in.
He poured Coke into a whiskey glass and slid it down the length of the bar to Cole, who raised it in a silent toast.
The phone rang, and Janna came around the bar to answer it.
“Blue Moon Saloon. This is Janna. Hello?”
And there it was — the moment Simon flipped out and destroyed what had been an otherwise quiet night. One second, he felt calm and in control, if on high alert, and the next…
Janna yelped, because he wrenched the phone straight out of her hand. He all but jumped her to get to it. Slammed it down on the receiver and snarled. Really snarled — at Janna! At sweet, friendly Janna. Janna, who didn’t have a clue what kind of danger she was in.
“Are you nuts?” he hissed, barely under his breath.
Janna stood there with her jaw half open, and Simon had just enough time to think,
Oops
, when someone punched him from the side.
He whipped around, expecting Soren, but it was Jess.
Jess, with a fury in her eyes he’d never seen before. Jess, the warrior. Jess, all fed up.
“Don’t you dare,” she hissed. Her eyes were full of hate. Not that wishy-washy,
I’m trying hard to hate you
look she’d worn over the past couple of weeks, but one-hundred-proof hate. Hate she didn’t have to work at. Hate from the bottom of her heart.
Which meant he’d succeeded. Succeeded at last. Jess hated him, so she’d be free to move on.
Funny, all he could feel was ashamed.
But bears didn’t show shame. They didn’t show fear, especially of a future to be spent broken and alone. They showed anger and power and bluster. So he glared back, just to prove what an idiot he was.
“Don’t be a fool,” he snarled back.
Her canines extended and pure wolf pride flared in her eyes. “Don’t you dare,” she repeated, socking him with a glare he’d remember for the rest of his days.
“Don’t you—” she started.
If Soren hadn’t popped in out of nowhere, she might have shifted to wolf form and attacked him, there and then. And Simon would have been fool enough to shift, too.
Good thing for his glaring, two-hundred-pound brother standing between the two of them.
“Cut it out,” Soren barked under his breath, jutting his chin toward the saloon. “Customers.”
Thank God no one noticed the cute waitress’ fangs extend or the way hair sprouted out all over the bartender’s beefy arms. Cole had reached down to retrieve a coaster, so he, too, hadn’t seen them. Yet.
Soren took Simon by the collar and shoved him toward the back room. “Out. Now.”
Janna rushed toward the customers, holding up a couple of menus to block their line of sight. “Can I get you anything else?”
Simon pushed away from his brother, but he did as he was told. He stomped down the hallway and into the unlit back room, heading for the rear door. Ready to rip it open, take off into the hills, and let his inner bear maraud for a while just to get everything out. But before he got there, his bear dug his heels in.
It’s not me who wants to beat up the past
, the bear protested.
Not me who fucked it all up.
He thumped his forehead against the wall and panted there for a minute or two. His bear wasn’t the failure. He was. He’d just growled at Jess! His own mate.
His bear groaned mournfully.
Not after what you’ve done to her. Not any more.
He slumped against the wall and slid down hopelessly until his ass came to rest on the cold, hard floor, suddenly drained. Like there was an off switch wired into that wall and rubbing against it sapped the last bit of energy he possessed. He sat and stared at his toes, just as he’d done when he’d returned home to find only ash and bone.
Fuck. What had he just done?
Damned himself forever, that’s what he’d done.
The light filling the hallway dimmed with a large figure. Soren, tugging Jessica along.
“You,” Soren barked, glaring at his pathetic form. Nine Supreme Court justices couldn’t deliver a more solemn accusation than his brother did with one word. “And
He poured Coke into a whiskey glass and slid it down the length of the bar to Cole, who raised it in a silent toast.
The phone rang, and Janna came around the bar to answer it.
“Blue Moon Saloon. This is Janna. Hello?”
And there it was — the moment Simon flipped out and destroyed what had been an otherwise quiet night. One second, he felt calm and in control, if on high alert, and the next…
Janna yelped, because he wrenched the phone straight out of her hand. He all but jumped her to get to it. Slammed it down on the receiver and snarled. Really snarled — at Janna! At sweet, friendly Janna. Janna, who didn’t have a clue what kind of danger she was in.
“Are you nuts?” he hissed, barely under his breath.
Janna stood there with her jaw half open, and Simon had just enough time to think,
Oops
, when someone punched him from the side.
He whipped around, expecting Soren, but it was Jess.
Jess, with a fury in her eyes he’d never seen before. Jess, the warrior. Jess, all fed up.
“Don’t you dare,” she hissed. Her eyes were full of hate. Not that wishy-washy,
I’m trying hard to hate you
look she’d worn over the past couple of weeks, but one-hundred-proof hate. Hate she didn’t have to work at. Hate from the bottom of her heart.
Which meant he’d succeeded. Succeeded at last. Jess hated him, so she’d be free to move on.
Funny, all he could feel was ashamed.
But bears didn’t show shame. They didn’t show fear, especially of a future to be spent broken and alone. They showed anger and power and bluster. So he glared back, just to prove what an idiot he was.
“Don’t be a fool,” he snarled back.
Her canines extended and pure wolf pride flared in her eyes. “Don’t you dare,” she repeated, socking him with a glare he’d remember for the rest of his days.
“Don’t you—” she started.
If Soren hadn’t popped in out of nowhere, she might have shifted to wolf form and attacked him, there and then. And Simon would have been fool enough to shift, too.
Good thing for his glaring, two-hundred-pound brother standing between the two of them.
“Cut it out,” Soren barked under his breath, jutting his chin toward the saloon. “Customers.”
Thank God no one noticed the cute waitress’ fangs extend or the way hair sprouted out all over the bartender’s beefy arms. Cole had reached down to retrieve a coaster, so he, too, hadn’t seen them. Yet.
Soren took Simon by the collar and shoved him toward the back room. “Out. Now.”
Janna rushed toward the customers, holding up a couple of menus to block their line of sight. “Can I get you anything else?”
Simon pushed away from his brother, but he did as he was told. He stomped down the hallway and into the unlit back room, heading for the rear door. Ready to rip it open, take off into the hills, and let his inner bear maraud for a while just to get everything out. But before he got there, his bear dug his heels in.
It’s not me who wants to beat up the past
, the bear protested.
Not me who fucked it all up.
He thumped his forehead against the wall and panted there for a minute or two. His bear wasn’t the failure. He was. He’d just growled at Jess! His own mate.
His bear groaned mournfully.
Not after what you’ve done to her. Not any more.
He slumped against the wall and slid down hopelessly until his ass came to rest on the cold, hard floor, suddenly drained. Like there was an off switch wired into that wall and rubbing against it sapped the last bit of energy he possessed. He sat and stared at his toes, just as he’d done when he’d returned home to find only ash and bone.
Fuck. What had he just done?
Damned himself forever, that’s what he’d done.
The light filling the hallway dimmed with a large figure. Soren, tugging Jessica along.
“You,” Soren barked, glaring at his pathetic form. Nine Supreme Court justices couldn’t deliver a more solemn accusation than his brother did with one word. “And
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