Page 19 of Wolf's Chance

“Nice.”

Squinting at me, she looked unsure. “Are you teasing?”

“Never.”

At that, she laughed. “Yeah,thatdoesn’t surprise me.”

When the kettle began to whistle, she took it off the heat, waiting a few moments until the boiling water cooled down, and then poured the water into the teapot. Bringing the pot over, she set it between us, returning with two cups and a tea strainer.

The silence grew awkward as she waited to pour the tea, and when we both had a steaming cup of black tea in front of us, she raised her head to look at me.

“Who are you?”

“You know my name.”

“I do.” Willow nodded. “If that is your name.”

“It is.”

“How long have you been here?”

“Saturday.”

She looked down at her hands in…disappointment? “Really?”

“I have no reason to lie about that.”

“You have reason to lie about other things?”

I hesitated. “Some things.”

“What?”

“If I told you, I might be lying.”

Willow rolled her eyes, raising her cup to take a sip of tea. “You’re hardly James Bond.” Seeing my confusion, her eyes widened. “Tell me you know who James Bond is?” When I shrugged, she gulped tea, forgetting it was hot, and I almost wore the finely brewed Darjeeling.

Placing my cup aside, I leaned forward onto the breakfast bar. “My turn.” Willow mimicked me, putting her cup to the side. “How have you been drawing me?”

“Um, charcoals, sometimes paint, um…pen?—”

“Notwhat you’ve drawn mewith, I meanhow? How have you seen me?”

Willow was already shaking her head. “I don’t know. I thought you were a dream.”

Jabbing my thumb at my chest, I glared at her. “Do I look like a fucking dream?”

She stifled her laughter, but I could see the amusement in her eyes. “More like my nightmare.”

“Exactly.”

The humor vanished and her scent changed to wariness. “Who are you?”

“It doesn’t matter whoIam, Willow. It matterswhatyou are.” She shook her head but said nothing. “Am I the only thing you’ve drawn you can’t explain?”

Her look of confusion answered my question. “Aren’t you enough?”

I nodded but internally my nerves calmed a little. The lastthing I needed was her drawing my wolf.Anywolf. “Doesn’t it worry you that you’re drawing men you’ve never met?”

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