Shards: Book One of the Anderian Series

Chapter 10: Touched

Grappling for the door handle, I beat back tears. When the door swung open, I bolted, disregarding Jag's pleas and the fact there was a winged monster out here hunting me, and the Shard I carried—whatever the hell that was—turned my blood into a GPS system for him. Though, at this point, I might let Kohl take me. Or Cian. Either of them could put me out of my misery.

Leaves crunched beneath my boots as I marched into the woods surrounding the house. I certainly wasn't going inside. Not only did it look like something out of a horror film with its sagging porch, busted windows, and grimy bricks, the wards we passed through to reach it meant whoever—or whatever — was inside was supernatural. Like Jac was.

A sob caught in my chest, making me gasp with pain, and I rubbed at the space beneath my breast, hoping to massage it away. I thought I was done with crying. I thought I was done with making myself vulnerable enough to care when people screwed me over. Four foster families and an adoptive mother who turned me away the day I was legal made sure I knew how much value I had. Jac tossing me aside, cleared up any lingering hope I had that maybe everything before him had been bad luck.

But this was fucked up on so many levels. How could he do this to me? Take away the one thing I'd ever wanted for myself—a job as a detective—and for what? He wanted me to believe it was because he was worried about me, but if he knew the supernatural world existed, if he was part of it, then what did he gain by getting me fired?

"Bria, slow down."

"Get the fuck away from me."

"Will you just listen to me?"

I spun on him, and he halted, eyes wide and hands up. For a moment, only the sound of our harsh breathing and the rhythmic drops of rain filled the air. Then I was shouting. "Let's just forget everything that happened before today, but just a couple of hours ago, you sent me away from the cabin because I fucked with your head too much. You were a complete ass, making me feel like I was the terrible person. Have I gotten any of this wrong?"

"If you would let me explain—"

"Nothing you could say would make a difference at this point. You treated me like I was crazy, and you were involved in all of it all along."

Jac shook his head. "I was trying to keep you safe."

"First of fucking all," I seethed, stalking toward him and driving my finger into his chest. "I don't need a man to save me. Second, that makes no sense. Save me from what? You didn't seem worried about the dangerous situations I put myself in everyday—unless that's it. You're some sexist prick who didn't want a female partner. I'm good enough to screw, but not good enough to have your back."

My former partner scowled, and a little of the world shifted back to normal. As angry as I was, I would much rather face off against an equally furious Jac than this foreign whiny, pleading version of him, but then again, I clearly knew nothing about him.

"There's a lot you can accuse me of, but don't ever accuse me of bullshit like that again. You were one of the best partners I have worked with in my entire career, and anyone would have been lucky to have you at their side." A gust whipped through the trees, clacking the branches together and biting through my damp clothes. We shivered. "Can we have this conversation inside?"

"No. I don't know who or what is in there, but I can guess there is at least one witch based on the wards. I haven't had the best of luck with them."

To be fair, I'd met a total of two, and one of them tried to hex me when I wouldn't give her my blood to let her do more testing to determine my supernatural lineage. I had been new to the community then, but I wasn't an idiot. Blood was powerful and often used in binding spells. You didn't give it away freely.