I couldn’t speak—I was too appalled by my response to Brakkor’s teasing, and busy trying to rein in my body’s response. The asshole was still chuckling, and Stevie stepped up with a disgusted tone.
“They’re being cavemen, basically. Brakkor is teasing Garrak about something I don’t understand, and Garrak’s ready to rip him limb from limb.”
Korrad seemed horrified, stepping in front of his brother as if to protect him—no, as if to keep either of us from doing something stupid.
Too late; I’m already lost.
“I’m sorry,D’malk,” Korrad said, almost formally. “You know how he can be.”
Yeah, I did. Brakkor was brash and harsh and, as previously stated, an asshole. He’d just never bothered me the way he was bothering me now.
Why?
Stevie spoke to Korrad, maybe trying to pretend everything was normal. “What doesda-malkmean?”
Korrad eyed me warily as he answered my female. “It means—I guess kind of likechief. Garrak has been our leader for years, and it’s a term of respect from our world.”
“Huh. And what doesda-carmean?” she asked.
Every male—including me—swung to face her with various expressions of surprise. While Brakkor’s mocking grin grew, Korrad looked…almost contemplative when he answered.
“Dkaarmeansbeloved.” There was a curl to his lips as he glanced at me. “It’s a term of endearment.”
“Yeah, well…” Brakkor was still chuckling. “That’s what we were discussing. Why ourD’malkhasn’t gotten around to claiming his new fucktoy?—”
Dimly, I heard Stevie and Korrad gasp, but my roar of rage drowned them both out. Claws out, I bellowed again and lunged toward Brakkor, who didn’t even bother defending himself. I merely shoved his brother out of the way, wrapped my hands around his neck, and yanked Brakkor close to me.
“She’s myMate, you sonuvabitch!My Mate!”
Brakkor didn’t say anything—maybe he couldn’t—but his hands wrapped around my wrist. His face was going dark from the interrupted blood flow, but his smirk didn’t lessen. There was something in his eyes that told me he’d played me, and that made me even angrier.
I felt Stevie tugging on my arm, calling my name, and I wondered how long she’d been doing that. With a deep breath, I forced control over myKteer. I loosened my hold on Brakkor, lowering him back to the ground, even as Stevie began patting me in relief.
Then Korrad was there, peeling my hands from Brakkor’s neck, and I was breathing too heavily to really understand what had happened. I’dattackedone of my guys? One of the males I’d carried out of that darkness all those years ago, one of the males I’d looked after since?
Why?
Because he insulted your Mate.
But when I glanced from my palms up to Brakkor, the other male was rubbing his throat and smirking at me. Had this been his plan all along?
“I’m sorry, Garrak,” Korrad was saying quietly, intently. “He’s sorry too. You know he’s just being an asshole.”
“Yep,” Brakkor rasped, his throat obviously paining him. “That’s what I was doing. Not proving a point at all.”
His brother scowled at him, then took my shoulder and turned me toward the building site. “Come inside, and I’ll show you the progress we’ve made.”
I was half in a daze and barely had time to snag Stevie’s hand before we were heading in for another tour.
The next hour—or maybe more—was a bit of a blur. I listened to Mr. Kowalski’s reports, discussed the multi-use rooms, and was really pleased when Stevie stepped up and took control of the situation. It was strange how much of a relief that was, honestly, but she asked all the right questions and made suggestions. The foreman kept glancing at me for approval, and I just kept nodding.
She was remarkable, wasn’t she?
I don’t think I spoke much during our late lunch at The Waterfront either, or our walk back home. Stevie just kept her fingers twined in mine and occasionally offered insights or thoughts about the town.
When we reached the condo, I stopped right inside the door. She turned to me in surprise, and I took a deep breath.
“I think…I need to go for a walk. To think.” I glanced down at my palms. “I may be a while.”
