“Are you fuckin’ kidding me?” I shout. “Let me outta here. Now!”
She stands still, visually measuring me with a level of arrogance that has me seething.
“If you’ve got the ability to get me out of here and you’re choosing not to, we’ve got a major fucking problem,” I warn.
“Do I look concerned?”
“You should be,” I volley.
She shrugs and shuts the door.
“Fuck!” I shout.
***
The Next Day
I wake up after what couldn’t have been much sleep and the fucking witch is sitting at the bottom of the stairs, examining her manicure.
“This is some bullshit,” I tell her.
“Why is that?”
“You’re pulling a power play when I’m just being who I am. It’s my goddamn nature.”
“It’s your nature to mistreat someone in your pack who has shown you care and compassion? To threaten to sexually claim a woman despite that she’s hurt for good reason?”
“You clearly don’t know enough about wolf shifters, or you’d know part of why I’m this edgy is because I’m trapped, unable to do what I’m built to do.”
“And you’reclearlyunable to see past your baser urges, which suggests you should be nowhere near Bailey until you can manage your actions.”
“I’m out of my mind with worry about her thanks to you.”
“Or… thanks to you,” she offers a bullshit alternative.
I growl, then warn, “When this shit is over, I suggest you steer clear of us.”
“Or what? And be careful how you answer that, or you could find yourself here for a while.”
I wish I could hit something.
“I can leave,” she threatens, hooking her thumb over her shoulder.
“I’m not threatening you; I want out of here. I just want you to steer the fuck clear of me and my mate going forward. I know you’re Erica’s sister but as far as I’m concerned, the further your coven is from me and my mate, the better.”
“Including Grey, your best friend?”
“Grey would not ever do this shit to me.”
“Grey would be okay with knowing you’re going to aggressively claim his sister despite that she’s hurt and upset?”
“Who says I’m going to be aggressive?”
“This is what Bailey believes.”
I take in a big breath and let it out slowly through gritted teeth.
“She’s frightened, Jase.”