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"Battered and bruised. No lasting damage. Car's over there."
"How's your arm?" I said. "It looks like it's blistering. Are you--?"
"Jeremy will take care of it in Miami."
"Okay, so you're upset about Kate and Logan? Rhys told you the twins could be a target, and I almost delivered Elena right to them--"
"You didn't deliver Elena anywhere. No way you could have known this had anything to do with our kids."
"Is it because you're here, rescuing me, when you'd rather be taking care of them? I--"
"In the car, Savannah," he said, unlocking the doors on the rental.
"No, you're mad at me and I don't understand what I did."
"Nothing."
I planted myself in front of him. "I know I did something." "No, you didn't do a goddamned thing. What the hell was that, Savannah? I'm fighting a demon and you stand there, doing fuck-all?"
"Excuse me? Did you miss the part about me not having my spells?"
"I didn't think it meant your whole body was paralyzed, along with your brain. My mistake."
I took a step back.
"You run and I'll stuff you in that damned trunk and lock it. Which, all things considered, might be the best place for you."
He threw open the driver's door and climbed in. As he shut it, he noticed I was still standing there and put down the window.
"Get in the damned car, Savannah. I'm not Adam. I'll chase you once, and then I'll make sure you don't run off again."
I got in the car.
twenty-two
Of all the friends I have today, Elena was the first I'd bonded with. She'd been taken captive by the people who'd killed my mother. At the time, she'd been friendly, but not overly chummy. Not like Leah.
Leah had been one of those adults who doesn't really "get" kids, tries too hard and ends up coming off phony and condescending. At the time, I hadn't been mature enough to realize that. I only knew that when Elena came along--with her quiet concern and unwavering attention and fierce determination to get me out--I liked her better. Trusted her more. As a child, I was worthy of her protection, but a deeper bond wouldn't come until she knew me better. That felt genuine. I had to earn her respect.
Then I met Clay and realized earning Elena's respect was nothing compared to the task of earning his. The first summer I'd spent at Stonehaven, Clay had tolerated me only because of Elena. I'd known he didn't like having a near-stranger stay in their house, and even as a child, I'd understood what a huge honor I'd been given.
I'd earned his respect by staying out of his way and not expecting anything from him. I didn't expect anything from Elena or Jeremy either. At home with Paige and Lucas, I was known to sleep in until noon, then wait for lunch to be put on the table, and take off afterward, bitching if they called me back to clear my dishes. At Stonehaven, I woke up with everyone else, helped with breakfast, and cleaned up. If I needed towels, I found them. If I needed entertainment, I grabbed a book. If I needed clean clothes, I hauled my dirty ones to the basement and asked if anyone else wanted some washed. Of course, I wasn't expected to do everything myself, but I offered and I pitched in, and in doing so, I earned the respect of the most feared werewolf in the country.
And now I'd lost it.
I could rage against the unfairness of the accusation. What did Clay know about losing your greatest strength? About feeling powerless? A lot, unfortunately. That zombie scratch four years ago had left him with a nearly useless right arm, just weeks before the birth of his children, when the drive to protect his family was so strong it nearly drove him crazy.
How had Clay dealt with that? Moaned about the injustice of it? Surrendered his role as Pack enforcer and relied on the others to defend them? No, he worked out harder than ever, then learned to compensate for the remaining weakness. No one had marveled at his determination. No one had expected anything less. That was just Clay. If you'd asked me what I'd have done under similar circumstances, I'd have said "the same thing." I was tough, too. If I got thrown from a horse, I got back on.
Only I hadn't. I'd watched Clay fight Sierra and Severin and never even considered leaping in to help.
What had happened to me?
Maybe nothing at all. I thought I was strong and determined and resilient, but that was only because I'd never been tested.
Karl met us at the airport. Jeremy had sent him with Clay, and they split up to cover more territory when I wasn't at the hotel. Karl wasn't happy about the situation. If Hope was in danger, he wanted to be with her. But he did as his Alpha wanted, namely because it was also what Hope wanted.
I got a curt nod from him as he paced the private hangar, waiting for the Cortez jet to be ready to take us back to Miami. I'm sure he blamed me for getting kidnapped. Not that I'd have gotten a much warmer reception under any circumstances.
