Page 31 of Tiger Bitten

“No. Not yet.”

He frowned and looked to Stellan and back to Mars. “Like…you haven’t even tried to kill her one time?”

“No,” he grumbled, sinking down onto the cot again and resting the heels of his hands against his throbbing eye sockets. “What the hell did you give me, man?” he asked Stellan.

“A chill pill.”

“How long was I out?” And realization hit him. Ren was probably so worried. They were supposed to fly together today. “Shit,” he uttered, sitting up straight. “What time is it?”

Stellan checked Mars’s phone screen. “Four fifteen p.m.”

“Give me the phone! Fuck.” Mars paced the cage, mind racing. The flight left hours ago. She’d probably messaged him and left the airport when he hadn’t met her there.

“I already messaged her,” Stellan mumbled, typing something onto Mars’s phone.

“What? Why? What did you say to her?”

“I told her to meet you here and that you would pick her up from the airport.”

His mind was spinning in circles. “Her flight landed an hour ago. It’s already landed! I need to get to the airport.” Mars rattled the bars of the cage hard. “Give me the phone so I can call her!”

Stellan took a bite of a beef jerky strip and narrowed his eyes at the phone screen. “You told her you love her, and she said it back. Very Un-Rabbit of her.”

“What?” he yelled, panic making his heart race. “Give me my fucking phone!”

“Or what?”

“How did you even get into it?”

“I used your face to unlock it while you were unconscious, and then I changed the password to the one I wanted. Six nine six nine. And then I messaged your Rabbit a lot. Also, I read all your text messages. You’re even more messed up than me. I didn’t ever try to make Misty fall in love with me before I hunted her. That’s sick, Mars.”

“Give his phone back,” Dame said so softly, Mars almost missed it. His brother was staring at Stellan with a frown. “Now.”

“Or what?” Stellan asked, standing to his full height and zeroing his attention in on Dame.

“Or I’ll fight you.” Truth.

Mars would’ve found this slightly entertaining if he wasn’t shaking with anger right now.

“Oh, but when I find my Rabbit, I’m treated like an animal,” Stellan ground out, eyes flashing a brighter gold as he squared up to Dame.

“Look, if this is some messed up way to get him back for whatever it is you are mad about? This isn’t the way,” Dame said low.

“I’m helping him.”

“Messing with his Rabbit isn’t helping and you know it.”

And Mars could tell he was thinking about it. Stellan was considering Changing and going straight at Dame. But that last fight they’d all had, just outside this shop, one year ago, had made them all wary of fighting. They could absolutely take it too far and have to live with loss for the rest of their lives.

It wasn’t like their scuffles as kids, or as younger Cats. They were all monsters now.

Stellan shoved Mars’s phone into his back pocket and slid an angry glare to him. “This is for your own good.”

“I don’t even know why you’re mad at me,” Mars said. “I called you a bunch of times. I texted you. I checked in.”

“Congratulations. You finally did a few texts and calls. Where were you when I found my Rabbit?” Stellan asked. “Where were you all the years I was hunting her? You just swooped in at the end and pretended to give a shit.” He made a click sound behind his teeth and strode for the door.

“Stellan,” Dame called after him.