Ava crossed her arms over her chest, studying Rhiannon closely. “Thank you for your offer, but I’m not interested in selling at this time.”
The real estate agent’s mouth thinned at Ava’s words and I noticed that Macgrath smirked behind her, as though he were pleased that she had been thwarted.
“Are you sure? Perhaps an extra twenty percent on the purchase price would change your mind?”
Ava shook her head. “No, it wouldn’t.”
Once again I saw her eyes move to Macgrath. He met her gaze with an implacable stare and the strange tension in the room intensified tenfold.
“You seem like an intelligent woman,” he said to Ava suddenly.
She tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes at him. “I believe I am.”
“Then perhaps you should think about her offer.”
I nearly choked at the thinly veiled threat and twisted my head to look at Ava.
My insane boss threw her head back and laughed. “What is this, a mob movie?” she asked. “Will there be a horse head in my bed tomorrow morning?”
Strangely enough, the corners of Macgrath’s mouth twitched as though he found Ava’s complete lack of fear amusing. He grinned and I watched in horror as his canine teeth extended and his eyes began to glow. He was a vampire.
Ava merely shook her head. “Your parlor tricks don’t frighten me, vampire, so save the theatrics.”
His grin widened but his teeth receded back. “Of course not.”
The door behind him opened, but he didn’t react, which made me wonder if he’d heard the person approaching before they arrived. I glanced around him and saw Rhys. Macgrath turned then and looked Rhys up and down.
“Excuse me,” Rhys murmured, stepping inside and letting the door shut behind him.
Without a word, Macgrath moved to his left. Rhiannon had turned when Rhys spoke and now she was smiling at him in a way that I didn’t like. At all. Her gaze was very nearly predatory.
“Nice to see you again, Rhys,” she greeted him.
He nodded to her. “Ms. Temple.”
“Oh, please, call me Rhiannon,” she invited him, placing a hand on his arm.
Rhys’ eyes came to mine and I watched as their color changed, the blue of his irises quickly swallowed by the black of his pupil. Within seconds the whites were encompassed as well, leaving his eyes black as night.
Next to me, Ava went stiff and I knew she saw it. Rhys stepped away from Rhiannon so that her hand fell away. He blinked several times and when he looked up once again, his eyes had returned to blue.
It was clear to me that he was suspicious of her because he didn’t turn his back on her as he moved across the shop toward me. Though he didn’t usually hug or kiss me when we saw each other, he took the time to press his lips lightly to mine then wrapped his arm around my waist, settling me into his side. His actions alone told me everything I needed to know. He didn’t trust Rhiannon Temple and he intended to protect me should it become necessary. There was a fine tension in his muscles that told me he was on his guard.
“Well, thank you for stopping by, Rhiannon,” Ava said politely. “But I don’t think I’ll be selling my properties anytime soon.”
The real estate agent smiled thinly, her dark eyes sparkling with challenge. “Well, you have my card if you change your mind.”
With that, she turned and walked out the door, not even waiting to see if Macgrath followed her. I watched as he paused, his eyes on Ava, and he looked as though he were about to say something. Instead, his mouth tightened and he walked out of the shop.
As soon as the door shut behind them, Ava turned to us. “You know that witch?” she asked, her voice strained.
“Not really. She came by the house about a month ago, asking if I would want to sell it. I told her that you were my landlord and where to find you. When you didn’t mention it, I assumed she called or came by and you told her you weren’t interested,” I answered.
“Why didn’t you mention it?”
I glanced over at Rhys. “Well, I was a bit distracted after her visit.” The day Rhys had taken me to the botanical gardens was also the day Rhiannon had stopped by the house. My heart had ached so badly that I hadn’t given Rhiannon another thought until today.
Ava nodded. “It’s okay. You couldn’t have known.”
