Deliciously Mated(18)

“No,” Magic barked, shaking his head and pressing the phone to his ear. “I’m calling the others and we’re going to deal with her.”

“Nobody will deal with her,” Eagan roared, stepping forward, his fists clenched. “She’s mine. That means I will deal with her. Me. So put the damn phone away.”

Mine? His?

The conversation was like a foreign language, but whatever Eagan said, it worked. Magic slowly pulled the phone away from his ear.

“What do you mean she’s yours?”

Yeah. What did that mean?

“She’s my mate,” Eagan said, not even tripping over the words. “And I’m claiming her.”

Ah. This was more of the act. Damn, he was good at this. If it worked, she’d say her thank-you by never coming back to the lodge again.

“You’re what?” Magic asked, his brows flaring. “What the fuck was that? I think I heard you wrong.”

“I’m claiming what’s mine,” Eagan spoke clearly. “And that means no one touches her. Anyone tries, I shred them.”

Magic looked like he’d been slapped, but Eagan hadn’t gotten close enough to touch him.

“Bullshit. You won’t break the pact.”

“You bet your ass I will.”

Magic shook his head in disbelief, and then his troubled gaze met hers. “What’s she got to say about this? Huh? You ready to let this cat fuck you like some prized pussy?”

Clara gasped.

“She doesn’t exactly have a choice does she?” Eagan ground out, and Magic’s gaze snapped back to him.

“You can’t do that.” But those words weren’t snarled as the others were, and instead, he looked broken. Crushed, really. For a split second, Clara felt sorry for him.

“Of course I can. I’m a goddamn male werecat. Not only can I, I’m supposed to. And I will.”

The room fell silent. There was only heavy, angry breaths, and Clara’s terrified ones.

It was a slow build from broken to shaking with fury, but when Magic reached fury, Clara felt it like an explosion in the room.

“You…” He shook his head, swallowing disgust so he could speak. “You would hurt your female like that?”

“I’m protecting her.”

Magic’s fists clenched and opened, clenched and opened. “After all these years… I thought I knew you. But you’re no better than the other males, the ones we grew up under. You just needed your fucking female to come along and turn you into a monster. You make me sick.”

Eagan’s jaw ticked with each word.

“I want you gone.” Magic pointed a threatening finger at him, backing blindly toward the door. “You’re done here. Hear me? I want you gone, before I kill you.” He looked at Clara and his face flashed between pity and warning. “You better run, little girl. You’d better hide.”

With one parting look of disgust at Eagan, Magic disappeared through the door, leaving it swinging on its hinges.

Clara was breathless with the seriousness of his warning. She looked at Eagan. Werecat. Not human. Kind, or not. She didn’t know. Couldn’t tell. Maybe he was only gaining her trust with his kindness so he could prey on her.

Fuck her like a prized pussy.

Oh, shit.

Fear clawed her throat, strangling her breath.

Run. Hide.

His back was to her. She could run like before. Out the back door. Get lost in the building like before while he chased her outside. Would he fall for that again?

Her eyes fell to his jeans. Something rigid stuck out from the back pocket.

The notebook. Sweet Jesus, it was her notebook.

She saw the path, and how easy it could be. Grab the book, run like hell, reach the creek and swim so he couldn’t track her. She could do it.

On the count of three.

One.

Two…





Chapter Nine



Eagan stared at the swinging door, his chest aching with regret. Shit, Magic was hurt. He couldn’t miss the look in the panther’s eye. Fear and disgust and… pain. They were like brothers. For him to think Eagan was a monster who didn’t give two shits about his mate’s heart was the fucking worst feeling ever.

But it was necessary.

If the clan thought he was going to claim her, they wouldn’t hold her accountable for what she’d done. He just needed a little time. He’d find a way for her to work off her debt and then she wouldn’t be on the run anymore. Hopefully he could explain things to Magic, and he’d understand.

Shit, this was bad.

A tug at his back pocket grabbed his attention, and he turned in time to see his little female make a run for the door, notebook in hand.

Ohhhhh, no she wasn’t. Not after what he’d just done to cover her ass.