Page 21 of Tangled Hearts

“And who is this lovely lady right here?” He practically purred.

She looked at him with a bored expression. “Jennifer.”

She didn’t miss a beat, acting a lot more natural than I was.

“Jennifer,” he said, licking his lips.

“Alright, here is your food.” Our waiter had impeccable timing, moving Jordan out of the way.

“You guys need anything?”

I shook my head at the waiter, hyper-aware that Jordan was still looking at Oria like a fucking meal. I was ready to punch him when he glanced over at me.

“So, Jennifer, care to join me after you finish your dinner?” Jordan leaned on the table with one hand and put another on the back of her chair.

“Not a chance,” she said, tasting her soup, humming her approval.

“Come on?—”

“Nope, you won't change my mind, so take the no and leave,” she said, eating a spoonful of her soup.

“Jennifer,” he purred.

“No.” She looked up at him with fury in her eyes. “You want it in Spanish? No. You want it in French? No. I’m pretty sure it is the same in all languages, so it must not be a language barrier and you’re just stupid.”

I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped. Jordan glared at me like I was the asshole.

“She said no, so fuck off, Jordan,” I said, taking a bite of a fry.

I could feel his anger and I knew this wouldn’t be the end.

“Fuck you, Ryder,” he spewed. “You too.”

He looked at Oria who wasn’t even giving him the time of day.

“Have a good night,” I said, as he stomped away.

Oria immediately relaxed. She shivered, releasing a breath. That's when I smelled her fear. Thank the goddess she didn’t let it get to her or else he would have been entranced with her fear.

“Let’s eat quickly before we run into another not-so-great person,” I said, digging in. She didn’t say anything but continued eating.

I paid the bill, guiding us to the front door when I saw Jordan waiting for us. Dammit, this fucker was persistent. I grabbed Oria’s hand, steering her to the kitchen, apologizing to our waiter and tossing him another tip. We exited the restaurant, easing some of my fears, but I knew we had to get what we came for or we’d probably run into another shady guy.

I took Oria by the hand to lead her to the shop we needed to go to. This woman was a friend of Addie’s, whom she trusts. It took me a moment to find her shop and the entire time I felt like we were being watched.

We entered the magic shop, and I immediately felt something was wrong. The magic was strong, and I hated feeling like a fish in a shark tank. I pulled Oria closer to me. She didn’t put up a fight, holding on a little tighter, like she felt the danger too.

“Ryder.”

The familiar voice put me at ease.

“Addie,” I said, walking to her.

“Ah, is this your mate?” Addie looked at Oria with interest as she tensed next to me. “You’re beautiful and quite a match.”

Addie’s comment was like a throat punch.

“Don’t let him fool you, darling.” She smiled. “He can’t hold out for long and the wait will be worth it.”

---