Bryn tried to move away from the hateful stares and condemning voices. Her heart pounded as she felt like the whole of the town was coming down around her. The voices of the girls whispering about her loud enough for the whole of the town to hear, the chant of “witch” stuck like a bad tune in her mind, all told her very clearly she was nearing an emotional breakdown.
She needed to get somewhere safe before the town saw her tears and knew their cruel words had done the very damage they’d hoped for.
It was a horrible idea to come to the celebration.
A growl stopped Bryn in her tracks. The girls who had been talking and whispering about Bryn loud enough for her to hear quickly dispersed as Finian watched them with the eyes of a predator.
They scampered off, looking over their shoulders at Finian until they found the safety of their parents.
“Honestly, if you were human, I’d marry you.” She laughed as Finian started walking, looking back as he waited for her. Smiling as much as she could, she followed as she blinked away her tears.
A man walking past her used his elbow to knock her to the side, laughing with his friends when she almost fell into the horse trough. Heat flooded her cheeks, and Finian went on the defensive again.
“Damn dog.” The man kicked at Finian, but the hound bit into the top of the man’s boot, lips pulled back as he held on. The man, unable to hold steady, fell backward, his friends catching him as Finian released his bite and backed up to Bryn.
Turning away, Bryn wiped her eyes.
Weak. She felt so damn weak and wished she could leave the town. As always, the questions rose in her mind: Where would she go, and could she leave Jace and her friends behind?
The answer was always the same. She couldn’t leave them. If she asked, perhaps they would leave, but why should they uproot everything for her?
“Dalton!” Justin came up and stood in front of Bryn as he addressed the man who had shoved her.
No. Please, don’t make it worse, Justin!
“Yeah, Sheriff?” The man turned, his two friends looking between her and Justin.
“Watch your step. You knocked a lady over.”
Damn it, Justin.
Caden stopped in the street from where he was walking back into the bar, turned, and put his tray under his arm as he watched.
“Don’t,” she whispered, only earning a look from over his shoulder before Justin turned fully back to the men.
“Ain’t no lady, Sheriff, and you know it. A damn witch, casting spells and killing people. If she wasn’t spreading her legs for the governor’s son, we’d be rid of her by now.” The man spit on the ground near her feet, and Bryn moved away, hugging her middle and curling in on herself. Something she always did to make herself small enough to appear unassuming.
Finian growled a warning as Justin grabbed Dalton by the collar, bringing them both face-to-face.
“I don’t give a rat’s ass what you believe or the thoughts you have while sharing that one deranged brain cell between the three of you. That’s none of my business, but I won’t have you physically harming her again, do you hear me?”
Worse and worse. She knew Justin only wanted to help, but he was putting a bigger target on her back. Her eyes caught on the graying blond hair of her aunt, and the seething look she shot Bryn told her she was in for it later. As if her existence, and Justin’s choice to step in, was all her fault.
Great. There would be hell to pay later.
“Gentlemen!” Caden walked up, shoving his tray into one of the men’s chests. Their only option was to put their hands out to hold it. “Let’s have a drink and be on our way.” Throwing his arms around the shoulders of the two men not currently in Justin’s proximity, he turned them away to focus on something else while Justin finished up with Dalton.
Such loyal friends, Bryn thought, regarding the men who left Dalton to Justin’s wrath, but she wouldn’t begrudge the small mercy of there being only one bully now instead of three.
