Waking Bel (Lords of Discord 3)

“Sunrise,” he said as the truth of Bel’s situation seemed to snap into his brain. “That’s why you came into the room. The sun will be rising soon.”

Bel pressed his lips together in a hard line. He couldn’t deny it.

“I’ll get River. We’ll leave, so you can get some rest in peace.”

Bel jerked into action, grabbing Wyatt’s arm to stop him as he turned to leave the kitchen. “No! Don’t!”

Wyatt froze, muscles stiffening under his touch.

Bel released him in an instant, pulling his hand against his chest and retreating a step. He hadn’t meant to startle Wyatt or come off threatening in any way. He didn’t know what Wyatt and River had already suffered. He needed to be more cautious and never touch them without their expressed permission.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t—I’m sorry,” he stammered. “Just…don’t. You don’t need to leave.”

He kept his eyes lowered to the counter. Everything was so much easier when he was speaking to his brothers. They understood him. Didn’t mind his strange little quirks. He even felt a kinship with Ethan despite knowing the young man for only a few months.

But around everyone else…he was just awkward. Painfully, horribly, embarrassingly awkward. And it felt all the worse because Wyatt and River were so beautiful. Wounded, but strong and beautiful.

And he was just Bel, the Varik misfit.

“You don’t feel safe with us in the house. Not while you’re trying to sleep, and the sun is high in the sky.” The understanding and compassion in Wyatt’s words only made him feel worse.

“I can’t ask you to leave. You and River are exhausted. You need your rest as well. Somewhere warm and safe.” Bel made a noise of disgust and motioned toward the windows. “It’s well below freezing out there.” He groaned, mentally kicking himself for not thinking of it sooner. “Can you drive? I can loan you my car and give you some money. You and River could stay in a hotel for a while. At least until we figure this out.”

Wyatt’s smile was so very gentle as he took a step toward Bel. His movements were all very careful as if Bel was the skittish, wild animal. Well, he was certainly acting like one.

“That is incredibly generous. Too generous.”

“No, it’s not.”

Reaching out, Wyatt slid his hand across Bel’s. The touch light at first, then growing firmer until his hand was wrapped around Bel’s. “Does this bother you?”

Definitely not. Though, it took him two tries to push out a rough “No.”

“Wolves are very tactile creatures. We crave physical contact.”

A thousand thoughts darted through Bel’s brain. He noticed the constant touching between Wyatt and River. The way Wyatt had even reached for him a couple of times and stopped himself. It was as if it was how they interpreted the world around them. Maybe even grounded themselves.

“But it’s been my experience that vampires don’t like touching,” Wyatt continued.

Bel frowned. “It’s about trust, I believe. We don’t trust other vampires. And well, humans…”

“It’s a complicated relationship,” Wyatt finished. His thumb rubbed back and forth across the top of Bel’s hand in a relaxing caress. “Your offer is very generous, but it does not remove River and me from danger.”

Bel’s head snapped up and he tightly reined in his brain, keeping it on the topic they were discussing rather than Wyatt’s closeness. “I don’t understand.”

“I don’t know all the details, but the vampires and werewolves have a very old truce, established long before I was even born. Werewolves stay out of vampire territory and vampire affairs. Vampires stay out of pack affairs. If another pack finds River and me in a hotel, we’ll be hauled in front of that pack and likely killed. There is very little unclaimed territory around here.”

“But if you’re here with me?”

Wyatt gave a smile tinged with sadness. “Vampire territory, and we would be considered a part of vampire affairs because we belong to you. As long as River and I don’t interfere with local pack business, then they’d ignore that we exist.”

Bel’s fingers tightened on Wyatt’s. “That settles it. You’re sleeping here.”

“And what about you?”

Bel frowned as they were back to the same problem that had started this mess.

“Do you have a basement? Or maybe the garage?” Wyatt continued when Bel had no answer to that question. “A separate area of the house that could be locked.”

“Absolutely not! I’m not locking you and River up like-like prisoners!”

Wyatt’s smile turned a little wry. “Certainly wouldn’t be the first time we were locked in a cage.”

“Well, that was the last time, if I have anything to say about it! You may be able to turn into wolves, but you’re still human beings. I-I…” Bel swallowed the rest of his rant, tongue-tied under the heat of Wyatt’s gaze. There was such exquisite joy on his face. He didn’t care how deep of a hole he was digging himself. It suddenly only mattered that he made Wyatt happy.