Page 75 of Property of Camo

Reece pulls me close to him, my head resting on his chest.

“He will pay for this, baby, and I will prove that I am fucking worthy of you.”

The door creaks open, and I know Delaney has arrived.

“Go on, the boys are wanting to start church. I will watch your girl, you know I will not let anything happen to her.” Her sweet voice fills the room.

Reece pulls back, kisses me on the lips softly, then steals a piece of bacon off my plate before I can say anything.

He winks, then leaves.

“Girl, that man is gone for you.” She smiles at me.

“I wish I could believe you,” I say, my voice shaky with emotion.

“Skyla, I think deep down he knows what he did was wrong, and I can say this heartfully to you that I have never, and I mean never, seen him like this for any woman.”

“How long have you known him, or anyone in the club?” I ask her.

Sitting across from me, she ponders for a few seconds, before bringing her gaze to meet mine, and I see pain and anguish there.

“I have known most of the brothers for years, as I am from Salem, but when I turned eighteen, I approached Winger and told him that I wanted to be a club girl. I needed out of my current situation, where I was being fed on unwillingly by my boyfriend’s vampire friends. Joining the club would get me away from him and offer me protection.”

“Oh shit, Delaney.”

She shrugs. “I have moved on, and I love my life now. Well, until recently.” Her voice takes on a grim tone, and I hate seeing my new friend hurting like this.

“Are you really going to leave the club?”

She nods. “I think it is time.” She sighs. “The club has been so good to me, but now I have to fight for me. A friend of mine is moving to the UK, so she is letting me rent her condo. It is a two bedroom, and she has also helped me get a job in a bakery over on Main Street.”

“Wow. That was fast.” I am shocked at how much she has done since last night when everything blew up.

She shrugs again.

“No point in staying somewhere where I am not wanted.”

“Oh, come on, that is not true.” She gives me that look. “Okay, but only him, the rest of the brothers want you here, Del.”

She says nothing, pushing to her feet, and I watch her as she makes herself a coffee, then refills mine. I give her a grateful smile. Then she sits back down at the table.

I can sense her unease at being here. Before, I got the feeling that she had always belonged here but after what Thorin did last night, it’s clear that she’s now feeling unsettled.

“What has happened between Thorin and you? Tell me to mind my own business if you do not want to talk about it, butknow that I am here if you ever need to talk,” I offer, then sip my coffee.

Delaney shifts in her seat, and I hate that I have made her feel like this, but I think it would help if she talked about it.

“I am Thorin’s mate, but he refuses to acknowledge the connection, and I think it has something to do with my past, but a part of me thinks it is simply because he does not see me as an equal, as I am human.”

“Fucking men are so stubborn. I gave him a piece of my mind last night. Reece had to hold me back.” I wink at her.

“Reece?” She smiles at me.

“Yeah, he told me that I get to call him by his birth name, but only me. He also told me that I am his Ol’ Lady.”

“This is big, babe.” She covers my hand with hers, gripping softly.

“Maybe. It will be hard to get past the hurt, and I think the fear of him reverting back to his old ways when he gets bored or pissed at me will always hang in the back of my mind. Like I told him, even though we were never a couple when we were sleeping together, seeing him fuck that club girl in front of me, and keep going while I was standing there broke my heart. Being human sucks sometimes.”

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