Page 55 of Heart of Frost and Scars

“I can smell her on you.” My voice vibrates with fury.

“If you had Kody’s nose, I’d believe you. But you don’t. I doubt you can smell anything past the reek of your hangover.”

“I will destroy you. You hear me? I will tear you apart for touching what’s mine!”

“She’s not yours.” He jabs a finger at me, carving it through the air and slicing invisible wounds. “But go ahead. Come at me. See what happens.”

If I hurt him, I would never win her back. Killing him or Kody would break her irreparably, and that’s the last thing I want.

But I’ll make damn sure he feels my wrath.

It’s a molten river inside me, threatening to overflow. My chest tightens, and every muscle coils, ready to snap. Heat rises up my neck, and my vision narrows to a tunnel focused solely on his face.

“You think you can fuck her, and I’ll just sit back and watch?” I step into his space, so close I glimpse the spark of uncertainty in his strange blue and gold eyes. “She’s everything to me! Everything!”

“And now you have nothing.” He stands with feet firmly planted, a solid foundation of aggression.

If he swings first, all bets are off.

“Hit me, motherfucker. Do it.” My body trembles with the effort to restrain myself as I delete the final few inches between us, putting us nose to nose. “What are you waiting for? Take that fucking punch, you little bitch.”

He doesn’t flinch, doesn’t blink. He just stands there as if nothing happened, as if he didn’t spend the entire night balls-deep inside my wife.

“Nah.” He holds his position, neither swinging nor backing down. “I won’t hit you, old man. She’s not a possession to fight over. She’s a person who deserves better than your twisted control.”

“You think you’re more deserving than me?” I roar, my voice echoing across the patio. “That you’re worthy of her? If you touch her again, I swear, I’ll make you fucking regret it.”

He smiles, throwing kerosene on my swarming rage. I shove him hard, sending him stumbling back, but I stop short of actually hitting him.

“You don’t scare me.” He straightens, rolling his neck. “If you loved her, you’d be fighting for her happiness, not trying to own her.”

“Stay away from her.” I shove him again, harder this time. “Or I’ll make sure you wish you had.”

“She deserves to be with people who love her, not someone who’s obsessed with controlling her.”

My fury peaks, and I grab his collar, wrenching him close. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. I love her more than you ever could. But if you keep pushing, I’ll make your life a living hell.”

“Good thing I’m an expert at surviving hell.” He lets out a laugh, heated and unhinged. “How ironic that, not so long ago, I stood where you’re standing now. I was possessive, angry, and willing to kill anyone who touched her. You read her journal, so you know how that worked out.” His lips curl back from his gnashing teeth. “I was wrong to try to own her. She deserves better, and I’ll be damned if I let you ruin her life any more than you already have. So back the fuck off.”

The air between us writhes with violence, both of us breathing hard, our faces inches apart. The urge to eradicate him rides me hard. My fingers clench in his shirt as my other hand rears back to strike.

A shadow blurs in my periphery, like a predator, silent and undetectable. I have no time to register the movement before someone materializes behind me and snarls in my ear. “You heard him. Stand down.”

I freeze, shocked that Leo’s brother sneaked up on me so easily.

No, not Leo’s brother.

My brother.

If he’s here, so is she.

Fuck.

Forcing myself to let go, I shove Leo away one last time.

In the next breath, Kody’s in my face, engaging me with an open stance, poised to pounce.

“Can’t be left alone for ten minutes.” Her sultry lilt caresses my skin, calming me instantly and pulling my entire being into her orbit.

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