Page 37 of Pregnant Kidnapped Mate

“For an untrained woman who only recently found out about her abilities? Absolutely. It’s actually really impressive.”

“Joy.” Iris yawned again, then pushed herself off the couch. “I’m going to fix myself something to eat,” she said, then glared at me. “Again, if you say anything about pregnancy—”

“I haven’t said anything!” I protested.

“You were thinking it.”

I blinked. “You can read minds now?”

“I don’t need to.” She gave me a wry, amused smirk. “It’s all over your face.”

“Alek,” Malcolm said, and I turned to him. “See me out?”

The look in his eye was the one he’d used when he was my boss. The “listen up or I’ll knock you senseless” look. You ignored it at your own peril.

“Absolutely,” I said.

I closed the door behind me as Malcolm and I strolled down the path. When we were far enough away from the house, he glanced back at it, then at me.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“I wanted to let you know.” He kept his voice down, his eyes still flicking up to the house every so often as if making sure Iris wasn’t coming out. “Your friend Dan—”

“He’s not my friend,” I growled. Just the name was enough to make my wolf snarl and flex his claws. “Anyone who tries to attack Iris is no friend of mine.”

“Right. That’s not the point.” The seriousness in Malcolm’s eyes as he stared down at me would have made a lesser man run for the hills. “The point is he’s stirring up trouble again. Spreading rumors about her.”

I snarled, hands clenching into fists. That asshole was still trying to make Iris’s life miserable when she’d done nothing to him. I wanted to punch him senseless.

“Thanks for telling me,” I said.

“I’m not telling you; I’m warning you. If you ask me, that piece of shit has no indication of stopping anytime soon. And if the rumors aren’t enough to run Iris out of town…”

The implication hit home. I tensed, head whipping back to look up at the house. “You think he’ll try something more extreme?”

He tilted his head from side to side. “Maybe? I’m not sure. I do think it’s something you need to keep an eye on. That shifter doesn’t seem all there.”

I let out a low growl. “Thanks for warning me,” I said. “I’ll keep a lookout.”

“See that you do,” Malcolm said. “I like Iris. She’s a good girl, and a good fit for you. She’s grounded you a lot. There are a lot of things in the shifter world that can hurt a human.”

“Trust me,” I said. “I know how lucky I am.”

Malcolm nodded. “I just wanted to give you the heads-up. I’ll see you around.”

“Thanks, Malcolm.”

I watched Malcolm walk down the path and around the corner, frowning as I processed the warning. I thought Dan had gotten the hint when I’d told him to back off and slammed him into the wall. Apparently, I’d been wrong. I also needed to warn Iris, but I didn’t want to alarm her unnecessarily, either.

I trudged back up to the house, mind swimming as I tried to figure out what to tell Iris and how to do it in a way that wouldn’t rattle her.

“Careful,” Iris called out as I walked through the door.

“Careful of wha—?” My question got cut off as my foot caught on the landing. I stumbled forward, only barely regaining my balance in time.

“That,” she said, then grimaced. “Sorry. Maybe if I hadn’t said anything, it wouldn’t have happened? I still haven’t figured this out.”

“Seems like you’re doing a pretty good job to me,” I responded.

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