Page 24 of Romeo

“Excuse me? What are you implying?”

He regarded her silently, his chocolate-brown eyes flecked with gold and filled with wisdom. She wondered just how old he actually was. Shifters had long-life, which meant they aged one body year for every thirteen that passed. He looked like he was in his early twenties, but that could mean he’d been around for fifty or sixty years at least.

“I’m just curious why you didn’t think the alpha’s apology was good enough? Alphas are tasked with keeping their people safe, butalsowith doling out appropriate punishments when needed. I can’t imagine an alpha, wolf or otherwise, who wouldn’t harshly deal with a male who killed a human, no matter the circumstances.”

She folded her arms with a harumph. “Well, he didn’t deal harshly with him. My sister is gone.”

He gave her another long look. She wished she could read his mind, it was frustrating not to know what was going on in that head of his.

“What?” she asked, irritably when he hadn’t spoken for a little while.

“Are you even in touch with your parents?”

“I don’t want to talk about them.”

“I’ll take that as a no, then. So not only did you lose your sister and your parents their daughter, but you’re not in their life anymore? I’m just trying to figure out how your mind works.”

“Well, don’t bother.”

Something seemed to click in his head because he suddenly gave her a soft, sad smile. He reached for her hand, linking their fingers, and a frisson ofsomethingshot up her arm.

She remembered that feeling in the woods, that feral something that had filled her with a longing she’d never experienced before. Being around Romeo made her think about shifters in a different light.

Holy hell, he was dangerous. She was getting comfortable in his presence and not using her head. She hadn’t let that wolf alpha get under her skin, no matter how good looking he’d been.

But Romeo just had to touch her or smile at her and she was a big old pile of melted goo and forgot everything she was supposed to do and everything she stood for. He made her question everything that had happened in the last five years.

She should leave. But she couldn’t bring herself to get up from the couch.

“Listen,” she said, “you asked me to tell you about my sister, about why I was researching shifters, and I did. The stuff with my parents is a moot point and I don’t want to talk about them, or Kerry, anymore.”

Even saying her name made Ashley’s heart hurt.

“All right,” he said.

She stared at him, thinking he was probably not telling the truth right then, that it wasn’tall rightat all, but at least he was dropping the topic.

Did she miss her parents? Hell yes.

Was she going to forget how much their betrayal still cut her five years later? How could they possibly forgive that wolf and not fight for justice?

No. She would never forget them telling her to let go and move on, claiming that Kerry wouldn’t have wanted her to linger in her grief or blame the wolf.

Shaking the thoughts from her head before she started crying again, she said, “So tell me why you tackled the guy?”

He frowned. “What guy?”

“The one who grabbed me in the woods? I got away from you and he grabbed me, then you tackled him and I got away.”

He stared at her, his gaze stormy.

She continued. “I mean, if your point was to take me to your king or put me in some kind of holding cell, then you should have let the guy keep me. But you didn’t; you let me escape.”

“Not intentionally.”

“Okay…but why did you tackle him?”

Romeo hesitated only a moment before he said with a low voice, “Because he was touching you.”

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