Page 33

Scarlett

“Breathe,” Ezra chuckled, pulling back from her lips and giving her a filthy grin.

Her body still quivered from her orgasm, and sparks zapped over every point where their skin touched. It was a warmth that seeped into her skin, through her veins and settled into her bones.

“I would like to hold you,” Ezra said, pulling her back to reality.

“I would like that very much,” she admitted, still breathless.

A moment later, they were under the covers.

Ezra’s arms wrapped around her while she rested her head on his chest. His heart was beating just as fast as hers as he smoothed a hand down her thigh, hitching her leg behind the knee and laying it over his body.

Her eyes closed and she let his heartbeat entrance her into a dreamy sleep.

As much as she fought it, she loved how he felt wrapped around her.

It soothed a deep wound in her heart that had opened over the past few months.

Ever since she’d denied herself her mates, she’d been trying to ignore the tear in her soul that she’d caused—for everyone involved.

Soft whispers drifted through, but Scarlett hovered on the edge of sleep.

“Fucking puppy.”

“Fine. I’ll take the snacks back and lock them in my room so I can lure her into my cave and have her all to myself.”

Ezra’s arms tightened, and Mateo’s teasing chuckle disappeared.

She wasn’t sure how long after that she woke up again. She stretched and opened her eyes. Ezra lounged next to her, eyes closed and smiling peacefully. She reached up to kiss his cheek, widening his smile.

“Thank you.”

“For what, princess?”

Scarlett paused. How was she supposed to put in words the warm fuzzy feeling he’d gifted her? “For being with me—and not insulting me for once.”

“I believe I’ve learned that the opposite is far more enjoyable.”

Scarlett spun towards the nightstand to grab a bottle of water and hide her blush. Only then did she notice that she was still completely naked. She scanned the room, but the only piece of clothing that was in reach was Ezra’s shirt. With nothing to lose, she snatched it and pulled it on.

When she turned back, Ezra smiled wide, pleased with himself. He trailed his gaze over her body, licking his lips. “Perfection.”

“Don’t even think about stealing my clothes so I’m forced to wear yours.”

“What is the punishment?”

“It won’t be any fun if I tell you.”

“Clever woman.”

She rolled her eyes, but it only seemed to amuse him. She leaned against the headboard, selecting a chocolate treat from Mateo’s snack haul to please her growling stomach. Though hungry, she didn’t want to leave the bed. Part of her felt bad for hiding away with him without Mateo and Vince.

“I believe Mateo is waiting for you to ask him to cook you something.”

“That sounds like him.”

Ezra stretched his arms over his head, and Scarlett admired the way his tattoos seemed to come alive.

When he spoke the raven on his throat moved with each word.

His eyes sparkled when he caught her staring.

He crawled onto all fours, creeping closer to her.

Scarlett loved it. Submissive, but the danger still lurked beneath his black eyes.

He situated himself over her legs, his heels keeping his weight off her lap.

“I want more of this,” he husked, softly cupping her jaw in his hand. “More of you .” He leaned in, sweeping a kiss over her nose. “But not now. It is past lunch time, and you barely had any breakfast.”

With another kiss to her forehead, Ezra sat back so she could stand up. As she stood, he dropped to one knee and helped her into her pants. Ezra had been the one to scare her the most, so seeing him taking care of her with such dedication was… odd. Good, but odd.

“Thank you.”

“I might call you princess, but you deserve to be treated like a queen.”

She tamped down the fluttering in her stomach. “Words I thought I’d never hear from you.”

Ezra’s signature, devilish grin curled his lips, and he threw a wink that made her stomach flip.

As predicted, Mateo jumped up to cook the moment Scarlett opened the fridge. He insisted that she sit on the counter next to him as he heated up some chicken and rolled her a wrap.

“Have you made any plans today?” he asked her.

She shook her head, sipping on her glass of ice cold lemonade. “What’s your usual routine?”

“Very mood dependent, but I usually start by working out. Sometimes we prepare for our hunts. Other days I take care of the house.”

“You do all that alone?”

“I wish,” Ezra grumbled from the couch as he flicked through the sports channels.

Mateo rolled his eyes, but didn’t seem too bothered. “We all live here so we all help out.”

“What would you like me to take care of?” she asked, wanting to pull her own weight.

“Princesses don’t get their hands dirty.”

“Ezra is right,” Mateo said, handing over her lunch.

“But I would like to contribute.”

“If it’s important to you, you can help where you feel comfortable.

Scarlett slipped off the counter and followed Mateo to the couch. “Can I train with you too?”

“We would love that very much.”

Ezra seemed to agree, staring in the direction of the TV with dreamy eyes.

“I’m not very good though.”

“Everyone starts somewhere,” Mateo softly soothed.

“One step at a time. Is there anything in particular that you would like to learn?” He must have seen her struggling to come up with a response because he added, “Maybe you want to improve your strength or endurance. We can also work more on what your brother has been teaching you.”

“It all sounds good.”

“We can start tomorrow if you like. It gives me time to think about what might work best for you.”

Scarlett agreed and dug into her lunch. When she was finished, Mateo took her plate and refilled her lemonade. “Are there other things you would like to do? Any hobbies or places you want to visit?”

“Can I get a driver’s license?”

“Of course. Once you feel ready, we can arrange for you to take your test. I think there are programs for you to study for the theoretical part too.” Mateo disappeared into the office by the front door and then returned with a laptop.

He sat down next to her, opened a web page, and handed it over.

“Here. I think it has lessons and then lets you take quizzes similar to the official one.”

Mateo spent the next hour with her going through everything, then set her up with a bowl of fruit when she was ready to study alone. Ezra, bored, disappeared shortly after Mateo had handed her the laptop.

The simple act of studying for her driver’s test was more freeing than Scarlett had ever expected. This was her taking the first steps into independence.

She worked until Mateo called her from the office. Stretching out her sore muscles, she set the laptop aside. She found him sitting behind the desk, encouraging her to come around.

When she did, he pulled her into his lap and stamped a kiss to her cheek. “I have opened a bank account in your name that only you will have access to. Once you have your license, you’ll be added to our insurance.”

Scarlett was speechless. She hadn’t thought of anything like a bank account or car insurance.

“We usually split our earnings three ways, but now we’ll split it into four. You can do whatever you like with the money, but we tend to use a lot of cash since it’s less likely to be traced.”

“You don’t have to. I don’t mind finding a job.”

“If you want to work, you should do it because you want to, not because you have to for money. But it does bring me to something else I wanted to talk to you about. You said you started a few courses, right? Would you still like to pursue it?”

Scarlett shrugged. “I guess I could start up my business courses again.”

“I thought you would have liked to do something creative. You said you enjoy drawing.”

Scarlett had considered it, but dismissed the thought quickly. She’d thought that a different major would make it more likely to please her father. “I’ve never looked into it.”

“Because of your father?”

Scarlett nodded.

“Think about it; you’ve got time. Maybe you’ll find something that interests you.”

“Do you want me to study?”

“Only if it’s something you want to do. But if you figure out it’s not for you, I’m sure there are other things you’ll enjoy that will fulfil your life.”

Throat tight, Scarlett nuzzled into Mateo’s neck to hide the inevitable tears.

“Oh, sweet love. It’s okay,” Mateo cooed, holding her tightly with one hand and massaging her scalp with the other.

“We want you happy . Whether you want to see the world or just our backyard, we’ll be right there every step of the way.

Your wants and needs matter to us and whatever they may be, we’ll make it happen. ”

Scarlett sniffled and slid her arms around him. “Thank you.”

“And if you don’t want to do anything at all we’re fine with that too.” She came up and was met with a kiss, loving and deep before he took her face in her hands and seemingly lost himself in her eyes. “Your wishes are our commands.”

“But I want you to be happy too.”

“We are. You are here with us. That’s all that we need.” Mateo chuckled to himself. “Well and the occasional hunts so our psychopath doesn’t lose his mind, and so we can buy you the life you deserve.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“I’ll take that as a good thing.”

Scarlett managed a weak smile. “It is.”

Mateo stroked along her spine and kissed her hair. “I’m sure there are still a bunch of things I haven’t thought about yet, but I think these ones were most important.”

Scarlett sat up again, reaching for some tissues on the desk. “I didn’t even realise things needed to be done. Dad always took care of everything.”

“You’ll get there. We all had to learn to live on our own.” Mateo snickered. “I drove around without car insurance for over a year.”

“Why did you move out?”