Charming the Beast (Purgatory #3)(20)
Author: Cynthia Eden

I’m not going to let Harris die for me.

Whatever Keegan wanted, well, she’d face him.

She just wondered when the guy had turned into such a complete psychotic jerk. Maybe he always had been, though, and she hadn’t even realized it. Maybe—

The door opened. Connor was there, filling that doorway. His broad shoulders brushed each side of the door frame.

As soon as she saw him, heat swept through her. Her reaction to Connor was just way beyond normal. Surely it wasn’t healthy—or safe—to want a man as much as she wanted him? Especially when the man in question came equipped with both claws and vampire fangs?

He stepped into the room. The small space suddenly got even smaller.

His gaze swept over her face. A muscle jerked in his jaw, and he turned and shut the door behind him. That faint click made her jump.

“You lied to me, Chloe.”

Connor, make her tell you everything she knows.

“I can tell when you lie.”

She wished that she could tell when he was lying. It would sure make things a whole lot easier for her.

“What do you know about Keegan?”

She turned to face the bed. “He met with my father. Since he had claws in the video, well, I’m taking that to mean he’s a werewolf.” Keegan had not shared that fact with her before. But surely he must have known what she was?

“According to the intel that Duncan just got from the werewolf we brought in, Keegan is the alpha of his pack.”

Alpha. Crap.

“Not only that…but it seems that pack used to belong to none other than David Vincent.”

Her eyes squeezed shut. Things just keep getting worse and worse. “I didn’t know that. I didn’t even know Keegan was a werewolf until a few minutes ago.” But now she had that horrifying image of him seared into her head. Nausea swirled in her stomach.

“With David out of the picture, Keegan took over the pack. According to the werewolf we’ve got—a real chatty bastard named Dennis who apparently didn’t like being shot in the face—Keegan is one sick sonofabitch. And guess who he has a complete and total fixation on?”

She licked lips that had gone desert dry. “Since he wants me in the trade, I’ll just assume that fixation kind of centers of me.”

“Kind of,” he muttered back.

She whirled to face him. “I didn’t know!”

He stared back at her. “Dennis said Keegan has been killing members of his own pack. If they don’t follow orders, he takes them down immediately. Sure seems like this guy is a real charmer.”

“I. Didn’t. Know!” Did he want her to write it in blood? To swear on her soul? “He was a guy I met at my dad’s office one day. He was wearing a three piece suit, not sporting claws! It’s not like you can just look and instantly say…” She snapped her fingers. “Werewolf! You don’t know until the person shifts. I just…I thought he was normal.” He’d seemed so incredibly normal. “When he asked me out for coffee…” And this was one of the most humiliating parts, but she forced herself to say, “I was just happy a normal guy wanted to go out with me…me, the freak who was so far from normal.”

Connor’s eyes began to glow.

Uh, oh. “Connor?” She inched back a bit.

“You dated him.”

He made those words sound like the worst crime ever. Her spine stiffened. “We met for coffee, and, yes, after that, we went out a few times.” With a sinking heart, she now understood why her father had seemed happy that she was going out with Keegan. Not because he’d been some up and coming young politician like she’d assumed. But because he’d been a werewolf.

Her father had probably been imagining werewolf babies running all around.

Oh, God…this is why my dad messed with my scent! He wanted Keegan to fall for me! Her father had given her the last injection after her third date with Keegan.

Her dad hadn’t realized that was her last date with the guy.

“You dated him?” Connor took another step toward her and shook his head, as if the thought were truly mind boggling.

“I didn’t know! Okay? It was just a few times. I didn’t—didn’t feel a real spark or connection, and I broke it off with him.” She waved her hands in the air. “Then, you know, things kind of went to hell. I found out that my dad had been working to take out the Para Unit. He was trying to push all the wolves to attack, and I was just trying to stay alive.”

Then things had reached an explosive level. Her father had died, and Chloe had lost everything she’d had.

Including my sanity? Some nights, it sure felt that way. Because I killed him. My father didn’t just die. I killed him. I shot my own father and I don’t even remember doing it.

“Did you f**k Keegan, too?”

His words were low, lethal, and absolutely designed to enrage her—Chloe was sure of it. Her hands immediately fisted to her sides. “How is that relevant?”

“It’s relevant, believe me. The guy kidnapped a federal agent. He’s stalking you, doing anything to get you back…so I have to wonder…did you have sex with the guy?”

But there was such a banked rage in his eyes. She could see it. “Jealous?” Wait, no, I didn’t mean to say that, did I?

Everything was so screwed up.

“No.” She shook her head as her breath expelled in a hard rush. “No, I didn’t have sex with him. Things never got that far. It was only a few dates, so I have no idea why the guy is freaking out and stalking me.” But this was more than just stalking. He was killing.

“Yes…” Connor hissed the word.

She frowned at him. Yes, what?

“I’m f**king jealous. I already hated the bastard as soon as I saw what he was doing to Harris. But to know that Keegan was close to having you…” His eyes glowed brighter with the fury of his beast. “I want to rip him apart.”

She exhaled slowly. “Why do I feel like this is the first time you’ve, um, been jealous?”

“Because it is!” Those words exploded from him. “The first time in my entire life!”

“Sucks, doesn’t it?”

“You have no idea…” He gritted out the words. “I will never be like him.”

“Wait, you think you’re like Keegan? Um, you’re not, Connor. I could never imagine you hurting—”

“Not him. My father.”

“What?”