“You mean you would have had something to say about it,” Harrison growled. “I used to think this place was paradise, a place of safety. But the way you’ve treated Lainie is far worse than any human ever treated any shifter I’ve known.”
Lainie held on tight to Harrison’s hand as he stood beside her, feeling as though he was the only thing anchoring her.
“I stayed with my grandparents most weekends when I was young. I might not know much, but I do remember that,” she said firmly. “They welcomed me in their home.”
“Only while there was some hope you would turn out to be one of us,” Mrs. Sweets hissed. “Don’t you see, dear, you’re exactly the reason why we have this rule in the first place? If shifters mate with humans, you are the risk they’re taking. A human child.”
“That’s it? That’s all? Just that I was born human?” Lainie choked back something that was half-laugh, half-sob. She was holding onto Harrison’s hand so hard, pins and needles were starting to dance up her arm.
“Does there need to be anything else, dear?” Mrs. Sweets’ eyes swept up and down Lainie’s body. “I’m sure we can come up with something, if you insist.”
“Don’t you dare talk to Lainie like that,” Harrison growled.
“And you. Harrison Galway.” Mrs. Sweets sniffed. “We had such high hopes for you. What a pity your griffin was fated to ally you with… her.”
Lainie’s chest hurt. He didn’t choose, did he? The mate bond just happened.
But Harrison shook his head. “I choose to be with Lainie. Even without the mate bond, she’s the most wonderful woman I’ve ever met. And I think it’s disgusting, what you’ve done here. How many other families have you done this to? How many people have left Hideaway because you wouldn’t let them stay here with their mates?”
“Enough to keep Hideaway safe,” Mrs. Sweets snapped.
To everyone’s surprise, including her own, Lainie burst out laughing.
“Safe?” she exclaimed, tears running down her cheeks. “Is that what you think?”
She was aware of a dozen pairs of eyes staring at her. Even Harrison was watching her, his hazel eyes confused. She didn’t blame him. Her brain had spent the entire conversation leaping in a panic from idea to idea—and had finally landed on one that made sense. Horrible, cruel sense.
Mrs. Sweets looked smug. “Even you must see what a success our policy has been.”
You think you’ve won, Lainie thought, looking at Mrs. Sweets’ calm face. You can’t even see that in your mad rush to keep me out of Hideaway Cove, you’ve put the whole town at risk.
Lainie spread her arms wide. “Exactly what success do you think you’ve achieved here? Thanks to you, I haven’t set foot in Hideaway in fifteen years. I don’t have any connections to the place. No loyalties to the people who live here, especially now my Gran has died. Even my father never moved back here. And you never thought about what that would mean? That one day, I’d come back, and not have any reason to protect your secret?”
Mrs. Sweets’ mouth fell open slightly. Behind her, murmurs sprang up from the other onlookers. Lainie barreled on, anger pouring through her.
“Even if I hadn’t co-signed for my grandmother’s medical debts, her executor would have had to sell her entire estate to pay her creditors. You don’t have any real estate agents here, so someone would have been brought in from out of town. You wouldn’t have any way of controlling whether the land went to shifters, or humans.”
Mrs. Sweets sniffed. “We have certain unique ways of convincing people to change their minds—”
Lainie didn’t let her finish. “Really? How? Bite-marks in their tires? Strange noises in the night? Or are you talking about good old-fashioned harassment? You don’t think that would be investigated? That someone would lay a complaint? And what then?”
Someone murmured in the crowd. Lainie shot her head around and saw the pot-bellied man—Guts?—looking uncomfortable. “She’s right,” he muttered. “No law enforcement here. If anything happened, the county’d send in from the city.”
Mrs. Sweets flashed him an irritated glare. “Thank you for your input, Mr. White.” She turned back to Lainie. “I note that nothing you’ve just been describing has actually come to pass.”
“No.” Lainie grinned fiercely. “Instead, you’ve got me. And what do you think I’m going to do? Roll over and let you walk all over me? You—you idiots! Don’t you see how easy it would be for me to destroy everything you’ve made here? Harrison is the only reason I have to be loyal to Hideaway, and you’ve just told him to leave!”
The words tore out of her throat, and left nothing behind. Not victory. Not even vicious glee. Just a hollow feeling that ached under her breastbone.
“Oh, God—I’ve got to get out of here,” she muttered. “Harrison—”
“Back up the tunnel,” he said at once. “Pol and Arlo have been clearing the site—Pol, look after this, will you?” He gestured with his free hand at the piles of glittering jewels that had been lying forgotten on the beach. His other hand was still firmly grasping Lainie’s. Her anchor.
But it hadn’t been enough to stop her from putting her foot in her mouth. God, she needed air. Space. Needed time to think, without Mrs. Sweets’ eyes boring into her brain.
“Let’s go,” she said, and stalked towards the cave entrance, dragging Harrison after her.
Please understand, she begged him as she raced through the tunnel, her chest so tight it felt as if it would burst. I want everything to work out—but how can it, if everyone here hates me?