Chapter Seven
Ava
Icould feelthe questions and frustration simmering inside Harrison all morning long. Finally, a short time before Savannah was supposed to arrive for her shift, I managed to talk Macgrath into leaving. Mostly because I batted my eyelashes at him and asked him if he minded picking up my lunch from a cafe down the street.
As soon as he was out the door and I knew he wouldn’t hear me, I marched over to Harrison. When I came to a stop in front of him, crossing my arms over my chest, he stared at me, his face expressionless.
“Spill it, Harrison,” I demanded. “You forget who I am. Something crawled up your ass today and I want to know what it is.”
His brown eyes flared, flashing to pure amber for a split second. I hesitated then. For his eyes to change, his wolf had to be close to the surface. Whatever he was thinking or feeling, it disturbed him on a deep level. He wasn’t just grumpy. He was on edge and barely clinging to his control. I needed to dial back the attitude if I wanted to get to the bottom of his turmoil.
I relaxed my posture, letting my arms drop to my sides, and gentled my tone when I asked, “What’s going on?”
For the first time since the day we met, he dropped his gaze from mine and stared at the floor. Harrison Morris might not be the alpha of the local pack, but it wasn’t because he lacked strength. He was likely the strongest alpha in this part of the state and he wouldneverlower his gaze to anyone without one hell of a fight first.
It threw me completely off balance. Unthinkingly, I reached out and rested a hand on his arm. “I’m sorry I snapped at you, but you’re freaking me out now. What is it?”
When he lifted his eyes again, they were the color of raw honey. His stare was animalistic, devoid of nearly all humanity. “Why is that vampire here?” he asked, his voice little more than a low growl.
I bit back a sigh. I understood shifters and vampires well enough. I should have anticipated that this would be an issue.
“There was an… incident a few weeks before I hired you. Macgrath was involved and now he feels obligated to protect me. And Savannah.”
He stepped closer, getting into my personal space. I hadn’t realized until that moment how much taller he was. He was a peculiar contradiction, Harrison Morris. He was an alpha shifter who worked hard to appear unassuming and non-threatening. A literal wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Now, with his feral amber eyes shining and his body so close to mine, I saw the true shifter beneath the facade. It seemed today was for dropping masks. I’d revealed myself to Macgrath and now Harrison was doing the same with me. I would be lying if I said it was unattractive. A strong male who knew what he wanted and who handled himself with confidence, well, that was something many women would find tempting.
“I’m more than capable of protecting you,” he insisted, his voice little more than a growl. He moved closer still, his body very nearly brushing mine. Heat radiated from him, as though his body temperature was several degrees warmer than human.
Despite the warmth emanating from him, I shivered and almost gave in to the temptation to step back, but I knew that would be a mistake. At this moment, Harrison was more animal than human. If I retreated in any way, his instinct would be to chase me. I would become prey, just not the kind he wanted to eat.
Well, maybe in the metaphorical sense. I knew by his body language he was interested in me in a sexual way and werewolves loved nothing more than to chase the females they wanted. If I backed down, he would see that as an invitation.
Instead, I lifted my chin and called up my own power. I wouldn’t fight him, but I needed to make it clear that here, in this place, I was in charge. If I gave him an inch now, he would become more overbearing and it was likely that he and Macgrath would come to blows over his territorial attitude.
As magic spread beneath my skin, effervescent and warm in a different way, he growled low in his throat. He didn’t like the fact that I wasn’t backing down, but he still had enough control not to pounce. I hadn’t known Harrison for long, but I paid attention. In order to keep his meek mask in place, he must possess iron control.
I counted on that self-control right now as I said, “You need to stand down, Harrison.” My voice echoed with power and he winced slightly, the magical timbre likely hurting his sensitive ears. “This is my place and I am the one who decides who stays and goes.”
He took a deep breath and I saw awareness returning to his eyes. I was getting through to him. Before I could speak again, the door crashed open and a blur moved through the shop. Then I was shoved back, two hands gripping my hips and holding me against a broad male back.
Two low growls rumbled through the space, so deep they were nearly inaudible even as they resonated in my own body.
Shit, fuck, damn, and hell. This was all I needed, a shifter and a vampire battling it out in a place where humans and witches alike could walk in at any moment. I called my power up, the sudden influx causing a blast of wind to ripple from my body.
Neither of the males facing off in front of me noticed.
But before I could cast the spell I intended to use, a bolt of electrical energy struck the floor between them. As one, the three of us turned toward the door.
Rhys, Savannah’s fiancé, stood framed in the doorway, his hands still sparking with magic. “What the fuck is going on here?” he roared.
I could see Savannah peeking around his body, her face both curious and slightly amused. She knew exactly what was going on here: a territory dispute. And I was the territory in question.
I rolled my eyes and blew out a breath, the situation already diffused. Though Harrison and Macgrath were still tense, they were no longer on the verge of trying to rip out the other male’s throat.
I realized then that Macgrath still held my hips in his hands, keeping me pressed against his back. Shielding me from any possible threat, even if that meant he left himself undefended.
The epiphany made my chest tighten and my stomach clench. The idea that the vampire was not only willing to protect me but to possibly die for me, it struck a chord deep within me. The stone wall that had surrounded my heart for the last two thousand years began to crumble. Savannah and Rhys had cracked it, but Macgrath had the power to destroy it completely.
