Page 9 of The Wolf I Sworn To Hate

Xyla

Xyla’s heart stopped when she walked into the dining room and saw Edward talking to Sean and Sawyer. She and Elliot had told Edward they were wolf shifters and he needed to stay away from them. Now, here he was, standing at their table having a conversation with them.

She heard Sean’s remark about her as she and Edward walked away from Sean and Sawyer. She shook her head.They’re just murderous shifters. I don’t care what they think about me.

After she pulled Edward away from them, she frowned at her brother. “Dad and I told you this morning that those two were wolf shifters. You saw the paw prints outside of our cabin. You have to stay away from them.”

“Why? They seem nice.”

“You know that shifters killed our mother. Shifters are wild animals and will kill real humans any chance they get.”

Edward shook his head. “Sean and Sawyer aren’t like that. They are nice. If they really were killers, everyone staying at the resort would already be dead.”

“Don’t be an idiot. They aren’t going to go crazy in a crowd of people. They wait until they find them alone in the woods and kill them there.”

Xyla groaned with frustration. No matter what she said to Edward, he wouldn’t listen. He was convinced that just because the two of them had been nice to him right now, didn’t mean that they wouldn’t kill him the second they got him alone. She wanted to remind him of all the serial killers who had fooled people.

That actually would just prove his point that humans are just as bad as shifters.

She ran her fingers through her hair before pulling it back into a braid to keep it out of her face. Deep down inside, Xyla knew that she was really frustrated because she wasn’t a hundred percent convinced that Sean could ever kill anyone.

Xyla couldn’t help but remember how sweet he was to her and how he made her heart beat faster every time he came near. He was always nice to everyone, as far as she could tell, and shifters, as well as humans, liked him and his easy-going nature.

A lot of women thought Ted Bundy was a nice, charming, man, too. Look where that got them.

She took a huge breath. “I’m here for Edward, not for him.”

“Are you coming, Dad?” Xyla asked.

“No, you guys go ahead. I’m going to hang out, be lazy, and watch some television. That’s my idea of a real vacation. I’ll think about going with you this afternoon.”

Xyla laughed and kissed her father on the forehead. “Party pooper.”

Edward ran as fast as he could toward the lift. “Let’s go down the black diamond.”

“Mmm, I think we need just a bit more practice first. Let’s go down the red slope this morning, and if you do as great as I know you will, we’ll tackle the black diamond this afternoon.”

“Promise?” Edward looked at her suspiciously.

“Yes. I promise.”

She sensed Sean’s presence at the top of the slope. It was almost if there was some kind of invisible connection linking the two of them that made every nerve in her body tingle as soon as he was near. Xyla purposely ignored him, focusing on Edward.

Closing her eyes, she groaned inwardly when Edward waved to Sean and Sawyer. She knew that Sean would ignore her warning and would wave back, encouraging her little brother.

Knowing that saying something to Edward would go in one ear and out the other, she pressed her lips together and swallowed her words.

Thoughts of Sean and Sawyer were banished for the rest of the morning, and she and Edward sailed down the red slope several times until it was lunchtime. Edward was ready to skip lunch and start on the black diamond slopes right away.

“Sorry, Kiddo. I need lunch. I need a breather.”

“Fine, but you can’t back out of your promise.”

“I promise, I won’t. We’ll do the black diamond after we eat.”

Her eyes scanned the dining room as soon as they stepped into the room. She was relieved when there were no signs of Sean and Sawyer. Just knowing that they were on the same mountain as they were was enough to grate on her nerves.

Edward ate like he was in prison and there were five other guys after his chow. “Slow down. No one is going to take your food. If you eat that fast, you’re going to get indigestion and throw up.”

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