Page 35 of Claimed By the Damned

“I do, but Amara is worth it. Besides, we’ve dealt with messier shit than this. She’s too innocent and pure to do it herself, and we already have more than a little blood on our hands. I’d rather we take care of it than force her to do it herself.”

Drake slowly nodded. “And where is Knox now?” He probably wouldn’t show up with Zeke because of their earlier brawl, but for all they knew, he could be at her father’s doorstep now.

“He’s hanging out with her at the shop.” Zeke chuckled. “Probably harassing the hell out of her while she’s trying to work.”

They had only known Amara a short while, but Knox’s obsession with her knew no bounds. “He seems different . . . you know . . . with her. Less like a loose cannon.” He wouldn’t admit it out loud, but thinking about it now gave him a little hope that maybe he could get over his shit. Maybe.

Zeke nudged his arm. “Because she brings out the best in us, Drake. She’s changed me too, you know. Makes me want to be a better man.”

Drake blew out a pent-up breath but said nothing more. He’d noticed the change in Zeke too. Zeke may have always been a caring person, but he was also carefree. That had changed since he met Amara.

Zeke grabbed the bottle and stood.

“Where are you going?” Drake asked.

“Anywhere but here,” he replied. “Being here makes me feel dirty. I don’t need this place now that I have Amara.” He looked back at Drake. “You coming?”

Drake took in one last look around the place, at the girls, and knew Zeke was right. This place no longer had an appeal to it, and now that he’d talked to Zeke, he wasn’t sure he was mad about that anymore.

Nodding, he stood up, feeling better than he had before he got here, and together, they walked out. He still had a lot of shit he needed to work through, but the conversation with Zeke had been a turning point for him.

Chapter Fifteen

Amara

Amara hummed to herself as she began the process of closing down the shop. It had been an uneventful day, and even her father had left her to her own devices, which was a nice change. Usually, he was texting her throughout the day, making sure she knew to come home at a decent hour as well as giving her a list of things she had to do once she got there. However, since her run-in with him the morning Knox was still in her house a few days ago, the two of them hadn’t spoken much other than her occasional greeting and his grunt in response.

Because she hadn’t seen either of the guys at all that day either, and because Knox hadn’t even come by the night before, she found that she was feeling a little down. She had even left her front door unlocked for him so that she could avoid having to replace the knob again, only for it to go completely unused.

Their distance had her feeling a little rejected but also a bit relieved because, if they weren’t around, then they weren’t at risk of being caught. But she had gotten so used to being with one or the other all the time now that not seeing them kind of stung. Even though she knew, deep down, that nothing had changed and the bond between the three of them was stronger than ever, it still hurt a little.

Amara didn’t regret her decision to mark Zeke and have him mark her. She had meant what she said about deciding to do what made her happy, and being with the guys made her more than happy. Drake’s aversion to her still sucked, but Zeke had promised that it would work itself out, and she trusted him. So, she also made the decision not to push Drake or even really think too much about him. That would only make his current rejection hurt more, and she figured he would accept her when the time was right. Until then, she was happy with Zeke and Knox.

Throughout the day, she had been tempted to text one or both of them, just to see what they were up to, but she was worried that would make her seem clingy or needy. She didn’t want that, even though that was exactly how she was feeling. She just missed them. She missed their touch, their kisses, their cocks. She missed being around people who actually cared about her.

She shook her head at herself. It had only been a few days, and already, she had it bad. She guessed that was what happened when you found the person – or persons – you were meant to be with. They became the center of your entire world.

As she was closing down the register, her phone chirped in her back pocket. She pulled it out and smiled when she read the text from Zeke.

Zeke: God, you are beautiful.

Amara: You can’t even see me. How do you know I don’t look like a hag today?

His response was immediate. It was as if he had been waiting for her to message him.

Zeke: Look out your window.

Her head snapped up instantly in the direction of the front window. Zeke was standing across the street, leaning against the building, watching her with his phone in his hand. She laughed.

Amara: Creeper.

She watched as he laughed at her message and pocketed his phone. Then, he was striding across the street lit only by a single street lamp and toward her door. He walked in as if he owned the place too, going right for her. She met him at the other side of the counter where he folded her into his arms and kissed her, nibbling on her bottom lip before he eventually pulled away.

“You’ve been quiet,” he commented softly.

She pressed her lips together in response. “So have you and Knox. I was beginning to think I did something wrong.”

Zeke’s hand slid up her back and fisted her hair at the base of her neck, tugging her head to the side. “Been busy, but you’ve been on my mind every damn second,” he murmured against the crook of her neck.

---