Chapter 6 #2
“Por Dios, I won’t stand here and listen to this! I told you about it three times over the summer and again in October, and you never fixed it. She was trapped in that room, you heartless bastard.” Her voice was getting dangerously low and tight, taking on a tone that Broxen was familiar with.
It was the way people of many species talked before they started throwing punches—or shooting.
“It’s not my fault that you’re an irresponsible mother who—”
Broxen stalked forward, placing his hands on Gabriela’s hips and gently tugging to guide her back. When she didn’t budge, he simply lifted her off the ground, twisted, and deposited her behind him, ignoring her startled gasp.
He turned to face Mr. Jensen.
The human male tilted his head back to look up, eyes widening and skin paling. His voice was small and thin when he asked, “Who are you?”
“The one who had to break the window open to save that little girl,” Broxen growled and bent toward the man. “And maybe I’m not done breaking things tonight.”
“Hold on, please,” the captain said, hands raised. “Hasn’t enough happened here tonight?”
“Just having a chat,” Broxen said without looking away from Mr. Jensen. “He was about to apologize.”
“I-I will do no such thing,” Mr. Jensen stammered, lifting his chin, “especially not to—”
Broxen’s hand darted out, catching a fistful of the man’s coat. He lifted Mr. Jensen off the ground with one arm until the man’s feet were dangling more than a foot in the air. Broxen’s gums throbbed, and he felt his fangs extend, reflexively preparing to be turned upon his prey.
The vakalgis screamed, grabbing Broxen’s arms with both hands. “Call the police! This is a-assault! Get him off me!”
A gentle hand settled on Broxen’s back, and he saw Gabriela lean toward him from his peripheral vision.
“Mason, put him down,” she urged softly.
He clenched his jaw and bared his teeth, tightening his grip on the man’s jacket. “There’s something he needs to say first.”
Several of the firefighters had gathered around, looking on with uncertainty.
Broxen felt something he hadn’t felt in a long while—the rush of energy that preceded a fight.
He used to love that feeling, used to thrill in it.
But he didn’t want it now. He wanted this filth to apologize to his mate so he could take her and Ana home and get them warm.
“He will,” Gabriela said with utter confidence.
Broxen grunted, glared at Mr. Jensen for a couple more seconds, and dropped the man onto his feet.
Mr. Jensen staggered backward, bumping into the door of his car—likely the only thing that kept the vakalgis upright. With large, rounded eyes, he looked to the firefighters. “Aren’t you idiots going to do anything?”
The captain’s eyebrows fell low, and he shook his head. “No. No, I don’t think so.”
“That man put his hands on me! He threatened me!”
“I didn’t see anything,” one of the other firefighters said with a shrug.
Mr. Jensen reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a phone, fumbling to unlock it with shaking hands. “I’m calling the police. He’s spending the night in a cell, and the rest of you are going to have formal complaints filed against you!”
“Put the phone away,” Gabriela said.
“I don’t take orders from you,” the man sneered.
“Put the phone away, or I promise that I will take you to court over that window. You put my child’s life in direct danger with your negligence.”
Impossibly, Mr. Jensen’s skin paled further. “You don’t have any proof about the damned window.”
“I have the e-mails I sent you. The dates are all there.”
“She’s not even hurt,” the man said. There was fear in his eyes, an unmistakable gleam that was common throughout so many of the universe’s species.
“Burned hand, smoke inhalation,” said the captain. “A few more minutes…”
Broxen’s chest constricted. He wasn’t the best at picking up the meanings humans were so fond of implying, but that one was simple. A few more minutes, and there’d be no more Ana.
“Put the phone away,” Gabriela said. Her voice was calm, even, and cold.
Trembling, Mr. Jensen obeyed.
“Did you have something to say?” she asked.
“I…I’m…”
“What’s that?” Broxen demanded, leaning forward.
“Sorry! I’m sorry!” Looking to the firefighters for help that wasn’t going to come, Mr. Jensen spun around, yanked his car door open, and leapt into the driver’s seat, nearly closing the door on his foot.
Several of the firefighters chuckled.
In that moment, all the tension fled Gabriela, and Broxen could tell immediately by the way her posture changed that she was on the verge of collapse. He slipped his arm around her shoulders and drew her against him. Her entire body trembled.
She leaned against him and let out a shaky breath.
The captain stepped closer to Gabriela, shaking his head.
“Listen, Miss Romero, it’s going to be a little while before the official investigation is done, but…
for what it’s worth, this wasn’t your fault.
There are always fires like this around this time of year.
Usually faulty lights on Christmas trees or bad surge protectors.
You did everything right. You got your daughter out of there, and you’re both safe. That’s all that matters.”
Gabriela nodded. “Thank you, Captain.”
“Do…you have anywhere to go?” His eyes briefly flicked to Broxen. “Someone to stay with?”
“I…”
“With me,” Broxen said. “They will stay with me.”
Under my protection.
Gabriela gasped and looked up at him. “You want us to stay with you? Are…are you sure?”
He met her gaze and nodded. “I am.”
Tears filled her eyes, turning them into deep, dark pools.
Captain Walker cleared his throat. “You have my card, and there’s no use staying out here in the cold. Why don’t you all go on ahead and get warm and settled in. If you need anything, give me a call. Otherwise, I’ll be in touch soon.”
“Okay. Thank you, Captain,” Gabriela said. “Good night.”
Broxen followed Gabriela as she returned to Ana; by the time she’d crossed that short distance, she was visibly shivering, and his teeth were clenched in frustration. It took everything within him not to reach for her.
“Are you okay, Mom?” Ana asked.
“Yeah, baby. I’m okay,” Gabriela responded, helping her daughter down from the truck.
Broxen grabbed the extra blanket that had been draped over Ana’s lap, lifted the tailgate into place, and gestured toward the front door. “Come. Let’s get inside.”
Ana looked toward the house before turning her face back toward her mother in confusion.
“Mason offered to let us stay with him tonight,” Gabriela said.
“Oh.” Ana tipped her head back and met Mason’s gaze. There were bits of ash in her hair, just as there were in Gabriela’s, and tears had left streaks upon her cheeks. “Thank you, Mason.”
For a moment, Broxen had a powerful urge to stalk across the road, pull Mr. Jensen out of his car, and pummel him, just because he knew the man had caused these females pain and distress. But he also knew it wouldn’t ease his aggression—and that it would only cause more trouble for his female.
Revenge wouldn’t help anything. That was a lesson Broxen had learned firsthand.
He offered Ana a nod and the best smile he could manage, placed a hand on Gabriela’s back, and gently nudged her toward the house. “You’re freezing. Let’s go.”
The females walked to the door with him.
Broxen opened it wide, stood aside, and gestured for them to go in ahead of him.
They moved to stand in the living room, where they gazed around.
Having seen the warmth and coziness, the…
the hominess of their house, Broxen couldn’t help but feel oddly self-conscious now.
He closed the door behind himself and strode past his guests.
“Sorry. I, uh… I know it’s not much.”
Gabriela placed her hand upon his arm and met his gaze. “It’s fine, Mason. It’s…everything to us right now.”
He smiled at her. He couldn’t help it, couldn’t do anything but that for a few seconds. When he was finally able to move, he covered her hand with his.
Her skin was cold as ice. Broxen’s smile fell.
“Both of you, come with me.” He led them into his bedroom, grateful that he usually kept things neat. “You can take the bed. I’ll get some clean bedding on it, and, uh…”
He walked to the dresser, tugged open a drawer, and rummaged through it until he found a few t-shirts, a pair of drawstring sweatpants, and a couple pairs of basketball shorts.
“I know they won’t fit well, but I don’t have anything smaller,” Broxen said as he held the clothing out to Gabriela. He tilted his head toward the bathroom door. “You can shower in there. Clean towels in the closet.”
“Thank you.” Gabriela took the clothing and turned toward Ana. She handed her daughter a shirt and a pair of shorts. “Go ahead and shower, Ana. Try not to get your bandage wet. We’ll get some sleep after, okay?”
Ana nodded, clutched the clothes to her chest with one hand, and entered the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
Gabriela stared at the door for a moment before turning to face Broxen again. “I…can’t thank you enough. For what you did.” Her eyes watered. “You…you saved my baby girl.”
She was still trembling, and her skin was paler than usual. While he knew how it felt to be cold, he couldn’t begin to understand the emotions she must’ve been experiencing—couldn’t begin to guess at what she was thinking.
Or…perhaps he could.
There was something in her voice that he recognized, something he knew well after what had happened to Astius. Something he’d felt tonight, when he’d heard Gabriela scream and he’d run outside to see flames rising from the roof of her house and the sky filled with smoke.
Helplessness.