Impulse: Southern Arcana, Book 5 by Moira Rogers Read Free Book Online

down and show him what happens around here to big men who like to pick on girls.”
    Sera’s self-confidence withered. There was her entire life, put into sad perspective with one offhand comment from Anna. She was a silly girl whose greatest triumph was not wandering off with the ex-husband who’d smacked the hell out of her.
    Julio rose. “Let him go—for now. With any luck, he’ll run on home and forget all about it.”
    “And if he doesn’t?”
    Julio heaved a breath and glanced at Sera. “Then we’ll figure something out, Anna. Can the bar spare you for a few days?”
    “I can arrange it,” she confirmed.
    “All right, make it happen.”
    Anna reached for the doorknob behind her but didn’t leave. “Sera? You okay?”
    Smiling was her job. Gratitude and acceptance, because alphas like Anna needed it. “I’ll be fine. Thanks, Anna.”
    She nodded and left, and Julio smacked his forehead against the door. “What a mess.”
    Sera hated herself for withering. For apologizing, when she knew it wasn’t her fault. “I’m sorry.”
    “For what? You didn’t go out of your way to make trouble.”
    Like it mattered. “I was born trouble. I’ll always be trouble.”
    He turned and hesitated before settling his hand on her shoulder. “You shouldn’t go back to your place alone, just in case. With the calls and now this…”
    “I know.” She closed her eyes and inhaled, dragging the scent of him into her lungs, as if he could erase all trace of Josh. “He’s not a bastard, you know. I mean, not some random asshole. He’s like most of the coyotes. The survival of the species kicks in, and they get rabid. Dangerous.”
    His fingers stroked over her collarbone through her shirt, raising goose bumps on her arms. “That’s why this is nothing to mess around with. It’s not ego, Sera, it’s instinct.”
    “I know. But it makes it harder on him. He can’t get what he wants if he hurts me too much.”
    Julio leaned over again, far enough to put himself on eye level with her. “All that means is that he’ll try to find other ways to get what he wants.”
    She couldn’t hold his gaze. Literally couldn’t, not with instinct unsettled and her emotions scattered. She focused on his chin instead. “I’m not stupid. I’ll go somewhere safe. I just wanted…” To be strong. To believe, for one stupid second, that she wouldn’t spend the rest of her life afraid of Josh, or of another coyote like him.
    Julio nodded. “We’ll pick up some of your things and you can come home with me.”
    That startled her into meeting his eyes. He stared back steadily.
    Home. With Julio. The Southeast council’s headquarters encompassed a warehouse with plenty of spare rooms along with the apartments claimed by Julio and Andrew. It wasn’t nearly as intimate as it sounded.
    Sera still shivered. “I’m a mess tonight. Do you really want to bring home a jumpy coyote who’s as likely to hide under the bed as sleep on it?”
    “Sweetheart, you can sleep curled up in the bathtub, if that’s what makes you feel safe.”
    If it hadn’t been a distinct possibility, she might have laughed.
    Julio arched an eyebrow. “You’re going to sleep in the tub, aren’t you?”
    “Maybe.” It came out a little sullen, and she had to laugh at herself after all. “No, probably not. I’m not traumatized. I’m just…really confused.”
    He straightened, his hand still on her shoulder. “Come on. Let’s get you out of here.”
    When she stood, her knees didn’t shake. She was steady. Grounded by the quiet, unobtrusive magic of an alpha’s touch. He could silence her fears as easily as she could soothe his rage, and sometimes it took nothing more than the slightest physical contact.
    If she focused on that, on the fear and the comfort, maybe her traitorous body wouldn’t have its usual response to Julio’s proximity—mindless, heart-pounding lust. Sleeping curled up in the bathtub was a lot safer—for everyone—than