Page 41 of The Enforcer’s Rejected Mate (Red River Rejected Mates #1)

The voice is quiet but it’s there. I shove it down and keep walking.

I don’t like that this female had me standing, nearly holding her hand on a root of Thorne’s Embrace.

Itching to touch her during dinner, so much so that I did.

Ronan didn’t bring it up but he’s going to be watching me.

And that’s saying nothing of how you first met her , my traitorous mind whispers.

I grit my teeth and drop back half a step.

I tell myself it puts distance between us but it’s not.

I’m doing it to better keep an eye on the streets around us.

Red River is quiet and still but that could change at any moment. It did once and it can do it again.

Cordelia stumbles slightly, foot caught on a cobblestone and I close the distance between us in the blink of an eye. I catch her arm and help her keep her footing.

“Thank you.”

I drop her arm the second she’s fine and grunt a reply.

Gods fucking dammit. I hate that I care if she’s wet or cold.

I am the Bloodstone Enforcer. I don’t care about shit like that, except that with her I do.

So fucking much. Nothing is going to plan around her.

Not my thought to keep my distance until things are calmer, when I know we are safer, that she would be safer with me than without.

Here I am with an order to follow her and I can’t keep my damn hands off her.

I growl in frustration at myself for being so weak around her.

Ready to fold like a stack of laundry the second she looks at me. Pathetic.

“What is it?” Cordelia asks.

I break from my thoughts to see she’s staring at me, so is Clyde. They’ve both stopped in their tracks. Cordelia is watching me with wide eyes. Fear sparks in her eyes like a live wire and that sets loose another growl from me. Why does she look afraid? Who put that look there?

I’m going to skin alive whoever did this to her. I’m going to gift their entrails to her.

My murderous thoughts are strong enough to push the forbidden thoughts far enough down that I’m able to bury them. But what I can’t bury is the look on her face, the way her eyes are full of fear. That eats away at me worse than anything. I can hardly bear seeing her like this.

I say none of that. I just clear my throat and point past her to Clyde. “You’re taking too long. Get her to the cottage. Ronan wants her settled as soon as possible. She’s had a long journey to get here. Taking a Sunday stroll isn’t helping matters.”

Clyde scowls. “It’s called being friendly, Thorne. We’re welcoming a long lost pack member back after all. This is part of settling her in.”

“Call me old-fashioned but I’m more partial to the physical aspect of settled and I’d rather see her where she’s meant to be.”

Cordelia crosses her arms. “That’s because you’re not nice,” she says with a toss of her head. “I happen to like talking to Clyde.”

I take a step towards her. “You can talk inside the cottage. Once you’re settled you can talk all damn night into the morning for all I care,” I growl.

Cordelia stomps forward in challenge and the sight of it eases the urge to disembowel whoever marked her with fear. “I don’t see what the big rush is! I like his stories!”

“The rush? The rush is that I’m your Alpha appointed babysitter.

There’s no rest for me until you are where you’re meant to be, which is inside the Healer’s Cottage .

Not out here yammering away like two hens.

” I fling my arm out for emphasis and Cordelia shrinks when I do.

It’s slight but the sight of that flinch reignites my urge to kill with a vengeance but neither Cordelia or I say another word because Clyde interrupts.

“Let’s be on our way and not keep the Enforcer.

” I don’t expect him to give in so quickly, neither does Cordelia because when she looks his way he gives her an explanation.

“The borders have been restless. He’s been busy with that.

It’s why he was in the Meadows when you first met him.

I’m sure the new recruits are waiting for him to give orders for tomorrow. ”

It’s a convenient excuse even if it’s only partly true. I take the out Clyde gives me all the same.

“He’s right. I’ve got a lot of work left to do tonight, so if you two don’t mind. ”

Cordelia shrinks back from me and shows neck.

“S-sorry,” she whispers. I don’t like the sight of any female submitting to me, and particularly not this female, but I don’t say anything about it.

If I do, I'll say the wrong damn thing and make it worse. I can’t ever seem to get my words right around Cordelia.

I walk past them and concentrate on the path ahead. We’re less than two miles out from the Healer’s Cottage, and I’m determined to get Cordelia in that cottage and behind a locked door as fast as I can. Once she’s there I can take a breather to get my head on straight.

By the time we’ve reached the township proper, we’re moving at a jog.

I keep that pace the entire way through.

The cottages around us pass in a blur and I’m glad for it.

By now there’s no way they don’t know that there’s a newcomer in our territory.

I see the twitch of a curtain in Annie Duran’s home as confirmation that we’ve been spotted and pick up my pace.

Just my luck. Annie is the pack gossip and just got treated with front row seats to Cordelia’s arrival.

She’ll no doubt be heading right on over to her daughter Ceelie’s house to tell her the news.

It’ll have spread through the pack twice over by breakfast.

We reach the cottage with nothing else going sideways and that’s a blessing I’m thankful to the Luna for.

I’m too damn old with not near enough patience for anything else not going to plan.

When the Healer’s Cottage comes into sight I don’t wait for Cordelia or Clyde.

I power right towards the small stone building and keep right on going.

I shoulder open the door harder than I need to.

It slams against the wall but I ignore that too.

I’ve got my sights set on the cold and dark hearth.

This place needs to get warmed up. She needs a fire.

I’m already done arranging the firewood and striking flint on my knife to get the fire started when Cordelia and Clyde enter the cabin.

“This place is so cute!”

I keep my head down but I can hear the happiness in Cordelia’s voice. The fire sparks to life and I set the flint aside, holster my blade and concentrate on the fire.

“Is this really mine?” Cordelia asks. She sounds in awe, voice barely above a whisper like she’s afraid speaking at full volume will make her lose the cottage. She’s talking to Clyde but I answer her.

“Of course it is.” I blow on the flames and the fire leaps in the hearth.

It’s good now. It’ll last her the night, but even so, I rise and head outside to get her more wood from where it’s stored on the side of the cottage.

When I return, Cordelia is standing in front of the fire with her hands outstretched palm first to the fire.

Good, she's getting warm. The night is temperate enough but it’s still chilly and the walk to the cottage wasn’t a short one.

“Don’t get too close or you’ll burn yourself,” I grumble and deposit the firewood beside her hearth.

“This will last you all night but if you need more, here it is. Breakfast is tomorrow at eight am sharp. It’ll be in the mess hall in the center of town.

Do not be late,” I tell her and then before she can say a word to me, I walk out of the cottage.

I need space where she isn’t. I have to think.

I shift the second I’m across the threshold.

I need to run.