Page 122 of My UnTrue Love
“Sweetie-pie, it’s going to be okay.” The darkness pressed down on her, adding to her agitation. “You’re going to be fine.” All this time, the kid hadn’t been hiding out. He’d been a prisoner in his own apartment, his body transforming when he was trapped and scared. “Who locked you in…?”
Her words broke off in a panicked yelp, as Johnny grabbed her from behind.
“You think I’m going to let you get away with it?” He spun her around, wrath radiating from him. “You led me on foryears.”
His fingertips were bloody. He must have torn at the ruined drywall to make the hole bigger and followed her through. The building had appalling construction standards.
Clem tried to strike out with a fist, but he was already grabbing her arms. “Why are you doing this?”
“You’re my True Love!Mine. And even if you’re not, I’m not going to let him have you. I’ll never let him win!”
Johnny couldn’t stand to lose. Not even at board games.That’swhat this was really about. He’d always been hyper-competitive with Bill, because Bill was so obviously superior in every conceivable way. As his life spiraled out of control, Johnny blamed Bill and wanted to beat him at something. But he was too big of a coward to face Bill himself. Clementine realized that she was just a means to an end. He was going to rape her to get back at her husband, with no regard for her as a person.
Once upon a time, John Jacob Jingleheimer-Schmidt had been her best friend. But she’d never known Johnny Jacobs, at all.
Clementine cried out in pain, as he dragged her towards the dirty sofa in the living room. Dried blood stained the cushions. Where had that come from? It coated the rug, too. Pieces of a violin were on the ground, like someone had stomped on it, and all the furniture was pushed out of place. There had been a vicious fight in the room, even before Johnny arrived.
“Stop caterwauling. Jesus! Whatever you did with that coyote, you’ll enjoy it more with me.” Johnny didn’t care that he hurt her. He was insulted that she was resisting him. “Everyonewants me.Everyoneloves me.”
“I’m in love with Bill!”
“Don’t be stupid.” His free hand fondled her body right through her blouse. “You’ll forget that nobody, once you’re the wife of a star.”
“Iamthe wife of a star! Bill is a star. And you’veneverbeen one.”
Even when she’d been blinded by loyalty and affection for Johnny, she’d known his limitations. Fate wasn’t fair when talent got doled out. Some people were just blessed with an extra sparkle of artistic genius. Bill had it. Johnny didn’t. Everyone who heard them play could sense it.
Maybe that’s why Johnny detested him so deeply.
“That’s a fucking lie!” His grip tightened on the soft globe of her breast, wanting to punish her. “I’m the biggest star this town has ever…”
Wham!
She didn’t see the impact, but she felt it. Something huge and powerful slammed into Johnny. His furious ranting turned to terrified shrieks.
Clem toppled to the carpet, as he released his hold on her. Hehadto let her go in order to protect himself from the savage coyote attack.
“Get him off! Get him off!” Johnny begged, his voice barely audible over the carnivorous snarls. He reached a handtowards Clem, as if she would help him, and nearly got it snapped off by jagged teeth.
Luke didnotlike men touching her.
The boy was fully transformed, coated in a thick, swirling mist, with only a hint of his human form within the animalistic shape. His strange eyes glowed with wrath and feral violence.
Johnny was large for a human, but he was no match for a sixteen-year-old coyote-shifter. She’d seen Bill toss Stew over the bar, like the other man weighed nothing. Send a bear to the hospital with one punch. Coyote’s strength was unbelievable.
But Bill had been aware of himself, even when he was transformed. Luke was lost somewhere inside his animal-half. And Luke’s coyote was even bigger than Bill’s. A gigantic mountain of pain and wrath, intent on inflicting destruction.
He tore into Johnny with relentless ferocity, fully intending to kill him. That kind of trauma might damage Luke forever. He was very sensitive.
“Luke.” She staggered to her feet, wanting to protect him. “Don’t hurt Johnny. He’s not worth you getting in trouble.”
No response. Luke’s massive paws were already around Johnny’s throat, planning to rip his head clean off. Johnny gurgled and pried at the mist-covered fists strangling him. The blue fog was the exact same shade as Bill’s. She supposed all coyote magic was that extraordinary color.
“Luke! It’s over, now. You’re safe. You kept me safe. We’re okay.”
Nothing. The coyote was beyond hearing words.
Clementine thought for a beat and then whistled those notes she’d read on Luke’s wall. The small piece of his elaborate symphony. It was beautiful and haunting and finally got his attention.
