Page 66 of Fastlander Fallen

“I. Won’t. Hurt. Her,” Ace said, enunciating every word. “Ever. And you can hear the truth in my words.”

Gunner lifted a hand and caught the pair of sweats Hallie tossed him without breaking eye contact with Ace.

“Owen is in the woods. Leave him alone. Just go to Corey’s and stay there for the night, until he’s Changed back.” Gunner hugged his sweats to his dick and shook his head, turned, and yanked the door open. “This is bullshit. Damon giving me a fucking vampire-hybrid for a Third. Seriously?” he slammed the door closed behind him. A long, drawn-out, echoing, “Fuck!” bellowed from outside.

Hallie looked pale as a ghost, Gunner was loudly destroying something outside, there was a monster-boar running somewhere in the woods, and the vampire-lion Corey had a crush on was staring at the blood on her foot. Again.

Everything was on fire.

Chapter Eleven

Ace hadn’t said a word on the drive to her cabin.

Corey parked, and turned to him. He looked so huge in her little car. His eyes were glowing in the dark. He wouldn’t meet her gaze.

“Come on, Bat Boy,” she murmured.

She’d meant it to ease the tension, but the huff of a laugh that escaped him was so dark, she regretted calling him that.

He pushed the door open and got out. She took a couple extra seconds to take in the moment before she unbuckled, and to her surprise he walked around the front of her car and opened the door for her.

“Did your mom teach you your manners?” she asked quietly.

And she saw it there—the shard of pain—before he ripped his gaze away from her and toward the woods.

“Did you know her?” she asked, getting out.

“Yes.”

“She was a good mom?”

He nodded slightly, and at a glance, she could see the emotion filling his eyes.

God, how awful. “The war took it all from you, didn’t it?”

“Didn’t take my dad.”

She remembered the picture of them fishing when he was a boy, and her heart broke for him. “You said the war was over you.”

“They staked my mom, and I was supposed to be killed at the same time. My dad fought the entire pride, killed all his brothers for what they had done to his mate, and he got me out of there.”

“Oh my God,” she said, hanging her head. Tears burned her eyes. “Ace, I’m so sorry.”

“He’ll tell everyone,” he said hoarsely.

She looked up at him. “Who?”

“Owen. He knows now. He will tell the Mountains.”

“You don’t know that—”

“I do, Corey. I know him well enough.”

“Okay. What if he does? What’s the worst that can happen?”

“Damon won’t be able to protect me from the registration anymore. The Holland Pride will find me, and if they find me…” He shook his head.

“They can’t go up against all of Damon’s Mountains, Ace.”

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