Primal Pursuit

“Okay,” one of them says reluctantly. “But if you need to talk.” He hands me a card, and I take it.

“I’m really fine. Thank you, Officers.”

His eyes are on my forehead. “I’m sure you are. If you’re not, there are places?—”

“I’m fine,” I cut him off and close the door. The last thing I need is police involvement, or to get on their radar for anything.

Leaning heavily against the thin wood paneling of the door, I feel hot tears sting down my face as my pulse pounds painfully in my throat.

Another knock comes at the door, and I yelp as I leap backward, my pulse thundering.

There’s one more knock, this one sharp, demanding, like the person knocking isn’t there to fuck around.

I can’t move, and I suck in a desperate breath when I realize it’s fear that has me frozen. I can feel the heat of terror coursing through my veins, making my limbs heavy and all but immovable. Have I not been through enough for one goddamn night?

“Poppy?”

Davian.

“Open the fucking door.”

All the blood in my body surges to life, a sense of relief thawing the fear as I unlock and open the door.

His green eyes darken when he sees me, but in that moment, he takes my breath away. Not because he’s this beautiful creature, but because he’s…him. The one person my temporary brokenness seems to need right now.

His face goes from mildly annoyed to furious to flatly calm, and that last expression is terrifying.

Because it’s like humanity has left him.

“What the fuck, Rabbit?”

Chapter

Twenty-One

DAVIAN

Time tricklesto a stop as I take in her face. The bruises, the swelling, the cut sliced across her lips.

A flaming rage surges through me. It takes me back to a time when I was an angry young man who used that anger to break fucking faces, bones, whatever. I wasn’t as controlled then as I am now. Back then, I needed to have a way to let it out, the fury, the need for violence and blood and inflicting pain. It’s both separate and entwined with my kinks.

But Rabbit?

Whoever the fuck did this to her…

I glance down and bite back a dark grin as I pick up one of her hands and brush my lips over the scrapes.

Someone attempted to beat the shit out of her, and my Rabbit fought the fuck back. Poppy’s a fierce thing.

“Tell me.”

Her eyes narrow, and there’s a tiny bit of swelling at one. I go through to the kitchen and find the ice tray melting.I upend the contents in a tea towel and wrap the cubes, then go to put it on her eye.

“Tell you what?” she says.

“What the fuck happened?”

An irritated glance lands on me. “I ran into a wall. Happy?”