“It seems so,” he agreed in a sullen tone.
Kate settled in her chair and turned to watch the cars racing around below. They were meaningless blurs flashing by her eyes that she couldn’t focus on. The only reality was that she and Devlin would soon part ways … forever.
And that’s exactly how it has to be.
FIFTEEN
DEVLIN
They hadn't spoken the entire flight back. He was too infuriated to say anything. They had been seeing each other for weeks, and she still felt like they didn't have a connection. How was that possible? How did she not see that he loved her?
He stared outside the jet, unable to even look at her. He knew it was wrong and that maybe he'd been rough, but he couldn't help it. He felt such a strong connection to Kate.
He kept thinking of her words and how she said this was the first time she felt he was being open about his emotions. He didn't understand. He'd been open since the start of this.
How could she feel nothing when he'd been doing everything in his power to prove that he was hers? He took her places and showered her with affection and gifts. He'd told her the truth from the beginning they were meant to be, but that wasn't enough.
What more did she want from him? Did he need to plead and beg? He wouldn't. That wasn't how he did things.
The jet landed, and she looked at him. He could feel her eyes on him, but he didn't look at her. He didn't want to see whatever emotion was on her face. He pulled himself up and started for the door. He could hear her getting to her feet.
"Devlin, can we please talk?"
He didn't respond. He pulled the door open, stepping out of the jet onto the platform. He could see that his car was waiting, but he wasn't going home. He needed to let off some steam before he started doing things that were reckless.
"Devlin," Kate called his name again, but he kept walking, heading down the platform where his car and driver were waiting.
His driver looked at him, pulling the door open. He held a blank expression, but the look in his eyes told him he could tell something was wrong. Devlin never walked away without Kate.
His driver had been there for each date and saw how they were. They were joined at the hip most of the day, and for him to be walking away with her calling him wasn't a good sign.
"I won't be leaving, but you will need to drive Kate home. I would like you back later to get me."
The driver looked from him toward Kate. He furrowed his eyebrows and sighed. "Did something happen during your date?"
"Just give Kate a ride home," he growled back, too irritated to get into the details. He wanted to clear his head before he started getting angry with everyone.
"Devlin, would you please talk to me." He could hear Kate still calling for him, but once more, he didn't care. He needed space.
He wasn't one to shift in the open, but both the driver and the pilot were shifters, and it wasn't new to them. He headed away from the car toward the beginning of the forest. He was still on the tarmac but still a reasonable distance away from the others.
His driver would take Kate home and be back in an hour. It gave him plenty of time to run and maybe clear his head a bit. He needed to. He needed to either decide whether he was going to continue going after Kate or if he was going to move on.
He stripped off all his clothes and folded them for when he got back. He shifted, allowing himself to shed his human form and go into his panther. He stretched his muscles and sprinted into the forest. He hoped to leave all his problems behind for a while.
He allowed his mind to shut off and just let his legs take him away. He tore through the trees and over the terrain like he'd done many times before. It was the quickest way for him to calm down. He allowed his panther to take control, and his instincts told him to run until he had nothing left to offer.
He didn't know how long he had been running or how far he had gotten, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks when he caught a smell. It was sweet, and it made his insides squirm.
He'd smelled this before and knew who it was attached to as well. His stomach flipped, and he turned back. He ran until he came to a stop, finding she had been following him.
She stood trying to climb over a large rock, but her entire body froze when she saw him looking down at her. She slipped back, planting her feet back on the ground. She was breathing heavily, clearly from trying to race after him. She was dripping in sweat and could hardly catch her breath.
He growled at her, irritated. Not only did she not think they were meant to be together, but she also was ignoring what he had asked her to do. He wanted her to go home. He needed her to go home.
She stared at him, looking shocked. He expected her to be a little afraid. After all, she'd never seen him in his animal form. Most people were stunned when they first saw it, yet she wasn't. She remained calm.
She swallowed, staring at him, and he could see her mind was going. She was thinking, and he wanted to know what about.