Page 34 of 3 Shifters to Break a Curse

She shrugged. “Everything has changed now.”

“Like what?” I asked. “What has changed?”

“Everything,” she continued to say.

“We can’t help you if you aren’t honest with us,” Ezra chimed in.

“I… I can’t,” she said, avoiding looking at any of us. “Just let me go.”

I sighed. “All right, but I truly believe it would do you some good to have a little extra time to rest and heal. But if you truly think leaving is best, I wish you well.”

“You don’t understand,” she said. “I want to stay… I just can’t.”

Now we were getting somewhere. “Why can’t you?”

“I need to go,” she added. “Please let me leave.”

I exchanged a glance with each of my brothers in arms. Rin shrugged. Ezra shook his head.

There was a reason for all of this, and I had a sinking feeling I knew exactly what—rather who—it was.

“I can’t do that,” I said.

One way or another, she was going to be safe. I couldn’t let her walk out of her and out of our lives because she kept something dark and terrible from us. That was the only thing I could think of that would make her want to leave so badly, and so out of the blue.

I leaned against the door and stared at her, waiting for the real answer.

15

TONI

My anxieties were starting to eat away at the last of my nerves. I knew the wrath heading for me well, and the anticipation of Jared’s anger made everything exceptionally difficult. And though I appreciated what the men were trying to do, I had made a promise. With each moment ticking by, the proverbial guillotine hovering over my head was closer to dropping. Jared was coming closer, choking off my time to break free and save the men from a fate worse than death. Because I didn’t want to stick around to find out what he would do to them. But I knew it wasn’t going to be pleasant.

I would never recover, and I would never be able to forgive myself for not leaving sooner. I had to find a way.

If I left now, Jared wouldn’t have a reason to hurt them.

I had no choice. And as much as I was relieved to hear Luke tell me I still had permission to stay as long as I wanted, I understood beyond any shadow of a doubt I couldn’t. Staying was putting the men in danger. I was out of time, and my presence had become a death sentence if not something much, much worse.

I hated thinking about what Jared might do to the men once he found me here with them. His temper was often unchecked and out of control. The damage he could do to their beautiful home alone had me holding my breath.

But Luke… handsome, fierce, handsome as hell Luke… he remained firmly planted against the door, blocking my only exit out of the cabin. Though I probably could have gone through a window, one of the men would likely have stopped me before I made it halfway there. I wasn’t doing too much thinking through any of this plan. I was motivated by one thing, and one thing only, and that was fear for these men.

Little did they realize how much more difficult they were making things. And not only for me but for them as well.

So long as they demanded an excuse, I was stuck. But if I mentioned Jared, they probably would have insisted I stay all the more. That simply wasn’t possible. As much as I hated to, I needed to lie.

I squeezed my eyes closed and sucked in a deep breath. I sucked at lying so whatever I said had to be easily explained.

“Something is off…” I stammered. “In the elements. Feels like a storm. It’s in the energy. In the air. It’s trouble. And I need to go.”

“Bullshit,” Luke said.

“Wait,” Ezra interjected. “You’re afraid of storms?”

I stared at Luke. After the sex with Ezra, I just couldn’t bear to look at him. I was lying through my teeth, and though the men had all caught onto as much, I wasn’t about to admit to it. All I was able to think of was saying anything and everything I could other than the truth to walk out the door and as far away as I could before Jared arrived.

“In terms of excuses, that was pretty lame,” Luke said.

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