Page 24 of Quadruplets for the Vipers

“Are you saying this is my fault?” Knox replies angrily.

“No, he wasn’t saying that,” Leah interjects, sensing trouble is brewing.

“What happened exactly?” Jace asks.

“The sounds of someone breaking in woke me up. The two of them came upstairs and checked my room first. When they found it empty, I heard them mention Leah. I managed to disarm the first man, and his idiot friend blew his head off before running away,” I explain, frustrated by the situation.

“Did they say what they wanted with Leah?” Rider asks as he surveys the area.

“No, all I heard them say was ‘it’s empty, she must be in the other one’.”

“It’s a good job you were in Leah’s room then,” Rider says matter-of-factly.

Comprehension dawns as Knox and Jace realize what Rider has already figured out. If I were in Leah’s bedroom, we must have hooked up. Leah blushes and tries to cover herself, seemingly conscious of her nakedness. She’s only wearing a thin nightdress, her pert nipples visible through the thin silk. I can tell that Knox is pissed as he looks between the two of us. It seems that he’s been hiding his feelings for Leah, and I’m not the only one who’s captivated by her. Luckily, he doesn’t voice any objection, though I know it’s something we’re going to have to talk about later. As incredible as Leah is, I never want a woman to get between me and my brothers. If Knox is interested in her too, I won’t stand in his way from letting her know how he feels. As much as I want her, Knox deserves her more.

“Come on, let’s go see who this dead asshole upstairs is,” Jace says cheerily.

As always, he’s impervious to tension and able to make a bad situation seem perfectly normal. The others nod their approval and follow Jace upstairs. I decided to stay downstairs with Leah, there’s no need for her to see the dead man again.

“Are you okay?” I ask Leah, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

She nods bravely, but I can tell the whole experience has shaken her. “I’m okay, thanks to you. God knows what I would have done if you weren’t there… what could have happened…” Her voice trails off as she considers this.

The guys come back downstairs, their expressions grim.

“The dead man had a Hellhound tattoo,” Rider confirms.

“So this was a Hellhound attack.”

“It looks that way,” he confirms. “But we still don’t know what they wanted with Leah. Could be simply trying to finish what they started earlier, or it could be something worse.”

“What could be worse than breaking into my house and trying to rape me?” Leah shudders, running her hand through her hair, her hazel eyes wide and fearful.

I grind my teeth together, trying to hold back the rage I feel at the thought of someone attacking Leah. I hate how scared she is. She might be safe now, but I can’t be with her twenty-four seven. I’m grateful that the guys are as invested in her safety as I am. I slowly calm down as I remind myself of this.

“If they were sent by the Hellhounds, then that means they know how valuable you are, Leah,” I explain gently.

“Do you mean they know about the baby?” she asks with fear in her eyes, her hand protectively flying to her stomach.

“I’m not sure how they would know, but we have to act as though they do, just to be safe.”

“Maybe it was an attack against you, Axel,” Knox suggests. “It’s no secret that we’ve been staying here with Leah. Perhaps they assumed that you’d be in your bed instead of fucking the person you’re meant to be protecting.”

I ignore the pointed judgment in his voice. He’s right to be pissed when I’m the one who insisted Leah was off-limits. “Yes, but they specifically said she’s not here. If they were looking for me, why would they care about her?” I point out.

“Let’s not play the blame game. What matters is that you’re both safe, but we need to find out what the Hellhounds want with Leah,” Jace states.

“Agreed. Leah, from now on, I think you should move in with us. It’ll be far safer with all four of us to keep an eye on you.”

“Some more closely than others, “ Knox grumbles under his breath.

I ignore him and focus on Leah. She nods her silent assent, but I can tell from her shell-shocked expression that tonight’s events are sinking in.

“Come on, Leah, let’s go get you a cup of hot, sweet tea from the kitchen while the guys gather your things from upstairs. It will help with the shock,” Jace says soothingly.

I nod my approval, and he guides her toward the kitchen. There’s no way she needs to see the dead man upstairs again. We’ll have to decide what to do with the body soon, but my focus is on Leah right now. Without saying what I had upstairs, Rider and Knox follow behind. We silently collect her possessions, stuffing them into a bag as well as a few items I have here.

Although Knox doesn’t say a word, I can feel the anger radiating off him.

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