Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 109033 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109033 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
“Which he will have known in advance,” said Tobe, his tone clipped. “And yet the bastard came here anyway.” He rolled his shoulders. “A statement needs to be made.”
“A firm one,” Lachlan added, to which her anchor nodded.
“I support this plan,” Alfie piped up, his expression hard.
Tia glared at her mate. “I don’t. Right now, we have Belinsky on our side. That will change if we go around destroying his demon’s possessions or property.”
Lachlan’s brow pinched. “We can be subtle.”
Naomi snorted at him. “You don’t even know what that word means.”
The imp managed to look offended. “Are you calling me stupid?”
“No, I’m saying you’re willfully ignorant of anything you don’t want to understand or accept.” It could be maddening at times.
“I don’t know what you mean,” Lachlan claimed.
“And there you go proving my point,” said Naomi with a slight wave of her hand.
“It’s funny how men act differently when in the throes of an obsession,” mused Tia. “Some turn stalkerish, professing undying love. Some turn aggressive, resenting the impact you have on them. Others avoid you desperately in an effort to snap out of it, knowing on some level that their feelings aren’t real.”
“You’ve dealt with this sort of thing in your time?” Naomi asked her.
“Often,” Tia replied. “The thing with the Iains of the world is they seem foolish and weak with all their love bombing, so we can make the mistake of not being careful around them. That’s something you can’t do, Naomi. They’re often the most dangerous, because their thought patterns are off and they’re more obsessive than most.”
Right then, the door creaked open and Jolene walked inside, her jaw tight and her face blank. Her eyes, though? They glittered with ire. She closed the door as her gaze found Naomi. “Tell me exactly what occurred here.” It was nothing short of an order.
Naomi explained, starting from when Iain first arrived. The more she spoke, the darker her Prime’s expression became. When she reached the part of the story where Luka had assured her that she had no need to feel guilty, Tia spoke. “He’s right—Iain’s behavior isn’t on you.”
“I know that intellectually, but seeing what my song can reduce a person to . . . I can’t help but feel bad about it,” Naomi admitted.
“Is that why you don’t want me to dish out some payback?” asked Tobe. “You hold yourself responsible? Because if so, that’s some ridiculous bullshit right there.”
“Not totally responsible,” Naomi clarified. “I just feel as if I should have seen that there was a flimsy ego beneath all that self-assurance and bravado he displayed. I’ve always considered myself an observant person.”
“And you are,” Jolene asserted, taking a seat across from her. “You would see through an act. But with Iain, I don’t think it was an act. I believe it was a case of someone fooling themselves so successfully that what they were hiding went unnoticed by others.”
Tia laid her hand on Naomi’s. “None of what’s happening is your fault. The blame does not lie with you.”
“It lies with that asshole who refuses to face the facts and plain ignores what you want,” Tobe insisted. “He needs some . . . convincing. A little help to make him see the light.”
Naomi shot him a pleading look. “Give Luka a chance to do that.”
“I already did,” her psi-mate reminded her. “Whatever he said or did wasn’t enough.”
“Which is quite shocking,” Jolene noted. “People generally don’t test Luka.”
And no one could blame them for that. “He put a tail on Iain just to be on the safe side, but Iain managed to give them the slip.”
“Determined little bastard, isn’t he,” Jolene muttered.
“Well,” began Tia, “I have a feeling Luka is gonna work harder to ensure that Iain finally keeps his distance from you.”
Naomi dipped her chin in agreement. “Luka was furious just now. He swore that Iain wouldn’t get near me again.” She hesitated to add the next part, since it would clue people in to her fling with Luka, but it wasn’t as if they wouldn’t notice when he finally put a man on her. “He also declared that he’s going to assign me a guard once Iain is released.”
Tobe’s brows snapped together. “A guard? The fuck? Why would he do that?”
Naomi scratched her cheek. “Well . . .”
Her anchor went rigid. “Tell me you didn’t. Tell me you didn’t let that merciless motherfucker into your life in any way.’
“Um . . .”
Tobe cursed a blue streak, his face flushing with anger. “Why the hell would you even give him the time of day? You can’t honestly think you’re safe with that guy. You know who he is. You know what he is. You know what he’s capable of—everyone in this room has heard of the messed-up shit he’s done. Why oh fucking why would you ignore all that? You’re smarter than this, Nome.”