Page 5 of Tainted Hearts

“Yeah.” I lean over and kiss Isaac on the forehead. “We can do that.”

We all cuddle together and lay there; no more words pass between us, but the bond hums to life. It’s almost complete. We just need Abby here with us.Soon.Because I need her just as much as I need them.

***

When we get to thetop of the basement stairs, we all stop at the sound of Abby’s laughter. A warm tingly feeling rushes over me like a blanket, and my feet are moving before I even realize it, with the need to be close to her.

“Stop!” She’s laughing so hard her face is red as Leo and Zed tickle her. She’s dressed in one of their shirts and a pair of panties. Licking my lips, my cock grows hard. I want that. I want to be able to be carefree when I was with her. She looks so happy right now... so in love.

“You will,” Isaac says, as if he could read my mind. “Just give it time. You will have that too. I’m sorry.” His brows crush together as he looks toward our mate. “I’m sorry I took away the time you could have had with her.”

I don’t say anything, because he’s right. In a way, his need for us to hate her stopped us from getting to know her, from finding out we were mates sooner. If only we welcomed her with open arms in the beginning, we would have known her earlier and avoided so much pain. But sadly, that’s not how it turned out.

“Hey,” Luke says as we step into the kitchen.

The three of them stop, but as soon as Abby is free, she ducks out of their arms and darts over to Luke. “Save me!” She giggles as she hides behind him. “They’re gonna keep going until I piss my pants.”

“You're not wearing any pants,” Luke points out, a smirk gracing his lips.

She rolls her eyes. “Whatever.”

The moment she touches him, I can see the way they both pause, sucking in a breath. It’s going to take some getting used to. The guys and I, we’re used to it by now. It’s not that our bond has dulled, but our bodies have come to recognize the spark. Each bond is like its own wavelength. Similar, but different.

She bites her lower lip, leaning into Luke as he wraps his arm around her. When he kisses the top of her head, her eyes flutter closed.

I need that. So, I walk over to her next. “Morning, Hellcat,” I murmur, dipping down to press a kiss to the top of her head. I don’t want to push her or rush anything, but damn, I need to feel her.

She lets out a little pleasure-filled whimper and pride fills me that I did something right.

“Pancakes, anyone?” Zed asks, holding up a plate with a stack piled so high it looks like it’s about to topple over.

“Fuck, yes,” Luke groans, tucking Abby under his arm and bringing her over to the table. Pulling out a seat for her, she sits and lets Luke get her a plate. She watches him with a smile. Leo and Zed watch him too with observant eyes, protective of their mate, and rightfully so. But I’m happy to see they are okay with one of us doing something for her.

After Abby has her plate, Luke, Leo, and Zed plate their own, taking a seat at the table with her.

“Are you coming?” I ask Isaac, stepping toward the table. His eyes dart over to mine, like I snapped him out of a daydream.

“I’ll let you guys eat. I’m not that hungry.” He’s lying. He just doesn’t want to be in the way, thinking he’s unwanted.

“Sit,” Abby’s request surprises us all.

He looks at her with shock. “It’s okay, really. You guys eat, I’ll—”

“I said, sit,” she says more firmly, raising a brow as if she’s daring him to argue with her. Leo snorts a laugh, trying to hide it by shoving pancakes into his mouth.

“Better listen, little brother. I’ve seen her pissed off. It's sexy as fuck, but she could totally kick your ass if she wanted to,” Zed throws out.

Isaac isn’t normally speechless, but he looks at the two of them like he’s wondering if he’s even awake right now or if this is all a dream. Zed called himlittle brother, not in a condescending way either, and Abby is insistent he eats with us. Poor guy looks like his head is going to explode.

“Come on.” I grab his hand and pull him over to the table. I take the free seat on the other side of Abby, making Isaac take the one on the other side of me.

We sit and eat. Leo and Zed joke around, and I find myself a little jealous that two of her mates are so close, like best friends.Will Luke and I have that with them too? What about Isaac? What does it mean for him and his older brother now that Zed knows the real truth about their father? Will he keep hating him, or will they build a brotherly bond?

“I need to tell you three something,” Abby says after she’s done eating, placing her fork onto her plate. She pushes her chair back and stands, moving around the table to stand between Zed and Leo. Placing a hand on each of their shoulders, they place their hands on top of hers, as if giving her support for whatever she’s about to say next.

“Okay,” Luke says. “What’s up?”

“After what happened last night.” Her eyes find Isaac’s, a flash of sympathy on her face before continuing to look between the three of us. “I came inside to get away. I ended up hearing a fight, and well... I wanted to know what was going on.” She shrugs. “So I eavesdropped. It was your dads; and they were fighting, mostly Raphael and Gabriel were fighting with Michael. I’m not sure what about exactly, but from what I heard, Michael has them doing things they no longer want to do. Michael was pissed, like raging pissed, but your dads.” She pauses, looking at Luke and then me. “Said they just wanted you to be happy and they were done. I’m not sure what they’re done with, but by the sound of it, God won’t be too happy with whatever they were up to.” She looks at Isaac. “Your dad, however, I don’t think he’s done.”

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