She does that.
Ignore me.
Me:
Ghost has been a pouting menace all night. Come keep the feral dictator company? I’ll personally vouch for the cat’s approval.
Mara:
Maybe.
Me:
Maybe… it’s a code for meh. You can at least tell Ghost to stop being needy.
No reply.
So I send a GIF of a black kitten giving a pouty face.
Me:
Your cat is sad.
I toss my phone in my pocket and stalk the quad. After a few minutes, I clock her frame, covered in an oversized hoodie, her black hair spilling out of the hood that is pulled up. Even when she isn’t all dolled up, it’s easy for me to find her. Bad news for her, I’m like a bloodhound and she’s my favorite scent.
I push off the tree and make my way toward her. She immediately notices me past the crowd and gives me a sort-of half smile.
She barely has time to say some smart-ass remark about me stalking her before a black SUV pulls up to the curb beside us. The doors open and two men in dark suits step out onto the sidewalk.
“Ms. Black,” one of the suits says. He’s blond and tall. The other one is a bulkier guy, built like a tank. They’re not just campus police. The earpieces tell me that they’re more than likely her father’s men.
I put myself between Mara and security. “What is this?”
“Dredyn—” Mara protests under her breath.
The blond guard gives me a once-over and a curt nod. “Mr. Steele, this doesn’t concern you. We were told to retrieve Ms. Black to take her home.”
Mara shakes her head. “I didn’t receive a text from my father…”
“We’ll explain in the car, Miss,” the big guy rumbles. He reaches out, lightly grasping her elbow as if to guide her to the sedan.
Mara flinches from his touch and instinctively steps closer, into my shadow.That’s right, Hellcat, come to me.I feel her slender fingers curl into the back of my jacket, holding on. My jaw locks.She doesn’t want to go with them; every tense line of her body says as much.
“She’s not going anywhere,” I growl, planting myself firmly. My voice drops to a dangerous register. “Mara’s with me tonight. So unless you have a damn good reason?—”
The guards exchange looks, patience clearly waning. “Sir, step aside,” Blondie says, one hand hovering near his jacket, like he might be carrying. My muscles bunch, ready to throw down. If he so much as flashes a gun, all bets are off.
The big guard tries to move past me. I shove him back instantly. “Keep your hands off her,” I snap.
He grabs my shoulder, and all hell breaks loose.
I swing without hesitation, putting every ounce of fury behind my fist. It connects with the big guy’s jaw. He stumbles, caught off guard by the hit. Blondie lunges at me next. I duck his jab and slam a left hook into his gut, knocking the wind out of him.
Mara yelps, pressing against my back. “Dredyn, stop!” she cries. But I’m past stopping.
The big guy recovers with a roar and charges. He crashes into me, slamming me against the side of the sedan. Pain rockets down my spine, but I grit through it, grappling with the brute. He’s damn strong, trying to pin my arms down.
Blondie grabs at me too, and suddenly it’s two on one. They wrestle me back, one locking an arm around my throat. I snarl and drive my elbow into somebody’s ribs, earning a pained grunt. Mara is screaming something, but I can’t make any of it out.
