Page 7 of Her Werewolf Protector

“Yes and no. Every werewolf is different, depending on their lineage. On a full moon I can’t control the shift.At other times, when my emotions are heightened, I’llstart to turn. That’s probably why people at the diner mind their tongue when they’re around me. In truth, I prefer to be in human form. Years of living in the regular world taught me to hide who I was. No one would understand. They’d capture me and run tests, I’m sure of it. That’s what humans do to thingsthey don’t understand. This is the only place in the world where I can truly be myself and not worry about the consequences of being me. It’sthe only place any supernatural can be who they are without prejudice.”

I couldn’t imagine carrying a secret like that– living day to day, knowing I wasn’t like everyone else and hoping no one would discover the truth.

“It must be nice. I mean to be in aspot where you don’t have to hide who you are.”

He seemed to consider the question a moment then threw his hands up in the air.“Doesn’t matter. This is where I am and where I foresee myself being for years to come.” Walking past me, he grumbled,“It’s time for bed– I need at least a little shut-eye before I have to open the diner.”

Sophia

A soft knock came at my bedroom door rousing me from sleep.

“Come in.” Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I pulled myself up into a seated position on the bed, pulling the blankets up over my chest.

The door opened to reveal Roosevelt in his chef’s uniform.“I’ve gotta go open the diner. There’sa few things to do in the town if you want to check it out. There’sa library and a few shops. Some boutiques. So once you’re up, you can go explore if you like. Just keep in mind that the town has a variety of supernatural beings in it. Try not to stare, some are more sensitive to human attention than others.”

He turned to leave.

“Stop. Wait.”Pushing off the blankets, I swung my legs and slipped out of bed.“I want to go with you to the diner.”

“You’d only be bored. I’llclose up early so we can get to know each other better later if you like. I can take you on a date.”

“No!” Running to the dresser, I began pulling out my outfit for the day, a pair of jeans and a snug-fitting t-shirt that highlighted my long legs and the curve of my hips.“I want to go. That’swhy I’m here, right? How can I get to know you and figure out if this is real if we waste the day? You said we only have a week, right?”

“Yeah, we have a week.”

“You never told me what happens in aweek.” Stepping into the jeans I pulled them up over my thighs and ass.

“You leave and I stay here. Simple as that. I’llbe in the Jeep. You have five minutes.” He turned abruptly and left, closing the door behind him.

He wasn’t telling me the truth. Ididn’t have to know him well to know that much. Tossing the teddy onto the bed, I finished getting dressed, sprinted out of the house, and hopped into the passenger seat of his car before he had a chance to change his mind and leave without me. Roosevelt already had the engine running, prepared to leave.

“You’re going to be bored.”

“Well, you seemed to be pretty swamped yesterday. Maybe I canhelp out? Why don’t you have a waitress anyhow?”

“Everyone in town has a job to do, it’s not like there’s anample supply of workers in the town. I make do.”

“But you could use an extra set of hands, right?”

He chuckled, averting his eyes from the road for a moment to look at me.“Are you offering to be my waitress? That’s hilarious. Have you worked a job in your life?”

My eyes narrowed at him.“Why are you such an asshole? If this is your way of wooing me, then you’re doing a piss-poor job.”

He was silent for a moment before nodding.“You know, I’m sorry. You’re right. I guess Iwasn’t prepared for you to show up and I…” He ran his hand through his hair and sighed.

“You what?” I prompted.

A smile spread across his lips as he looked at me once more.“Itdoesn’t matter. I’m sorry. You’re right, I’m being an asshole. I’lldo better. I promise.”

Roosevelt

Maybe I misjudged her. Either that or she was intent on proving me wrong. Either way, Sophia was proving to be an invaluable help in the diner. She started off slow and unsure, but by lunchtime she’d really gotten the hang of it and seemed to really enjoy it. The customers loved her.

“Order up,” I yelled from the kitchen as I placed two plates of pasta on the counter and waited for Sophia to pick it up. It would probably be useful to get a bell to save me from all the yelling in future.

The future.

I immediately paused my line of thought. It’s too early for that.

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