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She could feel Torus’s frustration building through their TET link but the big Kindred remained stoic until they were actually ready to get in the ship. Then he turned suddenly and leaned down, getting right in the reporter’s face.
“Listen to me and listen well,” he growled, his voice coming out in a low, threatening rumble. “That ‘genius’ hurt my mate, so I punished him for it. That is all I have to say.”
“He hurt her? How did he hurt her?” the reporter persisted. When Torus refused to answer, he turned to Molly. “What did he do to you, Molly?” he demanded, just as though he had the right to be on a first name basis with her.
“None of your business,” she said tightly, stung into talking back to him at last. She didn’t even think he was a real reporter—judging by the way he was dressed and the fact that he was just recording them on a camera phone, she was pretty sure he was just a wannabe who posted his content on social media for views.
“It is my business—it’s everybody’s business since you sent your Kindred boyfriend down to Earth to beat an innocent man,” the “reporter” snapped back.
“Molly never sent me—I came to get vengeance for her on my own,” Torus growled. “And I am not her ‘boyfriend’—I’m her Mate—her husband, as you humans call it. And she is my wife. Now leave us alone.”
Despite the big Kindred’s threatening tone, the “reporter” kept talking—which showed that he was either really stupid or really committed to getting content for his channel, Molly thought.
“Molly, lots of ‘Rage Killings’ happen because the female who’s married to or dating a Kindred claims she was raped by the guy she sends him out to kill,” he said, targeting her again. “Is that what you claim Zach Wyndham did to you? Did he rape you?”
His words made Molly’s stomach clench into a slick fist. She didn’t want to think of what Zach had done to her—how he had insisted that she give him what he wanted every night, whether she wanted to or not. Or how much it had hurt when he was in an especially vicious mood…
“How dare you ask my wife such a personal question?” Torus demanded. By now his eyes were beginning to turn red and his big hands had curled into enormous fists.
The “reporter” paled, but kept on going—he obviously had more ambition than sense.
“Look, I’m just saying that Molly was legally married to Zach Wyndham so if she’s telling you he raped her, she’s lying! They were married—a man can’t rape his own wife!”
“And why is that?” Torus growled, his eyes glinting red again. “Because you think a male has the right to do anything he wants to his Mate? Because you think he owns her body once they sign the marriage contract?”
“I’m just trying to tell you she’s lying to you, man!” the “reporter” exclaimed. “You beat up Zach Wyndham for no reason!”
Torus said nothing but a low growl began to rumble in his chest and he leaned closer to the reporter, his eyes going blood red. Molly saw the signs of impending Rage and tugged at his arm.
“Torus, come on—please. He’s not worth it!” she begged. “We need to go—now.”
At first it was like pulling on a massive tree—you can yank all you want but it’s not going to move. But finally she felt the steel of Torus’s arm turn back to flesh and he finally let her pull him away from the impending confrontation.
The “reporter” kept shouting questions at her but Molly ignored him as Torus boosted her into the passenger side and then came around to get into the pilot’s seat himself. As he strapped himself in, he looked more angry than she had ever seen him.
“That—” he said and followed with a low, guttural curse in another language that her Translation Bacteria couldn’t translate. Maybe it was the Jorgen Kindred mother tongue, she thought. But even though she knew his anger wasn’t directed at her, Molly couldn’t help feeling anxiety.
“I’m really, really sorry about that,” she said quickly as he started the ship. “About what that guy did, I mean.”
Torus frowned.
“Why are you apologizing? That human male being rude and intrusive wasn’t your fault.”
“I know, I just…” Molly shrugged helplessly. “I guess I feel like it is my fault. If my ex hadn’t sent you that video and you hadn’t gotten so mad on my behalf?—”
Torus gave her a serious look.
“Listen, sweetheart—your ex-Mate sending me that video was the only good thing he ever did, as far as I’m concerned. Not because of the pain it caused you, but because it brought us together.” He cupped her cheek in one big, warm hand and looked at her searchingly. “I’m so sorry for the pain he put you through, though. If you ever want to talk to me about it…”
He left the sentence hanging and Molly felt like her stomach had suddenly filled with ice cubes.
“No, that’s okay,” she said, trying to keep her voice light. “There’s nothing to talk about other than the fact that he was an asshole.”
“Well…all right.” Torus nodded and went back to the process of getting the ship ready for lift-off. “Just know that I’m here if you want to talk,” he rumbled.
Molly nodded but inside her stomach was churning. The idea of telling Torus everything that Zach had done to her—of letting herself really remember it, was more than she could stand right now—maybe more than she would ever be able to stand.
I’m not going to think about it now, she told herself. I don’t have to—it’s in the past. I don’t care about Zach anymore—he’s gone, I don’t have to deal with him.
