28. Bellamy
Chapter 28
Bellamy
L edger strides into the room fresh from the shower, shirtless with a towel wrapped around his waist, reeking with desperation. It’s pathetic, really, trying to seduce my girl so she’ll overlook all the red flags. Rolling my eyes, I push away my untouched plate; like hell I’m eating anything that scheming bastard made. 50/50 chance it’s poisoned. Whether that’s to kill me or add another mimic to power-boost their bonds, who knows.
I urge Ever to eat though. They wouldn’t kill her, and since they’re already wearing her mark, her food is safe. And she’s far too skinny to skip a meal. Rage unfurls in my gut, wondering if there was more going on behind the scenes when she was with her shitbag ex than she let on.
“Do you already have a new lawyer, or is that on today’s agenda?”
Myles interjects, “I can introduce you to mine, if you’d like.”
Pausing with her fork halfway to her mouth, she sets it down again, giving him her full attention. “You have a lawyer?”
The mage avoids her gaze by poking at his breakfast. “Yeah, the city commissions a decent amount of projects, and I wanted to make sure I’d be covered in case I ever decided to leave Mercy Ridge. He’s good at what he does. My inventions remain my intellectual property, and protects me from liability if anyone misuses one of my devices, too. I would definitely recommend him.”
Ever beams at him. “That’d be amazing if you could give me his info.”
Myles peeks up at her and offers a weak smile. “I’ll set it up.” He ignores his mutilated food to pull out his phone and fire off a text.
Myles. Such a stupid name. Learning it was a necessary evil, though. Know your enemies and all that jazz.
Ledger takes his seat at the table, still practically naked, and snatches up Ever, pulling her onto his lap. Her cheeks flame, but he cuts off her protests by nuzzling the top of her head and scent marking her. “Humor me.” Picking up his bacon, he lifts it to her lips while holding my gaze in challenge. “After all, you’re our mate. I’m sure Bellamy is more interested in making sure you eat than starting a pissing contest at the breakfast table. Isn’t that right, Bell?”
Pretty sure I’m going to have to visit a dentist sooner rather than later with how hard I’ve been clenching my jaw since getting to this Fates-forsaken town. Exhaling through my nose, I slowly collect myself. “You do all of the cooking around here, then?”
The massive wolf shifter quirks an eyebrow. “Usually. Why, is it not up to your standards?”
“Nah, I just think it’s interesting that you handle all the food and go so far as to hand feed Ever to make sure she eats it.”
“Bell,” Ever hisses.
Ledger stiffens, back snapping ramrod straight. “What the hell are you implying?”
“That it’s awfully convenient Ever bumped into four fated mates within days of each other. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“You think we slipped her something to trick her into marking us?” Myles asks, mouth parted in fake surprise.
“Can you blame me?”
Ledger’s neck is red, his fingers leaving indents on Ever’s thigh. “How dare you? Mate bonds are sacred. Centers are meant to be cherished. Protected .”
“And you’d do anything to have one, right?” I challenge.
“Ooooooh, someone’s itching for a fight today,” Arson says, struggling to sit up on the couch. “Gimme a sec, I want a front row seat to this shitshow.”
Myles clears his throat. “Ever, if you’re quick, Hendrix said he can squeeze you in between other appointments in about an hour.”
Tension in the room forgotten, Ever whips her head to face him. “Right now? Fuck, okay. That’s fine. Yes, tell him yes please.” Flustered, she jumps off of Ledger’s lap. “Shit, I have to change.” Without a backwards glance, she races off to get ready.
As soon as she’s out of ear shot, Ledger scowls at me. “I’m assuming you’re coming with us?”
“Oh, fuck off. Only the shadow demon can go with her.”
Said demon’s ears perk up. “Now hold on a minute, Balto, I think he’s onto something here. Let’s hear the asshole out. “
Ledger glares. “You’re on bedrest.”
“Fuck bedrest. The hospital sent me with crutches for a reason.” He struggles upright. “Myles, pass ‘em over.”
Myles goes to retrieve them and pauses. “Did you seriously strap knives to the bottom of your crutches?”
Arson rolls his eyes, making a ‘gimme’ motion with his hands. “It’s not like they were going to do much damage without them. If I’m taking a swing at a guy, his eye is coming with me.”
Ledger ignores the eccentric demon to get up in my face. “Look, I’m trying to be civil for Ever’s sake, but this is where I draw the line. You might be her mate, but we are too; you don’t call the shots here. She’s not going out there alone. We may not be the kind of monsters that would disgrace a mate bond by forcing it, but there are assholes out there that wouldn’t lose a minute of sleep over spiking her drink or snatching her off the street. She’s too new in this world to fully understand the danger she’s in simply by existing.”
The sincerity in his face gives me pause. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he looks genuinely concerned over the idea of her getting hurt.
Could be that he doesn’t want anyone else playing with his shiny new toy, though.
“I’m not saying she goes alone. I suggested Arson, remember?” Sighing, I rub the back of my neck. “It's bullshit, but it’s hard enough for women to be taken seriously in the gaming industry without some guy jumping in to make her look weak. You walk in with her? You’ll dominate the room; you’re too much of a control freak not to. Glasses over there already works with the guy, so he’s out. And I respect her too much to ruin this because I’m uncomfortable with her going alone. That’s my problem to deal with, not hers.”
Myles begrudgingly dips his head in agreement. “I hate to say it, but he’s right.”
“It was a fluke that I was able to send her to catch her cheating shitbag of an ex in the act. She doesn't need anyone else screwing her over. This contract means everything to her, and I won’t let you ruin it by being a possessive bastard.”
Ledger pauses, frowning at me. “Why the hell did you make her walk in on that shit instead of just telling her?”
“Can't deny proof when it's right in front of your face,” I remind him with a thinly-veiled warning. “People always show their true colors eventually. I simply speed up the process.”
“It’s an untapped market base that’s already rabid for product,” my girl gushes, taking control of that meeting like she was born for the role.
Beyond proud, I glance at the window on Ever’s desktop monitor I hijacked, discreetly keeping tabs on her meeting via her laptop webcam. Might not see much, but I can listen in as she pitches her project to the lawyer and his packmate that’ll be acting as her agent. Make sure everything’s going well while I handle shit here.
Opening another tab, I continue my research on the men trying to stake a claim on my fated mate. Arson was boring; shitty parents that abandoned the little demon, then he was taken in by someone that cultivated his bloodlust into something profitable. He’s a weapon, a tool. Nothing to be worried about now that he’s swapped one master for another. Not when the person holding his leash is the love of my life.
Myles was at least a little more interesting. Involved in the death of a fellow student before relocating to Mercy Ridge. Never would’ve called that one with the shy mage. Ledger, though? An abusive piece of shit father, and a mom that’s chilling out on the west coast with the Blackfang pack? That one was a genuine surprise. Not many mothers would leave their children behind when splitting ties with a member of their bond group.
While I compile information, I try to figure out how I’m going to break the news to Ever about what she is without her tipping off the others. I can’t exactly train her without them finding out, but at least if she knows, she’ll see that they’re using her. She can have her guard up while we plan our escape together and she’ll understand why staying in this town is a terrible idea.
A floorboard squeaks, and I jerk my head up to find Myles walking into the den, hastily minimizing my research and muting everything. “Here.” Confused, I take the bag he’s offering, glancing inside to find beef jerky, a new jar of peanut butter, a box of crackers, and a bag of chips. “I noticed you haven’t been eating the last few days. Ledger isn’t going to poison you, but I know you won’t believe me, so I figured you might appreciate something prepackaged.”
Surprise has me pausing long enough it’s awkward before I mutter, “Thanks,” and rip into the beef jerky with a growling stomach. I can’t exactly explain that it’s not poison that I’m worried about, but getting tricked into bonding like they did to Ev-
I pause mid bite as the realization hits me like a truck. I’m marked now . I don’t have to worry about being force bonded anymore. The only threat is someone trying to kill me, and with my abilities and training… I’m pretty hard to kill. Most supes rely on their powers, but I can take them away if someone attacks me. It’s mainly weapons I need to fear unless a group gangs up on me.
I glance at Myles, mulling it over and reluctantly accept the harsh reality I’m a part of now. I may be bonded to Ever, but that makes me a part of her mate group. Which means I’m connected to anyone she claims. If she cements those bonds… between both of us boosting their powers, I might even be able to access the guys’ abilities despite them being bonded to a mimic already. Fuck, if I could shadow walk to safety whenever I needed to?
I could actually have a real life outside of the compound’s walls.
Oblivious to my inner freak out, Myles continues rambling. “I get it. Why you don't trust us, I mean. You'd be stupid not to; plenty of mysts are shitty people, and good people pay the price. But there's really nothing we can do at this stage to prove our marks showed up when we touched her for the first time and not through subterfuge.” The mage stands a little straighter. “I'm not asking you to trust us, or even like us. I'm asking you to give us a chance to prove that you're wrong. To not make Ever's life harder by pitting her mates against each other and keep an open mind.”
With a shaky breath, he lifts a strap over his head and hands me the messenger bag that was resting against his hip. “You and Ever are gaming buddies, right? You can borrow my old laptop so you two can play together until you get your stuff. She’s been pretty stressed out with the supernatural and fated mates revelations lately, so I’m sure she’d love a night to escape into a fantasy world where she doesn’t have to worry about any of this.”
Mouth dry, I croak, “Thanks, man.”
Myles nods and walks away, leaving me conflicted. After what I dug up about him being involved in the death of a student at his campus, I wouldn’t have expected him to be so… nice. But I suppose ‘involved’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘murderer.’ Maybe he was just a witness and whoever filled out the paperwork half-assed it ?
The more I eat, the easier it is to connect my thoughts, not realizing how delirious I’d gotten over the past few days until I finally have food in my system again. With the cameras I have hidden around the house, I’ll know sooner or later if they’re lying.
But what if… what if they’re not?
With Ever’s mark, I’m free from being hunted down and forcibly bonded. And the three of them are decently powerful even without cementing their bonds with Ever and getting the massive power boost.
If they don’t let that power corrupt them, they could be real assets to help safeguard the community. Arson especially could either be the asset we need to turn the tide on extractions, or… could murder everyone in their beds. It’s a toss up, really.
So why does the thought of going home turn my stomach?
What’s waiting there for me besides a safe bubble? If Ever and I are both already bonded to decent men that’ll use the power we grant them to protect our family instead of hurting us… we don’t need the walls. They’d be our shields against the world and we’d be able to actually live .
Ever deserves the best life I can give her. Sure, she’d be okay locked behind the walls of the compound as long as she had access to the internet, but if I can give her more?
Determination has my fingertips flying across the keyboard with renewed vigor, setting the program monitoring the cameras around the house with keywords like mimic, sell, buy, power, etc. But if there’s actually a chance that I’m wrong? That they could give us both a real life?
I’d be a terrible mate not to at least try .