She darted forward, grabbed my shoulder, bringing her arm up to my mouth. I slapped one hand over my mouth and the other on her arm, holding it away from me.
“Well, that’s a new one,” Clay drawled. “Never thought I’d see Sondra having to chase down a vampire to get her to feed.”
“Definitely not something you see every day,” Brax said.
Neither seemed particularly inclined to lend a hand in getting the crazy werewolf off me. I gave up on fending her off and slid down the wall to sit with my knees curled up against my chest, wrapping my arms around them and ducking my head so I was curled into a ball. Not the most dignified position, but it worked in first grade when Billy Lars tried to draw a mustache on my face.
I clung with all my vampire strength to my knees, even as Sondra tried to pry me up or at least smear blood on my mouth.
“As amusing as this is, we need to get back to business. Sondra, let her up,” Brax ordered.
“But-”
“Now.”
“Fine, fine,” she grumbled. Her hands left me as she stood and walked away. I listened for several beats as the sound of her footsteps moved across the kitchen. Only when I heard the slight thud as she jumped back onto the counter did I risk lifting my head.
“Didn’t you hear,” I said, feeling brave now that there was an entire length of the kitchen between us. “No means no.”
Her eyes flashed amber, and she lifted herself as if preparing to leap.
“No, Sondra,” Brax warned.
She settled back down. I smirked at her. Not my most mature moment, but I wasn’t feeling particularly mature after being chased around the kitchen like a child who wouldn’t eat her vegetables.
“Come and sit down,” Brax ordered.
I eyed the vacant chair.
“Think I’m good here.”
“I didn’t ask if you were good there.” He kicked the chair slightly further out from the table. “Take a seat.”
I glared. My temper had always been kind of short. I’d worked my whole life to manage it and for the most part succeeded. Ever since I got back from Afghanistan, and especially since my transformation, I’d had a lot more trouble keeping the volcano boiling inside me contained.
“I’m not one of your pack. I sit where I choose.”
His eyes bled to blue. I held his stare, not willing to back down. It probably wasn’t the wisest course to antagonize the deadly predator in front of me, but I wasn’t going to let them walk all over me.
“Oh boy,” Clay muttered, eyeing the table top. All of the wolves dropped their gazes, looking anywhere but at the pissed off alpha.
I lifted my chin. Go ahead. Let’s see what you’ve got.
“You’re not very smart,” Brax said, his words taking on a guttural edge.
“So people keep telling me.”
The two of us glared at each other while the others avoided looking at us, holding their bodies tense as the aggression poured off Brax.
He took a deep breath, releasing it on a long exhale.
“Chair. Please.”
The please surprised me and judging by the expressions of the rest of the group, it wasn’t a sentiment often expressed by the alpha.
It left me to reconsider my position. It felt safer to keep my distance, even if that safety was only in my head. I had no doubt that if I refused after he said please he would put me in that chair, even if he had to pick me up and tie me to it. He’d win too, being much stronger than me. I also couldn’t do any permanent damage to him given what he knew of my family. Did I really want to lose any more face by being forced into the chair? Predators were more likely to attack the weaker members of the herd. Might as well take the out he’d given me.
“Since you asked so nicely.”
