If You Could Only See

Chapter 16

Mason~

I heard a long, low whistle as I walked into the kitchen shirtless and barefoot from the shower. "Goddamn, Mase. What'd you do to the poor girl that she had to fight for her life?" Gabriel asked dryly.

"Fuck you, Gabe," I replied as I grabbed a bottled water from the fridge. I knew that he was referring to the scratches on my back, but it couldn't be helped. The wounds were deep, and I needed to air them out, so that they'd dry and heal.

"Seriously, Mason. Those look fucking brutal," he added, now joining me in the kitchen.

I didn't feel comfortable telling Gabriel Shane's business before she had a chance to fully comprehend what it meant to be with me, but I trusted my brother-all my brothers-with everything I had. "She was a virgin," I replied, explaining the gouge marks.

His brows furrowed. "What? She didn't tell you before...well, before?"

I looked at my brother, letting out a sigh. I knew where this was going, and while it wasn't his business, we didn't make it a habit of keeping shit from each other. "No, she told me-"

"And you decided to tear into the girl regardless?" he snapped, a scowl marring his features.

"No," I snapped back.

What the fuck did he take me for?

Our raised voices brought Michael and Aiden out from their rooms. "What's going on?" Aiden asked as soon as he and Michael reached the kitchen.

Gabriel was still scowling. "Ask Mason," he spat.

I closed my eyes, praying for patience and divine intervention. However, apparently, God wasn't in an accommodating mood because when I opened my eyes, all three of my brothers still stood before me, awaiting an explanation. I sighed, deciding to get this over with.

"Gabe's concerned about some marks on my back-"

"Some marks?" Gabriel gawked. "Turn around and let Michael and Aiden decide for themselves if those are just some marks."

I hung my head down, let out a deep sigh, then did as he'd instructed. I also wasn't surprised at the vocal reactions that came from Aiden and Mike, either.

"What the fuck happened to you?"

"Jesus Christ, Mase. What the fuck?"

I turned back around, then addressed Aiden first. "Nothing happened to me."

"What the fuck, Mase?" Michael asked again.

"Apparently, Shane was a virgin before last night," Gabriel bit out, cluing them in on the conversation that we'd been having.

Aiden looked murderous, and I knew that I was going to have to rein him in. While we were all vehemently opposed to violence against women, Aiden always went off the deep end when the subject was harming a female. Like I'd said, Aiden's weakness was how much he loved women, and it showed when an innocent woman was being mistreated.

"Look, I appreciate the concern you guys obviously have for Shane, but she's fine," I said, looking at Aiden. "The sting of her first time was unavoidable, but she is fine." I nodded towards the end table in the living room. "Call her if you guys don't believe me."

Michael-the little shit-trotted off, grabbed my phone, then he fucking called her, putting her on speaker as he made his way back to the kitchen.

Her voice came over the phone, and I was immediately hit with how much I already missed her. "Hello?"

"Hey, Pretty Girl, how are you?" Michael said into the phone.