Chapter 9
Axel was running late, which never happened. Mainly because he’d debated going to The Roost, knowing the witch would be there. But why should he change his routine simply because he didn’t want to see her?
So, after several internal debates, he found himself striding through the door and—
Every muscle seized up.
His head whipped in the direction of the witch’s chamomile and honey scent, soured by fear, and surrounded by an unfamiliar scent that made bile churn in his stomach. Which was when he saw Ambrose fucking Blackthorn sitting across from her, looming forward despite the witch’s obvious discomfort.
“I can’t believe you would send wolves after me!” Her voice was a low hiss, only discernible thanks to his supernatural hearing.
“I told you to come home,” Blackthorn said. “You left me no choice.”
“No choice?! What the fuck? They could have killed me.”
“They were not to harm you, Rebecca.”
Axel instantly hated the way Blackthorn used her name—the way it sounded in his mouth. He wanted to rip Blackthorn’s tongue out for so much as speaking it. Which was inconceivable.
“That’s beside the point, Ambrose. You don’t own me. Go home.”
“I’m not going anywhere. If I have to drag you home myself, I will.”
“You wouldn’t dare.” She crossed her arms and Axel’s admiration for her lifted several notches.
“You really want to test me?” Blackthorn snarled, keeping his voice low.
Annnd Axel had heard enough. His legs began moving before he could stop himself, closing the distance between them in several quick strides.
“You wouldn’t dare use magic out in the open,” the witch challenged.
“Try me—”
“Is this man bothering you?” Axel inserted himself in the conversation, towering over the table.
The witch’s mouth widened into a surprised oh.
Blackthorn, on the other hand, leaned back to regard him with distaste. “We’re in the middle of a private conversation.”
“Doesn’t look like the lady wants much to do with your… private conversation.”
“Axel.” She was still blinking, as if the sight of him was completely unexpected. Or perhaps she hadn’t expected him to intervene. In fact, why was he? This wasn’t his business.
Yet, he would never stand for bullying.
“Making friends with the locals, are you?” Blackthorn made his disgust clear.
“Who I ‘make friends with’ is none of your concern, Ambrose.”
“I’ll not have my fiancé—”
“I am not your fucking fiancé,” she cried, loud enough that the entire coffee shop went quiet. Heads turned.
Color rose on Blackthorn’s cheeks. His eyes darted around the establishment. He opened his mouth—
“I think you should leave, Blackthorn,” Axel gritted out. “Preferably now.”
“No one wants you here, Ambrose,” she added. “Least of all me.”
Blackthorn shot to his feet. “I am not leaving this backwater town alone. I will bring you home.”
“Good luck with that, ye bloody bastard,” Axel said, taking a step forward. Over his dead fucking body was this pathetic excuse of a person taking her anywhere against her will.
He tried to tell himself he would have reacted this way for anyone, female, male, or otherwise, but somehow he knew that wasn’t true. Knew he was reacting because it was her. Because somehow, she’d gotten under his skin.
Blackthorn’s expression darkened. The male might have power—that much was evident from the stench pouring off him—but he was a child in comparison to the years Axel had lived. His tantrum ended now.
“Get out.” His voice was a low, wolfish growl.
Blackthorn scoffed. “We’re not done here, Rebecca.” Then he strode from the establishment.
Axel immediately took the vacated seat, studying the witch in front of him. He’d once thought her scent unsavory—the witchy parts, anyway. But it was paradise compared to Blackthorn’s foul odor.
Her cheeks were flushed. She tucked a strand of brown hair behind her ear. They were pierced, her ears. She had several rings decorating her cartilage and a set of diamond studs in her lobe.
He cleared his throat, his gaze locking with hers. “Are you all right?”
His voice came out rougher than intended. He needed something to drink. She’d disrupted his schedule.
“I… I’m okay.”
“Thought the two of you were together.”
“To-together? Why would you… Oh.” She closed her eyes briefly. “The tabloids?” He hummed in confirmation. “Right. He’s my ex.”
“I’ve gathered that.”
She scrubbed a hand over her face. There were bags under her eyes. She looked tired, like she hadn’t been sleeping. And… Had she lost weight? It had only been a week since they’d last seen each other—right here in this very building. That was too soon to lose weight, wasn’t it?
“Have you been eating?”
“Have I been…? That’s what you’re going with?”
“You don’t look well.”
She huffed out a laugh. “Believe it or not, I just ate one of your favorites, a chocolate-chocolate-chunk cookie. The last one, by the way.”
“The last—” He cut himself off when she grinned. The sight of it transformed her features. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“I’m teasing. But if it had been the last, I certainly would have done it anyway.”
He blew out a breath, leaning back to regard her. “Rebecca.”
Her eyes dilated and her lips parted. “That’s the first time you’ve said my name.”
“No it’s not.”
“Yes. Yes it is.”
He hummed. “Want to tell me what that was about?”
She chewed on the corner of her bottom lip. He forced his gaze back up to her eyes.
“Ambrose and I met at a Supernatural Council event last year. I didn’t know who he was—at the time. I’d had a pretty bad day and a few too many drinks. I wasn’t using as much common sense as I should have been. Things moved quickly. I just… I just wanted to let go, you know? Get lost. Feel…”
She sighed, closing her eyes.
“I’d accidentally used magic earlier that day.
It was stupid, really. I was rearranging my bookshelf and it came toppling down on me and I panicked and used my magic.
Anyway, it put me in such a foul mood. So, yeah.
I just wanted to forget. And Ambrose… He was attractive and very clearly into me.
So that night… We might have had a one night stand before either of us knew the other’s full names. ”
Everything in him went hot. He forced down the angry growl threatening to surface, because he had no right to react. And yet, it felt like he’d just swallowed shards of glass.
“Anyway,” she continued, oblivious. “We continued seeing each other after that because, well, it kind of made sense in a weird way. Sort of a Romeo and Juliet thing, you know? Then he asked me to marry him. I considered it. I never said yes, though. I broke up with him before that could happen.”
“Let me guess, he isn’t taking it well.”
“As you can see.”
Their eyes held. Something danced in the depths of hers, telling him there was more to the story than she’d revealed. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask, but if he started digging too deep, she’d expect the same. And he wasn’t willing to share his secrets.
“Ambrose Blackthorn comes from a powerful family,” he said. “He’s a powerful witch.”
“Your point?”
“You’re not.” His words hit their mark. But he wasn’t trying to be hurtful, just honest.
“I’m aware, thanks.”
“You shouldn’t be alone with him.” This was the point he was trying to make.
“Not much I can do about that when he shows up out of nowhere.”
“He might show up at your house. You’d be helpless against him.”
“Thanks for stating the obvious, Axel.”
His stomach flipped at the sound of his name on her lips. He ignored it and ran a hand through his hair, knowing he was going to regret his next words. “You’ll have to stay with me.”
“Excuse me?”
“Do I need to repeat myself?”
“I’m not staying with you.”
“You’re in danger. You don’t have a choice.”
“I can stay with Iris.” Her eyes darted in the direction of the barista, who happened to be throwing furtive glances their way.
“Unless Iris is a supernatural with powers that rival Ambrose Blackthorn, then I don’t think so.”
“Oh! And you are?”
His jaw clenched. “You’ll be far safer with me, lass. You’ll come to no harm under my watch. And just think of it, unlimited access to my land.”
“You cannot be serious. That’s how you want to convince me? Axel, what about my job? There’s a reason I rent a bungalow close to campus.”
“I’ll drive you to work.”
Rebecca scoffed. “And you’ll what, offer to take care of my bunnies too?”
“Your… what?” His mind tripped over her last question.
“Bunnies? You know, the things you people probably eat when you’re hungry?”
He reared back. “You have…bunnies?” He didn’t bother disguising the absolute look of horror forming on his face. “Like…as pets?”
“That is what one does with bunnies.” She stared at him. “Okay, well, someone who isn’t a wolf.”
“Leave the bunnies.”
She gasped. There was true anger in her expression. “Take it back. Take it back or you can leave my table.”
“It’s not your table.”
“Axel.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “God almighty. Fine. The bunnies can come too. But I won’t make any promises—”
“If you so much as salivate in their direction, I will end you.”
Now didn’t seem a good time to tell her that it was statistically impossible, given the odds of her against him. Instead, his head lolled back before he pinned her with his gaze. “You and your bunnies will be safe in my home.”
She stared at him for several beats. It spoke to how much she feared Blackthorn, because at last she nodded and said, “Fine. But only because you’re the only supernatural I know. And…it would be easier to search for cave entrances.”
He felt his shoulders relax. He’d unpack that reaction later.
Her rental smelled like her.
Fortunately, her back was to him so she didn’t notice the way he closed his eyes and inhaled.
“Do you think bunnies can smell mongrels?” she called over her shoulder.
“Funny.”
“Just wondering if they’ll be nervous to meet you.”
“They don’t need to meet me.”
“They do if they’ll be living with you.”
He exhaled, not bothering with a response.