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His grin widens. “There it is.”
They’re going to kill me.
They’re absolutely going to end my life right here, and I walked in and made it so fucking easy for them. I probably deserve it for having the least amount of survival skills in the gene pool, apparently. I was right when I’d talked to Ezra in the game store. Iamstupid.
And I’m about to be kicked off the island for it.
“So you own me because you…didn’t kill me in San Diego?” I glance at the others, trying to wonder which of them was the other person there.
“No.” Cyril shakes his head. “We own you because wesavedyou in San Diego. There was a reason I told you to leave, you know. And I don’t know what you thought that stain on the welcome mat was.” He blinks, watching my face for any sign of reaction. I don’t give him one. Or, I try not to, anyway, but he looks amused anyway as he continues. “I thought you knew when you almost touched it. It seemed like you knew.”
“I know when not to touch things,” I reply, trying again to wrench my hands out of his long-fingered grasp. “And I don’t see how you think you saved me. At all.”
“Because wedid,” Ashe promises. “Well, Cy and I just warned you. It was the others that did the dirty work.”
“Dirty work?” I’m struggling harder now, and finally, Cyril lets me go enough that I can pull back, though his hand on my thigh keeps me where I am, as does the look he pins me with.
“Someone was going to kill you,” he tells me sweetly. “Someone who didn’tlikeyou. I guess you insulted them at your little convention, and you were going todieif we didn’t step in.”
“I don’t believe you.” My words are quick, but they’re also a bit of a lie. Idobelieve him, at least a little.
Because what else is there to believe right now?
“Why? Because you haven’t seen who we killed to save your life? Would that make you feel better? Well…” he leans in, and his voice lowers to a conspiratorial whisper. “I’m sure we could fly back to San Diego and go help the cops since they’ve been digging his remains out of the sewer for the past week.”
What?
My mind flashes back to the newspaper, and my heart hammers in my chest. It’s impossible for my hands not to shake, but when I go to speak, suddenly Cyril grabs my throat andjerksme forward to crush his lips against mine.
I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know what he’s doing, and I shove at him until he lets me go. This time I manage to get out from between the both of them and turn my gaze on Ashe instead, who doesn’t look any less dangerous than the others, quite frankly.
“Want to know about your pretty, new tattoo?” the lean, black-haired man asks, rolling up the sleeve of his black button-up. He clenches his fist slowly, and I can’t help but glance down at the movement.
He has the same tattoo on his arm. The same raven and blade.
“What the fuck?” I whisper, edging toward the door.
Arlo is suddenly there, though instead of blocking me or grabbing me, he pulls the neck of his shirt down enough that I can see the top of thesametattoo there.
“It’s our little mark,” Cyril chuckles, getting to his feet. “Anyone who has it is recognized as one of the Lost Boys.”
What the fuck is a Lost Boy?
“Except you,” Cyril goes on, “are a little different. You didn’t ask for this. We didn’task. You’reours, and that mark proves it.”
“I’ll get it covered up,” I promise, ready to shove Arlo out of the way if he doesn’t move.
“You won’t,” Cyril promises. “Because no one in thestatewill touch that tattoo. And they sure as hell won’t cover it up for you.”
“I’ve always heard Florida is nice this time of year,” I fire back, hoping Arlomovesby the time my steps have taken me to the door.
Cyril’s smile turns savage. “Try it,” he invites. “Try it, Ari. You don’t get to cover it up unless I say so, and I don’t plan on letting that happen anytime soon. We saved you. So it’s fair that you’reours.”
“I don’t think that’s how that works.”
“That’s absolutely how it works,” Ezra says, getting to his feet with his head tilted to the side like he’s confused at my words. “Otherwise, we would’ve left you to die.”
“You don’t evenknow me,” I snarl. “And you don’t–not one of youownsme. So get fucked.”
