“I’ll deal with him,” he says, heat swirling through his chest. “Knock his teeth out.”
The glass doors slide open. Kade steps in front of both Felix and Susan.
Rick swaggers in through the doorway, wrapped in layers of coats like an overgrown blueberry. His gaze locks onto Kade first, then Felix, and he sneers. “Look who’s back? The slut and his sorry excuse of an alpha.”
Kade’s too far to stop Rick’s gaze from dragging over Felix’s belly. His omega’s being violated, and Kade needs to stop it right now. He steps forward, fist clenched. “Fuck you.”
“Take this and get out,” Susan mutters behind. “Maybe through the back door.”
“Got him knocked up good this time, huh?” Rick says, advancing on him. “Better make sure your low-ranking bastard kids survive.”
The baby’s mine, and rank doesn’t fucking matter. Kade snarls. Felix grabs his arm, but he shakes Felix’s hand off, striding forward. He’s put up with the damn fucker for too long, and only because Felix was still working here. Say what you want about me, but shut the hell up about my mate.
“Say that again,” Kade breathes, his pulse thrumming.
“And you’ll do what? Flex your big muscles? You’ll never succeed in life, in case you didn’t know,” Rick says, beady eyes glinting. Kade swallows. He still doesn’t completely believe Felix about rankings, and money, and how can this bastard even say shit like that?
“Kade, we should go,” Felix says, his voice low.
Kade isn’t ever returning again. But he’ll be damned if he doesn’t punch this guy, either. “Later.”
“Are you really going to hit me?” Rick steps closer, his eyes sliding over to Felix.
Felix stands three yards away, Susan gone from his side. And Rick’s leering sends an oily chill down Kade’s spine, when the bastard looks at his omega like a plaything.
“Stay away from him,” Kade snarls, striding forward.
Felix steps behind him, tugging on his shirt. “Kade, no.”
“Or what?” Rick grins, raising his fists. “Are you going to stop me? I bet you’ll like it, won’t you, if I fucked that omega slut in front of your face? Put a few more up his ass? Cuz it’ll be better than some alpha who’s not even good enough for a whore.”
“Shut up,” Kade snaps, pulling his fist back, blood sluicing hot through his veins.
And as Felix nudges at his back, trying to push him out the door, Rick lunges for him, eyes glittering.
Kade swings his fist at Rick, punching him in the throat. The impact sends Rick flying sideways, toward the door, away from Felix.
Rick growls, staggering. The humor drops from his face, and he swings his fist at Kade, aiming for his jaw.
Kade blocks his strike and punches him in the nose, and cartilage crunches satisfyingly under his knuckles. “Do that again,” he growls, “and I’ll fucking murder you.”
“Bastard,” Rick cries, lunging forward.
Kade grabs his arm and twists it behind him, pressing it against his spine. He wants Rick to hurt, for all the things he’s said about Felix, for all the insults, the humiliation. Rick shouts out in pain. Kade bares his teeth, driving Rick into the corners of the metal shelves. The shelves rattle, and something in Kade’s chest roars when Rick’s body thuds into the jabbing metal, a corner smashing into his face.
He’s been waiting to do this for months. And the violence hums in his veins, singing in his ears.
He grabs a fistful of Rick’s hair, jerking his head back to expose his throat. Rick’s eyes bulge, the whites of them stark on his face. He scrambles to his feet, slamming back into Kade. Kade falls against something warm. Felix yelps.
Felix!
Kade hurls Rick back against the shelves, turning away as Rick bounces off them, staggering to the side. Felix sits on the floor, his face pinched in pain. Kade’s blood runs ice cold. The baby. I shouldn’t have done that. Shouldn’t have got into that damn fight.
“You okay?” Kade asks, his breath catching. Felix’s face is pale, his hand cradling his belly.
“Yeah. I think so.” But Felix winces, and Kade doesn’t believe him right now.
“We’re going,” Kade says, glancing at Rick. The manager holds onto the shelves for support, his face a mess of blood.
Kade scoops his bondmate into his arms, striding out of the shop. He sets Felix gently down on the bike, his heart thudding. Felix winces. “I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not,” Kade says, panic fluttering in his throat.
Susan steps out after them a moment later, her purse slung over her shoulder. She hurries over to the bike, her forehead creasing. “Felix? You don’t look fine.”
“That’s what I said,” Kade says, unlocking the bike trunk. Felix holds out the stuffed giraffe to him. “I’m taking him to the hospital.”
“I should come along,” Susan says. She points at her purse. “I quit, too.”
Felix laughs weakly, and Kade manages a smile. “There’s really no need to worry,” Felix says. “I’ll text you when we get home. It’s probably just a bruise.”
But Kade remembers Risky pregnancy, and his pulse doesn’t slow.
“Text me your details. I’ll drop by,” Susan says. She gives Felix a quick hug, and Kade hands him the helmet when she pulls away.
“See you,” Kade says. When Felix pulls on his helmet, Kade checks to see if he’s ready. Then he starts the bike, his pulse thudding like the vibrations of his machine. Felix is in danger.
He twists the throttle, turning them onto the wide-open streets. Felix’s thighs squeeze around him, and he leans forward, his helmet bumping against Kade’s.
“Kade,” Felix shouts.
Kade stops breathing. He pulls them down a side street, flipping his visor up. Was the fall worse than they expected? Did Felix break something? “What?”
Felix’s fingers curl into his arm. When he leans forward, his belly pushing against Kade’s back, he says, “I think my water broke.”
52
Kade
Kade freezes, his thoughts stumbling. Water broke. His water broke.
They’ve read something about the membranes breaking, and it should be fine. It should. But Felix’s pregnancy
