Page 63 of Forsaken Devotion: Part 2
“No—”
“Josephine,” he snarled. I clamped my lips shut. Oh, he wasangry.
My face heated, and I tried not to pay attention to our audience of Bruno and Alex.
“How quaint,” Duane sneered. Lucian’s nostrils flared a little.
He kissed my knuckles again and dropped my hand. He took two wide steps, putting him before Duane. Without another word, he struck him.
Duane’s head jerked to the side, and blood sprayed from his nose. He hacked up blood.
“Alpha—”
Lucian cut him off with another strike. This time, a laceration opened on Duane’s temple. I caught Bruno’s wince.
“Lucian.” I put my hand on his arm. “You can’t be out of bed like this right now.”
Lucian turned to me, and cupped the bottom of my jaw, forcing me to look up at him.
“This bastard put you in danger, Josephine. He will die by my hand.”
“We’ve been friends for twenty-three years,” Duane spat. “Longer than thatbrathas been alive. You’d kill me for trying to help you?”
Lucian’s eyelid twitched, and for a split second, his hold on my chin stiffened close to pain. But as if catching himself, he exhaled, releasing my chin in the process.
“Why don’t you head inside, Princess?” he murmured. So slowly it was scary, he turned in place to face Duane.
“It was what was best for you, Alpha.” Duane stayed steady with his resolve. “You would have thrown away everything you’d been working for. Just for some bitch—” Lucian’s knuckles connected with his jaw, a snap echoing in the small shack. Duane grunted, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth ata steady pace. He spat to the side, gaze focusing on Lucian with pain.
He’d never been in love with Cierra . . . That made me even madder. I lunged at him, slapped my hands across his face with repeated swings. I couldn’t stop screaming.
An arm wound around my waist, and Lucian pulled me against his chest.
“Shh, Josephine,” he comforted. My arms flopped, my muscles throbbing.
I panted, ragged and breathless. I didn’t look away from Duane. Blood dripped from his nose, and his lip was split. Bruises began to bloom across his face, swelling it in various places.
Duane spat out blood again.
“Seeing what a cunt you are, I don’t regret trying to get rid of you,” he sneered.
“When Lucian asked us to find her, you’d known the entire time about her. You ran her off the fucking road.” Bruno’s voice suddenly came from behind me. He was shaking his head. “I saw the fucking report. How did you do it?”
“Jane Doe.” He grinned, teeth bloody and a hole where one used to be.
“You slapped her name on a dead girl’s case,” Bruno scoffed. I could feel the tension radiating off Lucian; he was ready to blow.
“If he had asked us to look just days earlier, it would have been harder. Good thing he waited a week.” Duane’s tone turned mocking. “It was obvious the Moon didn’t want them together.” He lifted his nose with his claim.
“Bruno, please escort your Luna out,” Lucian ordered. I whipped to look at him, eyebrows furrowed.
Rage crackled off him.
“What?” I shook my head. “Why?”
“Luna?” Bruno called closer.
“Please,” Lucian bit out.
