“I know,” Kaelen replied just as Mac walked back inside.
“My Mate will be here soon,” Mac informed him.“If I even think she is in danger, I will kill you without second thought.Is that understood?”
“I mean no harm to anyone,” Kaelen answered, with a nod.“She will be safe with me.I do not hurt women.”
He then looked toward Macy, who he felt was staring at him.Caught in her gaze, he wished their meeting had been under different circumstances, but once again, luck just wasn’t on his side, and he had a feeling this time, he was going to regret having to walk away once again.
CHAPTER5
Macy’s grip on the wheel was so tight her fingers throbbed; her jaw locked as the dark stretch of road unwound in front of her.She’d just dropped Rafe at the bar after he’d helped her track down her car in the woods.For half a second, she’d considered staying there herself, maybe slipping behind the bar with Billie Ann, losing herself in the noise and work.Anything was better than her empty cabin.But when she saw only two cars in the lot, the idea died quickly.
The moment Zelda walked into Davey’s old cabin, Macy hadn’t mattered.Kaelen hadn’t fought for her to stay, hadn’t even looked her way.She’d been asked to leave.Dismissed.Like saving Kaelen’s life meant nothing.As if standing against her own Murder didn’t count for a damn thing.Not that her Murder had ever been much of a family, but at least she hadn’t been cast out.Not until tonight.
She knew once Jack Crow heard what she’d done, it would only be a matter of time before exile became permanent.
Her breath hitched, anger flashing hot, but it tangled with the raw sting of being unwanted, the kind of hurt that left her chest hollow.With a sharp sigh, she leaned her head back against the seat, willing it all away.
The stop sign came up too fast, and she stomped the brakes harder than she meant to.The car jolted to a violent halt.She didn’t move, didn’t breathe, just sat there with her chest heaving, staring at the empty stretch of road ahead.In a single night, everything had turned upside down.She’d gone from thinking she finally mattered to realizing she was still nothing more than an outsider peering through the glass.
“Little warning next time you decide to reenact a crash test.”Bruce’s voice drifted lazily from the back seat.
Macy screamed, jerking around, eyes wide.“Son of a—Bruce!Were you back there this whole time?!”
Bruce stretched before jumping into the passenger seat, entirely unfazed as he sat and looked at her.“Macy, you need to be more aware of your surroundings.I didn’t just appear out of thin air.”
“You scared the shit out of me, Bruce!”Macy hissed, then sighed.“Why didn’t you get out at the bar with Rafe?”
“Because Rafe and Billie Ann are still in their honeymoon stage, and it’s disgusting watching them slobber all over each other,” Bruce griped, adding a gagging noise for emphasis.“And it’s too late to head back to Wicked’s.”
Macy narrowed her eyes at him in the rearview mirror.“Don’t you have a girl and… ah, kittens now?”Macy had no clue what to call Bruce’s offspring.“Shouldn’t you be home being a family man or whatever instead of riding around with me?”
Bruce flicked his tail, unimpressed.“My furry rugrats are practically grown and half wild.”
Macy snorted at that.“I bet they are.”
Bruce ignored her.“And my woman accused me of looking at Tabitha’s tail,” he said, whiskers twitching in irritation.“She kicked me out… again.”
Macy raised an eyebrow.“And were you?”
Bruce blinked at her, confused.
Macy sighed, exasperated.“Looking at Tabitha’s… tail.”
Bruce straightened, defensive.“Hey, in my defense, Tabitha had just been to the groomers, and her tail looked damn good.The groomer did an amazing blow-out.Just saying.I mean, is it a crime to appreciate another cat’s tail?No!Maybe I just wanted the name of her groomer.”
“You were looking at herass, Bruce.And got caught,” Macy said, snorting as she shook her head.
“Hey, just because I have a woman doesn’t mean I can’t look,” Bruce shot back, indignant.“And I didn’t… you know… get a hard-on or anything.”
“Whoa!”Macy threw her hands up, leaning back against the seat.“Way too much information, dude!”
“You asked,” Bruce said, settling into the seat like he’d just delivered the truth of the universe.
“I sure as hell didn’t ask that,” Macy muttered, rubbing her temples.But then her mind did precisely what it always did—it wandered.Do cats even get… hard-ons?Shaking her head to get that damn thought out of her brain, she glanced at Bruce.The poor furball looked as lost as she felt.And somehow, despite the absurdity, she felt a pang of sympathy.
“Apologize to your girl, Bruce.Give her a…”
“Give her a what?”Bruce tilted his head, hopeful.
