Tarian Outcast (Page 4)

Shifter Man smiled. “Sometimes the prettiest things can be the most dangerous.”

She didn’t understand what he meant by that, or what the golden-eyed look he cast her meant, but right as she was about to ask, he pulled off on the shoulder of the road and parked the minivan.

“Well, Human Katy, it’s been real interesting meeting you.”

“Thank you, I think. Is this where you live? Just on the side of the road?”

Shifter Man chuckled. “No, my Pride’s territory is up about a mile. It’s best if I walk from here.”

“Best for who?”

“For you.” The seriousness that swirled in his eyes electrified the fine hairs on her forearms.

“Oh, okay.” A little unsteady, she unbuckled, pulled out her cell phone, a pad of paper she stole from a hotel, and a pen and got out of the minivan. The ding, ding, ding of the seatbelt signal was loud as it echoed through the quiet woods that surrounded them.

As she came to a halt in front of him in the illumination of the high beams, she squeezed her eyes closed so she wouldn’t chicken out as she asked something silly. “Can I have your autograph and take a picture with you? I always dreamed of meeting a shifter. I thought you would be scary, but you’re mostly not.”

His dark eyebrows drew down. “You don’t think I’m scary?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Intimidating, but not scary.”

She turned on her phone as he scribbled onto the pad of paper. And then hands shaking, she lifted up the phone to take a selfie of them. Only her phone started going crazy as message after message popped up from Dayton.

Where are you.

Nita said you left?

I need to talk to you.

I miss you.

I’m ready to try again. Sarah meant nothing.

Katy?

Katy don’t ignore me. I’m telling you I’m finally ready.

Call me back as soon as you can.

Every text was a new blow. Why? Because she knew she would get lonely and weak eventually. Maybe not today or tomorrow. Maybe not next week. But she would give into him like she always did and go for another round of feeling like not-enough.

With each text, her hand dropped lower and lower, and shame tinted her cheeks. Shame that this Shifter Man could see how weak she was.

“Is that what you’re running from?” Shifter Man asked, but his voice was different. It was more of a growl than a man’s voice.

She shrugged and tried to force a smile, but her dumb lip trembled. Weak. And now her eyes were burning, and she couldn’t do this. Her voice cracked on the words, “I should go. It was really nice meeting you, Shifter Man.”

“I don’t understand,” he said, pulling her arm and spinning her toward him.

She didn’t meet his eyes. She stared right down at his shoes. “I was gonna marry him.”

“What happened?”

Stupid, stupid tears running down her stupid cheeks. “He didn’t show up. Walk safe, Shifter Man. You covered my boobs tonight, and that was really cool of you. You stuck up for a stranger. I thought nice boys didn’t exist, but you proved me wrong. Thank you for that.”

“Wait, he didn’t show up? For your wedding?”

She gave him a cheeky smile. “My dress was really pretty. His loss.”

“Lie.”

“What?”

“Lie. I can tell when a person doesn’t believe what they’re saying, and your voice shook like a damn leaf in the wind on those two words. It is his fuckin’ loss. Fuck him.” A snarl ripped from his throat. Okay, she changed her mind. Shifter Man was a little scary. He lurched forward and yanked the phone out of her hand.

What are you doing?” she asked as he gave her his back.

Shifter Man lifted the phone to his ear and, oh hell, this was bad, bad, bad. You didn’t give the snake, aka her ex-fiancé, attention! You gave him the cold shoulder and hoped he got bored, found another hoochie to entertain him for a while!

“She’s busy,” he growled into the phone.

Oh, God, had he just called Dayton? Katy tried to grab the phone from his hand, but he twisted away from her.

“With me,” Shifter Man said. “She found a real man. You didn’t make the cut, you needle-dicked little soul-sucker. That’s what you do, right? You drain her until there’s nothing for you to play with anymore. You had your shot, you missed and, holy fuck, did you miss big. She’s got the softest tits I’ve ever felt, the best lips, best sense of humor and, God, can she kiss. Your existence doesn’t matter anymore, fuckboy. She found something better. Text her again, and I’ll drive to your fucking house and pull your guts through your mouth hole.”

Oh God, oh God, oh God! She lunged for the phone again, but the angry lion shifter palmed her face and kept her at arm’s length. She wasn’t currently smart enough to figure out an escape from his professional wrestler move, so she just swung her arms wildly at him, hoping to land a punch, which she did not. And then she gasped when he released her suddenly because she fell hard into his stony torso. He wrapped his arm around the back of her neck, pulled her up on her tippy-toes, and then that golden-eyed snarly man kissed her.

And he.

Kissed.

The hell out of her.

There was tongue. But like the yummy kind of tongue. Not too much, not too little. Like…a professional amount of tongue. She just parted her lips and let him on in like some floozy. Her legs went numb and buckled, but no worries. The big and powerful shifter held her in place, squished against his sexy body.

She didn’t understand what was happening until she heard the click of her phone camera.

And then he released her, making sure she was nice and propped up against the nose of the minivan. As her heart pounded out of her chest cavity and she huffed breath like she’d just run a damn marathon, he sent the smooching picture to her ex.

In a swirl of action, he handed her back the phone, the autograph, and the pen, and then did an about face and sauntered away like one of those sexy action heroes walking away from an explosion. Which he basically was, because her ovaries just went boom.

“My name is Kannon!” his deep voice echoed behind him as he disappeared into the dark.

“Whoa,” she whispered to herself as she stood splayed against the minivan. “Even his name is cool.”

Chapter Five

Whore.

That one word had taken her from the highest high to the lowest low.

Katy had been driving to the hotel in a daze, actually going the speed limit, hands on ten and two. She’d pulled up to the first red light in town, and her cell phone on the passenger’s seat had lit up with a text from Dayton.

Whore.

That was all it said.

She’d never been called that before, and it felt like a slap right across the face.

That word was dangerous and unfair to a woman, and it made her feel differently about Dayton. Made her respect him even less.

She was single, allowed to move on like he’d done before he’d even ditched her at the altar. She’d never called him names, never screamed at him or tried to emotionally destroy him. She’d gotten quiet and sad and disappeared from all social media, from her friends, from her family, from the world, until he’d decided for the twentieth time he wanted her back and wanted to try again.

She wasn’t the whore.

He was.

A burning built in her chest, and there was that grit she’d waited for, that seed of anger at how unfair everything had been.

She hadn’t been pissed when she’d sent all the wedding presents back or as she struggled to pay for the wedding that never happened. Anger had never filled her chest as she’d explained to friends and family that Dayton had simply changed his mind on forever. Only shame. Only sadness. Only feeling like not enough.

But as she coasted along the quiet streets of Telluride, she couldn’t stop the word on repeat that echoed through her head.

Whore.

Whore.

Whore.

A piece of her was finally starting to hate Dayton.

With a frown, she parked in the hotel parking lot and pulled her phone off the passenger’s seat to stare at that awful, degrading word lighting up the screen again. She’d slept with two people her entire life, both serious relationships. Dayton had slept with dozens, but would he ever be called a whore? No. Men were called studs. Higher numbers made them heroes to their friends. She wanted to puke.

Blood boiling, she opened up her main social media account and re-activated it. Then she changed her relationship status from it’s complicated to single and swore to herself that she would never speak of her love life on it again. Her cousin commented on it almost immediately. About fuckin’ time. Fuck that loser. Hey Dayton, if you and your dumb friends are still watching her, I’m talking about you. You’re the loser.

Another comment came through from her aunt. You’re better off without that dead weight. Good to see you back on here.

And another. You deserve better. See you tomorrow, sweet girl. First round of drinks is on me. It was from Drea, her best friend.

What was this feeling swirling in her chest cavity? Relief? Heartache? Did a heart ache if it didn’t exist anymore? Was it pride in herself that she’d taken a tiny step in her emotional journey and stood up for herself? Perhaps it was all of them, and she had someone to thank for kick-starting it all. Kannon. He’d gotten angry on her behalf and put an instant stop to Dayton’s manipulation. He was strong. One of those iron-willed men who didn’t take shit from anyone. It had stunned her when he’d threatened to pull Dayton’s innards from his mouth. He’d said it with such conviction that Katy had believed him. Kannon was dangerous, but he’d aimed that terrifying energy at the man who’d hurt her. She knew it was dumb, but to her, Kannon had turned into her own personal hero tonight. In more ways than one.