He glared at me and Edward. "Fine, you want me to ask, fine! Did you fuck Forrester last night?"
"No," I said.
"Bullshit," he said.
"We shared a room so he could keep me alive and safe, because I trust him to do that more than any other person on the planet. But you and every other son of a bitch here is going to believe what they believe, and there's not a damn thing I can do about it. I learned a long time ago that I can't prove a negative."
"What the hell does that even mean?"
"It means I can't prove that I didn't sleep with someone. It's easier to prove you did something than that you didn't. You know that from court cases, every cop does, but cops love rumors, they fucking love 'em, so either way, believe what you want, but if you're not going to believe the truth, don't ask." I finished the last sentence pretty much up in his face, as much as the height difference would allow. I was perilously close to touching him, and hadn't realized it. I was angry, that fine burning anger that made the tips of my fingers tingle. It was disproportionate to the situation.
I took a step back, took a few deep even breaths, and said, "I need some air."
"You're outside," he said.
"I need away from you, then," I said, and I walked away. Why was I this angry? And down low in my body, lower than a gut, deeper than anything a surgeon would ever reach with a scalpel, I felt something stir. My beasts, the animals I carried inside me, were moving, responding to my rage. I couldn't afford to lose control of myself like that. I didn't actually shift form, but I still carried the beasts inside me, and they could still try to tear their way out of the prison of my body. I had almost gotten to the point where it didn't happen, but now I felt the beginnings of it, and realized I'd skipped everything but coffee. Feeding the physical body helped control all the hungers, the beasts, the ardeur, and the anger, because I'd learned to feed off that, too. It was something Jean-Claude, my supposed master, couldn't do. I needed to eat something, and soon.
Edward caught up to me. "Why'd he get to you like that?"
"I forgot to eat real food. I need protein and I need it now."
"Beasts?"
"Yes."
"We'll get breakfast," he said. He walked toward the car we were sharing, and I followed him. We'd have to make it quick and unhealthy, going through some kind of drive-up, but anything would help.
I WAS EATING my Egg McMuffin as Edward drove. He'd gotten the breakfast burrito, which always puzzled me, but hey, it wasn't my stomach. He'd eaten his before he put the car in gear. He still had that guy and cop ability to inhale food because you might not get to finish it otherwise. I'd never mastered it. If I'd been a regular cop I'd have starved by now.