Page 66 of Hidden
But I wasn’t afraid. He was wrong. I could talk about her.
I was just like everyone else.
There was a buzzing echoed in my ears, but no one else seemed to hear it. Instead, they all watched me. My vision tunneled, and Finn’s face remained at the center. His expression turned from anger to regret in the span of a second, but as he moved, that too faded.
“Darling, it’s okay.” Julian’s hands were on my face, and his blue eyes filled my shimmering vision.
“I-i-it’s not.” My voice shook. Even though he’d pulled me back from the abyss, nothing was okay. I felt so stupid.
I could feel everyone’s attention on me—they had to be curious, and there was no way they weren’t judging me. Titus and Miles held my hands, and I sensed Damen nearby.
“What happened?” Anthony asked, his voice laced with concern. The fact that he, Bryce and Brayden had witnessed this made it even worse. “I’ve never seen—”
“Don’t worry about it,” Julian cut him off, his gaze still caught with mine. “We have other things to focus on.”
“Do you see what I mean?” Finn cut in from somewhere behind Julian, and the sound of his voice caused Julian’s eyes to harden. “How was I supposed to know?”
“You still shouldn’t have assumed,” Damen said, his tone cool. “But that’s beside the point. Julian’s got her now. But this discussion is not over.”
Julian shifted, motioned for Miles to move and took his vacated spot. I didn’t even have time to start shivering. An afghan was wrapped around me, and I was pulled into Julian’s lap while my feet rested on Titus’s thighs.
Despite my better judgement, I glanced at Brayden and Bryce. Were they ready to run yet?
I was a terrible leader.
Bryce frowned deeply, watching Damen. The other man had begun to pace again, and thankfully commanded most of the attention with his movements.
But Brayden was looking at me, making no secret of that fact.
I glanced at my lap, unable to deal with him right now. I’d wanted so badly to impress them. But because Finn had brought upthat, I had failed miserably.
“Bianca.” Julian’s fingers traced over my shoulders, bringing my attention back to the conversation. His hand drifted over the loose blanket to the too-large neck hole of Titus’s shirt. He tugged it down slightly, his eyes not leaving mine. “We got off topic. Can we see the marks again please?”
My heartbeat was echoing in my ears, and I could feel the weight of expectation in the air.
“Don’t hurt him…” Julian held my gaze as I whispered. He hadn’t promised yet.
His expression darkened again slightly, but it was Damen who responded. “It might actually help.” He sounded so far away. “If we knew how it was actually affecting you, it might give us some answers.”
It could help.
But I felt like breaking into a thousand pieces. Everyone’s attention was on me. There were too many people, and I didn’t care who they were.
Yet, I couldn’t say no—it was selfish. I still didn’t want Finn to get into trouble.
What if it helped?
I tore my eyes from Julian, glancing at my ankles. Titus’s hands rested over my feet, and I focused on them. “Sure…”
There was a movement nearby. Miles. But it was Titus who cut in first. “No.”
Julian’s breath hitched, and his hand froze. “Titus?” He sounded shocked that Titus had spoken at all.
I glanced up, but Titus wasn’t looking at me. He was watching Damen. “I don’t want anyone else looking at her. I might lose control and eat everyone here. Especially that lot.” He nodded toward Finn, Bryce, Brayden, and Anthony—all of whom bristled at his attention. “I’m hungry, and I haven’t tasted blood in a few days.”
I blinked at him even as everyone else blanched at his words.
A fewdays? Just how often did Titus kill people?
