Ever Marked (Mystics of Mercy Ridge #1)

27. Bellamy

Chapter 27

Bellamy

O peration Happily Ever After didn't account for three romantic rivals, but I'm adaptable. If nothing else, planning their murders will be a good distraction while I convince Ever to marry me.

And also keep my mind off the fact I'm stuck in a mimic’s version of hell.

If the locals don't kill me, the elders will for being too stupid to live. Of all the places Ever had to move, whyyyyyyyy did it have to be here?

The shadow demon huffs, stretched out on the couch with a petulant scowl. My sweet Ever fusses over the shady bastard, much to his delight. “Do you need another pillow to prop up your leg?”

“No, just keep me company? Here, I saved you a seat.” Now that my time’s run out and he has his abilities back, -Arsonic?- uses his shadows to pull her onto his face and sighs happily. “Much better.”

She rolls her eyes, but smiles. “You’re ridiculous. How are you in this good of a mood after getting your ass kicked? Did they give you the good drugs to go along with that cast?”

Nope, hate all of that.

Banding an arm around her ribs, I scoop my girl off of the horny demon. “Didn’t the doctor say no strenuous activity for at least a month? Something about heart rates and blood clots? You should let him rest.”

That’d certainly make things easier; let him stroke out and die of natural causes. Not at the expense of him suffocating to death in Ever’s pussy though. That’s much too good of a way to go than the scheming asshole deserves.

The chances of anyone finding their fated mates is one in a million these days. I’m her one in a million, while she’s my everything. They can go fuck themselves. These guys are just predators taking advantage of a lost mimic that’s in the dark about the sinister nature of the supernatural world.

I just… don’t think she knows what she is. It’s fairly easy for our kind to recognize one another, but she only seemed surprised to see me, not another mimic. Thanks to our ability to borrow other supernatural creature’s abilities, we have a sixth sense that lets us read other mysts’ powers; sort of like Bluetooth crossed with an enhanced danger sense. Scan for what’s within range, recognize all the threat levels, and latch onto the network we want to temporarily hijack. With other mimics, that signal is password protected and radiates a feeling of safety. Kinship. Even mimic children that don’t know how to use their powers yet subconsciously recognize their own.

Hell, I’m not even sure the guys have actually realized they practically have a unicorn living in their midst, just thinking they hit the jackpot with a female myst. At the very least, they haven’t cemented the bond they forced on her yet, thank the Fates. No way would I have been able to steal the shadow demon’s powers before I gained Ever’s mark otherwise. These three may be powerful, but not bonded to a mimic powerful. And it’s sure as shit going to stay that way while I convince her to reject them, or kill them in a way that won’t arouse suspicion.

Because while this makes bringing Ever home a hell of a lot easier in some ways, it adds a whole new host of problems. A female center is a lot harder to make off with without drawing unwanted attention, and these three jackasses won’t let her go without a fight. If I don’t tie up loose ends first, I could lead them right to the compound and put everyone at risk.

A daunting weight settles on my chest. I can’t mess this up, or I’ll damn us all.

Maybe I should call in the extraction team for backup. Take them out, fake Ever’s death, and hop around the country for a few weeks until the heat dies down before circling back to the compound. Ever will forgive me eventually.

The big motherfucker I’m pegging as the ringleader glowers at me, uncrossing the tree trunks he calls arms to stalk closer. “I’ll drive you to Ellis’s office, he’ll get you set up with someplace to stay.”

Ever extracts herself from my grasp and waves him off. “Bell’s only planning to stay for a few weeks, he can crash on my couch now that I’ve finally got one.”

“Bulllllllllfuckingshit that’s going to fly,” the overgrown toddler growls, shadows engulfing the blue of his irises until they’re inky, soulless voids. “No way in hell is that psycho sleeping under the same roof as my mate.”

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. I roll my eyes, ignoring him.

The giant -Ridge? Stonewall? Platform? Who the fuck cares- says, “Sure, he can stay here.” His buddies shout over one another, shutting up as he calmly raises a hand. “And Ever can stay at our place until he leaves.”

“You’re being ridiculous,” the love of my life says, shaking her head. “Bell’s my friend. My mate too, if you weren’t lying about what this mark means. So why are you treating him like an enemy instead of a, I don’t know, brother-husband, or whatever? You get along with Arson perfectly fine, and he was an outsider until a week ago too.”

Even the quiet mage looks up from his scowling at the floor to narrow his eyes on me. “Why’s he only planning to stay for a few weeks if he’s your mate?”

Ever bites her lip, and the girls’ advice swirls around my mind. A fated mate mark showing up is the same kind of shock as if I'd suddenly kissed her, right? I don’t think she really made the mental leap until now that being tied together wasn’t just some new drama in her already upheaved life, but that we’re mates . And that’ll change everything between us.

You’ve got this, Bell. Worst case scenario, I can still rob a bank and buy a castle to impress her.

“Just because we’re mates doesn’t mean I’ve stopped being her friend, it simply confirmed what I’ve always known; we’re good together. That hasn’t changed, it’s made us a stronger team. We have plenty of time to explore where to go from here, but in a few weeks I’ll need to go back home long enough to tie up loose ends with work and my apartment. But make no mistake; I’m not going anywhere without her.”

The curious stare burning a hole in the side of my face makes it hard to hide the thrill that snakes down my spine. Nailed it . Kicked step one’s ass.

Matching wedding bands, here I come.

DnD edition Harry Potter studies me with silent suspicion while the demon blurts, “But you don’t really know him if he didn't tell you he was one of us!”

I could borrow his powers again and drop him in the middle of the ocean. Good luck swimming to shore with that cast on your leg, dickwad.

Ever throws her hands up in frustration. “We’re literally standing in a city of mysts hiding from humans! Why would he randomly announce that piece of information to someone he'd met on the internet and never in person? Besides, it doesn't change who he is.”

“And just who is he then?” Arson demands, shadows lashing around him restlessly. “Besides a dead man walking.”

Hands on her hips, Ever doesn’t let any of them intimidate her in the slightest as she practically stakes her claim on me, and I have to subtly adjust myself. “The kind of guy that was so worried about me being AFK for a week, he crossed state lines to find me. And even now is sticking around somewhere he doesn't want to be for my sake. Bellamy's the only person in my life who actually gives a shit and has always been there for me. He's my best friend.”

Soon to be the love of your life. Suck it, demon.

Discreetly, I flip him off, grin spreading as his lips curl with a menacing snarl.

She turns her vehemence right back on him. “Besides, like you're one to talk, Casper. The day I met you, you stalked me to my house and have been watching me ever since. At least Bellamy’s being up front about staying here.”

He grimaces, scratching at the stubble on his scarred face sheepishly.

My amusement goes up in flames. Clenching my fists, heat creeps up my neck. “You've been spying on her? In the shower? When she gets dressed? What the actual fuck is wrong with you?!”

The demon snaps, “ Never. She’s always known when I'm in the room. Tell him, angel!”

Ever bites her lip, looking torn as Cliffside brings enough alpha big-dick-energy to demolish a house. “ENOUGH.” Leveling a stern glare on each of us, he growls, “The center builds their pack, remember? If Ever wants Bellamy around, it's our job to get to know him, for her sake.” Ever’s shoulders relax a fraction. “But it's also our job as her mates to protect our family.”

Ever tenses right back up again. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Bellamy’s already proven to be a threat.” BDE gestures to the demon’s broken leg, and I can’t hide my smug smirk this time. Blatantly ignoring me, he continues, “And expressed his desire to steal you away for himself. So if you insist on him staying here, Myles and I will be staying as well as a precaution.”

A scowl twists my girl’s lips. “It’s my house. You don’t get to make those calls, I do.”

Ledge nods with a suspicious amount of patience. “And if you'd rather we sleep outside and leave a window open so I can hear if there's a problem, so be it. But like hell am I going to leave an unknown male around you and simply go home to sleep.”

She scrubs a hand down her face and sighs in defeat. “I'm not going to make you sleep outside, that'd be a dick move. But I have no idea where I’m going to put you.”

“We can share the spare bedroom,” he soothes. “If you're already using the space, we can-”

Arson interjects, “No spares. Our girl’s got herself a pack bedroom.”

The mage turns his narrowed glare on his friend for a change. “Then where have you been sleeping?”

“At her feet like a good guard dog,” Arson says, begrudgingly earning a point in his favor. “But I'm a gentleman. I leave the room while she gets dressed,” he adds pointedly.

He waits until Ever looks away to meet my gaze and mouths, “ Sometimes.”

With a snarl, I lunge at him, the damn viking intervening and hauling me back before I can wring the demon’s neck.

“We'll all be sleeping in the living room from now on unless Ever explicitly invites one of us into her room,” he commands. “Understood?”

That gives me pause.

All three of my enemies under one roof? That’ll make my job ten times easier.

I couldn’t do much about her cheating ex without revealing I hacked into the cameras at her workplace to watch her besides send her to catch him. In person? It’ll be a breeze to goad them into showing their true colors and prove to Ever that they’re not good enough for her. They don’t care about her like I do, they just want a mate. The next pretty face that passes through town looking to add to their bond group? They’ll jump at the chance.

Then it’ll be just Ever and me again, like it was always meant to be.