Page 795 of Love Bites

CHAPTER9

Eagan stared at the swinging door, his chest aching with regret. Shit, Magic was hurt. He couldn’t miss the look in the panther’s eye. Fear and disgust and… pain. The two of them were like brothers. For him to think Eagan was a monster who didn’t give two shits about his mate’s heart was the fucking worst feeling ever.

But it was necessary.

If the clan thought he was going to claim her, they wouldn’t hold her accountable for what she’d done. He just needed a little time. He’d find a way for her to work off her debt and then she wouldn’t be on the run anymore. Hopefully he could explain things to Magic later, and he’d understand.

Shit, this was bad.

A tug at his back pocket grabbed his attention, and he turned in time to see his little female make a run for the door, notebook in hand.

Ohhhhh, no she wasn’t. Not after what he’d just done to cover her ass.

Eagan lunged for her, but she was a hair too quick, pushing through to the dining room. With a growl, he ran after her. She was fast, even with her short legs, but he caught her at the edge of the parking lot, just steps away from the trail that would take him to his cabin.

In one motion, he scooped her up and tossed her over his shoulder, his steps not faltering as he found the dark trail into the woods.

“Put. Me.Down.” She smacked his back and kicked her feet, but he wasn’t deterred. “Help!” she screamed, and his heart lurched.

She actually thoughthewas the threat? If she only knew.

He swatted her ass hard enough to make her yelp, but not hurt.

“No one’s going to help you except me. So stop it.”

She went still. “Help me? Is that what this is? Because it doesn’t seem like help. It seems like kidnapping.”

Her judgmental tone left him smirking. “So what. You’re a thief and I’m a kidnapper. Wanna cast the first stone?”

She went limp as he continued down the path, the darkness enveloping them.

“Please. Just let me go and I’ll never come back here, okay? I’ll go far away. Find some other forest to live in. Just… please.”

“No.”

“But why not? I promise I won’t steal anymore. I’ll… I’ll…”

“No. I helped you just now, and look what you did. You ran from me.”

The idea both turned him on and infuriated him. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. He wasn’t supposed to lay claim to her or hurt his clan or any of this shit. He’d just wanted to feed her and keep her safe and somehow help her make restitution for her crimes so she could be at peace.

“He told me to,” she grumbled low enough she probably thought Eagan hadn’t heard.

“That’s because he thinks I’m going to hurt you.”

She was quiet for a few steps. “Are you?”

“Have I yet?”

Another long silence.

“No. Not exactly. But what was all that back there?”

Eagan climbed the steps to his cabin, jiggling the handle until the door came open and maneuvered them both through the entryway. He turned with her still over his shoulder, and flipped the deadbolt on the door.

There. She couldn’t run now. They’d stay here until he could figure out what to do.

Carefully, he set her on her feet, and her gaze scanned the area, looking for an out.

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