“And this shit kept happening. Everywhere we were, he showed up, horned in on our plans, and did everything in his power to get rid of me.”
“Oh, boy, I would’ve been fightin’ mad.”
“And I was, but I tried not to act like the jealous Neanderthal Nessy was accusing me of being, but it was hard– damn hard.”
“I couldn’t have done it.”
“Yeah, well, it all came to a head when Nessy was an hour gettin’ home one night and when she finally showed up, she had that asshole with her.”
“No, she did not?”
“Yes, she did,” Cyrus shot right back. “And before I could throw him out, she had me in the kitchen and was giving me some sob story about him being a Lone Wolf…”
“More like a Rogue.”
“Yep, I said that, too.” Once again nodding, Cyrus was on a roll. “That bastard told him that he was a Lone Wolf who’d lost his whole Pack when his daddy died, and he had nowhere to go. He went so far as to tell her that he was run off the Pack Lands that had belonged to his family for centuries, and he was just looking for a new Pack.”
“What a fuckin’ liar,” Luke spat. “As soon as you’re finished, I’ll tell you what really happened.”
“Okay, good,” Cyrus agreed. “I’m almost done.”
“Okay, go on then.”
“Well, I let my sweet, do-gooder give the asshole dinner, and the next day, I went to talk to Bonnie Sampson. Well, Aamon had given us the name Blackwood but said that he was from Washington State. So…”
“So, Bonnie couldn’t find out anything.”
“Nope, she did not, and then she went on to say that Aamon was not welcome in the Sampson Pack. She didn’t like him, and had talked to her twin, Maggie Mae, Maggie’s Mate, Heath MacAllen, who’s a Dragon, and the Sampson Pack Enforcer, Junior Thompson, and they all agreed that there Aamon was not a good fit for them.”
“Who could blame them?”
“Well, I damned sure didn’t,” Cy huffed. “And of course, I went right to Nessy, told her what Bonnie said and that he needed to be movin’ on.”
“Now, let me guess,” Luke smiled. “That went over like a fart in church.”
“Oh, yeah, and then some.” Shaking his head, Cyrus huffed out a frustrated breath. “But and I take no pleasure in this, the very next day, that rat bastard made a move on Vanessa.”
“Oh, yeah, we’re gonna kick his ass.”
“Yes, we are, but first we have to get out of here.”
“And while we’re waitin’, you gotta tell me why you thought Aamon was dead.”
“Oh, yeah.” Shifting his weight from one hip to the other, Cy went on, “My girl stood right up to him. She told him that she and I were Fated and while she was very flattered, he was not the man for her.”
“And the asshole didn’t take no for an answer.’
“No, he did not. It went on for two more weeks, and finally, he did it in front of me. We were at Rodeo, Bonnie and Maggie Mae’s bar in Valentine…”
“Do those girls own everything?”
Laughing, Cy replied, “They are revitalizing Valentine and the surrounding area, trying to bring Magical folks back to the area.”
“That Bonnie really is somethin’ special.”
“You want me to say what I’m thinking?”
“No,” Luke grumbled. “I want you to finish your story.”
