Page 13 of Fated to Them

“That is where you are wrong. You belong to us now and forever,” Cyrus says before kneeling in front of me and grabbing my face before turning me to look at him.

“We are your mates, but that doesn’t matter right now. You won’t remember any of this when you wake up. But I promise we would never hurt you, Addie, not intentionally, anyway,” he says before kissing me, his tongue brushing mine as it tastes every inch of my mouth, making me gasp.

Sparks rush over me, and I moan into his mouth before he pulls away. I am shocked by my reaction to him, shocked that he’s kissed me, and Eli doesn’t seem to mind. Instead, he is watching Cyrus. I feel Cyrus grab my face; I feel dazed and can’t seem to tear my eyes from his as if in a trance; his lips are moving, yet I can’t understand a thing of what he is saying. My brain becomes foggy, and I feel like I am slipping, consumed by the shimmer of his eyes. It doesn’t scare me, but I know it isn’t right, but it also doesn’t feel wrong either, just a calmness that settles over me. His eyes twinkle oddly before I see darkness.

Chapter Seven

Adeline

I yawn, waking up, when I feel a hand touch my shoulder. Sitting up, I look around to find myself in a leather seat. I try to remember the last thing that’s happened, but everything feels fuzzy. I remember fainting, but I don’t remember getting on the plane. I feel sluggish as I look around the cabin of the plane. Eli stands in front of me, looking down at me.

“We are here. Time to get up,” he says, turning and walking off.

My head is pounding, and I can feel a migraine coming on as I press my fingers to my temple.

“Did I sleep the entire way?” I ask, trying to remember anything at all. Soya is a few hours by plane; surely, I haven’t slept that long.

“Yes, you fainted and remained asleep,” Cyrus says, walking past me before leaning down and undoing the belt fastened across my waist.

I stand clutching my head, which is pounding to its own beat.

“I have the worst headache,” I mutter to myself as I follow them off the plane and onto the tarmac, where a car is waiting. A man is putting luggage in the trunk of the black SUV. Eli opens the back door, and I feel Cyrus’s hand go to my lower back before he pushes me toward the open door. I climb in, moving across the seat. Eli climbs in beside me while Cyrus gets in the driver’s seat. I put my belt on, and Eli leans between the two seats, grabbing something from the front before handing me a bottle of water and some Advil.

“Thank you,” I tell him, taking them from him and popping three of the little blue pills in my mouth before swallowing a mouthful of water. I rest my head on the headrest, looking out the window as Cyrus starts driving.

Something feels off, like I am missing something. I just can’t put my finger on what it is. The car ride is silent when I notice we are heading out of the city instead of toward it. I sit up, leaning forward on my seat.

“I thought you had a meeting in the city?” I ask, leaning forward and talking to Cyrus.

His eyes flick to me in the rearview mirror before going back to the road.

“We do, but we have a house just outside the city, which is where we will be staying overnight,” he says.

I nod, sitting back to find Eli watching me, his body turned slightly toward me. His stare makes me nervous and self-conscious.

“Can I ask you something?” he says, making me bite my bottom lip, wondering what the hell he could possibly want to know.

I nod, and Cyrus clears his throat in the front.

“How did your father die?” he asks abruptly, making my head whip to the window.

I swallow, my mouth suddenly feeling dry.

“I’m not sure. They never told us what really happened,” I tell him honestly.

“They?” Cyrus asks, looking in the rearview mirror at me.

“The people my father worked for. They just told us it was a freak accident,” I answer, wondering why they want to know such a thing. The feeling in my stomach unsettles me. I don’t like talking about my father’s death; far too many questions have gone unanswered.

“What about your sister?” Eli asks, making me look back at him.

“Why do you care?” I ask before pressing my lips into a thin line and biting my tongue, realizing how rude that sounded.

“I don’t. I was just making conversation,” Eli says, his eyes narrowing as he glares back at me.

I look to the front, only to notice Cyrus watching me before his eyes dart back to the road. I gulp suddenly, wanting to get away from them and out of this car, the vibe in the car becoming unsettling and tense. I start fiddling with the zip on my bag nervously. The car remains silent and awkward for the rest of the drive. We pull into a long driveway lined by trees on either side.

A huge two-story stone house comes into view. Cyrus pulls up at the front near the door on the horseshoe driveway stopping the car. Eli gets out, slamming the car door and stalking off toward the house and not looking back. However, Cyrus remains seated, staring at me in the mirror; I shrink under his intense gaze.