And that just happened to be the guy who attacked me.
Matéo revved the engine. “Now I’m gunning it.”
The truck lurched forward, tires squealing on the pavement as he mowed over the injured vamp. The cab rocked viciously as we went airborne for a second and then we hit the pavement, burning rubber right into the intersection next to the diner. I stared out the back window at the mess we had left behind, cringing at the gigantic hole in the diner window.
“Shoot,” I grunted. “They’re never going to let me back now.”
As I turned around, I noticed Matéo staring blankly at me. With my arms crossed over my chest, I focused on the road ahead of us, noticing the lights of the city twinkling like stars over the windshield. If it weren’t for what just happened, I would have chalked up the butterfly feeling in my gut to the fact that my first unexpected date with this guy just went super well.
“You almost lost your head,” he pointed out when he finally broke his silence. “And what you’re worried about is being served at that diner again?”
I huffed while adjusting my bag, settling it into my lap. I hugged it to my chest. “Charlotte refuses to serve me pie like that. She says it’s beneath me.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me right now.”
“No kidding. My wolf sister is a selfish chef who doesn’t have an adventurous bone in her body when it comes to flavor.”
My magnificent stranger laughed. The sudden explosion of his amusement through the cab jostled me and I clenched my bag harder, trying to shake myself out of the funk I had gotten in when those vampires walked into the dinner.
But it kept going. It merged into the sound of a hyena and then a sick horse, and then he slowed the truck on the side of the road so he could finish laughing.
“A fucking piece ofpie,” he barked. “That’s what you’re mad about!”
“Yeah, wouldn’t you be mad if you couldn’t get something you wanted?”
He shook his head and waved at me, chuckles making his chest heave. When he got himself under control, he fixed his strange eyes on me, their color resembling the marbles I used to keep in a bag under my bed as a kid. “You’re the weirdest girl I’ve ever met.”
“I find that funny coming from a guy who lives on a mountain.”
“That’s correct,” he conceded. “Which should make it that much more of a compliment, don’t you think?”
I stared into his magnificent eyes while a smile crept over my lips. “Alright, compliment accepted. But only because I want this vehicle moving.” I looked in the side mirror, watching the road behind us. “We should move—now.”
“Say no more, Miss Rose,” Matéo said while popping the truck into drive. “Your wish is my command.”
Chapter 3 - Matéo
I wasn’t sure what this woman was doing to me.
Nobody defended me. No one stepped into the path of danger just to make sure I wasn’t fighting my battles alone. And it had been years since anyone even attempted such a thing.
Not since my family fell at the hands of those blood-sucking bullies.
Not since I lost everything, I thought as I gritted my teeth.Since those fangs stole my entire world.
I corrected the wheel when the truck veered right. Instinct told me to grab Rose and make sure she didn’t hit the window. How easy it was for me to obey such a thing, my wolf sounding off ayipof approval when I managed to save her. Some habits never died.
But my brain was screaming a warning about getting close to her.
I’m not getting close, I argued mentally.I’m just making sure she’s not getting beat up more than she had been back at the diner.
Guilt rattled me—along with the cab of the truck.It’s my fault she’s gotten into this mess. I should be the one to get her to safety.
Rose clung to my hand like she was going to fly from the vehicle. And I allowed her to do that. I wanted her to get an ounce of comfort from me for all the harm that had just come to pass, due to my presence in Rochdale. What else could I have possibly offered her? Not safety.
I could hardly keepmyselfsafe.
I should have known better than to leave my cabin.