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“I’m good.”

“You look about ready to Hulk out.”

The hand resting on his knee, squeezed into a tight fist.“You were just in a house with demons who not only could, but wanted to hurt you.Poe touched you more than once, and I can still smell his stench on you, Lars’s as well.So yeah, I’m struggling with my control because the urge to go back there and turn them all to ash is fucking with me pretty hard right now.”

“You need to stop saying things like that.”I couldn’t take it.I was trying hard to be strong.I couldn’t let myself trust the things he was saying.His instincts were leading him, not some imaginary feelings for me.He thought he wanted me now, but what about next week, or next month?

“It’s the truth, Sutton,” he said and shifted in his seat so he was facing me more.“What I did, what I said?—”

I wrenched the car to the side of the road.“I need to go to work.You’ll need to go hound and run the rest of the way.”

“Sutton—”

“I’m going to be late.”I risked another glance his way.“And I’ll be going straight home after my shift and staying there, so I won’t need your protection.”

He sat there for several long seconds, the silence ticking by.Finally, he nodded and turned to get out, but then he looked back.“I know you’re a warrior, sunshine, I’ve seen the fucking scars, but you don’t need to do it all alone anymore.I’m here now, and I’ve got you.”

I stared at him in shock, my blood rushing through my ears.

“No matter how long it takes,” he said, green eyes holding mine, “I will wait for you.”Then he got out and shut the door.

I sped back out onto the street as fast as I could.

My heart thudded in my chest as I shook my head and gripped the wheel tight.They were pretty words, but they didn’t wipe clean the hurt he’d caused, and honestly, I wasn’t sure anything could.He left me, more than once, he fought the truth because he never wanted this, and he sure as fuck never wanted it to be me, and I told myself that over and over again.Because knowing it, unfortunately, didn’t stop me from wanting him.

ChapterEighteen

Jagger

Kurgan ignoredthe deer I put in front of him and paced his cell.

He was wound up, full of aggression.I’d come here after making sure Sutton was home from her shift, locked and warded inside her place.He’d been back to almost feral when I walked in.

“Take a breath, son.Everything’s okay.You need to calm down.”The last time he was like this, he’d worked himself up until he almost decapitated himself trying to get free.

His head lifted, his red eyes burning into mine.“Female,” he snarled and gripped the metal cuff around his throat.“Mine.”

I could tell there would be no calming him.Grabbing my phone I texted War.He was the alpha.Occasionally, his command, his dominance could break through and get Kurgan to stand down.I hoped like fuck it worked this time.

“She’s safe,” I said again.

He shook his head.“I protect her.”He pointed a finger at me.“Not you.Mine.Not yours.”

“Lenny’s yours, son.Not mine.”

His eyes didn’t leave mine as his lips peeled back, then he opened his mouth and let loose a deafening roar.His fists, with nothing else to hit, made contact with his own chest before he spun and slammed one into the stone wall, causing dust to rain down.

Fuck.

He ran for the door and was slammed to a jarring stop when he ran out of chain.The steel cut into his throat, and he roared again, grabbed the chain and yanked, trying to tear it from the wall.My heart slammed into the back of my ribs.Steel forged in hellfire was unbreakable.He’d shred all the flesh from his hands before he broke that chain.

“Kurgan,” I barked, my voice breaking.“Stop.”

He ignored me, losing it completely.Pain sliced my chest.All I could do was fucking stand there while my son, so desperate to get to his mate, risked fucking killing himself.

War’s knock on the door came about ten minutes later.I opened up and he stepped inside.Kurgan strained and snarled, blind to anything but his instinct to get free.

“You know what started this?”War asked.