Page 70 of Werewolves Don't Howl
“It will be more brilliant than usual, considering the subject I had to work with.” I gestured at him and then realized how flirty that would have been for an elf. Good thing I was a triad of awkwardness instead.
“Mm.” He came over to me and started helping me with dinner, glancing at my recipe once or twice as he peeled carrots and chopped onions. I also did things, but I was distracted by him being in the kitchen, taking up space, so much space that I seemed to bump into him every time I turned around. I’d gotten so used to being with him all the time, and then not seeing him for three days, now it was weird to have him so close, particularly after Clay reminded me how much I stank like a werewolf, and how much better Cross’s senses were than his.
It would be better when I wasn’t living in his pool house, expecting to see him every day. Except that would also be worse.
“Cross,” I said, pausing next to him while he leaned against the counter, looking in the soup pot like it was missing something.
“Mm,” he said, giving me a glance with those violet eyes that made my knees weak.
What was wrong with me? I licked my lips. “Clay was weird today.”
He straightened up, face expressionless, but he was giving me his full attention. “Do you have something to report?”
Oh. This was his ‘head of the house of Mercy, I’m ready to kill someone’ face. “He knows that you’re an heir to the night court. I was thinking, he’s always been there when I had my beast come out. You don’t think it’s him, do you?”
“Zephin Clay the beast who infected you?” He frowned in thought. “If you’re suspicious of him, why have you been hugging him?”
How in the world did he know that? “What?”
“You smell like him.”
I edged away from him. “You can smell a tiny bit of elf through all the revolting wolf?”
“I like the scent of your beast. I’m a night elf. I’m not delicate like Clay. It’s possible he’s a beast, but it doesn’t seem to suit his nature. I could see him pulling strings behind the curtain as a member of Lynx much more quickly than a beast that enjoyed blood and violence. Perhaps you hugged him to try to smell his beast.”
I shook my head. “I didn’t hug him. He hugged me. It was so awkward. Do you think I should take him up on it? I mean, date him after we break up so that I can investigate him more closely? No, it’s not possible that he’s actually interested in me. Maybe he has a hunch about who you are and wants to use me to get to the truth. That makes much more sense.”
He studied me thoughtfully. “You are truly unaware of Zephin Clay’s personal interest in you? Even Leticia Marin is aware of it. He decided to do a masquerade ball based on your article. He touches you in public, and now hugging in private?” He tsked. “And he knows that we’re dating. That’s not very considerate of him. Does he want me to retaliate?”
I studied him, at the frown that was so heavy. He was an assassin. “How would you retaliate?” I asked, feeling nervous for my old family friend.
He gave me a polite smile. “The senator would give him a set-down in public. I’d call him on his inappropriate advances to one whom he owes protection, and then subtly infer that he doesn’t deserve you after using your skills for so long without proper pay raises. I hope that when you go back to work, you renegotiate your contract. I’d love to help you. I’m a very good lawyer, you know.”
“The senator is too kind.” I put my hand on his arm, not thinking it through until the actual contact sent a bolt of awareness through me. My throat got tight and weird as I quickly pulled away from him. “We actually need to discuss our public break-up. I hope we can make it as amicable as possible, because I’d like to be friends in the future.”
His frown disappeared, face absolutely impassive. “I don’t have friends.”
I elbowed him. “Libby’s your friend. Why can’t I be? I know. It’s my seductive ways that you elves can’t resist. How did Zephin say it? ‘The warmth of a gnome combined with the grace of the elf is irresistible.’ I’m paraphrasing. Seriously though, I’m safely bound to you, so why can’t we be friends?”
He turned to me, looking over my face like he was searching for my nose. The way he looked at my mouth made it tingle and my whole body hit high alert. “Don’t you think it would be strange if we broke up so soon after the exposé? People might say that you used our relationship to get a story before you moved on to the media mogul.”
I snorted. “No one would ever think I dumped you. It’s absurd. People would say that I published the story after we were already on our way out. And I’m not moving on to the media mogul unless you somehow convince me that it’s life-or-death, also that I don’t have to kill him, because I’m not comfortable killing an old family friend, although if it’s between me and Henrick, it should be me because I’m…”
He wrapped me in his arms and pulled me against his chest until my head rested on his rapidly beating heart. “I haven’t hugged you for three days. My apologies, Miss Era. I’ve been neglecting my responsibilities.”
I gulped and tried not to cling to him too obviously. “You’ve been busy. Also, you don’t have to worry about it. I’m fine without hugs.”
“Then I’m not fine without hugging you. It must be your irresistible warmth and grace. Did he actually say such a forward thing to someone supposedly dating someone else? I’m shocked.”
“Mm.” I smiled against his heart. My stress melted out of me like it had never existed. “Elves are too easily shocked.”
“Most likely.”
“You weren’t very shocked the first time you saw my beast, though.”
“I was, though. I expected something dainty and adorable to match your wolf, but that beast was at the war beast level.”
That’s right. He’d been the first person to ever see my beast, including me. He remembered every second of torture, but he still hadn’t ever apologized. I dropped my arms and pulled away until he released me and I was left with only the lingering warmth he’d given me. He was much warmer than I was, at least literally.
