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“You’ve got that right.” Eric swallowed loudly. “I was always telling her to drop a few pounds.”

Avel’s claws sprung from his fingertips, and he slid them down Eric’s arm, shredding his jacket and drawing blood.

Eric froze. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Teaching you never to disrespect a woman again. Any woman. You don’t mark women out of ten based on what they look like. You don’t look at them and assume they’re for you. You should be on your knees licking their boots, grateful you get to share the same air as them. That’s how good you are.”

“Whatever you say.” Eric eyed Avel cautiously. “If you want Holly, you have her. She’s nothing to me.”

“You’re missing the point.” He sank his claws into Eric’s fleshy bicep.

Eric yelped. “Fuck! Don’t kill me over a chick.”

“I should. It seems your re-education isn’t working.” Avel glanced at Iska, who nodded.

“We’re all good. No one watching. Carry on.”

Avel dug his claws in deeper and felt Eric’s blood ooze onto his hand. “You’re never seeing Holly again.”

“No problem.” Eric winced. “I hadn’t planned on seeing her, anyway.”

Avel growled in his ear. “Don’t even think about her. And the next time you’re with your buddies and you decide it’s fun to rate the women who walk past, stop and think about what you’re doing.”

“Scoring a nice piece of ass?”

Iska chuckled. “You dumb shmuck. Do you want to die?”

Eric’s face paled, and he shook his head.

“They’re someone’s daughter, someone’s mother, someone’s friend. They’re not pieces of meat that you get to mark and condemn,” Avel snarled. “They’re not to be used by you and your asshole friends. If I hear you disrespecting a woman again, I’ll come after you, and I won’t be so friendly next time.”

“This is hardly friendly,” Eric gasped.

Avel flexed his claws. “This is real friendly.”

“Better this than have your arm ripped off,” Iska said, his smile feral.

“I’m not staying here long. You’ll never find me,” Eric said. “You won’t know what I do once I leave this dump.”

Avel snorted. “I can find anyone I want to. That’s my job.”

“So can I.” Iska leaned across the table and tapped his claws on the top. “Between the two of us, we’d hunt you down in a second.” His feline gaze ran over Eric like he studied a piece of spoiled meat. “Pay attention to what my friend’s telling you. You don’t want to get on the wrong side of him.”

Sweat bloomed on Eric’s forehead. “You won’t hear anything bad about me again. I like women. Hell, I love women.”

“You love taking advantage of them,” Avel said. “That stops, now. I’ll be keeping an eye on you. One bad word, and that’s it. You get one chance to change. Screw that up and you’d better make sure your affairs are in order.”

“Because we’ll be coming for you.” Iska’s fur bristled, and his tail swished. “And when we find you, Avel will gut you. Once he’s removed your entrails, he’ll decorate your grave with them. It’ll be a reminder of what happens to idiots who don’t know how to treat women.”

Avel suppressed a smile. Iska in full-on hunter mode was reassuringly terrifying.

Eric recoiled, and a squeak slid from his lips. “No more disrespect.”

“Treat women well. Treat them like queens,” Avel said. “Fuck them over, and you’re dead meat.”

Eric nodded. “Got it. I’m a jerk.”

“A grade A asshole,” Iska snarled.