and struggled to go after him. Why was everyone helping him to get away? Didn't they hear what he called her, how he'd talked to her? Didn't they care? They should be trying to tear his face off, too. Instead, everyone was now looking at her with worried, tense faces. Jaime kept her by the scruff of the neck until he heard Rayner's truck driving away. Then he released her.
Jeneva shifted out of Bear form, followed by Jaime. She looked with disbelief at all the eyes in the room. "Why are you all just standing around like that? Why did you let him go?" Jeneva raged. She whirled on her brother, who put up hands of defense. "And you! You helped him! You pulled me off of him!"
Jaime was the only voice of reason in the room. "Jeneva, you don't want his blood on his hands. Not like that. You need to calm down."
"No, I know exactly what I need to do." Jeneva shifted back into Bear form and burst out into the street. She ran all the way home, alone.
Chapter Nine
Jeneva shifted out of Bear form and collapsed on the porch of her home, exhausted. Huge, angry sobs tore out of her body, and she wrapped her arms around herself to try to keep them inside. Each sob hurt worse than the last, as if trying to tear out each piece of her mate that had made its way into her heart. That was impossible, of course. They were connected for life. Why didn't Rayner understand that?
Jaime had been right. Rayner was the wrong Bear to mate with.
Jeneva couldn't choose again. It was too late. She was right back where she started, alone forever. Even when she had been so happy, finding out that they could have cubs together, this was how the day ended. Was there a curse on her? It felt like she could never be happy. Maybe she just would never be able to find happiness there, in Reserve Park. Her time in the place where she had grown up seemed to have come to an end. Even if she wanted to stay, she couldn't now.
The man she had given her soul to had called her out in front of all of their friends. He'd said hateful, ugly things to her. And he'd meant it. And those "friends," didn't bother to defend her, or to hurt him. They didn't come to her aid when he pinned her against the wall. She had no idea why. Wasn't there anyone here that she could trust?
Jeneva pulled herself to her feet, fighting the temptation to stay curled in a ball on the porch forever, crying her brains out. She went into her room and threw clothes all over. She was furious. Where could she go now? What could she do? She looked at the open notebook on her bed, where just this morning she'd called Father Mallory to tell him she wouldn't come. But he'd told her that her spot would remain open. It had barely been a day. She could still go.
If she left, she had to leave before Jaime got back. He would stop her. No more excuses this time. The happiness wasn't coming, no one was coming to save her. She had to accept her unhappy fate. Big fat tears rolled down her face while she packed her bag, entered the address and information into her cell phone for safekeeping, and wrote a note to her brother to tell her where she had gone, and why she wasn't coming back. Jaime. He had stopped her from taking her vengence on Rayner. In the end, she was truly alone.
Jeneva zipped up her carry-on backpack. Maybe this sort of thing happened to the missionaries all of the time. Maybe Father Mallory constantly got calls from people desperate to get away, who canceled on him when they got a glimmer of hope that they should stay where they were and try to work things out. Maybe he knew everything in her life was going to fall apart again, and he knew that she would still be coming to live with them anyway.
"God is fucking cruel," Jeneva packed herself onto the newly fixed bike. When she turned it on, it purred under her. She kicked the stand up, looked at her home with anguish, and took off for the airport.
Jaime returned home. There was a note written for him on
Jeneva shifted out of Bear form, followed by Jaime. She looked with disbelief at all the eyes in the room. "Why are you all just standing around like that? Why did you let him go?" Jeneva raged. She whirled on her brother, who put up hands of defense. "And you! You helped him! You pulled me off of him!"
Jaime was the only voice of reason in the room. "Jeneva, you don't want his blood on his hands. Not like that. You need to calm down."
"No, I know exactly what I need to do." Jeneva shifted back into Bear form and burst out into the street. She ran all the way home, alone.
Chapter Nine
Jeneva shifted out of Bear form and collapsed on the porch of her home, exhausted. Huge, angry sobs tore out of her body, and she wrapped her arms around herself to try to keep them inside. Each sob hurt worse than the last, as if trying to tear out each piece of her mate that had made its way into her heart. That was impossible, of course. They were connected for life. Why didn't Rayner understand that?
Jaime had been right. Rayner was the wrong Bear to mate with.
Jeneva couldn't choose again. It was too late. She was right back where she started, alone forever. Even when she had been so happy, finding out that they could have cubs together, this was how the day ended. Was there a curse on her? It felt like she could never be happy. Maybe she just would never be able to find happiness there, in Reserve Park. Her time in the place where she had grown up seemed to have come to an end. Even if she wanted to stay, she couldn't now.
The man she had given her soul to had called her out in front of all of their friends. He'd said hateful, ugly things to her. And he'd meant it. And those "friends," didn't bother to defend her, or to hurt him. They didn't come to her aid when he pinned her against the wall. She had no idea why. Wasn't there anyone here that she could trust?
Jeneva pulled herself to her feet, fighting the temptation to stay curled in a ball on the porch forever, crying her brains out. She went into her room and threw clothes all over. She was furious. Where could she go now? What could she do? She looked at the open notebook on her bed, where just this morning she'd called Father Mallory to tell him she wouldn't come. But he'd told her that her spot would remain open. It had barely been a day. She could still go.
If she left, she had to leave before Jaime got back. He would stop her. No more excuses this time. The happiness wasn't coming, no one was coming to save her. She had to accept her unhappy fate. Big fat tears rolled down her face while she packed her bag, entered the address and information into her cell phone for safekeeping, and wrote a note to her brother to tell her where she had gone, and why she wasn't coming back. Jaime. He had stopped her from taking her vengence on Rayner. In the end, she was truly alone.
Jeneva zipped up her carry-on backpack. Maybe this sort of thing happened to the missionaries all of the time. Maybe Father Mallory constantly got calls from people desperate to get away, who canceled on him when they got a glimmer of hope that they should stay where they were and try to work things out. Maybe he knew everything in her life was going to fall apart again, and he knew that she would still be coming to live with them anyway.
"God is fucking cruel," Jeneva packed herself onto the newly fixed bike. When she turned it on, it purred under her. She kicked the stand up, looked at her home with anguish, and took off for the airport.
Jaime returned home. There was a note written for him on
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