Page 46 of Bad Blood

He sighed, not finishing his sentence.

Nausea churned in my gut. A deep, heavy ache crushed my chest, compressing my lungs.

“Let me come with you. Please.”

This was my chance. I could make a run for it. Get out of here before I did any more damage.

He opened his mouth, then pressed it into a thin line. He sighed after a moment and tapped the table. “Yeah. You can come.”

Excitement hummed through me, and his next words squeezed my heart.

The way he was looking at me was strange. Intense. I couldn’t sense any anger, but that?—

“I thought of a name for you. I mean, only if you want it. You don’t have to use it. I just…” He scratched at the underside of his jaw. “Well, I thought you deserved something better than a number. Would you like to hear it?”

I nodded, not even breathing.

He tilted his head and smiled. “It’s Bowen. I read it in a book once, always liked it, and I feel like it suits you.”

Bowen.Bowen. Bow. I looked at his hunting bow, a strange, light feeling swelling in my chest.

I liked that. Strong and useful, like his bow.

“Bowen,” I whispered. “Bowen.Bowen.”

Bowen.

“Do you like it?”

The feeling kept growing until it was spreading through my body like fire in my veins, and when my lips stretched wide, I realized I was smiling.

I wassmiling.

Now I really wished the muzzle was gone so I could feel that smile with my own fingers.

“Oh, wow. You really do like it. I’m glad.’’

Bowen.

I had a name.

Cain refusedto let me walk, and I didn’t argue when he said it was either let him carry me or stay here with Luna.

I let him carry me.

I liked it when he carried me.

Somewhere along the way, the numbness that had enveloped me wore off and an awful, heavy guilt started growing in my chest, building and building until I could barely breathe.

Never in my life had I feltsafewhen it rained.

But yesterday…

Yesterday had shown me that not everyone was like Hunter and Hayes.

Here was a man who lived alone with a beast, had brought another beast into his home, and instead of punishing me for what I was, he’d only wanted to help me.

It was incomprehensible.