Page 69 of Resisted

Get back to Bella. He didn’t have to say the words. I felt the need to check on her too. “Well, I would be shit at flying a plane, so I guess I’ll drive.”

“You’re such a fucking smartass, you know that?”

“I like to keep your life interesting,” I mumbled as he tossed me the keys to the truck before he hopped into another.

The drive to the neighboring town wasn’t awful, less than an hour away, and we hid in a thick patch of trees on the edge of the bay, arranging bodies to look like an accident. Initially, the task didn’t seem bad, but after moving a few bloody pulps of dead weight, it just became tedious. It took minutes to kill them all, moments to remove their hearts and burn them into flames, and fucking hours to rid ourselves of their fucking flesh.

By nightfall, all I wanted was a warm shower, probably two just to rinse off the grime, and to stare at something pretty, hopefully Bella, until my eyes could no longer hold themselves open. The sound of the gravel driveway crunching under the tires was a fucking relief, and when the truck’s engine stopped, I could finally breathe again.

I was the first one out of the truck, my tired legs carrying my bloody and damaged body to the front door with automatic movements. My hand found the knob, and I turned it, praying the door was unlocked because even pulling out my keys seemed like too much for me right now and I just couldn’t handle the extra work.

It was unlocked, and I pushed it open. My body was hit with a wall of—

“Don’t come in here, Silas.”

Never in my life had I ordered him around, but with one whiff of the air inside, I knew my already long night was about to become so much fucking longer. I wasn’t the alpha, I’d never wanted to be, but the moment the scent hit me, my knees were nearly weak. This wasn’t good. This was a fucking terrible disaster. This—

“Vince!” Silas roared as he pushed open the door and stomped in. “What the fuck did you do?”

What the fuck did he do? Wasn’t it obvious? I hadn’t fucking been here, but their mingled scents should’ve been enough to let us know what exactly had gone on while we were gone. I was jealous of that, so fucking green with envy that Vince had gotten what I’d dreamed of for longer than I should have, but fuck, it wasn’t like Silas could rewind time and prevent it now.

Vince stumbled out of Bella’s room, shutting the door behind him, his naked chest bare and flaunting his activities. He held a finger over his lips. “She’s asleep.”

No fucking wonder. I’d known Vince long enough to know how he fucks, so she was probably out cold. Silas was steaming with anger. “I don’t give a fuck.”

“Well, I do. If you have something to say, take it to the barn. Otherwise, I’m going to bed.” Vince turned, and Silas’ hand shot out, grabbing the back of his neck.

“You do not dismiss me.”

Vince straightened. “So the barn it is.” Silas opened his mouth to speak, and Vince cut him off. “I will not have you waking her.”

Silas turned and stomped out of the house, leaving the door wide open. I looked toward the open door, and for a moment, I debated if I even wanted to get in the middle of this fight. What was done was done, and as much as it killed me to admit it, since our mate died, the sex lives of the other men had become none of my business. But Silas and Vince both looked angry enough that I had to follow. They needed a voice of reason to stand between them, and since we were a trio, that made it my fucking job.

I watched as Vince grabbed a shirt and walked out of the house. I didn’t miss the cocky grin that was plastered on his face. I would probably wear the same damn one if I’d convinced Bella to sleep with me, but this wasn’t about me. This was about the heavy storm that had been brewing over Vince and Silas for fucking weeks now. I followed Vince, shutting the door behind me as quietly as possible. Not like it mattered. I was nearly positive that she was awake. How could she not be? The tension in the air was so fucking electrifying, I got shocked every time I breathed.

Trudging our way through the dark to the barns was something I could do nearly blindfolded, and not because I went here often. Being a shifter made our senses so heightened, I only had to close my eyes and listen to figure out which way Silas had already stomped off. That and the fact the closer we got to the barn, the thicker Bella and Vince’s scent became. I knew for a fact that was only adding kerosine to the flame that was Silas’ anger.

I heard the barn door pull open, and even though I couldn’t see him, I knew Silas had reached the destination. A few moments went by before I saw the flickering of a lantern, then the glow solidified. I headed toward the light, staring at Vince’s back as we walked.

When we reached the barn, Vince stomped inside, his hand braced on his hip, and by the rigidness of his body, I knew he was already bracing for a fight. Fuck. I just wanted to come home, shower, eat, and fucking sleep away the aches in my body. I didn’t want to be a mediator for a couple of children.

“How dare you?” Silas’ voice was deadly, low, scary if I didn’t know him as a person.

“How dare me?” Vince laughed. “Oh, that’s rich. How dare I fuck her?”

“I gave orders for you not to touch her—” Silas began, but Vince cut him off.

“You sure as fuck did, didn’t you? And why was that?”

Vince appeared calm, but I knew better. I knew that both of them could strike as quick as vipers if given the right motive. He moved around the barn causally, circling where we stood, and though I trusted him, I turned my body with his, not willing to give him my back.

“She’s practically my sister,” Silas spat.

Vince snorted. “Oh, is that the reason?”

“We watched her grow up,” Silas added.

“We watched Boyce grow up, and that never stopped you from letting him into the subpack.”

---