Page 29 of Silent Fire

Until now.

Tomas would spend every damn minute of his life inside those walls if Noel was tucked in his arms.

His mate sat there just staring at him, then his lips curled into a smile that restarted Tomas’s lungs. He could finally breathe again. His elegido was awake and smiling.

“Dude, I totally thought you legit lived at Sin’s. Actually, I thought I stole your room.” His smile faded. “Your room.”

His brain was putting the pieces together. Any second they would click in place. The heart monitor started beeping faster as Noel stared at Tomas’s shirt.

“You were shot, motionless on the floor.” His mate glanced up at him. “How are you sitting here? I thought…” He swallowed. “I thought you…” Noel tuned his head away,

He’d thought Tomas had been killed. “Sittin’ right next to you, elegido. Ain’t goin’ nowhere.”

Tomas pulled his mate’s hand in his, ready to shoulder the aftermath when Noel fell apart. It was coming.

“It was Brian, wasn’t it?” When Noel turned back around, Tomas was shocked to see fire burning in his eyes. “The son of a bitch shot you, and from behind, like a goddamn coward.”

Each venom-injected word snapped out of his throat. Tomas preferred Noel’s rage over tears. Indignation over falling apart.

It also felt like his mate was claiming him.

“Yeah, I feel in my gut it was him.” He curled their fingers together, pale skin contrasting with bronze. His palm dwarfed his mate’s. “Pack’s looking for him, but it would go a lot quicker if we had more than a first name to go on.”

“Are you gonna kill him?” Noel whispered, glancing toward the door.

Jealousy reared its head again, making him wonder if his mate still cared for his ex.

It happened. Sometimes no matter how terrible someone was treated, a part of them still cared. “If I said yes?”

Tomas watched, looking for a flicker of anything that would prove Noel still cared about Brian. He only saw seething hatred.

“Let’s not incriminate ourselves,” Noel said in a bitter whisper.

Goddamn, Tomas loved this man. “We’ll never speak a word of it again.” He kissed Noel’s hand. “How’re you felling?”

“A little loopy.” He tried to sit up, but his arms wobbled too badly.

Tomas arched a brow. “You really gonna move right now? Arm might give out and make you fall back on your cute ass.”

Noel gaped at him. “I wouldn’t have to struggle if a certain rude wolf would help.”

“Let me ask your nurse.”

“To help me sit up?”

Tomas pinned him with a look. “You’re not wiggling a toe unless your doctor clears it, hermoso.”

He’d nearly lost his elegido, so if every move Noel made had to be doctor-approved, his mate wasn’t moving until the all-clear.

* * * *

Noah’s stomach dropped as soon as Sin’s came into view. He didn’t want to be there, but Tomas had told him it was the safest place until Brian was caught.

It might’ve been the safest, but it wasn’t the sanest.

Already Noel’s skin itched, his heart thumping a little harder. As they grew closer, he noticed the bikes were missing.

All of them.

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