Page 98 of Devoted

Did I think they actually wanted to seduce Sam? No. They would never betray me like that. Fated mates were sacred.

But did I think they’d flirt with him just to get a rise out of me?

Abso-fucking-lutely.

Sam hadn’t seen the temper I’d warned him about yet, and I wanted it to stay that way as long as possible.

But from the gleam in Theo’s eyes as they fell on my mate, I suspected it wasn’t going to last much longer.

“Look who it is,” he purred, strolling in and leaning on the table directly in front of Sam. Judging by his sweat-drenched tank top clinging to his chest, he’d come straight from the gym. “My new favourite housemate. Are you having…fun?”

Sam’s brows shot up as he looked at me as if to say ‘is he for real?’

I sighed in answer, giving him a half shrug. Thing was with the twins, Theo especially, they’d get bored eventually. If you fed into their teasing, it’d end up escalating.

It was a lesson I hadn’t wrapped my head around for the most part. My father’s lessons were too deeply written into my psyche for that to happen. Hopefully Sam would be more successful than me.

“Hi,” Sam said, giving Theo a small smile. “Sorry, I’m not sure which twin you are.”

Nate appeared beside his twin, mirroring Theo’s position. “It’s not hard. I’m Nate, the more attractive one.”

Theo sneered at him. “No fucking way is that accurate.”

“Nate’s left earlobe is longer than Theo’s.” I cut in before they could start arguing, already feeling Sam tensing beside me. My temper began to bubble deep in my gut. “Eventually you’llrealise that Theo is far more irritating than Nate, and that Nate is marginally grumpier.”

“Rude,” they said in unison. If I’d thought me revealing their tells would shut them up, I’d thought wrong. They escalated their bickering as they went about making lunch, the noise level gradually rising. My fury climbed with every new decibel they hit.

“Do you want to leave?” I whispered to Sam after noticing him wince. His knee was jiggling beside mine.

“No.” He gave me that too bright smile, the one I was rapidly coming to hate. “I’m fine.”

Like fuck was he. Theo and Nate were now duelling each other with baguettes. Theo landed a hit on the side of Nate’s head and crowed in triumph. Even Nox rolled his eyes before returning to his reading.

Sam flinched at the noise and the monster within growled. “Can the two of you keep it down, please? You’re louder than a herd of fucking elephants.”

“You’re one to talk.” Nate snorted. “Do you think we didn’t hear you two earlier?”

I heard Sam’s quick indrawn breath. The jump in his pulse.

I saw his pallor dim before flushing red. He ducked his head in embarrassment, his hands clenching into fists.

I could taste his humiliation on the air.

Sam had talked about sensory overload, but this was like sensory awareness. Every part of me was focused on how he was feeling in this moment.

How Nate’s comment had made him feel.

I wasn’t overwhelmed. I was focused. Homing in on Nate with deadly precision, the monster wondered how long it would take to make him drown on his own blood.

Before I could react, Theo spoke. “Yeah, after all the shit you gave Micah and Nox, wasn’t like you two were beingquietin the shower.”

There was a pause. A small, humiliated moan from Sam at my side.

The monster took over.

Punish them.

Hurt them.

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