Page 145 of Poet & Protector

Logan looked me over. His expression had my guts shriveling up.

“I don’t trust myself. I’m still angry and I have too many ideas about what I want to do to you, and not in ways you’d enjoy.” His gaze lingered, drinking me in. “It’s better if you leave. We can start again after the union. When Neville is no longer a distraction.”

He ground his teeth, as if he was second-guessing that decision. A part of him wanted to keep me here. His stark declaration had me reeling, fighting hard to not imagine what would have happened if I hadn’t convinced him to stop.

“Thank you.” I couldn’t give him any time to rethink things. “That’s what I’d like…to start again. Like tonight never happened.”

After a slow nod, Logan pulled out his phone. “I’ll call you a car.”

“I don’t need a car,” I said quickly.

I needed to leave. Now. Logan wasn’t completely convinced he wanted to let me go. He could change his mind at any moment.

“I’ll have to meet Neville in the woods to tell him it’s over. I’m a wolf. I can run.”

“Yes, I suppose you can.” His mouth twisted. “Get out of here, Mason…Before I decide I don’t care if you hate me.”

I was halfway to the door when Logan’s voice arced toward me like a bolt of electricity that made me jolt to a stop.

“Wait.”

My lungs seized up. He wasn’t going to let me leave.

When I turned around, Logan was at his writing desk.

“Don’t go into the woods here. It isn’t safe.” He gave me a hard look. “There’s a mile-wide security perimeter around the house. Walk down to the gate. I’ll alert them you’re coming. They’ll let you out, you can run from there.”

I watched as he leaned over his desk and wrote something on a notepad. He tore a strip of paper from the pad, walked over, and handed it to me.

“When you see Neville, give this to him.”

I nodded, closing my fist around the paper without looking at it, keeping my full focus on escape. Logan didn’t stop me when I gathered my things and left his room. I couldn’t catch my breath until I was out of the house and walking down the road to the gate. I didn’t run. You never ran from something that was tempted to hunt you.

I pulled out my phone to message Nev. I was going to see him. I was not going to end things with him. I couldn’t. Neither of us could. We were mates. Nothing Logan said or did would change that. There was no end for us. But we would have to pretend it was over.

From now on, our relationship could only exist as the deepest of secrets. In some ways it would be like the early days when we were together and no one knew but us. I tried to take a little comfort in that, but in the sweet, unexpected beginning of our romance there hadn’t been a Keeper’s wrath looming over us. Everything was different now. The threats were closing in and we had so much to lose.

It wasn’t until I was through the gate and about to shift forms that I remembered the piece of paper crushed in my fist. I unclenched my fingers, smoothed the paper on my palm, and read the words Logan had inked in elegant script.

Strike two.

Twenty-Four

The Mountain School

Thursday, the day before the union

MASON

“Hey, where’s Ren?” Ansel glanced around our lunch tables, frowning. “And Shay?”

We’d fallen into our usual pattern of casual conversation and banter while we ate. I was trying to focus on my friends instead of the disturbing echoes of last night that kept trying to hold my thoughts hostage. I hadn’t noticed the absence of two of our usual number, but Ansel was right. Neither the Bane alpha nor his human rival had joined us.

“There was a problem.” Calla’s voice, low and tense, drew the attention of everyone at the table. “They got into an argument in class this morning.”

“About what?” Ansel frowned at his sister.

Taking in Calla’s strained features and the flush rising up her neck, I could predict the answer.