Page 14 of Unbreakable Bond
“Go home. Take a shower. Get changed. I’ll deal with this mess and then I’ll come over and we can talk about all ofthis.”
“No.”
“I need to get him moved before he rouses,Zo.”
“Fine. I’ll help you. But I’m not leaving him.” She put her hands on her hips and glared athim.
“You think I’d hurt my ownbrother?”
“Well, you did just have himshot.”
“Tranqued. There’s a difference.” Heglowered.
“Really? You think he’s going to see it that way when he wakes up?” She raised a skeptical eyebrow, “You shot your brother. Your brother that barely survived a gunshot wound once before. Your brother that witnessed your parents being shot and killed with his own eyes. Do you really think he’s going to differentiate between being shot with a bullet and being shot with a dart when he comes to or do you think he’s just going to be even more pissed off than he alreadywas?”
As she spoke, she watched her words sink in and hated herself for them. She hated herself for bringing up the worst day of Michael’s life. For making him remember his loss, as if it ever really faded from his mind. She hated that she had to point out that shooting Rafe had been a mistake because the Michael she knew, kind, thoughtful, practical Michael, should have known the torture his brother had lived with better thananyone.
But he hadn’t been thinking when he gave that order for the Sheriff to shootRafe.
He hadn’t looked at him and seen his brother. He’d only looked at him and seen a threat. To her. To them. To what theyhad.
And she didn’t blame him. There were plenty of women she’d hated on sight alone because she’d thought they might be the one meant for Michael. In another time and place, hell, even earlier tonight, Michael’s simple, knee-jerk reaction to protect her, to keep her for himself, whatever his reasons, would have come off as impossibly sweet in her romanticmind.
Now she only wished that Michael hadn’t been present at all when Rafe came for her. If she’d been alone, none of this would have happened. If Michael hadn’t followed her outside, he wouldn’t have thought he had to defend her, jumped between them or issued orders to have his brother shot and thenimprisoned.
Her stomach knotted again. How were they going to come back from this? Rafe and Michael? Their relationship had already been strained. It had been fraught with tension even with miles of space between them. The pack was rightfully Rafe’s by birth but he’d given it to Michael without a fight. He’d lefttown.
Why had he come back now? And what did it mean that his first night here he and Michael were rolling on the ground, fighting with tooth and claw, over her? Worse, she couldn’t help but wonder if Rafe would give her up to his brother as easily as he’d given up hispack.
No. She shook the thought away. No, he wouldn’t have fought Michael if he hadn’t wanted her for himself. She was his mate. He’d said so himself. He’d also said that he washers.
It was a distinction that warmed her heart, maybe because she was human and she wasn’t promised some pre-destined soulmate or maybe because she’d just always wanted someone to call her own. Whatever it was, whatever had made fate decide they would be a good pair, she wanted a chance at it, withRafe.
“He’ll understand why I did it after he calms down.” Michael didn’t soundconvinced.
“How long do you think that’s going to take? For the heat to pass I mean?” She shrugged as if it wasn’t the most pressing thing on hermind.
“Until after the full moon.” Michael swiped a hand through his hair, “It won’t ever go away, not completely, but if I can keep you two apart until after tomorrow night, it’ll buy us some time to come up with aplan.”
“Aplan?”
“To break thebond.”
She bit her tongue. There were too many questions rolling around inside of her and if she got started now, she might never finish. Besides, if Michael answered wrong, she was likely to punch him. Something she didn’t want to do. So she didn’t ask him why he was so set on breaking the bond, on keeping them apart, she only nodded and moved back toRafe.
She brushed his unruly hair off his forehead again. He twitched. He leaned his face into her touch and she covered a smile. He would be awake soon. Strong werewolf man, they’d tranqued him and still couldn’t keep himdown.
She remembered his last words to her. He’d said that he would find her. She knew that he would. If she took Michael’s advice and went home and showered and changed, Rafe would wake up in that cell alone and he’d break every bone in his body trying to get to her. So she wasn’t going to let him wake up alone. She wasn’t going to make him find her. Because she wasn’t leaving hisside.
“Come on, I’ll help you get himup.”
Michael frowned, “I don’t think you should touch him any more than completelynecessary.”
She almost rolled her eyes. Touching was part of the bond, the bond he intended to break. She could tell him that it was completely necessary for her to be touching Rafe right now but she had a feeling that would get her a personal escort home, in the other direction of the police station, so she simply nodded and raised herhands.
“Okay.”
Michael nodded, “Wiley? Grab hisshoulders.”
