Gabriel’s POV
I stepped out of the shower and sighed contently. I was happy that I was finally able to wash that fucker’s blood off of me.
I quickly dried myself and put on clothes.
I walked downstairs and saw that all the guys were already in the kitchen. The girls weren’t here yet.
Blake and Jacob were sitting down at the table, looking around the kitchen. Nick was making coffee, his back turned to me.
“Where is Aria?” I asked as I sat down at the table.
“Shower,” Nick said, not turning back to look at me.
“Nice house, man,” Blake said. “And the protection spell is awesome.”
“Thank you,” I said, with a huge grin..
“Are we safe here?” Jacob asked me.
Nick walked over to the table and gave Jacob and Blake their cups of coffee before walking back to the counter.
“For now,” I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. “We didn’t leave just to find Patricia. We also ran away because of the hunters. But I couldn’t think of a safer place for Aria right now.”
Nick sat down beside me and handed me my cup.
“She is not safe here then,” Jacob said with a smirk. “None of us are.”
“We should be fine for a couple of days,” I said. “I will think of something.”
“Maybe I could help,” a voice said behind me.
I turned around to see Annie standing in the doorway. Her hair was still wet from showering, and she was wearing sweats and a hoodie.
“How?” I raised my eyebrows at her.
She walked over to the table and sat down beside Nick.
“I’ve been talking to Mike,” she said. “He has a cabin in the woods. It is safe and secluded. He said he will help us.”
“What did you tell him?” I asked her, frowning.
I didn’t want them to know anything. I didn’t know if they could be trusted.
“Not much,” Annie shrugged. “I told them we were leaving because of the hunters. And I told them we came back because we couldn’t find a safe place. So, he offered his cabin.”
“I don’t trust him,” Nick growled. “What if he is working for Victor?”
“He is not,” Annie said, annoyed.
“Who is Mike?” Jacob interrupted.
“Annie’s friend,” I answered. “He is a vampire.”
“We can trust him,” Annie said and grabbed my hand. “Mike is a great guy, Gabe. And our best option right now.”
Nick growled quietly and I looked at him.
“I don’t trust him,” Nick said through his teeth.
“Is it because of Jack?” Annie asked and rolled her eyes.
Nick frowned and crossed his arms over his chest.
“No,” he said sternly. “I just don’t like them.”
“You never met them,” Annie spat back at him.
Nick looked at her and growled.
“She is right, man,” I sighed. “We should give them a chance.”
“Can somebody explain to us what is going on?” Blake asked.
I looked toward him and Jacob and saw their confused expressions.
“Mike and Jack are my friends,” Annie started explaining. “They never met them, but Nick doesn’t like Jack because he asked Aria on a date.”
Jacob frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. I guess he didn’t like Jack either.
“But can they help?” Blake asked, his eyes glancing between me and Nick.
“Yes,” Annie nodded. “Mike has a cabin in the woods, and he is willing to take us there.”
“And you will risk your mate’s safety just because you are jealous?” Blake snickered at Nick.
Nick growled loudly and clenched his fists. His eyes flickered from brown to black.
I placed my arm on his shoulder.
“Enough,” I said sternly. “Annie, get Mike to come here tonight. We will talk to him and decide if we can trust him.”
Annie smiled and nodded.
I looked at Nick. “Agreed?”
“Fine,” he said through his teeth.
Annie jumped up and took her phone out of her pocket. She left the kitchen, and I could hear her talking to Mike, telling him to come over tonight.
I took my cup and sipped the coffee slowly. Tension in the room was palpable. Nick was frowning and sulking. Jacob was staring at Nick with clear hate in his eyes. Blake looked like he had enough of this shit. I felt the same.
“They will be here in an hour,” Annie said, breaking the silence.
“Who will be here?” Aria’s voice came behind me.
She and Cassie were standing at the doorway, their eyes glancing between us.
Nick stood up immediately and walked to Aria. He took her hand in his and pulled her toward the table. He sat her down on his lap and buried his face in her neck. I could hear him taking a deep breath. Her scent calmed him down.
She looked between Annie and me in confusion.
“Mike and Jack,” Annie said.
Aria’s eyes nervously darted down to Nick.
“Why?” she asked quietly.
“Mike has a cabin in the woods,” I answered. “He offered to help us. We can’t stay here long. I only brought us back here because it was the only safe place I could think of. But I know it won’t be safe for much longer.”
She nodded and glanced down at Nick nervously.
“Don’t worry about him,” Annie said and sat down beside me. “He is unreasonable.”
Nick raised his head and rolled his eyes.
“I am done talking about this,” he growled. “I agreed to hear them out. If I get suspicious, I am ripping their hearts out.”
Annie huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.
I sighed and looked over at Cassie, Blake, and Jacob. I need to figure out a sleeping arrangement for them.
“We need to figure out where you will be sleeping,” I said.
“Already done,” Aria said.
I looked over at her and raised my eyebrows.
“Cassie and Annie will be sharing Annie’s room,” she explained. “Blake and Jake will be sharing the empty one.”
I nodded and looked back at my new guests.
“Are you okay with that?” I asked.
“Yes,” Cassie said and smiled at me. “Thank you.”
I smiled back and took a sip of my coffee. This was going to be very interesting.
Aria’s POV
After a few minutes, Nick finally moved his head from my neck and looked up at me.
“Are you hungry?” he asked me.
I nodded and got off his lap.
“I will make dinner,” I said and walked to the fridge.
“Do you need any help?” Annie asked.
“No,” I smiled at her. “Take Cassie upstairs and help her unpack.”
She smiled back at me and pulled Cassie out of the room.
“Come on, I will show you to your room,” Gabriel said to Jake and Blake.
“Blake can grab my stuff,” Jake said and got up. “I will help Aria.”
Nick growled, but Jake ignored him and walked toward me with a big smile on his face. I smiled back and handed him the knife.
I could feel Nick’s eyes burning a hole in my back, but I ignored him. Jake was in my life. He was my friend. He will have to learn to deal with it.
I heard Gabriel and Blake walking out of the kitchen and I looked at Jake.
“Are you okay?” I asked him.
“Of course, Minnie,” he smiled at me. “Are you?”
“I will be,” I smiled back at him.
Jake moved to grab a cheese grater and his arm brushed my back. Nick growled loudly.
I turned around and frowned. “Nick, no.”
“He is touching you,” he said through his teeth.
“He is helping me,” I said. “Stop it, okay?”
I turned back and saw a smug smile on Jake’s face. He was enjoying this. I jabbed him with my elbow.
“So, what’s the deal with Jack?” he asked me, suddenly serious.
“Nothing,” I shrugged. “He asked me out for coffee one time, but we never went.”
“Did you want to?” he said and stopped grating the cheese to look at me.
Nick’s eyes never left my back. I could feel how tense he was.
“I did,” I sighed. “But then I found out about Nick.”
His lips pressed into a thin line, and he nodded.
My phone vibrated and I pulled it out of my pocket to see a message from Ian. Shit. I completely forgot to call him. I started biting my lower lip.
“What’s wrong?” Jake asked me when he saw the look on my face.
He knew me well enough to know that I bite my lower lip only when I was nervous.
I heard a chair scrape the floor behind me.
“Aria?” Nick’s panicked voice reached me. “What happened?”
I placed the phone back into my pocket and turned around.
“Nothing,” I said. “I am fine, Nick.”
Nick looked at Jake and came back to me.
“What is on your phone?” Nick asked, his eyebrows furrowing.
“Nothing, Nick,” I said, trying to stay calm.
“She is nervous about something,” Jake said, turning to me. “She bites her lip when she is nervous.”
Nick looked at Jake, his eyes narrowing. I knew he didn’t like that Jake knew me so well.
“I am not nervous, Jake,” I said and turned back to the counter. “Let’s just get back to preparing dinner, please.”
“Not until you tell me what’s wrong,” Nick growled behind me.
I closed my eyes and cursed under my breath.
“Swearing won’t help you, Aria,” Nick said sternly.
I signed and turned back around. Jake was leaning on the counter, facing me. His arms were crossed over his chest and his eyes were focused on me.
“I forgot to call back a friend,” I said. “That’s it.”
“What friend?” Nick asked as he clenched his fists.
“From the hotel where I was staying when I came here,” I said calmly.
I didn’t know why I had trouble telling Nick about Ian. I didn’t do anything wrong.
“Name?” he said through his teeth.
I sighed and leaned back on the counter.
“Ian,” I said quietly.
Nick growled loudly. His eyes were flickering from brown to black.
“Why the fuck are you talking to that human?!” he yelled.
Jake clenched his jaw, his eyes narrowing.
“I asked him to help me learn everything about Claudia,” I said calmly. “But that was before Gabriel told me the truth. I hadn’t had a chance to tell him that he could stop looking. I forgot to call him.”
“Does he know what you are?” Nick asked, his voice trembling.
“Yes,” I nodded. “But I didn’t tell him. He already knew.”
Nick growled and grabbed his hair with his hands. He started pacing the kitchen and cursing under his breath.
“Fuck, Minnie,” Jake said and ran his hand through his hair.
“What?” I asked, annoyed. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Their eyes snapped to me, but before they could say anything Gabriel walked in.
“What is going on?” he asked, looking between the three of us.
“Your sister has been talking to that fucking human from that hotel,” Nick said, pointing at me.
Gabriel’s eyes widened and he looked at me.
“Are you crazy?!” Gabriel yelled. “He could be working for fucking Victor!”
“He is not working for him,” I said calmly.
“Why?” he asked angrily. “Why are you talking to him?”
“He was helping me learn everything I could about Claudia,” I sighed, explaining again. “But then you told me everything and I forgot to tell him he can stop researching.”
“Did you tell him what you are?” Gabriel asked angrily.
“No,” I shook my head. “He already knew.”
Gabriel sighed and ran his hand through his hair.
“You are done talking to him,” he said sternly.
My eyes widened and I shook my head. “You can’t do that. He is my friend.”
Nick growled and started shaking.
“Nick, leave,” Gabriel said through his teeth. “Go cool down.”
Nick started at me and growled but after a few moments, he turned around and walked out of the kitchen.
“Aria I am not asking,” Gabriel said, turning back to me. “I am telling you.”
I felt anger rising and I wanted to scream at him. Who the hell did he think he was? He can’t tell me who I can be friends with.
Before I could argue, Jake grabbed my arm and led me outside.
I pulled out of his grasp and started pacing on the deck.
“You should have known better, Minnie,” Jake said. “He could be dangerous.”
“He is not working for Victor,” I said, shaking my head. “And I wouldn’t have had to turn to him for help if they had told me the truth sooner.”
Jake said nothing, but I could see he wasn’t going to agree with me.
He grabbed my arm and stopped me from pacing around. He pulled me to him and wrapped me in a tight hug.
“You need to be careful, Minnie,” he said and placed his chin on the top of my head. “I can’t lose you again.”
“You will not lose me, Jake,” I said, wrapping my arms around him.
“I love you,” he whispered. “I thought I would die when I saw him take you away from me. I can’t live through that again. I can’t let them take you.”
I tensed up in his arms and he rubbed my back gently.
“Nobody is taking me away, Jake,” I said quietly.
I looked up at him and smiled.
“Let’s go finish dinner,” I said and took a step back from him. “They are angry enough. I don’t want to leave them hungry as well.”
He smiled at me and took my hand in his. We walked back inside and continued cooking.
