"I..." My voice broke. "I can't..."
"You don't have to talk. Just stay on the line. Let me know you're there."
I pressed the phone to my ear, focusing on the sound of his breathing. Heard a car door slam. An engine start.
"I've got you," he said quietly. "Whatever happened, I've got you. Just breathe, okay?"
I tried and failed. The sobs started to wrack my body.
"Okay, not breathing. That's fine. Just stay with me." His voice was calm but I could hear the underlying tension. The barely controlled worry. "Fifteen minutes."
A car pulled up near the end of the driveway. My heart lurched before I realized it was just Edward, making his escape. He glanced toward my car but didn't stop, just got in his Audi and drove away.
Smart man.
"Reina? Talk to me. What happened?"
I managed to pull in a shaky breath. "She knows."
"Knows what?"
"About you. And Jaxon. She knows I'm..." Another sob cut me off.
"She knows you're with us." It wasn't a question. Luca was silent for a moment. "What did she say?"
"That I'm destroying you. That you'll destroy each other. That I'm..." I couldn't repeat the words. Couldn't say them out loud.
"What did she call you?" His voice had gone very quiet. Very dangerous.
I closed my eyes. "A whore."
The silence on the other end of the line was deafening.
Then: "I'm going to kill her."
"Luca..."
"No, I'm serious. I'm going to park my car, walk into that house, and..."
"Please don't." Fresh tears spilled down my cheeks. "Please. I just... I just need you to come get me."
Another long silence. Then I heard him exhale slowly.
"Okay. Okay. Ten minutes. I'm almost there."
I wiped at my face with the back of my hand, but it didn't help. The tears kept coming. My skin was on fire, fever spiking. My scent was so strong I could smell it even inside the car.
The stress was accelerating everything.
My heat was coming faster than I'd thought.
"Luca?"
"I'm here. Still here."
"I think..." I swallowed hard. "I think my heat is coming. Soon. Like, really soon."
"How soon?"
