Page 94 of (Sur)real
He growled.
“Then I’ll settle for you,” he said with soft menace.
“No, you won’t. You’ll wait and meet all of us there. Gabby is watching. If you or any other Urbat gets close to me, I’ll—”
This time he laughed.
“You’ll do nothing. You’re useless and blind.”
I exhaled slowly, knowing it was time to prove just how smart and useful I could be. Heart hammering, I turned my hand in Jim’s and lifted his hand to my breast. He jerked and turned his head toward me.
“I do have a use, Father. A use you’ve been saving for yourself.”
Jim growled, his fingers twitching around my breast. I let myself feel. Not just his hot palm covering my bare breast through my sweater, but the flutter of anticipation he created in my stomach and the sudden jolt of desire that crept lower because of his touch.
Blake roared in my ear.
“What are you doing? Who is with you?”
Jim tried to remove his hand, and his thumb brushed over my nipple. I shivered and held his hand in place.
“A male willing to take everything you think you own,” I said, slightly breathless.
“You Claimed me,” Blake yelled. “You’re mine.”
“We both know a Claim wouldn’t stop me from having sex with someone else. You’ll just experience every moment of another male taking what belongs to you. Stay away, and so will he. Make a move in our direction, and he’ll have me on my back before you can howl.”
I hung up the phone, released Jim’s hand, and set the phone on the seat between us. It immediately began ringing, but I ignored it and the guilt that wanted to surge forward as I watched Jim’s shape.
“I’m sorry,” I said quietly. Blake’s anger still boiled in my mind. “Tell Gabby she’ll need to watch the Urbat. If any start moving toward us, she should let you know.”
Jim rubbed his chest.
“You know, we’d be safer if you just broke your Claim with Blake,” he said, his voice rough and with an angry edge.
I shook my head, thinking of the next twenty-four hours and what lay ahead. Fear threaded its way through my heart.
“No. I can’t. No matter what, I can’t release my hold on him. With it, he’s the one under our control.”
“Is that really the reason? Without it, he can’t find you.”
“Please, trust me,” I said. “This is the safest way.”
He didn’t say anything more, and I wondered what he thought about the threat I’d just delivered to Blake. Would the pull be enough to gain Jim’s willingness to help me, or had I just lost any hope of having his support?
JIM…
The idea of that monster crawling around inside Olivia’s head, feeling her emotions when I couldn’t, was killing me. I wanted him out. Now. But I refused to push her like he had.
Fisting my hand and setting it in my lap, I struggled for calm and control. Once I had a small measure of both, I reached out to Sam, the least likely to overreact at the latest news.
Sam, Olivia’s bleeding again. We need to find somewhere to stop and clean her up. If any Urbat start moving toward us, let me know.
Will do. Gabby’s watching everything now. We’ll meet you at Canyonlands in an hour.
No. According to Michelle’s visions, we don’t meet the Urbat there until the sun’s high. That means we should be fine for the rest of tonight. And, because of Olivia’s Claim on Blake, he knows right where she is. So, it’s safer if we stay separate until tomorrow.
It’s not smart to stop. There’s nothing to prevent Blake from taking her back.
