Page 8 of Donovan
Declan.
Asher.
Where the hell were they?
I slid inside the van where the rest of my team were waiting. The tension inside the van was suffocating.
They were whispering about me. They thought I couldn’t hear, but I did.
"Not surprised he lost it," one of them muttered. "Both his brothers are missing, probably dead."
"Yeah," another agreed. "Bound to snap eventually."
I clenched my jaw so tight it ached. My hands curled into fists, nails digging into my palms.
It would be so easy to turn around and shut them up.
A punch to the mouth, maybe a broken nose. Make them regret running their mouths about things they didn’t understand.
But before I could act, a firm hand grabbed my shoulder.
"Forget them," Kit murmured. "They’re just talking bullshit."
I exhaled sharply, forcing myself to breathe through the anger.Let it go. They weren’t worth it.
Kit’s presence was grounding. He always had a way of pulling me back when my emotions threatened to spiral.
He was young, one of the newest recruits, but smart and observant.
And ever since I’d saved his life on a mission, he’d made it his personal goal to return the favor, whether I asked for it or not.
I managed to calm down, shoving my hands into my pockets, shoulders still tense as I stared out the window.
The drive back to Guild Headquarters felt like it took forever, but finally, the van pulled into the lot.
Relief coursed through me the second I stepped out, stretching my stiff limbs.
As we unloaded the gear, Kit lingered near me.
I barely noticed at first, too caught up in my thoughts, but then he touched my shoulder again, stopping me.
"Hey," he said.
I turned, raising a brow.
"You need company?"
Kit gave me a small, shy smile, but there was something else in his expression. Something hesitant, hopeful.
I sighed. Kit had developed some kind of feelings for me.
I wasn’t stupid. I’d seen the way he looked at me ever since that mission, the way he always stayed close.
It wasn’t hard to guess what he wanted. But my heart didn’t belong to him. It belonged to Declan.
Even if I never admitted it out loud.
Even if Declan would never let himself belong to me.
