Page 74 of Fae Devoted

“Don’t youJome.” She whirled and stomped to his side, the tiny flecks of green in her light brown eyes snapping with emerald fire. “You left me.”

“I thought—”

“Oh, I know what you thought…you stupid, stubborn male,” she screeched, then sucked in a breath, remembering their audience. Her horrified gaze swept the room’s occupants, doing a double take when she noticed Ethan Hall before landing on the queen.

She bobbed a quick curtsy, face flaming. “Milady.”

“Joan.” Lady Rose inclined her head, lips twitching.

Jo raised a single finger. “Excuse us for one second?” Her voice was high and strangled as though she’d swallowed a rock, and it was still stuck in her throat.

“Take your time.” Remington settled in his seat and hid another grin.

Jo grabbed Tucker’s arm and dragged him to the farthest corner.

“Where’s Kincaid?” he asked again, a low rumble vibrating in his chest. Why would the shifter allow Jo to travel in the open by herself? Anything could have happened on the way to town.

“Dealing with a horny bobcat,” she whispered through her teeth, too angry and upset to realize the effort was wasted. Everyone but Lydia would hear every word no matter how quietly they spoke.

“And he let you drive here by yourself?” Tucker was going to kill him.

“He didn’tlet medo anything. Dylan doesn’t know I left.”

“Then how?”

“I hotwired his car.”

“You stole…” His head fell back on a sigh. Of course, she did.

Smart and resourceful.

“Borrowed,” she hissed. “What was I supposed to do, Tucker? You took my phone.”

Tucker. Not Jacob.

He flinched, the knife she drove into his heart leaving a gaping hole.

“It’s not like I could call an Uber,” she whisper-shouted. “Was I supposed to walk?”

“No,” he said, hands going to his hips, head hanging low, “you were supposed to do as I asked and stay at the cabin until I came back for you.”

“Right, the note.” Her freckled nose wrinkled as if smelling something foul.

“I needed to know you were safe.”

“Why couldn’t you just talk to me then?” The hurt in her voice widened the stab wound in his heart.

“I was…” Worried he wasn’t strong enough to deny Jo anything?

“Stupid?”

“Stupid,” he agreed. He should have trusted his mate to hear him out.

Unable to go another second without touching her, Tucker pulled a brittle leaf from her tangled hair and let it fall to the floor, then cupped her chin. He wiped a dirty smudge from her cheek with his thumb, letting her feel his remorse through the mating bond.

Jo expression didn’t change, but she didn’t pull away either. The anger pulsing through the link faded to irritation and a bitter disappointment that wounded his soul and broke his heart. The censure well deserved.

She sighed, shook her head, and pulled her chin from his hand. “We don’t have time for this right now.”