Page 14 of Mated to the Enemy
“Maybe,” Klaue said, for once sounding agreeable. “Not sure though.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
“Can you tell me more about last night?” he said, finishing up his warm-up as he turned to face her.
Jessica pushed her lips together. She couldn’t tell him. She couldn’t tellanyone. If she did that, she would put her sister in danger. As long as she kept her mouth shut and the secret stayed with her, then Canis would keep Zoe alive. Eventually, she would find a way to get her sister out of there, but in the meantime, her best option was to keep her mouth closed.
That was all guesswork though, and it relied on Lorran having told the truth when he said he could keep her safe. Still, Jessica didn’t have any other option. She was trapped, with no way out of the situation. Not yet, but she wasn’t going to stop trying to figure one out.
“Well, if there’s nothing more, then I suppose you’ll be on your way today?” Klaue suggested calmly, cracking his neck to either side.
Jessica shivered at the sound. “What do you mean?”
The huge bear shifter chuckled, deep laughter that cut right to her. “What do you think this is, a hotel?” He sniffed sarcastically. “Even if it was, you haven’t paid. We’re not just going to house you. It costs money.”
She gaped. “But you have to! You said you would.”
“For the night. And we did.”
“But I need to stay here!” She couldn’t believe what he was saying. Would they really just toss her out like that?
“Why?” Klaue growled, his own emotions flaring to match hers.
“If you kick me out, they’ll kill me. You saw that. You saw what they would do to get me!” Jessica knew what Klaue was trying to do. He needed information, needed to know more about her, about what she knew. But Jessica couldn’t give it to him. She just couldn’t. Zoe was her sister. They were of the sameblood. She couldn’t just betray that, put her sister in harm’s way.
Klaue and his bears could defend themselves. He’d demonstrated that last night when he’d fought off all the wolves. Zoe was helpless, surrounded by a den of murderous werewolves. He had to see that. He had to understand!
“Maybe,” he said. “Maybe they won’t though. What does that have to do with me?”
Jessica snapped, losing control of her temper. “Fine then. Go fight your fight. I’ll figure something out.” She shook her head angrily. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and you’ll get some decency knocked into you.”
“Perhaps,” Klaue agreed. “Maybe you should fight too,” he suggested.
She frowned, trying to understand what he was implying. Was he saying she needed some manners as well? As if! The nerve of him to say such a thing. She sniffed frostily, not bothering to respond verbally, letting her body language do all the talking for her.
Klaue sighed. “Whatever. Come on then, let’s go.” He gestured to the door when she didn’t move.
“What? Where are we going now?”
His eyebrows came together. “The…fight?” he said, like she should know that.
“What? Can’t I stay here?”
“No. This is my room, and you might be a spy. I don’t want you spying on me, or doing anything indecent in my quarters while I’m not here.”
Jessica gaped at him, stunned by the treatment. Maybe everything she’d heard about the shifters of House Ursa was true after all. Huge, hunky, and hella big assholes!
“Fine,” she snapped, knowing that arguing was worthless. “Lead the way. I want a good seat. I’d love to come watch you get your ass handed to you.”
Lifting her chin into the air, she marched out of the room, ignoring the surprised look on his face.
