Page 45 of Fire of the Fox

I gave a bitter laugh as I sneered at him. “You and I had nothing special. It was a mistake to ever be with you, and I still don’t understand what I ever saw in you. I’ve moved on, Dax, and I’m much better off without you. So now if you’ll excuse me, I have somewhere to be.”

I turned to climb into my car, but he grabbed me tightly around the arm. He yanked on me, pulling me close to him. I glared at him and tugged against his hold, but he didn’t let go.

He glowered at me as he asked in a cold voice, “Are you with that guy?”

My words were venomous as I repeated, “His name is Rune. And yes, I am.”

He scoffed and yanked on my arm again.

I cried out at the burst of pain that trailed up my arm, and I tried prying off his hand. His grip had gotten so tight, and my arm was beginning to throb. I frantically looked around for someone who might be walking by, but there was no one. Where the hell had that redhead gone? Something dark had come over him, and it was beginning to scare me.

“You’re mine,” he said, grabbing my hand to stop my attempts to free myself. He squeezed my fingers hard as he leaned close to my face. “Don’t think you can go to someone else. You’re mine, and no one else’s.”

Dax had never acted this way before, and it was startling to see. I squeezed my eyes shut, taking a calming breath. “Let go of me.”

He scoffed then shoved me away from him, making me fall back against my car. He stepped forward, pressing against me, so I put my hands on his chest and tried to push him away. Frantic, I realized my pepper spray was in my purse, but I couldn’t get to it with him pinning my arms between us.

My heart raced as he bent close to my ear and spat, “You. Are. Mine.”

Lit with a raging fire inside, I shoved him hard.

Not expecting my outburst, he stumbled back enough for me to rear up my knee, nailing him hard right where it would hurt most. He doubled over instantly, clutching his groin.

I didn’t stick around after that to see what else he’d do. I quickly opened my car door and climbed in, locking it behind me. Tears pricked at my eyes as I started the car. Dax was hunched over next to my window with a face pinched in raw pain. Not caring, I peeled out of my parking space, throwing gravel on the asshole as I sped away.

Chapter Nineteen

MY TEARS FELT like a weakness as they fell, and my hands shook against the steering wheel. I was so angry. The way Dax spoke to me, as if he had a claim over me, was revolting. He was the one who didn’t want to be together. He was the one always seeking pleasure from other girls. He was the one who hadn’t wanted to be mine—until now apparently. How dare he grab me and tell me I was his when he’d ruined his chance at us having a relationship. I wanted to wipe away all memories of him and pretend the toxic relationship had never existed.

By the time I got to Rune’s, it was already 5:10, but I refused to go inside crying. I closed my eyes and rested my head on the steering wheel. It took effort to make my breathing even, and I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. My heart was finally starting to beat normally, and my breathing had calmed down.

I sighed and pulled down the visor above my head. My eyes were still a bit puffy and red, so I decided to wait a few more minutes before going in. I didn’t want any chance of the others knowing I’d been crying.

I leaned my head back against the headrest and looked over at the house. As soon as I did, my eyes met Rune’s. He leaned against the front door with his arms crossed and stared at me with an unreadable expression. I knew if I stayed in the car with him watching me, it would be obvious that something was wrong, so I took a deep breath before opening the door.

I climbed out and mustered the best smile I could.

He watched me with his brow furrowed, never moving from his position.

I shut my car door and forced myself to walk. It took everything in me to keep my legs from shaking.

“Sorry I’m so late. Traffic,” I lied. Once I reached him, I looked down at my hand and pretended to study my fingernails. I couldn’t meet his eyes because I knew he’d still be able to tell I’d been crying.

“Funny,” he said. “I didn’t realize traffic could bring a person to tears.”

I glanced up at him.

He stared down at me with expectant eyes, waiting for me to tell him what was up.

Instead, I mumbled, “I wasn’t crying.”

“I was standing here the whole time. I saw you crying and trying to wait it out. So tell me. What’s wrong?”

I looked away from him, my eyes brimming with angry tears again. My mind flashed back to Dax’s painful grip and misguided words. Where was his drive to be with me when we’d actually been together?

I forced a laugh and said, “All right. You got me. Traffic makes me cry.”

“Was it Allen again?” Alarm suddenly laced Rune’s words.

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