Page 37 of Furever Loyal
“Charm?” She shook her head, staring at the sprawling building. “Size, yes. It’s so big, it must feel almost haunted. So much space.”
“Not nearly enough sometimes,” Kincaid muttered.
She mulled that over. “Okay, I suppose if everyone is the size of you, and has to accommodate a matching ego, it might feel a bit tight.”
Kincaid didn’t say anything.
“You probably need it. If there’s a bunch of huge horrible beasts wandering around, you don’t want territorial fights I guess.”
The growl from the driver’s seat was unexpected. “We’re not beasts, Haley. Even in animal form, we’re in total control. It’s stillus. Still me.”
She tore her gaze away from the looming manor, noticing for the first time the hurt on his face. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to insult you. That’s not what I was going for.”
“It’s okay. I’m used to it,” he said, trying to sound tough.
It didn’t disguise the fact it was a lie, but she let it slide. She’d done enough damage and didn’t want to do more. Her focus was still on him as he brought the car up to the front entrance, and so she was able to see him visibly tense up.
“What’s wrong?” she asked automatically
“Nothing,” he said, his voice still deep, but this time, the toughness was all real. “I’m just not particularly fond of the asshole standing outside.”
Swinging her head around, she caught sight of a tall male, broad shoulders and big build, much like Kincaid. Unlike him, however, the newcomer’s hair was long, black and braided, falling well past his shoulders. Thick black eyebrows and a goatee he probably thought of as fancy added to the contrast of his fair skin. He seemed somewhat familiar, but she couldn’t place him.
“Who is he?” she asked.
“The Ass…an ass,” Kincaid replied. “He’s a dick, but the Queen likes him for some reason.”
“The Queen likes you too,” she teased.
The stairs to the front door rose up on their right as they drove under the giant awning covering much of the ground, but Kincaid was slow to hit the brakes, forcing the big man with the braid to step aside, disdain on his face.
“Don’t antagonize him,” she chided. “Right now, you need all the friends you can get until this is over.”
“He’s not and will never be my friend.”
“Right, and all the others?” she asked, as more men came filing out of the house.
“Yeah,” Kincaid said, but his voice was distracted.
Something was wrong. Alarms started going off in her head, but there was nothing they could do now. She got out, Kincaid doing the same.
“We’re here to see the Queen,” he said calmly, projecting his voice.
Eight more men in total joined the man Kincaid hated, fanning out on either side of them.
“Kincaid?” she asked nervously, unsure of what was going on.
“What’s the meaning of this Kvoss?”
She wanted to go over to him, to hold Kincaid back, but the additional men all had a firm set to their jaw that showed they meant business. Whatever was happening, it was going to happen. There wasn’t anything she could do about it.
“Get these men out of here, Kvoss. I don’t know what the hell you think you’re doing, but it’s not cute. Understood?”
The man with the braid finally spoke. “Kincaid, you are under arrest.”
Her mouth dropped open.
“What?!” Kincaid roared, taking a step closer, getting right into the face of Kvoss. “What the hell is the charge?”
