Page 50 of Unraveled by Desire

“Of course,” Kade says, “but mark my words, we will be back inourhome soon.”

“And what of the people who live there now?”

“Hmm, if you’re good, maybe we’ll let you devour them.”

I smack him hard in the shoulder. “I’m serious, Kade.”

He rubs his shoulder. “Did it sound like I was kidding?”

My eyes narrow, but before I can respond, Gabriel steps up next to me and says, “We’ll ensure they have a place to go and cover all moving expenses.”

Kade groans. “Ugh, Gabriel. Always the knight in shining Armani.” He shakes his head, pulling his sunglasses off and tucking them into his V-neck. “Don’t you ever get tired of being such a saint?”

“It’s called being a decent person, Kade.” Theyou should try it sometimeis implied by my tone, and he rolls his eyes.

He takes my bag off my shoulder and slides it onto his, walking ahead of us. “Look at me, being a decent person.”

“Would you like a prize?” I call after him sarcastically.

“If it’s you offering, you’re fucking right I do.” He stops at the massive front door and pulls his phone out, looking at it before punching a code into the keypad. The lock turns over, and Kade opens the door, gesturing for me to walk ahead.

Lex whips past me through the front door. “I call dibs on the en suite bedroom.”

“Hey!” I call after him. “I just died and came back to life. I think I should get the primary bedroom.”

Kade chuckles as the rest of us walk into the high-ceiling foyer. “Already playing the newbie vamp card?”

“Damn right I am.” I don’t wait to start exploring. Where the guys’ place was bright and open, this place is more closed off, with dark wood accents in each room. It’s a two-level house with the kitchen, dining, and living rooms on the main floor along with two bedrooms that are connected by a bathroom with doors on either side.

I wander upstairs and find four more sizable bedrooms, including the primary with the en suite, which Lex surprisingly did leave free for me. There’s also an additional bathroom on this floor as well as a room set up as an office with massive windows and built-in dark wood bookshelves.

Backtracking to the living room downstairs, I rejoin the others, dropping onto the couch with a sigh. “It’s a nice place,” I say, then add, “How long are we going to be here?”

“It’s hard to say,” Gabriel answers.

I nod. I wasn’t confident in getting a definitive answer because everything is so up in the air, but I had to ask just in case.

“How are you feeling?” Lex asks, perching on the armrest of the chair Kade’s sitting in.

“Okay, I think. I feel… more awake, if that makes sense? Maybe it’s because I can see and hear things stronger now, I don’t know.”

He nods. “That’s likely part of it. Some people adjust to becoming a vampire easier than others, and I’m happy you seem to be adjusting quite well. I think I can speak for all of us when I say how impressive you’ve been right from that first feed.”

“Thanks.” I smile at Lex before my gaze flicks toward Atlas, but he’s looking down at his phone. “I want to check on Brighton,” I announce, shifting the topic of discussion away from me. Despite everything that went down the other night and her leaving the hunter fight with Scott, I’m worried about her. “I’d like to help get her away from the hunters and her dad. This isn’t the life she wanted, and her mom would be devastated if she could see her daughter now.”

“Not our concern,” Kade says, and I shoot him an icy glare. I knew garnering any sympathy for her from them would be a challenge, but the complete lack of empathy in his tone makes my fangs push against my gums.

“What Kade means is that we—which includes you—are in a very difficult position. Brighton’s connection to the hunters is stronger because of her father’s position within them, making any involvement by us too dangerous, especially with you being newly turned.”

“You think Scott’s watching Brighton’s every move? Maybe she—”

“I guarantee you he is,” Atlas says, pinning me with a stare. “He’s dedicated to the cause in such a way it means more to him than his family. He will not hesitate to use his daughter to get to us.”

“Maybeweshould be using her to get tohim,” Lex chimes in, raking his fingers through his hair. He hasn’t colored it in so long that his light brown roots are showing.

I gape at him. “Lex, we arenotkidnapping Brighton.”

He shrugs. “You were the one who wanted us to get her away from them.”

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