If I said yes to Rowan, what would happen?
The easy violence from my physical placement made it hard to breathe.
Brody was sick; he needed help, not to get beaten up by Rowan. I hated it, but I couldn’t be the reason either man got hurt.
Chapter 22
Rowan
Withhershoulderundermy hand, my magic finally shut up. I wanted to keep my distance, but it didn’t matter how far I ran; she lived in my chest now. Feeling her fear as she backed away from two strange men made my hackles rise.
Unfortunately, my sudden appearance didn’t calm her and she pulled out of my grip.
“They’re not bothering me,” she lied.
I didn’t understand why she lied, but I wouldn’t call her on it.
“Then we’ll leave them here,” I said, memorizing their faces. I wanted to tack on a threat, something to scare them into never bothering her again, but I’d already damaged this woman I’d tethered to me enough. I needed to keep her safe. The rest could wait.
“Cayden’s going to hurt you, Quinn.” The teenager of the two stepped forward.
Quinn stepped back. Her shoulder blades jabbed into my stomach. It took every ounce of self-control I had not to bring my arm around her and pull her close.
The kid stilled; his intense gaze flicked to me before landing back on Quinn. “I want you to be happy.”
Quinn shuddered against me, her emotions twisting unhappily. “This is not how you show it, Brody.”
Brody. Dressed in a uniform from Hope’s department. I wouldn’t forget.
Before either new trainee could add more, I stepped around Quinn, blocking their view of her, and physically herded her toward the coliseum. She moved one step at a time, her emotions churning with her thoughts.
We didn’t make it far before Seth bolted, but Brody didn’t move. He kept watching us walk, as if I were escorting Quinn to her funeral. Creepy as hell.
It wasn’t until we rounded a bend and his gaze vanished that I was able to relax. The emotions from Quinn’s tether eased, and her stomach growled. Her hunger echoed through her tether.
I suddenly had to feed her. “We can’t train if you have an empty stomach.”
Quinn pursed her lips. “I don’t have any food on me. Let’s get started.”
I shook my head. “We’ll grab sandwiches from Wicked Wich.”
Quinn shook her head and walked faster toward the coliseum.
“Then the Happy Rooster.” I kept pace with her.
“Isn’t it your job to train me?” Quinn side-eyed me. “Not force me to eat.”
I reached out, grabbing her shoulder again to stop her in her tracks. “Do I need to force you to eat?” Her training uniform hung off herframe. Despite being here for a full week, if she’d put on a single pound, I’d be in shock.
“That’s not what I meant.” Quinn put her hands on her hips. “No, I love to eat. Before all of this, I was a very happy size six to ten, depending on the brand.”
I grunted. Having no concept of what she said, though, she grinned as if it were amusing.
“Are you going to let go of my shoulder?” she asked, a lick of fear coloring her emotions.
I released her like she’d burned me. “Sorry. Still wrapping my head around it.”
She peered at me. “You thought I was a boy, too?”
