“I just wanted to say that I’m glad you finally saw reason, that’s all.”
“Saw reason?”
“I get that you’re upset about the stuff I did to you. What’s sad is that we could have avoided all that if you’d just seen reason a lot earlier.” He shook his head with a sigh, as if she’d been acting like a brat all this time.
Anger surged through her, hot and sharp. He could not be believed. “I’m not sure if you genuinely believe that all you did is my fault and not a consequence of you being a fucking turd. I also don’t care. Just. Go.”
His smirk died a quick death. “There’s no call for speaking to me like that, Gwen. I would have thought you were smarter than that.” Like he was someone big and important whom she should quiver before. Unreal.
“You think you’re tough and scary, Brandt? Is that what it is?” She snickered in disbelief, giving him a withering look. “It doesn’t take a gynecologist’s opinion to know you’re a pussy.”
Eyes blazing, he pushed off Marlon’s car. “What the fuck did you just call me?”
“I don’t see you going around harassing male loners. Oh, no. You went for the female. Know why? You’re weak, Brandt. You’ll always be weak. That was why you drugged Andie before you attacked her—you were too chicken shit to take her on while she was at full strength. You go around town, acting like a first-class asshole, and then hide behind Daddy. So, yeah, you’re a pussy.”
He balled up his hands. “Didn’t Rowan once warn you that your mouth was going to get you in trouble one day? You should’ve listened, Gwen.”
Rowan quickly slid in front of him and put a hand on his chest. “Brandt, you heard your dad—you can’t touch her. If she reneges on the deal, you’ll be on Shit Street.”
Mack nodded. “Come on, man, this ain’t worth it.”
Brandt hissed at them through his teeth. “No one speaks to me like that. She’s gonna damn well pay for it.” He shoved Rowan aside, only to come to an abrupt halt. Gwen frowned, confused, but then Zander’s hand smoothed up her back as he silently sidled up to her from behind.
“Everything all right here?” he asked.
“Fine,” she said, gaze still locked on the asshole in front of her. “You know, I had no idea that pussy lips could talk. My mind is blown.”
Brandt sneered as he studied them. “I heard you were rubbing yourself all over some shifter at Half ’n’ Half. What does it say about you, Gwen, that you gotta fuck other species because your own doesn’t want you? How’s that bestiality thing working out for you?”
Zander looked at her. “I’m confused. Is he trying to be funny or intimidating?”
She shrugged, scratching her nape. “I always struggle trying to figure that one out. Either way, he fails dramatically, so I don’t suppose it matters.”
Zander took a slow, predatory step closer to the human boys, and they each shuffled backward—he wasn’t even sure if they’d done it consciously. As he’d crept up to the house, he’d heard enough of the conversation to know the visitors were Brandt and his friends. Pissed didn’t begin to describe how he felt as he stared at the male who’d harassed and almost assaulted his mate. His wolf swiped at Brandt with his claws.
Arching a daring brow at Brandt, Zander said, “You’re not going to give me shit? You only mouth off when you’re dealing with females?”
Brandt swallowed hard and then jutted out his chin. “This is between me and Gwen.”
“No, kid, it’s not. You got a problem with Gwen, I become your problem. You piss her off, you deal with me. And trust me, kid, you don’t want to deal with me. You can’t. I can see in your eyes that you know that.”
Brandt’s breathing sped up. “There’re three of us. There’s only one of you.”
“No, there really isn’t,” said Bracken, coming up behind the boys. They whirled to face him, wide-eyed. That was when Derren and Ally came out from behind the SUV and moved so that the humans were then surrounded by the four shifters.
Brandt spun back to face Gwen. “Call off your guard dogs.”
“You think I don’t know that you’re terrified?” Zander asked. “I can smell your fear.” His wolf relished it. “So there’s no point in making ballsy little comments. You’re just making yourself look stupid.”
“Maybe he simply is stupid,” suggested Derren.
“It’s a strong possibility,” allowed Zander. “I tell you what, kid. You and me can take care of this right now. We’ll battle it out here. Your friends can even join in and help you. My pack mates will stand back; I don’t need the backup. What do you say?”
Rowan grabbed Brandt’s arm and whispered, “Dude, we need to go.”
Brandt glowered at his friend. “You’re scared of some fucking animals?”
“Yeah,” said Rowan, unashamed. “And so are you.”
Mack shifted from foot to foot. “I knew we shouldn’t have come. Let’s just go.”
Brandt’s eyes sliced back to Zander. “You wouldn’t be protecting her if you knew the truth.”
Rowan’s eyes widened. “Fuck, Brandt, use your head and stop!”
Shooting them a bored look, Zander lifted a brow. “You kids going now? Pity.”
“It would have been fun to watch you kick their asses, Z.” Bracken moved aside, letting the humans pass. Brandt did so reluctantly, but his friends couldn’t seem to get away quickly enough.
Tossing Gwen a glare over his shoulder, Brandt said, “I’ll be seeing you soon.”
“Not if you want to live, you won’t,” growled Zander. That made all three boys hasten their steps. When they were finally out of sight, he said, “Bracken, follow them to the border; make sure they leave the land.” With a nod, the enforcer did. Zander turned back to Gwen. “You were supposed to be inside the house.”
She arched a brow. “And you assumed this because . . . ?”
“Dammit, Gwen, you said you’d stay home.”
Her spine snapped straight. “No, I didn’t. I said I wouldn’t go trekking through the marsh. I didn’t say I would stay inside those four walls—I’d go crazy if I did. I should be perfectly safe in my own damn driveway. Brandt was in the wrong place, not me. And I’m not going to sit behind closed doors because of assholes like him and Rory. You wouldn’t.”
“We’re not talking about me.”
“That empathy deficiency is interfering here. Imagine how you would feel if the situation were reversed. Would you stay inside?” He didn’t answer her question, but his expression said it all. She resumed rinsing the car as she asked, “Now, did you find any sign of Rory out there?”
“He’s been here. He hasn’t come close to the house, but he’s come close enough.”
“I don’t think he’ll make another try for me. It’s too obvious a move. He doesn’t seem like the kind of person who likes to be predictable. That, oddly enough, makes him a little predictable.” She looked at the Beta pair. “He’s more likely to strike out at one of you next time. Probably you,” she told Ally.