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I struggled to control my desire to fidget. “There was another, um, strange thing after we left the search at Adam Taylor’s house.”
His eyes narrowed. “Strange? Like what? And what do you mean another?”
Zack gave me a sharp look. “You didn’t tell me it had happened before.”
The worry on Ryan’s face deepened. “What the fuck happened?”
I grimaced and rubbed my eyes. “Zack ... er, I think it was a summoning.”
Confusion flitted across Ryan’s face. “Another summoner was trying to bring a demon through? Where? But it’s not a full moon. I don’t understand.”
“No. A summoning of me.”
He stared at me for several heartbeats, then the color drained from his face. “Summoning to bring you to the demon realm.”
I shrugged, trying to be casual about it, but it was a pretty pathetic effort. “Well, I can’t be certain of that, but that’s the most logical conclusion.”
He clenched and unclenched his hands. “And this has happened twice, and you didn’t think this was something you needed to tell me.” It wasn’t a question.
I fumbled for a response. “No. I mean, yes. I knew you’d get upset, and it’s not like there’s anything that you could do—” Shit.
I knew I’d fucked up the instant the words were out of my mouth. His lips pressed together and he stood abruptly, jostling the table and nearly spilling the drinks. He was out the back door before I could do more than grab for my Diet Coke.
I stared after him, shocked at the depth of his reaction, and cursing myself at my own callousness. Fucking shit, Kara. Why don’t you just ask him to hand you his balls?
“Go to him,” Zack said quietly. I hesitated, then pushed up from the table and went after him.
The rear parking lot was empty of cars and people, or so I thought at first. I finally saw Ryan down near the corner of the building, head down. One hand was on the wall, the other clenched into a fist by his side. There was a huge part of me that did not want to go near him. I could feel the fury and hurt coming off of him.
But I was the one who’d fucked up. I moved toward him. “Ryan?” I said, more tentatively than I’d intended, but my resolve was wavering pretty badly in the face of his anger and distress. I didn’t like that I was the one who’d caused this. If someone else had hurt him like this, I’d have been ready to kill them.
He straightened, pulling his hand from the wall but not turning to face me. “Go back and eat your lunch, Kara. I need a minute.”
“Ryan, I’m sorry. That was a shit thing for me to have said.”
“Yep. It was.”
Well, damn. What the hell was I supposed to say to that? “I’m sorry.”
“Why don’t you trust me, Kara?” He turned now, gaze meeting mine.
“I do,” I tried to insist, but even I could hear the hesitation in my voice.
Frustration swept across his features again. “I don’t know what the hell else I can do, Kara. I’m not holding anything back from you that I know of.”
“That you know of, Ryan?”
He jammed his fingers through his hair. “Fuck! Kara, I know I do and say strange stuff sometimes, but why can’t you at least trust me enough to know that I would never hurt you, and that I give a fuck if you’re in trouble?”
I took an involuntary step back from the vehemence in his tone. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to upset you.”
His hands balled into fists. “But you’ll summon Rhyzkahl—” He spat the name. “—and tell him?”
The words died on my tongue. Yes. He might be able to help me. “I don’t have a choice, Ryan,” I said softly.
I was ready for the rage that passed through his eyes this time and didn’t step back.
“You asked me what my type was. I’ll tell you,” he growled, seizing me by my upper arms. I stiffened in surprise but didn’t try and pull away. His grip was solid and firm, but he wasn’t hurting me. Quite. “My type,” he sneered the word, “is someone who can fucking trust me. Not only trust that I won’t screw other women, but trust me enough to tell me if she needs help, or just needs someone to talk to. My type is someone who doesn’t reek of a demonic lord, who doesn’t turn to him instead of—” He released me abruptly and spun away. I staggered and had to reach to the wall to catch my balance. My breath seized in my chest as I watched him storm off. Half a minute later I saw his Crown Vic roar out of the other parking lot in very un-Ryan-like fashion.
