Page 55 of Hawke

My gut was a mess. It lurched with disapproval when I tried to take another step away from the hotel. Maybe I could stay for a day. Take time to really think about leaving again.

Am I thinking irrationally? Or am I finally seeing things for the first time?

“You’re worthless without me, Delilah. You and your mother are worthless without my father and me.”Shane’s voice came into play, the deepest part of my nightmares resurfacing.

I couldn’t leave, not whenhisvoice was coming back.

I clamped my hands over my ears in an effort to muffle his words.

“You owe me. We kept you fed, clothed. My dad did your mom a fucking favor. I kept you safe…”

I gritted my teeth, ready to punch my head into a nearby brick wall. It would feel better than the harsh whispers, the gaslighting, the humiliating words bouncing around in my head.

And my heart was about to explode from not being near Hawke.

I’m supposed to be mad!

So, I did the next best thing I could do—the only somewhat rational thing I could. I went to the front office and asked for another room, one on the other side of the hotel. I’d still be near Hawke and know he was close. When I was ready to see him, I would go to him.

But I hadn’t needed him in a long time. I’d done fine on my own.

“You need each other.”

“He’s such a blunderbuss though,” I spoke back to the voice.

That seemed to satisfy her, she didn’t respond, and I took my key from the confused receptionist. She watched me leave, and I went to my new room and settled on the crisp clean sheets.

They didn’t smell like him. They smelt of bleach and detergent, but at this point I didn’t care. Because the emotions flashed in front of me every time I closed my eyes, and like hell was I going to close my eyes again. Not until I figured out what the hell was wrong with me.

Hawke

I revved my bike once the door to her room was shut. I sped off, letting the tires rip through rocks that had once been solid concrete. This place was a dump. The more I looked at it, the more I hated it.

Delilah deserved better, and once I figured out this unknown supernatural, I would take her somewhere safer. It would take time for my wolf to reconsider, however. He was constantly bantering about the perfectly good nest he’d built. He could build another, an even better one. But first, we had to make sure we didn’t have a spy who reported to the council. We didn’t need that mess. Not just for Delilah and me but also the club.

The vibrations from the bike radiated through my hands as I traveled back toward the town center. The main street was alive with people making their way to the upscale stores. When my bike came closer to the sidewalk, the humans that were leisurely walking there glared at me intently.

My wolf’s ears suddenly rose to attention, and the fur on his neck rose in response. “He’s close,” he said, warning me to silently park and get off the bike.

As we parked, I sniffed the air. This supernatural’s smell was covered and with an untrained nose it would be untraceable, but not for me, not for my wolf. It smelled similar to ozone, that odd smell you got when you tried to purify the air. I could feel this scent in the back of my throat like it was coating it with a dry, metallic powder.

Whatever the supernatural used, he knew how to use it well.

My boots tapped on the cement. The gun hidden beneath my cut in the back of my pants was a constant reminder I couldn’t use my claws; I couldn’t show my true form—an act almost impossible because my wolf was screaming to be released.

My claws lengthened, longer than they had been in quite some time. I shoved them in my pockets, letting the sharp daggers pierce my thighs. My wolf howled, his patience wearing thin.

Now that he understood our mission, to protect Delilah and our brothers, he was more on board with finding this male. But unfortunately, we were both antsy, our soul stretching and yearning to be with Delilah again.

“She’s unsettled.” My wolf panted, his head weaving back and forth between my eyes. “Make this quick.”

Hastening my pace, I intended not to stay away from Delilah any longer than was necessary, when I stumbled upon a smoke shop on the corner. It reeked of expensive tobacco, incense, and that terrible scent coated the entire store.

As I pushed against the door, the sound of the entry bell rang as if it was a gong and set my senses on edge. I felt myself becoming stronger, feeling my wolf’s body taking over. We needed to be near Delilah. The bond was stretched as it was.

As I entered, our boots echoed into the heavily decorated wooden decor. It was straight out of a saloon you would find in a western movie. I would know. For some damn reason, I had been stuck watching too many westerns when I couldn’t sleep at night.

This room was more elaborate, however. Tall, round tables for playing cards, a pool table on one side of the room, and shelves upon shelves of various tobacco from all over the world, a golden plaque naming each one, filled the space. Every shelf was polished until it gleamed.

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