Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 120031 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 600(@200wpm)___ 480(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120031 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 600(@200wpm)___ 480(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)
Cassidy … when he looked at her, Cain saw someone that belonged to him. Someone he had innate rights to. It was the ‘someone’ part that surprised him. He tended to view people as tools to be used, but he didn’t regard her as something that he owned.
He didn’t want her the way he imagined a person would want their mate—he wasn’t a fucking pervert, for Christ’s sake. He just wanted her to be safe. Healthy. Happy. He’d want that for any child. With Cassidy, it was vital to him that she was all those things, and he’d do whatever it took to make that happen. Lie. Cheat. Kill. Die. It was the latter part that was a telling point, because there was nothing self-sacrificing about Cain.
She brought him a sense of … something that quietened all the chaos inside him. He selfishly drank in whatever it was, giving nothing back because he didn’t have anything to give.
The best thing he could do for his true mate would be to walk away—he knew that. Really, Cain saw no logic in making a place for himself in her life, waiting for her to grow old enough to be claimed, when the reality was that he was probably incapable of forming a mating bond with anyone. And that was why, just a few months ago, he’d made the official decision to leave Cassidy’s life.
His uncles had tried to talk him out of it; had insisted he was a good guy “deep down.” They were wrong. He wasn’t unfeeling or callous, true. He felt emotions, but they were more like flickers of feelings—never anything deep or meaningful.
Regret? Yeah, he felt it … when his actions hadn’t gotten him the result he wanted. But guilt? No. Shame? No. Remorse? No. A wish that he hadn’t caused someone pain? Only if said person’s pain then impeded him in some way. He would never harm the people he valued—that was as close to a “good guy” as Cain got.
He’d intended to stay away from Cassidy and cut all contact between them. But when he’d heard she’d been shot … he couldn’t describe what he’d felt that day. It had been dark. Irrational. Turbulent. Violent. An all-consuming rage he hadn’t experienced since his years at juvie.
There was no way he could have stood back and let Nick take care of it. Cassidy wasn’t Nick’s to protect or avenge, she was Cain’s, and so he’d intended to be at her side until the threat was eradicated. And he’d realized he’d been bullshitting himself when he thought he could leave her life. It would never happen.
Cain could never have remained in the shadows, watching over her—he was too selfish for that. He might not be able to give her the emotional feedback that another male would, but he’d never let a thing harm her. Never violate her trust, allow anyone to exploit her gift, or risk her safety. That had to count for something. And if it didn’t, well, she was welcome to try fighting his claim to her when she was old enough. It wouldn’t work, though.
The scent of cougar drifted to Cain mere moments before Ignacio appeared in the hallway. He’d clearly followed the pups’ scents, just as Cain had anticipated.
Surprise briefly flared in Ignacio’s eyes. “Ah, Cain Holt. So you are in contact with your foster sister, after all. Well, since you’re here instead of participating in the battle, I’m assuming she’s behind that door over there.”
“You made a mistake coming here,” said Cain. “But I’m glad you did. It saves me the bother of hunting you.”
“For what, exactly? I have done nothing to your foster sister or uncles, nor have I done anything to hinder the actions of The Movement. I would imagine very little else matters to you.”
“But you are responsible for all the recent trouble that this pack has been having. An associate of mine had a long talk with the falcon who survived the attack on Eli; he named you as the person who’d hired him and the other falcons. So, it seems highly likely to me that you also hired whoever shot his niece. That I have a real issue with.”
“Since when did you have a soft spot for children?” Ignacio raised a hand. “I have no beef with you, Cain, so I’m going to give you a chance to leave and let me deal with this matter. If you like, you can take your foster sister with you. But the others will stay.”
“So that you can kill every last one of them?”
Ignacio shrugged. “It won’t be long before Eli returns. I like the thought of him arriving to find sheer carnage.”
“But you also mean to kill Eli, don’t you? You mean to finish the job that the falcons barely started.”
“It’s true that if you want something done right you should do it yourself.”