“Nice to meet… ouch. Wow, you have quite the grip too.” Darren stutters. His free hand moves to my hip. Ian’s eyes glance down to where Darren’s hand is resting, and a low growl escapes his lips.
“Yeah… sorry about that. We workout daily.” Ian looks at Darren’s face, offering him a fake smile. The tension between Darren and Ian is so thick you can cut it with a knife. The only thing separating the two men is me… literally, my body is the divider between the two.Great!
“Hey! This is a party! Shots on me!” Kelsey shouts.
I walk into the diner and immediately see my brother, Sonia, and Ian sitting in a booth. Of course, the only place to sit is right next to Ian.Great!Annoyed, I slide into the booth next to Ian.
“Look who’s finally here. The birthday girl herself. Don’t tell me you got drunk last night?” Kelsey says, waving the waitress over.
“I can’t get a hold of Darren this morning.” The waitress pours me a cup of coffee then walks away, “is he alive?” I bring the cup up to my lips.
“He was, when my men dropped him off at his place.” Ian laughs and puts his hand on my thigh.
“Poor guy can’t handle his liquor, can he? Whatever do you see in him, Kate?” Kelsey laughs.
“He doesn’t have the same metabolism as us.” I pick up Ian’s hand and drop it in his lap without looking at him. “What you did, jackass, wasn’t fair.” I snap at Kelsey. Werewolves have such high metabolisms that it is almost impossible for us to get drunk. I mean, we can, but the amount of alcohol it takes would kill a human. Last night Kelsey bought Darren shot after shot, and like an idiot, Darren didn’t say no. The only thing that stopped him from drinking was the floor when he passed out. That’s when Ian had a couple warriors load him up in their SUV and take him home.
“Do you love him?” Ian asks, rubbing the back of his hand along my arm.
“What difference is it to you? You lost the right to be concerned with my personal life years ago.” I snap and pull away from him. I’m annoyed at him, but unlike before, I’m not afraid to show him my anger.
“I am your personal life, in case you forgot.” He leans in and whispers in my ear. The waitress puts four plates of greasy eggs, bacon, pancakes, and hash browns in front of us.
“I hope you don’t mind, little sister. I took the liberty of ordering your food, too.” Kelsey speaks up.
“Thank you, Kelsey.” I turn to look at the waitress, “thank you, it looks delicious.” I say in an attempt to distract myself from Ian.
“You’re welcome, sweetie, but you can be honest with me. It looks greasy as hell, and will sit in your gut like a brick for hours. Probably clogging your arteries just looking at it.” She lets out a husky laugh. “Let me know if you need anything else, sweetie.” She refreshes our coffee, then walks away.
“No, you’re not my personal life. I rejected your cheating and lying ass in case you forgot.” I snap. “Thanks for breakfast, brother, but suddenly I’m not hungry.” I stand to leave.
“Wait, wait… I’m supposed to take you dress shopping. If I don’t, your mom is going to kill me,” Sonia squeezes over Kelsey’s lap.
Chapter three
We Need To Talk
**March 2004**
Kate
It’sbeenaweeksince my birthday. Kelsey, Sonia, and Ian returned home a few days ago with the dress that my parents bought me for the wedding. I enjoyed spending the afternoon with her. She is sweet and funny. She never asked what happened between Ian and me, and I’m so thankful for that. We meet up with Melissa for a late lunch and drinks. Sonia and Melissa get along great. What’s not to love about Melissa, though? She has an enormous heart with a personality that is larger than life. I wish I could tell Melissa about who I really am and where I come from, but by law, I can’t. We can’t tell humans about our existence, and for good reasons. We are a hunted species by some humans, and if others found out about us, we’d be handed over to the scientific community. There’s no telling what experiments they’d do to us in the name of science.
This week has been crazy at school. It’s finals and then the end of the spring semester. Being an art major, you’d think my course of study would be easy, but no. Dad says it’s a bullshit degree that won’t get me a job in the real world. Maybe he’s right, but I don’t care. I love art and the bullshit degree that I’m getting. Tomorrow, Darren is taking me out on his sailboat, but tonight belongs to me.
By the time I make it home with my Chinese takeout in my hands, it’s well after dark. After the incident with the takeout the last time, I thought my food would be safer if I picked it up. I’m exhausted from school and the emotional rollercoaster I’ve been on since Ian showed up here. All I want to do is soak in a hot bath, slip on my jammies, then get into a good book. My apartment is dark, and I don’t turn on any lights. I see just fine in the dark. I put my bag and food down on my kitchen table, then walk into the bathroom and draw a tub of water.
After pouring myself a glass of wine and grabbing my book, I head back to the bathroom. Undress, then add a bath bomb to the water before slipping into the tub. The bath bomb bounces, bobs, and swirls in the water, releasing oils and fragrance. I sip my wine and read my book, but I can’t concentrate long enough to get drawn into it. I keep thinking about my trip home in a few weeks, and how Ian showed up here. What is waiting for me when I go home? Did I feel the tingles of the mate bond? They were so light, but I swear they were there. Surely not. That bond was severed years ago. I soak in the tub until the water is too cold and my wine glass is empty. I let the water out, watching as the last bit of water swirls down the drain, then I stand and rinse off.
After I dress, I head to the kitchen to fill my wine glass and grab my takeout, but something is off. I’m sensing a presence that wasn’t here before.Shit!Someone is in my apartment. I stand still, letting my wolf control my senses. I listen, then sniff the air. There’s something so familiar in the air. Something that calls to me… luring me closer.
“How did you get in here, Ian?” I turn and see Ian’s figure sitting in a chair in the living room.
“I was wondering how long it was going to take you to sense me.” He speaks but doesn’t move.
“How did you…” Ian interrupts.
“You should lock your balcony door. The security in this building is shit. I figured you’d be in a better place with daddy’s money.” His voice is low and husky while his alluring scent is filling my lungs as I breathe.