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He pulls me back, pushing me on my back and draping his leg across my waist.
“I had no choice. You understand that, right?” he asks, brushing my hair from my face.
“Everyone has a choice. You are just good at taking mine away,” I tell him, not caring if it hurts his feelings.
He brushes my cheek softly with his thumb.
“I didn’t want to mark you like that,” he whispers, brushing his nose across my jaw.
“But you did. You forced my hand.”
“And you forced mine, Addie. You have no idea how strong the urge to claim you is. You knew we wouldn’t agree with you being with Sam. What did you expect to happen?” he asks, looking down at me.
“I didn’t expect anything to happen. He is a friend.”
“A friend that is in love with you?”
“So, you don’t trust me around other men?” I ask.
“No, I trust you. It is him I don’t trust. You should have told us instead of hiding him away like some dirty secret,” Cyrus says, sitting up, now annoyed.
“Where is Eli?” I ask, also getting up when I hear a knock on the door.
Cyrus growls, getting off the bed and walking out of the room in a hurry. I follow him down the stairs to see him answer the door, yet I still can’t see Eli anywhere. My stomach drops when I see Sam standing at the door. He seems shocked to see Cyrus. I am more shocked when Cyrus opens the door wider before motioning to me on the stairs and allowing him past the threshold. Sam looks at him before cautiously walking through the door to me.
“They know?” he whispers, eyeing Cyrus nervously.
“Nothing stays hidden for long, boy,” Cyrus tells him, and I can hear the anger in his tone.
“You’re right. It doesn’t. All secrets come out eventually. I am curious, though, Cyrus, have you told her yours?” Sam asks, and it almost sounds like he is challenging Cyrus.
Cyrus’s eyes flicker dangerously, turning crimson.
“Just remember whose house you’re in. I don’t like guests, and I don’t like you. Tread carefully, Sam, or have you forgotten we aren’t human? Taking your life would mean nothing to me.”
“No, but it would mean something for her,” Sam retorts.
Cyrus’s eyes flick to me standing there awkwardly. This scenario has never once entered my mind; now that it has, it feels more uncomfortable than I could have predicted.
“Just do what you usually do. Try anything with my mate, and there are plenty of places on this property to bury your body,” Cyrus tells him, shutting the door before walking off into the kitchen.
“Coffee?” I ask, not knowing what else to say.
Sam watches Cyrus walking into the kitchen before nodding. Sam helps me make the coffee while Cyrus sits at the dining table reading his newspaper, pretending to ignore us, though I know he is paying avid attention to everything.
“Well, this isn’t awkward at all,” Sam mutters, and I bump him with my hip shaking my head.
“Body parts to yourselves,” Cyrus says, looking at us.
Clearly, my bumping him hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“Kind of feels like a chaperoned date,” Sam taunts, and I hear Cyrus growl low in the back of his throat.
“There will be no dating, be grateful I didn’t kill you because Eli wanted to. Maybe next time, I will allow it.”
“Where is your mate?” Sam asks him, looking around before looking back toward the foyer like he is expecting Eli to pop out at any moment.
“Right beside you,” Cyrus tells him.
