Page 17 of A Queen and Her Knight

“Is that why we came to this town, so you could try to trick me into your threesome fantasy?” The man didn’t bother to lower his voice, although he did lean his head back to make eye contact with Zoe when she came to a stop at their table.

The other weres with them had gone silent a few seconds before. Maybe they were tired of this argument. They all noticed Zoe, then lowered their gazes in either embarrassment or shame, so she dismissed them without taking her all of attention from them. Getting careless about how strongly someone might feel a pack tie, even to someone this obnoxious, had almost gotten her clawed across the face once.

She crossed her arms and waited for the snarling woman to notice her too.

When she did, Zoe met her stare and she didn’t blink.

“All I want is just once for you to act like the virile alpha male you pretend to be,” the woman finished snarling at her male companion, then stopped to bark at Zoe. “What?” The woman, definitely a tourist, looked ready to stand up. She was possibly eager to fight. Her argument had gotten her riled up and now Zoe was here to challenge her.

Zoe raised her eyebrows. She glanced at the boyfriend or husband, then back toward where the waiter had gone, although anyone could have set this woman off. If this woman was really going to fight her over this, inthistown, she must be dumber than she looked.

That was conveyed in Zoe’s expression, judging from the man’s narrowed eyes. At least they weren’t a mated pair. They probablywouldn’t fight to the death for each other, then. Not that Zoe wanted any kind of fight, to the death or otherwise. She was supposed to be wooing her mate.

She uncrossed her arms to jab her finger at the couple, who seemed so surprised they both sat back. “You’re disturbing the other patrons. I suggest you be quiet and enjoy the rest of your meal, or I’ll have to intervene. On any other night, I would have already.”

The woman had a glint in her eye Zoe didn’t like the look of. “We’re on vacation.”

Honestly, the number of times Zoe heard that, and always in the same tone. She was going to have to explain things. She hated explaining things that should have been obvious, especially to people that didn’t listen.

“You’re breaking the rules,” she responded, blank-faced and serious. “You’ve made your waiter uncomfortable. That isn’t tolerated here.” She grunted to give them their last warning.

“He can defend himself!” The man piped up. “He’s a were, he knows how we are.”

“You aren’t going to listen, are you?” Zoe asked, not really expecting an answer. She locked eyes with some of the people sitting with them, and angled her head slightly in question. Two of them immediately stood up and stepped back. The other stayed in her seat, but kept her head down.

The woman growled at them, aggressive. She could not have been in town for long or someone else would have corrected her behavior by now. Warnings weren’t going to work on wolves like this one. They still thought the meanest wolf won.

Zoe focused back on her. She had no doubt her eyes were yellow as she tried to convey how she would leave the woman gutted and bleeding in the street outside if she had to. Nathanielcould do that with just a look, but Zoe still had to use words. “This town is not for you. Behave or leave.”

She didn’t have to say more than that. Some of the other patrons stood up behind her. The werewolf citizens, maybe some humans, signaling they’d help if necessary.

Both the woman and the man appeared startled, although she was the only one to slam a palm onto the table and let Zoe see her emerging claws. She snarled as she got to her feet, showing off her height and size in challenge, then dragged her claws across the table. Dishes crashed to the floor. The display was familiar. At least once a month during tourist season some deputy had to deal with this sort of posturing.

Unfortunately for this woman, she’d picked a night when Zoe hadn’t wanted to frighten her potential mate away and now had no choice.

Zoe kicked the table forward with all of her strength—Nathaniel had taught her that bullying wolves never expected other wolves to fight like humans, and it surprised them, every time.

The table slammed into both of them, hitting the man hard in the chest and nearly knocking the woman off her feet. Zoe moved while the woman was stumbling for balance. She darted to the side and then forward, took hold of one furry arm and twisted it behind the woman’s back. She shoved her body down onto the table in the time it took her to inhale. Then she snapped a warning to the stunned man still in his seat. “Stay there.”

Zoe shoved down harder on the woman, who was going to break her arm if she kept struggling while in this position. The break would heal quickly, but Zoe didn’t want the paperwork.

She showed a mouthful of fangs to the asshole who wasn’t bothering to defend his girlfriend, then leaned down to let herteeth graze the woman’s ear. It took her a moment to breathe and then shift back enough to speak normally. “You have an hour to pack and leave. Him, too.”

When she looked up, Pema was gazing at her with mild interest. Zoe blinked at the other deputy, and Pema started to say something, but then narrowed her pale amber eyes at the man for a moment, as if he’d twitched or tried to get up. “The hell is his problem?”

“Romance,” Zoe grumbled. She belatedly realized the woman beneath her was still snarling.

“Speaking of,” Pema changed subject with an eyebrow waggle. “Weren’t you on a date?”

Zoe huffed. She couldn’t look over at Cleo yet. After a while she spoke again. “Iwas.” She was very conscious of the quiet, watching restaurant patrons.

“Did you follow the rules?” the woman beneath her sneered, but shut up when Zoe growled at her, deep and low and threatening.

Zoe took a moment to breathe. “I don’t think this one is going to leave peacefully,” she commented to Pema, who nodded and spoke into her radio. Two deputies appeared in the entrance almost immediately, with all the handcuffs required to keep even a rabid wolf locked up for a while.

When they took the annoying tourist and her charming companion away, Zoe was left in the middle of a mess of broken dishes and awkward silence.

“Aaannyway.” Pema grinned at her. “We’ll leave you to it then. This was nothing. I’ve got the paperwork, if you want. Just come in tomorrow.”

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