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“I heard you.”

“She didn’t just rip it off, man. She fuckin’ ate the hand he’d made her cut.”

Kade pursed his lips against a smile and cleared his throat.

“Are you…are you laughing?” Seth asked.

Kade clenched his fist around his own scar. She hadn’t bitten his hand off after she’d done her Promise Cut.

“It’s kind of funny if you think about it,” he murmured.

“That’s because you didn’t witness it. I’m traumatized. Connor didn’t even have time to Change, and he was screaming, and holding his arm, and Jess turned on the entire Crew and kept them back.”

“So they couldn’t help him?”

“So they couldn’t help him,” Seth murmured somberly.

Kade shrugged. “I bet no one will smack her again or try to force a Promise on her.”

“No one wants to touch her with a ten-foot fuckin’ pole man. She’s using some kind of power to keep people back. It took a dozen of us to get her animal into the basement at Derek’s.”

“You put her in the cage?” he barked out.

“You weren’t there! She’s on a rampage! We’re all cut up just trying to muscle her down there, and she kept blowing us into walls. No one can Change into their animals. She clawed everyone and we aren’t healing right. The whole Crew is limping. You want her? Derek said to come get her. He said he’ll pay for your gas money. He said to bring enough tranquilizers to fell Godzilla and a big trailer to haul her away in. He said he doesn’t want any witches in the Crew anymore. He’s booting Samuel out too.”

Kade was pursing his lips against the laughter that threatened to bubble up his throat. Little hellion. God, he loved her.

He loved her.

He loved Jess.

The smile faded. “Tell everyone to stay away from her. I’m on my way. If this is some kind of trap, you should know I will end every last member of Sister’s Edge, and there will be nothing left of your legacy.”

“It’s not a trap. Come get the witch.”

Kade hung up the phone and leaned his head back. He closed his eyes against the sunlight and blew out a steadying breath.

“Can we go get her now?” Cash asked.

Kade didn’t even flinch. Nothing surprised him with that freaking eavesdropper now. “I’ve got to pick up a trailer in town.”

“For what?”

Kade opened his eyes and allowed a smile at Cash. “Her tiger is back.”

Cash’s eyebrows shot up. “She’s a tiger?”

“Yeah. A big one.”

“Holy crap this is awesome,” he yelled, slapping his leg. “How big of a trailer? Ten foot? Fourteen foot? You know what, fuck it. We’ll figure it out. Can we get hamburgers on the way? I’m starving. I have a coupon for a free milkshake from Burger Mini’s. Let’s stop at Burger Mini’s. I’ll pay for your milkshake—” Cash kept blabbing as he walked away at a crisp pace, and Kade pushed up to go grab his keys.

Jess’s animal was back. Her animal was keeping her safe.

He couldn’t help the smile on his lips imagining Connor screaming over the painful lesson he’d learned.

Her animal had avenged her. Atta girl.

It didn’t matter if nothing had changed between them.