Page 51 of Galen
I rose up on my tiptoes and wound my arms around his neck, sighing against his lips. A deep rumble sounded in his chest as he moved his hands to my hips and slid his fingers beneath the hem of my shirt. He tore from my mouth and kissed my jaw, then down the side of my neck. Reaching the mark at the base of my throat, he growled again, this one deeper.
And then he jerked away from me, his hands trembling. He had a wild, hungry look in his eyes.
“Galen?”
“I… we can’t…” He continued toward the staircase and took the steps down two at a time.
I walked behind him, my mind whirling as I tried to figure out what just happened. Questions buzzed in my head, but I bit them back. He was clearly in no mood to answer them.
The kitchen was alive with activity when we arrived.
The warriors grabbed plates, piled them high with waffles and scrambled eggs, poured coffee, and sat down, their scattered conversations filling the air. Castor laughed at something Gray said, and Raiden stole a strawberry off Bellamy’s plate while Alastair shook his head at them. Even Daman was present, softly smiling at his brothers before quickly reverting to an indifferent expression when he caught me looking at him.
Having such a boisterous household was nice. Living alone for so long could feel… well, lonely. I’d said that I missed my shop, Kyo, my loft, and all of my things. And I did. But as Galen and I made our plates and joined the others at the table, I realized I’d miss this too. The warriors had really grown on me over the past week.
“Have some fruit,” Gray said, sprinkling blueberries on my plate.
“Don’t touch other people’s food without their permission,” Alastair told him. “It’s rude. Maybe Simon hates blueberries.”
Gray regarded me with big, brown eyes. “I’m sorry.”
Fuck. He could get away with murder with those eyes.
“It’s okay,” I said, smiling. “I love them.”
Gray beamed at me, then stuck his tongue out at Alastair, who sighed and drank more coffee. Each of them had such different personalities. There was definitely never a dull moment when they were around.
“I have news for you,” Alastair said, his icy blue eyes finding me. Everyone except for Raiden had finished eating. “I know you wish to leave the mansion.”
“Huh?” Raiden asked, then swallowed his bite of waffle. He was on his third plate. “You’re leaving? No. Who will be my movie buddy?”
“Who will I cuddle with when I nap?” Gray asked before yawning. He reminded me of a cat sometimes.
Galen sat beside me, his gaze on the table. He’d barely said a word all through breakfast. Was he upset because I wanted to leave? Honestly, I was upset by the thought too. Which didn’t make a lick of sense.
“You know too much about our lives,” Alastair said. “Yet, I feel you can be trusted. And I’m rarely wrong.”
“I’d never hurt any of you,” I said, meaning the words to my very core. I’d only known them for about a week—with the exception of Daman, who I’d met for the first time last night—but they had become friends. Raiden. Gray. Castor. Bellamy too, even though he got way too much enjoyment out of making me blush.
I looked at Galen. He kept his eyes downcast, saying nothing.
Alastair continued. “We’ve monitored the shades’ movements recently, and none have come anywhere near your shop. That isn’t to say they won’t come after you the moment you leave the protection of this mansion, but I’ll leave it up to you to decide what you want to do.” He moved his gaze to Galen yet still addressed me. “It is not our place to hold you against your will. If you wish to leave, you may.”
“Alastair,” Galen growled, the hand beside his empty plate balling into a fist. “You have no right t—”
“My decision stands,” Alastair cut him off. “Simon has our protection here if he wants it, but we willnotforce him to stay. Is that understood?”
Galen pushed back from the table before standing and storming out of the kitchen. The front door slammed moments later.
“Best to give him some space for now,” Castor said as I started to get up.
I sat back in my seat, putting my hands in my lap. My heart ached as I weighed my options. On one hand, I wanted to return to my life. On the other…
I looked between all six of their faces. Daman seemed uninterested, but the rest of them watched me, waiting for my answer. I had no idea what to do.
“You can have the day to think it over,” Alastair said, before standing from the table and carrying his plate to the sink.
“Does he have to choose?” Gray asked, rubbing at his eyes. I wagered he had maybe five minutes before he was curled up somewhere snoring. “Why can’t he go to work during the day, then come home at night?”
