Our girls?
Velik fought the beast, I could see the struggle for control as the bones in his face shifted from normal to—beastly—and back again. “I recognize you, human. You were with Stefani when I found her.”
“I was. I have been. I’ve been here for her, taking care of her, after you destroyed her.” The vehemence in Henry’s voice was shocking. And I realized the truth.
It wasn’t Carmen that Henry was secretly in love with. It was me.
“Henry—”
He whirled around to face me. The stark truth was there, in his eyes. “Tell him to fuck off. Marry me. I swear I can make you happy. I’ll make our girls happy. I can protect you. Let me take care of you.”
“Mine!” The deep growl made Henry turn. But instead of moving out of the way, as I expected, he dropped into a fighting stance.
“No! Don’t hurt him!” I meant to stop Velik from hurting Henry.
Henry snarled. “He deserves some pain.”
Velik lunged. I screamed, expecting bones to crack, Henry to go flying through the air.
Instead, it was Velik who flew, his body slamming into the ground a few steps away. His gaze locked with mine and I saw Velik, the rational man, fighting for control. Henry wasn’t dead because Velik knew I wouldn’t be pleased. He’d heard me.
Henry, however, seemed to want a fight. I knew he was strong, for a human. At just over six feet tall, he was almost exactly a head shorter than Velik. But he didn’t transform into an eight foot tall monster, a warlord whose entire society held battle in such high esteem they wrote never-ending songs and poetry about it. Henry should have been terrified.
He wasn’t. He didn’t move, watched as Velik got to his feet slowly, every move controlled. Deliberate. Velik was holding the beast in check, barely. For me. Only for me.
“Henry, stop. Leave him alone.”
Henry’s focus was complete. Intense. For him, no one but Velik was in the room. “Yeah? Big boy? You think you’re a beast? I’ve been waiting for you to show up.” Henry slammed his hands into his chest and yelled every bit as loudly as Velik had. “Come on! You don’t deserve her, you piece of shit.”
Someone had to make this stop. Nothing made sense. Henry was going to get hurt.
Carmen’s voice broke through my confusion. “Henry’s been learning that krav maga stuff for years. Once you got pregnant, he added boxing and weightlifting.” She was leaning against the wall just inside the entrance to the hall, arms crossed over her chest. Watching. Unconcerned. “I did ask if you were being cruel, or just stupid.”
“What?”
“Stupid, then.”
She hadn’t been talking about Velik? But about Henry?
Or both?
What the hell? Was that where Henry disappeared to for hours on end almost every night? I thought he’d been out on dates, drinking whisky and seducing women.
He’d been boxing? So he could fight Velik? For me? He truly believed he could fight an Atlan and win?
Was everyone in this house insane?
14
Velik
* * *
You don’t deserve her, you piece of shit.
This human male was in love with my mate.
Wished to claim her as his own.
