Lure of Oblivion (The Mercury Pack 3)

Zander’s tension hadn’t eased either, but she suspected that was partly due to the lingering threat that Rory presented. She wasn’t worried about that moron because, well, he was a moron. But she could happily shoot him right in the dick for toying with Zander and using her to do so.

It was laughable to be protective of someone who was a gazillion times stronger than she was. If anyone could take care of himself, it was Zander Devlin. He didn’t need her. It was both strange and . . . uplifting to be around someone who didn’t need her to be the strong one.

Hanna, Yvonne, Julie, and Marlon had all used her as a crutch to some extent. Hanna was a lost cause, but Gwen had shaken free of her as a child. The others didn’t need her so much anymore. Julie now had Chase, and Marlon’s inner strength had bloomed once he’d admitted he was gay and stopped forcing himself to be something he wasn’t. Now that Yvonne no longer had her husband browbeating her, she was better too. Oh, she still liked burying her head in the sand, but she didn’t lean so much on Gwen anymore.

Gwen loved her family, had no problem being there for them, but she’d never really realized just how tired she’d been of always being their rock. Not until Zander came along, offering his support, protection, and strength. It had been so tempting to just accept what he offered and let him take the weight of everything, but she’d resisted at first. Really, he’d just seemed too good to be true—definitely too good to be truly interested in someone like her.

She’d given up resisting, and she felt lighter for it. She still thought that a female shifter might suit him better, but who was she to tell another person what was or wasn’t good for them? Or what they did and didn’t want? It was insulting, really. Zander was a full-grown man who had his own mind.

Done scrubbing the window, she swiped her forehead with the back of her hand and then dropped the sponge in the bucket. Iridescent bubbles slithered down the red paint and onto her shoes. Nice. Picking up the hose, she turned it on. Water blasted from it, rinsing the soap from the car and dripping on the ground. It was as she turned off that hose that she heard the chuckles. Familiar, irritating chuckles.

Gwen spun on her heel. Brandt was leaning against Marlon’s car, arms crossed, smirking smugly. He obviously knew about the deal she’d made with his father, and he was here to gloat. Yeah, she’d figured he’d do something stupid sooner or later. He just couldn’t help himself.

Rowan and Mack stood a few feet behind him, eyeing the hose nervously—they apparently had the sense to consider that she may want to use it on them. Brandt . . . he was too caught up in this “I have the upper hand” moment. It pissed her off that she’d have to let him think he did. Inside her, pride warred with the need to be smart, and smart barely won out.

Brandt lifted his hands. “I’m not here to give you trouble, Gwen.”

Well, that would be a first. “If you have any sense in your head, you’ll leave now.”

“I just wanted to say that I’m glad you finally saw reason, that’s all.”

“Saw reason?”

“I get that you’re upset about the stuff I did to you. What’s sad is that we could have avoided all that if you’d just seen reason a lot earlier.” He shook his head with a sigh, as if she’d been acting like a brat all this time.

Anger surged through her, hot and sharp. He could not be believed. “I’m not sure if you genuinely believe that all you did is my fault and not a consequence of you being a fucking turd. I also don’t care. Just. Go.”

His smirk died a quick death. “There’s no call for speaking to me like that, Gwen. I would have thought you were smarter than that.” Like he was someone big and important whom she should quiver before. Unreal.

“You think you’re tough and scary, Brandt? Is that what it is?” She snickered in disbelief, giving him a withering look. “It doesn’t take a gynecologist’s opinion to know you’re a pussy.”

Eyes blazing, he pushed off Marlon’s car. “What the fuck did you just call me?”

“I don’t see you going around harassing male loners. Oh, no. You went for the female. Know why? You’re weak, Brandt. You’ll always be weak. That was why you drugged Andie before you attacked her—you were too chicken shit to take her on while she was at full strength. You go around town, acting like a first-class asshole, and then hide behind Daddy. So, yeah, you’re a pussy.”

He balled up his hands. “Didn’t Rowan once warn you that your mouth was going to get you in trouble one day? You should’ve listened, Gwen.”

Rowan quickly slid in front of him and put a hand on his chest. “Brandt, you heard your dad—you can’t touch her. If she reneges on the deal, you’ll be on Shit Street.”

Mack nodded. “Come on, man, this ain’t worth it.”

Brandt hissed at them through his teeth. “No one speaks to me like that. She’s gonna damn well pay for it.” He shoved Rowan aside, only to come to an abrupt halt. Gwen frowned, confused, but then Zander’s hand smoothed up her back as he silently sidled up to her from behind.

“Everything all right here?” he asked.

“Fine,” she said, gaze still locked on the asshole in front of her. “You know, I had no idea that pussy lips could talk. My mind is blown.”

Brandt sneered as he studied them. “I heard you were rubbing yourself all over some shifter at Half ’n’ Half. What does it say about you, Gwen, that you gotta fuck other species because your own doesn’t want you? How’s that bestiality thing working out for you?”

Zander looked at her. “I’m confused. Is he trying to be funny or intimidating?”

She shrugged, scratching her nape. “I always struggle trying to figure that one out. Either way, he fails dramatically, so I don’t suppose it matters.”

Zander took a slow, predatory step closer to the human boys, and they each shuffled backward—he wasn’t even sure if they’d done it consciously. As he’d crept up to the house, he’d heard enough of the conversation to know the visitors were Brandt and his friends. Pissed didn’t begin to describe how he felt as he stared at the male who’d harassed and almost assaulted his mate. His wolf swiped at Brandt with his claws.

Arching a daring brow at Brandt, Zander said, “You’re not going to give me shit? You only mouth off when you’re dealing with females?”