Chapter Twelve
Whatever she’d expected Misty and Dame’s home to look like, it hadn’t been this.
The long driveway was lined with perfectly manicured trees and landscaping, and the house was smaller, but with high-end everything.
Beside it was a huge separate garage, but instead of parking there, Misty drove down a fork in the road to the left.
Another short, beautiful trip down a winding road, and there was a huge red shop in a clearing.
The parking area had fresh gravel and even here, the shop or barn was tastefully landscaped.
The ground was dappled with sunrays beaming through the towering tree branches above, and off to the side, she could see a huge RV.
“This is the nicest place I’ve ever seen,” Ren murmured as Misty pulled to a stop beside a familiar truck. Stellan must’ve driven Mars’s truck up here. That man sure had some audacity.
She was nervous now. She could smell him. Mars was just inside that barn. She could tell.
Inside, there was the low murmur of voices. Movement caught her attention, and near the RV, a man stepped out of the trees. He looked so much like Mars, it was shocking. But it wasn’t him. His eyes were glowing a bright gold. Mars had blue eyes.
“Stellan, this is Ren,” Misty called.
The man crossed his arms over his chest and nodded once in a subtle greeting.
She didn’t like him. A small growl rattled her throat.
It was still such a strange sensation. He’d invaded her and Mars’s privacy with the texts, and whatever he’d done to Mars to get him here, she wasn’t a fan.
She looked away from him and gave him her back without greeting him as she made her way into the barn behind Misty.
In the entryway, Ren froze. Time slowed. Mars was across the cavernous room in a twelve-by-twelve cage with thick metal bars and a padlock on the door.
He was standing there, his arms resting on the crossbar, eyes trained on her.
The second he saw her, he huffed a breath and stood to his full height, rolled his head back and stared at her down his nose, his eyes full of emotions she didn’t understand.
The first words out of his mouth were, “I’m so sorry. ”
“For what?” she asked, walking slowly closer.
Mars gestured to the room and shook his head. “For all of it.”
His eyes were so full of regret, and of something more. Hurt? His face was tight, and his features sharper, as if he was close to a Change.
There was a man standing to the side, his arms crossed, gold eyes trained on her as she passed. Dame? He nodded to her and she offered him a little wave. “Not too close, yeah?” he rumbled in a snarling voice.
“Okay,” she said softly.
Misty brought her a camp chair, and set it ten feet away from the cage, then told her, “He won’t be able to reach you here.”
Mars squatted down and buried his face in his hands, rubbed his face.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Don’t let him trick you,” Dame murmured. “Whatever he says, just don’t go closer.”
“I don’t want her to come closer,” he snapped at Dame.
Ren could hear the lie in his voice, but she wasn’t going to point it out.
Dame did. “Lie.”
“Fuck off. Can I have a minute with her?”
“No,” Dame muttered, but at least he made himself busy organizing a stack of boxes in the opposite corner next to a sink.
Misty blew out a nervous breath. “This is different.”
“What do you mean?” Mars asked.
“You don’t feel sick to me.”
Mars pulled his face from his hands and winced as if he were in pain. “I’m not sick.”
Misty was staring at him with such confusion in her eyes. “I’ll be right over here,” she told Ren. To Mars she added, “With a loaded gun.”
Ren’s eyes were tearing up, but she couldn’t explain why. This was all a lot, and the dynamic was so confusing. They were treating him like a grenade with a pin that was barely hanging on.
But he was Mars. He felt the same as when they’d last seen each other.
He was angling his head down at the ground, trying to sneak glances up at her.
She could tell he was hurting. “Headache?”
“Stellan damn-near overdosed me with whatever he put in my beer. The light hurts. I just woke up.”
Digging in her purse, she found her travel sized painkiller container and tossed it to him. He reached out of the bars and caught it easily.
“Thank you,” he murmured hoarsely. He opened it and swallowed four down without any water.
She’d seen a case of waters near the sink, so she got up and retrieved one, then tossed it to him.
Mars caught it and downed it. “Fuck, it’s good to see you, Ren.”
Ren down in the chair Misty had positioned a healthy distance away from the cage. “Why do you want to hurt me?” she asked softly.
“I don’t.” Truth.
A box fell behind her, and when she twisted around, Dame was staring right at Mars. He’d dropped the box he’d been holding. His eyes were trained on his brother, unblinking.
“Ask him more questions,” Dame demanded, striding closer.
In the open doorway, Stellan appeared and leaned on the frame, eyes trained on Mars.
“I don’t know what questions to ask,” she said.
“Want a drink?” Misty asked, holding up a pair of canned margaritas she’d pulled from a stainless-steel fridge.
“Um, sure. It’s been a long day. Maybe it’ll loosen me up.” As Misty brought the cold drink to her, Ren looked back at Stellan and aimed at him. “Fuck you, by the way, you asshole.”
Stellan’s dark eyebrows arched up. “What did you say to me?”
“Fuck. You.”
Mars snorted, and it morphed into a chuckle. Dame ducked his head too, but not before Ren saw the smile he was trying to hide.
“Give me his phone back.”
“Or what?” Stellan said, cocking his head.
“Or I will punch you in the dick,” she promised, standing.
“I don’t like you,” Stellan said.
“The feeling is mutual.” Ren held out her hand.
“Chh,” he spat out, then pulled a phone from his back pocket and tossed it to her. “Good luck not dying.”
Ren tossed Mars his phone. He caught it, and retreated to the back of the cage, into the darkest corner. The sleeping cot in there creaked as he sat down on it and rested his face against a bar in the back of the cage. She knew he was in excruciating pain. She could tell.
“Can you drink some more water?” she said softly.
Mars nodded and downed the rest of his water. “Thank you,” he said.
“For what?” she asked.
“For caring. For still showing up. For telling Stellan you are going to kick him in the dick. That was probably one of the best moments of my life.” He tossed her a tight smile. Handsome man.
A soft laugh escaped her. He was still Mars. He was really himself.
“Fifteen minutes and that medicine will kick in,” she assured him, checking the time on her phone. She wished she could take some of the pain away from him. She took a long drink of the mango flavored canned margarita, and then set the can in the cupholder on the camp chair.
He nodded and squeezed his eyes tightly closed. “I missed you.”
He’d said it so softly, she almost missed it. “What did you say?” she asked, needing to hear it again. She needed to hear that it wasn’t just her after everything that had happened.
“I missed you,” he rumbled. “I miss you still.”
“I’m here.”
“Not close enough.”
“Mars,” Dame warned.
“I’m not asking her to come closer to me, Dame. I’m good with it the way it is. I want her safe.” He was telling the truth.
Dame came to squat next to her, his frown zeroed in on Mars. “How fast can you Change?” he asked.
“You know how fast,” Mars ground out, wincing. “Instantly.”
“I’m not talking to you,” Dame barked. “I’m talking to Ren. How fast can you Change?”
“I…” This was the part that was hers and hers alone. “That’s personal.”
“It’s a simple question,” Stellan asked from behind them. She turned to find him back in the doorway of the barn. “How fast can you Change?” He looked angry.
“That’s none of your business! It’s a personal question and I don’t know you.”
And screw the stupid looks Stellan and Dame exchanged.
She stood in a rush, feeling exposed. “I don’t owe any of you any explanations.”
“You’re a Cat. Changing isn’t a big deal.”
“It is to me,” she said defensively.
Mars was at the front bars. She startled when she saw him there.
He’d been at the back of the cage, and then he’d appeared at the front like he’d been there all along.
His speed was terrifying. His eyes were glowing a bright blue and aimed at Stellan.
“She said she doesn’t want to answer. Stop pushing her.
” Whooo his voice sounded terrifying, like a demon’s.
“If I open your cage, I want to know her Cat will defend her,” Dame barked out.
“I’m fine!” Ren yelled, backing toward the cage. “He’s Mars. You can feel it. You can hear the truth in his voice. He doesn’t want to hurt me.”
“I played that game behind those bars last year too, and then I hurt Misty!” Stellan yelled.
His voice broke on her name, and his face fell in an instant to an agonized expression.
“I hurt her. Mars can hurt you. He said you’re his Rabbit.
” All of the fire was gone from Stellan’s eyes.
“He can hurt you. He will remember what his claws feel like in you. He will suffer. He will be tortured. If he hurts you, he will remember it for always, and he won’t be Mars anymore.
” Stellan held his hands out, beseeching her with his eyes.
“He won’t be our brother anymore.” A sudden tear fell to his cheek, and his eyes were so wide.
He looked so frightened and desperate. “He won’t be himself ever again.
He will be broken forever.” He held his hand up.
“I hurt Misty with this. I made her bleed. I can still feel her skin slicing open.” Another tear raced down his cheek, and he wiped it with his offered hand.
“I can’t do this. I can’t do this.” He shook his head and made for the door.
“Stellan,” Misty said softly, following him a few steps. “I’m okay.”
“I’m not!” Stellan barked just as he disappeared around the corner. “Mars won’t be either.”
“Fuck,” Dame murmured, his eyes full as he stared at the doorway where his brother had disappeared.