Page 3 of Howliday Match

“Not going to happen. This place is dangerous and you’re a lamb to the slaughter here.” His lip curls arrogantly and I growl under my breath.

“I’m not an idiot. I don’t trust you anymore than I trust any of these people.”

“Good.” Satisfaction coats the one word.

“Good? That’s all you have to say? I just said I don’t trust you. So why don’t you just move on and I’ll do my job and get the hell out of here!” My voice trembles and I shake wildly.

“I’ll let you go for now. Let you finish your job. But if you think that you’re going to hide from me, little lamb, you’re a fool.”

I stiffen and glare at him. “Arrogant asshole,” I mutter under my breath, finally pushing past him and heading back to the kitchen to pick up more food.

Once I’m a dozen yards away from him I manage to suck in a deep breath. I nod at one of my coworkers and smile. She seems a little strange too. Fluttery and excited.

This whole job and the huge ballroom just feels weird. I feel like Alice slipping through the looking glass.

My head turns and I see the huge, dark man watching me still. He’s no white rabbit that’s for sure.

He’s a predator and I feel more and more like the innocent lamb he called me.

He grins and his sharp white teeth flash. My belly pulls tight and I dart away from him into the kitchen. I lean against a wall and suck in more heavy breaths, my hand on my chest.

I don’t think I’ve ever felt as off-kilter as I do right now. I don’t like it at all.

I need to finish this job and get the hell out of here. I stomp off and grab a platter, heading for the swinging door. I’ll think very hard the next time that any of my friends askmefor a favor.

CHAPTER 3

Raphael

My little mate is not only beautiful and sassy, she’s a hard worker. My eyes don’t leave her scurrying figure the entire time she almost jogs back and forth hauling food.

Unfortunately this also means that she attracts a great deal of attention. I see the two vampire women watching her closely and I can see their eyes narrowing, glowing red.

“Oh, fuck!” The last thing I need is for anyone here to realize that my mate is a human before I mark her. I don’t even know her name yet. My inner wolf is pissed as hell at me because I’m fucking this up royally. Or so he says.

I’m not very happy either. Especially when I see another wolf shifter moving closer to her, his eyes glowing, his mouth open and teeth exposed, sharp and glistening white.

“Oh, fuck no!”

I sprint across the room and as soon as she drops what she’s carrying on the table, I reach out and grab her by the waist, tossing her over my shoulder. For one brief second, I think she’s feeling what I feel because she doesn’t make a peep, freezes even.

My whole body burns with electricity. Flashes of burning hunger build higher and higher until I can barely contain myself.My hand caresses her rounded ass and that’s when she stiffens and growls under her breath.

I grin happily. I like it when she growls. My wolf pants happily now that I’ve got my hands on her. But she wriggles and growls, her feet smacking me in the chest until I grasp both of them in one of my big hands.

“Seriously! What the hell is wrong with you? Let me go, you big asshole!”

“No,” I groan under my breath as she hits me with her feet. It doesn’t hurt but reminds me that she’s not happy with me right now.

“You’re attracting too much attention, mate.”

She wriggles harder and her ass jiggles under my hand, my dick jumping so hard that my damn zipper bites into my dick in the tuxedo pants.

“I’m sure that being hauled around by a giant man is not making me fade into the woodwork! Who the hell are you anyway? And what makes you think that you a just haul me around like a piece of meat!”

I stomp out the door and growl at another male who I catch checking out my mate’s ass.

“Move along, motherfucker. She’s mine!” He grins cheekily at me.

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