Page 72 of Marked By Night

“Kaos is the only one marked so far,” Savannah says matter of factly. Goldie nips at her again but instead of squealing, she digs her claws into Dante’s chest.

She’s not wrong though. None of the other guys are bonded to me. Do I really have any kind of claim on them? No, I guess I don’t.

The question is why does their inaction hurt so fucking much?

Because you thought they were yours.A small voice whispers in the back of my mind. And yeah, I guess I was starting to think they were mine. I straighten my spine, locking down every single feeling inside like I always do.

Technically I could stab her, or attack her, but what good would that do when the guys aren’t even going to tell her off?

Regret flashes in Dante’s amber eyes. Kaos stands there watching everything unfold with hawklike eyes and Elian looks impassive to the whole thing like he always does.

I spin around and march down the porch toward the garage with Ash and Goldie hot on my heels. “Screw this.” I have no idea where I’m going to go but I’m not going to stand here and be humiliated like this.

Sadie Sinclair bows for no man.

The timing of this couldn’t be worse though. Just when I start to think that men could be different. That thesemen could be different.

“Sadie!” Dante calls, dashing after me. I don’t slow. “Sadie, wait. Don’t leave. We’ll figure something out. Please!”

We’ll figure something out,he says.

One slip up, and I’m gone is what I told them. Well, this is their one.

“I warned you.”

“Little Flame, you can’t leave.”

Kaos’s nickname for me makes my teeth grind together and my feet come to a stop. I whirl around to cast a withering glare at my so-called mates. “You have no right to call me that, Kaos. I know when I’m not wanted or appreciated and I’m not sticking around to be treated less than I deserve.”

He sighs. “But, Sadie, you don’t have a handle on your powers—”

An empty hole forms in my chest and I stop him before he can finish that sentence with a caustic laugh. “I’m perfectly capable of fending for myself. I’ve done fine on my own so far and I’ll continue to do so.”

Then I take off again, heading for the garage. I’ll steal one of their fancy cars if that’s what it takes. I try to yank the door open but it’s locked. Of course. I slam my fists against it in frustration.

Violence never solves anything.

Yeah? That may be true, but it makes life a hell of a lot easier sometimes. I rest my back against the door, looking up to the sky to silently ask what I’ve done to deserve this life.

When I level my gaze on Dante, he looks like he’s having a silent battle with himself. Kaos speaks before he can do anything. His jaw is clenched so tight I’m afraid he might crack a tooth. “An order is an order, Dante.”

Order? What order?

“Screw their damn orders!” Dante snarls, stalking my way with his eyes fixated on me and only me. He reaches out, wrapping his fingers around mine. I swear he stares directly into my soul, stripping me raw as his palm hovers above mine. The slight space between them crackles with energy.

How dare he?

“You’re not even going to defend me and you think you can bond to me without my consent? Fuck you, Dante. That’s not how this works,” I say.

“I fucked up and I’ll admit that,” he says simply. Like this isn’t a monumental deal—not to mention something we will have to deal with forlife. His eyes flick away from me for a half of a second before returning, dancing with those wild flames. “We all fucked up and I’m sorry about that, but I’m not going to let someone who means absolutely nothing to me ruin my chances with you because of some jacked-up orders from those old meddling bastards.”

“This is insane! You don’t even know me.” I take a deep breath, counting to five in my head to calm down. “I’ve been a fucking fool for following you all into this blindly.”

“I don’t have to know every little detail about you, Angel. From these past few days alone, I’ve noticed your strength and resilience. You’re a fucking fighter and I should’ve fought for you.”

He runs a hand through his hair, and I look away. The intensity in his eyes is too much for me. “Besides, we’ll have plenty of time for me to find out every little aspect of your soul.” His calloused fingers caress my face, pulling my eyes back to his. I fight the annoying fluttering in my stomach. “Right now, it’s more important to show you that this issacredto us. You are our Link. Our true mate. Not her.”

“It’s a little late for the pretty words, don’t you think? Actions speak louder than anything.”

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