boulders and broken rocks on the ground. Her whole body is a tremor, shaking from the aftershock of it, and I’m suddenly on unsteady ground.
My brows furrow. “Left who? Kaazu?”
“Heathcliff.”
I’m so shocked at what I’m hearing that I don’t even comprehend it for a second. I never imagined that she left behind someone that she cared about. I probably should’ve. I mean, Jetta is a strong, beautiful, fierce female. Of course she’d attract someone’s affection. Even so, I don’t like the idea. Not that I have any right to feel one way or the other.
I clear my throat and act like I’m not juggling knives of irrational jealousy. “He was another shifter in the troupe?”
“Not a shifter, but yeah.”
“He isn’t a shifter?” I ask, confused. “But Kaazu still owns him?”
She nods in answer. “Kaazu has a vampire too. He collared them just like the rest of us.”
“Bastard.”
“Yep.”
I try to ignore the newfound pile of bitterness that’s gathered in my gut as I clear my throat. I have no idea what to say about this...Heathcliff, and I don’t like the way it makes me feel. “You know, I think this makes me your best friend here. You’ve talked to me the most,” I muse. “Except for Freddie, maybe.”
She snorts. “That little spawn needs to get a hobby.”
I smirk. “I think he did. Following you.”
She shakes her head, and from this close, with the slight breeze in the air aided by the swish of her ponytail, the scent of her permeates the air around me.
It makes my mouth water.
But then I remember this faceless Heathcliff.
What a lucky fucker.
“So...this Heathcliff. You’re thinking about leaving so that you can go back to your troupe to be with him?”
Jetta looks over at me, like my question startled her. “No. I mean...” She looks ahead again, suddenly at war with herself. “Motherfuck, I don’t know.”
It’s probably a dick move, but I know she doesn’t like to be touched so I step in front of her and turn, halting her steps and forcing her to stop walking and look at me. I want her full attention.
“Jetta, I know this pack isn’t home yet. I get that you don’t trust any of us. Nobody blames you for that. But you could have a life here. If you go back...”
“I don’t want to go back,” she snaps, her dark eyes lighting up with anger. “If Kaazu finds me, it’s not like I’ll get a slap on the wrist and a thicker collar on my neck. He will kill me. End of story. But that doesn’t change the fact that I left Cliff behind.”
Everything inside me screams to step in. To not let her do something stupid or heroic like abandon her place in this pack to go off and try to save another male. But who the fuck am I? I can’t tell this female shit about what to do or how to live her life.
She’s fiercely independent. A loner. She doesn’t trust anyone. And even after weeks of being here, she’s unsure what to do. She’s warring with herself, battling with the pros and cons of her situation every day, leaving her battered and tired.
It would be a selfish prick move if I had the audacity to presume to tell her what’s best for her in this scenario. Because the truth is, even though she’s intrigued me from day one, and even though I’ve begun to like her more and more with each passing minute, Jetta isn’t a helpless female who wants me to step in and take over.
She’s not like the other females I’ve been with. She’s not some damn damsel who needs rescuing. She’s figuring out how to rescue herself. And if I’m ever going to come close to becoming someone she trusts, then I need to support her.
So I gather all those knee-jerk words up into my hands and ball them into fists, stuffing them deep into my pockets where they won’t slip out.
“What do you want to do?” I ask grimly. “Just tell me, and I’ll help you.”
She looks at me with a wary tilt of her head, making her look predatory, and I find myself once again wondering about this private female and what animal she has hiding inside of her.
“Why do you want to help me? What’s in it for you?”
I get simultaneously pissed off and disappointed by her reaction. Not at her. But for her. Did no one in her life ever just help her out just because? Besides this Heathcliff,