There’s a knock on the dressing room door, and we both freeze. I push her behind me and step close to the door. There’s another knock. “Sorry, this one’s being used,” Ava calls back.
“Ava?” I recognize Hunter’s voice and open the door. He looks down at me, and I watch as his eyes track down the length of my body before making it back to my face. “Not bad, Vampire,” he says softly, and the air leaves my lungs in a whoosh.
I meet his gaze unflinching. “Was there something you needed?” I ask in a cold voice. “That you came into the women’s dressing room for?”
“I just hadn’t seen either of you, and Ava wasn’t answering her phone. If you carried your phone, this wouldn’t be a problem.”
“Oh, sorry,” Ava calls out from behind me. “My bad; it’s on silent.”
I look back at Hunter, ignoring the phone comment. “Looks like we’re good.”
He stares down at me with that intensity that is all Hunter. I arch an eyebrow. “Did you need something, Wolf?”
He takes a step back and then turns and strides down the long dressing room hallway. “Are you checking him out?”
I whirl around at Ava’s question and snort. “Hunter? No. Do I have to try anything else on?”
She keeps me in the dressing room for an ungodly amount of time. She leaves frequently to go and get different items. Just when I begin to think that my new punishment in life is to get stuck in a dressing room with Ava forever, she takes a step back and cocks her head to the side. A huge smile crosses her face, and I know without asking that Bryce is communicating with her. A moment later, she starts picking up everything. “Bryce is here.”
“I couldn’t tell,” I say dryly.
It takes us a few minutes to clean up the dressing room and put everything away. It takes several more minutes of arguing with her about the ungodly amount of clothes she wants to buy me. She finally shakes her head and leaves the dressing room. I take the pile of clothes to the rack and hang them up. “Don’t put those down!” she snaps at me. I face her and watch as Bryce enters the dressing room. I can feel the alpha power that comeswith him. I'm not sure if that’s a vampire thing or if that’s just a Bryce thing.
I shake my head. These wolves have no boundaries. It’s a women’s dressing room, for goodness’ sake. He drops his hands on her waist, and she lets out a little squeal before turning in his arms. I look away as he pulls her into a very passionate kiss. When they finally come up for air, I hear her say, “Would you please help me? Sherese won’t listen to me.” He glances over at me before looking back down at Ava. They must switch to their bond because they stare at each other, but neither of them says a word. I wait patiently since they’re blocking the path to the exit. Thankfully, nobody else has been coming or going in here, or it might be a little awkward with Bryce being here. Finally, he steps back, and Ava leaves the dressing room. I sigh in relief and move to follow her. Bryce stands back while I pass him.
When we get out of the dressing room, I see Alicia and Hunter only a few feet away. Hunter’s dark gaze locks on mine for a moment, and I stare back at him. He’s not going to intimidate me that way. I’ve seen him use that look on lots of different people; it doesn’t work with me. “Okay. Are we ready?” Bryce asks, coming out of the dressing room.
“Yes,” Ava says, linking her arm through his. He smiles, and I turn away from the nauseatingly in love couple. We head back out into the mall, stopping at several stores on the way. Before we leave, Bryce is carrying several bags, all with things he bought for Ava. We walk past the food court, and Ava stops. Bryce puts his hand on her lower back. “Can we eat here?” she asks, looking up at him. “I haven’t eaten in a food court in forever.” Bryce is already moving.
I watch them go, unsure what I’m supposed to do now. Thankfully, the sight and smell of food don’t tempt me. I know it won’t taste good, and it will only make me sick. Alicia turnsto Hunter. “Are you going to eat?” I hadn’t even realized he’d joined us again. He’d disappeared after the department store.
“I’m good. You go ahead.”
She frowns at him, and I resist the urge to roll my eyes. I debate again what to do now. Ava suddenly turns around, and her horrified gaze meets mine. I know she’s going to apologize, and I don’t want her to. I wave her on and start walking. I’m not really sure where I’m headed; I just don’t want her to feel bad, and I want her to be able to enjoy this experience without me bringing it down for her. I stop, out of sight of the food court.
“Want to head to the car?” I jump at the sound of Hunter’s voice so close.
Chapter Five
Sherese
“Back up,” I snap at him. He doesn’t. “Don’t you have someone else to annoy, Wolf?”
“Careful, Vamp,” he says in a low voice. “Your attitude is showing.”
I glare at him but keep my mouth shut because it’s truly a warning. When I get angry or annoyed, it becomes more obvious that I’m not exactly human. Humans don’t know what I am, but they stare and can’t seem to look away. I don’t meet his eyes. “Lead the way.” I already know where we’re parked and how to get back; it’s part of my vampire side now. My mind works faster as well and never slows. In fact, I know where every exit in the mall is. I know where the weak spots are. It’s like the knowledge comes to me whether I want it to or not; my brain is always working at warp speed. But I like keeping some things to myself. I don’t want Hunter or anybody else in this wolf pack, for that matter, knowing all my strengths...or weaknesses. They might be welcoming to me right now, but that can change in a heartbeat. I’m not naive. I know the only reason I’m protected and safe right now is because Ava has claimed me as her friend. But not everybody in the pack feels that way. Their enforcer certainly doesn’t. He watches me constantly, just waiting for a reason to take me down. As if he knows what I’m thinking, Hunter’s dark gaze lands on me. I look away and pretend the look of a dangerous predator doesn’t bother me. I know I could hold my own with most of the members of this pack; I’m fast and strong. But with Hunter, Bryson, and maybe the beta, I’m not so sure. I’ve felt Bryce’s power; as an alpha, he would bereally hard to take down. Ryan would be right up next to him. As beta, he would be the second most powerful in the pack. I’ve only ever met him once. He was kind-ish, but I don’t know that I would be able to take him on and win. Then there’s Hunter. Pack enforcers are always a dicey bunch. They may not have as much power as an alpha, but they were obviously chosen for their position for a reason...or they killed to get to it. Either way, enforcers are a nasty breed. The ones I’ve met have been downright terrifying. Hunter, though, is a threat in so many ways. But the one area that terrifies me more than anything else is that I don’t know exactly what he is. And not knowing is worse. Once you know how dangerous or powerful a threat is, you can work to combat that threat. With Hunter, he’s an unknown.
The reason I know this is he’s the one they sent after Ava when she was with the vampires. It wasn’t Bryce. That was a very strategic decision. There’s also the matter that he was able to cross the vampire barriers without any problem. All the other wolves, even the strongest alphas, were affected by the wards. Bryce came through after Ava and paid the price for it. Crossing the wards as a wolf is the equivalent of getting dosed with a heavy charge of electricity. I’ve seen many a strong wolf taken out by those wards. I saw a lot of terrible things during my time with the vamps. A dark feeling descends on me, as it always does when I think about the vampires. The feeling gets heavier, and my eyes narrow. Everything around me seems to slow down, but I know that just means my vamp powers are rising quickly. Under stress or threat, my vampire speed and strength grow. I scan the mall, looking for the threat. I clock them instantly, my eyes covering the distance across the mall quickly. Two male vampires. I know Hunter spots them as well because he stops in front of a store and turns towards the window, like he’s interested in something. I start to turn towards the food court where Ava is vulnerable, but Hunter stops me. His arm wrapsaround my back and lands on my side, and my entire body goes still. He leans towards me, his voice right next to my ear. It looks like he’s nuzzling my neck to anybody that’s watching. “Take the north entrance to the food court; I’ll take the south. Don’t make it obvious. Keep your distance unless they attack. Only reveal yourself if you have to.” He’s gone a moment later, and it takes me an extra second to move. When I do, I turn towards the food court. I don’t look for the vampires yet. I pretend to head to a store near the food court and look in the window. When I look back, they’ve moved closer. They’re not far from the food court now, and they’re not bothering to hide their presence. I head towards the north entrance to the food court and focus on keeping my movements slow enough to appear human. I should have had my phone to my ear; that would have sold it. I stop in front of a smoothie shop at the north entrance and scan the area for Ava. She’s sitting with her back to me, and Bryce is across the table from her. The other wolf is sitting next to Ava, but I ignore her. She can take care of herself. Ava’s the only one that’s truly vulnerable. Of course, she’s not vulnerable with her alpha mate sitting across the table from her, but he won’t show himself and what he truly is. He can’t, not in a public place like this. If it came to getting Ava out of here, I would be the best option. I’m not sure the alpha will agree. I feel a dark gaze on me, and I look across the food court and make out Hunter. He surprises me. Usually, he melds into the shadows, but he must want his presence to be known right now because he’s making no effort to hide. Bryce’s eyes meet mine over Ava’s head. For the first time since coming here, I almost wish I could talk to them through the pack link they have. I have no idea what he’s trying to communicate, but I know what Hunter said.
The hairs at the back of my neck stand up, and I’m suddenly no longer alone. I stare up at the menu board of the smoothie shop, like I’m trying to decide what kind of smoothie to get. ButI am very aware of the vampires standing on either side of me. Neither of them says anything, and I’m trying to figure out why when my entire body feels like it’s on fire. Every nerve is alert. I close my eyes for the briefest second because I know what that means.Rizo is here.I feel somebody behind me, and I know with every fiber in my being that it’s him.
“Hello, Little Lamb.” That velvet voice hits every one of my fiery nerves. “How fun is this? Out shopping with friends?”
I don’t dare look over at Bryce and Ava or even Hunter. I’m not sure if Hunter has moved, but I’m not going to look and find out. My hair is pulled to the side, and I feel hot breath on my neck. I fight every instinct in my body to move away from him. He needs to think I’m happy to see him. I can’t imagine why he’s here. In all my time with them, Rizo rarely left. He was always at the vampire compound. This is the second time I’ve seen him in less than twenty-four hours. “Is there a reason you’re here, Rizo?” I ask, keeping my voice calm and cool.
I feel a huff of breath against my neck. “Funny, this one.” All the humor is gone from his voice with his next words. “Did you think we were going to let you just leave?”
It’s my turn to huff out a laugh. “You think I was given a choice to leave?” My mind races. “You get me out of here, and I can go with you right now.”
