Page 32 of Twilight of Embers
The guy just laughed. “Come on. Can’t put it out there and not expect me to cop a feel.”
One second, he was in the booth, and the next, he was being hauled into the air by his throat.
“Did. You. Touch. Her?” Cáel snarled, baring his teeth.
The guy’s face went a ghostly shade of pale. “No. I mean, yeah. I mean, I didn’t know you knew her.”
Cáel’s hand tightened around the guy’s throat.
Knox cursed as he hurried over.
Easton followed but looked a hell of a lot more casual in his approach. “You don’t touch any woman without their consent, limp dick.”
The guy’s face grew red, but his friends didn’t make a move.
Knox moved toward Cáel. “Okay, you made your point. Let him go.”
“No,” Cáel gritted out.
“He can’t breathe,” Knox pushed. “We can’t have a body on our hands.”
Cáel’s fingers tightened a fraction. “Hayden’s under my protection. If any of you even look her way, I’ll pull your spleen through your nose.”
He released the guy, sending him stumbling back to the booth, then his gaze jerked to mine. Cáel’s breathing was ragged as he started toward me, but Knox gave him a hard shove.
“No,” Knox ordered. “Get in the SUV.”
Cáel’s eyes flashed silver, and Knox cursed.
Knox pushed Cáel toward the door, Easton following behind, dropping a few bills on the table. Easton’s gaze met the table in front of me. “Remember what Cáel said. We might not be around to stop him next time.”
17
CÁEL
“Get in the fucking car,” Knox snarled.
My breaths came in ragged pants, and I was two seconds away from shifting. I couldn’t leave her. Not now. Not in that diner with them.
The locks beeped, and Knox yanked open the back door of the G-Wagon. “I swear to God, Cáel. I will lock you in the basement if you don’t get your shit together.”
Easton scoffed. “A lot of good that’ll do.”
“We can’t leave her.” The words were more beast than human, and the twins cursed, shoving me into the back seat.
Knox got in after me, and Easton hauled ass to the driver’s seat.
“We need distance. Now,” Knox clipped.
“No shit, Sherlock,” Easton snapped as the G-Wagon purred to life.
My chest expanded and contracted in painful bursts. Scales rippled across my arms.
“Faster!” Knox yelled, then he turned back to me. “Breathe, Cáel. You gotta breathe, or you’re going to shift.”
I tried to obey, to get my body under control, but all I could think about was the woman in the diner. She was so tiny. Delicate. Vulnerable. So easily hurt.
“Can’t. Leave. Her,” I wheezed, trying to hold my beast back.
