The Criminal and The Vigilante (boyxboy) Bk 3

Chapter 17: Love without sacrifice.

Chapter 17

“Where’s Lucas?” Rivers asked as we walked and I turned around in surprise. I hadn’t even realized he hadn’t left the council’s chambers with me.

“He’s still in there.” I told him and only after hesitating for a second longer did I finally turn around again to continue our journey.

In less than five minutes we’d be back at the house and Marcus would be made to see reason, only, when we got there the place was empty and Marcus was nowhere to be found.

There was practically no sign that he’d ever even been there. The room he’d been given was cold and stark like the day we’d moved in and not one thing was out of place.

He wasn’t answering his phone and I wasn’t about to try to track him down, he wanted out then as a grown man he had that right. I dropped myself down onto the couch, forced to accept that he’d really gone back to London without us.

“You don’t really get along with anyone do you?” Rivers questioned as he lowered himself into the seat beside me, close enough that we were touching.

I couldn’t understand his constant need for physical contact; did he not understand what it meant to have personal space? Even Lucas allowed me that much and we were lovers.

I shifted away slightly to put some form of distance between us but he curled his legs up onto the chair so that touching was unavoidable.

“Is there something I can help you with?” I asked, glancing his way. I was annoyed enough as it was without his…interdependence.

“Don’t be rude Adrian, it’s not my fault you have sibling issues.” He told me, uncharacteristically grumpy and I looked at him…really looked at him.

“Ok something’s up, what’s your problem?” I questioned and he gave me a small sad smile.

“I don’t know.” He said simply and I arched a brow in response.

He let out a sigh, “Really I don’t know…I can’t explain it…when you guys came I felt this…I don’t know, I felt kind of satisfied?… just really really happy and I thought that maybe it was all of you being here but now it’s…just gone…” he trailed off and when I continued looking at him, trying to understand what he was saying to me but he shrugged.

“You wouldn’t understand.” He said then looked toward the front door as if suddenly he wanted nothing more than to escape my presence after sticking to me like glue the past few days.

“Alright then.” I said and most would say that my attitude toward his situation was uncaring at best but really I hardly even knew the guy and frankly, delving into people’s problems when they clearly weren’t interested in spilling didn’t appeal to me on any level so I straightened in the chair and checked my phone again for a message from Marcus. There was none.

“So I guess they’ll let Scottie stay since he mated huh?” he spoke again and I nodded.

“Kinda crazy how he just got here and he’s found his mate just like that…and to Jessie of all people, wow, she didn’t even want a mate…not really anyway.” He said and I figured I’d just let him talk until he ran out of things to say but something about the way he said it made me realize something.

“Are you jealous that Scottie is mated before you are?” I asked quietly and his eyes flashed up to mine telling me everything I needed to know.

“I’m not jealous.” He said but his hands were shaking as he said it and I watched him clasp then in front of him before he hid them from sight.