The Curse (Belador #3)(75)

He understood the guilty feeling, which she’d brought on herself, but not the irritation vibrating beneath her nerves.

She had no reason to be angry with him.

When she didn’t speak first, he said, “Yes?”

Huffing out a breath meant to make sure he caught her irritation, she said, “I found your place. You had a typo in the e-mail draft.”

She deserved kudos for locating him since he’d changed his address in the e-mail draft to the house across the street and hidden his sport utility in the detached garage. He’d considered deleting the e-mail and should have, but he had an exterior camera facing the front yard and house across the street. He’d wanted to see if she’d even try to talk to him. Bonehead move since he wasn’t ready to see her yet and should have figured on her stubborn tenacity.

He said, “You found me.”

“Can we talk?”

“About?”

Her eyes darted past him to the door to the floor, then back to him. She picked silently at possible answers and finally said, “About you coming to the parking deck … with Grady.”

“Grady should have been able to tell you all you needed to know.” Like the fact that I was standing in the shadows when you let soldier boy try to swallow your tongue.

She growled her next breath and kicked her chin up, back into attitude mode. “Well, I want to hear what you have to say.”

“About what?” Yes, he was being obstinate, but that beat being lame enough to say the kiss bothered him.

“The … ” she said, dragging out the word. “When we … uh, tracking the Svarts.”

He’d thought for sure she would have said the kiss.

He’d been a fool, thinking there was more going on between them than just working together.

Evalle crossed her arms, her fingers digging into her forearms. “Would you be willing to track—”

“No.” He’d tracked for her many times and would do it again, but not right now. Bad enough that she blew off his warning that the damn Svarts might be hunting her. He had no desire to lead her to a freakin’ troll who might kill her.

The idea of her getting hurt just amped up his pissed-off state.

His muscles tightened and flexed. His jaguar wanted out.

He clearly shouldn’t be around her right now, not until he could get his head screwed back on straight. That would probably happen by tomorrow, once he found a place to let his jaguar run off some energy tonight. Maybe kill a troll and satisfy the blood lust pumping through his veins.

Evalle uncrossed her arms. “What’s wrong with you?”

You. “Nothing.”

“Is it because you saw me with Isak?”

“Who?” He had to be careful not to answer with a lie or the pain would be unbearable, but now it seemed lame to say anything about the kiss.

“The guy with the black-ops group.”

“Oh, the one who took aim at you a mere three weeks ago when he saw you defending other Alterants and tried to kill you? That one?” Sarcasm boiled through his voice. “Why would I care if I saw you with him?”

“Well, crap, I knew you saw that. I can explain.”

He held up his hand. “Don’t want to hear it. Not after the grief you gave me over Adrianna, and I sure as hell didn’t kiss her. It’s your life, you can spend it with all the losers you want.”

“He’s not a loser.”

“Then what is he if he kills Alterants?”

“And I don’t think he would have shot at me that night in Decatur if Sen hadn’t shown up.”

That really pissed off Storm. “But. He. Did,” Storm reminded her. “What were you doing with Isak anyhow? If he finds out you’re an Alterant, again, he’ll shoot you, again, and this time he may not miss.”

“I went to borrow a weapon from him, and no, he won’t shoot me.” She had put her fists on her hips and cocked that adorable chin in fighter mode. “For your information, he found out about my being an Alterant right before he dropped me off in the parking deck and he’s okay with it.”

What?

She wasn’t done blasting him. “I didn’t know you were standing there when I kissed him, but I wasn’t doing anything wrong, and it was just a kiss.” Once she got on a roll, she didn’t slow down. “At least he will help me find the Svarts if I ask, so if you don’t want to, that’s fine by me.”

She was going back to him? “Fine!”

“Fine!” She swung around and barreled down his front steps.

He slammed the door, jarring the plate glass in the front window. Skin rippled along his back with the impending change. He fisted his hands and fought for control to keep from bursting out of his human form and shifting into a jaguar. Not with his control in tatters. The jaguar could turn into a mindless animal, bent on whatever urge he wanted to satisfy.

Storm would never shift unless he had full control.

Not around Evalle.

Why hadn’t he just checked the peephole on the door—or the damn camera—and ignored her knock?

Or better yet, why hadn’t he just pulled her inside and kissed her until she couldn’t think about another man?

He didn’t want her to see Isak or any other male. That was so unlike Evalle to begin with. She didn’t go seeking out men.