She Belongs To No One

Confrontation

Cole's POV

I stare at her a long moment. I am playing with fire. I have no business sitting next to her while she sleeps. But who am I to deny her? "Yeah, sure." I sit on the bed and reach for her hand.

She smiles, turning on her side. "You are a great friend, Cole. The best."

"I know."

Unfortunately, that is no longer good enough for me. It has not been for a very long time.

I say nothing, though, deciding that now is not the time since she is still recovering. I just hold her hand until her grip on mine relaxes, and she starts snoring softly.

Even then, I do not let go. Instead, I press her hand to my lips. Then I slip under the covers next to her, watching her sleep until my own eyelids fall shut.

Do not worry, Seraphina. I am not going anywhere. I am staying right here.

"THEY ARE HERE," Seraphina says, her voice filled with alarm as she shakes me.

I sit up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes, her panic bringing me fully awake.

"Who is here?"

She does not answer, her face pale.

I hear the footsteps approaching in the hallway. Another guest? But when I glance at Seraphina, wondering who might be coming for her, I see her frozen like a statue, terrified. I get out of bed and draw her with me. I do not know why I do it, but I hide her behind the curtain. It feels safer somehow, to have her tucked out of sight.

Then I grab a weapon, the lamp on the desk, ready to swipe it or throw it at someone.

As the knob on the door rattles, I hold my breath. I glance at the phone, wondering if I should call someone, but before I can go near it, the door slams open and two men, one massive and the other with a dark scowl on his face appear in the doorway.

Neither of which I stand a chance against. Still, for Seraphina's sake, I have to try.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I lift the lamp in my hands.

"Stop!"

---

Seraphina's POV

"STOP IT, ALL OF YOU!"

I stand in the middle of the room, my fists clenched at my sides.

For a moment, they all stand still, only their hearts making a sound. Funny how I can hear all of them, a symphony of drums, each with a unique pattern, a unique rhythm. Then Cole moves, putting the lamp back on the desk real slow, cautious, as though, somehow, on some level, he knows he is dealing with wild animals and how dangerous a fast move would be.

"Hello, Seraphina," Damon greets me, his tone mocking as he locks the door behind him. "How have you been?"

I raise an eyebrow. I have gone from terror to whatever the hell this is so many times that I have no idea what I feel anymore. "What? Now, you are being nice?"

Bjorn glares at Damon. "What did you do to her?"

"Saved her life, for one," he answers, eyes narrowed at me.

"Really?" I put my hands on my hips. "Are you sure? Because the last time I checked, I did not need saving."

"Yet, you asked me for help, begged me for help," Damon points out. "And so, I pulled you out of that wreckage before it exploded, treated your wounds, gave you shelter from the storm."

"The cabin you stayed at was his?" Bjorn asks.

I do not answer him, my gaze on Damon.

"Fine." I shrug. "You helped me, but you also locked me up, remember? Like some wild animal!"

"What?" Bjorn's eyes grow wide.

"Wait." Cole stands beside me. The poor man is a mass of confusion. I might not be able to read his mind, but right now I do not need to. It is coming off him in waves. "You know these people?"

I touch my forehead. "Unfortunately."

Bjorn's face falls.

Shit.

"Who are you?" Damon asks as though noticing him for the first time.

Cole ignores him, turning to me. "Are they why you wanted to leave Reykjavík so soon?"

"Yes," I confess, then turn to Bjorn. "I am sorry, Bjorn. I did not mean to hurt your feelings. I just... I saw what you turned into, what you both turned into." I glance at Damon. "And I just had to stay away."

"I understand," Bjorn says, head bowed. Then he looks at Damon, his eyes dark, positively glowering. "This is all your fault."

"Mine?" Damon points to himself.

"You morphed first," he points out.

"You attacked first," Damon growls.

"Attacked? Morphed?" Cole asks. "Seraphina, who are they?" His voice is rising higher the more questions he asks that do not get answered. I take pity on him and sit on the edge of the bed, running my hands through my hair.

"Fine. Let us start with introductions." I point to Damon. "This is Damon. I saw him turn into a wolf."

"What?" Cole's jaw drops.

Damon frowns.

"Are you sure you can trust this man?"

I glare at him. "More than I can trust you. And stay out of my head."

"And this is Bjorn." I gesture to Bjorn. "He turned into a bear, which is not surprising, I guess, since he seems to like bears a lot."

Bjorn gives a sheepish grin. "That obvious, huh?"

"And this is Cole." I grab Cole's arm. "He is a colleague from work, and my best friend."

Damon's forehead creases. "Best friend?"

I can hear the snark from here. I give him a look. I am not warning him again.

Cole rubs his chin. "So, one of you is a werewolf, and the other is a werebear?"