don’t need to keep me on a leash anymore.”
Don’t make the obvious dog joke, don’t, don’t do it… “Maybe I should get you a muzzle to go with it,” I snarled. Oops.
Matthew’s expression went from neutral to grim. But he didn’t lash out in return, like I’d expected him to — like I’d been hoping he would, so that I could have a reason to be a bitch.
“Take the spell off, Arik. That’s all I’m asking of you. And it’s not very much to ask, considering I’d never done a fucking thing to you, and the only reason you put it on me in the first place was to help Sam fucking Kimball and Jonathan fucking nutcase Hawthorne. In case you’d forgotten.”
Ouch. Fucking ouch. I hid my wince with difficulty.
“I can’t.”
His face flushed a furious red. “You mean you won’t —”
“No, seriously,” I yelled over him, “it’s not that I won’t. I can’t. I already removed the spell the night I escaped from here. It’s gone. Has been for days.”
Matthew stared at me. “No, the fuck you did.”
“Yes, I did!” What was with no one believing me about this? Fuck! “I removed the spell,” I said slowly, enunciating each syllable with exaggerated care. “It’s fucking gone. I can’t remove it any more than it’s already been removed.”
The crimson in his cheeks faded to an ashy white. “You didn’t. I don’t feel any— You’re lying,” he stammered out, his voice hoarse.
My vision went sizzling red. Lying? After everything that had happened the night before, he couldn’t believe one fucking word out of my mouth?
“Have Nate examine you if you won’t take my word for it,” I snapped. “He’ll be able to see it’s gone. He was able to see it when it was there, right? And anyway, I’d think the fact that you don’t feel sick when you’re not around me, and I don’t know, maybe the fact that you’re not fucking in love with me would be a pretty big tip-off?”
“Yeah,” he said softly after a second. “Yeah, I guess it would.”
“Right! So stop being an asshole about it. I was nice enough to take that spell off before I left, even though I was still a prisoner and it would’ve been totally reasonable of me to leave it just out of principle. But I didn’t want to be tied to you anymore.”
Matthew sucked in a breath hard, like I’d punched him in the solar plexus, and what little color was left in his face drained away. “Okay. I can’t blame you for that. Not after — not in general. And I believe you, for what it’s worth.” He swallowed, and he uncrossed his arms. His hands clenched at his sides. “Good luck, Arik.”
He turned abruptly on his heel and strode away down the path, back toward the pack house and out of sight.
I stared after him, eyes fixed on the empty air where he’d been.
No. Fuck no. He did not get to walk away like that, after having sex with me and killing Parker and carrying me to bed and growling at Colin, and holding me like that with his hand tangled in my hair and just being…Matthew. Good luck, Arik? Fuck him.
I sprinted after him, more angry than I’d ever been in my life.
No way was he getting away with that.
Chapter 17
Fuck Me, or I’ll Find Someone Who Will
“Hey!” I shouted. “Hey, come back here!”
Matthew was already way, way down the path, walking as fast as he could without outright running. What, he couldn’t wait to get away from me? Good luck, Arik, and then making his escape so he wouldn’t have to give me another thought?
I chased after him, my feet pounding on the path and sending up muddy spatters.
“Hey!” He finally turned, his face drawn and wary.
I slammed into his chest with my hands outstretched, palms flat. He rocked back on his heels but didn’t even stumble, which only pissed me off more.
“What the fuck, Matthew? What the fuck? You just wish me good luck, and that’s it?”
“What more do you want from me? Arik — what the — stop it —” I whacked away at him, pounding my fists on his chest and then swinging for his mouth. He ducked back, and my knuckles glanced off his jaw.
Quicker than I could match, he caught my wrists and held them out to the sides while I tried to kick him in the shins.
“I want you to stop being such —” I tried to kick him again,