“The teeth. They’re called incisors.”
“I knew it!” Maya said. “I thought I was losing my mind, or that I was seeing things because I was in shock.”
Cole shook his head. “It’s not the shock.”
She folded her arms across her chest and when Cole took a step in her direction, she took two steps back. “What are you?”
He sighed then scrubbed a hand over the stubble on his chin. “I’m a wolf shifter.”
Her eyebrows bunched together. “A what now?”
“A wolf shifter. A Gray Wolf to be precise, hence the nickname.”
Maya stared at him, her jaw tight. “Are you honestly trying to tell me you’re a werewolf?”
Cole winced. “Not a werewolf, although I suppose technically, that’s what you might—”
“That’s it. I’m leaving. One of us is crazy. Probably both of us.”
She reached for her hairdryer and dumped it unceremoniously into the small suitcase she had brought with her.
“You can’t leave,” Cole said, watching as she haphazardly threw items of clothing on top of the hairdryer.
She glared at him. “Oh, can’t I now?”
“No,” he said, his eyes pleading with her to understand. “Your life is in danger.”
“My life is in danger here.”
“Okay, that’s true,” he conceded. “They know where you’re staying now, but if we just—”
“Not from them,” she snapped. “From you.”
Cole’s jaw went slack. “I would never harm a hair on your head, I swear it.”
“Oh yeah, why not?”
“Because you’re my mate!”
Maya stared at him, eyebrows drawn. Slowly, she shook her head. “I’ve got no idea what you’re talking about right now.”
“Okay,” Cole said, his hands raised in front of him in a placating gesture. “Can we talk about this rationally, please?”
She folded her arms across her chest. “I’m listening.”
“Not here, not like this. I’ve called Flint to come and pick up your would-be attacker. After they’ve gone and when we’ve both had a chance to calm down, we’ll sit down and I’ll explain everything. I promise. But now is not the time, or the place.” Cole nodded to the door. “No doubt our friend will be waking up soon with one hell of a headache. I need to go and deal with him, but we’ll talk after, okay?”
His eyes searched her face, and she eventually she dipped her chin in the tiniest nod.
“That sounds reasonable,” she said, uncertain.
Cole took a step closer then reached out slowly as if he was trying to approach a spooked horse. He gently cupped the side of her face.
“It will all make sense soon, I promise, but until then I want you to know that you are not in any danger from me and never will be, okay?”
Maya heaved a sigh. “Go deal with my would-be killer. We’ll talk after.”
Cole nodded then strode from the room. Maya sat down heavily on the edge of the bed and frowned down at her hastily packed case. In the past twenty-four hours she had been arrested for kidnapping, she’d had two attempts made on her life, she’d jumped into bed with a complete stranger who then proceeded to tell her he was a damn werewolf. How had her life become so complicated?
