“Enough,” Tawk said. “She’s just a neighbor.”
He hated the look on Tammy’s face as she heard him say that. The hurt in her eyes pierced his heart.
Connor lifted his chin higher and scented the breeze in Tammy’s direction. “If she’s just a neighbor, then why does she smell like you?”
Tawk clenched his fists. “Go inside,” he told Tammy, careful to keep the anger out of his voice. He hated the way Connor was sizing her up.
Connor grinned at Tawk and walked a wide circle around Tammy, who shrugged her shoulders up to her ears in discomfort, eyes on Connor.
So, humans did have survival instincts after all.
Tawk was to her in one leap. The asphalt buckled under his landing and split the road. He didn’t feel his wings rip from his back this time. Not like when he’d fucked her. This time was painless.
“What the hell?” Misty uttered softly.
Tawk placed himself between Tammy and Conner and said it again. “Go inside and lock the damn door.”
Tammy slid an angry glare to him, and then back to Connor. “Whatever you say,neighbor,” she gritted out, and then left without looking back.
“That’s new,” Connor said, twitching his chin toward his wings. “Jess must be feeding you well.”
Tawk wasn’t about to explain that he’d also eaten the damn cursed locket and all of its dark power, so he said simply, “Whatever you say.”
“Hey, Connor,” Misty called. “Maybe we should just go.”
Connor cast his attention to the house where Tammy had disappeared inside. There was an ache inside of Tawk’s chest still from hurting her, and he just wanted these assholes to leave so he could explain.
Chk-chk. The sound of a shotgun being cocked echoed through the quiet of the night.
Tammy came from the shadows of her dark house holding a shotgun steady and aimed right at Connor.
He took it back. She didn’t have survival instincts at all.
“You sure you want to do that?” There was a strange hunger in Connor’s tone.
“I know who you are,” Tammy ground out, her eyes locked intensely on Connor. “I know who ate your hand. I heard the stories.”
“Mmm, not just a human neighbor then, are you? You know the Cold Foot Crew.”
“Wreck will be here in about thirty fuckin’ seconds, so I would suggest you make like a cow, and mooove along.”
A laugh escaped Tawk before he could stop himself. Okay, Tammy looked hot holding a shotgun but that cow joke was going to have him randomly laughing for the next few days.
Connor’s eyes narrowed on Tammy, and they were glowing the light blue of his animal. He wanted to kill her. Tawk could feel his aggression.
“Steady, Connor,” Tawk warned.
“Or what?” Connor asked. “You think your human will be able to pull the trigger? I don’t think so.”
“Well, that’s why they don’t pay you for thinking,” Tammy said, then jutted her chin at Connor’s face. “That’s a nasty cut you got there, but it’s already healing. That shifter healing is something else.” She gripped the butt of the gun firmer to her shoulder. “I wonder if you could re-grow your face.” Her finger dropped down to rest on the trigger.
Tawk was stuck. He should be getting between Connor and Tammy, but first of all this was hot as hell watching her do her thing, and second of all he didn’t really feel like Tammy needed his help in this moment. Connor could Change and charge her all he wanted, but the way she was comfortable holding that weapon, she’d probably have two shots in his hide before he could reach her.
Did he want Tammy to announce that she was a part of any of this to the Sister’s Edge cast-offs? Hell no. Did he find it highly attractive that she had ignored his order to stay inside, and called the Cold Foot Crew for back-up, and came out here toting a weapon like it was the most natural thing in the world for her to do? Yup.
He didn’t need the back-up, and someday she was going to figure that out, but he did like that she wasn’t scared of Connor even a little. Tawk scented the air, and nope. No scent of fear.
Tammy was definitely crazy.
