Home > Tarian Outcast (New Tarian Pride #3)(15)

Tarian Outcast (New Tarian Pride #3)(15)
Author: T.S. Joyce

“I wasn’t talking about you! I was talking about the human,” he said, jamming a finger at Katy. We just got our asses chewed by local law enforcement about a human woman involved in a dominance fight, and I’m assuming it’s her. Am I right?”

Gray looked mean, and his teeth were too sharp. “Over my dead fuckin’ body are you bringing a shit-starting human in here. In public, Kannon? You had a dominance fight in public?”

“It was Abel!” Kannon snarled. “You want to tell him to mind the rules on where we should conduct our tiffs, go right-fuckin’-ahead. Open the goddamn gate, or I’ll run right through it, and you fuckin’ know I will. I’m taking her straight to Ronin. Call it in on your little walkie talkie or whatever the fuck you have to do to push that stupid gate button, but either way, I’m taking her in. Her name’s Katy, by the way, not ‘that shit-startin’ human.’ Believe it or not, Abel started this mess.”

Gray yanked a radio to his lips and exaggeratedly pushed the button. “Ronin, Kannon has brought the—”

“LET THEM IN,” a terrifying voice roared from the other side.

Gray gave an empty smile to Katy. “Good luck surviving the night.”

“Beat the shit out of you soon,” Kannon muttered as he drove through the opening gate.

“You are not in a good mood,” Katy whispered.

“It’s about to get worse.”

“Oh. Good.” Mrs. Fluche, her eleventh grade teacher, had informed Katy that with her lack of work ethic, she wouldn’t amount to much. Well lookey here, Mrs. Fluche. I’m about to get murdered by a Pride of lions and be on the eight o’clock news, so fart on you, you judgmental heifer.

She wasn’t even in Africa on vacation, she wasn’t on safari, and she was still going to be lion guano. Or poop. Guano was the stuff that came from bat buttholes, she was pretty sure.

“I’ll have you know,” she enlightened him as the woods blurred by, “I haven’t had a chance to add you to my will. I have, like, three half-alive Venus flytraps named Eeny, Meeny, and Pickles, and they’re pretty valuable.”

“You aren’t going to die.”

“Also, I have an extensive rock collection—”

“You aren’t going to—”

“As well as a shoe box of those beanie babies you could buy from McDonalds twenty years ago. I traveled all over, buying happy meals. I’m pretty sure I have a complete set, and they’re probably worth tens of dollars.”

“You aren’t going to die!”

Kannon slammed on the brakes in front of a stunning log cabin. It was huge and had outdoor lighting that made it look like one of those houses in a magazine. The porch alone was bigger than her living room. It would’ve been quite picturesque if there wasn’t a dozen angry-looking people milling around on the porch.

And the angriest of all was a blond-haired, statuesque man standing in front of them all, his arms crossed over his chest, his legs splayed in a power stance, and his eyes glowing a gold-green color.

Beside her, Sora was shaking. “I can’t do this,” she breathed.

“Everything is fine,” Kannon barked at them, shoving his door open. “Stay here.” He slammed the door so hard the entire truck rocked.

That would’ve been a very good command if Katy was at all, in any way, good at following directions. But as she watched the shifters reem Kannon, she couldn’t just stay in here and watch him getting chewed out for protecting her. This was her fault, in a way.

So she scooched across the bench seat, shoved open the door like Kannon had done, and ordered Sora to, “Do whatever you want.” Then she poured out of the lifted truck like gravy from a ladle.

“Hiiiii!” she called over the yelling. “Katy Craigson, so nice to meet you all.” She staggered un-gracefully over to the man in front and offered her hand for a shake.

He stared at her like she was a bug. And not a cute one, but one of those flies that spend their days on cow pies.

“Ronin,” Emerald said. “Don’t be rude.”

“Ronin. Nice name. I’m Katy.” Her cheeks heated. “Um, I already said that.” She shook her hand a little in case he’d forgotten she’d offered it. “Katy Craigson.”

“This is…mine.” Kannon murmured.

Ronin raised his eyebrows so high they looked like the McDonalds arches, and now she’d thought about that place twice in five minutes and had a sudden craving for a Big Mac.

“Oh, she’s yours. Without permission from the Pride. You’ll choose a human. Without a single heads-up that you are putting us all at risk.”

“Did you ask our permission when you chose Emerald?” Kannon asked coolly.

“Nope, he did not,” said Emerald her dark eyebrows arched high as she stared at her man.

“No!” Ronin said. “No, no, no, no to all of this, and do you know why? Because we’re a Pride full of monsters and fuck-ups, and you’re going to get this fragile little cupcake eaten.”

“First off, I love cupcakes so thank you for the compliment. Please make me pink with sprinkles. And second off, eaten how? Like…digested or eaten eaten?” she asked waggling her eyebrows.

“Oh, God,” Kannon murmured.

She looked behind her to the truck to see if Sora was laughing at her hilarious joke, but her protector was nowhere to be seen.

“I want her gone,” Ronin gritted out. “Now.”

“If she goes, I go,” Kannon murmured. “Abel is still alive, and he’s stalking her to get to me.”

“Okay,” said a giant with a boatload of tattoos on his arms. “Leave then. I get Second. You forfeit. Life is improved.”

“Shut the fuck up, Terrence,” Kannon yelled. “Nice admitting you know the only way you could beat me for Second is by forfeit, you fuckin’ loser.”

“You’re the fuckin’ loser!” Terrence bellowed, making his way through the crowd.

“Hey!” Ronin roared. “No fights right now!”

Terrence charged Kannon, but he was ready. He shoved Katy behind him and grabbed Terrance by the shirt, and just…blasted the man across the jaw. The big bull of a man staggered backward and shook his head as if he didn’t know where he was.

“You challenge me now, I’ll kill you,” Kannon growled. “I’ve had a shit night. I drove into town thinking Abel was doing something horrible to Katy, and I’ve already fought a damn ghost. I thought he was dead already! I know in my bones you won’t let me keep her,” he yelled, pointing to Ronin, “And now I have to figure out my entire life, including living as a rogue, because I don’t know what else to do!” The yard had gone completely silent. “I know she’s a risk to us,” he said softer. He swallowed audibly and shook his head, eyes locked on Ronin’s, “But I don’t know what to do.”

Katy was standing behind Kannon, her hands resting on his tensed back, so she didn’t know what Ronin saw in his face. But whatever it was, the Alpha rolled his eyes closed and muttered a curse. He hooked his hands on his hips and sighed. “Kannon, you’re tired and hurt. You smell like blood and pain. You aren’t thinking straight. She can stay here for the night, but I’m calling a Pride meeting in the morning. Eight a.m., no one be late.”

“I have to work,” Kannon rumbled.

“I don’t fuckin’ care,” Ronin said. “And everyone else, no Changing tonight! Not until the human is out of our territory.”

The human.

The Outcast.

Sora had been right.

Sadness washed through Katy’s chest. She hated this, hated Kannon fighting with his Pride for her, hated him fighting another male for her, hated that he had to upend his entire life just because she was here. She cared about him too much to watch him suffer.

It didn’t matter that Kannon was prepared to war with his entire Pride. That didn’t make a lick of difference.

They were what they were, and she was what she was, and it was clear that would never change.

There was an us and a them.

She was and would always be an outsider, untrustworthy and a risk.

She really was a Tarian Outcast.

Chapter Sixteen

There was something very intimate about entering Kannon’s den for the first time. The wood floors were dark and polished, covered only by a navy rug in the living room under the couch. The curtains were navy and matched the hand towels in the big kitchen.

“Is blue your favorite color?” she asked softly.

“Yes,” he murmured, resting his hand on her lower back as he guided her down a hallway. “Bedroom is this way.”

“Whooo, spicy,” she teased, waggling her eyebrows as she moonwalked into his room. She danced right to the bed and fell back on it, laid on her side and struck a pose. “I’m in your personal space and ready for you to ravage me.”

Kannon huffed a laugh and leaned on the open doorframe. She could tell some of the tension was starting to leave his shoulders. “I wasn’t trying to ravish you, woman. Just giving you the tour. Living room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom.” He shrugged. “It’s not much. You can have the bed tonight. I’ll sleep on the couch.

Well, that was un-sexy.

“First off, your den is awesome. And homey. I probably wouldn’t replace all of the hand towels with bright yellow ones and put a farmhouse vase of yellow daffodils on the cute little table if I stayed here. It would probably hurt your eyes. So see? I found a bright side to me only being here one night. I won’t destroy your house with my girl-things.”

Kannon gave her a tired smile. “Actually, that doesn’t sound too bad. Is yellow your favorite color?”

“Yes, because it’s the color of the sun, and sunshine is my favorite.”

“Of course, it is.” Now his grin was growing, stretching his chiseled cheeks and crinkling up his dark eyes.

   
Most Popular
» Nothing But Trouble (Malibu University #1)
» Kill Switch (Devil's Night #3)
» Hold Me Today (Put A Ring On It #1)
» Spinning Silver
» Birthday Girl
» A Nordic King (Royal Romance #3)
» The Wild Heir (Royal Romance #2)
» The Swedish Prince (Royal Romance #1)
» Nothing Personal (Karina Halle)
» My Life in Shambles
» The Warrior Queen (The Hundredth Queen #4)
» The Rogue Queen (The Hundredth Queen #3)
romance.readsbookonline.com Copyright 2016 - 2024