“But—” Eamon grabs my hand and yanks me toward him. I stumble on my footing and slam into his chest, crying out as my nose connects with his breastbone, and then slump to the ground.
Bastien is instantly at my side. I cry out as Bastien slams his foot into Eamon’s abdomen and sends him sprawling. “Touch her again and I promise you’ll regret it,” he threatens ominously as he stands between us, shielding me.
“Just let it go, Bastien,” I mutter as I rub the end of my nose to make sure nothing is broken.
He whirls around, staring at me with sheer disbelief. “You’re just going to take that from him?”
“It’s not… He’d didn’t mean to hurt me. He was just upset…” I trail off, knowing my lame explanation isn’t helping Eamon’s case.
“She’s not yours to protect anymore,” Eamon grunts as he rises, clutching his ribs. No doubt Carleon will have to do some repair work on him when we get back to camp. “She’s mine.”
He just had to go one step further, didn’t he? I close my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose as a pounding begins to grow.
I don’t have time to react before he is atop Eamon, rolling side to side as he land blows hard enough to bruise bone.
“Well, this is going well,” a voice calls from behind me.
I turn to see Carleon walking toward me. “How did you find us?”
“It wasn’t too hard, what with the tree tossing and all the shouting.” He stares past me, shaking his head. “Was this what it was like before Bastien left?”
“Yeah,” I mutter. “Something like this.”
“Looks like Bastien hasn’t forgotten you after all.” He glances at me from the corner of my eye.
My lips thin into lines of annoyance. “Either you stop them or I will.”
Carleon watches as Bastien rears back and slams his fist into Eamon’s nose. Blood splatters fly at the sound of cracking bone. “You might want to take this one. I don’t fancy getting in the middle of that.”
“Fine.” I heave a sigh and mentally wrench to the guys apart, pinning them on trees lining opposite ends of the clearing. “Cool off,” I command.
“Let me down,” Eamon growls, fighting against my hold.
“Not when you’re about to do something you’ll regret.”
Eamon locks a crazed glare onto Bastien, his lips peeled back into a full snarl. “I’d never regret it.”
“I’d like to see you try,” Bastien goads. His right eye looks a bit worse for wear, but it’s no surprise to see he’s in far better shape than Eamon. He always was a great fighter.
“Enough!” I slowly lower both of them to the ground, ready to yank them apart again if necessary. Thankfully, it isn’t.
The sound of a laser charging surprises me. I turn to find Carleon with his gun leveled on Eamon. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
Eamon’s eyes narrow. “You would threaten your commanding officer?”
“Nope. I’m threatening my friend.”
Under normal circumstances, I would have found the unusually serious edge to Carleon’s tone amusing. Despite his brash and rather reckless sense of duty to protect me, I am proud of him. “It’s okay.” I place a hand over his arm, urging him to power down. “I can handle this.”
“I know, but I’ve got your back, just in case.”
Bastien appraises Carleon. “I think this guy’s starting to grow on me.”
“That’s because he’s on your side,” Eamon snaps. He slumps back against the tree, looking winded and forlorn. He shakes his head back and forth, eyes clamped shut as if what he’s feeling is a physical pain. Judging by the beating he took from Bastien, he probably is.
I lower my gaze, unable to see him like this. “I have to leave, Eamon. Please don’t make this any harder than it already is.”
I wait for him to say something, but he doesn’t even look at me. I bite on my lower lip and turn away. I clap Carleon on the arm as I pass. “Take care of him for me.”
“Of course.” He smiles and pats my hand as I let it slip away. “Let’s talk over here.”
I let him pull me aside, feeling as if I’m about to unravel at the seams. My fingers quake as he takes me into his arms. “Are you okay? That got pretty intense back there.”
“Yeah, I’ll be fine.”
“And what about Bastien?” Carleon casts a pointed glance in his direction.
Even now, looking at him feels like a punch to the gut—wonderful, amazingly painful. Why does he have to look so irresistible even when he’s angry? “He’s just a guy, right?”