Kane by Loribelle Hunt Page A

the drawing room having long
ago given up on the book Rheana insisted she’d love. Her thoughts
were consumed with Kane, wondering where he was and why he was
gone. Was it her declaration of love? It sure as hell wasn’t like
her, but once she accepted it she hadn’t seen any point in hiding
it. Had he decided he didn’t want her for a mate after all? She
ignored the way her heart twisted in hurt and fear. It was obvious
he had. Best deal with it and move on. She’d never been one to
mope. She was meant for action. She was straightforward and to the
point. If he wanted to call it quits, he should just do it and get
it over with. She wanted to scream her frustration, wanted to beat
something and cause a scene. God help him when he does finally
make an appearance.
    Where the hell was he? She recalled the
injuries he’d received fighting Tobias. The cuts and scrapes and
deep gouges. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing away nausea. He’d
been so covered in blood she hadn’t realized how extensive the
wounds were until they paused by a stream long enough for him to
wade in and wash off. How resilient were werewolves? How close had
Tobias come to killing him? Mathias insisted the injuries weren’t
bad at all, that he wasn’t holed up somewhere on his deathbed, but
how could she know? He wasn’t coming to her, and they wouldn’t take
her to him.
    The door creaked open, and Rheana stuck her
head around it. “Dinner’s ready.”
    She nodded to acknowledge she heard, but
didn’t turn from the window. Rheana sighed and shut it behind her.
She was probably tired of fighting with her over food. Calista was
too tied up in knots to eat. Too angry and confused. Too worried
and exhausted. Maybe she’d just lie down for a little while. She
left the window and stretched out on the sofa.
    She must have dozed off. When she woke it was
late afternoon, and she heard soft voices outside the door. Before
she could investigate, it opened and Kane stepped through. He shut
the door and flipped the lock closed. She wasn’t sure if she wanted
to rush over and kiss him or kill him. Anger won out, but she held
herself still, afraid she might actually do it. Rising slowly from
the sofa, she stood in place, ignoring the trembling in her limbs.
She looked him up and down, searching for signs of damage, but he
appeared whole. She breathed in a sigh of relief and exhaled one of
anger.
    “Why the hell am I locked up in my own house,
Kane?” The spell finally broken, she stepped forward and let loose.
“We’ve been through this before. I don’t need or want your
protection. And frankly, if this is what it gets me I’d just as
soon you stay the hell out of my life period.”
    His eyes narrowed. “Good evening to you too,
mate.”
    She put her hands on her hips and faced
him.
    “Oh, please. Three days, Kane. Three days
being locked up, three days of silence.” She shook her head. “I’m
not mate material. Partner I could work with. But this? When did I
ever strike you as someone who wanted to be kept in a cage?”
    “I had some things that had to be taken care
of. Things you couldn’t help with.”
    She clenched her jaw, refusing to let even
one tear fall. After all they’d been through he still didn’t trust
her. With his secrets. With his life or identity. She just wanted
it all over and said and done with. Was that too much to ask? The
fight went out of her, and she shoved her hands in her pockets,
went to move around him. He caught her, his fingers wrapping around
the sensitive skin of her upper arm, and she fought the shiver of
recognition, fought the urge of her body to lean into him. She
tried to shake him off and refused to meet his gaze, staring at the
door.
    “Let me go, Kane. I’m not up for this
tonight.”
    She didn’t bother to keep the weariness from
her voice, didn’t even care anymore if he saw how much she was
affected. She just needed some time and space to lick her wounds,
then she’d move on with her