The cowering only ignited Claire’s instincts to chase, and
that too made her furious. She wanted to lose those fucking
thoughts. Lose the horrible and undeniable attraction she had
to this woman who was the enemy’s daughter, and so the
enemy by extension. She needed to squash the sick instinct in
herself, the even sicker desire. It had to stop.
It would stop.
“You thoughtless, irresponsible brat,” Claire snapped. “You
have zero thought or care for anyone else’s feelings.”
Haley’s face crumpled, but Claire refused to be swayed by
her astonishing beauty. She wasn’t going to show mercy and
she wasn’t going to feel pity. She was a storm of wrath, and
she knew it wasn’t entirely Haley’s fault. For ditching Snake
because she’d hatched a plan to meet up with her friends. For
trying to escape without escaping at all. For trying to fly away
from the cage Claire wanted to keep her in, because the urge to
keep her safe and do terrible things to her warred in her with
every passing second.
Haley was clearly running through her options, her eyes
wide, the whites showing because she was scared. She
couldn’t flee. There was no escape. Her only other option was
to fight, and Claire could see the second the notion registered.
Haley braced herself, refusing to back down any further. She
stared Claire down, and fuck it was hot as hell seeing that
pouty, sultry defiance on her face.
Claire stopped. She could barely catch her breath. What was
I saying? Right. Snake. “You gave Snake a heart attack. He’d
never show it, but he was worried.”
Haley had the nerve to snort. “Only because he’s afraid
you’d take a strip out of his hide.”