Page 62 of Shifters' Fated Summer
So much rage poured through me, I couldn’t see straight. An animalistic growl burst from my throat, and I shoved my chair back, slamming my hands on the table and leaning toward the bitch.
“Get your hands off my mate,” I snarled.
Lana’s eyes widened and her hand went to cover her mouth, hiding a smile that reminded me far too much of Luca’s smirk.
“Oh, I didn’t realize she had teeth. That’s a wonderful surprise.”
Cade bolted up, mirroring my pose. “Summer, a word please?” he said through clenched teeth.
“I’ll happily use those teeth to teach you to keep your hands to yourself,” I growled, my anger making everything go hazy. It wasn’t reasonable, but I couldn’t help it.
Lana leaned over the table, glancing between me and Cade with a lazy grin on her face. “I like her.”
In two strides, Cade was at my side, grabbing my elbow and hauling me away. I couldn’t help baring my teeth at Lana as my fated mate dragged me inside. He didn’t stop until we were through a side door into what looked like a storage room, and out of view of our pack andguests.
“What the fuck was that?” he growled.
My vision spun. I wanted to strangle him, pin him down, rip off his clothes… I stumbled, and he grabbed me around the waist to keep me upright. “Summer!”
“She was hitting on you,” I managed to say. “The touching, and the boobs…”
Cade’s mix of anger and concern turned to exasperation in a flash. His face relaxed and his eyes flit to the ceiling briefly.
“That is ridiculous. Lana is just touchy. Most wolves are, which you would know if you grew up in a pack instead of those leeches.”
I jerked back as if he slapped me. “Are you blaming me for being a blood slave?”
“Of course not.”
“You are! You have. This whole time you treat me like I chose to be with the vampires. You’ve got to be kidding me. You think I’m some sort of untrustworthy vampire sympathizer, like I’m a traitor.”
“You embraced it. You fell for him,” Cade said, his voice a low growl.
My bitter words spilled out. I couldn’t stop myself. My voice rose, louder and angrier.
“I’m not going to apologize for what I had to do to survive. I was eleven when they took me. Eleven. I spent eight years being held captive in the dark, used for my blood. And then one vampire was nice to me. He told me Iwas special and that he wanted me. He took me away from the rest of them, probably saving my life. Are you seriously going to blame me for going along with that? After years of being a juice box for whoever was hungry?”
Cade’s jaw ticked as he let me spill out all my rage at him. When I stopped to draw a breath, I waited for his retort. Cade just stared at me, swaying a little on his feet.
Those honey-brown eyes unfocused and rolled back in his head, and he dropped like a stone. My fated mate crumbled at my feet.
“Cade!” I screeched, dropping to my knees. All that anger iced over into terror in an instant. With shaking hands, I cradled his head. He was limp and his eyes had shut.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, unable to think straight. “Cade!”
The door banged open and Luca stood there, his eyes wide.
“He just collapsed! I didn’t even touch him. There were no signs. One second he was fine and then he just fell. Fainted, maybe?”
Luca leaned out the door and shouted for help, and then he landed on the floor beside me. I held our mate steady while Luca checked his breathing and heartbeat.
“Damn you, idiot,” he muttered.
“What?”
“I don’t know for sure, but I think he’ll be fine. It’s his own fuckingfault.”
Archer and Holt rushed in, and Luca pulled me away with gentle hands on my upper arms. He murmured in my ear.
