Page 16 of Broken Trust

He scratched at a black five o’clock shadow that was neatly trimmed. “I’ve never known Kellen to bring home one of his skanks.”

Atlas took a cautious step back, his heart doubling in beat.

Anger flashed in the stranger’s eyes as he set his mug aside and advanced toward Atlas. “Don’t you dare fucking run.”

The stranger’s harsh command froze Atlas to the spot. He had no idea who this man was or why one snarled command stopped him in his tracks.

Gripping Atlas’s jaw, the man jerked Atlas’s head from side to side, his gaze locked on his neck.

“Kellen!” The guy made his way toward the staircase then walked up them. “Get your fucking ass out of bed right now!”

Atlas’s body seemed to jump back to life. He raced up the steps behind the guy, wondering what in the hell was going on. Atlas entered the room and shouted when the stranger tried to yank Kellen by his arm from the bed.

Losing his damn mind, Atlas jumped on the muscled guy’s back and started slapping him in the head and face. “Get your hands off of him!”

Kellen was on his feet in the blink of an eye, taking a swing at the stranger.

“Get off my back.” The guy reached around and grabbed Atlas by his leg, yanking on it.

Atlas shoved himself off the stranger’s back and landed on his ass when Kellen shifted into a wolf, knocking things over with its immense size. The wolf snarled at the stranger, its ears flat, baring its sharp teeth. In the light of day, Kellen’s wolf was even more terrifying than last night in the shadows.

“Shift back now!” The guy pointed at Atlas who was still on the carpet. “Tell me why one of your bar whores has bruising around his neck. If you did that, I will beat you to within an inch of your life!”

Scrambling to his feet, Atlas yanked on the guy’s arm. “Who in the hell are you, and why are you screaming at Kellen?”

“Take your ass downstairs,” the guy snapped at Atlas as he jerked his arm free, causing Atlas to lose his balance and collide with the dresser behind him.

Kellen shifted into his human form and punched the stranger so hard that even Atlas saw stars. The guy stumbled back then snarled as he rushed Kellen, gripping him around his waist. Both fought to take the other one down.

Atlas screamed and ran toward the window on the opposite side of the room as the two collided with the dresser he’d just been standing by. The distinct sound of snapping wood echoed in the room, but neither man was giving in.

He had no idea how to stop them. They were going to kill each other. “I’m not a bar whore!” Atlas shouted. “Kellen didn’t do this to me!”

Kellen stumbled over something on the floor but twisted sideway and got out from under the man’s tight hold. Atlas really had lost his mind. He rushed across the room and slugged the stranger in a jaw that felt like pure concrete.

Atlas shouted and grabbed his hand, cradling it against his chest before he dropped to his knees.

“Atlas!” Kellen slung the guy away from him and rushed to Atlas’s side. “Fuck. Why did you do that?”

“Because he was attacking you,” Atlas cried.

“Colt’s my brother, babe.” Kellen carefully took Atlas’s hand in his, gently turning it over. Atlas bit his lips, trying to fight back the pain as he whimpered. “I’m almost sure you broke your hand.”

“What in the hell is going on here?” Colt demanded.

Kellen shoved to his feet, and Atlas thought for sure they were going to fight again. If they did, the only thing Atlas could throw was a fit because his hand was useless now.

“That’s my fucking mate!” Kellen slugged his brother square in the jaw, knocking Colt back so hard he slammed into the wall. “I didn’t put those bruises on him,” Kellen shouted, his jaw clenched so hard it should have shattered. “A vampire did that, right before I killed the son of a bitch!”

Colt picked himself up off the floor, working his jaw from side to side. “You could have told me you found your mate.”

Kellen’s nostrils flared as he glared at him. He didn’t appear anywhere near settled down. “I should rip out your throat for flinging my mate around.”

“He jumped on my back,” Colt defended. “I was just trying to get him off of me so I could kill you for what I thought you did. I don’t care how skanky the men are that you sleep with, no one deserves to be abused.”

“Shut it,” Kellen snarled. He crouched back down in front of Atlas. “I’m going to have to take you to the hospital.”

“He’s going to heal in a few days,” Colt said.

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