Page 6 of Twisted Desire
Four
Calder had left Ethan to his own tortured thoughts hours ago, but there he sat, unmoving lost in his own mind—and what a fucked up place it was. His ass parked firmly in the booth trying to dissect exactly what knowledge the Alpha had that he didn’t. Had there been something Ethan overlooked in his contract? He didn’t think there was even the remotest of possibilities that he’d missed something. He’d read the damn thing a thousand and one times, if not more. Each time scouring the details for some hidden clause that would allow him to go his own way and never look back.
He’d given up all hope of finding his mate and having a normal life. Ethan had told himself, over the years, the reason he didn’t want a mate had been because of what had happened to his parents. Had that been just another lie he’d told himself? Was it just an excuse because his life was a shit-show?
Those questions needed answers, but he’d have to deal with them later. The only question marching non-stop through his mind was the one that had given him the breath of hope that Calder might be able to help him.
The idea that maybe, just maybe, his life could be different.
It was a long-shot and grand thought that Calder had planted into his head. One that Ethan wasn’t sure if he liked or not. Just when he’d decided to have thetalkwith Cam, Calder had thrown him a curve ball.
And it was a fucking doozy.
One that he wasn’t sure if he could hit out of the park or not.
“Do you want a refill?”
Ethan looked up, shaken that he hadn’t felt or heard Cam’s approach. He also missed the fact that the diner had emptied of all of its customers and employees. How long had he been sitting there lost in thought?
“Sure.”
Wanting to know what she thought of him, Ethan dropped his barriers, hoping to—hell…he had no idea what he’d hoped to hear. That she was interested in him? That she wanted to jump his bones as badly as he wanted to jump hers, or that she wanted him to jump from an airplane without a parachute? Anything to sway his decision one way or the other.
What he got instead was total silence. Not a mother-fucking thing. Blissful silence.
“Why can’t we hear her?” he asked his wolf.
He tried again. This time sending out more power than he’d ever had. So much power that he feared Cam would grab her head and drop to her knees in pain from the brunt force of his majik pressing into her, but it was like he’d hit a brick wall.
Nothing happened.
She didn’t so much as flinch.
Nothing.
Not even a tick of her jaw.
Alarm pulsed through him. He heard nothing. Not a peep. How was that possible?
Ethan clasped Cam’s arm as she reached for his cup, wondering if touching her would push through whatever barrier she had that kept him from hearing her thoughts.
No luck.
He still couldn’t hear a damn thing. Instead, he felt a surge of power rush through him the second his skin made contact with hers. It stung like a mo-fo. As if a thousand angry wasps stung him at once.
His hand flew back, away from Cam. His mouth fell open before snapping shut. “What was that?”
Cam shrugged, seemingly unsurprised by the jolt of power Ethan had been hit with. “Just a little defense mechanism.”
Ethan eyed his mate up and down. At a total loss. Normally he knew exactly how a conversation would go before it even happened. He knew what the person in front of him was thinking. Not with Cam. She was a total blank.
“You still want to talk? I’m free now.”
Did he still want to talk? To let her off the hook when it came to all things mate-hood with him? No. He absolutely did not, especially after the conversation that he’d had with Calder. He should tell her that he’d changed his mind. Their talk could wait for another day, but one look at her luscious curves. One look at her pouty lips and heavy breasts was all it took for Ethan to rise from his chair and motion for Cam to lead the way.
“I’d follow her to hell and back,” his wolf whispered in his mind.
“Me too.”
