Page 47 of Fangs
“If Wolf gets his way and Nemo lets him take me away—” Mac sucked in a breath, and I held up a trembling hand. “No, just listen. If he gets his way and is gonna take me back to Carth… will you please… please shoot me?”
He recoiled backward as though I’d slapped him. “What the fuck, Bones?”
“Mac, if he takes me back to Carth, they’ll burn me alive.” My voice broke.
He went still, his eyes locked on mine. “What?”
“They b-burn women they think are w-witches.”
The horror on his face hardened into rage, and his nostrils flared. “No, Bones, I am not gonna shoot you.”
“Mac—”
He leaned forward and grabbed my face, but despite the anger in his eyes, his hands were gentle. “Listen to me,” he commanded. “Your brother is not gonna take you back there. Nemo would never let that happen, and unless Wolf wants a firefight, he has to defer to Nemo. And even if your brother somehow managed to get you out of here, I’d be comin’ after him to get you back. So you are gonna stopaskin’people to kill you, you hear me?”
“There’s things worse than death, Mac,” I whispered brokenly. The calluses on Mac’s palms against my skin reminded me painfully of Trey.
“No.” His jaw flexed. “Death is the worst because it’sfinal.”
A bitter laugh that sounded more like a sob escaped my mouth. I wanted to tell him there was some shit you never fully came back from, but I couldn’t get the words out.
He ducked his head a little to catch my eyes again. “I’m fightin’ for you, Bones.”
My heart lurched, making me lightheaded for a moment. He studied me, determination in every tensed muscle on his face. I had no idea what expression I had.
“And I’m not gonna stop until you realize you’re worth it and start fightin’ for yourself,” he added in a low voice.
My eyes welled up. This was going in a dangerous direction. I needed to change the subject. My gaze dropped to his shoulder, where I remembered the bullet hitting him.
“You promise you’re ok?” My voice wobbled.
When I glanced back up at his face, his expression had softened. He released me and began to unbutton his shirt. My cheeks felt strangely cold now, and I resisted the urge to reach up and touch my face where his hand had been.
He showed me the scar on his shoulder and patiently waited as I examined it.
“I’m sorry I shot your brother.”
I looked back up at him, startled.
“To be fair, I didn’t know he was your brother when I shot him. Though I still woulda done it even if Ididknow.” His face grew stormy. “I’m not gonna hesitate when someone has a gun to your head.”
A confusing mix of guilt and fear and something unbearably soft overwhelmed me.
“Wolf told us about your brother Dune.”
I lifted the thermos and took another sip of broth, avoiding his eyes.
“When you feel better, we’d like to hear your side of the story.”
“What makes you think it’s different from his?” I muttered.
He was quiet for a long time, and I wanted to see his expression but wasn’t brave enough to look. The fire crackled and popped, tiny sparks dancing in the darkness.
“Bones,” he finally said in that soft voice that made my eyes burn, “’cause weknowyou.”
Did they? I didn’t understand how other people could feel so confident they knew who I was whenIdidn’t even know.
Mac rested his hand on the bed and leaned forward again, coming close enough I could smell the peppermint soap he preferred, same as Clarity. “When he told us you murdered your brother, we thought he was fuckin’ joking. None of us believe that’s what happened.”
