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This man was way too intuitive. I’d hardly spoken to him and he’d already figured out my biggest secrets. It was disconcerting to have him know about the bracelets, and now he obviously wanted me to tell him what my animal was. But I barely knew him and had no idea if I could trust him. Just because my ocelot was on board with this whole mate thing didn’t mean my human side was ready to simply accept it, no questions asked.
I didn’t move my gaze from him as I stayed on the opposite side of the cell, chewing my fingernail while I took him in. He was deteriorating, but I wasn’t sure why or what was wrong with him. His knuckles were now white where he gripped the bars tightly, and even from here I could see the sweat beading on his skin, which had paled considerably in the past few minutes.
“Are you okay?”
He squeezed his eyes closed for a moment as his face screwed up into a wince. With a deep breath, his lids lifted and he and stared straight at me, drawing me in with those unique irises of his.
“Could you come closer? It’s better when you’re near me.”
I gulped before licking my lips. “What’s better? I don’t understand.”
He winced again, as if it were painful to share whatever it was he was contemplating telling me. “I don’t do well in cages of any sort. You saw what happened last night. That will happen again if I can’t get my wolf to calm down. With you close earlier, he remained calm in this cell. So, could you please just stand a little closer? I mean you no harm, I just want a little peace.”
Emotion welled up, clogging my throat. To have such am adverse physical reaction to cages, one that he couldn’t seem to help, most likely meant he’d been forced to live in one at some point in his life. Considering how big and strong he was now, I would guess it had happened when he was younger. Smaller.
Sticking to the outside of the cell, I made my way around to where he was standing. The closer I got, the more settled I felt too. It was strange the way my mind calmed around him. I stayed just out of what I judged to be his reach, hoping that would be close enough, and leaned against the cold metal bars.
He rested his head against the iron, taking deep breaths as his body relaxed. His knuckles weren’t white anymore and his skin was a better color now. After a few minutes, he turned to hold my gaze with his again.
“Where do you live? I need to be able to find you after we’re out of here.”
Panic shot through my system as I shook my head. “No, he’ll kill you. You can’t—”
Faster than I could track, he was next to me, reaching through the bars to cup my face in his palms. On autopilot, I lifted my hands to wrap my fingers around his wrists, but I didn’t try to pull away. The tingles racing over my skin were distracting, however nothing could pull my gaze from his hypnotic one. Not when he was this close. His scent, a mix of pine and sea spray, filled my lungs.
His voice was a low growl, demanding my compliance. “Who the fuck is this man? Is he the one who controls you with the bracelets?”
I didn’t want to answer, didn’t want to utter his name, but I couldn’t resist Cujo’s commanding tone. “Kevin Evans. He’s my father and he is the one who owns me.”
Unwanted tears pricked my eyes and ran down my face, onto his hands. I hated crying. It was a waste of time and served no purpose. Cujo’s thumbs swiped over my cheeks, wiping away the moisture and causing a shiver to run through me.
“Tell me where you live, Lily-Rose, and I will free you.”
More tears came. “Then you would be the one who owns me. I still wouldn’t be free.”
Freedom. Something most people took for granted but wasn’t something I’d ever expected to feel in my life.
Before he could respond, the outside door clanged open and Deputy Salvador came in, followed by another man I’d never seen before.
The deputy’s anger was clear in his tone. “Dammit, Cujo, release her right this second. Lily-Rose, did he hurt you? Are you okay?”
With longing and regret in his eyes, Cujo dropped his hands away from my face, pulling out of my weak grip as he returned to his side of the bars.
“I will find you, Lily-Rose. You’re mine.”
His whispered words didn’t carry far and I was sure the other two men, even with shifter senses, wouldn’t have been able to hear him. I broke eye contact and turned to the deputy. “I’m fine. He didn’t hurt me at all.”
With that, I turned away from all three men and moved to the cot where I curled up and did my best to disappear into the wall. Cujo was a dream I couldn’t afford to believe in. Even if he did save me from my father, what would it change? Instead of Kevin calling the shots, Cujo would. I still wouldn’t be my own person. And even if Cujo found a way to free me from the bracelets, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to shift. It’d been so long, and no one had taught me anything about my animal half. I’d only shifted once, that first time, and that had been an uncontrollable thing that had come out of nowhere and had ended with the bracelets being sealed over my wrists to prevent me from ever doing it again.
Chapter Three
Cujo
ReluctantlyIturnedawayfrom Lily-Rose, surprised to see Joaquin was with Jaxson. “You made good time.”
He shrugged. “Your lucky fucking day. I was in San Francisco on a run.”
I nodded while Jaxson got busy unlocking then opening the cell door. “We’ll head to an interview room.”
