When he straightened, Gwen was still standing on the front step, but the door had been shut behind her. Her arms were folded over her chest, and she glared at him.
No doubt Kira had called her on the drive over here. But what version of events had she told Gwen?
Joshua walked up the drive, his wolf batting at his ribs. It wanted to get to their mate, to reassure her and protect her. It didn’t realize that she was running fromhim. As he drew up to the step, Gwen lifted one hand.
“Stop right there,” she ordered.
He forced himself to obey, despite wanting to rush into the house and demand that Kira listen to him.
“Kira needs space,” Gwen said, her tone matter-of-fact. “And so she’ll be staying with me for a few days.”
“I need to talk to her.”
Gwen shook her head. “She’ll talk when she’s ready. I won’t pretend that I understand everything she was telling me, but I do know she’s upset, and you can’t strong-arm someone into wanting to talk to you. Besides, Lianne is at home, and I’m sure you don’t want her to see you two arguing.”
Joshua winced. That was true. He didn’t want to argue in front of her, and he was pretty sure Kira wouldn’t want togo anywhere with him. He ran a hand through his hair, hating the situation. Was this all his fault? Could he have prevented his current turmoil by not kissing her? Or was it something even deeper, a simmering pot that had boiled over with unresolved feelings?
“I don’t mean to strong-arm her,” he finally said. “But you have to understand, she’s in danger. The demons are after her.”
Gwen frowned at him. “Then you should be happy that she’s here, where I have extra protections around the house.”
“Except she won’t stay inside the protections. She—”
“So you want to keep her a captive in your house?”
“I want to keep herprotected.” His heart twisted as he spoke. “It’s dangerous out there. And she doesn’t believe me when I say the demons are after her.”
Gwen studied him for a moment, then said, “You’re not being protective, Joshua. You’re being controlling. And in doing so, you’re making her even less safe.”
Joshua opened his mouth to argue, but stopped.
“There’s a reason she was keeping her magic a secret, and you told the entire Council something she wasn’t ready for them to hear. Do you think they’ll keep it to themselves? As word of this gets out, those pack members that already don’t accept her will only grow more hostile.”
Joshua’s heart sank. “That wasn’t my intention.”
“And yet, that is the result.” Gwen shook her head. “Give her space. She’ll talk to you when she’s ready. If you keep pushing, it will only get worse.”
Joshua forced himself to take a step back. Then another.
Gwen watched him until he reached the end of the walk. Then she slipped back inside. Joshua caught sight of the curtain twitching, briefly revealing Kira’s face. He wanted to go to her, but instead slid into his car. Give her space. He could do that. He only prayed she would keep herself safe in the meantime.
***
Rafael closed the door to Joshua’s office and gave him a pitying look. “So I hear that you’ve been something of a rat bastard.”
Joshua leaned back in his office chair, grimacing. “You spoke with Gwen.”
“She had to tell me that, apparently, Kira has moved in with us for the foreseeable future.” Joshua swung an extra chair closer to the desk and sat backwards on it, resting his arms on the back. “Plus, it’s been spreading like wildfire through the town that she’s able to perform spells.”
And there were the consequences of his actions. Joshua ran his hands over the stubble on his cheeks and chin, regretful. He hadn’t been thinking about the reasons why Kira would keep her magic a secret when he told the council. Hell, he didn’t even think about how she was keeping it a secret. It was the reason the demons were coming after her, the reason he needed to protect her.
“I wasn’t trying to be a rat bastard,” Joshua grumbled.
Rafael grunted.
Joshua let his hands drop. “Gwen told me I wasn’t being protective, I was being controlling. And now that I’ve had time to think about it, I know she was right. It’s just that nobody seems to believe that I saw that demon.”
“Josh, we believe you. I’m sorry that I wasn’t clear about that,” Rafael said gently. “I fully believe that there was a demon at the beach. That being said, I think you’re letting your fears get the best of you. And I don’t mean the fears about the demons. Have you told her yet?”
