“Wait! Lily, please!” Rowan cried. “I know! I know, I do. But she’s my child!”
Lily met Rowan’s gaze and took pity on the woman. “I’ll send Aubreigne, but I won’t lift a finger to help her. You know as well as, I Saige caused this. What must she have threatened to push Angelle to protect herself?”
Rowan nodded. “I’m sorry,” she said through tears.
“Aubreigne will come.” Lily looked around the clearing already partially set with the tables and decorations for the party. “The party is off.” She gathered her mists and disappeared from sight.
~~~
Angelle stood at her kitchen island, very calmly eating the slices of another tomato. She’d put a little dab of mayonnaise on a plate and heavily salted and peppered it so that when she dredged the slices of tomato through it, the salt and pepper would attach to the slice she was eating. A glass of water sat beside her plate, and her cross bow, once again loaded and cocked, sat beside her plate on the kitchen island. She leaned her hips against the kitchen island, as she took her time relaxedly snacking, giving the impression that she wasn’t the least bit on edge. But contrary to the initial impression she gave, her eyes never stopped sweeping the windows. She’d made a brief tour of the house, ensuring that every window and door was locked.She’d even taken a large walking stick she’d found in the corner of Boon’s man cave and leaned it against the back door so that if it opened unexpectedly, the stick would fall and let her know someone had entered. There wasn’t a sound in the house, though, as she stood there silently, snacking on her tomato. If anything at all moved or shifted she’d have heard it anyway, and she’d have armed herself with the cross bow.
She thought of the sight of Saige holding her ass as blood seeped through her fingers as she hobbled away, and snickered a little once more. Then her eyes jerked back to the door. A loud noise — something heavy, without a doubt — had just landed on her porch, just outside the front door. Angelle licked the juice of the tomato slice she’d just eaten off her fingers while with her other hand she reached for the cross bow. She wiped her fingers dry as she shouldered the cross bow, then brought her other hand up beneath the bow to take aim at the door.
The door knob rattled, then another loud noise shattered the silence as the door was kicked open.
Angelle pulled the trigger to release the bolt.
Boon’s hand flew out toward the bolt, snatching it out of the air before it hit him. “It’s me!” he shouted, though there was no hint of anger in his voice, only concern. He tossed the bolt aside and rushed to Angelle, taking her face in his hands as he examined her for injury. “Are you safe? Are you hurt?” he asked, terror clear in his expression, as his nostrils flared, scenting the air for her blood, or any indication of pain.
“I’m fine,” she said, still holding the cross bow, but now she held it to the side, and pointed at the ground.
“Are you sure?” he asked, dropping to his knees in front of her as he ran his hands over her arms and hips before spinning her around so he could check her back, then turn her to face him again. “You’re unharmed,” he said gratefully, yanking her into his arms and holding her tight.
“Of course, I’m unharmed.”
“But Saige came back to her parents’ house bleeding!”
Angelle nodded. “I know.”
“What happened? How did she get injured?” he asked, still holding her close and kissing her head, her face, her hair.
“I shot her. She would have had two of your bolts in her body instead of just one, but I missed with the first. It only cut her arm. The second, though, right in the ass.”
Boon leaned back away from her so that he could see her face. He got to his feet and ran his fingers through her hair.
Angelle looked up at him innocently, before she smiled at him.
“Why did you shoot her?”
“She broke into our house and tried to make me leave. I came back after exploring for a little while and found her sitting at our table. She pretended she didn’t know who I was and said this was her house, hers and her mate’s. You. I told her it was my house and she pretended to be concerned about me. Sorry for the pain and the confusion, but now that she was home, it had been discussed. In fact, you were out looking for me so that you could let me know that it was all just a way to pass the time until your true mate returned home. Her. And she was here now so I had to go.”
“Fucking bitch,” Boon growled.
“Then she gave me a few minutes to get my things and go before you came back because you’d be upset if she wasn’t naked and waiting in your bed for her as you’d requested. So, I decided rather than me leaving, she’d be leaving. I thanked her, went down the hallway like I was going to gather my clothes, but instead got your cross bow — I mean, she is a Gargoyle and I’m human — I’m not stupid. I knew I had to defend myself. I changed out the bolts, because I didn’t really want her to die, I just wanted to teach her a lesson, and I came back into thekitchen and shot at her. She moved quickly enough for me to miss the first shot. Then she ran when I reloaded and aimed again. I stood on the top step and shot again. That one hit her in the ass. She fell on the ground crying and screaming. I came back inside and got the cup she was drinking out of and threw it at her, then took aim again. She finally got up and hobbled away, threatening she’d be back with you. Presumably to take care of me. Can you believe she had the nerve to break into our home, make herself a cup of tea and sit waiting for me at our kitchen table? That’s why I threw the cup at her. I didn’t want it anymore since she’d used it.”
Boon looked down at his mate, realization finally settling in that she was truly unharmed, and that she trusted him. He grinned at her.
“What’s so funny?” Angelle asked.
“You never even once questioned that anything she said was true. You knew beyond the shadow of any doubt she tried to create that I was yours.”
“Absolutely,” Angelle said. “Did you doubt me when she showed up bleeding and undoubtedly claiming I tried to kill her?”
“That’s exactly what she claimed — and that it was unprovoked. But I didn’t doubt you for a second. I knew she’d caused all of it. I just prayed she hadn’t harmed you. I can overcome anything at all as long as I have you. If she’d have hurt you, I’d have killed her, and then I’d have had to deal with her father. But it would have been okay. Because the bitch would be dead.”
Boon hugged her close again, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly as he relived the horror of what he’d been afraid he’d find when he arrived.
Angelle leaned her head against his chest. “I missed you,” she said quietly.
