My eyes stung. “Don’t pretend likeyoudidn’t break up withme, Malik. You made me fall in love with you and then gave up on me the moment shit got hard.”
“You never loved me,” he declared, his eyes snapping to mine. “You loved that I challenge authority. That I’m strong and don’t give a fuck that people hate me. You loved that between hunts, I kept your bed warm—that you could fuck me instead of cry when we failed saving a human and not worry about me judging you.”
He leaned in close, his eyes boring into mine with bitterness.
“We all have shit we’re dealing with, Joanna, and I was fine waiting until you decided you were ready to let yourself be happy.” Leaning back against his seat, he released a heavy breath. “But unlike that furry fuck, I would never trick you into choosing me the way I chose you.”
My mouth had grown dry. I shifted in my seat, turning to gaze out the passenger window so Malik wouldn’t see me blinking like an idiot. An apology sat heavy on my tongue asI peeled the layers of his… confession. He’d never been that honest with me, that vulnerable.
I thought he broke my heart… All the while, I’d broken his long before.
I massaged the last twinge of pain from my palm. “I’m sorry,” I muttered.
He chortled, flinging a loose loc out of his face. “Spare me, Little Red,” he sneered, shifting gears.
My heart beat a mile a minute. But this time, it wasn’t because of pain. My next move teetered on the brink of idiocy or genius, and only the result would reveal which it was.
“I think I need to tell you something.” I took a deep breath, steeling myself for his reaction.
And then I told Malik about the party.
???
What do you mean ‘we’, Joanna? And why aren’t you answering your phone?
When I told Malik about the supermoon party the day before, we’d only just made it down the street before he forced the car to a stop. He hung on every detail, his brow twitching whenever I mentioned Latoya’s name. And when I first mentioned Silas, the vein in his forehead nearly burst.
Because the hunter I’m with will say something stupid, and you’ll probably try to kill him, Marcus.
Malik didn’t like the plan. In fact, he sided with Marcus. He gagged when the words left his mouth, but agreed I was safer with the Alpha’s scent. Yet unlike with Marcus, I didn’t have to convince Malik why the shapeshifter couldn’t do this alone; Malik articulated it in such a simple way I was ashamed not to have thought of it myself. In essence, the possibility ofLatoya betraying Marcus was higher than the possibility of her betraying me.
Malik and I drove into the Blackwood Territory in my old Honda Accord. Even though allowing him to help was the demand for his discretion, there was no way he was letting a werewolf‘stink up’his car.
“Is he calling you again?” he whined from the driver’s seat as my phone played its cheerful jingle. “Just answer the damn phone.”
We’re here, I texted instead.Do you want me to go down to the cells with you and Maya?
So your fucking ex-boyfriend can recon the rest of my compound, Joanna? Hell no.
We turned a corner, and I pointed to the fire hydrant near the main building. “Park there.”
Malik cursed under his breath.
Not only did Marcus guess the mystery hunter correctly, but he’d also sent a capable babysitter.
Jerome waited for us by the front doors, his enormous arms crossing over his bare chest once he finished pulling up his gray sweatpants. He was built like Marcus but had about an inch on his alpha’s height. His rich ebony cheeks were flushed, and it was obvious we’d interrupted his morning run.
With the car in park, Malik reached over and grabbed his pocketknife from the glove compartment.
“You don’t need it, Malik,” I chided harshly.
“Well, isn’t that a relief,” he replied with a roll of his eyes. “Let’s get this over with.”
I flexed my fingers, ensuring I had sensation in my hands. The dark veins hadn’t returned, but I’d been paranoid ever since they appeared. The bond had made a mistake once; there was no telling when it would again.
I stole a quick glance in the side mirror, reciting one of my affirmations.Everything that happens today will be for my highest good.
Jerome walked toward us, placing one hand on the roof of my car and scratching his beard with the other. “Hey, Joey,” he said with a dip of his head as I hopped out of the car. His gaze flew to Malik, sunlight bouncing off the polished silver in my comrade’s hand. “Malik, right? We met at the bar in Cedar Grove.” He gestured toward the knife. “You’re skilled with a blade.”
