“Remy?” Kylie kept her voice calm and soft. “Remy, come back. He’s not worth you losing yourself in your leopard’s blood lust.” It was rare, but there were instances where the human half was permanently buried due to the leopard half losing complete control and Kylie feared that would happen to Remy. She dropped to her knees beside the pair of leopards and watched as the tension in Remy’s body eased. His claws stopped raking Ezra’s body and then, ever so slowly, he released Ezra’s throat. She watched as he lifted his gaze to her face. His leopard’s eyes were a vibrant green and the color faded even as he began to shift back to human form.
“What are you doin’ here, cher? You shouldn’t be here.”
“I had to come. I had to see…I needed to see his body with my own eyes, Remy.” She turned her attention to Ezra, who’d shifted back to human as well. He was dying, she could see it. She’d expected to feel elation over his death but all she felt was relief. Relief that she no longer had to fear him.
While Remy’s injuries were taken care of, Kylie leaned down close enough for Ezra to hear her quietly spoken words. “You ruined me. I thought I loved you, I thought you were the one, and you took my heart, and my body, and ruined them. I hope you rot in hell.” She watched as he opened his mouth, as if to speak, but nothing came out. He tried to raise his hand from the ground but he had no strength left in him. Kylie knelt there, her gaze intent on Ezra’s face, and watched as the light faded from his eyes. She watched as his body grew slack, his chest stopped rising and falling, and his final breath rattled from between parted lips. He was finally dead and she was free of him. A sound escaped her and she covered her mouth with her hand. It was a relieved sob.
A hand gently gripped her shoulder and Kylie lifted her gaze to find Emelise there. Remy was still being tended to a short distance from them. “You shouldn’t have followed me out here.”
“You’re my friend and you’re hurting; of course I followed. Are you okay?”
Kylie thought about the question. Was she okay? “I…think so. He’s really gone. I don’t have to keep looking over my shoulder, fearing I’ll find him coming after me. It’s…a relief.”
“No one will ever put dere hands on you like dat again.”
Her gaze lifted to find Remy staring intently at her. She knew he would never touch her in anger, but once he found out what she did, once he knew what happened in the rest area bathroom, she doubted he would want her anymore.
A splash reached them while they were talking and Kylie looked to where Ezra’s body had been. It wasn’t there anymore.
“Da gators will enjoy da free meal,” Remy growled. “Let’s get you back to da house, cher.”
“We’ll be right behind y’all. We’ve got to swing by Mia and Gage’s to pick up Hailey,” Emelise said when Kylie looked in her direction.
“Okay.” She was quiet as she let Remy escort her back to the heart of the compound and Caine and Emelise’s home.
“I’ll wait wit’ you until dey get back,” Remy said once they reached the house.
“You don’t have to do that, Remy. I’m fine.”
“It’s not about havin’ to, it’s about wantin’ to, Kitten.”
“Oh. Okay, then. I just don’t want you thinking you have to stay.”
She watched as Remy lifted a hand to touch her cheek.
“When are you gonna start believin’ I want to be wit’ you, cher?”
She looked away from him. “You might think differently later,” she whispered.
“Not gonna happen, Kitten.” She blushed because she hadn’t expected him to hear her.
“We can take it from here. You should get get cleaned up,” Caine said to Remy.
Kylie and Remy turned to find Emelise and Caine approaching. Caine was holding Hailey with her head tucked against his shoulder and Kylie assumed it was so she wouldn’t see the blood that coated Remy’s skin.
“I reckon you’re right. G’night, Kitten. If you need me, I won’t be all dat far away.”
“I’ll be fine. Good-night, Remy.” Maybe if she said it enough, she might start believing it.
“Do you want to talk?” Emelise offered.
Kylie shook her head. “No. I think I’m just going to take a shower and go to bed.”
“I’m here if you change your mind.”
Kylie just nodded and went to her room, where she grabbed a change of clothes, then went to shower. By the time she crawled into bed she was exhausted.
