Page 22 of Mated to the Enemy
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She flopped down onto the sofa, letting the plush leather envelop her. In just a short time, Klaue’s quarters had somehow become her safe spot, a place where Jessica could feel at ease from the worries that being exposed to the rest of House Ursa put on her.
They were still the enemy as far as she was concerned, but Klaue was different. He wasn’t like the rest of them, and when he was around, she could relax just a tiny bit. That might not last for much longer though, if the closed-off stare being directed her way was anything to go by. Klaue had always had a cold, distant look about him when he was looking at something besides her, but now that seemed to be changing. Even Klaue had limits to how far he was willing to trust her without knowing the truth.
“I thought you said you found out about us seven years ago,” he said, leveling the accusation.
“Shifters,” she said, crossing her arms, the baggy brown sweatshirt bunching up uncomfortably across her chest and under her neck. They hadn’t bothered to get any that fit her, or any other clothes, so until then she was stuck with the oversized paper bag-looking garment. “I knew about shifters. I didn’t even know it was real magic until you started referring to the man as a mage.”
“But it wasn’t the first time you’d seen him either. So which one is it?”
“Both.” She didn’t want to open up any more.
This was a bad idea, she decided. Coming to House Ursa. Why had she thought that the bear shifters would treat her any differently? To them, she was nothing but a spy sent over in an attempt to infiltrate them. Counting on their help was just too much to ask, it seemed.
Fine. I’ll do it myself then. Somehow.
Just contemplating the situation threatened to overwhelm her. Canis, Ursa, mages, a plot that threatened hers and her sister’s life simply for knowing it. Jessica was terrified, there was no doubting that, but all she was doing here and now was hiding. This wasn’t proactive, and it wasn’t going to solve a damn thing. If Jessica wanted to put an end to it, she would have to take things into her own hands.
Standing up, she gathered her few meager belongings. In the rush to flee Moonshadow Manor, she’d left with little more than what was on her person. Even her cellphone was still back there. There was some lip-chap, a folded receipt from when she’d filled up with gas on her way to see Zoe, and a five-dollar bill that had somehow ended up in the tiny pocket of her jeans. Not much to go on, but it would have to be enough.
“Umm, what do you think you’re doing?” Klaue asked.
She turned to see him leaning to one side staring at her, arms crossed. His sweatshirt still fit him nicely when he did that.
“Leaving. Do you care if I keep the outfit? I think it might be a new trend.”
“What? No, of course I don’t care. I wasn’t expecting it back. We have spares.”
Jessica was grateful for that, at least. It was a long walk up to the road. She was going to need the warmth. Until she could figure out a way to get home, it was all she had.
“You don’t seriously expect me to just let you leave like that, do you?” Klaue asked, blocking the path to the door.
Jessica eyed him, then nodded, moving around the couch to approach from another angle. Klaue intercepted her again, arms spread wide this time.
“Yes, I do,” she answered. “It’s my choice. Unless you’re going to toss me into a prison cell.”
“I’m of half a mind to do just that!” Klaue exclaimed, slapping his hands together. “What brought this on?”
“Your family, your House, they hate me,” she explained slowly, like talking to a child. “Have you not noticed that yet, Klaue? They detest me.” She shook her head slightly. “Not even twenty-four hours, and they’ve gone from having no idea I existed to despising me, thinking I’m a spy for Canis or worse, I guess—somehow associated with a mage, which apparently is a real fucking thing!”
The stress was getting to her, and it showed in the outburst, but now that the gates were open, there was no shutting them. The words kept flowing.
“I don’t know if you’ve ever felt so universally reviled and hated for something you didn’t do, but I can tell you, it doesn’t feel good. So yes, Iamleaving. I’ll go handle this on my own, and thank you very much for saving my life last night and not a whole lot else.”
“That’s kind of a big thing,” he pointed out, still blocking her path.
“Yeah, I know. Believe me, I appreciate it more than you know. But I’m not the one treating people like shit around here.”
Klaue waggled his hand back and forth. “Sort of. We did save your life by killing some of the Canim who were after you. While they shouldn’t have come near our property, that still puts us in a bit of a tight spot. Not to mention this mage. You may not know who they are, but theywerepresent last night, and whoever they are, they’re not some sort of backyard lightshow artist. That guy knows what he’s doing. He was trained.”
“I’m sorry, but I didn’t ask you to kill anyone. And secondly, like I’ve told you, I. Don’t. Know. Who. The. Mage. Is.” She emphasized every word with an exasperated shake of her hands. “It would be nice if someone believed me.”
“I do,” Klaue said. “Isn’t that obvious?”
She sighed. He wasn’t trying to project hurt, but she could sense it in his words anyway. The poor guy was torn between his belief of what she was saying, and the way the rest of his House felt. Pretending he wasn’t, wasn’t fair to him.
“I’m sorry,” she said softly, meaning it. “But I can’t stay here, Klaue. I just can’t. I need to go away, to handle things by myself. It’s for the better, you must know that.”
