I tamp down my defensiveness, feeling like a brat, and nod. Because I do know. Royal is special, and he’s already broken in a thousand little ways. They don’t think I’m going to fucking kidnap him. They think I’m going to hurt him.
And they’re not wrong.
“What the fuck is going on?” Royal’s familiar voice demands from somewhere behind his wall of brothers.
His tone is sharp and pissed off, but it fills me with relief and… Other things I don’t want to think about right now.
“If that asshole fucked with our house again, I’m going to gut him like a fish and hang him by his intestines,” he says, wrenching Duke backwards. “I don’t care if he is a Del—”
His voice cuts off when he sees me, and his expression darkens. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
“I wanted to talk to you.”
“I told you, I have family shit on Sundays.”
“I forgot,” I say with a shrug, but my throat feels all thick. Seeing his family, their protectiveness and love for him, has me all turned around. I need to regroup. I’m way too fucked in the head to deal with Royal’s anger right now. But I charged in like a battering ram, the way I always do, and now it’s too late to back out.
Royal shoves past his brother and grabs my arm, wrenching me away from his father. “Don’t fucking talk to my girl when I’m not around,” he says, yanking me down the steps and away from the house.
“Let me go,” I say, jerking to free myself.
“You know exactly the chances of that happening,” he growls, marching me along the driveway like a kid getting shoved into the closet for not listening to Mommy. Evening falls fast in the winter, and it’s almost dark, though each house is lit up in every window like a fucking Jack-O-Lantern. People out here don’t need to worry about their electric bills, after all.
My own temper is boiling, but I focus on why I came here instead of the way he’s manhandling me. “I want to join the Swans,” I say. “There’s no rule against girls joining.”
“Bullshit,” he says. “And no fucking way.”
“I know someone who has the rulebook,” I say, twisting at my arm and digging my heels into the road. “I know that’s not a rule.”
“Who?” he demands, jerking me to a stop. His eyes narrow, rage burning in the slits between his lashes. “Colt?”
“It doesn’t matter,” I say. “I want to join.”
“No.”
“Why?” I challenge. “You think one little girl can destroy your whole male chauvinist club? It must not be very strong.”
He lets out a snort of breath. “You’re not strong enough.”
“Fuck you,” I snap. I may be a lot of things, but weak is not one of them.
“Fine,” he says, a smirk twisting the corner of his lips. “Take me down, then. Right now. Pin me for the count of ten.”
I stare up at his impossibly huge, muscular frame. I could probably take down one of his brothers, maybe even both of them. But Royal’s not just bigger. He’s a fighter, like me. He has moves.
But I’ve got moves, too.
“Okay,” I say, stepping back and raising my fists. “If this is my first challenge, I’m ready.”
“I’m not going to fight you in the middle of the road.”
“Why not?” I taunt. “Afraid I’ll kick your ass?”
“Stop acting crazy,” he snaps, turning and stalking off toward the gate.
I hurry after Royal, too pissed to care about making a scene. “You’re the one who told me to take you down right here,” I say. “Is this part of the challenge? Getting you to actually fight me?”
“I don’t hit girls,” he says. “And tempting as it is, I’m not going to start now.”