“What?” Griffin said, sounding surprised. “No.” “Then what the hell is it?” Killian pushed harder.
My breath caught as I eagerly awaited his answer. I didn’t know why, but his answer was so damn important to me.
“Man, I don’t know.” Griffin sighed. “She gets under my skin, and I have no clue why.” “Could it be because she shut you down when you tried hitting on her?” Killian asked.
“Maybe. I don’t know, man.” Griffin sounded conflicted. “I mean, don’t get me wrong. I’m thrilled she shut me down since she has you, and I would’ve never hit on her if I’d known she was the girl you told me about last night. I think it’s partly because she appeared out of nowhere, and now she’s sleeping at your house. How much do you even know about her?”
I turned toward the door, ready to go back outside to interrupt their conversation. I didn’t need
Griffin learning about everything. He’d use it to his advantage. My hand reached the doorknob when Killian said, “Look, I appreciate you looking out for me. And there is a reason it happened so quickly.
But it’s not my place to tell you. Cut her some slack.”
My hand fell to my side as my heart broke all over again. Killian had kept his word, but my gut said Griffin would start digging harder. I had to make sure I didn’t let anything slip. After all, my life depended on it.
A KNOCK on the door slammed me back to the present. I sat upright in the bed and glanced around, expecting someone to pop out from under the bed or out of the closet.
“Dove?” Killian said and knocked again.
“Come in.” I pulled the covers over me for some dumb-ass reason. I had on a pair of pajama bottoms and a shirt. In fact, they were the same ones I’d worn outside during the whole weird conversation with Griffin. If I could even call it a conversation. It was more like rage, sexual tension, and me fighting off the urge to lick his entire body.
What the hell? Why was I thinking about licking him? That was wrong on all kinds of levels.
The door opened, and Killian sauntered in. He paused and glanced around the room, and I wondered if he was thinking about me living among his sister’s things.
“Do you want me to come out instead?” I hadn’t even thought about him not wanting to walk in here. He usually did stay in the hallway or in the living room.
“No, it’s fine.” He smiled sadly. “It’s kind of nice to have you in her room. It brings a little bit of happiness to the space, the same way it felt when she was alive. Although she’d cry knowing that you didn’t approve of her wardrobe. She and Mom loved going shopping together.” He chuckled.
“Her clothes are great, just not my style. Did I oversleep?” If he was anything like me, he didn’t want to continue that line of conversation. I glanced at the clock on the side table and read that it was seven in the morning.
“Nope, but we need to run and get your fake ID.” He chuckled. “Carter will lose his shit if you show up without it again, so let’s not stir the beast within.”
I’d forgotten all about that. “Yeah, sounds great.” Having an ID would mean I could open a checking account and other things. “I’ll get dressed now.”
Within thirty minutes, we were pulling into the breakfast diner where I’d seen the auburn-bearded man yesterday. I tried to calm my racing heart, but there wasn’t much I could do about it. In the past, when I got nervous, I’d used my pack link to help calm me down, but I didn’t have that now. Of course, that only made me panic even more.
“What’s wrong?” Killian asked as he pulled into a metered spot alongside the road. “Your heart is pounding so hard I can hear it over the music. I don’t think it could race any faster without you having a heart attack.”
Yeah, tell me about it. “It’s nothing,” I said with a cracked voice as the smell of rotting eggs filled the car.
“No, seriously.” He gagged at the smell. “What’s wrong, and please don’t lie. I haven’t eaten, so it won’t take much to make my stomach queasy.”
“Remember when I freaked out yesterday?” I gestured to the red light we’d been stopped at.
He nodded.
“Well, that’s the diner those guys came out of.” I was being ridiculous, but I couldn’t hold it in. Flashes of only two days ago replayed in my head, and the attack in the bar hadn’t helped. I didn’t want to go in there. I almost felt frozen in place.
“I’ll be right there with you.” Killian took my hand and gently pulled me so I faced him. “I won’t leave your side.”
He meant for that to be comforting, but he couldn’t make that kind of promise. I hated feeling so weak and pathetic, but my wolf pawed against my head.
“Hey.” He cupped my cheek. “Breathe.”
But I couldn’t even when I tried. I had to get away and connect with my wolf. It was the only way to become calm. “I’ve gotta go. I’m sorry.” I pulled away from Killian and threw open the door. “I have to get away. Please don’t follow me. I need a moment by myself. Just…get my ID please. I’ll meet you back here in twenty.”
“Dammit, Dove.” Killian hissed as I slammed the door.
I’d apologize later, but the edges of my vision were starting to darken. I ran as fast as I could in the direction we’d come from toward the nearest woods. Maybe I’d regret it if I got caught, but I was about to lose myself.
My head swam as I pushed my legs to keep moving across the last road before the tree line. My eyes locked on my end destination.
A loud honk hit my ears, followed by squealing tires and the stench of burning rubber. I froze and faced the car as an older man stuck his head out and asked, “Are you okay, miss?”
I didn’t have the luxury of responding, or I’d pass out before I could shift. Instead, I burst back into a run and continued on, thanking the gods that I hadn’t gotten hit.
“Miss!” the guy yelled after me.
As soon as I’d run far enough into the woods to be out of sight from the road, I yanked my shirt from my body while kicking off my shoes and then pulled off the rest. I threw the clothes in one heaping pile so I could find them again easily. Then I called for my wolf.
She sprang forward with no hesitation, and I shifted faster than I ever had before. When I hit the ground on all fours, I ran deeper into the woods, needing to keep my wolf form hidden. I sniffed the air, making sure no one was close by.