Page 53 of Devoted

“It’s because we all feel so strongly. And we’ve all got big personalities. Add in our supe egos and it makes sense that fights break out. At the end of the day though, we love one another. Any of us would lay down our life for one of the others.”

“I know that’s true,” Noah said, moving to the next canvas. “I saw that myself in Heaven.”

Noah had only just joined us, yet he hadn’t hesitated to stand alongside us. “Was it not like that in Juniper?”

He stiffened at the mention of his former unit. “No. It wasn’t.”

I might not have been the best at reading people, but even I could see this wasn’t something Noah wanted to discuss. I was casting around for another topic when there was a strange itching sensation between my shoulder blades. “Can you feel that?”

“Feel what?” Noah’s reply was distracted as he peered closer at the canvas.

The itch deepened, almost tugging at me. Whatever it was, it was coming from outside the shop.

I followed it on autopilot, my feet moving without me realising. Behind me, I heard Noah call my name, but I didn’t turn. I couldn’t.

I needed to see what this was.

Stepping outside the shop, I looked up and down the pavement, trying to figure out what my instincts were trying to tell me.

My hand raised to touch my chest as something tugged there. I looked down in confusion.What the fuck is happening?

When I glanced back up, I had my answer.

A man had just exited the shop directly opposite me. With his dark curls and green eyes, I’d never seen anyone so beautiful. Everything from how his eyes crinkled to his slightly turned up nose was adorable.

I knew without drawing closer exactly who he was to me.

Mate. Mate. Mate.

Hope bubbled up in me as I scanned his body. It was hard to tell with his clothes on, but he had a similar build to Sam.

Could it be?

Just then,another person stepped out onto the pavement beside him. Without hesitation, the dark-haired man extended his hand and grinned as the other man shook it briskly.

Numbness started to spread through me. Sam didn’t like to shake hands. I doubted he’d initiate it.

Sam’s home, in bed.My inner voice wasn’t sarcastic now. It was as numb as the rest of me.

I watched, frozen, as the two exchanged another few words. Then I watched as my mate pulled a set of keys from his pocket, unlocking a car several feet away.

A car that wasn’t a Kia.

That man was my mate.

But he wasn’t Sam.

11

Sam

Ishut the car door, immediately reaching for the hand sanitiser. Unfortunately, the glove compartment was empty, except for the hire agreement.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

My car was in for repairs. There’d been an ominous rattling sound while I was driving for a week now, so I’d finally taken it to the garage a couple of days ago. When they’d told me it’d be at least two weeks for the part to arrive, I’d hired this Ford C Max.

It was fine, but I was so used to my Kia that I hated it on principle. Plus, I obviously hadn’t moved my emergency hand sanitiser over.

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