172 MR. BEAR

“I want you to help me.” July straightened her back when she said this, she looked Zuri right in the eyes to see her reaction.

“With?” Zuri didn’t show any change in her expression, as she could guess what kind of help that July needed from her.

And without beating around the bush, July stated what was in her mind. “To get back the McKeltars.” This was the main topic that they would discuss, she knew that they had this special bond with the McKeltars and it was obvious that July wanted to get Knox back. It had been years.

Initially, July wouldn’t involve herself in such a situation, but the organization, The Hound, that was managed by her father had found their location and was about to retrieve them from the frozen lake with whatever means.

There was no way July would let that happen, she wouldn’t let them run an experiment on him. She knew what kind of cruel things that they had done to those shifters and Knox wouldn’t be one of them.

“I know where Chaos and the others are.” July deliberately mentioned Chaos, because she knew Zuri’s inclination to that creature.

“If you know, you can go. No one will stop you,” Zuri said, her eyes flickered with anger when she heard Chaos’ name being mentioned and this was out of July’s expectations.

“Blue,” Anne started.

“Zuri. My name is Zuri, remember that,” she hissed at the old woman, but at the same time she realized that her reaction was out of place, thus she softened her tone when she added. “I prefer to be called Zuri.”

.....

Anne was surprised, but then she nodded. “Zuri, you need to understand the importance of this matter.”

“I will think about it,” Zuri said, she didn’t need them to elaborate the plan, since she could guess how things could be.

But understanding was completely different from accepting.

She still couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that she would meet Chaos again after everything that she had gone through.

If she took this risk, there was a chance, though it was only a glimmer of it, for Zuri to see him again and she didn’t know how she felt about it.

“When will you give me the answer?” July asked, stopping Zuri in her tracks. “I need to know whether you are in this or not, because I don’t want to waste my time waiting for you.”

Zuri turned around when she heard the different tone in July’s voice. She sounded more stern and firm, there was a dark aura around her when she forced Zuri to give her a time limit for her answer.

“July,” Anne called her in a low voice, she warned her to not take things too far. She knew that something big had happened to Zuri and that caused her change of personality, thus it was not the right time to force her into doing something.

And yet, July ignored that.

“I don’t have time to babysit you.” July’s eyes were on Zuri’s. “You are in or you are out. Give me the answer before midnight.”

And before Zuri could leave the dining room, July had stood up from her seat and walked out of there. She lifted her chin defiantly and arrogantly.

After all, July had to handle the worst men in this country, who used to work under Knox’s cruel reign, where the man would be unequivocal with his words and order.

Therefore, to make those kinds of men concede to her, she had to assume this kind of attitude. She was a brilliant actress, it could be said another role that she had to grab ahold of for unlimited time.

She wouldn’t yield or indulge anyone and she wouldn’t start this with Zuri either.

July was aware that there was a long story behind Zuri’s return and the mark on her neck, but she was not in a position to spoil and indulge her for her misery. She had her piece of wretchedness as well.

“You can take your room,” July said before she closed the door behind her.

On the other hand, Zuri stared at the closed door, her expression was unreadable, as she fixed the collar of her jacket around her neck and walked away from that dining room, leaving Anne alone.

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“What are you doing?” Emily asked when she saw Eros pushing a cabinet to block the door after he went back from the kitchen to take two bottles of water.

“They are coming,” he said in a low voice. He could smell their scents from a distance away, which was one of his abilities as a non- human being.

“Why did you block the door?” Emily asked, hugging her teddy bear, its size was half of her body.

“So that they can’t hurt us,” he replied. Eros needed to put all his strength to make it move, but then he felt there was another pair of hands that helped him.

When Eros looked down, he found Emily was trying to help him, though her strength didn’t help at all.

It took Eros and Emily a few more minutes before they could block the door and not longer after that, the sound of the front door being opened could be heard.

Emily crept closer to Eros with the bear in her arms, her body was trembling when she heard the rattling sound from the door, as Josh was trying to enter followed by a few curses coupled with profanities that he spat at them when he couldn’t open it.

“What’s its name?” Eros spoke into her ears, as Josh was kicking the door.

“Hm?” Emily was too afraid to focus on his question.

historical

“What’s its name?” Eros pointed his finger at her teddy bear.

Emily looked a little bit confused and distracted by the sound from the door, but then she replied to him with a shaking voice. “Mr. Bear,” she said.

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