“So there haven’t been any troubles?” I asked. “No issue with a move or anything like that?”
The smile slid off her face, turning into an uneasy frown as she studied me. “Why?” she asked, her face carefully blank as she regarded me with suspicion.
I let out a shrug, not looking at her. “Just wondering.”
It was true, Rachel had definitely grown stronger. She had gained some definition in her muscles, and she moved with a confidence and ease that I hadn’t seen in her before. That should have reassured me. Except she was still so small, she still wouldn’t be able to fight off an attack for very long, especially not against the demons. Or worse, the wraith.
I hadn’t forgotten the Oracle’s warning. She had said Rachel would go up against the wraith. I had kept that to myself, not wanting to let any ideas get into Rachel’s head. Even with Amelia’s help, she wouldn’t be strong enough against that creature.
I had no intention of ever letting that happen in the first place, but it didn’t stop the warning from reverberating in my ears whenever I looked at her.
She shook her head, though all of a sudden, I could sense unease reverberating through her, as if she was holding something back. But before I could ask her about it, a timer beeped in the kitchen. She hopped up from the table.
“I’ve got to go check that,” she said, sounding more than a little relieved. “We might need to pause the game for a bit while I work on dinner.”
As she walked away, I considered running after her. She was hiding something. That much was obvious. I wanted to know what it was. If I knew what was bothering her, then I could help. I couldn’t protect her if I didn’t know.
I growled, trying to squeeze my eyes shut. I had thought the mating bond would ease once we’d had sex. That the constant thoughts about her, that constant need, would subside. Instead, it had only grown stronger. I wanted her more now. I wanted to keep her safe, to kiss her, to carry her back to bed.
I forced the thoughts out of my head. They weren’t going to do any good, especially since there was nothing I could do about them. We had decided that, for the time being, it was best kept at a one-night stand. There were too many complicating factors that made sex impossible, such as Elias. If he found out what had happened, I wasn’t sure how he would react, but I couldn’t imagine it would be pretty.
That didn’t stop me fantasizing about her, or wanting to follow her in the kitchen and spread her out on the table.
A sharp gasp came from the kitchen, one both startled and frightened. A moment later, an acrid burning smell wafted in from the kitchen.
This time, I didn’t let myself think twice about it. I sprinted toward the kitchen, my wolf going into full panic.
When I burst into the kitchen, Rachel was facing away from me, her hand clasped to her mouth. Sitting in the pan on the stove were several black pieces of…something. That burning smell still assaulted my nostrils.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
Rachel spun around, her hands flying behind her. Her eyes had gone wide with fear, but the second she saw me, she tried to mask it.
“Nothing,” she babbled, adopting a shaky grin. “I just burned the chicken. I’m sorry. I wasn’t paying attention, and it just sort of happened.”
I peered around her to the sauteed chicken still sizzling in the pan despite her turning off the stove. Steam wafted up from charred remains, looking more like charcoal than anything edible.
“I thought you were supposed to be a good cook,” I teased, trying to alleviate some of her panic.
It didn’t seem to soothe her at all. Her shoulders were coiled with tension, and she looked like a startled doe that might bolt at any minute.
“So did I,” she said with a grin that didn’t quite reach her eyes. She turned and looked back at the pan, her hands still clasped behind her back. “I just took my eyes off it for a second.”
It looked as though she had taken her eyes off it for an hour. Either that, or flames had consumed the entire pan. When I turned back to Rachel, I took note of how pale she was and the way she had shrunk in on herself as if she was terrified.
One hand went to her waist as I brushed the hair from her face with the other. “It’s all right,” I said. “These things happen. There’s no need to get upset about it.”
She let out a choked laugh as if at a private joke. “Yeah,” she said. “You’re right. These things happen.”
My thumb stroked her cheek as I stared down at her. Something flickered in her gaze, and I had to wonder if there was something she wasn’t telling me. I wanted to press her about it, but I also knew that doing so right now would only make her close up.
I pulled her against my chest, hand stroking her hair. “If you want my honest opinion, I really wanted pizza tonight, anyway,” I muttered.
She gave a short, more genuine laugh this time as she nuzzled against me. “That sounds great,” she said, then looked up, smiling at me.
I smiled back at her, my hand stroking her hair without realizing I was doing it. Whatever she wasn’t telling me, it could wait.
Chapter 13 - Rachel
