Page 37 of Semi-Reckless

Riddick snorted. “Yeah. I’m sure he intended to give you a friendly bro hug and accidentally burned a hole through your chest.”

Haven frowned at him. “I mean, I tried to tell you it didn’t seem like he meant me any harm. Maybe he doesn’t mean any of us harm. We’ve all just been assuming the worst.”

Harper gave her a look that bordered on pity. “One of the best things about you is that you always give everyone—and everything—the benefit of the doubt. But when your safety is on the line, we can’t afford to do that. We have to assume his motives aren’t pure.”

“He could’ve killed me, but didn’t,” Levi said quietly. “I was on the ground, wide open—literally—and he left. Didn’t take a single shot.”

Only Haven and Roan seemed to pay Levi any attention as the team strategized what to do next. Riddick and Seven wanted to trap him and destroy him, of course. Harper never wanted to destroy anyone, but in this case, even she was willing to make an exception. Benny was up for whatever Harper wanted to do. Gabriel and Hunter saw some value in trapping the demon and imprisoning him, as his skills might come in handy if Section 8 ever came up against another of his kind.

And as they bickered and bantered back and forth, Roan stayed silent. He kept his eyes on Haven, silently willing her to fight. To speak up for what she knew in her heart was right. To finally go toe-to-toe with her powerful family and let them know she not only deserved their respect, but had earned it long ago.

He saw her irritation growing. Could feel her power rising within her. She was so tired of being treated like she was delicate and weak. She was a fighter, damn it. Always had been.

He wished he would’ve seen it sooner, but he’d let his fear of losing her overrule what he knew she was capable of. She was a leader. And now was the time she needed to prove it.

Finally, with a growl born of the purest rage and frustration, Haven let go of Levi’s hand, stood up, and snarled, “Shut the fuck up and listen to me for once!”

The exclamation point on the end of her order was a sharp, precise blast of energy that tore its way out of her chest and rumbled through the room like thunder. All eyes turned to her, and the only thing that could be heard in the silence that followed was Benny’s comical gulp, followed by a muttered, “Well, butter my balls and call me a biscuit. That’s new.”

Damn straight it was, Roan thought proudly.

That’s. My. Wife.

CHAPTER 18

Haven couldn’t remember ever being this angry in her entire life.

For years, she’d swallowed her rage. Kept the peace. Remained quiet so she wouldn’t be seen as an unreasonable bitch.

Those days were over, and they were over right fucking now.

“Look,” she began, doing her best to rein in her rogue powers so she didn’t bust out any windows. “I’m so fucking tired of being treated like I’m some helpless princess stuck in an ivory tower.”

Her mother frowned at her. “We don’t?—”

“Stop it!” she interrupted, holding a hand up. “Let me speak.”

A collective gasp rolled through the room. Had anyone ever shushed Harper Hall? Given the shocked look on the faces around her, she imagined the answer to that question was no.

And Haven was damn proud to be the first.

Harper’s mouth slammed shut, and she gave her daughter a terse nod.

“I’m not trying to be unappreciative,” she said. “I know I’m loved, and that means more to me than I can say. But I’m every bit as capable of defending myself as any of you.” She frowned at Hunter. “OK, I’m probably not quite as capable as you. But for a dhampyre, I’m good at what I do. And if this demon was coming after anyone but me, we’d be having an entirely different conversation. You’d never try to bubble wrap anyone else in this room. Just me.”

“I don’t know that that’s true, baby,” her father said. “Your mom and aunt have been in danger tons of times, and I always wanted to bubble wrap them.”

“That’s true. He’s always been annoying about it,” Seven agreed.

“Thanks, sweetheart.”

Seven merely shrugged.

“I understand that, but the difference is that while you wanted to bubble wrap them, you didn’t. You’ve always let mom and Seven and even Addy defend themselves when necessary. You never took them out of a job they loved, a job they insisted they could do, and benched them in the name of keeping them safe. You never forced your will on them.”

“They never died,” Harper said quietly.

Haven sucked in a sharp breath. “I know, mom. And I can’t imagine how that felt for you and dad and Roan.”

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