I opened my mouth to tell him no, but just as I meant to, my threatening tears spilled over and down my cheeks. It was too much—Adam and Eagle, Liv, and everyone else. There were too many names, too many voices, too many ugly sounds. It was just too much, and instead of speaking, I could only cry.
“You’re dead.” Eagle’s voice was a mere growl, and my gaze snapped to his. Only he was no longer looking at me, but at Adam, whose hands were up in the air as he slowly backed away.
“No, E. Come on, you know I wouldn’t.”
Eagle stepped forward, his hands curled into heavy fists, twitching with aggression. I realized what was going to happen too late, and just as I screamed, “No! He didn’t touch me!” Eagle’s fist slammed into Adam’s face. There was a sickening crunch and I squeezed my eyes closed, my stomach roiling.
It was too much. Too much. Too much ...
A hand grabbed hold of my bicep and I recognized the feel of Eagle’s grip, the texture of his skin, and his always higher-than-normal body temperature. Keeping my gaze shuttered, I allowed him to drag me through the garage, only opening my eyes once I could feel the warmth of the sun overhead.
“Adam!” I shrieked. “He didn’t touch—”
“He’s fine,” Eagle interrupted, still furious. “He’s fucking fine. A bump on the head won’t kill him; he’s had worse. And you’re done working here. I’m not bringing you back.”
My eyes widened. I had to work; Eagle had told me so. He worked at the garage, and if I didn’t work at the garage, that meant I wouldn’t be with him. And if I wasn’t with Eagle, then Liv could get to me. She could get to me, and she would make good on her promise.
“No,” I whispered, my words lost in the breeze as Eagle continued dragging me off. “Please, no ... she’ll kill me.”
He stopped abruptly, bringing me to a hard stop beside him. Turning me to face him, he took hold of both my arms and shook me.
“She won’t touch you.”
I wanted to believe him. After all, he’d made good on everything he’d promised so far. But my eyes filled again.
He shook me again, this time harder. “Do you fucking hear me, Squirrel? She won’t touch you. I’ll make sure of it.”
“How?” I whispered, my voice quaking as much as my body.
Eagle’s grip on me slackened, and his frightening scowl loosened into a pained grimace. “I can handle her, but you need to listen to me. I’ll take care of Liv, and you listen to me. Every goddamn word I say, you hear me?”
I had a million more questions, but judging by the look on his face, I knew I wouldn’t get answers. More tears fell and my throat tightened. Shaking from head to toe, I looked up into his eyes and nodded.
The most peculiar thing happened. The lines on his face, the harsh set of his mouth, the bunched muscles in his shoulders—they all relaxed. His eyes even appeared to lighten some.
He stared down at me, no longer angry, his face free of the many masks he always wore. He stared down at me ... as just a man.
And then, most surprising of all, Eagle released my arms, and his hand came to rest on my cheek. His warmth flooded me, infused my whole being with just a simple touch of his hand. Half of me wanted to lean into his hold on me, but the other half, my ever-present fear, kept me frozen in place.
“What do I keep telling you?” he said, his tone soft, yet still gruff.
My lips trembled, and my words stuck in my throat. Eagle’s gaze dropped to my mouth and lingered there, his pupils expanding, and the words I wanted to say all but fell away entirely.
“Answer me,” he demanded. His gaze lifted, his dark eyes jolting me out of my shock.
“That you’ll protect me,” I whispered.
A moment passed in silence, then another, and another after that before Eagle’s eyes narrowed. Then his mask fell back into place, and he was once again the fierce and angry man I knew.
“Let’s go,” he said, and started off across the grass.
My breath left me in a rush of air that I breathed back in just as deeply. What was that? What had happened? And why had it stopped happening?
“Squirrel!” he bellowed, and I stopped thinking and ran after him.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Eagle
