Page 58 of Blade's Battle
His wolf growled unexpectedly. The all-too-familiar restlessness surged to the surface. If Blade could give his wolf what he wanted, he would, but feral wolves only wanted control, and that was the one thing Blade could not give his wolf.
Anna would return soon enough and calm his wolf. The last time she had disappeared before he’d woken was at Liam’s camp when she’d gone off in search of breakfast. This was Blade’s pack, his territory. She was safe here.
Blade traced the tattoo of Marcus’s wolf on his forearm. Grief was a slow process. It had taken Blade years to accept, and there were still days he got mired in the sadness. His friends, Frank and Callen, most notably, kept him from sinking into his past. Maybe that’s what Blade needed to do for Anna. Help her focus on the good memories she had of Kurt and not let the bad memories drag her under.
Blade made his way to the cookhouse.
“Hi, Blade!” Henrietta said as he stepped through the door. The dining hall was buzzing with activity.
He stopped short as Henrietta put down the bowl of fruit she’d been swapping out for an empty one and stepped into his path. He had always liked her red hair, how it sparkled in the sun, and how her freckles formed a bridge across her nose. She was cute, sweet, wickedly talented as a cook, but she wasn’t his Anna.
“Hi, Henrietta,” he said, trying to sound friendly without being too friendly. Despite what Tess said about him being a ladies’ man, he was rather lost in these situations. Everything with Anna was just so incredibly natural in comparison.
“I was looking for Anna. She’s new in camp.”
Henrietta stared at him for a moment, and then her face fell. A moment later she smiled again, trying hard to not look disappointed. Blade really hated this.
“You mean the blonde with curly hair? The human?”
He almost winced at the word ‘human’, except he had never heard Henrietta say a mean word about anyone. “Yeah, that’s her.”
“I guess you two are involved?”
“Ah. . .”
“It’s okay, Blade. I see the way she’s looking at you. She’s over by the coffee table.”
Hell, these women were too damn observant. “Sorry, and thanks, Henrietta.” He turned to leave, then stopped. “I hear Pryce is looking for a companion for the next Run. That’s if you can put up with him talking your ear off until you shift of course.”
“Do you think he’d say yes?” she asked, her voice sounding lighthearted once again.
Blade found himself able to relax, and he smiled without having to think about it. “He’s got all those Southern traditions, you know, so maybe you could be subtle, drop a hint or two, let him do the asking.”
Henrietta headed into the kitchen with a definite bounce to her step.
Blade retrained his eyes on the coffee station. Anna had disappeared. He followed her scent out the main door and halfway up the hill where she’d stopped to talk with Tess. Anna was holding a tray with a steaming cup of coffee and a plate covered with a dishtowel. The second Anna spotted him, her heavenly smile graced her beautiful face.
He sauntered over, his wolf doing his own little happy dance. “I was looking forward to eating a muffin in bed, but you left.”
“Oh, please,” Tess said, rolling her eyes. “Tell me you did not just say that.”
“Sorry, no muffins.” Anna unfurled the cloth. It was a platter of bacon and eggs. “I wasn’t sure what you liked.”
“Then perhaps you have something else I can nibble?”
“I’m out of here.” Tess shot off as fast as she could.
Anna’s cheeks turned beet red. “I can’t believe you said that in front of Tess,” she said as she and she shoved the tray at him.
He grabbed the tray and fell in step beside her, confused as to why she was so upset. “I was only trying to make you laugh.”
As they were passing one of the storage buildings, Anna stopped dead in her tracks “What are we doing, Blade? Nothing can happen between us.”
He set the tray down on an old chair by the entrance to the building. “I’m not asking for you to blood-bond me. It was a mistake to ask you that last week when we barely knew each other.”
“We still barely know each other.”
“Which is why I’ll back off on the issue.”
