Chapter 5
5
J aeger
She stares up at me, her freckled face so young in the morning light. It’s all I can do not to drop to the couch and pull her in my arms to assure her that everything will be okay. But I’m still filled with rage after dealing with the sleazy landlord. I don’t dare touch her in case the beast breaks free. I’ve spent my life on edge, ready to fight, and she’s a tiny, fragile creature. I won’t risk hurting her.
“I can explain.” She hesitates. “Did Margot get a cab?” Even helpless and in pain, she’s so focused on helping others.
This is why my bunny needs me. I knew I shouldn’t leave her alone. The world is cold and cruel and gobbles up tiny bunnies for breakfast.
She needs a Big, Bad Wolf at her side. I got here in the nick of time.
“I did one better,” I tell her. “I called her a private escort. They’ll get her out of the city and put her in a hotel for the night.” By then, my network of contacts will have forged new identities for Margot and her young children. Elodie’s sister will get new papers, a burner phone, and an escort all the way to her final destination.
Whatever Elodie’s situation is, she doesn’t have the experience to handle it. I’ve spent my life dealing with sticky situations. Mostly, I murder people to solve them, so this is a nice, relaxing change of pace.
And helping children has always been a priority. If I had my way, no one who touches a hair on a child’s head would live.
No one touches my bunny, either.
“Your sister will be safe. I’ll make sure of it.”
She blinks at me, her forehead furrowed as if she doesn’t believe me. “Why?” she finally says.
“Because you’re now under my protection.”
“But…why?”
I stare down at her. I don’t answer because I don’t know how to put my urges into words. “Why didn’t you tell me you were in trouble?”
She snorts. “Why would I? I don’t usually explain my life story to my one-night stands.”
I grit my teeth against the sting of jealousy. My voice deepens to a growl. “Do you have many of them? One-night stands?”
She shakes her head. “It’s none of your business. But no.”
I relax. It doesn’t matter who she’s been with, I remind myself. It only matters that from here on out, she’s with me.
“But they don’t usually stick around,” she says. Her tone is accusing, as if she’s challenging me to leave.
Too bad. I’m not going anywhere. Not without her.
I caught my perfect prey, and I want to keep her.
I cup her face in my tattooed palm. Her eyelashes flutter. Poor bunny. She’s hurt and needs rest to heal.
“I’m taking you away from here.”
She jerks out of my hand and glares at me. “If you’re here for more of what you got last night, you’re going to be disappointed.” She waves a hand at her ankle. “Like you said, I can’t run away.”
Sweet rabbit. Doesn’t she know I’m enjoying this new game? Caring for her is just as fun as the chase. I never thought I’d enjoy keeping what I’ve caught, but with her, I do. It satisfies the beast.
“Tell me why you wanted Margot and the kids to leave.”
She sighs. “Her ex borrowed from a loan shark and couldn’t pay, so he split. The loan shark’s been sending his thugs to threaten us. We’ve been holding him off by giving him our rent money.” She picks at the fraying couch cushion. “Why do you think I took a sex work gig that involved me running naked through the woods? For my health?”
Grumpy bunny. I love it when she snaps at me.
“How much do you owe?”
“It was thirteen thousand. Now, apparently, it’s doubled.” She rubs her forehead. “I guess that’s how loan shark interest works.”
“What is this person’s name?”
“Umberto the Executioner.”
I’ve heard of him. He operates outside the city, across the river, so as not to infringe on Fraternitas’ territory and incur our wrath.
“So far, they’ve been fine with the rent money,” she says. “But I guess last night, one of them threatened to take the kids.”
“He will not touch a hair on their heads.” Or yours, I add silently.
She looks so defeated, slumped on the couch with her foot propped up.
I squat down so we’re at eye level and cup the back of her neck. I squeeze lightly, giving her a slow, gentle massage. “I’ll fix it.”
Her gaze darts to me and away. But she leans into my touch. She knows she needs my help, even though she’s fighting her desire for me.
I can work with that. “You’re not staying here.”
“What?”
I gather her things into her purse and lift her in my arms. “You’re coming with me.”
“Jaeger, no.” She pushes at my shoulder, but it might as well be a swipe of a kitten’s paw.
I smile at her. I like it when she tries to fight me. It’s adorable.
I hoist her closer, and she meets my gaze. She flushes and looks away.
Interesting.
I don’t have time to study her responses to me—the red creeping up her freckled cheeks, the catch in her breath, the way she leans into me even though she’s protesting. I carry her out of the apartment and make it down one flight of stairs, only to be met by two bald goons on the stairwell. They’re clearly heading to Elodie’s apartment. One of them has a bat propped on his shoulder and is whistling as he climbs.
Elodie grabs my shirt, gripping it tightly.
“It’s okay, bunny.” I’m going to have to put her down to deal with these men. Leaving her unguarded is not my preference, so I’ll have to make the fight quick.
She’s not listening. “It’s them.” Her face blanches. “That’s the guy Umberto sent. I don’t have the money to pay them yet.”
She’s not giving them a dime. “You won’t need it,” I tell her. “You have me.”
She stares at me, unseeing. I have no choice but to set her on a dirty step. “Stay here. I’m going to deal with this.”
No one threatens my bunny and lives.
Elodie
Jaeger leaves me leaning against the railing and turns to face the thugs. The first one is Baldie, the ass who’s been shaking us down. The second is a carbon copy of him and holding a bat. He doesn’t look like a guy who likes to play baseball, which means the bat is used to hit other things.
Baldie stops on the landing below as Jaeger blocks his passage up the stairs. “We don’t want no trouble. We got business with her.” He points to me.
“Wrong,” Jaeger says. “If your business is with her, it’s with me.”
Baldie and his buddy share a glance. “So be it.” The second guy swings the bat back, ready to strike.
Before Baldie can move, Jaeger leaps and lands on him. At least, I think that’s what happened. It’s hard to follow his movements. A big guy shouldn’t be able to move so fast.
Baldie goes down with Jaeger on top of him. There’s shouting and a crack, and Jaeger’s rising from a limp body. Baldie’s head lies at an impossible angle, his eyes staring at nothing.
The second thug is already scrambling up the stairs, headed toward me. The weaker prey. I scoot back on the dirty tile as fast as I can, biting back a cry of pain. It hurts so bad that I can’t get away.
Turns out I don’t have to. Halfway up the stairs, the second thug falls on his face. Jaeger drags him back and kicks him over. “You fucked with the wrong woman.” suddenly, Jaeger has the bat. I cover my eyes.
“No, no, please—” There’s a thwack, then nothing but screams. I wish I could cover my ears.
But I peek through my fingers to watch the blood spatter. The savage part of me is hungry for the sight and scent of the blood of my enemies.
Jaeger tips what’s left of the man over the railing of the stairs. The bloodthirsty part of me crows with delight, pleased at how he’s solved my problems with brutal efficiency.
Jaeger whips around, looking for me. Flecks of red cover his perfect face and his shining hair. When he sees that I’m okay, a cruel smile curves his lips.
He stalks my way, taking the stairs three at a time. I don’t know whether to cringe away or cheer. I settle for holding still as he scoops me up and cradles me against his chest. He carries me the rest of the way down the stairs, carefully stepping over Baldie’s body.
Cries in the stairwell echo above us as people open their doors to find the blood and bodies. We pass thug number two on our way out the door. I avert my eyes from the body.
The sun blazes on our faces the second we walk outside. Jaeger doesn’t hesitate. His car is again illegally parked in front of the building, but no one has touched it.
He sets me gently in the passenger seat and buckles me in. I let him. I’m not catatonic, but I’m taking in everything around me like it’s a movie playing on a screen.
He pauses, and I blink up at him. I don’t know if I’ll ever stop reliving the moment he took a bat to the thug who threatened me in one breath and screamed for mercy the next.
Jaeger cups my cheek, and I startle, coming back to the present. He looks like a Viking, returned from pillaging new lands. But his touch is gentle.
He doesn’t speak. He swipes my cheek with a thumb and then pulls away to shut my door.
I watch him slip some cash to the old men who sit on the bench. They smile up at him, calling him ‘sir.’ One of them salutes him.
Jaeger gets into the driver’s side. “ Vini vidi vici ,” he murmurs with that cruel smile. At least, I think that’s what he says. How does a guy like him know Latin?
The Lykan engine roars to life. The car goes zero to sixty, and just like that, my apartment building is in the rear view mirror and disappearing.
I don’t know where he’s taking me.
I can only hang on for the ride.
Jaeger
My bunny lies in my king-sized bed, tucked on her side with her ankle carefully elevated. She passed out almost as soon as I set her down. The events of last night and today wiped her out.
Good. She needs rest to heal.
I can’t stop looking at her. Her hair is a dark flame against the blue blankets. Her eyes are closed, and her breath comes softly, but every once in a while, her nose twitches, and she mumbles something. Her forehead knots until I reach down and lay my palm on her knee. My touch settles her every time.
She’s beautiful like this, asleep and serene. I like her like this, but I also like her when she’s glaring up at me, eyes snapping. She has dark eyes unlike any I’ve ever seen. They’re almost purple with a reddish tint, like mulberries. And her freckles are a wonder. I want to trace each one, even though my rough, tattooed hands on her pure, freckled skin look obscene. Like a demon’s claws on an angel’s wings.
She was frightened today on the stairs, but she didn’t shrink away from me. For a moment when she looked at me, there was a savage excitement in her dark eyes. She didn’t just accept my violence; she embraced it.
She was made for me.
The money Fraternitas makes affords me this luxury penthouse, but I’ve never felt it was home. Not until now. Before Elodie, I only came here to crash between completing my duties for Fraternitas. The brotherhood is all that matters.
Now, I’m getting a glimpse that life might have more to offer. It’s like I’ve been living in darkness and someone flipped on the lights.
There’s not a lot of space in my life for soft, sweet things. The world is violent and cruel, and I’ve made myself even more violent and cruel to survive it. But maybe surviving isn’t all there is. Maybe after all the struggle, there can be a reward. The wolf can make space for a sleepy little bunny in his den.
Maybe this one I get to keep.