Fierce Mate: Bear Shifter Romance (Fierce Mates Book 1) by Ariana Hawkes

Author:Ariana Hawkes [Hawkes, Ariana]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Luna Negra Press
Published: 2021-10-14T18:30:00+00:00

CHAPTER 12

Kade

How could I have let this happen?

I’d assumed that one of the guys had stayed behind to guard the property, but I should’ve checked to make sure. I just hadn’t considered that the intruder might torch the place. I’d been so convinced that it had been tossed, so caught up in worrying that Iris was hiding something from me, that I was blinkered to everything else.

And now she’s lost her home.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. I want to punch the steering wheel.

But I can’t show my frustration. I need to keep Iris safe—that’s my main priority. And that includes giving her the emotional support she needs.

She’s quiet, gazing out of the window, no doubt thinking about everything she’s lost.

I swear to myself, right here and now, that I’ll get justice for her, if it’s the last thing I do.

Vengeance, says Bear.

That, too. I’ll let him loose, let him tear apart whoever did this, and I won’t lift a finger to stop him.

“The guy wears suits and turtlenecks for Christsakes,” Iris mumbles.

“What was that?”

She gives a dry laugh. “He looks like he’d hate to mess up his designer clothes, never mind pull off all of—of this.”

“Who?” I say gently. “Who is he?”

She leans her head back against the headrest and closes her eyes. I see her chest rise and fall as she takes several deep breaths.

“Iris—” I hate the voice the words aloud, but they need to be said. “He tried to kill you today.”

“I know.” Her voice is oddly calm now. “There’s nothing more to lose, is there?”

I reach for her hand. It’s cold but dry and her grip is fierce.

“I will protect you. From a whole army of him if necessary.”

She turns her head to me and her eyes are pure limpid green. Like a pristine forest lake pierced by a shaft of light. “I know you will, Kade.”

My heart lifts, just an inch. She trusts me. At last. That’s been the missing piece, this whole time.

When she begins to speak again, her voice is so quiet, it’s little more than a whisper of breeze, and I edge closer to hear her better.

“Professor Rich Calhoun.” She waits for that name to land, but I’ve never heard it before.

She takes a deep, shuddering breath. “He’s a big deal in economics. Glowing recommendations, innovative policies. A lot of people call him a genius.”

“Alright.”

She picks at her fingernails “He was my advisor during my program at college. Your advisor is supposed to help guide you through the semester and give you advice. It makes school a little less intimidating and it gives you more contacts in the field.

“He was fine, at first. Then he started to ask me little things about my life outside of school. I thought he was just being friendly, and he would have been a great contact to have. Business is all about connections. But after a few weeks, things started to escalate.”

My gut tightens. “How?”

“He started asking me questions that didn’t relate to the program at all. Personal questions about my friends, my apartment, and my family.

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