Page 52 of Frost and Felines

Each whispered comment felt like a knife to her chest. She wrapped her arms tightly around herself, trying to make herself smaller as the familiar weight of isolation pressed down on her shoulders.

Some neighbors from the town backed up as Mallory passed, and the action sent a fresh wave of pain through her. This was exactly why she had chosen to live alone. Why she had built walls around her heart. Getting close to people only led to destruction.

The deputy sheriff finished taking her statement, his pen scratching against his notepad as he cast wary glances her way. Even he kept his distance, as if afraid she might suddenly unleash another storm.

"Mallory." Kieran's deep voice cut through her spiral of dark thoughts. He limped toward her, still favoring his right side from where Vivian's spell had thrown him. Despite his injuries, his blue eyes blazed with intensity as he reached for her.

She stepped back, shaking her head. "Don't. I'm dangerous. Look what I did to your inn, to everything we worked for."

"You protected us," he growled, closing the distance between them despite her retreat. "You stopped them from burning down The Hearthstone."

"But at what cost?" Her voice cracked as she gestured to the frightened onlookers. "Everyone's terrified of me. Just like before. I shouldn't have stayed, shouldn't have let myself care-"

She turned and fled into the inn, her boots clicking against the polished floor as she raced through the lobby. Her chest felt tight, each breath burning as she fought back tears. The frightened whispers of the townspeople followed her like ghosts, reminding her of every reason she had chosen isolation in the first place.

"Mallory?" Amy called out from behind her, but Mallory couldn't stop. Couldn't face another person looking at her with that mixture of fear and pity.

She rushed down the hallway to her suite. Behind her, she heard Kieran's distinctive stride, hurried yet slightly uneven from his injury. The sound made her heart clench.

"Mallory, wait!" His deep voice called out, commanding and urgent.

She glanced quickly over her shoulder and caught a glimpse of Kieran's face - his blue eyes blazing with determination, and his jaw set in that stubborn way she had grown to love.

Love. The word sent another wave of pain through her. She had been so foolish to let herself fall in love with him, to imagine she could have any kind of normal life. The destruction outside proved what she had known all along - she was too dangerous to be around others.

Reaching her suite, her hands shook as she fumbled with the key. She could hear Kieran's footsteps growing closer. Of coursehe wouldn't give up easily - the tiger shifter was nothing if not persistent.

Once inside her room, she grabbed her duffel bag and started throwing clothes into it haphazardly. Tears blurred her vision as she worked, but she couldn't stop. She had to get out before she caused any more damage, before she hurt anyone else.

"I knew better," she whispered to herself, wiping roughly at her eyes. "I knew better than to think I could have this."

A knock rattled her door. "Mallory," Kieran's voice was rough with emotion. "Open the door. Please."

She pressed her hands over her ears, trying to block out the sound of his voice. The weather outside responded to her turmoil - wind howling incessantly against the windows as dark clouds gathered once again.

"I have to leave," she called back, her voice breaking. "I can't stay here."

24

KIERAN

Kieran lay sprawled across his king-sized bed staring at the ceiling as his tiger paced incessantly inside him. The scent of Mallory still clung to his sheets, a mix of rain and lightning that caused his chest to constrict. His fingers traced the spot where she had slept, the spot where she belonged.

"Damn it," he muttered, rolling onto his side. The curtains rustled with a gust of wind - probably Mallory's emotions affecting the weather again. He had tried texting her, calling her room phone, and even slipping notes under her door. Nothing.

The memory of her face when she had run away from him still haunted him. That look of horror and self-loathing didn't belong on someone who had just saved his life. Sure, a few windows had shattered, some trees lost branches, and some decorations were ruined, but who cared? The Hearthstone was insured, and frankly, Vivian had deserved worse for attacking them.

His tiger growled at the thought of Vivian. The rune witch's magic had felt like acid burning through his fur. If Mallory hadn't stepped in...

"You protected me," he said to the empty room. "You protected all of us. Why can't you see that?"

He pushed himself up, pacing the length of his suite. The sound of distant thunder made him pause at the window. Dark clouds gathered over the inn, matching Mallory's mood. His tiger wanted to break down her door, to wrap her in his arms and not let go until she understood how incredible she was.

But he knew better. Mallory needed space to process everything. Pushing her now would only make her retreat further into herself. Still, every protective instinct in his body screamed to go to her.

"You're not a monster," he whispered, pressing his palm against the cool glass. "You're beautiful and fierce and exactly what this place needs." What I need, he added silently.

A crack of lightning split the sky, illuminating the damaged grounds below. Kieran's jaw clenched. To hell with the decorations. To hell with what anyone thought. He would rebuild it all twice over if it meant keeping Mallory here in his arms.

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