Page 91 of Tail, Dark and Handsome: Celestial Mates
Winter
He heard the voices in the garage, one male and one female. The wind shifted, bringing the scents to him. Cool, crisp air. Evergreens. Chase and Marigold.
Rooted in place, Winter strained to hear their conversation. The words were not hushed, not a secret meeting between lovers. Then again, Rebel never hid her amorous activities.
A dreadful thought stole over him. Had he replaced one unfaithful mate with another?
Chase screamed in pain.
Winter burst into the garage, in time to witness Chase tug his tail free from the vehicle door and Marigold to scramble away. Her hair was mussed and color high in her cheeks.
His gut clenched, fearing he saw the evidence of passion—of Chase’s touch—on his mate. Then he saw the way her hands trembled. She fell to her knees, desperate for the crystal pendant. The broken chain twisted between her fingers.
“You,” Winter said, turning his wrath to Chase. “You touched her. You hurt her.”
“She hurt me. Look at my tail!” Chase clutched the end of his tail like a kit. A rotten, spoiled kit.
“I told you to back away,” Marigold snapped and the fire in her voice warmed Winter.
Surging forward, Winter slammed a fist into Chase’s face. His mouth twisted in pain, his lips bleeding. He slammed into the vehicle’s side. Marigold yelped in surprise. Chase cursed, struggling to break free, but Winter’s arm pressed against his throat. The two males growled, years of ill will and animosity boiling over. This was the male his father preferred over Winter. This was the male his mate longed for. Winter wanted to sink his claws deep into Chase and make him bleed.
Clenching his teeth, Winter grabbed the offensive male by the ear and dragged him forward. Chase’s arms flapped uselessly as he stumbled after. With a solid push, he shoved Chase out of the garage.
The male fell to the ground, catching himself on his hands. He bounced back to his feet, ears back in anger and his claws out. “That’s assault, cousin. If you think I won’t report you to the authorities—”
“Do that,” Winter said. “I welcome the authorities. I want to hear your explanation as to how you came to be trespassing on my property and how you hurt my mate.”
Chase stuttered, the bite taken out of his threats. “I did not hurt her.”
Winter folded his arms over his chest.
“I can’t say the same about you, though. Do you want the media asking questions about your mate’s shoulder?” Chase asked.
“Marigold, tell me what happened,” Winter ordered, ignoring the vague threats and not taking his eyes off his cousin. He sensed her standing just behind him. His tail swung out to verify her position.
“He…he caught me by surprise,” she said.
“Your necklace?”
“An accident.”
He disliked that she shielded Chase. What was between them that she felt the need to protect such a male?
No, he corrected himself. She was too kind. It made her vulnerable and a target to one such as Chase. She should know better, especially after her experience with the loathsome Tomas.
He must have been growling, because her hand on his shoulder made the noise cease. He shrugged her off, not wanting to associate her touch with any part of this farce. Her breath hitched, and she stepped back.
“Tell me what you are doing sneaking around my garage,” he ordered.
Chase dragged the back of his hand across his mouth, smearing blood. It was scarlet against his cream complexion. “What happened to the vehicle?”
“An asshole hit it, but I expect it will make a full recovery.”
Chase’s tail snapped angrily back and forth. He pointed to the empty spot where the ruined vehicle once sat. “No.Thevehicle. What have you done with it? Are you disposing of evidence?”
Ah. The one he drove that night.
“Any evidence was collected long ago. It was junk. I have no need for useless things,” Winter said.
