Ever pivots in her seat to ask Bell, “Hey, can you do me a favor?”
He doesn’t even miss a beat. “Of course I’ll marry you and support our 2.5 children.”
Not if I beat him to the punch.
She snorts. “As flattering as that offer is, I’ll settle for you watching my drink while I run to the bathroom.”
I jump to my feet before he can. “Perfect, I need to piss too.”
Bellamy gives me a strange look as he follows suit. “Same. Safety in numbers and all that, right?”
Pretty sure the risk of getting murdered is higher if you’re in a condensed group instead of fanning out, but what the hell do I know, right? Not like I’m a professional assassin or anything.
As we reach the bathrooms, Bellamy catches the door before it swings shut, the two of us following her inside the women’s room.
“What the hell, guys?” she demands.
Bellamy snorts. “Are you kidding me? Have you never read a book? Bathrooms are where all the bullying and crime happens because there aren’t any cameras. We’re not leaving you vulnerable. Close the stall door, you can still have privacy.”
I raise an eyebrow, surprised.And here I thought he was just a voyeuristic pervert.
As Bellamy pulls out his phone and cranks up some music, I check the stalls to ensure there’s no one else inside. Content that it’s clear, I hold open the door of the cleanest one for her. “Go on then, we’ll wait.”
Face placid, she deadpans, “I hate you both.”
“No you don’t, youliiiiiiiiiiiiikethat we care,” Bellamy counters with a smug grin, crossing his arms and leaning against the sink.
She mutters under her breath as she goes into the stall, but doesn’t deny it. When she returns, he turns off the music, and we both ignore the slight blush on her cheeks as she washes her hands like she’s trying to strangle someone.
“Are you actually mad?” Bellamy asks softly.
She sighs and admits, “Not at you. You’re both overbearing as hell, but… it’s actually kind of sweet. You’re right, I’m just pissy because I can’t figure out this stupid project.”
“Talk us through it then,” he coaxes. “Where are you stuck?”
“We can't exactly test the prototype, because what if itworks? The volunteer loses their powers and becomes human forever?” She snatches a couple of paper towels and dries her hands with a sigh. “How are we supposed to produce an invention without any beta testing? Best case scenario, it’ll strip her power and she won’t suffer anymore. But I don’t even know the worst case becauseI can’t freaking test it. What if it backfires on the user? Anyone within a certain radius? Where does that power evengoafterward? We can’t hold it indefinitely. So doesit convert to energy and release back into the world, need to be transferred to someone else, or something else altogether?”
She thumps her head against my chest when I tug her against me. “I’m scared we’re going to do more damage than good trying to help her.”
Bellamy passes her her drink, and she tosses back the rest, pitching the cup in the trash before we head out. “Explain that to her before you try. Nocturne may be doing all of this to help his mate, but she deserves to understand the risks of going through the experimental treatment he signed her up for. If she still chooses to give it a shot knowing you aren’t sure what’ll happen, that’s on her and Dane, not you. Don’t burden yourself with guilt over someone else’s choices. All you can do is your best, and explain the risks. Especially when he’s been tying your hands not letting you work closely with Sophia to build this. You can always make adjustments after speaking with her before actually pulling the trigger.”
The way she relaxes at his words has me giving him a second look. For a short while, I respected the man for getting the drop on me. After his abduction though, I realized he’s just as vulnerable as Ever. And for all the shit I like to give him, my angel would be devastated if anything happened to the bastard. But just because he’s in need of our protection doesn’t mean he’suseless.I suck at the emotional shit, but he handled her fears like a pro.
As we step out of the bathroom, I freeze. Leaning against the wall are the siren and his mates, glaring at me like I’m the devil incarnate.
Buddy, you don’t know the half of it.
Still, my muscles lock up, and I snag the blade at my hip in a death grip. There were people right outside the door and I was so focused on Ever that I. Didn’t. Notice.
I wassloppy.
Inexcusable.
Bellamy’s hand snaps out to grab my wrist as I go to slit their throats, urging me to still my hand. “Oh hey, small world. Sorry for tying up the bathroom, it’s all yours.”
“Seriously?” the siren demands, eyes alight with fury. “You’re going to try and sweep that shit under the rug? What the fuck iswrongwith you!” Fists clenched, he spits, “Is that why you came here tonight? To pick your next victim to experiment on?”
Ever’s so pale I worry she’ll pass out, and hastily band an arm around her waist just in case. “Maybe you should lay off the beers, mate.”
