Page 14 of Resisted

The barn door was closed when I reached it, so I took the cool metal handle in my hand and pulled. It opened effortlessly, letting the sunlight pour into the room and—

“What the fuck?!” I growled out, my moves quick as I pulled at the kid in front of me.

Bella’s scream broke the silence. I didn’t even know why the fuck she was screaming. She couldn’t be shocked that someone walked in on her in the fucking barn, a damn near public space. “What are you doing here?!”

“Me? You want to worry about what the hell I’m doing here. What about you? What the fuck are you doing in here with…with…” I thrust the boy forward harder than necessary. “This?”

This motherfucker. This beast. This predator praying on an innocent girl. I felt like the word ‘this’ was all-encompassing. It said it all.

“It wasn’t what it looked like.” She made a whimpering sound, and I felt my heart jolt.

“What exactly do you think it looks like?” I asked, my eyes narrowing on the both of them. The fucker was shaking, rightfully so. When Silas and Vince heard about this, he would be lucky to live. Or maybe not so lucky, because I knew Vince would cause hell.

“We were just—” She let the words drop.

“Just what, Bella?”

She looked away. “It doesn’t really matter.”

I turned my attention to the boy after Bella wouldn’t give me much. “Do you want to explain?”

He shook his head frantically. Fucking coward. I praised the fates that I hadn’t gotten stuck with a fucking weasel like this in my pack. It would’ve been an embarrassment of monstrous proportions. A man who couldn’t admit his flaws, or own up to them, wasn’t a true man, and odds were, he would never be. Though there was a time when I was less thrilled to be doing things with my pack, I’d always owned up to my duty, even if it meant ripping someone’s vocal cords out with my teeth. But this kid, he couldn’t even grow enough balls to answer a fucking question.

“I bet your mama is real proud of you, kid,” I mumbled as I stepped forward. “What’s your name?”

His lips trembled for a moment and his throat worked, but no sound came out. He tried again, swallowing hard before he said meekly, “Jonathon.”

Pussy ass motherfucking name. “Jonathon,” I repeated. “If I ever catch you around Bella again, I’ll spread your body parts through the whole county. They’ll be in so many places, your parents will never find all of you. Seem fair?”

He nodded his head eagerly. “Yes, sir.”

‘Sir’? Was he fucking kidding me right now? I wasn’t that old, was I? Shit, time had gotten away from me, that was for sure, and time rarely matters as shifter. Age was quite literally just a number. Even so, when had I lost the look of a kid and became a sir?

“Go,” I growled, and he wasted no time at all. Not even a glance back was given before he was out the door, practically running down the driveway. He hadn’t driven here. I would have seen the car. So maybe if I was lucky, I would pass him on my way out, maybe kick up some mud on the punk.

When the kid was out of view, I turned back to Bella. “Explain.”

She crossed her arms in that feisty way I’d grown to only associate with her. “No.”

Her arms pulled tighter around herself, and my eyes drew to them. I took a step back and blinked. I wasn’t prepared for this point in my life. She was just a kid. “Bella, how old are you?”

“Sixteen.” I gulped. Fuck. At sixteen, I was doing so many things I dared not talk about. Hell, I’d been two years older than she was now when I held her tiny little body for the first time.

I tore my eyes away from her, finding a place over the top of her head.

“Explain,” I demanded once more, but it was useless. She just looked at me defiantly, her violet eyes searing into me, and I swore she could damn near see into my soul. I could feel it, feel her eyes tearing apart the pieces and thoughts inside of me, leaving me with a raw ache.

I stepped closer, and she took a step back.

“Are you afraid of me?”

“No.” Her brows pulled together.

“Good.” I hadn’t given her a reason to fear me thus far. “So tell me, why was Jonathon in here, with the door shut? Do your parents know?”

She glanced down. “No.”

“I’m beginning to think that’s the only word you know.” I sighed, then took out my cell phone. “I’m calling Silas.”

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