Page 21 of Demon Rejected

We walked towards his truck. Two black cars were parked on each side of it. I threw my bags on the loading surface and backed against the truck. Matt stood protectively in front of me.

I wanted to ask about the four burly guys who walked toward us, but their eyes betrayed them.

“Get in the truck,” Matt grumbled towards me.

“The fuck I will.”

I stepped next to him. Ready. This was not my first fight. Okay, usually my fights were with high school bullies, but I am not the woman who would back away just like that.

“We don’t have beef with you. We want her," one of the guys said.

They smelled wrong. I couldn’t point it out, but there was something about them that bothered me. The guys could have been mechanics or something judging their overalls. Two circled us. The first, a guy with a huge gut and a clean shaved head feigned right and wanted to hit left, but Matt was faster. He used the guy’s momentum to push his head towards the truck. A thud and a groan marked the impact.

A sleazy tall guy used the moment and wanted to grab my hand. I kicked him hard against the groin.

I’m a girl. I fight dirty. As he bent over and held his balls with a pained expression, I used my fist and hammered it against his left eye.

The other two jumped in. Mountain Man and I were both kicking and pushing. The euphoria of the fight connected us. Two were down and the others ran away.

“Let’s go!"

We both jumped in the truck, and Matt drove away.

“Are they following us?"

“No, I don’t think so. Are we going to the police?"

“No. I can’t risk that. Sorry Little Flame, we live in another world after new laws."

I did my best to catch my breath.

“You did great, Scarlett. I’m impressed. Are you hurt?"

I did a small assessment of my body. Slight scratches, maybe a few bruises. Nothing lethal. Matt was hurt. His left eyelid was bleeding.

“Do you need me to drive?"

“I’m fine. That will heal fast. I need to take another route back."

“Matt, who were those people, and what the fuck did they want from me?"

“Scarlett, Shifter Nation isn’t the only one who has access to information. There are others. I am afraid the others found out about you."

He hit the steering wheel hard. “Fuck! I was hoping to be able to keep you safe longer. You don’t freeze in the face of danger, that’s a plus, but we have to work on your technique...."

“Sure. Fighting technique. Yay."

I was suddenly upset. It was weird. The feeling just drowned me and made me silent.

Matt was right. We took a longer way. The drive back to the cabin took two hours. When we finally arrived, the adrenaline left my system. I was exhausted and shaking. Matt opened the door for me and took my hand.

“I can walk. I’ll be okay."

“Scarlett, don’t get defensive. I’m already your admirer. I know the feeling after a fight. We’re both depleted of adrenaline. Here. Eat. Chocolate helps."

Matt offered me a Snickers bar. I took it without saying a word. I opened the wrapper. The sweet scent wafted to my nose. The first bite made me moan, and the second one was heaven.

“I always keep them in my pocket. They help with low blood sugar after the adrenaline rush."