Page 40

I closed my condo door and leaned against it, resting my forehead against the cool wood. I needed a moment—or maybe a couple thousand—to collect my thoughts without hundreds of bystanders and my family watching.

Inviting Calder back here had seemed wise at the time. In my defense, I’d made the decision while fueled with adrenaline, champagne, and more than a little misplaced nostalgia. But also, lust. Okay, I could be honest with myself—it was mostly lust.

That was always how it went down between me and Calder. I’d see him, lose all common sense, jump his bones, and then spend the next six months regretting every decision.

And why, you ask?

Because he never came alone. He always dragged along some kind of melodrama in his wake.

Ten years ago, I hadn’t minded. Hell, I’d found the adventure exciting. What werewolf didn’t love a little danger and a little chaos? But that was before I knew what true chaos looked like.

I shifted my weight and immediately cupped my side.

The wound Trystan had carved into me had technically healed months ago.

But it’d left scars, both physical and psychological.

The words YOU’RE STILL MINE were still visible, to an upsetting degree.

Some nights, when I stepped out of the shower and caught sight of them in the mirror, I was right back there again. Reliving every second of that night.

Isadora and I had both survived her ex-mate, but that nightmare had marked me in ways I was still trying to understand.

Trystan had beaten me to an inch of my life and permanently branded me with his words.

It’d taken countless healing draughts and more magic than I’d ever wanted to be on the receiving end of just to get me back up to fighting weight.

But none of that touched on the psychological scars. Those I had to heal myself.

I wanted a quieter life now. Something simpler and predictable.

And that was the exact opposite of Calder. He thrived on excitement, adventure, danger. Everything that went hand-in-hand with his so-called profession: supernatural acquisitions specialist . It sounded so fancy, right? What it really meant was treasure hunter.

He preferred retrieval expert .

Personally, I preferred thief .

Five years ago, he’d vanished. About three years ago, I’d stopped waiting for him to come home. And now, here he was.

Sighing, I pushed away from the door and made my way toward the living room, where he waited. I’d invited him back after the bar closed so we could talk. It’d seemed like a good idea at the time. I wasn’t so sure anymore.

I walked into the room and found Calder leaning against the back of my couch like he belonged there, legs crossed. He’d shed his leather jacket and draped it over a nearby chair, then rolled up the sleeves of his Henley. Somehow, he looked both relaxed and dangerous.

“You’ve redecorated,” he said, like we were simply old friends catching up.

I crossed my arms, because if I didn’t, I feared I’d grab him for another kiss. Ugh , why did it always have to be so confusing between us?

“You don’t get to comment on my decorative skills,” I said. “You lost all rights to this place when you bailed five years ago.”

He slowly nodded. “Noted.”

I stood there for a moment, trying to figure out exactly what I was supposed to do with all this.

The last thing I’d expected tonight upon opening the bar was his appearance.

And damn it, why did he have to look so infuriatingly handsome?

And why was he still wearing that stupid necklace I’d given him?

Had he done that purposely to win me over?

“You know,” I said, voice tight, “most people leave a note before they vanish. Hell, I would have appreciated any form of communication. A text message, voicemail, fuck, even a carrier pigeon.”

His jaw flexed. Just once. “I thought it would be safer if you didn’t know where I was.”

“Safer,” I echoed flatly. “That’s your excuse?”

“It’s the truth.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “You can’t just show up after five years and expect me to?—”

“I don’t expect anything,” he said, his voice low. “I just wanted to see you. And don’t tell me you weren’t happy to see me. You let me kiss you. You kissed me back .”

Yeah, I definitely hadn’t been thinking clearly. I glared at him, ready to launch into another tirade, but he shut me up with one single word.

“Theodora.”

I closed my eyes and ground my back teeth.

“Do not call me that,” I muttered.

“You used to love it,” he said.

I opened my eyes and stared at him. “A lot has changed.”

“I can see that.”

His gentle voice made my stomach twist. Gods, I hated it when he did that, softened his voice and spoke to me like he cared.

I released a long breath, trying to steady my pulse.

“What exactly do you want from me, Calder? Because if you’re here to pick up where we left off, let me save you the trouble. I’m not interested.”

He uncrossed his legs and straightened. “I’m not here to pick up anything,” he said carefully. “I’m here because I’m done running.”

“So, you waltz into town after five years like you never left, and I’m supposed to…what? Be grateful? Fall back into your arms because you finally decided to show up?”

“No, of course not,” he said, his voice growing rough. “You’re not supposed to do anything. I came back because I’m done pretending I don’t give a damn. About you. About us.”

I blinked, thrown off for half a second. Damn him for still knowing how to do that.

I tipped my chin up, determined not to let him see how much he was getting to me. “Well, congratulations on your personal growth. But I’ve had enough chaos for one lifetime.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw. “I’m not chaos.”

I barked out a laugh. “You are literally the definition of it. You show up, and everything falls apart.”

“I’m here to make things right,” he said, taking a step closer.

“How?” I demanded. “You abandoned everyone who cared about you. How do you think you can fix that?”

He flinched but didn’t back down. “I made mistakes.”

“You think?”

“Thorne, baby, I’m trying…” he said.

“Well, try somewhere else,” I snapped.

I growled quietly and raked a hand down my face.

Heat blasted my cheeks, and the sudden, irresistible urge to shift into wolf form swept over me.

My inner wolf wanted out, if only to bite Calder on the ass.

He deserved it, don’t get me wrong. But I really didn’t feel like brushing flesh and blood out of my teeth tonight.

“Theodora,” Calder murmured.

And that sent me over the edge. Rage flooded me. My wolf shoved against my skin, desperate to break free. I took a step back, dragging in a shaky breath. My heart pounded so hard I could feel it in my throat.

It was too hot. And my control was slipping. If I didn’t cool myself off, calm myself down, I’d shift right here and now, whether I wanted to or not.

I tore my sweater over my head in one quick motion, desperate to lower my temperature. But as the fabric cleared my shoulders, cool air hit my bare stomach, and I realized my mistake. My tank top must have ridden up too.

I yanked it down fast, my pulse thundering for an entirely different reason now. I didn’t have to look at Calder to know he’d seen it . The scars. His pulse had quickened, and the room had gone deathly silent.

Well, fuck.

Slowly, I lifted my gaze.

Calder stared at me, his face pale, but his eyes burned with pure fury.

“What the hell was that?” he demanded, anger lacing his words.

I swallowed. “Nothing.”

“Theodora,” he growled. His pupils dilated, and his own wolf surged forward, his eyes igniting into pure gold.

“Don’t you growl at me!” I shouted, my emotions getting the best of me.

Tears pricked my eyes, and I spun away before he could see.

“You…you left,” I said, my back to him. “You don’t get to march in here, and…and…pretend you want to fix things. You haven’t been here. You weren’t here…” When it happened .

A cry slipped free, and I pressed a shaking hand over my mouth, trying to pull myself back from the edge.

“You weren’t here,” I whispered.

Then I drew in a ragged breath and forced myself to stand straight.

“And I want you to leave now, please.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” he said. “Not until you tell me what the fuck happened to you.”

I whirled around, tears blurring my vision. “Go! Get out!”

Calder’s jaw tightened, but finally, he dragged in a deep breath. When he released it, the gold drained from his eyes, leaving only the familiar green.

“Fine, I’ll go.” He took a step toward me. “But this isn’t over, Thorne.”

His hand lifted, hesitated in the air between us, then settled lightly against my head. He leaned down and pressed a soft, lingering kiss against my brow.

My throat tightened, but I didn’t say a word.

When he straightened, his face was carefully blank, but I saw how tightly he was controlling himself. Without another word, he turned, grabbed his jacket, then walked out the door.

For a long moment, I just stood there, trying so very hard to remember who I was before Calder Rook walked into my life.

Did you enjoy Thorne and Calder’s sneak peek? Continue their story in Bite Me Like You Mean It !