Page 77 of Bellamy

Castor grinned. “’Cause you love me.”

“You coming too, Bell?” Raiden asked as I started to walk off. Then, more hesitantly, he looked at Phoenix. “Are you any good at Texas Hold’em?”

The center of my chest fluttered. Raiden was trying to get along with my mate despite the deep distrust of him.

Phoenix seemed surprised. “Um. Yes. I’m quite familiar with it.”

“Cool.” Raiden nodded. “Meet me downstairs when you guys are ready. I’ll bring the snacks.”

“We might as well come too,” Daman said, leaning against Warrin.

Castor scoffed. “You don’t even play. You just sit in the corner and glare at us.”

“Exactly,” Daman said without missing a beat. “And I’d prefer to glare at you while you’re getting your ass handed to you by my mate.”

A hint of a smile touched Warrin’s lips.

We met in the dining room instead of the arcade since the table was bigger. Raiden tossed more pizza rolls into the oven and made cheese dip on the stovetop for chips. I mixed some drinks for us, breaking into my personal stash of ambrosia for the occasion.

Having my brothers hang around Phoenix without trying to brutally murder him was definitely cause for celebration.

They glanced at him periodically as we played, and I sensed their various emotions. Caution. A bit of anger. But the few times they spoke to him, they treated him… well, like he was one of us. Or as close to that as they could while still holding some resentment toward his past actions.

“Your turn, demon boy,” Castor said. “Show your cards.”

“Royal flush.” Phoenix turned them over.

“Fuck this game.” Castor tossed his cards on the table.

I laughed.

Daman was sitting beside Warrin, his legs pulled up into the chair and a tablet in front of him as he worked on a new illustration. He glanced up at me and smiled. Telepathically, he said,“That’s a sound I could get used to. You laughing.”

“I always laugh.”

“Yeah, but that time it was genuine. You fake being happy a lot for our sakes. Now you’re finally finding your own happiness, B.”

That’s what worried me. I was terrified it wouldn’t last.

Happiness never did.

A knot of worry landed in the pit of my stomach, growing worse as the hours passed.

“Tonight was… interesting,” Phoenix said once we were back in my room. “Greed only snarled at me twice. I think I’m growing on him.”

I pulled him into my arms. And then I just stood there by the bed, holding him in silence. My heart was heavy.

“Bellamy?” Phoenix pulled back and studied me with a creased brow. He still saw the swirling colors in my eyes. Lust never chose one for him. A blessing in disguise. I hated the thought of him looking at me and seeing someone else. “Okay, you’re worrying me. Why are you staring at me like that?”

I touched his jaw. My hand trembled. “On the balcony earlier, I said I belonged to you. Body and soul.”

“And I said you were a sap because of it.”

“Do you feel the same?”

The confusion in his whiskey eyes deepened. “You know I do.”

“Say it.” Why I needed to hear the words? I had no idea. But it was like I couldn’t breathe until I did.