5. Atlas
Atlas
Imoved silently through the trailer park, my motorcycle boots barely making a sound. Inside my thick, dark jacket was Maya’s replacement polo. I wasn’t positive I bought her story that Marco had told me, so I was glad to have a chance to take a look myself.
As an enforcer to Marco’s alpha, I was naturally suspicious of everything, and I sure as hell didn’t know what to think about this girl that Marco claimed was our mate.
My understanding of the mating bond was that the alpha felt the pull stronger than I would.
But at the gas station, I couldn’t deny my concern at the slight figure that’d been pulled into the dark truck.
I rounded the trailer, checking the driveway before going toward an open window with a skirt hanging on the ledge. Giving it a sniff, I picked up a feminine scent, but also the faint scent of blood. My jaw tightened as I glided through the window with graceful ease.
Fuck.
Why had she left this window open? I could barely stand upright in this closet. In the moonlight, I saw the edges of a twin mattress they’d somehow managed to shove in here…then I noticed her delicate sleeping form.
This was her fucking bedroom?
An array of emotions coursed through me.
Anger. Fury. Concern. Possession. Lust. My knees broke, and I knelt by the delicate, angelic form sleeping on a thin, barely-there mattress.
My flight hadn’t been joking—she was beautiful, so much so that nothing could have prepared me for seeing her in person—but my appreciation was clouded by the rage filtering over my eyes.
Why the fuck was she sleeping here? Why had she felt the need to wedge a chair against the door? I wanted to take her to my room and let her sleep in my bed. Any of our beds, actually. Just not here.
Her thick, dark hair laid in a seaweed mess on top of her stretched out arms, and a tiny splattering of freckles covered her little nose, her long lashes sweeping across her high cheekbones.
She was the most delicate, beautiful woman I’d ever seen.
Hell, I hadn’t even spoken to her, yet every protective bone in my body was urging me to get her the fuck out of here.
I frowned though. I could feel my dragon’s natural reaction to her, wanting to blanket her in protective and possessive actions, but he was blocking something.
I wanted to ask the other men how people had been reacting to her.
My senses told me that we were in a world of trouble.
I had never smelled her unique mixture of soft scents.
I could tell she was a shifter, I just had no idea what type.
Maya muttered in her sleep, shifting and slipping from under her thin blanket.
I groaned at her lack of clothing. She wore only a loose t-shirt and had apparently kicked off a pair of PJ pants, leaving her in only in a pair of panties.
How was it possible for someone so delicate to also be so perfectly curved?
I really needed to stop staring at her. Then she shifted again, whimpering.
“What the fuck?” I growled. Her white shirt stuck to her back, bright red seeping through. I moved slowly to peel the shirt off her back, sucking in a breath.
Her entire back was covered in open wounds that looked to have been made by a belt.
They were half-healed but still bleeding, and I watched in amazement as her skin stitched itself up with a quickness that was obviously supernatural.
A cold sweat took over her body as her hands began to tremble, and a pained sound came from her throat.
My resolve melted.
In a movement that was quick but far from practiced, I pulled her onto my lap with a blanket in tow, not touching her except for a hand on her shoulder. Maya, still asleep, curled into my chest with a sigh of contentment, fitting perfectly in my arms.
I could almost forget the terrible wounds on her back.
Almost.
Maya
When I woke in the morning, I first noticed the warmth underneath my cheek. I sighed happily, snuggling into my bed’s comfortable heat. My bed was totally more comfortable this morning than it’d been last night. Maybe I’d just been really exhausted and didn’t notice when I crashed.
A knock on my door had my eyes springing open. “Get out of bed, little bitch.”
I nearly growled at Jed’s voice but sat up. My back hurt so incredibly much, the nerves raging against their treatment yesterday, but the wounds were sealed.
“Who the fuck is that?” a deep, so incredibly rich, voice asked. I nearly jumped out of my skin, but I kept my mouth shut as I tumbled onto the floor in shock.
“Oh my,” I whispered. I had an angel in my bed; it was the only explanation.
His skin was a beautiful rich tone that was accented by his navy shirt and jeans.
I couldn’t understand how he fit in my bed, because this beautiful man was nearly a foot and a half taller than me.
His gold eyes sparkled with amusement and rage, a very confusing combination.
Maybe he was an avenging angel? That made sense.
I reached forward with curiosity and touched his long, dark hair that floated down to his ribs.
I was fascinated by the gold rings that looped along his ear and the way he played with the gold ring in his lip, drawing my eye to his structured jawline and trimmed beard.
I really liked how it looked on him. I even liked how he smelled, like sea salt.
This man was beautiful, there was no denying it. I don’t think I would ever get used to being around individuals like this—honestly, it wasn’t my fault for having such an extreme reaction. I mean, what were the chances that I’d be surrounded by so many beautiful men all the time?
I blinked my eyes, leaning forward, and asked in sincere curiosity, “Who are you?”
The man flashed a set of perfect white teeth. “Atlas.”
I flushed in realization. “Oh, I thought you were an angel. This is awkward.”
Atlas chuckled softly before another bang on my door had me jumping into his arms. I wasn’t positive why I’d done it, but the soft rumbling of his chest had me relaxing. I didn’t even mind the slight pain from his grip.
“Maya,” Jed warned, “get your ass out of bed before I break in.”
Atlas let out a deep growl, and I slapped my hand on his mouth. “Getting ready!”
“Bitch,” Jed muttered before stomping off. I sighed and turned toward the massive man with a big grin.
“Did you stay the night?”
He nodded cautiously. “I hope that’s okay.”
I flashed a smile and cupped his jaw. “That was my first sleepover ever. Thanks for that.”
Atlas shook his head and smiled. “Angel, you are something else.”
He then opened his dark leather jacket and handed me a white polo. I offered him a thankful look and stood up, realizing I was only in underwear and a shirt. My blush alerted Atlas, because he let out a low rumbling sound that had my skin breaking out in shivers.
What was it about that damn noise?
“You should get dressed,” he groaned, deflating into the bed. I nodded and briefly wondered why he looked so pained. I shimmied on my skirt before turning to take off my shirt, grimacing at the pain in my back.
I pulled on my bra and gently tugged the polo on before turning around, gasping as Atlas looked down at me with frustration and anger. I whimpered at his imposing height, which caused him to lift me up under the thighs and bring me to eye level.
“Don’t be afraid of me, Maya,” he said gently, no longer looking angry. “I would never hurt you, angel.”
I nodded. Now that I was looking him in the eye, I felt better. I instinctively knew I had no reason to fear him.
“When I arrived yesterday, your back…” he trailed off, his jaw tightening.
“It was an old wound,” I muttered, not meeting his eyes.
“That was actively bleeding and healing while I watched?”
“You actually saw it heal? Wow. What was that like?”
He frowned. “Have you always had healing abilities?”
I licked my lips, debating which answer to go with, and finally responded honestly. “Only when skin is broken.”
His chest rumbled again. “Does that happen often?”
I flushed and tucked my head down into his shoulder. I so didn’t want to talk about this.
Atlas sighed and brought a hand into my hair. “I’ll let this go for now, Maya, but I expect an answer. The boys will also.”
“No!” I whisper-yelled.
He grunted. “We have to tell them.”
“I don’t want to worry the only friends I have—they’ll leave me!” Somehow their loss, after less than twenty-four hours, would devastate me.
Atlas’s eyes darkened as he tried to reassure me. “No one will leave you, Maya, but I have to tell Marco.”
I whimpered. “He’s going to be mad.”
“Not at you, angel.”
My alarm went off then, and I scrambled to turn it off. My mother hated the noise. Atlas muttered something under his breath, picking up my PJ shirt from the ground. I cringed at the blood on it as he tucked it into his jacket and leaned forward into my space.
“The twins are here with Henry. I expect to see you tonight at the house. If anything scares you between now and then, you will call me. Okay?”
I bit my lip and nodded. “I promise.”
Could I call him just for fun?
“Good.” He nodded with a tense expression, and I swayed on my feet as I watched him leave my room.
Well, what the heck did I do with all of that? I was starting to feel more than a bit unprepared for all these situations.