Furbidden Mate

by Jessica Snow

  Kat snorted with anger. “If you really believe that horse shit, I should probably hang up right now.” Except that she didn’t. I’m too stupid to.

  The driver behind her, a young woman with orange-colored hair, stuck her head out of her window. “Hey, fucking move already! You’re holding up the god damn line!”

  Irritation sent heat rushing through Kat’s chest. She quelled the powerful urge to jump out and show the bitch a proper lesson in manners. Instead, she simply pulled ahead again.

  Kevin tried to sound exasperated, but it just sounded whiny. “You said you were okay with it Kat, remember?”

  No, I just remember you rambling on about why you were dumping me. “That’s horseshit, Kevin. You wouldn’t let me get a word in edgewise. Of course, I wasn’t okay with your running off to fuck that boyfriend-chasing slut.” Kat’s stomach growled so loudly that Kevin probably heard it through the phone. “Look, just cut to the point. I know you did not call me to see how I was doing.”

  “That’s an awful thing to say, Kat. I—”

  “Spit it out already, pencil-dick!” snapped Kat.

  The woman behind Kat went crazy on her horn. Kat pulled up again, her teeth grinding. They weren’t even to the drive-thru lane yet. The order box was still six cars ahead. But the pissy cow behind her freaked out every time there was a delay of moving forward a few feet. Much more of this, and she was going to get her fucking head bashed in.

  There was a long pause over the line before Kevin finally came out with it. “I need your help.”

  What the hell am I doing? She asked herself ten minutes later. When Kat and Kevin had broken up, she had promised herself that she would never speak to him again, much less ever help him. But here she was, driving off to pull his whiny ass out of another scrape. The old feelings bubbled up, she felt a surge of pity over what a helpless fuckup he was, and off she went. This time, it had her following Kevin’s directions to a deserted road on the outskirts of town. The woods were still sparse here, but not by much. After the exhaust fumes of the drive-thru, the scent of the trees comforted her.

  She was still angry with herself for breaking the promise to herself, though. I’m too weak. I think too little of myself. I know I deserve better than this, so what the fuck am I doing? She should have told him to go fuck himself and get himself out of his own mess. Instead, here she was on a rescue mission.

  Kevin had told her that his car battery had died while he was parked out here, and he needed a jump. He had claimed that he had tried to call friends to help, but everyone had been at work, so as a last resort, he had called his ex. The funny thing was that Kat would have been at work too if not for her epic meltdown. But she was more than sure, even if she had been at work, Kevin would have still whined and guilt-tripped and begged her to come. Manipulative bastard. At least if she had still had a job, she would have had an excuse to shut him up with.

  She pulled around a bend going thirty and squinted, her eyes getting hit by the glare of an orange sunset. Suddenly, a deer ran out in front of the car. Kat slammed on the brakes, coming to a stop just in time. She stared at it as it ran off into the trees. “Stupid deer.”

  Then she looked up the road and saw him.

  There he was with the orange sun at his back, leaning against his red Camaro while smoking a cigarette, his dark hair slicked back from his chiseled face. He was dressed in form-fitting jeans and a white t-shirt. Though Kat hated to admit it, he looked damn good.

  Kevin looked up as she pulled the car into park and smiled. “My hero,” she heard him say quietly.

  Looking at her ex, Kat felt old feelings begin to sweep through her again, making her remember how things had once been. She wanted to go to him, run into his arms. Tell him about her problems and her unexplained anger. But she couldn’t. Not after how he had dumped her. Not after his betrayal.

  “I really don’t know why I’m doing this,” she muttered as she turned off the ignition. Because I still haven’t broken the habit of helping his sorry ass. She sighed and got out of the car, her legs slightly trembling.

  Tossing his cigarette out into the street, Kevin swaggered over, still wearing his smile. Kat pretended his eyes were on her curves. “How’s it going, Kat?”

  Didn’t you already ask me that over the phone? Up close, she could see the stubble shadowing his jaw, only intensifying his sexiness. But the stiff repetition of his greeting rang an alarm bell that made her wary again. He might look hot, but she knew he had an agenda, and it had nothing to do with getting back with her.

  “Okay,” she replied awkwardly. “Just left work early when you called and was just about to...”

  Normally, she had never been afraid to tell Kevin when she had been eating or when she was about to eat, or even if he watched her pig out. Now she felt totally self-conscious about the simple act of having lunch. And that wasn’t okay. After just having knocked a bitch half-way across the room, her sudden lack of confidence was annoying.

  He raised a dark eyebrow. “About to...?”

  Kat brushed it aside. “Nothing.” What happened to my commitment to not let his sudden problem with my weight affect my self-image? Come on, Kat!

  His dark eyes appraised her work clothes, glancing briefly down at her large breasts. “You look good in that outfit.”

  Oh please. But part of her wanted to believe him, badly. That part of her wanted to believe he would get down on his knees and beg for her forgiveness. Fortunately, she realized quickly that that part of her was in fantasy land.

  Ignoring his compliment, she glanced over at his car. “What happened?”

  Placing a hand on its hood, Kevin bent forward and let out a huff of breath. “Don’t have a clue. Crazy thing is, I just had the battery checked in an inspection last week, so I have no idea why it chose now to give me shit.”

  Kat’s eyes darted to Kevin’s ass, which looked extra nice in his jeans. He was probably pushing out his butt on purpose, taunting her with his hot body that she would never have again. She thought of partying in the club with Liam then and Kevin’s hotness factor went down several notches. It made her feel a bit better.

  “You ran out the battery playing the radio with the engine off again, didn’t you?” she asked in a flat voice.

  His eyebrows went up, suave manner crumbling. “Hey! I....” he went quiet, and then sighed and shook his head. “Yeah, something like that.”

  “Thought so. Lucky for your dumb ass that I’ve got jumper cables.” She sniffed...and went quiet, brows knitting.

  Suddenly, Kat could smell Kevin in a way she never had before. She could smell his flesh, the light perspiration on his skin, and a sour smell that was somewhat faint, but also very familiar. God, I’m turning into a fricken bloodhound.

  Kevin wasn’t the only thing she could smell. Somewhere, far back in the woods, a skunk was foraging. She could also smell some sort of droppings off in the bushes: probably deer. That weird, sweetish smell of human flesh permeated the area, but Kat could not tell if it was just Kevin or if someone else was nearby.

  Kevin rubbed at his stubble and nodded. “Yup.” He glanced at her trunk. “So, uh, could you get to it? It’s getting cold out here.”

  Just use me and get rid of me. How things never change. For a moment, Kat was afraid that she would lose her temper again and slap Kevin across the face, and his head would go flying just like in her dream. Luckily for her, the rage kept down to a dull simmer in her belly.

  “Fine.” She went around to her truck and opened it, quickly locating the cables. “But this is the last time that you get to ask me for free help. You don’t get to dump me and keep asking.”

  “You know, I really appreciate this, Kat,” said Kevin as he came up and grabbed the cables from her hand, a blank smile on his face as if he hadn’t even heard her. “I honestly didn’t think you would come.”

  Of course, I would because I am a desperate fool. “I know if I didn’t help you,” Kat muttered, “no one would. But this is stil
l the last time.”

  He grinned at her. “You’re right. You’re the nicest girl in town. Good ol’ dependable Kat.” He closed his mouth at the expression on her face, though, his own expression going from blithely ignorant to...worried.

  They stood there in silence for a moment as she struggled with her anger over his selectively ignoring what she said. Idiot. This is it, I’m done with dealing with him. He can’t even handle the consequences of his own actions. Turning on her heel, she stomped over to her car to pull it over next to his.

  Two minutes later, she had the car in position. Kevin was in the act of plugging up the spark cables to her battery when Kat heard rustling from the bushes nearby. Her nostrils flared. Another human.

  “Is she here yet?” a whiny female voice asked. “I’m getting cold!” The voice sounded vaguely familiar, and Kat’s eyes narrowed.

  Lori the Boyfriend Thief, otherwise known as the slut Kevin thought he’d found true love with, came out from hiding behind one of the bushes. She was ridiculously under-dressed in cut off shorts and a tight, transparently white shirt that proudly displayed her balloon-like fake breasts. She was pouting, mascara running slightly, her blonde hair covered with leaves.

  “Damn it, Lori,” scolded Kevin, tossing a nervous glance in Kat’s direction. “I told you to stay put until I called for you.”

  Now Kat was mad. She knew exactly what her ex had been doing before he had called her. Came out here to fuck with the radio on and lost track of time, didn’t you? That sour smell all over you is her!

  She spun on Kevin and stabbed a finger in Lori’s direction, her eyes blazing wrath. “How dare you call me to come bail you out when you’re out here with this slut! After all the stupid fucking shit you pulled, I was still nice enough to bail you out up here, and you called me knowing that I would discover you’d tricked me after getting carried away with her?” She couldn’t believe Kevin. The nerve of him.

  Lori crossed her arms across her fake tits. “Hey, at least I didn’t get dumped for a hotter chick—”

  Kat was not sure what happened next. One moment she was standing in front of Kevin, and the next she had Lori by the throat, lifted several feet above the ground. She lowered her slowly, staring into her terrified eyes, and hissed. “Shut. Up. Bitch.” Lori nodded frantically, and Kat dropped her. She collapsed to her knees on the ground, blinking in shock but very careful to keep her mouth shut.

  “Jesus, Kat, what’s gotten into you?” Kevin yelled though he made no move to confront her or comfort the skank.

  Coward. She slowly turned to look at him, thinking of the million brutal things she could say. Or do. Better yet, do. She really could rip off his tiny, faithless dick now, if she wanted to. Her hands flexed, and the corners of her mouth turned up mirthlessly as she stared at him.

  Kevin swallowed and his mouth snapped shut. His eyes were huge as they met hers.

  “You’re lucky I don’t beat the shit out of you after what you’ve done, you pathetic little fuck,” she snarled, as she started very slowly advancing on him.

  He backed away, then fetched up against a tree and just stood there, going paler and paler as she got closer.

  “Two years of doing whatever you wanted in bed, and learning to do it well, because I loved you. Two years of lending you money and helping you with your problems, because I loved you. Two years of putting up with your shit taste in music, your wandering eye—and your thin little dick and shitty sex games, because I loved you.” He blinked several times at her last sentence and looked defensive, but he stayed quiet. Good boy. Take your fucking lecture and maybe I’ll let you live.

  “Well guess what?” She got in his face, poking a finger into his chest hard enough to make him wince. “You dumped me. You dumped me for stupid reasons, for this soulless, fake-tittied, fake-nice slut who literally hits on the boyfriend of every couple in her age range that she comes across, is fucking known for it in town, and is still doing it while she’s with you.” She saw the shock on his face, and his eyes glance over her shoulder at Lori, who started stammering.

  “I-I-I I’m not! She’s totally lying!”

  “Shut up!” Kat snarled over her shoulder and then turned back on Kevin with a razor-edged smile. “The point is, we’re quits. That is what you wanted. And that means that I don’t love you anymore. And that means,” she poked him in the chest again for emphasis, “That my ass isn’t doing your ass any more goddamn favors.”

  “Oh, come on, Kat,” he managed to whimper out. “Can’t we just b-be friends still? It’s not my fault that someone came along who’s so much hotter than y--”

  Something detonated inside of Kat. She snarled and grabbed him by the throat, pulling him forward a little and then slamming him hard against the tree. The back of his head conked against it, and he wavered dizzily before staring at her in fresh terror.

  It wasn’t enough. He had hurt her, he kept hurting her, and he didn’t even have the decency to feel guilty about it. She slammed him against the tree again, and again, each time feeling a wave of ugly satisfaction from the pain on his face. It took her a few moments—and a few more smacks of his head against the tree trunk—before she came to her senses enough to stop.

  She let him go and he gagged, coughing. Behind them, Lori was crying quietly in terror.

  “What...what do you want from me?” he wheedled, voice shaking from fear. “What?”

  She drew a long breath and stared hard at him. “Lose my fucking phone number,” she ordered. “I don’t care if someone’s after you with a gun, do not call me. You want to throw me over for some bitch who’s probably already cheating on you? Have fun. But don’t expect me to stick around for it or put up with listening to your bullshit lies to yourself.”

  Kevin nodded, wheezing...and then his hand dropped and she saw the red marks she had left on his throat. Her eyes widened, rage draining away in a wave of shock, and she stepped back from him.

  Oh shit, she thought. How did I get so damn strong? In her rage, she could easily have crushed his neck or shattered the back of his skull against the wood. And part of her had wanted to.

  I need a shrink.

  “Kat what are you doing?” Kevin called in a panic when Kat spun around and stumbled to her car. “We still need a jump.”

  “What did I just fucking tell you?” Kat needed to talk to someone about her problems. Someone who might know what was going on. Snippets of a conversation she had had not too long ago came back to her.

  It’s like I’m mad all the time for—

  No reason and you don’t know why? And nothing seems to assuage your anger. It only seems to get worse the harder you try to control it.

  She swallowed, eyes stinging. Dad. I don’t know what’s going on. Dad, I need your help...

  “Kat where are you going!” Kevin jumped up and helped the recovering Lori to her feet. He was already looking better. His cheeks had returned to their normal color, but he was still coughing now and again. That was a relief. But she had bigger worries now.

  Kat jumped inside of her car and slammed the door, firing up the engine.

  “Kat, you can’t just leave us like this!” Kevin called after her, the whine back in his voice, the lost little boy calling again for rescue.

  Fuck you, Kevin. Her hood was still up and the jumper cables were still attached to Kevin’s battery. And Kat could not see a damn thing through the blur of tears. But that did not matter. She put the car in reverse and slammed her foot on the gas, speeding off backward, ripping the cables out, her hood slamming down with a loud bang.

  Then she put the car in drive and sped off, narrowly avoiding running over Kevin, who was still waving his arms and screaming at her to stop. His voice held shock as if he had never once believed that she had it in her to tell him to fuck off and leave him without her constant, taken-for-granted help.

  She let out a loud sigh of relief when she rounded the bend and Kevin and his tramp vanished with the sunset. She might be terrified of herse
lf and whatever was happening to her, but at least she was finally free of Kevin, and all the drama he had brought with him.

  But slowly, the relief faded, and she frowned. Kat was in a lot of trouble. She had assaulted someone on the job and now come too close to killing her ex. Her rage was dangerously out of control. It would not be surprising if she did not wind up jail before the night was out. She had to get home and keep away from any people besides her loved ones.

  Alright, she thought as she sped into town, it’s time to have a talk with Daddy.

  Kat rushed into the living room as soon as she made it home. She thought for sure there would be cops waiting for her outside, but there were none. Thomas had not called the cops after all. She didn’t know whether to feel relieved or scared. If she kept bursting out into rages, she would need to be locked up in a mental institution.

  “Dad?”

  “He’s not home yet,” came a despondent voice.

  Kat walked into the kitchen to the sight of her sister sitting at the table with a steaming tea mug in front of her. Still dressed in her pajamas, McKenzie looked like hell. Her hair was in disarray, and her eyes were all puffy as if she had been crying all day. Kat stared at her in astonishment, her rage and fear for herself draining away as worry for her sister took over. “Oh God, honey....” she trailed off, unsure of what to ask or say next.

  Rosie was curled below the kitchen counter, resting comfortably in front of her milk bowl, but when Kat walked in, she instantly perked up, staring at Kat with her multi-colored eyes. She jumped up on the counter and Kat patted her absently as she stared at her sister.

  She turned the subject back to Dad; it seemed safer. “Do you know why he’s not back?” Usually, Big Mike would be home at about this time.

  McKenzie stared blankly at the wall and shrugged. “Don’t know.”

  This isn’t working. Kat walked over to the table and pulled a chair out beside her sister and sat down. “McKenzie, will you please tell me what’s wrong?”