When I pulled up in front of Casper’s apartment building, I turned off the engine and got out with him. I felt like I owed it to Luna to apologize for bringing him home looking the way he did.
“Hey baby,” Luna called out when we entered the apartment. “I’m happy you’re home already. We can probably catch a few episodes of our show before—oh my God, what happened to you guys?”
She rounded the corner from the bedroom mid-sentence, catching sight of us. Her jaw dropped, her brown eyes widening. She rushed over to where we stood just inside the doorway.
“We ran into some trouble,” I explained. “I’m really sorry, Luna. I hate bringing him home like this.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” Casper signed. “We’re fine. It looks worse than it is.”
Her expression dissolved into one of pure concern. “Come into the kitchen. Both of you. Let’s get you cleaned up.”
“I’m fine. I’m gonna head home anyway.” As I tried to reach for the door, Luna grabbed my arm, dragging me along with her.
“Don’t give me that crap. Let me take a look at you.”
Luna had the purest soul of any person I’d ever met. Not only was she adorable with her pink and purple locks and colorful attire, she was truly a kind person. She and Casper had endured hell together and come out stronger for it. I couldn’t have picked a better person for him to fall in love with.
When Casper was at his worst, she and I had shared a moment. A brief flicker in time. We’d both been hurting and worried. I saw how much she loved him. How much she was willing to do for him.
So I allowed her to shove me into a kitchen chair next to Casper while she bustled around fetching first aid equipment. Her touch was gentle as she cleansed the blood from my forehead before bandaging a cut near my hairline. She then pressed an ice pack into my hand for me to hold to my aching nose while she turned to help Casper.
“I thought you guys were just doing a drop off,” she said. “What happened?”
“We got jumped,” I answered honestly. “Another group found out we were in their city. They didn’t like that much.”
Her worried gaze locked on Casper. “I hope this is the end of it. I don’t want you going back there.”
Gently touching her chin, he signed, “I’m okay, flower. I’ve had worse.”
She grimaced. “Don’t remind me.”
Feeling like I needed to leave them alone together, I rose and headed for the door. “Thanks, Luna. I’m going to take off now. Have a good night you two.”
“Goodnight, Dom,” she called after me. “Be careful out there.”
What a fucking night. I was ready to go home, take a hot shower, and collapse into bed.
Pulling open my car door, I dropped down into the driver’s seat with a heavy sigh. Before I turned on the engine, a rope was wrapped around my neck from behind. At the same time, I was hit with a familiar scent. A woodsy citrus aroma I would know anywhere. Noah.
He pulled tight, choking off my airflow. The rope biting deep into my flesh. I did my best to dig my fingers beneath it, to pull it away from my throat. He exerted too much force. I couldn’t get a finger beneath the rope.
Starting to panic, I began to flail. Reaching behind the seat, I groped about for Noah. He made the mistake of leaning too far forward. I was able to grab a handful of his hair, jerking his face forward. Slamming it into the back of my headrest.
That was enough to loosen his grip on the rope. Giving me the chance to grab a hold of it and jerk it free. I shot out of the car, reaching into the back seat to grab him. Clutching a handful of his hoodie, I threw him onto the ground.
“What the fuck was that, asshole?” I shouted, driving a fist into his face. “Is that how you plan to kill me? That’s fucking pathetic.”
Noah raised a hand to block the next blow. Catching sight of my freshly battered faced, he asked, “What happened to you?”
“Why the hell would you care? You just tried to kill me.” Dragging him to his feet, I slammed him against the side of my car a few times.
“Just fucking tell me,” he demanded, giving me a shove.
I didn’t see any reason to keep it a secret. Before he shoved me again, I punched him in the jaw. “Casper and I were jumped by Project X in Elmwood tonight. They stole our product and beat our asses. I’m sure you’re just sorry they didn’t kill me for you.”
Something like unease slid over Noah’s face. Schooling his features, it was gone as quickly as it came. “Of course not. I plan to kill you myself. I don’t want anyone stealing that satisfaction from me.”
He reached out a hand as if to touch my bruised face before suddenly jerking back. My eyes narrowed. What was up with him tonight?
