Page 99 of Devoted

Humiliate them like they humiliated Sam.

I wasn’t sure whose voice the monster had—my father’s or mine. But it didn’t matter.

Nothing mattered but making them pay.

“Zeke!”

There was a dim noise in my ear.

“Zeke, let them go.”

The monster paused, recognising the voice. Flames licked at my ankles. The pain cleared my vision long enough for me to see and note that I had both twins pinned against the island by their throats. Neither of them were fighting back, their faces ashen as they stared at something over my shoulder.

At someone.

“Zeke, I’m fine, stop thisnow.” There was a touch on my back. Right between my shoulder blades. Right above my heart.

The monster quieted instantly. He retreated back into the depths of my soul, like he could hide what he’d done from him.

From our mate.

From Sam.

Sam.

I’d let the monster free in front of him.

Fuck.

The haze cleared completely and I dropped both the twins. They slumped to the ground, clutching at their throats. The twoof them were staring at me in horror. Not at what I’d done; I did far worse to them on a daily basis.

They knew what had happened. What this might cost me. The monumental mistake that had just taken place.

Sorry,Theo mouthed. Nate nodded in agreement, looking up at me pleadingly.

I shook my head, telling them it was okay. This was on me. I couldn’t have hoped to keep the monster hidden forever.

The flames at my ankles died away and I felt a compulsion net lift. Nox stood on the other side of the island, watching us intently. I nodded at him in thanks, grateful he’d thought to intervene in a way that wouldn’t reveal our true natures to Sam.

Not that it mattered. I highly doubted my mate was going to stick around now.

I’d shown Sam my true colours.

And all of them were a deadly shade of red.

22

Sam

Ihad no idea what the fuck had just happened. I mean, Zeke had warned me about his temper, but hearing about it and seeing it were two completely different things.

One second Zeke had been sat at the table beside me, and the next he’d had a hand on the throat of each twin, crushing them against the island. His pupils had been blown, his veins popping along his impressive forearms.

If I weren’t so shocked, I might’ve been aroused. I mentally added that to the list of things to go over with a therapist later.

How had he even moved so fast? I swear, I’d blinked and he was gone.

‘Maybe he’s an alien or something.’