Page 52 of Fated to the Hunters
“It wouldn’t.”
“The truth always hurts. But just because you’re rogue doesn’t mean you’re alone. You have us.”
“I shouldn’t have come here.”
“You and I both know you’re lying to yourself. You might not want to be here, but you didn’t have to save Vince. You chose to do that. You made that decision because you started to see your family’s true colours.”
The scariest part about everything Ezra said was that he was right. Even worse, he knew it.
“If you regret having come here, you may leave. You don’thaveto be here.”
That was a lie. She had nowhere to go, very little savings, and no means to get anywhere.
“Think about it.”
There was a brief pause, then both sets of footsteps retreated and descended the stairs.
Scarlett cried until her head hurt. That was when she curled up under her blanket, wishing she had the courage to go downstairs and heat up her warming pad. She fell asleep, only waking up when her stomach began to consume her from the inside out—or so it felt.
Afraid of what was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs, she braced herself and left the bedroom. All three of them sat at the dining room table. Ezra bent over a map while Mateo read something out loud. Vince, quiet but sweet, had his nose ina worn-looking book. The moment they saw her, they stopped what they were doing.
“Counter,” Ezra said simply, looking back down at the map and marking something with a sticky note.
There, she found a set of keys, her new phone, and a stack of rolled-up cash. After a moment, it clicked. Ezra meant what he said: she could leave if that was her wish. This was his way of telling her that they would take care of her no matter what. The keyring had a small pocketknife attached to it, and two keys. Scarlett assumed those were to the house and a car. They would let her go if she wanted, giving her the means to do so and the option to return.
But then her heart sank, her eyes unable to meet theirs as she spoke. “I can’t.”
“You can,” Ezra retorted though it was rather soft.
“I can’t—”
“You can,” Ezra repeated, more sternly this time. “If that isn’t enough money we have more.”
Three sets of eyes met hers, and Scarlett couldn’t help but melt for them. They weren’t upset with her, even though they thought she wanted to leave them. Her vision blurred over the embarrassment of her next confession. “I can’t drive.”
They fell silent for a moment as they stared at her in what clearly seemed disbelief.
“How old are you?” Ezra finally asked.
“Twenty-five.”
“Fuckers,” he growled.
“We’ll teach you,” Mateo promised. “But maybe you should eat first? You missed lunch.” Scarlett nodded and moved to the fridge. “Tomorrow’s my grocery shopping day. I was hoping you’d go with me.”
“I’ve never been.”
“There is a small farmer’s market not far from here.”
Scarlett looked over her shoulder—and couldn’t resist those hopeful puppy eyes. “I’ll come.”
“Thank you.”
She made herself a sandwich and sat at the island to eat. From there, she could see what they were doing. After a while she had figured out that they were trying to locate a lycan with the help of some old scripts and letters. From what they read out loud, the texts were old fashioned and often tedious to understand.
When she’d finished her late lunch, Mateo looked up and indicated the pantry. “There are snacks.”
She shook her head, but then timidly asked, “Can I sit with you?”
