Her chest began to ache something fierce. It started small at first, like a tiny hairline crack along the edges of an icy river. But then it began to expand and grow until it felt like something inside her split apart. Tears sprung in her eyes and the only thing she knew right now was that she had to get out of there. Before she had a full-on break down.
Somehow, she managed to pry her feet from where they were stuck to the ground and began to walk. One foot in front of the other. No one was paying any mind to her as they laughed and danced and drank like there was nothing wrong in the world. She nearly made it out when she halted right by the exit. Her swan begged her to go back. To find their mate and make him see. Make him listen.
“He doesn’t want us,” she whispered.
“Darce?” It was Sarah. Her sister’s hand landed on her shoulder and spun her around. “What’s the—” Sarah sucked in a breath. “Are you crying?”
Her hands automatically brushed the tears spilling down her cheeks. “Nothing,” she cried. “It’s nothing.”
“It’s obviously not nothing.” Sarah’s brown eyes blazed as she gripped both her arms. “What’s the matter? Tell me why you’re crying.”
“Did someone hurt you?” Daniel said in a menacing tone. “Tell me.”
The outrage from Daniel’s inner bear made her jump. She didn’t even realize he was right there too. Because of course he was. He would be beside Sarah for the rest of their lives. He would never leave her or tell her to stay away.
“No. Not intentionally,” she whispered. How could she even begin to explain it? “At least I don’t think so … I’m sorry, I have to go. I’m gonna go to my room. I just need to be alone for a bit.” Shrugging off Sarah’s grasp, she turned and sprang toward the elevators. Frantically, she tapped on the call button, waiting for the doors to open and darted inside as soon as the car arrived. However, as the doors were about to close, she saw Sarah running toward her.
“Stop!” Her sister made it just in time to slip her fingers between the doors. Stepping inside, she took Darcey by the shoulders. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
She shook her head. Her throat burned so bad that she was scared to speak.
“Darce.” Sarah’s tone was firmer now. “You know I’m going to hound you until you tell me what’s wrong. I’m going to stay here and miss my entire reception if I have to, but I won’t leave until I find out who hurt you and make them pay. Please.”
Slowly, she lifted her head and stared up at her sister’s face. They weren’t biological sisters, not even close. But they were sisters of the heart, bound together by the vow they made the day they met at that miserable foster home. It was the first time she ever felt real love, and maybe the last.
“Oh, Sarah,” she cried, then burst into tears.
“Darce. Oh no.” Sarah’s arms wound around her. “C’mon, let’s go to your room.”
Thank goodness Sarah was there, because otherwise, Darcey wouldn’t have known how to get back to her room. Once they were inside, her sister sat her down on the bed, got a cold, wet towel from the bathroom and pressed it to her face, all the while soothing her as she cried.
When the tears finally slowed down, Sarah took her hand in hers. “Now tell me what happened.”
Sarah always made her feel safe, so Darcey told her everything. Every single, humiliating detail of that short conversation with her mate. It was obvious her sister was outraged, and Darcey would always be grateful for the fact that she had her back all this time.
“Who was it?” Sarah asked.
“I don’t know … never met him before. Though someone called him Anders.”
Sarah’s face completely changed from sympathetic to pure, deep anger. “A-Anders? Anders Stevens is your mate?”
She sniffed. “I didn’t get his last name. But how many Anders could there be?”
Her sister shot to her feet, hands fisting at her sides. “For his sake, it better be another Anders who made you cry.” She bared her teeth. “I don’t care if he’s Daniel’s friend or that he can turn into a tiger, I’m going to kill that motherfucker!”
“Sarah, no!” Her inner swan protested too. “I mean … please don’t make a big deal—”
“Not a big deal?” she said incredulously. “Saying all those things to you … even if he wasn’t your mate, I would still kick his ass.”
“Sarah …” Grabbing her arm, she dragged her sister back down next to her. “Please … I just want to forget this night ever happened.”
“Oh, sweetie …” Sarah put an arm around her and pulled her close. “It’ll be all right. You’ll be all right.”
Would she? But instead of saying that, she nodded. “You’re right. Just … just don’t tell anyone, okay?”
Sarah hesitated. “I won’t tell just anyone. But Daniel … I can’t keep this from him.”
“I …” She bit her lip. Sarah was right, of course. Daniel was her mate. If she kept things from him, he would probably be hurt. “All right, but he won’t tell anyone else, right? Not even Adam?”
“No, he won’t, I promise.”
She let out a relieved sigh, though the tightness in her chest did not go away. “Thank you, Sarah. For being here.”
“Of course. I love you, Darce. I’ll be here for you anytime.”
Slumping over, she buried her face in Sarah’s shoulder. “Love you, too, Sarah.”
Darcey was glad she had to go back to Las Vegas the next day. The long drive would be a good distraction. Of course, Sarah insisted on coming along with her. Though she protested because it was a day after the reception, her sister insisted and said Daniel was okay with it. She didn’t ask her what her husband’s reaction was to what happened last night, but knowing how protective Daniel was, he probably wasn’t happy about it. But Sarah assured her that Daniel wouldn’t say anything to anyone.
The trip to Vegas and back was uneventful, and Sarah did her best to cheer her up during their road trip. Truthfully, it did work. At least for the human part of her. Her brain was telling her that she had only met the guy for five seconds, and moping after a rejection that fast was pathetic, even for her.
But her swan … it was inconsolable. It pined and cried and hung its long graceful neck low, like it was legitimately sick. Maybe it was, because there were times when Darcey herself wanted to throw up. Other times, she was just genuinely sick of feeling sick. But she didn’t know what to do.
Now, here she was, a week later, in her bed alone on a Saturday morning, and the moment she opened her eyes, all she wanted to do was go back to blissful sleep.
“Get up!”
“What? I—hey!” The covers flew off her. “I—Sarah?”
Her sister stood at the foot of her bed, hands on her hips. “You’re done with this shit.”
She sat up. “I am?”
Sarah nodded. “It’s been a week since the reception. You can’t sit around moping all day—”
“I am not moping,” she protested. “Besides, I’ve been to the shop with you every day, getting the store ready, doing inventory—”
“You’re there, physically,” Sarah said. “But you’re not there, there. I’m not blind, Darce.” With a deep sigh, she sat down on the mattress. “You’re in pain. I can feel it.”
“Just leave me alone, Sarah,” she said, plopping back on the pillows. “I’ll get through this, I always do.” Her swan let out a pathetic meep and shook its wings.
“I know you will. But I’m not going to leave you alone.” Grabbing her arm, she hauled Darcey out of bed. “Get dressed, we’re leaving.”
“Leaving?” she sputtered as Sarah dragged her to the bathroom. “Where are we going?”
“Out,” she said. “First, we’re going to a yoga class, and then we’re going to do some retail therapy, and then lunch.”
“But I don’t—” It was too late. Sarah had pushed her into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.
“The only way I’m opening this door,” her sister shouted thro
ugh the door, “Is if you’re washed up and ready to go.”
And so that’s how Darcey found herself at the Blackstone Bodyworx eight o’clock yoga class. The studio was located in the same complex as the Silk, Lace, and Whisper’s soon-to-open boutique. She had met the owner, Anna Victoria, a couple times including during the reception as she was also Damon Cooper’s mate.
“Just breathe. Listen to your body. Listen to yourself,” Anna Victoria instructed as she led the class through the final poses. “You may not be able to control what goes on outside, but you can control what goes on inside.”
Darcey focused on Anna Victoria’s words as she twisted her body into position. Maybe this was a good idea. Sarah, who was on the mat next to her, looked over at her and flashed her a smile, which she returned. Yoga was her sister’s thing, though she had joined her a couple of times, but it never really stuck. However, today, it helped her feel calmer.
“You’re all wonderful, strong, beautiful people,” Anna Victoria said as they began to ease down on the mat. “Close your eyes and tell that to yourself. If you need it now, especially, tell yourself that you’re strong, independent, and worthy of being alive. Worthy of existing, with all the wonderful imperfections that make up who you are.”
It was at that moment that something broke inside of Darcey, because she found herself bursting into tears. Sarah immediately sat up, as did several of the other students, who stared at her.
Humiliated, Darcey shot up and dashed toward the locker room, heading into a stall and shutting it behind her. Well, she thought glumly as she sobbed. At least I made it almost a week without crying. And truly, it was amazing that the last time she’d cried was that night at the reception.
“Darce?” came the hesitant voice of her sister from the other side of the door.
“Give me a minute, Sarah,” she sniffed. Unrolling some tissue, she wiped her face, dabbed at her eyes, and blew her nose before pushing the stall door open. “I—oh.” Warmth crept up her neck as she realized Sarah wasn’t alone. Two other girls were behind her, including Anna Victoria. “Sorry,” she said to the instructor. “It’s not you, it’s me.”
Anna Victoria smiled at her weakly. “No, don’t worry about it. Usually, I make girls cry in the middle of class, not at the end.”
“You okay, hon?” The other girl asked, her face a mask of concern. Unlike most of the girls in class who were geared up in fancy yoga attire and makeup, she was bare-faced and dressed in an old T-shirt and shorts, while her messy blonde hair was pulled back in a haphazard ponytail. If Darcey remembered correctly, this was J.D.
“I’m … all right now.” Darcey swallowed, then made her way past the three women to sit down on the bench.
“Goddammit, I’m really going to kill him,” Sarah whispered as she sat down next to Darcey.
“Kill who?” J.D. asked.
“You heard that?” Sarah asked.
“She’s a shifter,” Darcey said with a sniff. She knew it right away. J.D. had the scent of fur and something … vicious.
“So,” J.D. plopped down on Darcey’s other side and steepled her fingers together. “Who are we going to kill?”
Sarah looked at her helplessly.
Darcey shrugged. “My mate,” she sighed.
“Your mate?” Anna Victoria asked. “You have a mate? You never said anything about having a mate before.”
“I just met him,” she said. “At the reception last week.”
“And the damn asshole rejected her,” Sarah muttered through gritted teeth.
“What?” J.D. snarled. “Who the fuck is this guy who would reject a hottie with a sweet ass like Darcey?”
When Sarah caught her gaze, she nodded. “Who else?” her sister spat. “Anders Stevens.”
“That motherfucker!” J.D. shot to her feet. “We are going to make his striped ass suffer.”
“Please, don’t,” Darcey said. “I just … I just want to forget about him.”
“Don’t worry, it’ll work out,” Anna Victoria said. “I mean, Damon didn’t want to bond with me at first, but we got together. Shifters can’t ignore their inner instinct.”
“Sounds like they can,” Darcey said sadly. “It was just … like a switch for him.” And so once again, she repeated the events of that night to them.
“Pshaw,” J.D. said dismissively. “You don’t want him anyway. Anders is a grade A, man-whoring asshole.”
Darcey winced. The thought of Anders with another woman did not sit well with her swan. It flapped its wings in distress and let out a sad, protesting honk.
“J.D.!” Sarah warned. “She doesn’t need to hear that part about him.”
“Well, it’s his own damned fault, with his reputation,” J.D. said. “But seriously, hon, you dodged a big bullet. You should be thanking your lucky stars that he saved you the trouble of getting hurt in the first place.”
“I should?” Because it sure didn’t feel like she was lucky.
“Yeah,” J.D. insisted. “But you can’t mope around like a sad, heartbroken little bird.”
Did J.D. know what she was? Of course she did. Just like she could tell J.D. was … something feline. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”
“Remember what I said in class?” Anna Victoria said. “You’re a strong, independent woman. You’ll be fine. You’re going to get through this.”
“And we’re going to help,” J.D. said, a smile forming on her face.
Anna Victoria’s brows snapped together. “We are?”
“Yes!” J.D. paced back and forth.
“I can see the wheels turning in her head,” Sarah stage-whispered to Anna Victoria.
“What are you planning, J.D.?” Anna Victoria asked.
“Darcey,” J.D. began, ignoring the other two and kneeling down in front of her. “You’re beautiful, kind, sexy, and more important—stronger than you think.”
“I-I am?”
“Yeah,” Sarah piped in.
“You’re the strong one, Sarah.” Darcey sniffed. “You’re the one who got us out of that awful foster home.”
“I’m not talking about that.” Her sister smiled. “How many times have you laid your heart on the line, only to have some guy stomp all over it? How many times have you cried over a man, yet brushed yourself off and got back on your feet? You’ve loved and lost and loved and lost again. You can do this.”
“I—” Something in her sister’s words struck a chord deep in her. “You’re right.” A breath escaped her throat. It was a revelation of some sort. Like choirs of angels coming down from heaven, except, instead of singing about true love, they were singing a different message. Sure, right now it sounded like they were singing, You’ve been acting like an idiot, Darcey! in four-part harmony, but it was exactly what she needed to hear. “You’re so right, Sarah!”
“I am?” Sarah blinked.
“Yeah.” Brushing off some imaginary dust off her thighs, she got up. “I don’t need a mate to make me happy. In fact, maybe I don’t need any mate at all.”
“Huh?” Sarah looked flummoxed. “Er, that’s true but that’s not exactly what I—”
“You said it, sister!” J.D. raised a hand.
She slapped her palm to J.D.’s. “Relationships just mess you up and stop you from achieving your goals.” And she already knew what she wanted to be. Just like Anna Victoria said. Strong. Independent. A new Darcey.
“Sure, but …” Anna Victoria looked around nervously. “I mean, when you meet the right guy, it won’t be like that.”
J.D. wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. “Blackstone has a ton of hot guys. I mean, have you seen our fire department? If it wasn’t illegal, I’d be setting fires every day to make them come to my house.” She fanned herself suggestively.
“Oooh.” Darcey clapped her hands together. “I’m down for some firemen.”
“I thought men messed you up, Darce?” Sarah said.
“I said relationships messed me up,” Darcey shot back. “
What I need is to break out of my bad habit of going all in with one man. To stop serving up my own heart on a platter.” That particular organ would stay locked up in her damned chest for once. “And I need to stop being so desperate.”
“Darce, you are not desperate,” Sarah protested.
“What about that time I drove four hours so I could ‘accidentally’ bump into that lawyer I was so sure was ‘the one’?” Darcey cringed at the memory. She and that guy had only been on one date when he mentioned that he was going to a resort in Palm Springs that weekend for a wedding. After finding out where it was, she drove there, dressed to the nines, hoping to bump into him. She did eventually. In the elevator, heading back to his room with a bridesmaid.
“But you didn’t give up.”
“Yeah,” she said wryly. “After that, I met that guy who played in that terrible cover band. I went to every single one of their gigs and pretended to like their music. He went on tour, and I never saw him again.”
Sarah huffed. “If he couldn’t see how special you were, then that was his problem, not yours.”
“Or what about that guy whose parents I wanted to meet after three dates? Or that one who freaked out after I showed up at his job unannounced to surprise him with flowers?”
“Darce—”
“It’s a cycle, see? I’m always the one going over the top and sacrificing everything for these guys. And I can’t be that person anymore. I don’t want to be that person.” When Sarah looked at her skeptically, she put her hands up. “Look, I’m not turning into a man-hater. I’m just going to take it easy and keep my options open.” And stop acting like a damned fool for once.
“That’s the spirit,” J.D. said. “Now, we should do some planning. I have other ideas too. How about we head over to The Den—”
“It’s nine o’clock in the morning,” Anna Victoria reminded her.
“I meant, tonight,” J.D. said, then she grimaced. “You’re right, though, forget The Den. Too many losers hang out there.”
Blackstone Ranger Rogue: Blackstone Rangers Book 4 Page 2
