Page 137 of Fangs
He glanced behind him and made a face. “Yeah, I got it.”
He intercepted my brother and Lee. Thankfully, they stopped, but both of them glared at me.
“Ready?” Mac asked, and I nodded.
The rover peeled out again, swinging in a loop and heading for the open gate. Riding in the front felt strange, but I was grateful I didn’t have to sit in the back and think about Trey.
Once we hit the trees, Mac suddenly pulled over and stopped. I looked for the other rover, but it was just us. I turned to Mac, confused, but he was getting out of the rover.
“Mac, what?—”
He came around to my side and opened my door. “I just…I gotta talk to you,” he said, his voice tight.
I fumbled to unbuckle and climbed out, my heart rate picking up again. He paced away and then back to stand in front of me, running his hand through his messy hair. For several seconds, we just stared at each other.
“Em, I’m so sorry,” he said, his voice low and hoarse and full of pain.
My mind began to run through horrible possible scenarios. Raven was hurt. Griz was dead. What else?—
“You’re not a pawn or a prize or athing,” he continued fiercely, and my stomach lurched as I realized he was talking about the fight we’d had before he left. “I should’ve told you right away that I knew about the other powered person. I didn’t think about how it might look to you—like we were tryin’ to trick you—and I’m so fuckin’ sorry.”
I couldfeelthe warmth curling in my chest. “Mac?—”
“Sam radioed and told me what you’d said to him, and I wanted to come right home to make sure you knew I’d never let anyone use you like that. I know I fucked up by draggin’ you here, and I’m so sorry, but I swear, Em, I willneverletanyone?—”
I interrupted him by stepping forward and catching his hands. He gripped mine back tightly. His emotion felt like a tangible thing that swirled around us, and it was so apparent he’d been working himself up about this the entire time he’d been gone. For the first time, I felt I was comforting him instead of the other way around.
“It’s okay. It’s okay, Mac,” I said softly. “I’m sorry I freaked out?—”
“Don’t apologize, please.”His voice in my head was rough.
“No, I shouldn’t have assumed the worst about you like that. You’ve done nothin’ to make me think that about you.”
His eyes narrowed into a glare.“That’s not true.”
“Mac,”I glared back, exasperated.“You’ve apologized enough.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to apologize enough,”he said, and the raw honesty in his voice made my eyes well up.
“I forgive you for all of it,”I held his gaze, hoping he saw and felt my sincerity.“I don’t hate you, remember?”I tried to smile.
He let out a heavy sigh, squeezing my hands.“I thought I’d fucked everything up,”he admitted.
“That was on me, not you,”I found myself saying, the urge to explain surprising me.“Once I stopped and thought about it, I realized how stupid it was. I just got scared and panicked…and I hate feeling scared, so that made me mad. I promise I know you’d never do that.”
We both fell silent, studying each other. Mac’s eyes were less guarded than I’d ever seen as if he was deliberately opening himself up and allowing me toseehim. It was an openness that reminded me of Trey, and I hesitated as the pain swelled. He didn’t move, didn’t draw back. He just waited as I tried to breathe through the grief and find the strength to look.
Bones, let ’em in.
Why was all of this sohard?
I gathered my courage and peered into Mac’s eyes, but it wasn’t like gazing into Trey’s eyes. As soon as I looked, Ifeltthe connection between our powers, as if we were woven together. His emotions washed over me, and I couldfeelhis regret, concern, and pain. I took a breath to say something, but then another emotionjoltedbetween us like electricity, the strength of it so familiar andterrifying?—
I jerked away like I’d touched a hot iron, and he immediately released me.
“I’m sorry,” I said, my heart in my throat, unsure what I was apologizing for.
His face had gone carefully blank. “It’s okay.”
