“Heard you got yourself a little human female, Scot.”
The wolf in me stirred even more at the very mention of her on the fucker’s lips. I didn’t realize I was growling until Odhran stepped closer to me, his body poised to fight.
“Damn. Is this what finding a mate does to a male?” He cocked a dark eyebrow. “Don’t know if I want to stay the fuck away from all that, or want to table in some masochism and try it out.”
There was something off about his voice, this tightness to his words. I tipped my head to the side as I stared at him and tried to sift through the scents, trying to understand the leader of the American Vampire Clan.
“Fucking stop trying to figure me out, wolf,” Adryan growled and slowly rose, all pleasantries gone as his face took on a hard note. “You’re in my fucking territory now. We play by my rules. I don’t need some damn shifter going all shrink on me with his fucking inner animal, got me?”
I didn’t verbally respond, just bared my teeth in a sardonic smile.
He chuckled low. “I’ll give you Lycans one thing… balls of steel. Especially around me.”
This wasn’t Adryan talking himself up or acting bigger than he was. You didn’t become the leader of any Otherworld faction without having some massive strength and brains to go with that brawn. And the bastard had that in spades. You crossed him, he took care of it by ripping your heart out and draining it right down his throat while he stared you in the eyes.
This was about territories and mutual respect. The same would have been expected of Adryan when he stepped onto Scottish soil. Banner would have needed to give him permission to fuck around on Clan land, even if Adryan was the Scottish Lycan king’s brother-in-law.
“Glad you were smart enough to come see me before you started your little adventure.” Back with the fucking finger drumming. “Would have hated for shit to go south because of your disrespect, especially seeing as you’re here to find your mate.”
I curled my hands into tight fists before relaxing them, my nails turning into claws as my wolf rose up to put him in his place for even talking about what was mine.
He glanced down to see my fisted hands and chuckled low. “I can see even bringing her up rubs you the wrong way, and we don’t want you shifting full wolfie, so how about I concede right now and show you around my new place.”
I didn’t miss how it wasn’t a question. He stood and walked around the desk, and that’s when I noticed the massive golden fucking dog following close to his heel. The animal must have been hidden behind the desk.
Adryan stopped when he rounded the desk and tucked his hands into his pockets as he leaned back on the polished wood. “He’s a big bastard, isn’t he?” He reached out and ran a hand over the dog’s boxy head, the thick mane of fluffy yellow and tan hair around its face making him look like a lion. “Mastiffs are loyal to a fault, guardians. They are gentle giants,” he said in a low voice just as the dog bared its teeth and growled menacingly.
“Yeah, it seems like he’s real fooking loving.”
“That is one fooking ugly dog,” Odhran said in a low tone, but the scowl Adryan tossed his way told me he heard nonetheless.
“Hey, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, motherfucker. Watch what you say about Bear.” Adryan kept stroking the dog’s massive head, and the canine bastard had his gaze locked on me, as if he scented a predator in the room and wanted to clamp his big fucking jaw right on my throat.
We were all silent for long moments before Adryan pushed off the desk and came toward me, hands back in the pockets of his slacks, the smile lazy on his face. He stopped when we were nearly toe-to-toe, eyeing me up like he could see every fucking secret I held. And I met the prick’s gaze head-on, letting him see his intimidation tactics wouldn’t work on a male like me. I’d been alive a long fucking time, had seen a hell of a lot, battled and killed mercilessly, and there were a lot of fucking scarier things in this world than this vampire bastard.
“I admire your gumption, Cian.” His smile fell as he grew serious. “But watch it, fucker. You're in my territory now and not safely tucked all up in the Highlands with Banner at your back, or my baby sister’s influence to try to tame the beast in me.” He bared his teeth and let his fangs grow wicked long. “You cross me here, in my home, and heads will roll. Fucking got it?”