My heart plummeted into my stomach when I registered the meaning in her words. “You can’t mean that. You’re breaking up with me?” My throat constricted painfully.
“A break, yes. Go. Get out of here.”
How had this day gone like this? We’d been so happy just a few hours before.
Valor howled inside me, his heart shattering. I wanted to fall apart, too, but I couldn’t. This wasn’t the end. I would find a way to fix this.
“Fine,” I said in a hard voice. “But when I get back, I’m claiming you. You better be ready for it.”
Actions spoke louder than words. I’d give her time to calm down and come out of whatever kind of anxiety attack this was. Then I’d prove my love to her. I fumbled for the doorknob behind me, watching as Kara retreated to her room and slammed the door, then turned and walked away.
Valor freaked as we left, but I got on the phone with Axel before I pulled out of the driveway. He said he’d come himself and sit in a cruiser outside her front door. If anything happened, he’d hear it, and I would be the first to know.
I wasn’t completely honest with why I was willing to leave Kara. I had resources of my own to bring Tye down. And Kara wouldn’t be happy about them. They weren’t the sort of people I wanted anywhere around her, and I knew the sort of favors I’d have to give them to get what I wanted.
21
Kara
He said he’d be gone a few hours. I had lost my ever-loving shit and made him leave, and he said a few hours. He got his cousin to hang out in my street. I felt secure and safe, even after acting like a complete psychopath and making him leave. I did as I said I would and lay down and tried to calm down. I’d fallen asleep, and when I woke, my eyes hurt but I felt a million times better.
And completely foolish. Why had I done that? Talk about going off the deep end.
But then a day passed, and he didn’t come back. And my foolish behavior began to seem less idiotic. I went to my jobs on Wednesday without Rico and let the work occupy my thoughts.
I did take my stun gun. I wasn’t a complete fool.
And another day passed without a word. I booked my day out completely, throwing myself into my work instead of focusing on my broken heart.
Cynthia had been right. All it had taken was one solid freak-out on my part and Rico had split. It was an unintentional freak-out, borne of ingrained insecurities and feelings I’d done my best to avoid. I hadn’t acted like that on purpose. But now I was glad that I had. It showed me early that he didn’t have the staying power needed for a long-term relationship.
And now here I was, alone, with all this knowledge about dragons. Should I tell anyone?
Not yet. I couldn’t do that to them. They were good people, even if Rico turned out to be a complete slime-bag.
It occurred to me that if all the Kingstons were dragons then Beth had to know. She was mated to one, after all! I decided as soon as we could get together, I’d give her pure hell about not telling me, but of course forgive her right after. After all, I wasn’t calling to tell my sister for the same reasons Beth hadn’t told me.
But I’d make her buy me a few drinks first.
The worst part was that Cynthia was right.
I avoided going anywhere I would possibly run into her. I even drove to the next town over to grocery shop when I finally ran out of food nearly a week later. I most certainly didn’t go anywhere near that damn diner. Or the gym. When a call came through the app to work at the gym, I denied it.
Fuck them.
I used my new security system to make sure everything was well and even figured out how to connect cameras to the same system, so my house was monitored the same way. I put a camera in every room, even the bathroom. I’d already changed the password so Rico didn’t have access to the feeds anymore, so nobody would see me sitting on the toilet but me. But I’d be damned if anyone would hide in my house and surprise me.
I’d convinced myself he’d never be back. Tuesday morning, exactly one week after Rico left, I ran into Jury at the gas station. I waited in my car until the lot was empty, then jumped out, cursing myself for not filling up when I’d gone to the grocery store the day before. I could’ve filled up beside that store and avoided stopping in Black Claw altogether. There were too many people here I didn’t want to run into. Especially the Kingstons.
Jury surprised me, though. He pulled up and got out of his car before I could hang up the pump and make my escape.
“Hey, Kara. How are you?”
I nodded but couldn’t bring myself to look him in the eye. “Fine, thanks. Hope you’re well.”
Jury hesitated but put his hand on my arm. “He’s coming back.”
Nodding, I turned away and blinked back tears as I cut off the pump. The truck wasn’t full, but I didn’t care. I needed to get away before I made a fool of myself again. “Sure, of course.”
“Kara, he’s looking for Tye.”
I scoffed and shot Jury a look of disbelief. “Okay. Does that mean he can’t call?”
Jury opened his mouth to reply, but then he stiffened and grabbed my arm, yanking me close. “Don’t move,” he whispered.
“What are
