with anyone. Heck, if it weren’t for the fact she’d need her paycheck from the barbershop, she’d be packing a bag and fleeing tonight.
Gregory wasn’t working with a full deck, not where she was concerned. He’d already proven that when he burned down her hair shop back home. Kira didn’t care what the fire marshal claimed. Rats chewing on the wiring my ass.
Would her ex-boyfriend resort to the same trick twice? She couldn’t bear it if her granddad lost the shop he’d worked in for forty years because of her. But with Gregory, anything was possible.
What’s his plan? What does he want?
He knew she didn’t want him, so why wouldn’t he leave her alone? What would he do next? He’d left a message, but she doubted he was done. The question was, would he let her stew in fear before making his next move, or was he already implementing the next step in his plot for revenge?
I’m an idiot for staying here. She should have gone to a hotel for the night. Too late now. She didn’t dare leave the relative safety of her apartment.
Fear kept her awake for a while. She watched the window that had access to the fire escape, but the bright lights in her apartment didn’t let her see much but a reflection of her apartment. For all she knew, he was crouched out there, watching. Waiting for her to fall asleep. To be vulnerable.
She flinched at every sound the old building made as it creaked through the night. Fatigue tried to claim her. She nodded off in spurts, only to startle awake, certain he’d come for her.
Morning couldn’t come soon enough. And then she had some decisions to make.
Chapter Eleven
Protect.
That was Arik’s second instinct after he managed to control his first one, which roared Kill!
Satisfying, but also against human laws. Spoilsports.
Still, something needed to be done. It didn’t take a finely honed sense of smell to perceive the terror emanating from Kira. A simple act of graffiti shouldn’t have been enough to terrorize his fearless mouse. But when she’d divulged the possibility the threat was left by an ex-suitor, he started to form a picture.
A picture that required more information. But he couldn’t exactly demand it from her, which was the only reason why he let her flee to her apartment alone. It went against his better judgment, but he allowed it, having to content himself with the knowledge he wasn’t far.
Logic, however, didn’t soothe his inner savage beast. The scent of blood, and not just blood, but the blood of a wolf, drove him to the brink. Whoever had left the message was a Lycan. An enemy. One who’d not just dared to threaten his woman, but dared to come into his territory.
While Arik might not rule this city’s wolf pack, the canine group, few in number because not many took to city life, knew better than to cross him.
Rules stated all Lycans coming into his city had to report in to the pack leader. The leader, in turn, then notified Arik, who, being a gracious feline king, allowed the visitor to stay, so long as he or she behaved. But cross the line and…
Let’s just say Arik enforced his laws, which had been created to protect them all from discovery. The fact that someone dared to show up to cause mischief didn’t sit well at all. Especially since it meant Kira was dealing with more than just an ordinary ex-boyfriend who refused to let go.
Another tries to claim her. But would fail. He’d make sure of that.
Arik had to ignore his lion, which chuffed and chafed, demanding they follow her and stay close to her side. An instinct honed over the years said she was safe in her apartment. The lock showed no signs of tampering, and a quick check of the alleyway didn’t reveal any recent scent of anyone trying to climb the fire escape. The wolf had left his message and left.
But where Kira was concerned, assumptions weren’t enough. He needed to be sure. To see her safe for himself.
For that end, he clambered up the rickety metal structure the fire
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