The woman jerked away from him, terror flashing in her eyes.
I supposed that from an outside perspective, he was terrifying. More than six and a half feet tall, made solidly of thick, hard muscle, and with an expression that usually looked angry…
Yeah.
He could definitely pass as terrifying. I could still remember being afraid of him, too.
I guess I trusted him too much to fear him any longer.
That was insane, wasn’t it? I didn’t trust him to stay with me, or to make choices that I would necessarily agree with. But I trusted him to protect me. To be there for me if I needed him.
And that was a big deal.
The door opened as Fletcher stepped inside. There was blood on his hands and face.
The woman started to tremble.
I patted her hand awkwardly. “I’m sure there’s a logical explanation for why he looks that way.”
The daggers I shot in his direction told him there had better be a reason.
He looked at Enzo.
A moment passed before Enzo’s voice brushed my mind.“Another rogue went rabid last night. While you and I were in the forest. Clay’s wolf can’t be trusted to hunt them, and Hunter couldn’t leave Nova. My brothers put him in charge of the hunt, alongside another enforcer to show him the ropes. It went well. They dealt with the threat, and just made it back.”
“What’s wrong with Clay’s wolf?”
“He’s insane.”
Lovely.
I was going to have to ask more questions about that. Many more.
But for the moment, we had something else to worry about.
The couple in front of us.
So, I cleared my throat. “Should we get on with it?”
Fletcher dropped into a seat near to the food, and started wordlessly loading up his plate. Clay tossed him a packet of wipes that must’ve been in his pocket. He was probably used to carrying them around for Enzo’s sake.
“No time like the present,” Clay said, his voice upbeat.
I was starting to think his social skills might be the only reason the city hadn’t already descended into a cesspit of anarchy and murder.
If it did, Enzo would end up as a mafia kingpin or something. I could totally see it.
He lifted me off my chair. My plate wasn’t empty, but I’d put a big enough dent in the food.
When he sat me on his lap, I looked at Fletcher, and found him watching me. His forehead was creased with concern, like usual. I mouthed,I’m fine, and he jerked his head in a nod.
“I’ll need to bite you,” I explained to the woman, and she held out her arm.
Without further ado, I nudged my wolf to the surface. My teeth lengthened as she surged forward, and I felt a connection flare to life between us as my fangs sank into the woman’s skin.
The immediate, sharp pull on my energy was familiar.
The growl from the male behind me, and the surge of his energy flowing into mine, was not.