Page 16 of 3 Shifters to Break a Curse

“Enough!” Luke hollered. His voice echoed through the shadows of the night. “We’re adults here, it’s best we act like them or we’re not going to be of any help to the girl.”

I snorted. “Sure. Press on. Completely disregard everything I’ve said.”

“It’s only temporary,” Ezra continued, ignoring my logic. “She’s not faking her injuries. And her emotional outbursts earlier further attest to the danger that she’s in. I don’t think I could sleep well knowing I sent her off into the hands of danger.”

“It’s not our responsibility to save her,” I snapped. “We didn’t ask for this. We didn’t ask for her to knock on our door and disrupt our lives.”

“She became our responsibility when she showed up at our door,” Ezra argued. “And leave my dick out of this. We have to do what is right.”

“He has a point,” Luke added. “But I cannot agree to her staying unless we are all on board. Rin, I know you said you would leave, but there has to be a compromise somewhere.”

I shook my head. “I refuse to stay. Period.”

I turned my back to them and raked my gaze over the shadows between the trees. The moon was settling down toward the horizon, making the shadows deeper and longer. Though daylight would break in the matter of a couple of hours, I sensed danger. Maybe it was my nerves having been unsettled since Toni showed up. Maybe it was Jared, who she claimed was her ex. Maybe it was something else entirely.

Regardless, nothing about this night was sitting well with me, and I had a feeling it was long from over with.

7

TONI

My anxieties were exceptionally high as I sat alone in the living room of the elaborate cabin belonging to three shifters who sat outside discussing what to do with me. Of course, my high anxieties seemed to be a normal thing recently. Especially since Jared had started showing his true colors. But it seemed especially so now because my fate rested in these three men’s hands. And that didn’t feel very good at all.

I busied myself with staring at everything around me. The cabin was exceptionally well-made. From the door was the massive living room. A fireplace sat on the far wall. The stones were rounded smooth and sat nestled against one another in a large arch. At the top of the arch, just before the long chute that stretched toward the ceiling, was a metal shield embossed with the profile of a bear’s head in mid roar. It seemed to be a coat of arms. I wondered what the importance of such a symbol was but figured I could ask about that later.

Attached to the living room was a hallway, and a set of stairs. Next to the stairs was the kitchen with a wide-open doorway so large it barely could classify as one. What little wall that stood between the two rooms gave the appearance it was more decorative than anything. The whole space was practically one large room.

I didn’t know what was beyond the stairs or down the hall, but it wasn’t hard to assume those directions held bathrooms and bedrooms. The workmanship put into the home was spectacular. A lot of love went into this home. Along with a lot of patience and time.

Given the last point, it was easy to understand how these men were protective of their home. I would have been too.

One other thing about this cabin had struck me as unusual… it had no electricity. All the light filling the rooms was either by the fireplace or kerosene lamps. Though the furniture was still in new condition, which was the only other thing sticking out to me.

Rin screamed something vulgar at one of the other men, snapping my attention in their direction. It brought back to the forefront of my mind the situation I was facing, and I frowned.

I only offered to go to a hotel room because I truly didn’t want to upset the order of their home. If allowing me to stay would force one of them out of their own home, I didn’t want to do it. Though staying was a much safer option. Still, what would me staying with them cost them other than the discomfort of an extra person?

Probably too much.

After a few moments of sitting on the couch, the argument from outside filtered in more and more. I strained to listen to what was said, but I couldn’t make out any of the words. It was like they blurred together as they filtered through the walls of the shifters’ home.

Though Luke had asked me to remain sitting on the couch, my curiosities on what was happening between the three of them were getting the better of me. I knew they were arguing about whether or not to let me stay. But the whole thing sounded different. Much tenser than before. Never mind I already gathered Rin had his foot down when it came to me. And because my fate rested in his hands specifically, more than the other two, considering how he wasn’t happy with my sudden appearance into their lives, I needed to find out for myself what was going on.

I stood up from the couch and slowly headed to the window. I pulled back the curtains enough to poke my nose through. The three men stood in the dark, all facing each other. Luke had his arms crossed over his chest. Ezra stood pinching the bridge of his nose. And Rin stood shaking his head.

I frowned. The last thing I wanted was to be an imposition. And here I was, being just that. Though if I had a choice in the matter, none of this would have ever happened. I still didn’t know how Jared was able to follow me. That much didn’t make sense. And it was because of him that I had shown up in the first place. Despite it all, not only was I an imposition to these three men, but it appeared they were at a standstill. I wasn’t sure if that was entirely because of me or if they were working out other issues they had between them. Regardless, things weren’t looking good for me.

I had to find a way to convince Luke and Rin to let me stay. It was only for a few days at most, and I would be out of their hair and hopefully on my way to Washington. And staying with them wasn’t just for the purpose of saving me from my ex. Sure, he was part of the reason, but I really needed the time to heal from my current injuries. Maybe I could come up with some way to ensure them I wouldn’t be any trouble. A compromise of sorts.

As I stood, staring out the window, watching the men argue, an idea struck. Rin’s biggest issue, from what I had gathered, was not only my intrusion into their home but also the fear that I was bringing trouble with me. He also felt that I threatened the privacy and secrecy of their lives. Though I could never guarantee Jared wouldn’t make an appearance (or anyone else for that matter) between now and whenever Savannah would be able to show up, I might be able to use his lack of presence so far to my advantage.

A compromise.

I nodded to myself and walked out the front door. All three men stopped speaking and turned around to face me as I stood on the large, covered porch of their home.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I have an idea,” I said.

“Let’s hear it,” Luke said.

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