by T. S. Ryder
Devon rolled his eyes. "And how do you figure that?"
"She has a history of mental illness. She hides it very well, but she has these… episodes. She would never harm your daughter on purpose, but sometimes she just doesn't know what she's doing. Did she ever tell you why she… left?"
"You're emotionally manipulative, abusive and you cheated on her." Devon heard the growl in his own voice. Maybe this wasn't such a great idea. Or maybe he should have lead off by grabbing the man by the collar and shaking him until his teeth rattled.
Percy shook his head. "We had a little boy, but she had such bad postpartum depression… I wasn't home when he choked on a piece of Lego he got his hands on. But when I came home, she was holding him sobbing, and he was gone… she convinced herself that the therapist I wanted her to see was my lover. None of what she's told you is true."
"Do you really expect me to believe that?"
"Look, I know Rose can be very persuasive. I fell for the lies she told me when we first—"
"I'd have an easier time believing you if you weren't stalking her." Devon loomed over him, eyes narrowing. The human backed up a step, his already-pale tones whitening. "I don't care what you say. Your actions speak far louder, and they say you are an obsessed, crazy man who doesn't care one whit about Rose. If you cared, then you would respect that fact that she wants nothing to do with you. I suggest you leave town before things escalate."
Percy backed up another step. The earnest expression on his face disappeared into one of fury. It really didn't surprise Devon, considering everything he knew about this manipulative man. If he was in his Panther form right now, his teeth would be bared and his tail would flick from side to side, ears flattening against his head. He could feel the claws pressing against his fingertips, wanting to spring loose.
"Are you threatening me, shifter?"
Devon crowded into the smaller man's personal space again. "Threatening you? No. This is just a friendly warning to cut your losses and run. Because I won't threaten you, Percy. Shifters are highly instinctual, and we will do everything to protect our mates. When I act, there will be no warning."
"My god," Percy whispered. "Here I thought that you had done something to her, taken advantage of her illness… but it's the other way around, isn't it? She's convinced you that she's your mate. She's got her claws dug deep into you, hasn't she?"
"I won't tell you to leave again," Devon said. His Panther was becoming more and more agitated, and it was all he could do not to attack the man on the spot. "I won't allow you to hurt her again."
Percy clamped his mouth shut and backed away from the huge shifter once again. Satisfied that he had made his point, Devon turned his back on the human and started walking towards the store. He still needed to pick up groceries, after all. He hadn't gone very far when Percy spoke again.
"Fine, see if I care! The bitch gets what she deserves. She's just a fat cow anyway… she ought to go well with a filthy beast like you."
He's trying to provoke me. Knowing what the human was doing didn't make it any easier to ignore him. The growl in his chest escaped, despite fighting to keep it in. He stopped in his tracks, hands curling into fists.
"By the way, you have a very cute daughter," Percy said, drawing nearer once more. "It'd be a shame if something happened… you know toys these days. They are always malfunctioning. Last week I heard of a toy starting a fire in a baby's bed. House was completely unharmed but the baby was roasted—"
With a roar, Devon whirled on his heel. Blood already on the brink of boiling from his derogatory comments, this thinly veiled threat towards Jamie was too much. A fist flew before Devon knew what he was doing; Percy tried to duck but was too slow. Devon's knuckles collided firmly with his temple.
The human dropped.
Devon stood over him, panting. His nostrils flared and fists trembled as he stared down at the human. His victim didn't so much as twitch. Regret seeped in with the anger that still burned through the shifter, and he dropped to one knee, checking for a pulse. Percy's heart still beat, and Devon pulled out his phone and dialed 911.
After telling the 911 operator where to find the human, Devon returned to his car and left. As he pulled out of the parking lot, he saw Percy stumbling to his feet. A feeling of dread sunk into the Panther's stomach. Somehow he knew this was going to come back to bite him.
***
By the time he got back to the clinic to drive with Rose back home, the bruises on his knuckles had healed. There was no evidence of the altercation, nothing for Rose to question what he had been doing–except the lack of groceries. As they drove home, him in the car, her driving the minivan behind him, he thought of what he could tell her.
Lying was very tempting. Knowing what had happened would only worry her. And Devon somehow doubted that she would be happy knowing that he had confronted Percy without her knowledge. Not to mention the fact he'd knocked out her ex-boyfriend…
He kept silent about it while he cooked supper, but after Rose put Jamie down for a nap and cheerfully asked about the groceries, he knew he couldn't lie. "I didn't get them because I met Percy at the store."
Rose froze. "You what?"
"He called and said he wanted to talk, so I agreed. I thought I could convince him to leave us alone. Well… it didn't work. I lost my temper and I hit him."
"You hit him?" Rose's amber-brown eyes narrowed.
Relief washed over Devon. It wasn't until that moment that he realized he had been afraid that she would be afraid of him after what he did. Anger, he could take. Fear? It would have been devastating. He held out his hands to her. "Rose, I'm sorry."
Rose turned away. She hid her face in her hands for a moment, then whirled on him. "I didn't leave an emotionally abusive monster just to end up with someone who uses violence to solve everything!"
"I know. And I'm sorry, but—"
"But. But what could possibly justify hitting him? So he got a little aggressive, that doesn't mean you can just go around punching him. How bad was it? Is he going to press assault charges against you?"
"I don't know," Devon replied honestly. "But Rose, please listen. He threatened Jamie. That's the only reason I hit him."
Rose stilled. Her eyes riveted on him, her mouth forming a small 'o'.
Devon stepped forward again. "Look, I am sorry. And you have every right to be angry with me, but—"
"Don't say but. Don't ever say that. He'd say that all the time. I had every right to be mad, and that he was so sorry. And then he'd say he sucked, or that he was a terrible boyfriend, and all these things about himself until I felt guilty for being angry or sad or scared. I wasn't allowed to feel emotion when I was with him. It took him cheating on me for me to leave because… because whenever I thought about it, he would start being all sweet again. He'd buy me presents, take me on vacations, make me dinner. All these things that made me think, okay, so I was overreacting. So yes, I'm mad. And I'm going to stay mad! I don’t want you to calm me down because I have earned this anger!"
Her eyes were bright with tears by the time she was done. Devon tried to stay still, feeling overwhelmed by the sheer amount of emotion that was flowing through him. Anger at Percy for the way he treated Rose, anger at her for not seeing that he was different from Percy, anger at himself for not knowing what to do.
He sucked in a deep breath and nodded. "You're right. I shouldn't have hit him, and I shouldn't try to justify my actions by downplaying your right to be angry with me. So I'm sorry. Not buts. Just sorry."
Rose's lip trembled. She bit down on it and nodded. "Thank you."
"Do you want to sit and talk? I think there is more to what's happening here than what we might be saying."
Like how the threat to Jamie was just the last straw. That if Percy had said another word about Rose, he might have attacked the human anyway. That he was getting deeper and deeper, in over his head, and he wasn't sure that there was any way for him to get out of it.
He never thought tha
t love would be like this.
Rose swallowed hard. "Yeah. Let's talk."
Chapter Seven – Rose
Rose numbly let Devon put a hand around her waist and lead her to the living room. Her mind was half in denial about what had just happened. She was always the one to keep her feelings locked inside. And they had just exploded at the one person she never wanted to be angry with.
She hadn't expected to have such an outburst in the first place, and once she was done talking, she expected Devon to get as angry at her as she was at him. The fact that he didn’t throw her for a loop. She didn't know how to handle his calm reply, or even him agreeing with her.
Jamie started to cry from upstairs as soon as they were settled on the couch. Rose closed her eyes, not wanting to soothe the baby when she was in such an emotional state herself. But as she stood, Devon gently took her hand in his and squeezed.
"I'll get her back to sleep. Just relax. I'll be back soon."
He left and Rose curled her feet under her. Tears were leaking from her eyes, and she let them water the front of her shirt as she sat there.
What am I going to do now?
It was all so difficult to process. First, that Devon had attacked Percy, and then why. Threatening Jamie? A baby? Percy deserved being hit–and more!
The thought that Devon might be lying about why he hit Percy came to Rose's mind, but after a moment's consideration, she dismissed it. There was no reason for him to tell her the truth about hitting Percy and then lie about why. Which meant that Percy had threatened the baby.
Was he serious, or he could have just been deliberately trying to provoke the shifter. But why? What did he have to gain by making Devon hit him? He could bring up charges against Devon…
Why is he so obsessed with me?
During their time together, Percy had always made Rose know she wasn't really good enough for him. So why do all of this to make her come back to him? It wasn't like she was rich or anything! Maybe he just missed having someone to do all his cooking and cleaning, a verbal punching bag to take all his abuse.
Rose wiped the moisture from her face. A verbal punching bag. That was what she had been for five years. And even though she had escaped that relationship, she hadn't escaped Percy. But even if he hadn't shown up again, trying to get her to go back to him, she realized that she wouldn't be completely free.
Even before Percy arrived again, his ghost was still hanging around. She was making strides to find her own voice again, yes, but there was a reason she hadn't started dating again. Whenever she met a guy she was attracted to, she looked at him as though he was Percy. Even Devon. Deep down, she expected him to tear out her heart and do a tap dance on it.
It was the kind of pain she didn't ever want to go through again, but what was the alternative? Never loving again? Never trusting another living person? That wasn't going to work. Especially since the whole 'never loving' thing wasn't working out anyway…
Rose wiped the last of her tears away, setting her jaw in determination. It was time to face what was really making her angry. And it wasn't anything that Devon, or even Percy, did. Not this time, at least. This anger was just a mask. She didn't want to face her true feelings, so she got angry with Devon.
I was hoping to pick a fight because it would have given me a reason to run away, she thought, shaking her head. But I'm not going to run away.
Because the truth of the matter was that she had been falling in love with the Panther, slowly but surely. And that was terrifying to her, more than anything else that had happened. Living with Devon felt right; like he and Jamie were her family now, and the fear of losing that sense of belonging left her breathless.
Her realization calmed her, letting her shoulders relax, as Devon came back into the room. He didn't have Jamie with him, so he must have been able to calm her.
Now the only problem was figuring out how to tell him about her feelings. He had made it clear he wasn't looking for something like that in his life. It had been a relief, since she wasn't looking for anything, either, but now… Did she dare confess her feelings, and risk things becoming awkward between them?
Devon sat down on the couch beside her and put an arm around her. "Rose… I wish I knew what I could do to help you. I hate what that man did. What he's still doing. I just don't know how to protect you… and it's terrifying."
Rose gulped in a deep breath. "You want to protect me?"
"Of course I do. I… I care about you. A lot."
As a friend? Or was it a different sort of caring? Rose buried her face into his shoulder. "Devon… Right now all I need is for you to be with me. I love you. I know you weren't looking for a mate, or for a relationship, but--"
He cut her off, shifting her away. A smile lit his face as he kissed her. Just like every time before that their lips met, fireworks exploded in her head. Rose pressed herself closer to him, her eyes fluttering shut.
Devon broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers. "I've wanted you to say that for I don't know how long. I love you, too. I think… I think you're my mate. But I didn't want to pressure you, I didn't want to scare you off. But I love you, Rose Doctor. I love you."
Rose pressed her fingers to his lips, enjoying the way he nipped at them. Her heart was dancing a timba in her chest. "What now?"
"Good question. I suppose some formal dating first off. I know we've been having dinner and seeing movies and stuff, but some actual fancy, formal stuff seems appropriate." Devon pulled her in against him. "Restaurants, theater… Moonlit strolls through the countryside. Camping."
"That sounds nice." Percy flashed across Rose's mind but she pushed him away. She didn't want to think about him or whatever he might be planning right now. She leaned against Devon, her whole body melting against his. "I missed being held like this."
Devon hummed, kissing the top of her head. His arms tightened. "Me, too. Holding someone, I mean. And you fit so perfectly in my arms. It was never appropriate before, but I want to tell you your body is so beautiful. All these curves are just right."
His hands ran down her body, warming her from the inside. Rose leaned into his touch, moaning. It would be easy to abandon herself to passion right now, but even as Devon's hands kept exploring her, she knew she couldn't let it go too far. As much as she would love to throw caution to the wind, the situation was still too new.
"But we can move slowly," Devon whispered, sensing her hesitation. He moved his hands back to her waist and kissed her neck. "There's no need to jump straight to the third date."
"Oh, you think it's going to be on the third date, do you?" Rose teased lightly. "I don't know… it might not be until the third month."
Devon's eyes widened in surprise. "That long?"
"I want to be sure first."
"Okay." Devon nodded. "As long as you need."
Rose settled against him again, sighing as her eyes fluttered closed. A feeling of warmth filled her, and peace and contentment as well. There was nothing Percy could do that could take this away from her. Nothing.
Somebody knocked on the door.
Chapter Eight – Devon
Devon growled at the insistent knocking that was growing louder. Rose tensed in his arms, and he tried to swallow back his anger. If that was Percy at the door, he didn't know what he'd do… call the police, probably. But the timing couldn't be worse. Not when he and Rose had just admitted their true feelings. His mind had filled with all the hopes he had for the future…
And now the knocking wouldn't stop and was ruining the moment.
Shifting Rose from his grasp, Devon went to the door. When he opened it, he stiffened. It wasn't Percy on the other side, but rather four cops. His gaze traveled over the blue uniforms and his Panther hissed.
What they were here for was immediately apparent. Apparently, Percy had gotten what he wanted in the parking lot after all. A reason to turn the law against him. It couldn't be more obvious that this was about the punch he'd laid into the human. Devon repr
essed growl.
"Devon McGullicuddy?"
"Yes."
"We'd like to have a few words with you down at the station."
Rose edged closer, twisting her hands. "Are you arresting him?"
The cop that had been speaking to Devon looked at Rose severely. "Should I be?"
"No!"
Devon turned to her. "Rose, you need to stay with Jamie. Or better yet, take her to a mall or library or something. Maybe get a hotel room. I'll do my best to straighten this out. In the meantime—"
"You want Jamie and me to be safe."
The cops scoffed at that. Devon refused to react. Clearly, Percy had been working his verbal Olympics with these guys and had them convinced that he and Rose were playing a game. If he hadn't warned them that his 'assailant' was going to pull the 'they'll pretend she's in danger' card, they'd be asking Rose what she meant by that, and offering her protection. Something none of them seemed interested in doing.
"Can we stay here until she's ready to go?" he asked, trying to sound civil.
"No."
His Panther reared, yowling, but Devon forced it down. Living in human cities, he had to obey human laws. And as much as he would have liked to just take down all these cops, grab Rose and Jamie and run, he knew in the end that would only be putting them in more danger. The best course of action would be to cooperate and explain what happened. There had to be at least one person who heard his story that was going to be sympathetic to their situation, right?
***
The holding cell was cramped. They always seemed so much bigger in TV shows, but Devon felt like he might as well be in a garbage compacter. If the walls closed in anymore, he might not be able to breathe. He'd never considered himself claustrophobic before, but this place was so small he might as well be trapped in a shower stall.
His Panther growled and snarled in his chest, filling him with so much nervous energy that he couldn't sit still. So he was left pacing the two stride from the door to the bed over and over again.
