Carlos mumbled a curse before giving me another weighted look.

I shook it all off, my head beginning to pound. It was only midday, I was hungry, and I hadn’t been to the store yet. And all of this possessive cock-preening? It was giving me a headache.

“Tala?” the hunter said, his warmth drifting to me when he stepped closer to my side. “Are you ready to go?” His palm settled on my lower back. The heat from it penetrated my shirt, and even though it felt blissfully warm and tingles danced up my spine, I stepped away from his touch and pulled my jacket on. Clean break. It was the only way.

“Yeah, I’m ready to go, but I’m good on my own. Thanks for everything you did for my sister. I’ll wire you the rest of your money this afternoon, but our business is done, okay?”

I met his gaze, not allowing myself to react when flames leapt to life in his irises. He held eye contact with me, not moving.

“Is that what you want?” he finally asked roughly.

I released a breath, not realizing I’d been holding it. A pang of remorse filled me, but I shoved it down. I wanted something real, not a mate-driven relationship in which the male had never genuinely wanted me before Mother Nature pushed him into it.

“It is.” Before he could say anything else, I strode out the front door.

I didn’t glance over my shoulder—I didn’t dare to—but considering the heavy energy barreling into my back, and the low growl of discontent, I knew the hunter wasn’t happy. But he didn’t follow me or try to stop me. For once, the hunter respected my wishes, even though I knew he was fighting his wolf fang and claw.

∞     ∞     ∞

I kept up a swift pace. Block after block passed me until I reached the L train. I jumped through the doors right before they closed, then finally glanced behind me to see if the hunter had followed after all.

He hadn’t.

Nothing but bare sidewalk and the platform greeted me.

I sank low into a seat, nibbling on my lip. Can’t be a normal mate instinct. Carlos may be right. Or he may not be. Whatever the case, it didn’t change my decision. A clean break was the only way for me to quash these feelings and continue on with my life.

I pulled out my phone. A few old texts from Carlos waited. He’d tried to reach me several times while my purse had been in the hunter’s man cave. Each text conveyed concern, even more so when Carlos had become aware of my report filed with the SF.

Since I didn’t see any point in replying now, I didn’t. Instead, I pulled up my banking app. I owed the hunter ten thousand dollars, and it was the last tie I had to him. Once I paid him, our business would officially be over.

A wave of nausea swept through me when I watched the remaining money in my retirement account melt away. When the transfer was complete, I stared at what remained.

A hundred and thirty-eight dollars.

After years of saving, doing my best to be responsible for the years ahead—since I knew Tessa wouldn’t be—that was what I had left. A hundred and thirty-eight dollars.

Needing a pick-me-up, I texted Prish.

So much to tell you. I’m back in Chicago. We rescued Tess. The SF is aware of everything. Meet up tomorrow? I gotta work tonight.

Her response came a moment later.

Yes! Gods, I have so many questions. If I wasn’t with my mother right now, I’d be calling you.

I promise to tell you everything tomorrow.

Okay, see you then. Love you. xx

Love you too. xo

After stuffing my phone back into my purse, I wrapped my arms around myself and watched the city drift by. I tried to think about the store, the conversation I would need to have with my sister, and my upcoming get-together with Prisha, but as much as I tried to distract myself, my thoughts kept circling back to flame-filled eyes and the tightness around the hunter’s jaw when I’d run away from him at the Supernatural Forces.

But I’d done it. I’d made a clean break, and now, it was time to get on with my life.

OceanofPDF.com

Chapter 4

Somehow, I managed to lose myself in work that afternoon. While Nicole and Sajid had kept the shop afloat over the past few days, a number of deliveries had come in that still needed to be processed.

I spent a few hours cataloging and inventorying everything. Tessa never showed. While that wasn’t surprising given what she’d been through, a tiny bit of resentment filled me. The last few days hadn’t exactly been peachy for me either, yet here I was, elbow deep in boxes doing the grunt work that kept our business afloat. But perhaps Tessa was at the SF answering questions so legitimately couldn’t be here.

One good thing did come from the afternoon. I offered Nicole a manager position, complete with extra pay and added bonuses, and she’d accepted. She’d actually been ecstatic, thankfully, so now I could start delegating more work to her, which would hopefully lighten my load, even if that meant my pay would need to take a cut.

“You sure you don’t need any more help?” Nicole asked as she flipped off the lights at the front of the store. Nine o’clock had arrived so quitting time was finally here.

“I’m fine, really, I am,” I assured her.

Behind her, Selena was straightening items on a few of the shelves. As one of our newer part-time employees, Selena was still learning the ropes, but she showed up for each shift and had a willingness to learn. I appreciated her so much for that.

“All right, if you’re sure.” Nicole slung her bag over her shoulder. “Selena and I are gonna split. I got class in the morning, so I won’t be here to open, but Alex is on too, so he’ll be here with you.”

It wasn’t lost on me that she didn’t mention Tessa. Practically Perfect’s employees were so used to my sister being unreliable, that half the time, they acted like she wasn’t also a part owner.

“Thanks, Nicky. Now go on and get outta here, and thanks again for everything. I don’t know what I would have done without you over the past few days.”

She beamed, a large grin splitting her lips. “I was totally happy to do it. I’ve been waiting for you to offer me a management position.”

I laughed. “I should have done it sooner.”

She sauntered back to the front and grabbed Selena before both disappeared out the door. Hearing the bell jingle reminded me that I’d have to craft a new illusion enchantment since the Fire Wolf had destroyed the original one.

“Just add it to the list,” I mumbled to myself with a sigh, before returning to what I was doing.

∞     ∞     ∞

Tessa was already asleep when I got home. Not surprising since it was after ten o’clock. Her cracked door greeted me when I tiptoed down the hallway, and I peered inside her room.

Her hair was splayed across her pillow, and a soft snore drifted up from her. Despite our fight, a fierce wave of love bloomed through me. A part of me was terrified that she’d be taken again. Jakub was still out there, and it suddenly struck me that I needed to place some serious protective wards around our apartment. Prisha and her father had offered to do it for me years ago, but I’d never seen a need for it. Now, I wished I had. I had no idea if the bad dudes knew where we lived, but if they did . . .

I should do it now.

A heavy feeling filled my head when I contemplated how much magic that would take and how time-consuming it would be. I wasn’t proficient in protective wards around something as large as an apartment, so it would no doubt take several attempts before I got it right, and I was already freakin’ exhausted.

Tomorrow. First thing tomorrow.