Page 74 of Resisted

“I think a lady in Gage’s life would be good for him. Good for all of them, actually. Can you imagine Rig with a female?”

They both choked before Vincent spoke. “I can promise you Rig has never had a problem with the females.”

“Hmm.” That fact was shocking. He was always so serious, sort of like Roth, which made me wonder how the rest of their subpack got along, since the mix of personalities was definitely unique. Then again, Vincent, Silas, and Boyce didn’t exactly scream matching trio either, but they had a near flawless relationship. Minus the bit of tension from the last few weeks. I watched the two men in front of me for a moment. “What was it Silas wanted to tell me?”

Both cleared their throat at the same time—avoidance tactic—before Vincent answered, “We promised not to discuss the matter with you until he has had a suitable amount of time to tell you himself.”

“It’s been a suitable amount of time,” I replied.

“It’s only been a few hours,” Boyce pointed out.

“I hate you both,” I mumbled.

“Is that so?” Boyce raised a brow. “Because you sure smell a lot like Vince for someone who hates him, and that isn’t his leg your foot had been rubbing against.”

I felt my face flame, my body heating. Had I just been rubbing against Boyce? I hadn’t even noticed, which made the action that much more mortifying. I subtly sniffed my shirt, not smelling much of Vincent, but that meant nothing because it was a known fact that male shifters’ scents were so much stronger than females. It drove them, encouraged them in their possessive claims, and the ownership was hot. But in this moment, I wasn’t sure how I felt about the entire world knowing what I’d done, multiple times, with the man sitting to my left.

As if Vincent could read my thoughts, he leaned over, placing his nose in my neck and inhaling deep. “She smells like a delicious treat.”

His voice rumbled against my skin, and damnit, my thighs were already rubbing together at the memory of all the ways he liked to nibble on them. Damnit, how had I become so weak? As if I weren’t already feeling my heart do weird pitter-patters in an unnatural rhythm, Boyce leaned over, burying his nose on the other side of my neck, before biting. “I do like sweets.”

Without moving an inch, Boyce flexed his hand in front of me, offering me a chocolate Kiss. I reached forward, snatching the piece of chocolate from his hand before he could pull it away. He gave my skin one last bite before sitting back and laughing.

I unwrapped the piece of chocolate before popping it into my mouth. “You two sure know how to spoil a girl. Chocolate. Coffee. Breakfast. Keep it up, and I may never leave.”

Vincent sipped his coffee slowly, before replying, “Maybe that’s the intent.”

Did the temperature rise in here, or was that just me? Vincent gave me a wink before standing, opening the sliding door to the porch, and stepping out. He peeled away his clothes slowly, knowing I was watching, before his body morphed into the enormous wolf who chased me just last night.

He was completely out of sight, disappeared into the trees, before I turned back to Boyce, who was giving me a knowing grin. “Like what you see?”

This time, I knew my foot was touching him when I intentionally kicked him in the shin. “Why are you even asking when you know the answer?”

“I like to see you squirm.” He pulled out another Kiss and placed it in front of me before standing and leaning over to whisper in my ear. “And, Bella, you need to know, I’m damn near an expert when it comes to making a girl squirm.”

I didn’t have time to blink, to fully process what he’d said before he was gone, disappeared down the hall. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Every muscle, every nerve, every damn thought but one urged me to follow. But that one? No… That one thought refused to let me lust after any of these boys for long. Not when, in the pit of my stomach, I knew I had to talk to Silas.

Chapter 31

SILAS

The phone clicked,signaling that Roth was no longer on the line, and…well, the alpha was mad. Really mad. Likehe’d hung up on metype mad. But he didn’t tell me no and demand I turn around, so I took that as a sign to go ahead with the plan and meet the emailer at the pier. I was being as responsible as I could by not taking Bella. I was protecting her emotionally, leaving her with Boyce and Vince meant she was protected physically, and letting Roth know meant…well, I was quasi protected. Not like alerting him would do much, but I was thinking optimistically and hoping I wouldn’t need help.

I’d spent the day watching the pier, checking the surrounding areas, looking for any sign of something nefarious, but the place was deserted. Empty. Damn near abandoned. Maybe that in itself should’ve raised some red flags, but I was blinded by my desire to get what I wanted—to make Bella happy. Then, if she stayed with us, I would know it was her choice, not one made for her or demanded of her.

The sun slowly set over the water, and if I squinted just right, I was nearly positive I could make out Alcatraz amidst the distant waves. But the fog rolled in fast in the city, creating an eerie blanket over everything, and it was nearly impossible to tell for sure what I was seeing in the distance. I kept out of view as I waited for someone to arrive, but as the evening turned to complete darkness and the bustle of the city slowed downed, it became apparent that no one had plans to show. I’d been set up, not that I was really surprised or put off by it. A part of me had expected it, which was why I hadn’t told Bella and gotten her hopes up.

What I hadn’t expected was to turn around and stare into the dark, soulless eyes of poachers. At least, I assumed that was what they were. Hard to tell in the mist and fog, but judging by the number of weapons, it became pretty clear. How had I missed their approach? The wind was blowing, and the Pacific Ocean lapped against the side of the dock, hitting against metal and wood. That was how. The water concealed the sounds, making me not question a creak in the wood from a footstep or the slight shift of material. But the scent? How had they concealed their scent?

A man stepped closer. The overwhelming smell of seaweed wafted in the air. As he got closer, the thin paste of seaweed that coated his skin became apparent. “I see you didn’t follow instructions.”

“Did you think I would?” Fuck. I wanted to shift, wanted to take them, but…seven on one? The odds were against me. I would fight them if it came to that, which odds were, it would, but I knew I wouldn’t win. The most I’d ever taken on was three to one, and fuck, I’d come out of that pretty damn beaten.

“I’ll admit I hoped, but I knew it was too good to be true.”

“Sorry to disappoint you,” I taunted, letting my eyes skim everywhere, looking for an out. Only now I realized I had none. With the water to my right, crates to my back, and a half circle of thugs slowly closing in on me, I was a wild animal, skittish, needing to run without an exit.

“I wonder…” He patted the iron against a nearby crate. “Will you fight us or come peacefully? What’s the going price of a male these days, Dan?”

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