Page 4 of Her Werewolf Protector

He chuckled, his amber eyes gleaming with amusement.“No. We don’t cosplay.”

I frowned.“Then what’s with the costumes?”

“Theyaren’t costumes.”

I blinked, staring hard at him for a minute.“What do you mean theyaren’t costumes? Are the people here mentally ill?”

He grinned.“Depends on who you’re asking about. But no, they’renot.” He shrugged.“At least notthe majority of them.”

“Then what are you telling me? They’re real?” Maybe he was the mentally ill person. What had I gotten myself into? Leaping to my feet, I attempted to exit only to have him reach out and grab my arm.

“Please. Hold on a minute. It’llmake more sense when you get used to the place.”

“Listen, I…” I attempted to pull away, only to see that his hand was no longer a hand, but longer, with sharp black nails. Looking up, I gasped. His eyes had gone brighter, his canine teeth beginning to elongate and sharpen.

“Fuck, sorry. Ididn’t mean…” Releasing me, he turned away. A moment later, he turned back and the fangs and claws were gone. What the fuck…?

My pulse was racing so badly I could hear it thumping. I’d seen what I’d seen. My first instinct was to scream and run away, but my desire to figure out what was going on was too great.

“What is this place? What are you?”

He nodded towards the table.“Come. Sit back down. Please. Iwouldn’t ever hurt you.”

Going against my better judgment, I nodded and made my way back to the table. Sitting back down, he sat down across from me.

“Where do you think all of the folklore comes from?”

“People’s overactive imaginations.”

“Maybe some, but not all. What you saw a moment ago is real.” He reached out and took my hand in his.“I’m a werewolf. Tonight’sa full moon so it’s much harder for me to hold back my transformations today.”

“A werewolf?” He was insane. That was the only thing that made sense. It was a hell of a lot more likely than him being a werewolf.

But the claws. The eyes…

He nodded.“Yes.There’svampires, elves, gargoyles–”

“Gargoyles?There’sgargoyles? Seriously?” It sounded like a fairytale. Or a horror show. I wasn’t sure which. I’d have thought my reaction would be to run screaming to my vehicle and get the hell out of here– that had been my initial thought – but instead I found myself intrigued.

“Yes. No one here will hurt you. I promise. By the time you leave the restaurant word will have gotten out that you are mine.”

Sitting back in my chair and holding up my palm, I laughed in disbelief.“Hold on a moment, buddy. Who said I was yours? I’m no one’s possession.”

“Whoa. Just… That’s not what I meant.” He groaned, sitting back in his chair. It squeaked under his weight.“Think in terms ofa fated mate. Those fated for each other find their way here. You found your way to me. You’vehad dreams of me as I have of you. You are the one who’s meant for me.”

That was one hell of a pick-up line.“Okay, so say I buy this story you’re telling me. Whathappens now?”

“Well, we have a week to decide that we’re meant to be together.”

“A week?” I crinkled my nose up at him.“Who says a week? I mean that’s not much time. How are you expected to get to know someone in a week?”

He winked,“Guess we’llhave to wait and see.”

He was a charmer, I’d give him that much. Somehow he put me at ease when common sense would tell me to leave. Spending a few days with him didn’t seem like a bad thing. This town was cute. A nice little vacay before heading back to my real life. As far as soul mateswere concerned, well, can’t say I was sold on that front. Hedidn’t seem like the kind of guy that would seamlessly fit in my world and I sure as hellwasn’t giving my lifestyle up.“Then, what happens now? Isthere a hotel I can stay at? Maybe we can go on a date tomorrow night?”

“There is, but the innkeeper is in the middle of renovations.”

“So, where do I stay? I can’t sleep in my car!”

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