Page 74 of The Villain's Beast

Before Bellamy could ask another question, the door to Fletcher’s bedroom slammed open and Daren stormed down the stairs, looking like he wanted to set the whole house on fire. His face was flushed, his hair sticking up in every direction likehe’d been tugging it at the roots. Either that, or Fletcher had. I pushed that idea out of my head, adjusting myself up against the back of the couch without jostling Bellamy too hard.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, beckoning him closer.

He looked at my outstretched hand and frowned. “The two of you need to go back home,” he said.

“Fletcher can’t be that upset,” I said, moving as fast as I could to get out from underneath Bellamy, to get to my feet, to get to Daren. His features went taut, but when I reached him, he exhaled heavily and rested himself against my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around him and pressed my lips against the side of his neck.

“It’s getting complicated,” he whispered, sighing before pulling away from me. “I need to talk to Bellamy alone.”

That tangled knot in my chest twisted tighter, condensing to a single, painful point behind my sternum.

“What?” I croaked.

Daren opened his mouth, but no words came out, and he gave me as apologetic of a look as I imagined he could muster.

“It’s getting complicated,” he said again, a plea.

“When am I going to see you again?” I asked.

Daren blinked hard. “I don’t know.”

I bit the inside of my cheek, nodding. I stepped back and Daren reached for me, but I maneuvered away before he could get his hands back on me. I thought I’d always known secrets were part of the deal, but I’d never thought they’d be between other people and not us. Daren loved me, I loved him, and we were in this mess together. We were trying to wait it out, to find our chance, and now…

“Whatever you want to say to me, you can say to him.” Bellamy’s voice was quiet behind me, gentle, soft as the press of his palm against the small of my back, steadying me. “I thought that…I thought there was something…”

He thought there was something between the three of us, the four of us.

Hell, the fucking five of us.

I’d thought the same.

“It’s all right,” I assured him, reaching behind me and brushing his hand off of my skin. I didn’t want his assurances or his tenderness. I wanted to tear down the walls of Thorn Hill and bury Fletcher Sinclair in the rubble because I knew without a doubt whatever was happening was his doing, and his alone.

“I’ll just tell him myself later,” Bellamy said to Daren, which had both of us shaking our heads.

“You won’t,” I said, giving him a sad smile. “That’s not how any of this works, and the sooner you learn the rules, the better.”

“I wasn’t raised for this the way you two were.”

“So it’s important you learn fast,” Daren said.

I went to the door, hand on the knob before Daren was there behind me, spinning me hard and pinning me against the wall. He took my face into the cradle of his hands and crashed our mouths together, kissing me as deep and hard as a goodbye deserved. I fought to not melt into him because I had to take at least some part of my heart back to Rose Hall, and if I gave into him, I’d be lost forever.

“Don’t hate me,” he begged.

I swallowed hard and pushed him off of me. “I love you too.”

Then I turned my back on them both.

Chapter 52

Gideon

Bellamy and Luca showed up on the porch of the house looking miserable. Luca’s shoulders were turned inward, his brow furrowed in contemplation. Bellamy’s eyes were wide and nervous, his fingers twitching at his sides like he was seconds away from ripping off his skin.

“Where have you been?” I directed the question at Luca, even though I didn’t need to ask to know where both of them had come from.

“Nowhere important,” Luca spat, brushing past me and storming into the house. He banged around in the kitchen, then stalked upstairs to his room, slamming the door behind him. After the house fell silent again, Bellamy sighed, blinking up at me with tears in his eyes.