Page 82 of Claiming Ours
“What else?” Those narrowed eyes looked everywhere but at me. I clicked my tongue in disapproval. “Nope.” Gripping her chin in a firm hold, I tilted her face up to mine. “Tell us what else he said.”
The muscle along her jaw flexed as it worked back and forth. “He said that I….” With a hard tug, she tried to break free but couldn’t. “Listen, it doesn’t matter.”
“What did he say, Bay?” Memphis urged, his tone all business.
“That I deserved better than to be shared.” Her throat shifted with a hard swallow. “To be with someone at my level.” Those icy blue eyes rolled to the ceiling. “Like fucking degrees or education can determine one’s character quality or what they deserve out of life. Asswipe.”
“His intent was to take you from us,” I stated evenly, barely able to keep my anger out of my voice, not wanting her to think it was aimed at her.
Her blonde hair slid over her shoulders with her slow headshake. “No, Liam. He wanted to take you two from me. Fuck him, and fuck his elitist attitude. I know where I belong,” she whispered. “I know what makes me happy.”
“Just happy?” Memphis asked, his hold tightening around her waist.
“Cared for, seen, wanted.” She locked her eyes with mine. “Loved.”
A deep rumble sounded in my chest at that last part. Leaning forward, I pressed a hard kiss to her forehead and then stood.
“Come on, Memphis,” I growled while helping Baylee off his lap so he could stand. “We have that errand to run we talked about.” I gave him a hard stare, hoping to convey that our errand wasn’t anything Baylee needed to know about.
He responded with a clipped nod and pushed off the couch, storming to the front door, waiting for me there with a white-knuckled grip around the knob.
“Why didn’t you tell me last night, Little Bit?” I asked, gazing down at where she sat on the couch. “About Taylor or hell, these fucking calls you’ve been getting.”
Her lips curled in wry smile. “Really? Look at how you acted being here when I told you. If I would’ve mentioned it last night, then both of you would’ve risked your lives traveling back here as quickly as you could. You had a job to do there, and I was safe. I only told Oliver today because… it felt off.”
“What did?” Memphis’s voice trembled.
“His entire attitude about our community, about women in general. I don’t know, it was just strange. I don’t think he has anything to do with what’s going on along the Soul Trail, but I wanted Oliver to know so he’d have that on his radar, I guess.”She chewed on her lip, staring at the ground. “And there’s the bandage on his arm. You saw it the other day.” She looked at Memphis, who nodded. “What if it’s a dog bite? Hank’s bite?”
I stilled. “Did you ask him about it?”
“Um, no. I didn’t get a chance. Halfway through his little speech about all that shit, he apparently forgot about my two animal besties and took a step toward me.” She slid off the couch to kneel in front of Elvis and buried her face in his neck. “Elvis and Hank took that as an act of war and freaked out. Elvis lunged at Taylor while Hank snarled and snapped like he’d gone mad but stayed right at my side.”
I gazed down with appreciation at the lab and then the husky. “Good job, boys.” Both of their tails went wild, like they knew my praise was for them. “I’ll pick up steaks on the way home for you both.”
“He ran out of there like… well, two dogs might bite his balls off if he stayed in my clinic another second.” She grinned into Elvis’s fur before turning that smile up to me. “Dogs are the best.” Movement in the kitchen and a little squeak made her smile grow. “And ermines,” she said louder, as if the rodent knew what she was saying. “You would’ve clawed his face off, BamBam.”
Another squeak, this one more high-pitched, had me eyeing the ermine standing up on his hind legs on the kitchen island.
“I swear you speak fluent animal,” I muttered under my breath while rubbing a hand down my face.
“What errand do you two need to run?”
Memphis and I exchanged a knowing glance before he yanked open the door and left me to answer Baylee alone. Asshole.
“Nothing to worry about, Little Bit. Plus, now I need to make a stop for these two fellas’ reward.” At the front door, I paused. “You’ll be here, right here, when I get back.”
“I might even make dinner.” At my grimace, she barked out a laugh and waved me off. “I think even I can manage spaghetti.”
“Remember last time when—” She threw her hands in the air in exasperation. “Right. Well, I don’t expect us to be gone long, so wait for Memphis to cook when we get back. He seems to love cooking. You wouldn’t want to deny him that, right?”
Hands on her hips, she cocked one out to the side. “You’re playing dirty, Liam.”
My responding chuckle was deep and throaty. “No, baby. That’s later. Be back soon.”
Locking the door behind me, I leapt down the steps, my boots slamming to the ground in front of where Memphis paced.
“You know where he lives?” he asked, lip curled in a snarl.
