Deke blinked. “You left a claiming bite on her?”
“No—I won’t do that until I claim her. But I permanently branded her.”
Deke slid his gaze to Camden. “On the subject of permanent brands … I couldn’t help but notice the one on Aspen’s neck.”
Camden was surprised none of the males had commented on it sooner.
Deke lifted a brow. “Nothing to say about it?”
Camden balanced his beer can on the chair’s armrest. “No.”
“You realize shifters make a point of not permanently branding people who aren’t their mates, right?”
“Yes.”
“And it doesn’t bother you on any level that you did it?”
“No.”
Deke cocked his head, no judgment in his gaze. “There’s got to be something freeing about having a partially developed conscience and following no one’s code but your own.”
Camden only shrugged.
“I’m sensing you don’t want to discuss what happened,” said Tate. “I’ll respect that. It’s not our business anyway. If you’d have forced the mark on her, it would have been another matter. But I don’t believe you’d ever do something like that to Aspen. And I think you’d currently be six feet under the ground if you had, because she’d have slit your throat for sure.”
Camden almost smiled. Yes, his girl would have. She could be fucking vicious. He adored that about her. Adored pretty much everything about her.
He wasn’t sure if Bailey was right in believing that Aspen would want “more,” but the mamba had been right in one respect—there was no going back for him. He could fully admit that to himself now.
Camden couldn’t simply have Aspen for a short time. Couldn’t go back to not being able to touch her however and wherever he pleased. He couldn’t lose the intimacies they now had. He definitely couldn’t watch her build something with another man. It would kill Camden little by little, until there was nothing left of him.
He needed her in too many ways. Always had. Always would. He wasn’t going to give her up. He quite simply couldn’t.
Camden would find some way to keep her with him. He’d show her they could have something good. Show her that although he may be fucked up, he could still make her happy.
He wasn’t sure she was ready to hear any of that yet, so he hadn’t decided when would be the best time to—
The cell on the patio table began to ring, snapping Camden out of his thoughts.
Tate snatched up the phone and answered, “Yeah?” His brows flicked together. “How urgent?” He sighed. “It’s fine, Joaquin, keep them there, I’ll—” He cut off as footfalls thumped along the wooden boards of the wraparound porch.
Grant came skidding into view with Tim and Joaquin close behind him. Predictably, Camden’s tiger jumped to his feet and bared his teeth.
Grant’s eyes, hot and frantic, landed on Camden. He snarled. “You cocksucking asshole.” He began to advance on Camden, but Joaquin blocked the guy’s path.
“Sorry, Tate,” said Joaquin. “I didn’t think he’d come racing back here.”
Grant leaned around the enforcer to slam his gaze on Camden once more. “You should have made sure I was dead before you drove off—that was your mistake. You fucked up. And now you’re going to pay for what you did.”
The fuck? Camden slowly pushed out of his chair, his tiger growling through gritted teeth. “Come again?”
“What is this, Grant?” asked Tate as he, Luke, and Deke also rose from their seats.
Grant jabbed a finger in Camden’s direction. “He ran me off the goddamn road! My car flipped over and ended up in a fucking lake. He obviously figured I wouldn’t survive. Well, I did.”
Camden tilted his head. “When you told me this wasn’t over,” he began, his tone bored, “I didn’t think you meant you’d invent such a piss-poor story to have me blamed for something I didn’t do.” It was rather sad.
Grant’s eyes widened. “Story? It’s the fucking truth.”
“If you were truly run off the road, you’re pointing the finger at the wrong person.”
The patio door slid open. Aspen, Havana, and Bailey stepped out onto the deck.
Havana took everyone in with a glance. “What’s going on?”
“Oh not much,” snarked Grant. “Only that Camden tried to kill me. Crashed a goddamn car into mine and sent it flipping off the road and into a lake.”
Shock whipped through Aspen, making her muscles tighten and her mouth drop open. Recovering quickly—and sobering in an instant—she shook her head. “It couldn’t have been Camden. He hasn’t left my side all day.”
Grant snorted at her, all derision. “Like you wouldn’t lie to protect him.” His eyes dropped to the brand on her neck, and he swallowed hard. “Heard about that.” He turned back to Camden, his gaze glittering with contempt. “You got what you wanted. You made her yours. Isn’t that good enough for you? No? You want me dead so I’m no threat to whatever bond you want to form with her?”