Page 77 of As The Shifter World Turns

My stag wasn’t having any of it. He’d never liked my ex and he adored Ivor.No, he told me but I didn’t listen to him.

Too late for what?I typed back.

Never mind. You don’tNothing more. Just a part of a sentence.

I should’ve known he was just fucking with me, making sure he still had control. But I didn’t. Instead I started to freak out.

Don’t what? Where are you?

Nothing. That’s what I needed.

The door to the bathroom clicked and I raced to Ivor. “Sor?—”

He held up his hand. “Don’t. Just don’t. He’s always here. Always. Even when we’re supposed to be having a nice night—he’s between us.”

“Don’t be like that.” I regretted the words the second they fell from my lips.

“Like what? Someone with feelings? Someone who doesn’t want to come second to a cheating piece of abusive shit?” He shoved his hands in his pockets.

“He never hit me.” If that was the best thing I could say about him… ugh.

“Abuse isn’t just hitting and you’re aware of that. Let me know when you’re over him. For real.” He walked around me.

“I am.” Nothing I could say past that would mean anything. Not really. Because my actions were proving him right time and again.

“Kellan.” The robotic voice of my phone announced. Great, he was calling me.

I ignored it. “Stay. Please. We have tickets.”

“And you have someone who has a supposed emergency.” He made air quotes around the last word. “Someone probably fell on his dick again or maybe he toppled over and his dick fell in someone. I don’t really care which. I can’t with this. It sucks too much.”

He walked out.

I hated how nothing he said was wrong. Not one single word.

The phone buzzed again and this time it just had an address.

I called Kellan back and it went straight to voicemail. Fuck. He’d shut off his phone.

I googled the address. I didn’t know it, but I guess I was about to. I grabbed my keys, hating everything about the night.

Fool, my beast informed me. I imagined him shaking his head.

29

OVERDOING IT

Archer

“Archer. Archer.” Someone’s voice was trying to penetrate the fog that was surrounding my brain.

“Go away.” I swatted whoever it was and turned over, needing more sleep.

“Archer, it’s eight a.m.”

“What?” I sat up but the room spun around and the dizziness had me flopping back on the bed. I closed my eyes because the bright daylight was hurting them.

“Did you sleep badly?” Micah leaned over me.

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