Page 66 of Shadows of the Soul

“You have no reason to stay.”

“How about the threat to your life from whatever is fueling this blood magic? Or the king of hell that is hot on your trail?”

“Neither of those things are your concern.”

“Just because I pressed pause on our relationship doesn’t mean I don’t care.”

“There’s no pause. I told you last night, you end it, then it’s the end. You’ve already hurt me. Please don’t continue to do so by being here.”

He closed his eyes and a look of complete torment passed over his features before he leaned his arms on either side of my head and he touched his forehead against mine. My heart sped up, because while I was angry, I wasn’t unaffected. I slammed my eyes shut, because I couldn’t stand the look of longing on his face. “I’ll leave once this threat is contained. Once I feel your life isn’t hanging in the balance.”

My life was always hanging in the balance. It was the nature of my beast. “Fine. We neutralize whatever the threat is, then you leave.”

“Okay,” he whispered.

He stayed against me for a few minutes. “Hudson,” I muttered. He took a deep breath, then grazed his lips against my temple before pulling away. A ripple of pleasure ran down my spine.

He stepped back as Mercy opened the door and stuck her head out. At least she was dressed now, even if she looked like a catwalk model in high-waisted tight jeans, a floaty blouse, and heels. Like she needed the extra height.

“Cora,” Dave shouted from the main house.

We spun to face him. His long stride ate up the distance, the roses splattered on his black pants.

He barely contained the look of disgust thrown in Mercy’s direction. Huh, what had the leopard done to warrant the wrath of Dangerous Dave? Also, since when did I get the nice treatment? As far as I knew, he still wanted my head.

“This doesn’t involve you,” Dave snapped at Mercy. “Go back to the pack house.”

Mercy huffed. “Hudson needs me.”

Hudson eyeballed her. “No, Mercy, I don’t.”

Is it petty that I felt a warmth at his words? “But–”

Hudson put a hand on my back and walked with me and Dave toward the main house.

“That wasn’t very nice to your new girlfriend,” I muttered.

Hudson’s head snapped to me, and his brows raised into his hairline. “Mercy is a friend, Cora. We ran together last night to blow off some steam. That’s all.”

“That’s not all she thinks it is,” Dave mumbled.

“What do you mean?” Hudson said.

Dave shrugged. “Mercy has had her eye on you for years. She upped the seduction once she saw you were serious about Cora.”

“Well, he’s free now,” I offered. “And it turns out he wasn’t all that serious.”

Dave snorted and shook his head. “You’re both clueless.”

I reached out and touched Dave’s arm. His gaze snapped to mine. “I’m so sorry about Mary.”

He pressed his lips together and blinked twice. “It’s not your fault. I overreacted to an impossible situation and lashed out, for that I am sorry.”

Something that had been knotted inside me was released. “We will find the one responsible,” I vowed.

Dave smiled. “No, we will murder the one responsible by pulling him apart limb from limb. I will remove his organs and keep him alive and awake to experience the utter terror and pain that he has inflicted on others.”

And this is why he was called Dangerous Dave.

---