We have the pieces laid out when she finally emerges. Her anger has drained, replaced by a tiredness that sounds bone deep as she watches us in silence. Max and I wait for her to break it. “I didn’t ask you to do that.”
“It’s nothing. It’ll take us ten minutes. I just need to straighten a few bits out.” Getting to my feet, I turn to her.
Her fluffy socks look like they’ve been through the wash more times than they should have, threadbare in places. Her legs are bare, another one of those sweaters covering everything up to her neck and shorts underneath that have me swallowing.
She shifts beneath my appraisal. “Did something…change?”
Fuck.My heart hurts, even as I dodge the question. “We came to check on you.”
“Heard you took down Eric Masters.” Max grins. “Nice work.”
She looks away without giving him a response. “I’m fine. Is that it?”
I’m beginning to really hate that word. “No. That’s not it. Come here, Kenny.”
When she doesn’t move. I go to her instead. She stumbles back, but I’m faster. “What—,”
I grip her face in my hands. Gently, but firm enough that she can’t pull away from me. My thumb brushes over the softness of her cheek as her lips part in outrage. “The fuck—,”
Pushing that pouty upper lipup, I expose her canines and rub my thumb over them as my hand wraps around the back of her hair, holding her in place. Testing. Kennedy freezes beneath me. I pause as her scent twists again, sharpening. Edging on fear, and a rumble starts up in my throat. “Steady, baby. I’m not going to hurt you.”
She doesn’t say anything. She bites instead, small teeth sinking into the flesh of my thumb.
Hissing, I yank my hands away. “Fucking hell, Kenny.”
My mate snaps her teeth at me. “Did you find what you were looking for inside my fucking mouth, Jake?”
I shove my thumb inside my own mouth, sucking on it. Heat rises on her cheeks as she watches, and I hold it out, the teasing words slipping free before I can stop them. “You could always kiss it better.”
“You can kiss my ass. Go away.”
Max smacks me on the back of my head as she storms off. “Nice move. You’re supposed to be the normal one.”
Both of us jerk as she twists back toward us, pointing. “What the fuck was that?”
“I was—,”
“You could have asked,” she snaps. “If you’re wondering, no, I’m not feral. I’m just a bitch. Unlucky for you.”
Fuck. Fuck, fuck,fuck. Her eyes are watering. “Kenny—,”
She picks up the closest thing and throws it. The rock bounces harmlessly a few feet away, and it clues me into exactly how much I fucked up by barging in here and examining her teeth, because she’d normally score a direct hit to the middle of my forehead. “Goaway.”
But her voice breaks.
Max edges past me. “We’re worried, that’s all.”
“You don’t get to be worried.” She swipes at her face. “You don’t get to think about me at all. You decided you didn’t want me. You made it very fucking clear. So leave me the hell alone and just let me—,”
She cuts off, her face suddenly stricken.
“What?” I ask quietly. “Let youwhat, Ken?”
“Let me go.” Her voice cracks again. “Stop making this harder.”
I can feel her fucking pain. It stands out on her face like a sign, pulling me forward. I can’t even speak.
Max’s expression looks close to what I’m feeling. Desperate. “We’re here, Kenny. We came here for you. But we need to fix this. All of it. Just tell us what happened, okay? We’ll believe you, whatever it is.”
