Kings of Anarchy (Brutal Boys of Everlake Prep #3) - Caroline Peckham Page 0,171

made a vow to that anyway. ‘Til death do us part. And for every moment that my heart remained beating, I knew it would belong to her.

M y adrenaline levels were still high as we walked back to The Temple. Saint had left a basket outside full of new clothes, hand gel and freaking watered down bleach so we were as fresh as a daisy by the time we walked inside.

Monroe rushed at me, crushing me into his chest without a care and I sighed, breathing in his comforting scent. My guardian angel. I had no doubt he’d been going crazy with worry here and it hurt me to see him looking at me like that. Like he had feared I wouldn’t come back.

Monroe released me, clapping Kyan on the shoulder, but I pushed him away from him. "Don't get too close," I said in alarm. "He needs to quarantine."

"Yeah, she's right," Kyan said firmly and Monroe nodded, backing up. "Not that the Hades Virus could ever really take down Kyan Roscoe." He smirked like a cocky bastard and I rolled my eyes at him.

Saint approached me next and my brows shot up when he dragged me against him, one hand on the back of my head and the other on the base of my spine. He released me just as fast, then nodded to Kyan who returned the nod, some silent conversation passing between them. Though I could hazard a guess at what it was.

I knew I wasn't just some possession to them anymore, but with Saint it was always hard to tell exactly what he thought of me. An asset that he'd die for, or a girl that he'd actually let into his ice-cold heart?

"Where's Blake?" I asked, hunting for the final member of our tribe.

"He's in his room," Monroe said with a frown. "I think he's processing the fact that he has a new enemy to blame. One without a face. For now, anyway."

I nodded, my heart squeezing. "Kyan, you should go to your room. I can bring you food and stuff for the next couple of days."

"Thanks, baby." He kissed my head then the others moved back to let him through and he walked away across the room. He staggered a little as he headed down the corridor and I frowned. He must have been exhausted. Or possibly drunk. But I hadn't seen him drinking a whole lot...

"I'm gonna go home," Monroe said, giving me a longing look and my gut knotted. I wished he could stay, but there was nowhere for him to sleep here except the couch and that wasn’t ideal.

"See you tomorrow?" I asked, unable to disguise the hope in my tone even when I felt Saint's eyes drilling into me.

"Yeah," he promised, smiling tightly and lingering there a moment too long before heading out the door.

A weight dropped inside me as he left and I had the urge to run after him, but I couldn't with Saint watching me. We just had to continue living from one private moment to the next, but they never seemed to come often enough.

I tossed Saint a casual smile then headed to the kitchen, grabbing some supplies for Kyan before taking them to his room. He was already falling asleep on his bed as I set him up for quarantine so I slipped back out of his room and knocked on Blake's door. He grunted in answer and my gut tugged.

"Can I come in?" I asked.

"Tatum?" The door yanked open and he pulled me into his arms, hugging me hard enough to drive the breath from my lungs. I clung to him equally hard, sensing his pain and it cut me apart too.

"I'm glad you're home," he said gruffly.

"I'd always come back," I breathed, realising I meant that. That leaving the Night Keepers was no longer an option for me. It might happen one way or another eventually, by fate or grand design. But it wouldn't happen because I was running away. Not anymore.

"Those monsters," Blake snarled. "How could you stand being around them without tearing their throats out?"

"Because I know we have to play the long game and that's something I've learned a bit about," I said and his grip on me firmed.

"Because of us?”

"You're a tamer kind of monster, but…yeah," I admitted.

"You think you've tamed me?" he purred, releasing me and giving me a dark look that made my heart pound.

I tickled his chin like he was a dog, grinning at him. "A little."

He