Page 30 of The Blood Widow

What the fuck were they thinking? Why would Ezra do that? He was the leader of one of the founding families. Why would Cole? He had always wanted a family, but this was an extreme.

I stayed silent to hear more.

“We’ve all been through heartache. And with our way of life…” Cole moved his hands around to indicate the cabin. “We knew hauling one woman around and keeping her safe would be way easier than three.” A couple of his words were slurred, so he was drinking a supernatural alcohol. It took a lot for us to get drunk.

She laughed and put her hand on his arm. “That’s so crazy. Don’t get me wrong, as a shifter it’s not unheard of to have more than one partner, but you’re all different supernaturals. And a triad! That’s just crazy.” She licked her lips and dropped her hand at Ezra’s growl, but she straightened her spine and kept talking. “Well, I think it’s great regardless how crazy it is. Some woman is going to be very lucky.”

I didn’t know what was going on, but maybe Ezra was sensitive to being called crazy? Dominic put a hand on Ezra’s shoulder, which seemed to reassure him. “We all came from fucked up families or no families at all, so when we met as little boys, we latched onto each other and became brothers. Cole was the only one that stayed in the shadows.” Cole rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything. “But we decided that with the dangers lurking in the city getting stronger, it was time to better ourselves.” He lifted his drink to no one in particular as he continued. “And sharing a woman would just bring us together.We all want to see the others happy, and there’s a woman out there that can handle all of us. I know it.”

He shoved Cole. Since he was in the middle, he had access to both of the guys. “She would have to be a Snow White fan, because we might not be small, but we have the personalities of the seven dwarfs. Grumpy is Ezra, Sneezy is C?—”

“Fuck off,” he interrupted.

It just made Dominic laugh.

The girl did as well. I had to admit, she’d be a good fit for the guys, and they already seemed so comfortable with each other. She seemed sassy, and I bet she wouldn’t take shit from Ezra. Their life wouldn’t bother her because she understood that people needed saving, or she wouldn’t be here. I could see them having a future, and I bet she knew how to cook. She could give them everything I couldn’t and wouldn’t eventually get them killed. Deep down, a flare of jealousy and anger rose, but I ignored the feeling. I chose their safety over my happiness. I had to live with it.

Dominic’s boisterous laugh pulled me out of those dark thoughts. “No, I’m kidding, Cole is more of a Doc with his use of technology.”

“Which one are you? Dopey?” Ezra’s deep voice grumbled out.

That made everyone laugh. Even I smirked, but it was time to give them their privacy. I turned away from the cozy scene, ready to go to bed, when a hand gripped my arm. Damn, he could be sneaky.

“Where are you going? I have a drink you need to try,” Dominic’s singsong voice said while he gently pulled me into the living room.

I really didn’t want to be surrounded by all that manly scent sober, let alone intoxicated, but a drink sounded good. My gaze met Dominic’s. He must have seen my resolve because he pulledme close and put an arm over my shoulder. His lips dipped to my ear.

“Did you know that triads get each other’s memories?” His was teasing, but the seductive tone was there, making me shiver.

I opened my mouth, but didn’t know what to say, so I closed it and just shook my head. I didn’t know that, but I knew where he was going with this.

Cole handed me a blue drink with a lopsided smile. His green eyes took in Dominic’s close embrace. The fucker just turned away with a smirk. He really didn’t have a problem with his friends being near me. With them being a triad, it made sense.

I drank faster when Dominic spoke. “We felt the first time you let Cole touch you. The first kiss. The first?—”

“Stop it,” Cole pushed him away from me. “Teasing her is only going to get you killed.”

His smirk was deadly like a man that knew a secret. He did know a secret. I kicked him to shut him up. The spell on him wouldn’t let him tell anyone about me or let them see it in his memories, but I wasn’t amused.

Dominic handed me another cup when mine was finished. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to give you shit. I just wanted you to understand why I like you. Even though we weren’t there, Cole’s feelings still slipped into us.”

I gulped, and just nodded again. What was I supposed to say? I didn’t even know how I felt. Was my draw to them because of their link to Cole? Did that make it real?

Whatever Ezra and the woman had been talking about ended with a huge yawn that took over her whole body. Ezra tapped her with his shoulder in a way that spoke of their familiarity with each other. The thought made the liquor sit heavy in my stomach. I didn’t like seeing their closeness, especially when he hardly even looked at me.

I squashed that thought with another drink. I should have just stayed in the room with Brian, but he needed his privacy.

The woman climbed onto the couch and was snoring in seconds.

Dominic snorted. “She’s a light weight for sure. Next time, I’ll water her stuff down.”

Ezra grunted in agreement.

So, they were planning on doing this with her a lot? Fuck, why did that grind my gears? Picturing what would have happened if they were alone made me practically green with envy. They say they like me, but it had to just be Cole’s feelings pushing them. Men that really liked a girl wouldn’t be talking about getting drunk with other women as a regular thing.

I drank more to push those thoughts down as well. I needed to stop. She had a place in their lives. I didn’t. She was their assistant. She would be around them way more than I would.

“So, what would you say was your hardest job working with the Blood Widow? I met her, did I tell you that?” Ezra said with his head practically inside his cup.

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