceptically.
“You don’t like me because you’re either jealous that I’m human and you miss it, you hate me because you’re secretly in love with Lucian, or I remind you of someone from the past that triggers you,” I say firmly, listing each one off on my fingers as I go.
I watch him closely for a reaction.
Nothing. The guy is a statue.
“Mostly, I think you need to relax more. I mean, you are the undead. Live a little. Do what you want.”
“You done?” he asks, exhaling like I’m already exhausting him.
“No.” My voice shakes, but I don’t stop. “And I won’t be until you tell me why you hate me. For a second, I thought you didn’t. Then I saw the way you look at me, like I’m something rotting.” I swallow hard. “I may be mortal to you, but I’m not made of glass. Just say it.”
My irritation bleeds into desperation. He’s Lucian’s right hand. I’m not leaving Lucian. This is my life now, and I refuse to live it under silent contempt.
Silas drags a hand down his face. “You really want to know?” His laugh is empty. Broken. “Fine.” He steps closer. “I hate you because you brought a worldof shit straight to our doorstep, and you’re too fucking blind to see it. I wish we never found you that night. Our lives would’ve been simpler if you’d died right alongside your friend.”
The words land like a fist to the ribs. My breath stutters.
“I didn’t ask for any of this,” I whisper. “Seraphine. I didn’t know. I?—”
He cuts me off with a bitter laugh. “Of course you didn’t. She’s not even the real problem.” His eyes burn. “The Anathema are on our trail now. They never were before, but suddenly there’s a mortal girl raised by nuns, hidden, protected, reserved just for Lucian, and now they’re circling us like vultures. And you know what that means?” He leans in. “Eradication.”
My stomach twists.
