Bane of My Existence

Chapter 3

Holy. Shit.

Kinsey's legs wouldn't stop shaking, even when her whole body screamed for her to get away from the Howling Moon as fast as possible.

"Kins. . . I'm sorry." Sabrina was right behind her, glancing over her shoulder every two seconds to make sure they weren't being followed. Kinsey didn't blame her. That man had said they could go, but his tone had suggested he wasn't done with her.

Her stomach betrayed her and did a little flip flop, remembering the deep husky tone of his voice when he got close to her, the warmth of his fingers when he touched her, even for just a moment. Her hand was still warm where he had touched her.

She pulled her phone out, staring at the contact page he had made. Damon. She couldn't think of a more attractive name for such a sexy yet imposing man. 

Shifter. She needed to remind herself that, despite his human appearance, he was most definitely not. He was just as dangerous as the shifter who threatened to rip her spine out. 

They approached Sabrina's little Toyota Corolla; the headlights flashed twice when she unlocked it.

"I hope you got enough for your next book," Kinsey muttered, cursing her wobbly voice. She slipped into the passenger seat and took a moment to breathe, now that they were in the safety of the car. No one had followed them, didn't even blink in their direction. They were safe.

For now.

Sabrina looked over to her, forlorn. "I think I like the idea of being with a shifter than actually being around them." She shuddered before starting the car. "And to think I thought Mister Hottie was coming in with the Superman landing to sweep you off your feet and protect you from that asshole."

"Damon."

"Huh?"

"Mister Hottie's name is Damon." Kinsey felt like she was stuck in a dream. She knew it was her body's way of processing tonight's events without absolutely losing her mind, and, for some odd reason, focusing on Damon's contact page helped.

Sabrina shook her head scornfully, as if he was in front of them, crowding them again. "Those guys are crazy.  I hate to be the one to say it, but we should tell Carissa what happened."

Kinsey squeezed her eyes shut, clenching her fists into tight balls in her lap. Things were already complicated with her family. Carissa's invitation to join the Corporation had been unexpected, especially after the huge fight she had with her parents, but it was a blessing. She needed the job. No one else had accepted her resume thus far and her savings account was rapidly depleting between car payments and helping Sabrina with bills.

She didn't want to jeopardize the offer, or even make Carissa regret the offer, by telling her she had gotten into trouble with some shifters. 

"Victor hired a security detail for her when they started dating," Kinsey reasoned. "She's safe." That was all that mattered, really.

Sabrina stopped at a redlight then swung her head in her direction, giving Kinsey all kinds of sass she didn't need right now. "Aaaaaand what about you?"

She scowled. "What about me? You heard them. They were far more interested in Carissa than me." Everyone always was.

"What are you going to do when Damon calls, hmm? He didn't have to add the 'or else.'"

Kinsey bit back a laugh. "As if he would actually call me. I bet he forgot about me the moment we left the bar."

Sabrina pinned a glower on her.

She relented with a sigh. "Okay, so even if he somehow doesn't forget me and calls, what can he do to me if I don't pick up? How's he going to find me? He knows absolutely nothing about me."