Taking a chance, Wade slid his hand into Alex’s much smaller one, giving it a gentle squeeze.
“What I hadn’t known was the debt he’d racked up.” Alex glanced at Wade then at their joined hands. “He’d told the demon he owed that part of the debt was mine, which isn’t true. Drew was just trying to cut what he owed in half.”
“Was he human?” Wade asked.
“Yes.” His mate nodded. “Humans can be just as evil as preternatural.”
Wade knew that for a fact. He’d run across humans who would make vampires look like teething babies in comparison.
“When I found out what he’d done, I told Drew I would go to the cops, since I knew the police in this town weren’t human.”
“Wait,” Wade said. “You’re from Crimson Hollow?”
Alex ducked his head. “If I’d told you the truth, I would’ve had to explain why I couldn’t go home.” He licked his lips, tucking dark strands of hair behind his ear. “I’m sorry for lying.”
Could Wade blame his mate? Alex was clearly on the run, and even though they were mates, they were strangers. “Go on.”
Now it was Alex who squeezed Wade’s hand, like he needed the connection to continue.
“Drew didn’t react to the threat.” Alex’s laugh was bitter. “That should’ve told me something was wrong. I mean, who acts blasé when threatened with the cops?”
Not anyone with something to hide. Wade’s gut told him he wasn’t going to like what Alex was about to say next.
His mate’s posture stiffened, and a sheen of sweat dotted his brows.
“The following night, Drew asked me to meet him at some address. He said he’d straightened things out with Valcore and wanted to apologize.”
Wade groaned. “You went.”
“I went.” Alex glanced up at him, eyes pleading. “Because I was going to break up with him! I could’ve said it over the phone or simply ghosted him, but for some insane reason, I wanted to look Drew in the eyes when I did it.”
Alex pressed his free hand over his face and moaned. “I was such an idiot. While I agreed so I could kick him to the curb, Drew had his own ulterior motive.”
Wade couldn’t think of anything else the bastard could’ve done to make Alex’s life more miserable than he already had.
Scratch that. There were a lot of things the guy could’ve done. None good.
Dropping his hand, Alex looked at Wade again. “Drew lured me there to kill me.”
Wade’s hackles instantly rose, his wolf snarling to kill the son of a bitch. Alex was a petite guy, maybe weighing a hundred pounds. He was a bunny shifter for fuck’s sake. Even though he was stronger than humans, a bullet to the head equaled death.
No healing in animal form. Lights out permanently.
“He had a gun.” Alex started to tremble. Wade pulled his mate into his arms, noticing how the tremors lessened with his touch.
“It was a trap house,” Alex continued. “As soon as I walked inside, Drew slapped this collar around my neck. He said it was to stop me from shifting so I wouldn’t get away.” Their eyes met. “I never told him I was a shifter, let alone what kind. Ultionem law forbids us from revealing our existence unless the human is our mate or can serve us in some way.”
“Barcode must’ve told him.” Wade slid his other arm around his mate, but with Alex being so short, he ended up pulling his mate onto his lap.
Alex didn’t stop him. He simply rested his head on Wade’s shoulder, sinking into him.
“Drew waved the gun at me, said I wasn’t telling anyone shit. I panicked, spotted a lead pipe, and started swinging it as hard as I could. I was only trying to knock the gun out of his hand, but he ducked, and before I could stop the swing, the pipe struck him in the head.”
Alex buried his face in Wade’s chest, sobbing. “I never meant to kill him!”
After what Wade had heard, Drew deserved what happened to him. “It was self-defense, honey bunny.”
Alex yanked back and stared up at Wade, tears still falling. “Valcore. He showed up, Wade,” his mate whispered. “He said since I killed Drew, I was now responsible for the human’s debt. Said he had the key, which I’m not sure if he does, but how else would Drew get his hands on an enchanted necklace?”
