Page 59 of The Wolf's Bullied Pregnant Mate
Zephyr’s gaze turned vacant for a moment. I thought of the Lindell witch who had gone against that in his eyes, the one who had murdered his brother. I didn’t know why. Zephyr likely wouldn’t know why. All I knew was that she hadn’t followed in our usual ways. We weren’t violent unless provoked; even then, it was a last resort due to our waning energy.
“Let’s get some food,” he muttered. As we headed inside, a woman stumbled out, laughter on her lips and a beer bottle in hand.
“Oh, shit,” she slurred. “Sorry!”
“Watch it,” Zephyr growled, pulling me close to his side, his eyes narrowed on the woman. She held up her hands. A snarl came from his throat when he saw the bottle. His hand whipped out and smashed the bottle from her grasp, sending it flying through the air, only to splinter on the ground. The remaining drink puddled out on the sidewalk.
“Hey!” she cried. “Asshole. What’s wrong with you? You gotta replace that!”
“Andyou,” he said, voice pitched dangerously low. “Have you watched where you’re going?” His arm wrapped protectively around my waist. I only blinked at the woman when she looked at me as if to question Zephyr’s behavior.
“What the fuck,” she whispered, shaking her head.
She walked away.
“Zeph,” I groaned. “What were you like that?”
“She could have hurt you,” he muttered.
“Yeah? So?” I laughed, confused. “I grew up in Brooklyn, remember? People are always knocking into one another. It’s not a crime. I’m not made of glass.”
“No, but—”
A smash from inside cut him off, coming from Adrian’s store.
“Help!” A cry went in. It sounded like Adrian himself. “Help me!”
“Stay here,” Zephyr warned me, pushing me back around the side of the building.
“Zephyr!” I called, but he was gone, ducking inside. I saw the bright blue flash of light and gasped. Demons were in the store. I heard another shout and then the sound of tearing, snapping teeth, and a piercing roar.
Moments later, Zephyr walked out, black blood on his hands. He held a water bottle and held it out to me. Wordlessly, angrily, I uncapped it and poured it over his hands, washing them clean.
“Any damage?” I asked.
“Nothing permanent,” he told me. “Three demons. Disintegrated. But I feel bad for the guy behind the counter.”
“I used to work there,” I muttered.
“I’m well aware,” he snarled. He shook his head, his eyes dark. “If you still did… If you had been there just now…” He closed his eyes, as if the thought was unfathomable. But the fight had lasted minutes, and Adrian walked out, pale-faced.
“Thank you,” he said. “Thank you.” His eyes were glassy with fear, and he stepped back to invite us in. “Please—take whatever you need. Thank you for saving me.” His eyes remained on Zephyr until I saw me. “Adalyn?”
“Hey, Adrian,” I said, confused and still annoyed at Zephyr for pushing me out of the picture. What was with him today? It was like he thought I was breakable right after he had begun to train me?
“It’s been happening everywhere,” Adrian told me. “The demon attacks. I thought they were just stories, but…”
I panicked for a moment. “Did the Emporium get targeted yet?”
He shook his head. “No, but Hesketh’s was targeted a few days ago during the night, so nobody got hurt. A few bars were targeted, the grocery store was yesterday, and now me today.” His eyes landed on Zephyr. “We’re grateful for the return of the shifters. If the legends are true, they have returned to protect us and save us from this new threat. Hesketh’s was protected by a wolf, as was next door. And now this young man here has come to protect my store.”
His voice was weighed with gratitude. I gave him a grimacing smile before I pulled away.
“Thank you for your generosity, Adrian,” I said, not knowing what else to say to him. I ventured down the aisles where I had once worked and found Zephyr wordlessly dumping anything he could find into a basket.
I gave him a lift of my brow.
“What?” he asked, smiling. “He said anything.”
