Page 22

Ezra

As Mateo sped off, Ezra handed Vince another flask with vampire blood.

He gulped it down while Ezra turned up the heating, his eyes fixed on their little princess.

Tears poured down her cheeks, mixing with the rain that dripped from her hair and into her face.

She was soaked, and Ezra hoped the heat would keep her warm until she could change.

She stared out the window, watching the lights of the city give way to the darkness of rural land.

Ezra wondered if she’d ever been out this far.

It might be undiscovered territory for her.

No one said a word for the next two hours.

When they finally arrived, Mateo shut off the engine and Scarlett carefully opened her own door.

It was almost as if she were afraid to set foot on the ground.

Maybe she was, maybe she regretted saving Vince and turning her back on her family, but Ezra couldn’t help the triumph that built in his chest. She was theirs now.

Her pack no longer wanted her. She was theirs, and the whole world would soon know about the three hunters that had claimed the alpha’s daughter.

Scarlett followed Vince and Mateo inside, curious eyes darting around her new surroundings. She hesitated in the entranceway as Ezra stepped up behind her, inhaling the citrusy scent of her hair and brushing his fingertips along her arms.

“Welcome home, little rogue.”

She shuddered, bolting out of his grasp. He didn’t have to see her face to know that she hated his new pet name for her.

“Let me show you your room,” Mateo offered, moving for the stairs. “You can change into something dry or have a shower to warm up.”

She timidly followed Mateo upstairs, her shoulders hunched, and her arms crossed over her chest. He listened closely as Mateo showed her where everything was, then led her to her own private space. When he offered to grab her some clothes, Ezra made a beeline for his closet.

To his surprise Mateo was already going through it. He cocked his brow at him and leaned against the doorframe with his hands in his pockets.

“What? You’re the smallest out of the three of us. She’ll be more comfortable in your clothes.”

“Better not tell her that.”

“I wasn’t going to.” Mateo grabbed a hoodie, sweatpants, and t-shirt before turning to leave. Then he halted, his eyes glossy with unshed tears as he looked at Ezra. “She’s home.”

Ezra smirked at the boy before him. What a fucking wimp.

“Fuck you too,” Mateo hissed. He shoved past, but not without jamming his shoulder into Ezra’s.

He followed and watched from his doorway how Mateo knocked on hers and gave her the clothes. He gently reached out of Ezra’s view, but judging by Mateo’s adoring gaze, he was cupping her cheek.

“We’re here if you need us.”

The door clicked shut, and Mateo shuffled downstairs to the kitchen. Ezra’s stomach rumbled a reminder that he hadn’t had dinner, but he couldn’t move. He only stood there and stared at her closed door.

She was here.

She was home.

She was finally theirs.

He hummed, resting his head back against the wood frame. He couldn’t help but imagine her in the shower, cleansing her sweet body and then dressing in his clothes. His.

Fuck, this did feel good. And admitting it was somewhat… freeing.

He only moved when Vince stepped out of his room.

He’d bathed as well, rinsing the blood from his skin, but dark rings were forming under his eyes.

Ezra followed him downstairs and found plates set out and a pot of baked noodles waiting for them.

They were happy to help themselves, and joined Mateo, who was already sitting in his favourite spot with his plate in his lap.

As they ate, they all hoped their princess would smell the food and come down too, but she never did.

Once dinner was cleared away and their sodas refilled, Mateo asked the question that had been plaguing both their minds. “What happened?”

Vince stretched across the couch, eyes closed and hands gripping the armrest behind his head so tightly that the veins there popped.

“Dropped the dresser off and stopped for gas. They knocked me out cold. I woke up in the back of their car. They tied me up and pestered me about her attack. They wanted to know who I was.”

Mateo relaxed into his chair as well and as always, he was the one to lead the conversation. “Maybe it wasn’t a bad idea to take the fake plates after all.”

“She came down a little after that. I tried to stop her. I didn’t want her to free me.”

“She texted us. Told us she would bring you out.”

“When she returned, her mind was made up.”

“Did they hurt her?”

Vince pried his eyes open, looking at Mateo. “Not physically. But when her pack bond broke…” His voice broke, and he simply shook his head. “I didn’t want her to do this.”

“How did they find you?”

“By chance. Said something about their goddess watching out for them. Kurt saw me at a stoplight and followed me.”

“Fuck, good thing you did stop. You could have led them back here.” Mateo peered up at the ceiling as if he could see through the floor. “We have to pick up the truck before the cops are alerted to it.”

“Not fucking moving,” Vince demanded, already drifting off to sleep.

Mateo jumped to his feet and looked at Ezra. “We’re up.”

The absolute last thing Ezra wanted to do was leave the house, but he knew it had to be done. With a little less enthusiasm than Mateo, he got up and followed close behind.

Neither of them slept in their rooms that night.

They didn’t want to miss a single chance to see Scarlett if she ventured out of her room.

By the time the sun had begun to rise, Ezra couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer.

Now that she no longer had her family holding her back, he’d hoped she would seek them out.

She had no excuse not to spend her time with them, yet she hid herself away like she had in that tower for months.

He only awoke when he heard Vince stir. To Ezra’s surprise, he put on his shoes and left, the roar of his truck disappearing down the road.

At some point, Mateo crashed around in the kitchen, working on breakfast. With his eyes closed Ezra listened to the sounds of bacon sizzling and something being mixed in a plastic bowl.

A few moments later, a door creaked and timid footsteps padded down the stairs.

“Are you hungry?” Mateo asked.

Ezra sat up to look over the back of the couch, seeing Scarlett nod and reach for the stack of plates.

“I can make something else if you don’t like bacon.”

“Bacon’s fine.”

Mateo smiled, patting the counter. “Come sit while I finish up.” Scarlett pulled herself up, feet dangling in the air and hands in her lap. “What do you usually drink in the morning to wake up?”

“Juice?”

“No coffee?”

She shook her head and Mateo walked over to the fridge and held out a carton of orange and apple juice. Once she’d chosen the orange, he poured her a glass and continued with the pancakes.

“Were you warm enough last night?”

“Mmhmm.”

It was an odd question but then again, they already knew she’d had a rough night. It was simply a way to make conversation.

“Where’s Vince?”

“He left a little while ago, but I’m not sure where to.” At her worried glance, Mateo added, “He’s fine. The vampire blood healed him last night.”

Scarlett peered into her glass, and Ezra couldn’t stay away any longer. He stood and went into the kitchen, resting on the counter and reaching for a stolen piece of bacon.

“Ladies first,” Mateo snapped, smacking Ezra on the chest.

He halted in his movement, his lips already parted to eat the crispy, fried pork. Ezra grinned, changing course. She didn’t take it.

“What’s the matter, little rogue? Afraid we’ll poison you?”

“If you don’t stop calling her that, she’ll kill you in your sleep and I’ll offer her the knife to do it with.”

Scarlett seemed to like that idea, smiling as she snatched the piece of bacon from Ezra’s hand.

Ezra reached out, tucking a stray lock of hair behind Scarlett’s ear and taking in all of her features.

Her stormy eyes were a much lighter grey in the light, but the rings below them made Ezra’s smile fade.

He wondered if she just had a pale skin type.

Maybe she would darken after spending the day out at her new lake.

She couldn’t hold his gaze, instead studying the drink in her hands like she’d be tested on it later.

The rumble of an engine echoed through the house, coming to a stop in the driveway. Scarlett stiffened.

“It’s just Vince,” Ezra explained. As he did, Vince stepped into the house, his arms loaded with shopping bags. Ezra crooked a brow. “And he’s clearly been keeping himself busy.”

Vince stumbled into the kitchen, dropping the bags on the counter. He immediately rummaged through them, emerging with a pair of pink fluffy slippers—the kind she’d worn when she’d snuck out to see them the very first time. He rounded the island, ripped off the tags, and slipped them onto her feet.

Reaching into the next bag, he unwrapped a brand new phone and popped in the sim card, plugging it into the charger.

“I brought my own,” Scarlett interrupted.

“Your father will lock it once he remembers.”

His words weren’t harshly spoken, but she flinched as if Vince had slapped her across the face. Ezra reached up to cup her cheek and she briefly tensed before relaxing into his touch.

After a moment, Scarlett pulled away and peeked into one of the bags, smiling to herself. Ezra leaned closer to inspect it himself. Vince had gotten fluffy socks, an orange scented bath bomb, pencils, a sketchbook, and a microwavable heat pack.

“They were the only pencils I could find.”

Scarlett turned grateful eyes onto Vince, her smile relaxing into one that rivalled the sun itself. “They’re perfect. Thank you.”

Scarlett rummaged through the other bags, finding a hairbrush, hair ties, toothpaste, some basic leggings, t-shirts, and toothbrushes.

“We’ll buy you proper clothes whenever you feel ready,” Mateo added, handing her a full plate. “But why don’t we eat first. Then you can start planning ahead.”

Scarlett nodded and took the plate. She immediately looked for the table, only to find it still scattered and overflowing with their work.

“We usually eat at the island, but we can sit on the couch if that’s more comfortable,” Mateo offered, answering her unspoken question.

As they ate, Ezra took notice of how little Scarlett consumed before setting her plate aside. She patiently waited for them to finish, as if she wasn’t allowed to leave until she was dismissed.

The other two took notice, as well as her hesitance to take seconds. She only stood when Mateo did, immediately filling the sink with hot, soapy water.

“Don’t worry, we’ll clean up,” Mateo softly said.

Scarlett only stared at him for a moment as if he’d grown a second head, but then nodded, collected her bags, and took them upstairs.

“Fucking pricks,” Ezra growled once she was out of earshot.

Mateo sighed, sad eyes following her up the stairs. “It wasn’t just me then.”

“They fucked her up.”

“It seems like she’s lost weight. She probably hasn’t eaten properly for a while.”

“She better eat here or I’ll be stuffing it down her fucking throat.”

“You will not, nor will you let on that you noticed. Putting pressure on her might have the opposite effect.”

“So you’d rather let her starve before our eyes.”

“She’s been under a lot of stress. It’s not a surprise that she’s lost her appetite. I’ll take her to the market with me to get some of her favourite things. I’m sure once she’s settled, she’ll start eating again.”

“Whatever. But if she doesn’t gain weight soon, I’ll make sure she does, if she likes it or not.”