“It would have been a waste for me to heal your feet before tricking you into drinking poison.” Dean’s laugh is a low rumble, and I want to hear it again.No, bad Delilah. No flirting with your new master. You’re not equals. He owns you.I remind myself since I am clearly being driven by the hoochie under my skirt.
“Or, you healed me to make it easier for you to trick me into drinking swamp water…” I counter, pointing at the sludge. “I think I’d rather take my chances with the head injury.” I nod, not wanting to drink that stuff at all.
“Just a sip? Come on, Delilah, be a goodgirl.”
Automatic shivers. Holy shit, why did he say it like that? Am I ovulating or something? Good grasshoppers, what is going on with me? Maybe my head got knocked harder than I realized. It dislodged the good sense in my noggin that stopped me from making horrible choices.
“Good girl,” he says again when I take the small bottle and tip it back.
“Oh, that was actually not horrible.” I hold onto the empty bottle, not sure what to do with it, but Dean snatches it up and tosses it in a trashcan.
“It’s flavorless,” he shrugs, turning away, moving into the kitchen, placing a pan on the stove, and flicking on the burner. That's my cue, I guess.
“What do you want me to make you?” I ask him, hustling over to him after I pull my shoes on. But as I step up beside him, he pauses, turning to look at me.
His clean, woodsy scent hits me, and I take a deep breath. Wow, he smells so good. I lean closer to him, unintentionally, as I attempt to get a better sniff. He notices and takes a step into my personal space, looking down at me in a way I didn’t know Wolves were capable of. Kindness.
He reaches up and moves the hair off my shoulder, and my heart rate spikes. He’s so gentle, as if I’m too delicate for his rough hands. My mind races with thoughts of how different this Wolf is from the others I’m so used to.
“Sit, Delilah. I’ll make breakfast.” He turns away from me, and I take a few steps back. I stare at him in disbelief. In all the years I’ve spent around these Wolves, never once has a single one of them done anything for a Human. Not that I’ve seen, anyway. They sure as fuck haven’t claimed an Avowed, and then cooked for said servant… What alternate reality have I stepped into? Did the blow to my head cause hallucinations?
“I… What?” I ask, still staring at him.
He looks at me with a small smile on his lips and tilts his head to the side, examining me. “You’re cute when you’re in shock.” His grin grows at the outraged look I give him.
“Did you just call me cute?” I ask, my mouth hanging open slightly. Oh, god. The concussion was worse than I thought. I’m in a coma, imagining this entire thing….
What the hell is happening? He helped me, offered to make our food, and now he’s calling me cute?
“Am I about to be murdered? Are you one of those psychos who's nice to his victims right before he rips their throats out?” I ask him seriously, taking another couple of steps back.
At my retreat, his eyes darken. He rushes me, and I yelp before I brace myself for his attack. Yep, definitely one of those psychos.
He stops when his body is pressed against mine. He gently grabs my chin, causing me to meet his chocolate eyes.
“I will never hurt you. Stop fearing me; you’re safe here.” The sincerity in his eyes throws me off even further. He reaches both hands up to cup my face. “You aresafewith me,” he insists, emphasizing the word safe.
“Why?” I don’t know what else to ask. Why is he being so kind to me? Why would he want me to trust him, or insist so fiercely that he’ll never hurt me? He’s forcing me to meet his eyes. I try to pull away or look at his lips instead, but he doesn’t budge.
We’re interrupted by a knock on his door. “Dean, let me in. I know she’s in there!”
I look at the door, trying to place where I’ve heard that voice before.
“Is that Matteo?” I ask Dean, confused. He’s not allgrowly like he was in class yesterday. Why in the fuck was he looking for me? I was already Avowed. Twice!
Dean steps away from me to unlock the door. When Matteo steps in, his amber eyes go right to me. He steps up to me, looking me over.
“Are you okay, what happened last night?” he asks, concern clear in his bright eyes, moving behind me and lifting my hair to see the back of my neck. What is happening right now? Am I hallucinating?
I freeze, once again, completely confused. Why are these Wolves so concerned about me? I’m so shocked, I don’t answer. I just met Matteo yesterday, and he was a dick.
What the fuck is wrong with these two?
When Dean chuckles, I realize I said that out loud.
“Are you okay, Delilah?” Matteo demands, moving so he’s standing right in front of me. I stare up into his amber eyes, once again feeling like I know them, but still feeling entirely thrown off. I should look away, but he doesn’t look bothered by my boldness at all.
“Holy fucking shit…” I whisper as it dawns on me. Those eyes. They’re so familiar because Idoknow them.
