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I couldn’t say the same of others. I may not have ever hit a female (though I sure wanted to with Emerald), but my size and strength often intimidated members of both sexes. They stared at me as if I was a monster.
Addie stared at me as if we were equals.
That was the last time I had even touched another girl before that kiss with Addie at the pond. Nothing, and I meant nothing, could compare to her. She was my everything, and I would do everything in my power to get her to understand that.
* * *
I pulledmyself out of my thoughts to focus on the matter at hand.
Never, in all my years of existence, did I think I would see Ronan getting attacked by a squirrel.
I mean really, what the hell?
I was discussing the plan for the trip with Sarge - we would try to keep our stops to a minimum in an effort to get to Atlanta at a reasonable time - when I heard Ronan let out a string of curses.
That didn’t surprise me. The green-haired bastard swore like a sailor. What surprised me, however, was the bushy tailed squirrel climbing up his legs.
Letting out a rather girly squeak, he began shaking his leg erratically. The squirrel clambered off of him, foaming at the mouth, before charging yet again. I caught a glimpse of the creature’s beady red eyes before the gun went off.
The first time I had heard a gun, I had instinctively brought my fingers to my ears as if that could somehow block out the rest of the world. Now, I barely even stumbled. Barely. A time or two, the sound would catch me off guard.
This was one of those times.
Asher stood, panting, his hand steady as it held the gun. The rabid animal had a gaping hole in its head, black blood splattering across the asphalt.
“Don’t get too close,” Tam said. My head snapped up towards the impending footsteps, and I gave Addie a quick once-over, cataloguing any injuries. Fortunately, she seemed to be fine.
I hadn’t allowed her to see the momentary anxiety I’d felt when she had left. I knew she was with Ryder, but I didn’t like having her out of my sight.
The memory of her death still haunted both my waking moments and my dreams. It was something that I didn’t know how to come back from.
“What the hell happened?” Addie asked, running up to Asher and inspecting him for injuries. Ronan let out an annoyed snort.
“I was the one that got attacked, yet Asher is getting all the attention. Geez.” Though his words were somewhat teasing, I caught something in his eyes that he tried to keep hidden. Something akin to jealousy.
I didn’t like that.
I had the distinct feeling that my brothers thought of Addie as a little more than a friend.
“Ronan!” Addie finally seemed to notice the blood smearing his pants. She ran towards him, cupping his face in her dainty hands.
My stomach tightened at her display of affection towards him. I told myself that I had no right to feel so possessive towards her since we had never clarified what our relationship was, but I couldn’t ignore the hammering of my heart.
She was mine...but she was also theirs.
I didn’t know how she fit in with our team, but I had a feeling that it was going to change everything. I glanced at Sarge’s contemplative expression and knew that he thought the same.
I was going to have to talk to him about me and her.Usand her.
I didn’t care if they had feelings for her too, but I wasn’t backing away. I wasn’t giving her up.
“What the hell is that thing?” Asher asked, finally lowering the gun. He slipped it back into his holster.
Ronan was now on the ground, his pants rolled up as Fallon and Addie tended to his wounds. Well, Fallon did. Addie merely hovered over him like a pestering, albeit very cute, vulture. I noted with relief that he hadn’t been too injured in the squirrel attack; only a couple of scratches marred his skin, red and raised. It would leave faint residual scarring.
Sarge methodically applied antibiotics to the cuts, and Ronan hissed.
“The animal had the virus,” Tam murmured. Despite the gravity of the situation, he sounded almost excited. No doubt was he thinking about grabbing the carcass and studying it in detail. My friend was a little strange in that respect.
